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Fender Jazz Bass Special - Circa 1984-87
- Thread starter Bullitt5135
- Start date
Man I've been looking! Can't find him anywhereSure, you got his phone number?
I know. Guy's invisible. That's why I like guys like Billy Sheehan. I can talk to him directly using Facebook messenger. 
Hi guys,
I was offered a sunburst jazz bass special from the '80-s.
The owner said it is an rare color.
Painted black neck and head, but no dots on it.
Have anyone seen this type?
Unfortunately it has dimarzios, so if I plan to buy it, I have to search for original pickups.
Does anyone have some to sell in Europe?
Thanks
I was offered a sunburst jazz bass special from the '80-s.
The owner said it is an rare color.
Painted black neck and head, but no dots on it.
Have anyone seen this type?
Unfortunately it has dimarzios, so if I plan to buy it, I have to search for original pickups.
Does anyone have some to sell in Europe?
Thanks
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I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure they never came in sunburst. Either I'm wrong, it's a refin, or he's wrong in calling it a jazz bass special.Hi guys,
I was offered a sunburst jazz bass special from the '80-s.
The owner said it is an rare color.
Have anyone seen this color?
Unfortunately it has dimarzios, so if I plan to buy it, I have to search for original pickups.
Does anyone have some to sell in Europe?
Thanks
It looks like a jbs, I can sen u some pictures.
It's not mine, that's why I don't post here.
You can post them here. They're just pictures of a bass. I don't know what it is. It looks like a refinished jazz bass special body with an aerodyne neck.
My understanding is MIJ Jazz Bass Specials came in solid colors only (black, white, red, silver, aqua...maybe yellow?). It's definitely a JBS neck (obviously) and with the body pic being so small, I'd be surprised if it's legit. Ask for some pictures of the back of it to see the control cavity as well as the controls (TBX circuit is a distinguishing factor) as well as the neck pocket to check for markings of any sort.
Lord my eyes are bad. I couldn't even make that out with that picture.
Obviously the fretless ones did but not sure on the fretted necks. Regardless, that's a REALLY good headstock replication if it's not a legit JBS neck.
The body proportion seems off as well but that could be the burst on it that's playing tricks.
Hard to tell from those pics but I've seen a fretless undotted one that was fretted later in life, it was white and was posted in here somewhere. That body looks correct, appears to have a jazz special bridge. I'd need to see how the rear control plate looks if it's done the same as a jazz special I bet that is a correct body. Fender Japan did weird variations of the jazz special that never were imported to America. It would be easy to see if it was original to by the grain, they are basswood so
You'd see almost no or bland grain
You'd see almost no or bland grain
In regard to my last comment, even tho Japan did weird variations I know they never did a burst like that. It would be a refinish. I've bought a jazz special that was refinished before tho so it's not a unlikely thing
Man, yours is super-mint! Here's my '88, which was given to me in lieu of cash for driving my buddies out West when they moved. I thought it was pretty beat, but it was actually just in need of some love. I fixed it up, defretted it (no use for a passive fretted 4-string), shielded it, sanded/rubbed-oil finished the back of the neck and such. When the time comes, I'm going to re-body it with an ash Warmoth jazz body. I don't especially care for the look or feel of a P bass, but these electronics are damn good. That 'TBX' tone control is some kind of wonderful, and I always like having a pickup selector switch.After searching the TB forums for a while, I didn't see any threads about my particular bass. It's a Fender Jazz Bass Special, MIJ circa 1984-87 -- purchased a couple years before Duff McKagan made them famous. I bought this when I was in high school in 1986 for around $350. I had originally ordered one in metallic silver, but impatience took over and I decided to grab it in black (in hindsight, a good decision). At the time, Geddy was playing the black Wal, and my bass had a similar look. It has a Precision body and a Jazz Neck. The back of the neck is matching black lacquer. P-J pickups with the cable jack in the edge instead of the top surface. It's in really good shape given it's age and ratty case, with only a few minor dings and scratches.
As a kid, I never got good enough to make it out of my buddy's basement, but I'm hoping to change that. I got away from playing over the past 20 years, but I've recently decided to pick it up again. I've only just "heard" my bass "for real" for the first time... having just purchased a GK 700RBII with an Avatar B212 cab. I'm looking forward to getting to know it better.
If you have one of these babies, I'd love to see some pics. I know they also came in metallic white, silver, and red.
Those Japanese Fenders really were better than their American counterparts there for 10-12 years. I wasn't a bass player back then (I was an embryo-to-toddler in the 80s), but I've played a pile of them from that era. Mine's as awesome as the rest.
It also must have screaming hot factory pickups, because my EBMM Sterling isn't any louder than it is.
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From what little I've been able to gather, the bodies were basswood. It doesn't have big, pretty grain like ash or poplar, or even alder. I would think a sunburst finished body would be non-original, but of course I can't say for sure.
The proportions seem weird to me (could easily just be finish/lighting). It's my understanding that Fender Japan made short- and medium- scale versions of a lot of their models back then, could that be what we're seeing here?
