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Fender Jazz Bass '89

B

bassbeest

Guest
Feb 3, 2012
10
2
#1
hello everyone,

I'm looking for a 22 frets Fender Jazz Bass from 1989.
at first i wanted to buy an "ordinary" 20 frets jazz bass, but after i have played a 22 frets today, i think that the 22 frets plays better, but i can't find any on google, only fretless ones.
does anybody know where i can find one?
thank you very much.

P.S. sorry for the bad english, i'm from Holland ;)
 
#3
No, he's looking for an American Standard Jazz Bass from that period, often referred to as the "Long Horn" or "Boner" (yeah, I know) bass because of it's elongated body. It had a 22-fret neck. I bought one brand new in 1991 and had it until last spring when I sold it.
 
#4
bassbeest said:
hello everyone,

I'm looking for a 22 frets Fender Jazz Bass from 1989.
at first i wanted to buy an "ordinary" 20 frets jazz bass, but after i have played a 22 frets today, i think that the 22 frets plays better, but i can't find any on google, only fretless ones.
does anybody know where i can find one?
thank you very much.

P.S. sorry for the bad english, i'm from Holland ;)
Click to expand...

The American Standards were like that from '89 - '94. From Wikipedia:

American Standard Jazz Basses produced between 1989 and 1994 1/2 featured a larger body shape, a 'curved' neck plate set into a chamfered pocket for greater sustain and a 22-fret neck, similar to that of a Precision Bass Plus, with a standard vintage-style top-load bridge, two separate volumes and a master TBX tone circuit. Usually known as "Boner" Jazz Basses, these early American Standard models (designed by George Blanda, who was Fender's senior R&D engineer during that period) were discontinued in 1994 and shouldn't be confused with the Fender Jazz Bass Plus, which has the same 22-fret neck design, but utilizes a different (downsized) body styling, Lace Sensor pickups, Schaller "Elite" fine-tuner bridge on the 4-string model or Gotoh high-mass bridge on the 5-string model, and Phil Kubicki-designed active electronics. Unlike the Fender Precision Bass Plus, which had a "maple-neck" option, the Boner Jazz Bass was offered only with a rosewood fingerboard. The Jazz Plus Bass was available with an alder body and the option of a natural-finish ash body on the 4-string model for a $100 upcharge, either a maple or rosewood fretboard on the 4-string and pau ferro (an exotic hardwood whose tone is brighter than rosewood yet warmer than ebony) on the 5-string. The Jazz Plus debuted in 1989 (the 5-string model was released in 1990), discontinued in 1994 and replaced by the USA Deluxe Series Jazz Bass the following year.

If you do a search for "Fender Boner Jazz bass" you might be able to find one. Too bad you weren't looking at this time last year; I had mine for sale in the classifieds then.
 
#5
I have a '92 AmStd Jazz. I bought it new in '92, and for many years it was my primary player. These basses have a design defect though..... the string spacing is like over 21mm, and you'll be pulling/pushing the G and E strings off the fingerboard. I put on a BAII and the problem was solved. It should be pointed out that the body really isn't any larger, because the added length of the upper horn is offset by the deeper cutaways. Prior to my mods (the BAII, hipshot detuner, tort guard and SD Antiquities) it weighed just over 9 lbs, which is pretty typical. I don't have a good scale here, but my guess is it's just over 9.5lbs now.

The longer upper horn really makes it balance well on the strap, and makes it feel at least a pound lighter, because your attachment points for the strap are further apart, resulting in the weight being spread out across your upper back/shoulder.

The workmanship on mine is top notch. Beautiful fretwork and finish...... zero gap between the neck and body...... and the tbx tone is killer.

I have a friend's '66 Jazz here (setting it up for him), and with the exception a bit more "wood" in the tone of mine, they sound pretty much identical.

The prices on these are normally pretty low, making them a great bargain. Excellent basses!!!
 
#6
Aladinsane1969 said:
The American Standards were like that from '89 - '94. From Wikipedia:

American Standard Jazz Basses produced between 1989 and 1994 1/2 featured a larger body shape, a 'curved' neck plate set into a chamfered pocket for greater sustain and a 22-fret neck, similar to that of a Precision Bass Plus, with a standard vintage-style top-load bridge, two separate volumes and a master TBX tone circuit. Usually known as "Boner" Jazz Basses, these early American Standard models (designed by George Blanda, who was Fender's senior R&D engineer during that period) were discontinued in 1994 and shouldn't be confused with the Fender Jazz Bass Plus, which has the same 22-fret neck design, but utilizes a different (downsized) body styling, Lace Sensor pickups, Schaller "Elite" fine-tuner bridge on the 4-string model or Gotoh high-mass bridge on the 5-string model, and Phil Kubicki-designed active electronics. Unlike the Fender Precision Bass Plus, which had a "maple-neck" option, the Boner Jazz Bass was offered only with a rosewood fingerboard. The Jazz Plus Bass was available with an alder body and the option of a natural-finish ash body on the 4-string model for a $100 upcharge, either a maple or rosewood fretboard on the 4-string and pau ferro (an exotic hardwood whose tone is brighter than rosewood yet warmer than ebony) on the 5-string. The Jazz Plus debuted in 1989 (the 5-string model was released in 1990), discontinued in 1994 and replaced by the USA Deluxe Series Jazz Bass the following year.

If you do a search for "Fender Boner Jazz bass" you might be able to find one. Too bad you weren't looking at this time last year; I had mine for sale in the classifieds then.
Click to expand...

that's the one i'm looking for. thank you for the tip, i searched for boner bass, and now i've found one on another forum that has been on sale for 2 years now, but not confirmed to be sold yet, so i'm trying to buy that one. i'll keep you posted!
 
#7
I just picked one up at a pawnshop 2 weeks ago. I was in killer condition except for a changed out tuning key.Good luck in your search. Here's a pic of mine.

DSC00351.jpg

DSC00354.jpg

DSC00355.jpg

DSC00357.jpg
 
#10
bassbeest said:
that's the one i'm looking for. thank you for the tip, i searched for boner bass, and now i've found one on another forum that has been on sale for 2 years now, but not confirmed to be sold yet, so i'm trying to buy that one. i'll keep you posted!
Click to expand...

Cool, please do. Also, read up about the serial numbers on these basses. For some reason, certain years have one less digit in their serial numbers than they are supposed to. When I sold mine, the guy was concerned that it wasn't genuine for that reason (actually, a guy in a shop who wanted him to return it to me and buy a different bass from him told him that). As was said, these basses aren't considered very collectible, so with a little patience, you should be able to find one for a good price. Good luck!
 
#12
bassbeest said:
that's the one i'm looking for. thank you for the tip, i searched for boner bass, and now i've found one on another forum that has been on sale for 2 years now, but not confirmed to be sold yet, so i'm trying to buy that one. i'll keep you posted!
Click to expand...

the guy already sold it. not very surprising after 2 years :P
i'm still looking for another one, and if i haven;t found one before may i think i'll just buy an american standard, they have them in store at the local music store in black with a tortoise pickgaurd. a beauty and it also plays very well.
 
#16
I have one that's 92/93, bought new at a Fender dealer. I'm not sure what that Wikipedia article is saying about a curved neck plate, since I don't recall anything like that. All else sounds right. I've never had any string spacing problems with mine either. The tuners on the one shown in this thread don't appear to be the same kind as the ones on mine...mine are flat, and not sculpted as the one of the pewter finished one.

Also, the case that came with mine is not a rectangular case, but a stock 'form fitted' Fender case of that era, which came standard with the instrument. During that same year, my guitarist at the time bought an American Standard Tele, which had the same style form fitted case rather than the rectangular one. I still have the original strings, manual, catalog and hang tags that came with the bass upon purchase.
 

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