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Fender Japan is gone :(

#361
Congrats R&B!! Glad they finally were able to work a deal with you!

Jon... You might want to check with WD Music Products on a replacement pick guard. If they don't already have the MIJ versions on file, you can always do a custom order like I did with my JB62SS and send them the original and they will make a new one in any color you can imagine. I find their PGs to be of better quality than the OEM in many cases.

If you ever do a custom, make sure you inform them that you do not want those extra holes reproduced. Cover them over with tape or something so Virgil knows not to drill those extra holes.

As for these JB62s... I am simply loving my JB62-US! :D This thing is an amazing bass. Especially for what I paid for it. Would put it right up there with any of my American Fenders, and in many respects I think it still sounds better. More vintage sounding to my ear, and soon I will be able to compare that difference...

On a slightly off topic note...

I just made a deal on a 1976 Fender Black Jazz Bass with white PG, a maple neck/fretboard, with MOP block inlays! Been thinking about trying to find another one identical to my original 76 that I foolishly sold back in 84 and I finally found one at a good price. This bass comes with all the chrome guard hardware the original Fender HSC and according to the music store I bought it from, is 8.9 pounds, Alder body and plays like lightning! I am wondering if this may even be my old bass! I have been digging through ancient paperwork looking for my original receipt for my original 76 with the serial number, but so far no luck.

Wouldn't that be awesome if this is my original? :D The odds are huge, but you never know. Will post a new thread for that sometime next week.
 
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#362
GG7 said:
Congrats R&B!! Glad they finally were able to work a deal with you!

Jon... You might want to check with WD Music Products on a replacement pick guard. If they don't already have the MIJ versions on file, you can always do a custom order like I did with my JB62SS and send them the original and they will make a new one in any color you can imagine. I find their PGs to be of better quality than the OEM in many cases.

If you ever do a custom, make sure you inform them that you do not want those extra holes reproduced. Cover them over with tape or something so Virgil knows not to drill those extra holes.

As for these JB62s... I am simply loving my JB62-US! This thing is an amazing bass. Especially for what I paid for it. Would put it right up there with any of my American Fenders, and in many respects I think it still sounds better. More vintage sounding to my ear, and soon I will be able to compare that difference...

On a slightly off topic note...

I just made a deal on a 1976 Fender Black Jazz Bass with white PG, a maple neck/fretboard, with MOP block inlays! Been thinking about trying to find another one identical to my original 76 that I foolishly sold back in 84 and I finally found one at a good price. This bass comes with all the chrome guard hardware the original Fender HSC and according to the music store I bought it from, is 8.9 pounds, Alder body and plays like lightning! I am wondering if this may even be my old bass! I have been digging through ancient paperwork looking for my original receipt for my original 76 with the serial number, but so far no luck.

Wouldn't that be awesome if this is my original? The odds are huge, but you never know. Will post a new thread for that sometime next week.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip on the pickguard. Good to know if I want another one. Not sure if I’ll change it or not. A little lighter and a little redder would make it nicer. But it is also good as is.

Congrats on the ’76!! You have been talking about your long lost ’76 a lot. So I know that you would not rest well until you had one again. I wonder how many were made that year. Those would be your odds. :) Good luck with it!


R&B said:
Finally! After extensive email correspondence, Ishibashi will be shipping a JB62-VSP in my direction.
Click to expand...

Super!!! I just posted photos and impressions of my VSP. I find it to be, in a word: amazing. :)
 
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#363
I finally got to take photos and do a proper write up about the bass. Details are here:

NBD: Fender Japan Jazz Bass, Vintage Special, JB62 VSP 3TS (Long, many photos) | TalkBass.com

In the mean time, here are a few of the photos...

Logo_2386_zps6icxnl8b.jpg


Pickup_2385_zpsnpwpzj8j.jpg


BackShine_2375_zpshrjyqafz.jpg
 
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#364
GG7 said:
I just made a deal on a 1976 Fender Black Jazz Bass with white PG, a maple neck/fretboard, with MOP block inlays! Been thinking about trying to find another one identical to my original 76 that I foolishly sold back in 84 and I finally found one at a good price. This bass comes with all the chrome guard hardware the original Fender HSC and according to the music store I bought it from, is 8.9 pounds, Alder body and plays like lightning! I am wondering if this may even be my old bass! I have been digging through ancient paperwork looking for my original receipt for my original 76 with the serial number, but so far no luck.

Wouldn't that be awesome if this is my original? :D The odds are huge, but you never know. Will post a new thread for that sometime next week.
Click to expand...

I would love to find a bass like that. look forward to seeing your new thread when you get it.
 
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#365
This thread has been a sort of gathering point for MIJ fans, so I figured I'd mention it here... I'm doing a bit of a gear purge right now, and since a whole lot of my stuff is MIJ, one of the first pieces I'm letting go of is an Aero Jazz Bass of the non-export variety. Link is down below in my signature.

I'd consider trading it for something else MIJ that doesn't overlap with other basses I have, as this one does.
.
 
#366
An on topic thought related to my new bass...

Check out the serial number that I received:

DSC_2358_zpskqlcn5ei.jpg


I think that means the bass was made in 2015. And we first heard about Fender Japan going away as of April 1. Which means that they were making basses right up until the end. Interesting!
 
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#367
That is what R&B was referring to earlier. The first two digits are indeed the YEAR, so yeah... You have one of the last of that line.

My JB62-US was made in 2014. Not sure if my model was made through 2015 or not, so I might possibly have one of the last US versions produced as well.
 
#370
Its one of the hot rod red jaguar basses which has me thinking somewhere between 2006-2010. Serial number starts with T012 but I don't think it's one of the deluxe jag models from 2012 though because the frets are definitely vintage sized. Maybe these were made until then as well. I just traded for it around a week ago for a guitar I wasn't using. Initially the other person may have gotten a slightly better deal in the trade but I knew from what I read a little elbow grease could make this bass could be a sleeper in the long run. I have already copper tape shielded the cavities (which was a huge help in bringing the noise down) and lowered the pickup/active/series switches. I've also got some new knobs on the way which i'm hoping to get in today and some gotoh resolites to help with the neck dive (might end up on my roadworn p though). Finish wise its got plenty of buckle rash on the back and many pick divots on the forearm area. It's got a look to it that reads I was definitely played but isn't to that roadworn level of relic. I'll get photos up once I get all the hardware in and on.
 
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#374
R&B said:
Only the recent JD serial numbers begin with the year AFAIK. Other Fender Japan serial numbers are all over the place as pointed out, especially T+6 digits.
Click to expand...

I can attest to that! :banghead:

My MIJ JB62 has a "T" serial number, which put it either between '94 to '95 OR somewhere in the '07 to '10 ballpark. I used the old Fender Japan website snapshots from Archive.org to sift through the years and zero-in on which year mine came from. However, my particular search was made a bit easier due to it being a rather unique-lookin', limited edition bass. Basically, you may need to play "detective" if you go this route.

I hope this helps, even just a little bit.
 
#376
I picked up a nice little postal scale from Amazon today in order to weigh all the guitars in my collection. This little guy had really good reviews and was dirt cheap! (20 bucks and some change - Link provided below)

Just weighed my JB62-US and it turns out to weigh 9 pounds 4.6 ounces. :) About what I was guessing based on how it feels when picked up. I knew it was definitely under 10 pounds which is what my American Deluxe Jazz weighs on the nose.

Here is a link to the scale I am using in case any other collectors are in need of something more accurate than the bathroom scale technique. ;) This model has both TARE and HOLD features, so you can put the bass on the scale after laying a towel down on the scale platform, and with the HOLD feature, the reading will stay displayed after you remove the guitar from the scale.

This one also has a MAX weight capacity of 86 LBs. Definitely impressive for something so inexpensive! :D

Amazon.com : SAGA 86 LB GRAY DIGITAL POSTAL SHIPPING SCALE by SAGA X 0.1 OZ WEIGHT USPS POSTAGE W/AC USB M Pro Model : Poastal Scale : Office Products
 
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