Fender Jazz Bass Special - Circa 1984-87

[buckthorn]

Yes, it is in fact a 1.5mm hex screw. After adjusting the string heights, I'm a pretty happy camper. Yahoo! Thanks all.

 

[BrianNYC]

The "twins"...Red one is 100% stock including the "F" knobs!!!!

 

[BrianNYC]

Check out the upright tone on the fretless...

 

[bigtexashonk]

Finally captured another one after all these years. One of the best models Fender ever made.

 

[takeout]

Super long shot:

I have a defretted P/J Bass with black lines - same black-painted neck, maybe more of a "B" neck profile. I would love to trade the neck for a "J" profile one, fretted or defretted (I like having lines and markers), black or natural.

 

[Asylum-49]

I've got a '87 Fender Jazz Bass Special. I call him Duff. It's flipped to lefty;

 

[bigtexashonk]

Played two gigs this past Saturday. I had forgotten just how amazing these basses are.

 

[brokencode]

Played two gigs this past Saturday. I had forgotten just how amazing these basses are.View attachment 3174285

Wow... she is gorgeous! Where in TX are you? Allen/McKinney here, just north of Dallas.

 

[JIO]

It's cool seeing these 80's MIJ Fender basses are getting some much deserved love -

 

[CaseyVancouver]

It's cool seeing these 80's MIJ Fender basses are getting some much deserved love -

Hey JIO!

Yeah these are great basses. Here's mine.
This bass has a surprising amount of mwah.

 

[JIO]

View attachment 3175057

Hey JIO!

Yeah these are great basses. Here's mine.
This bass has a surprising amount of mwah.

Well, first off - a good player can make a good bass sound great! But what I meant by these basses getting some attention has more to do with shifting styles and trends. Because the 80's -90's "retro" trend got everyone looking to repro's of vintage basses - these quality MIJ basses were suddenly too "modern" for the contemporary "look" (which was full-on vintage retro - go figure) So it's not surprising that players who play these basses find that in fact they are very good basses! Lucky for all these players as they are not "fashionable" and so they can be afforded.

 

[mesaplayer83]

View attachment 3175057

Hey JIO!

Yeah these are great basses. Here's mine.
This bass has a surprising amount of mwah.

Nice - still got mine, but I've never been that thrilled with it's sound... That's probably more a function of the pickups it has more than the bass itself - I plan to swap them out one day:

 

[JIO]

Nice - still got mine, but I've never been that thrilled with it's sound... That's probably more a function of the pickups it has more than the bass itself - I plan to swap them out one day:View attachment 3175085 View attachment 3175087

EMG's sound good, but are very neutral I've found. Looks like you have black tape wounds on it? Nice singles or even split-coils with nickel flats-wounds will breaths new life into that bass!

 

[jamzcl]

Got a whole new appreciation for my Jazz Special since I put the Omega bridge on it last week. Finally got the string spacing and height I want that I couldn't get out of the stock bridge.

 

[mesaplayer83]

EMG's sound good, but are very neutral I've found. Looks like you have black tape wounds on it? Nice singles or even split-coils with nickel flats-wounds will breaths new life into that bass!

Yeah, EMGs have always been a little too "polite" for my tastes - I tend to go for Duncans or Fralins... Those strings are DR Black Beauties - coated nickle rounds, and are definitely not the problem, since it was the same with EXL-165s or Boomer Mediums...

 

[brokencode]

Yeah, EMGs have always been a little too "polite" for my tastes - I tend to go for Duncans or Fralins... Those strings are DR Black Beauties - coated nickle rounds, and are definitely not the problem, since it was the same with EXL-165s or Boomer Mediums...

I had EMG's for years, the original big pole pups sound so much better. My JBS family

 

[brokencode]

Brother and Sister

 

[JIO]

Yeah, EMGs have always been a little too "polite" for my tastes - I tend to go for Duncans or Fralins... Those strings are DR Black Beauties - coated nickle rounds, and are definitely not the problem, since it was the same with EXL-165s or Boomer Mediums...

They have changed things up a bit with the Geezer set - which are in many ways unlike what EMG's are usually known for bass-wise. I have a set of the EMG-X 9v J pu's in a bass w/flats and like the way they sound. EMG is bigger with guitarists vs bass-players and I think it's because they are so clean - guitarists who use them are going through so many effects etc that they want that neutral, clean tone at the core.

 

[bigtexashonk]

Wow... she is gorgeous! Where in TX are you? Allen/McKinney here, just north of Dallas.

Hey Allen. Jeff here - your old F115?

 

[brokencode]

Hey Allen. Jeff here - your old F115?

Hey Jeff, I know that Bill Cornish now has it now.