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Fender Japan question

#23
corinpills said:
For what it's worth, I have a MIJ Noel Redding Jazz and I love it. I'm kind of thinking about upgrading the piuckups (not sure what teh best move would be there), but the rosewood fingerboard is great. I don't have a '65 jazz bass (or whatever year Noel used) to compare it to, but if I did, I wouldn't be using it on most gigs anyway. I never see much about these basses. Were they a limited edition or something?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
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I have a MIJ Noel Redding Jazz also, and it's a great bass, best Fender made bass I have when it comes to tone. I did change the pups out to some bassline pups I had lying around. It was a limited edition bass that featured on some of them, a signed pickguard by Noel Redding himself.

Also, I found a Noel neck on Ebay which I had a bass built around. I like the feel of the Noel necks for some reason...

I had a MIJ fretless which was so so, has a new home. There is good MIJ, and then there is great MIJ. Try it first if you can.
 
#25
555 said:
Oops, i missed this reply, sorry.

Ah, but why does the fender japan site say their basic range of fender basses (not RI's) are made out of basswood bodies? And their RI's are Alder? As you can tell i have little knowledge about Fender's and their history of RI's and vintage basses (I am learning but can't find any sort of dedication site towards fender's though :( ) Still even trying to figure out what on earth is the difference between MIJ RI 60's and 70's basses apart from the headstock decal style and the copper strip on some fender jazzes that i've seen behind the bridge pickup running to the bridge.

Also when you are talking about CIJ and MIJ, aren't these both the same? Or are they different?

Thanks!

PS: This threads great for Fender schooling hehe:D
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OK, I can run down some of the differences but trying to keep up on all the Fender versions from each of the continents is like trying to keep up on Britney's boyfriends. :rolleyes:

First off, CIJ stands for "Crafted in Japan". The distinction is made because Fender Japan made the distinction. This moniker is put on some versions - versions that I and most here believe to be a bit better than the MIJ's - Made In Japan - though I don't have definite proof of this. Even the CIJ logo is metallic unlike the MIJ with is simply black ink.

'62 reissues from Japan are styled after the 1962 American Jazz. They have the dot markers and the brass ground strap for visual similarity and the neck is the narrow profile that was very desirable from these basses. A 70's Jazz - reissue or original - will have the block markers, bound neck, and no ground strap. It will also have the the thicker, almost triangular neck profile of that era. Now, the difference between a MIJ/CIJ reissue and a MIA reissue is substantial. The MIA is much more accurate when it comes to hardware - especially the tuners which are the tall, nickel plated elephant ears with the rivets while the MIJ's are simply a short necked chrome version. The pickups are the original style HB with cloth wire. The MIJ/CIJ's don't have any of this.

Fender Japan may very well be making their standard line from basswood now. It's certainly less expensive. As far as I can tell, alder has gone up in price in the last few years and it is getting harder to find larger boards. If they are going to have to use 3 or more boards to lam for a body, and it will have to be painted, why not use the less expensive basswood instead of covering up the more expensive alder? At least that's how I would think. :D

Someone else with more depth needs to get in here and help us out with some of this stuff.
 
#26
555 said:
Oops, i missed this reply, sorry.

Ah, but why does the fender japan site say their basic range of fender basses (not RI's) are made out of basswood bodies? And their RI's are Alder? As you can tell i have little knowledge about Fender's and their history of RI's and vintage basses (I am learning but can't find any sort of dedication site towards fender's though :( ) Still even trying to figure out what on earth is the difference between MIJ RI 60's and 70's basses apart from the headstock decal style and the copper strip on some fender jazzes that i've seen behind the bridge pickup running to the bridge.
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You're supposed to buy the MIJITSO line with the US pickups because they kick more ass :P

The inlays, fingerboard wood choice and body wood (and maybe pickups, I'm not sure though) are different between the 60s and 70s line. 60s has an alder body, dot inlays on a rosewood board. 70s has an ash body and block inlays (pearl) on a rosewood or maple board. Technically the 70s should have the bridge pickup closer to the bridge but they left out this important detail :(.

BTW, my Geddy's pickups have cloth wire, I think.
 
#27
Great! Thanks for your help Hambone and FireAarro,

It's a shame none of the japanese sites such as:

apollonmusic.com
ibeke-gakki.com
Ishibashi-music.com

Don't have any 70's Jazz basses in candy apple red or any red colour in rosewood fingerboard, there are 60's ones but i do hate the copper strip that suddenly springs to your mind when you look at the finish :( (yes i know i am picky, i can't help it! lol)
 
#31
FireAarro said:
Invalid Link Removed Check down the bottom on the Jazz Bass first page, can't tell if those have the strip or not. I assume it doesn't though.

It looks like Fender Japan is making some FMTs!
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Yeh, i saw them, they look nice, i too can't really see if they have the copper strip or not, isn't it a 60's bass? Therefore 60's basses have copper strips though dont they?
 
#32
I have an 87 P, Lake Placid Blue, that I bought 15 years ago & it was my main player til 2 years ago when I finally found something with a neck I liked better.... a Stingray 4. My P is incredible & will always be in my line-up.
I agree with the earlier comment on replacing the pots!! Once you get those right, it sings!
 
#33
Anyone have probs with fret wear on CIJ's?? I have a Mustang Bass reissue (2002) and I'm already getting noticable fretwear. I've played original '62 Mustangs with about the same wear and that's with 40's years on 'em and not two.
My MIJ jagstang guitar has suffered the same, I've had it since '98 and the first 4 frets have serious wear, to the point where I'm gonna need a new neck or fret job soon. But my '82 squire bullet (MIM or MIJ??) guitar has very little fret wear.
Are they just using cheaper fret material these days? Any thoughts?
 
#35
555 said:
Yeh, i saw them, they look nice, i too can't really see if they have the copper strip or not, isn't it a 60's bass? Therefore 60's basses have copper strips though dont they?
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I think it's sorta the transitional type in the late 60s/early 70s (?) when they had the inlays and binding and matching headstock and I think bullet truss rod (not sure) with the 60s colours and stuff (and headstock decal). I'm just guessing though. And I have no idea if there's a copper strip or not.

Link Removed found a picture there

EDIT: NM, I think it's just a 75.
 
#36
therealting said:
The frets in the Japanese guitars aren't the best, neither are the pots (and switches)... not really a huge deal, just replace them when they are no longer satisfactory.
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I'm refretting my MIJITSO Jazz right now. The neck is dinged but not where you play and I was considering replacing it with a Warmoth but I just can't give up that neck profile and radius. That was a very surprising thing. All along, I've assumed my favorite radius was 12" but I measured this one and it's 7.25"! What a shock and yet a nice surprise. It explains why I haven't found one like it yet.
 
#37
Thought I'd resurrect this thread to ask a few questions about Fender Japan Jazz basses.

I just got a beautiful (looking, playing, sounding) used JB75-105US/BD 3T/R. Sorry I don't have a photo handy, but will post one shortly. Some thoughts/questions:

- "JB75" denotes Jazz Bass 1975. I think "3T/R" refers to the color (sunburst) and fingerboard (rosewood).

- "105US". "105" refers to the original price of the bass. My understanding is that most Fender Japan guitars and basses are issued at three price points, with this being the most expensive. Is this correct? What were the differences between the different price points? The "US" indicates US made pickups, right?

- Does the "BD" refer to the Badass II bridge? Did Fender Japan put stock Badass II bridges on the JB75? If yes, did they put them on ALL JB75's? If they did issues these with Badass II's, does anyone know WHY they'd do that? Was this a typical modification done back in the day?

- The front of the peghead says "Made in Japan", but the back of the neck says "Crafted in Japan". Is this typical?

- How do you know what kind of wood the body is made of?

Thanks in advance, I just want to know everything there is to know about my new bass!
 
#38
Hi somnar,

everything you mentioned is correct. This Fender Japan Jazz bass is one limited high-end model and the most expensive among non-signature models. And yes, it does come with Badass II bridge as factory installed which is also found on Marcus Miller models. So you have one special Fender Japan Jazz bass. All Jazz bass models come with standard type bridge. It has ASH body and US made pickup with cover on the neck pickup only.
Perhaps the Made in Japan on the peghead and Crafted in Japan at the back of the neck is meant to differentiate it from the commom Jazz bass models.
 
#40
hieronymous said:
RE: the "Made in Japan" on the headstock - I think it's only on the '70s 3-bolt Jazz necks - look at the '60s versions and it doesn't say that. I noticed it while I was in Japan from 2002-6 when I was jonesing for a '70s Fender Japan Jazz but never went for it.
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The "Made in Japan" on the headstock can also be found on the 60s version that were manufactured from 1982 till 1987 (The JV, SQ, A, and E series) and on Squier Silver Series from 1990-1994. All other series had the MADE IN JAPAN or CRAFTED IN JAPAN at the back of the neck. Never that both MADE IN JAPAN and CRAFTED IN JAPAN would appear on the same neck. That is why, this JB75-105US/BD 3T/R model is a different breed.
 

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