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Fender Jazz Bass Special - Circa 1984-87
- Thread starter Bullitt5135
- Start date
For the first time in my TB history, I sat down and read through an entire legacy thread.... I spent a couple of weeks of off-and-on reading and covered this thread from beginning to end. What I liked the most is how people where complaining about having to pay $300-$400 for one of these fine instruments a decade ago..... And here we are with prices north of $1000 as not being out of the question.....
So let me apologize in advance for what is about to be a long-winded and photo intensive introduction to my PJS Journey.....
It Started with this one. An E9 PJS Power. This was about 2019 and it was a local sale. The story from the seller is that he runs a small recording studio and some of the equipment was left behind. The band never came back to finish and left a negative account balance as a result. So, he was selling off gear to recoup his costs (I scored an amp too, but that's another story). He didn't know much about it and just wanted it gone for $500. It was quite the drive and he agreed to meet me part of the way. We met in a GC parking lot, and I knew right away I wanted this. Overall, I thought it was a very good "player" for its age. It had a nice patina on the white paint, but not overly yellow. A few nicks on the headstock and body, but no major gouges, and the finish of the neck was warn through to the wood. It has all the hallmarks of a well-used; but cared for instrument. I’m generally not into "relic" instruments, but this is what I would call an "honest" relic, and not something that looked it like was dragged behind someone’s pick-up truck down a gravel road.
After I took it home, I realized the original active electronics were stripped out. It did not bother me so much because it sounded great anyway, and I'm not really into active. It was at this point when I started doing research that I discovered this instrument was spawned from the same family that Duff made famous. And it fit well, along with the vintage Ampeg gear that I bought, into the 80's Hair Band I am in....
This appears to be one of the "newer" models with the mystery hi-mass bridge and small pole pickups. Regardless, it sounds great. I thought it played very well, but I took it to my set-up guy to go through it and he discovered the nut was worn too low and there was some fret wear. He filled and re-filed the nut, dressed all the frets, disassembled/reassembled the bridge, and re soldered all the electronics. It runs like a top now and it at the top the rotation.
Moving on, this is a recent acquisition. This was GC find. I saw one exactly like this previously in the same GC that was well knocked around and I could not get past spending $800 for it in that kind of condition. I later found another one - in pristine condition - with an original case - in pristine condition, but it also came with a matching Stratocaster and case - in pristine condition. He wanted $2000 and would not separate them and I could not gather the scratch.... It has haunted me to this day knowing they are out there.
Anyway, this was a case queen with little to no marks on it and it came with the original case. This is an E5 with the bent pot-metal bridge and larg pole pieces. It sounds STRONG, and period correct. It has new strings on it, don't know what they are, but I think they are DR which I prefer. I have not taken it in for a setup yet, but it's set pretty nice. I knocked the bridge saddles down about 1 full turn.
This one will receive some much needed love.....
Soon after finding that one, this one popped up on GC locally. I bought it online and ran over there right away to nab it. This one is an E9 in CAR and the high mass bridge. For some reason, I got a weird vibe about this one and not totally in love with it. There are a few dings, but overall, I think it was well cared for. It's actually in better condition than the white one. It has the small poles, natural neck, and missing the F knobs. I think the thing that got me off is that someone put strings on it and left them hanging out 8" and had cheap ass "skull" knobs on it.... So maybe I subconsciously think it was in the hands of some idiot teenager. Nonetheless, I trimmed the strings and reinstalled them correctly, and replaced the knobs with some aftermarket ones from my parts bin. The setup is decent, and I think this will go to my guy next. Maybe a good cleaning and some fresh strings will take the funk off it...
And here they are...
In addition to those, and in the spirit of Duff, there are two more..... I bought a recent release green Boxer JBS.... I got thise one for a song off Reverb and included one of the nice modern Fender Road worthy cases. For those of you on the fence about buying one, these are the real deal and well done in the spirit of the original JBS. They don't have the same pickups, TBX, or black painted neck, but they feel, sounds and play nice. Also pictured is my Duff Deluxe.... I was originally quite disappointed.... I was under the impression this was supposed to have a USA made neck.... Which I think it may have been originally made in USA, but sent to Mexico for finishing because it had the typical Mexican (not existent) fret work. The fret ends were sharp and unfinished. This one got a fret job and a new bridge and all is right with the world.
And here they are all together flanked by a Blacktop on the left, and a P bass on the right. The one thing that stands out to me is the power JPS is about an inch longer... Not sure if that is due to the neck pocket, or maybe the scale is a bit longer.
So let me apologize in advance for what is about to be a long-winded and photo intensive introduction to my PJS Journey.....
It Started with this one. An E9 PJS Power. This was about 2019 and it was a local sale. The story from the seller is that he runs a small recording studio and some of the equipment was left behind. The band never came back to finish and left a negative account balance as a result. So, he was selling off gear to recoup his costs (I scored an amp too, but that's another story). He didn't know much about it and just wanted it gone for $500. It was quite the drive and he agreed to meet me part of the way. We met in a GC parking lot, and I knew right away I wanted this. Overall, I thought it was a very good "player" for its age. It had a nice patina on the white paint, but not overly yellow. A few nicks on the headstock and body, but no major gouges, and the finish of the neck was warn through to the wood. It has all the hallmarks of a well-used; but cared for instrument. I’m generally not into "relic" instruments, but this is what I would call an "honest" relic, and not something that looked it like was dragged behind someone’s pick-up truck down a gravel road.
After I took it home, I realized the original active electronics were stripped out. It did not bother me so much because it sounded great anyway, and I'm not really into active. It was at this point when I started doing research that I discovered this instrument was spawned from the same family that Duff made famous. And it fit well, along with the vintage Ampeg gear that I bought, into the 80's Hair Band I am in....
This appears to be one of the "newer" models with the mystery hi-mass bridge and small pole pickups. Regardless, it sounds great. I thought it played very well, but I took it to my set-up guy to go through it and he discovered the nut was worn too low and there was some fret wear. He filled and re-filed the nut, dressed all the frets, disassembled/reassembled the bridge, and re soldered all the electronics. It runs like a top now and it at the top the rotation.
Moving on, this is a recent acquisition. This was GC find. I saw one exactly like this previously in the same GC that was well knocked around and I could not get past spending $800 for it in that kind of condition. I later found another one - in pristine condition - with an original case - in pristine condition, but it also came with a matching Stratocaster and case - in pristine condition. He wanted $2000 and would not separate them and I could not gather the scratch.... It has haunted me to this day knowing they are out there.
Anyway, this was a case queen with little to no marks on it and it came with the original case. This is an E5 with the bent pot-metal bridge and larg pole pieces. It sounds STRONG, and period correct. It has new strings on it, don't know what they are, but I think they are DR which I prefer. I have not taken it in for a setup yet, but it's set pretty nice. I knocked the bridge saddles down about 1 full turn.
This one will receive some much needed love.....
Soon after finding that one, this one popped up on GC locally. I bought it online and ran over there right away to nab it. This one is an E9 in CAR and the high mass bridge. For some reason, I got a weird vibe about this one and not totally in love with it. There are a few dings, but overall, I think it was well cared for. It's actually in better condition than the white one. It has the small poles, natural neck, and missing the F knobs. I think the thing that got me off is that someone put strings on it and left them hanging out 8" and had cheap ass "skull" knobs on it.... So maybe I subconsciously think it was in the hands of some idiot teenager. Nonetheless, I trimmed the strings and reinstalled them correctly, and replaced the knobs with some aftermarket ones from my parts bin. The setup is decent, and I think this will go to my guy next. Maybe a good cleaning and some fresh strings will take the funk off it...
And here they are...
In addition to those, and in the spirit of Duff, there are two more..... I bought a recent release green Boxer JBS.... I got thise one for a song off Reverb and included one of the nice modern Fender Road worthy cases. For those of you on the fence about buying one, these are the real deal and well done in the spirit of the original JBS. They don't have the same pickups, TBX, or black painted neck, but they feel, sounds and play nice. Also pictured is my Duff Deluxe.... I was originally quite disappointed.... I was under the impression this was supposed to have a USA made neck.... Which I think it may have been originally made in USA, but sent to Mexico for finishing because it had the typical Mexican (not existent) fret work. The fret ends were sharp and unfinished. This one got a fret job and a new bridge and all is right with the world.
And here they are all together flanked by a Blacktop on the left, and a P bass on the right. The one thing that stands out to me is the power JPS is about an inch longer... Not sure if that is due to the neck pocket, or maybe the scale is a bit longer.
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Not mine, just reposting for the community: a PJ-555 for sale for a good price, somewhat dinged up and with the usual round of hardware changes that most 555s seem to have gone through: ht tps://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2023236141372125/
Hi, Fender Boxer owners! I'd like to get some advice on a good replacement bridge model that fits perfectly an old '85 Made in Japan Boxer. Manufacturers other than Gotoh can be considered, but I lean into Gotoh models for their reputation and a close history with the Boxer model.
I don't intend to change its original aspect: the current bridge looks like a traditional model, and currently I still want it to look it as close to what it was intended to be as possible.
Also, if anyone has an answer: this Boxer had a couple of owners prior to me. I bought the bass in 2021'. Its conditions are far from perfect, and the bridge looks like it almost lost its black finish, looks more like unpainted metal now. It's not one that I could adjust the octaves with a phillips screwdriver. Its screws can only be turned with an Allen wrench. Was that some kind of standard back in that day? Or maybe the bridge is not original to start with?
I don't intend to change its original aspect: the current bridge looks like a traditional model, and currently I still want it to look it as close to what it was intended to be as possible.
Also, if anyone has an answer: this Boxer had a couple of owners prior to me. I bought the bass in 2021'. Its conditions are far from perfect, and the bridge looks like it almost lost its black finish, looks more like unpainted metal now. It's not one that I could adjust the octaves with a phillips screwdriver. Its screws can only be turned with an Allen wrench. Was that some kind of standard back in that day? Or maybe the bridge is not original to start with?
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Any Fender style replacement bridge will do, such as this:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
It's just a piece of bent metal plate, and a nothing special.
the original bridge is probably what you have, finish wears off these normally.
they are good quality. Allen key adjustment for height is normal. should be Philips for intonation.
a picture would help...
they are good quality. Allen key adjustment for height is normal. should be Philips for intonation.
a picture would help...
I get your point, but japanese Fender subsidiary were attentive when they made the instrument, so when I sell it I don't want it to feel/look like it's not up to the original standards, even though you are probably implying that really no one will notice any difference in sound or feel. Anyway, I am willing to give Gotoh its chance, I forgot to mention that I live in Brazil, so not every manufacturer will ship to here. I will look into these alternatives anyway, thanks.
Sure. This is what the bridge looks like today...
The intonation (octave) adjustement key has to be an Allen one. This is my only bass that needs an Allen. All my other basses require a Philips one in there, even though they are all newer than this Boxer.
String height requires an Allen as usual. This is true to every bass I have here.
My apologies if I am making any mistake here. My english is not native, so I'm still getting used to luthier-domain terms.
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I have five of these and replaced the bride one one and there's no visual difference. BTW mines were all originals and none of them has hex key intonation screws.I get your point, but japanese Fender subsidiary were attentive when they made the instrument, so when I sell it I don't want it to feel/look like it's not up to the original standards, even though you are probably implying that really no one will notice any difference in sound or feel. Anyway, I am willing to give Gotoh its chance, I forgot to mention that I live in Brazil, so not every manufacturer will ship to here. I will look into these alternatives anyway, thanks.
Sure. This is what the bridge looks like today...
View attachment 5394970
The intonation (octave) adjustement key has to be an Allen one. This is my only bass that needs an Allen. All my other basses require a Philips one in there, even though they are all newer than this Boxer.
String height requires an Allen as usual. This is true to every bass I have here.
My apologies if I am making any mistake here. My english is not native, so I'm still getting used to luthier-domain terms.
If you replace it to one with a phillips head and want to sell it, I don't think that anyone would notice or would care...
If you have an older one, it's probably the standard 5-hole fender bridge. Any fender replacement will be fine. Hipshot Kick Ass is a nice high-mass replacement. Babicz also makes nice bridges. The Gotoh 204 is probably the best bang for the buck. All of these are availalble in black. Fender makes a high mass as well as a premium "vintage" bridge. But they are only nickel.
it looks totally original with exception being the intonation screws and possibly the saddles...
All right...I thought I could share some updates on this instrument. I had the chance to take it to a very well renowned (in this area) luthier, and my biggest concern was if he would at least recognize the model and verify its state more thoroughly. I was lucky - he recognized the Boxer right away, he knows what the TBX control is about, Fenders are part of his job for years, and that's even more awesome if I remind you that I am from Brazil and Fender instruments here are very expensive. I feel the instrument is in the right hands today, this eases my mind a lot.
His diagnosis:
- the electronics in the instrument was all messed up. The pots were replaced by cheap ones, TBX control was not even present. (I know Boxers should all have it but that instrument always had a 'normal' tone knob) And somehow the wiring is incorrect, because it doesn't 'cancel the sound altogether' if I drop one of the cap pots to zero. (this is due to a series wiring as far as I know).
- I didn't tell him that you Talkbass guys took a look at the bridge, for the sake of checking the assumptions and see if he's familiar with Boxer basses too, and still everything he said matches what I learnt here: this bridge is original indeed, it only looks a bit weird because in the past someone used steel wool in an attempt at 'polishing' it and that guy thought that would be a good idea (eye roll), this gave the bridge this rough look that isn't quite better and nowhere near the look of a new part. The luthier remarked that with old instruments like this one, sometimes you'll be better off simply leaving its parts the way they are instead of making them look even rougher with these attempts. Clearly there was a poor job there from years ago.
- pickups are original (at least), so it's no wonder the instrument already sounds good. This is cool.
- tone knobs aren't original. Not a priority anyway. Any decent-looking knob would do, as long as they match the retromodern 80's style of it as part of its sense of cultural identity
- the tuners and the neck are original. I already assumed they were, because they are good made in Japan tuners, never felt like replacements, neck is as smooth as you can expect from this model, so, no surprise here
My service order: I asked the luthier to improve its electronics with nice quality pots (250k ohm or 500k ohm, Fender ones if possible, and a brand new TBX control pot). The luthier told me he actually has an old schematics blueprint of the exact Boxer bass circuit, so it'll probably sound and feel even more faithful to the original project when replacement happens. That will be awesome.
I'm keeping this old bridge for now. It was a bit harder to perform the octave adjustments, but it accepted the adjustments and has quite precise tuning. So it's ok for now, I might look again for a replacement in the future but then it'll be only a cosmetic change, I understand.
His diagnosis:
- the electronics in the instrument was all messed up. The pots were replaced by cheap ones, TBX control was not even present. (I know Boxers should all have it but that instrument always had a 'normal' tone knob) And somehow the wiring is incorrect, because it doesn't 'cancel the sound altogether' if I drop one of the cap pots to zero. (this is due to a series wiring as far as I know).
- I didn't tell him that you Talkbass guys took a look at the bridge, for the sake of checking the assumptions and see if he's familiar with Boxer basses too, and still everything he said matches what I learnt here: this bridge is original indeed, it only looks a bit weird because in the past someone used steel wool in an attempt at 'polishing' it and that guy thought that would be a good idea (eye roll), this gave the bridge this rough look that isn't quite better and nowhere near the look of a new part. The luthier remarked that with old instruments like this one, sometimes you'll be better off simply leaving its parts the way they are instead of making them look even rougher with these attempts. Clearly there was a poor job there from years ago.
- pickups are original (at least), so it's no wonder the instrument already sounds good. This is cool.
- tone knobs aren't original. Not a priority anyway. Any decent-looking knob would do, as long as they match the retromodern 80's style of it as part of its sense of cultural identity
- the tuners and the neck are original. I already assumed they were, because they are good made in Japan tuners, never felt like replacements, neck is as smooth as you can expect from this model, so, no surprise here
My service order: I asked the luthier to improve its electronics with nice quality pots (250k ohm or 500k ohm, Fender ones if possible, and a brand new TBX control pot). The luthier told me he actually has an old schematics blueprint of the exact Boxer bass circuit, so it'll probably sound and feel even more faithful to the original project when replacement happens. That will be awesome.
I'm keeping this old bridge for now. It was a bit harder to perform the octave adjustments, but it accepted the adjustments and has quite precise tuning. So it's ok for now, I might look again for a replacement in the future but then it'll be only a cosmetic change, I understand.
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the tbx is overrated for me. I would rather have a normal tone pot. these mostly sound great because of the pickups and quality building in Japan. good that you keep the bridge. I would just use a normal tone pot if I had to rewire one.
I don’t know if anybody is looking for a pearl white one from 1987 that is immaculate condition, but I’m selling one. Just hop on over to my profile. 
Stopped by my local GC last night, and picked up this Jazz bass special with case. Don’t really know much about them, just loved the tone and the neck shape is definitely different, almost offset a tad. Pickups are wired in series (one volume will mute both). I found a wiring diagram for older (80s/90s) Emg that use the volume center lug but this is on the left lug. But will leave it for now. Anyone ever find a good touch up paint? Have a few chips around jack, lower horn.
Nice find! That looks virtually identical to mine, but for the colour. My serial number starts with an E, though, and doesn't have the EMG pups wired in series.
Hi, I just bought an '86 in pearl white. It seems more yellowish than a white '85 I have. Also the rosewood fretboard is lighter. Is it normal for the finish to get this yellow? And could they have put lighter rosewood on some, or maybe it was replaced? Here are some pictures. Thanks in advance for the input!
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I’ve had a few of these. Depending on where the bass spent most of its life, seems to affect its color. I’ve had 2 with a nice pearl finish and on that was really yellow.
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Here is my member of the Made-in-Japan Fender Jazz Bass Special family. I purchased this new in 1986 (before Guns N' Roses burst on the scene.) I gigged it in the '80s and '90s. Then it spent the better part of three decades in the case. It's all original equipment, and in nearly pristine condition, except for some corrosion on the bridge (which seems to be endemic to the species.) Still has the "F" labeled knobs! I pulled it out of the closet a couple of years ago, and it's seen some gig action over the last 12 months. It's yellowed a bit, but still looks good to me.
(Note: the highlights in the photo are from the ambient lighting. Finish is still shiny!)
(Note: the highlights in the photo are from the ambient lighting. Finish is still shiny!)
OP update... It's been a minute since I gigged my '86 black JBS. You know, the grass is always greener. For our gig this past weekend, we decided to do a block of songs in Eb. I figured it would be easier to swap basses than retune, and since we just added Welcome to the Jungle to the set list, it seemed appropriate to bring the JBS.
I bought this bass brand new around 40 years ago at age 16 – after months of working as a school janitor and after-school pizza slinger. I'm a big Rush fan, and I was really digging Geddy's black Wal bass. I gotta say, this bass has stood the test of time. It just feels and sounds fantastic. Lately, my Sandberg Cali TT has been getting the lion's share of gigs – it's a wonderful bass. But man, as soon as a plugged in the JBS, I was immediately struck how big and powerful it sounds. My rhythm guitarist even shot me a knowing glance. I'm really happy I've held onto this bass all these years.
(The bass is all original, except I swapped the bridge with a Babicz due to an annoying rattle that wouldn't go away, and Dunlop Straplock buttons.)
I bought this bass brand new around 40 years ago at age 16 – after months of working as a school janitor and after-school pizza slinger. I'm a big Rush fan, and I was really digging Geddy's black Wal bass. I gotta say, this bass has stood the test of time. It just feels and sounds fantastic. Lately, my Sandberg Cali TT has been getting the lion's share of gigs – it's a wonderful bass. But man, as soon as a plugged in the JBS, I was immediately struck how big and powerful it sounds. My rhythm guitarist even shot me a knowing glance. I'm really happy I've held onto this bass all these years.
(The bass is all original, except I swapped the bridge with a Babicz due to an annoying rattle that wouldn't go away, and Dunlop Straplock buttons.)
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