It could have been the pewter grey finish that turns green-ish over time underneath the spray-paint.
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Fender Jazz Bass Special - Circa 1984-87
- Thread starter Bullitt5135
- Start date
I bought the black black black passive in 1985. Maybe the best purchase I ever made. I just home play so It's still polished and shiny. A lifetime purchase.
Hi all,
I've got a black japan jb special from the 80's with unpainted neck in very good condition.
I'm about to trade it to a white one.
The other guy's white is some japan reissue, he showed me this website.
Rex and the Bass: Fender Jazz Bass Special Re-issue
Does one of you heard of this kinda bass?
"Today's subject is a very rare bass - a 2008 limited-edition Jazz Bass Special.
This IS NOT the Mexican Duff McKagan model, this is a real-live Japanese-made bass."
The white's serial on the back of the neck (not on the head) is Sxxxxxx
This site says:
Japanese Fender Serial Numbers | Your Complete Guide | Guitar Repair Bench
S + 6 Digits Crafted in Japan 2005 - 2006
S + 6 Digits 1994 - 1995
I think the 2005-2006 is the bass.
What do you think?
Can I trade it 1:1?
I think mine worths more, but I prefer the white one and these basses are rare in my country.
I meet the guy today, we'll compare and try the basses.
If I'll like the white too, I'll ask for a week's time to think about the trade.
Thanks
I've got a black japan jb special from the 80's with unpainted neck in very good condition.
I'm about to trade it to a white one.
The other guy's white is some japan reissue, he showed me this website.
Rex and the Bass: Fender Jazz Bass Special Re-issue
Does one of you heard of this kinda bass?
"Today's subject is a very rare bass - a 2008 limited-edition Jazz Bass Special.
This IS NOT the Mexican Duff McKagan model, this is a real-live Japanese-made bass."
The white's serial on the back of the neck (not on the head) is Sxxxxxx
This site says:
Japanese Fender Serial Numbers | Your Complete Guide | Guitar Repair Bench
S + 6 Digits Crafted in Japan 2005 - 2006
S + 6 Digits 1994 - 1995
I think the 2005-2006 is the bass.
What do you think?
Can I trade it 1:1?
I think mine worths more, but I prefer the white one and these basses are rare in my country.
I meet the guy today, we'll compare and try the basses.
If I'll like the white too, I'll ask for a week's time to think about the trade.
Thanks
I posted on the first page of this thread in 2010 because I am majorly obsessed with Jazz Specials. In 2006 at the age of 16 I went to buy my first Fender. I went to a Fender dealer and described these and asked if I could order a Mexican Made Fender P Special ( closest new thing to a Jazz Special at the time) without a pickguard. They stared blankly at me and I described these and they said no so I bought the plain Jane Mexican PJ in black and put a black guard on one. Took a few more years but I finally got one of these used. I have owned every Fender under the sun. Mexican standards, deluxes, roadworns and classics, USA Standards, specials and highway 1's, USA Reissues, USA Custom Shop P and J, Many other Japan variations and many signature models the Dirnt, Wentz and Hoppus. After all that I am back to being that 16 year old and realizing the Jazz Special has always been the bass for me. To think at 16 if they had the Duff Signature out at the time ( think they came out in 2008) I may have bought that and never bought another Fender, instead I have had Dozens to get back to square 1 
.
My current one, its a minty 1986 but I would love to buy or swap it for a white or black one. Great bass just I am not a huge Candy Apple Red Fan.
.My current one, its a minty 1986 but I would love to buy or swap it for a white or black one. Great bass just I am not a huge Candy Apple Red Fan.
I posted on the first page of this thread in 2010 because I am majorly obsessed with Jazz Specials. In 2006 at the age of 16 I went to buy my first Fender. I went to a Fender dealer and described these and asked if I could order a Mexican Made Fender P Special ( closest new thing to a Jazz Special at the time) without a pickguard. They stared blankly at me and I described these and they said no so I bought the plain Jane Mexican PJ in black and put a black guard on one. Took a few more years but I finally got one of these used. I have owned every Fender under the sun. Mexican standards, deluxes, roadworns and classics, USA Standards, specials and highway 1's, USA Reissues, USA Custom Shop P and J, Many other Japan variations and many signature models the Dirnt, Wentz and Hoppus. After all that I am back to being that 16 year old and realizing the Jazz Special has always been the bass for me. To think at 16 if they had the Duff Signature out at the time ( think they came out in 2008) I may have bought that and never bought another Fender, instead I have had Dozens to get back to square 1
My current one, its a minty 1986 but I would love to buy or swap it for a white or black one. Great bass just I am not a huge Candy Apple Red Fan.
View attachment 568125 View attachment 568126
what a beauty!
mine is black, i'm about to trade to a white one, but i like yours too
but mine is in europe...
I have two that I bought around 1987, the silver that turns greenish over time and a red fretless. They played so well I never could see buying an American Standard jazz like I originally wanted. The silver is in my profile pic.
The power specials had the high mass bridge, whilst the regular specials had a simple bent plate bridge.
some jb specials have a normal bridge, some have a robust one.
do we know why, or how?
My all black 1985 passive JBS came with the vintage style bridge, but I have seen later year passive JBSs with the same higher mass bridge used on the Power JBS.
Below is one that was recently posted here by Fxpmusic:
Link Removed
Another fretless I saw online:
Link Removed
I don't know if they came from factory that way, modified by dealer, user, etc.
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Nope, I have one (a passive JBS) with the bigger bridge. I presume they only came with the bigger bridge towards the end if the production run as mine also has the unpainted, thinner, more jazz profile neck, no TBX (just a regular tone control) and smaller pole pieces on the pickups typical of the later models.
By the way, we're they really only made until '87? I could have sworn the guy I bought it from told me it was an '89. If not I guess that was the year he actually bought as new (two year) old stock.
The early Jazz Bass Specials all had the bent plate bridge. When they introduced the Power Jazz, it featured several improvements like the active electronics (with smaller poles on the pickups), 22 fret neck and the cast metal bridge. These bridges and pickups made their way onto late model Jazz Bass Specials, or at least the fretless ones.
I have the exact same black fretless as shown above, complete with the cast bridge. I also have a teal Power Jazz as shown in the first pic by nothing_special, as well as two more Jazz Bass Specials (I'm going to convert one of them into a 5er), and I also have a PB-555 with the double-P pickups, so I have almost every model in this family that I wanted. Still need to nab a 32" medium scale at some p.oint
I have the exact same black fretless as shown above, complete with the cast bridge. I also have a teal Power Jazz as shown in the first pic by nothing_special, as well as two more Jazz Bass Specials (I'm going to convert one of them into a 5er), and I also have a PB-555 with the double-P pickups, so I have almost every model in this family that I wanted. Still need to nab a 32" medium scale at some p.oint
The passives changed over time, really going back to 1984 they were labeled the PJ Bass and were missing the toggle switch, later in the year they had the toggle added ( I have owned examples of both), in 1985 the name changed to the Jazz Bass Special logo, sometime in 1986 they transitioned to natural finish on the back of the neck which my '86 posted a page back has and then in 1987 they changed to the smaller poles on the pickups and the high mass bridge. Basically the Jazz Special changed in some way each year from 1984-1988 and there are transitional pieces each year. The teal one posted above is the first one I have seen in that finish which was I think a 1987 year color but with the large poles on the pickups and the traditional bridge, just another example of how much things crossed over and mixed with various years. Of course this is all my own findings so there maybe slight variations but I have owned a super early PJ labeled bass from 1984 with a JV serial number all the way up to a 1989 Power Special and all other variations in between.
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I have a Winter 1991 issue of Fender Frontline, and it still lists the Jazz Bass Special as available.
27-6400 Jazz Bass Special
27-7300 Jazz Bass Special Fretless
27-9000 Power Jazz Bass Special
They were gone from the Fall Frontline later that year.
Toward end of run, I remember seeing a passive JBS with the smaller pole piece pickups at a music shop, but I don't remember what type of bridge was on it.
On page 13 of this thread, kaoscapt posted pics of a passive JBS he bought in 1987 that has the higher mass bridge. He would have to confirm if it came that way.
On page 15 of this thread, brokencode posted pics of a passive fretless JBS with small pole piece pickups, and the higher mass bridge. He said he wasn't sure if bridge was original.
27-6400 Jazz Bass Special
27-7300 Jazz Bass Special Fretless
27-9000 Power Jazz Bass Special
They were gone from the Fall Frontline later that year.
Toward end of run, I remember seeing a passive JBS with the smaller pole piece pickups at a music shop, but I don't remember what type of bridge was on it.
On page 13 of this thread, kaoscapt posted pics of a passive JBS he bought in 1987 that has the higher mass bridge. He would have to confirm if it came that way.
On page 15 of this thread, brokencode posted pics of a passive fretless JBS with small pole piece pickups, and the higher mass bridge. He said he wasn't sure if bridge was original.
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I'm going home this week (back to the UK). I'll take some pictures of my Jazz Bass Special with the big bridge and the small pole pieces. Will be good to see the old girl again!
Eventually there were Jazz Bass Specials with the natural headstock and back of the neck. I have even seen them with gold hardware and Fender Japan actually made a Jazz Special like the old 80's ones very recently I found a photo online. I only pay attention to 1984 to around 1989 run.
I have the natural neck, large poles and thin bridge on my JBS with the toggles. Bought them in 87 or 88.
I don't know why they don't make this model again, in the different colors, thin neck and lightweight. Maybe that's asking too much.
Hey A-Step-Towards, do you happen to have taken pics of them all? It'll be nice to see them side-by-side to see the variations over the years drool
