Guys. I've got one. I've had it for over a year. I absolutely LOVE it. There are many people out there who seem to not really like them. The tone on this thing is just so incredible. I just put a badass bridge on it and it just got even better. Does anyone else has one that's willing to talk about it?
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Fender JP-90
- Thread starter Corvette19
- Start date
Whats a JP-90 and why is it better with a badass? How did the badass improve on the tone? Is it a jazz bass with a p-90? I'd search but I feel like you are obligated to post links or pics of this thing.
Kidding. I'm happy for you.
Kidding. I'm happy for you.
Actually I recorded a video With my iPad (which picks up the sound extremely well) before I put the bridge on. I have yet to record a video with the bridge on it. All I know is that these basses have this crisp tone like no other. 
Congrats on your JP-90. I picked mine up about 3 months ago and it has become my main gigging bass.Has awsome tone and an unbelieveable price for a MIA Fender. Had a custom Rosewood pickguard made for it and couldnt be happier.Been playing bass for almost 40 years now and this is one of my favorites. I might just buy another one since there are only a couple of us that knows how good they realy are.
I just got a red JP90 about a month ago, and I'm in love with it. The neck on it is amazing. I could kinda go either way on the tone. The pickups individually sound great, but combined it kinda loses somehting (I think the pickups are too close together to be of any convenience...). Mine is very light and very comfortable...the neck is my favourite among all my basses, none of the rest come even close.
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It's a fender experiment gone wrong
Made between 90 and 93. I've read that they were made in the US, assembled in Mexico, but I'm not entirely sure on that one. The body is a bit edgier (unlike a regular jazz...think of the bottom edge of a Les Paul). It's got its own unique tone, and extremely light because it's made of poplar....because of that, the body dents a bit more easily than ash or maple.
It's kind of ironic that you feel the tone sucks with both pickups. I don't care so much for the individual pickup tones, but when I put me both on its the best thing I've ever heard. Haha
I o find it useful every now and then, but for the mot part, both pickups combined to me sounds like the jazz pickup with just a tad more bass. Every now and then though, I'll be in a good groove and the only choice will be both pickups...
I have come to the conclusion if I only had one bass left to play it would be my J-P 90.I have been playing professionally for 35 + years all over ,many many miles and I love mine. I lucked up on mine back in 93 it belonged to a preacher and was only played in church. It was and still remains flawless
I had a black JP90 a few years back. I didn't care for it and sold it after a couple of months. That's just me.
I had a first year JP90 a while back as well, bought it off ebay. Loved the weight and the skinny little neck with the somewhat abbreviated headstock shape. Unfortunately, mine had a maxed out truss rod and I couldn't get it quite playable enough. Sounded great with both pickups on full. In fact that was the only tone out of it I truly liked, but it was a great tone. I thought about replacing the neck, but I didn't want to put a standard Jazz neck on it and didn't want to devote the time and energy to acquire another JP90 neck as they're not too common. So I sold it, at a meagre profit no less. Maybe someday I'll go back down this JP90 road or maybe a P Bass Lyte (quite similar)
I love mine!
My J pup went microphonic on my JP-90. Replaced it with a Wilkinson, good thing I measured before I ordered as it is a neck sized j-pup, not a bridge sized. I also took the opportunity to star ground and sheild it at the same time. It was so good for so long I hated working on it, but am glad I did. The Wilkinson has a bit of a RIC sound going with the tone dialed down, but is very close otherwise to the originals sound (just a tad hotter). I should have replaced the pickguard, but it's still in good shape and is a tad more firm with the copper tape under it.
My J pup went microphonic on my JP-90. Replaced it with a Wilkinson, good thing I measured before I ordered as it is a neck sized j-pup, not a bridge sized. I also took the opportunity to star ground and sheild it at the same time. It was so good for so long I hated working on it, but am glad I did. The Wilkinson has a bit of a RIC sound going with the tone dialed down, but is very close otherwise to the originals sound (just a tad hotter). I should have replaced the pickguard, but it's still in good shape and is a tad more firm with the copper tape under it.
It was bought for me as a gift by my Dad, from his old friend who was a session musician but had a shop in Newcastle, England too.
It says JP on the neck number 4655 but looks like a precision!
The pickguard has snapped and has bigger screws in to help (a singer stood on the cable live and then I had to play sat down with the innards spilling everywhere from the bass)
I had never heard of them (was circa 1996) and I thought always he had got some kind of kit from fender and didn't know what the pickups were. I think it was about £300 probs at mates rates (we have lost contact with the guy now)
I have another fender discontinued bass from about 2005 - a "Deluxe" I think it was called it just had a D on the head, and is an active 4 string looking a bit more like a Yamaha or basic warwick kind of instrument on the funkier side (another failed experiment I guess). Was intriguing to me and a gift to myself after my first proper job. I liked the fact it was fender but may suit to light funky playing (why not a jazz I hear you call - good question).
The JP-90 has a much fatter tone but is meatier and harder to play (I don't think this neck is thin - certainly not compared.)
Anyway after a bit of a break and just selling my biz I'm getting back into it and some home recording (things are much more fun these days with PCs).
Problem I'm getting on both basses even at full adjustment I can't get the intonation at the twelfth fret flat enough. Is this common? Am I going wrong. I moved the bridge on the JP but don' want to try on the deluxe now I've hit the same issue it's made me worry. Checked with 3 basic tuners (korg fx pedal, vst plugin for PC, windowsphone app) and all say the same.
About 10-20 cents sharp they were anbd best I can get to is maybe 7 - whereas the fender manuals say 1 cent is the limit.
It says JP on the neck number 4655 but looks like a precision!
The pickguard has snapped and has bigger screws in to help (a singer stood on the cable live and then I had to play sat down with the innards spilling everywhere from the bass)
I had never heard of them (was circa 1996) and I thought always he had got some kind of kit from fender and didn't know what the pickups were. I think it was about £300 probs at mates rates (we have lost contact with the guy now)
I have another fender discontinued bass from about 2005 - a "Deluxe" I think it was called it just had a D on the head, and is an active 4 string looking a bit more like a Yamaha or basic warwick kind of instrument on the funkier side (another failed experiment I guess). Was intriguing to me and a gift to myself after my first proper job. I liked the fact it was fender but may suit to light funky playing (why not a jazz I hear you call - good question).
The JP-90 has a much fatter tone but is meatier and harder to play (I don't think this neck is thin - certainly not compared.)
Anyway after a bit of a break and just selling my biz I'm getting back into it and some home recording (things are much more fun these days with PCs).
Problem I'm getting on both basses even at full adjustment I can't get the intonation at the twelfth fret flat enough. Is this common? Am I going wrong. I moved the bridge on the JP but don' want to try on the deluxe now I've hit the same issue it's made me worry. Checked with 3 basic tuners (korg fx pedal, vst plugin for PC, windowsphone app) and all say the same.
About 10-20 cents sharp they were anbd best I can get to is maybe 7 - whereas the fender manuals say 1 cent is the limit.
James,
Sounds like you need to take the JP 90 to a pro for a good set up. My intonation is spot on. Good luck with them as they are great basses. After I had the custom airbrushed paint job on mine I put her back together , new bridge and other chrome stuff, then got her as close as I could but even though it would have suited most ,took her to my local tech . He adjusted it a bit and she came back better than ever.this girl stays with me till the end. Have fun with them, getting them just right is part of the fun.
Sounds like you need to take the JP 90 to a pro for a good set up. My intonation is spot on. Good luck with them as they are great basses. After I had the custom airbrushed paint job on mine I put her back together , new bridge and other chrome stuff, then got her as close as I could but even though it would have suited most ,took her to my local tech . He adjusted it a bit and she came back better than ever.this girl stays with me till the end. Have fun with them, getting them just right is part of the fun.
I have one, bought it in the later part of the 90's..Neck was unstable, replaced it with a Warmoth birds eye maple neck, much more stable...
I also seem to remember that the pickups had issues, by themselves the p-ups were useless, only together could you get a sound to cut through the rest of the band!
I was never blown away by this bass... But to each his own!
ZOMBIE THRRRREEEAAAADDDDDDD
I think they're beautiful, I heard the necks are prone to twisting due to being so thin, I am hoping someday to buy a standalone body and put a fretless neck on it (assuming a standard Fender neck heel fits)
I think they're beautiful, I heard the necks are prone to twisting due to being so thin, I am hoping someday to buy a standalone body and put a fretless neck on it (assuming a standard Fender neck heel fits)
I think you can find plenty of necks that will fit... The one I put in was a Warmoth, as I mentioned...
