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Fender Japan is gone :(
- Thread starter GazzBass
- Start date
Thanks for the link on the scale. I tried to weight my new bass on our bathroom scale and could not get much of a decent number. It bounced around between 7 and 9 pounds, which is quite the range. But the bass feels a little heavy to me, relative to all my guitars. So I don’t really know how much it weighs. Although I doubt that I’ll buy a scale just to get that number. Still, it’s good to know about an option in case curiosity gets the better of me.
My bass arrived safe and sound today! I posted over on the other thread.
I've been meaning to buy a decent postal scale for a while now not just for the guitar collection, but for weighing eBay items and stuff like that. It was a nice surprise to find something that works so well for so little money!
But I could easily justify the expense just to weigh my collection which currently stands at 17 bass guitars, 4 electric guitars, a custom built Buscarino electric mandolin and an old Flatiron Octave Mandolin. 23 instruments total! My biggest problem at the moment is having the room to display all of them. At the moment I only have about half of them out in racks or on stands and the rest are in their cases.
I went ahead and weighed all my basses today, and was surprised by some of the weights. Lighter than I had expected in a few cases, slightly heavier in others.
But since this is the Fender Japan thread, I wanted to show you guys what the little JB62SS Mini Jazz Basses ended up topping out at. They were all pretty close to each other, with the exception of the black one, which as you will see was several ounces heavier than the other three. This model uses Alder for the body just like its big brother the JB62-US.
Here they are from lightest to heaviest: (JB62SS Smart Size Jazz Bass Weigh In)
Pounds.Ounces.Tenths of an Ounce
JB62SS-CAR : 7.2.1
JB62SS-WHT : 7.2.4
JB62SS-3TS : 7.3.2
JB62SS-BLK : 7.7.0
----
JB62-US: 9.4.5
But since this is the Fender Japan thread, I wanted to show you guys what the little JB62SS Mini Jazz Basses ended up topping out at. They were all pretty close to each other, with the exception of the black one, which as you will see was several ounces heavier than the other three. This model uses Alder for the body just like its big brother the JB62-US.
Here they are from lightest to heaviest: (JB62SS Smart Size Jazz Bass Weigh In)
Pounds.Ounces.Tenths of an Ounce
JB62SS-CAR : 7.2.1
JB62SS-WHT : 7.2.4
JB62SS-3TS : 7.3.2
JB62SS-BLK : 7.7.0
----
JB62-US: 9.4.5
Weights? Fender Duck Dunn: 8 pounds, 7 ounces of sweet vintage frets on a svelte maple neck, flawless alder body in sparkly CAR, gold anodized guard, and an extra serving of monster tone. And of course the Duck's signature on the headstock. CIJ in 1998. Looooove this bass! Normally I don't name my basses. But this one is The One. Her name is Deedee. (DD, get it?) Fender Japan, come back!!!
I've been meaning to buy a decent postal scale for a while now not just for the guitar collection, but for weighing eBay items and stuff like that. It was a nice surprise to find something that works so well for so little money!
But I could easily justify the expense just to weigh my collection which currently stands at 17 bass guitars, 4 electric guitars, a custom built Buscarino electric mandolin and an old Flatiron Octave Mandolin. 23 instruments total! My biggest problem at the moment is having the room to display all of them. At the moment I only have about half of them out in racks or on stands and the rest are in their cases.
Wow, that's a lot of instruments! I now have a bass, a baritone guitar, and 5 regular guitars. And I can barely play. So it does feel a bit extravagant. Which is not to say that I'm complaining.
Oh my. That sure is one pretty looking bass!
It looks great. Congrats!
Its cool seeing all these pending Fender Japan orders finally starting to arrive at their respective buyer's homes and getting to see the unveiling photos here! 
I was browsing through Ishibashi's website last night and was amazed to see how much of their previous inventory is GONE! Looks like a lot of us really took advantage of the bad news and managed to score a little bit of Fender history for themselves before the chance is gone for good.
I was browsing through Ishibashi's website last night and was amazed to see how much of their previous inventory is GONE! Looks like a lot of us really took advantage of the bad news and managed to score a little bit of Fender history for themselves before the chance is gone for good.
Its cool seeing all these pending Fender Japan orders finally starting to arrive at their respective buyer's homes and getting to see the unveiling photos here!
I was browsing through Ishibashi's website last night and was amazed to see how much of their previous inventory is GONE! Looks like a lot of us really took advantage of the bad news and managed to score a little bit of Fender history for themselves before the chance is gone for good.
To quote one of my all-time favorite movies;
"…we are merely passing through history. This IS history!"
Yeah, it’s fun to see everyone getting their new basses.
I have you folks to thank, for alerting me to the situation. So I ordered this bass. And it’s amazing. Here it is, getting situated at home. I shouldn’t even show this photo. The gear here far exceeds my ability to play it. All I need is a couple years away from life to woodshed.
Ain't that the truth! Give me a bass sabbatical and I might justify some of the cool gear!Yeah, it’s fun to see everyone getting their new basses.
Here it is, getting situated at home. I shouldn’t even show this photo. The gear here far exceeds my ability to play it. All I need is a couple years away from life to woodshed.
Nice setup there.Watch that foam on the stand contacting the nitro finish. It reacts.
At last!! Tracking.Its cool seeing all these pending Fender Japan orders finally starting to arrive at their respective buyer's homes and getting to see the unveiling photos here!
I was browsing through Ishibashi's website last night and was amazed to see how much of their previous inventory is GONE! Looks like a lot of us really took advantage of the bad news and managed to score a little bit of Fender history for themselves before the chance is gone for good.
Many emails. Several disappointments. And at long last, a JB62-VSP in transit. And still no completed charge on my credit card.
Ishibashi has maintained honest pricing even if they are slow as molasses. The Feebay sellers, not so much. Do your research; caveat emptor. Suddenly, a new, $575ish PB70 is $900 plus shipping.
Do I wish I had been a little greedier and snagged one of those too when I could have? Not really. My piece of history is on its way. Thanks for the warning. The foam on those stands is covered in cotton. So I think that I should be OK.
Yeah, a sabbatical is exactly what I need.
Excellent! My dealings with Ishibashi were 100% positive. I will probably not order another bass from them. With my hoping for an in person visit to Japan in the future. But if I do decide to order something from Japan, it will definitely be from Ishibashi.
I hope that your VSP is as impressive as mine. It’s a real pleasure to look at and to play. I didn’t know that anything could play so easily. It should be well worth all your waiting and hassle.
Thanks for the warning. The foam on those stands is covered in cotton. So I think that I should be OK.
Yeah, a sabbatical is exactly what I need.
I was going to say the same thing. I had to make a special stand for my 64' to protect the Nitro finish, which that one has on the entire body.
Hey Jon!
Is that Fender Bassman head I see in that photo? You holding out on us?
If that is a Fender Tube head, you might try running your JB62 through that and see how it sounds.
As I mentioned earlier, my Fender Bassman 100t is the best sounding Jazz Bass rig I have ever owned or used!
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I was going to say the same thing. I had to make a special stand for my 64' to protect the Nitro finish, which that one has on the entire body.
Hey Jon!
Is that Fender Bassman head I see in that photo? You holding out on us?
If that is a Fender Tube head, you might try running your JB62 through that and see how it sounds.
As I mentioned earlier, my Fender Bassman 100t is the best sounding Jazz Bass rig I have ever owned or used!
View attachment 622318
Oh, that little thing?
It’s actually a ’65 Bandmaster- my guitar amp. With a DIY cabinet I made of maple and cherry, a 1x12 Weber speaker. From afar it does look just like yours! I don't have any great pics of it.How do you think the Bandmaster would sound as a bass amp, played through a proper bass cabinet? 40 Watts is my understanding.
I can play the Jazz bass though this guitar setup, but I’m keeping the volume and the bass control very low, for fear of blowing out the guitar speaker. I have been thinking about getting a Fender Rumble 500 Combo amp (2x10). It’s $550. But if I could use the Bandmaster for the bass head and then put all of that money into a bass cabinet, might I be better off? For now, I just want to feel some of the punch of a proper bass amp while playing at home. I’ll worry about gigging level output later. But it’s probably smarter to buy something good now, rather than needing to upgrade later.
Very cool! Nice job on that cabinet too!
Well... I think you have a very good shot at it sounding excellent! Would you primarily be using it to jam in that room with vs taking it out and gigging with it?
At 40 watts, you should easily be able to drive a Bassman 410 Neo cab with it like the cab I run my 100t with. (Photo below with my American Deluxe in tow) AND! If down the road you decide to blow your mind for the rest of time and pick yourself up a 100t 100 watt head, you already have the PERFECT speaker cab to use with the 100t!
As I always say when the topic turns to the BEST sounding amp combo for a quality Jazz Bass, you would be hard pressed to find ANYTHING that can touch a 100t/410 Neo rig! As you guys now know, I have been playing professionally for over 40 years, and I have owned and played through dozens upon dozens of amps and amp speaker combos, including Ampeg SVTs and other Fender rigs. The Fender Jazz Bass has been my axe of choice that entire time, and nothing has squeezed so much out of my Jazz Bass collection like my 100t/410 Neo rig has!
NOT EVEN CLOSE!
FENDER BASSMAN 100t with FENDER 410 NEO 4X10 SPEAKER CABINET (My trusty VOX AC15 Twin in the foreground)
Well... I think you have a very good shot at it sounding excellent! Would you primarily be using it to jam in that room with vs taking it out and gigging with it?
At 40 watts, you should easily be able to drive a Bassman 410 Neo cab with it like the cab I run my 100t with. (Photo below with my American Deluxe in tow) AND! If down the road you decide to blow your mind for the rest of time and pick yourself up a 100t 100 watt head, you already have the PERFECT speaker cab to use with the 100t!
As I always say when the topic turns to the BEST sounding amp combo for a quality Jazz Bass, you would be hard pressed to find ANYTHING that can touch a 100t/410 Neo rig! As you guys now know, I have been playing professionally for over 40 years, and I have owned and played through dozens upon dozens of amps and amp speaker combos, including Ampeg SVTs and other Fender rigs. The Fender Jazz Bass has been my axe of choice that entire time, and nothing has squeezed so much out of my Jazz Bass collection like my 100t/410 Neo rig has!
NOT EVEN CLOSE!
FENDER BASSMAN 100t with FENDER 410 NEO 4X10 SPEAKER CABINET (My trusty VOX AC15 Twin in the foreground)
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And the other part of my secret weapon!
Vintage Tubes and my TC Electronics Hall of Fame Digital Reverb!
The 100t already sounds fantastic out of the box with their Groove Tube "Select" tube set, but I did the amp 10 better by loading mine up with some of the best sounding New Old Stock vintage tubes in my vacuum tube collection. GE 6L6GC power tubes for the output stage, and Amperex 12AX7s in V1 and V2! For the regulator stage I went with a 50s vintage RCA 12AT7. Largely because the RCA 12AT7 from this decade used a "Narrow Bottle" design which fits much easier into the somewhat cramped space the AT7 resides in within the 100ts pre-amp. The GT that comes with it is a LARGE bottle, and is a total bitch to take out and install.
The RCA solved that problem for me, and although the regulator tube choice isn't as crucial aside from using a high quality well tested specimen, it does interact with your 6L6 quad, so I thought it was best to use a nice vintage AT7. RCA makes a great AT7 that can outlast most of their owners, leave alone the life of the amp they get put into. lol.
Checking and matching a quad of the GEs
Loaded into the 100t
And the RED Cherry on Top!
My trusty TC Electronics "Hall of Fame" digital reverb pedal! Adding some quality ambience to your final output does wonders for creating a lush sound field in which to write songs and jam! A quality reverb is especially nice when you are working with a bass that has such an unusually WIDE frequency response as is obviously the case with the venerable Fender Jazz Bass.
In my opinion...The "J Bass" reigns as KING!
Vintage Tubes and my TC Electronics Hall of Fame Digital Reverb!
The 100t already sounds fantastic out of the box with their Groove Tube "Select" tube set, but I did the amp 10 better by loading mine up with some of the best sounding New Old Stock vintage tubes in my vacuum tube collection. GE 6L6GC power tubes for the output stage, and Amperex 12AX7s in V1 and V2! For the regulator stage I went with a 50s vintage RCA 12AT7. Largely because the RCA 12AT7 from this decade used a "Narrow Bottle" design which fits much easier into the somewhat cramped space the AT7 resides in within the 100ts pre-amp. The GT that comes with it is a LARGE bottle, and is a total bitch to take out and install.
The RCA solved that problem for me, and although the regulator tube choice isn't as crucial aside from using a high quality well tested specimen, it does interact with your 6L6 quad, so I thought it was best to use a nice vintage AT7. RCA makes a great AT7 that can outlast most of their owners, leave alone the life of the amp they get put into. lol.
Checking and matching a quad of the GEs
Loaded into the 100t
And the RED Cherry on Top!
My trusty TC Electronics "Hall of Fame" digital reverb pedal! Adding some quality ambience to your final output does wonders for creating a lush sound field in which to write songs and jam! A quality reverb is especially nice when you are working with a bass that has such an unusually WIDE frequency response as is obviously the case with the venerable Fender Jazz Bass.
In my opinion...The "J Bass" reigns as KING!
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