Fender Plus Deluxe Club

[The Eristic]

This is the Jazz Plus V to which I'm referring: Fender Precision Bass Plus RARE Purple Sparkle with hard case

Your top knobs and rotary have been replaced with dome knobs. Stock would've been bulkier, faceted jobs similar (though not identical, if I recall correctly) to those used on the Factor. Like these: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Here's the purple Precision Plus I saw. Technically not listed as sold, might be worth messaging the seller! SOLD - Fender Jazz Plus V

 

[JIO]

Mismatched knobs? All the control knobs look the same on my J+...
I actually thought that I'd lost this J+ to someone else as I waited a day before buying it so I could do some research on it first. When I went back to the GC used site it was no longer listed! A lump went up my throat, lol. The salesman said that he would set it aside, so I called and a huge relief to find out that indeed the salesman did set it aside and it was still there. Odd that they took it off their site before it was sold...anyways, lucky me! That'd be soooo cool to find a matching metallic purple P bass Plus to go together with my J+! On the HUNT!

By mismatched knobs, he meant the black rounded-top knobs aren't original. (the lower part could be original if they are knurled) The ones it came with are the same as on Kubicki Factors, which have a beveled flat top. The interesting thing about these 5'rs was the two 'string trees' were what was used as strap-pegs on Kubicki Factors. Ingenious recyclers they were.

 

[G-Man60]

So what you're saying is, possible this metallic purple someone repainted? If it was they did a very good job as it looks like a factory finish, even in the electronics cavity area. There's no reminant of any other color left behind, even where it's chipped. Could someone had custom requested this colour from new build? I know from boutique bass companies there's ALWAYS one offs from customers requesting as long as they're willing to pay any extra costs.

I believe the color of your bass is actually Midnight Blue or "Candy Apple Blue(CAB)" as others may refer to it. I have seen quite a few Strat Plus guitars and Precision/Jazz Pluses bases painted in this color and they often look like a very dark blue until you shine direct light on them where the sparkle in the paint brings out a purplish hue. If you look at the pictures in the Reverb link listing of the "purple" precision plus bass someone else posted, there a few pictures where the bass looks very dark almost like a dark blue or even black without direct light projected on it. This reminds me of another color Fender used called "Mystic Black" where it really looked like black paint until you put it under direct light and it suddenly appears to change to a greenish sparkly hue. If it was just plain purple paint I would suspect a re-paint but the metal flake in the paint is a dead give away that it is indeed the original Fender color Midnight Blue/Candy Apple Blue/CAB - very cool and desirable color as is Mystic Black. Just my two cents worth.

 

[iceboxbass]

I’m a nube when it comes to all things Fender so I’m only speculating when saying perhaps Fender used different design of control knobs for the 4s than the 5s?...as the one that sold on TB that you posted knobs are the same as mine. Dome top with knurled sides.
Anyways that one is under a thousand serial numbers from mine. Here’s a pic of my hs. Wish I only paid that price for mine. $599 was a fantastic low price.
Thanks for the posting of the purple P+ but it’s a 4 string and I’m strictly 5 string. What year did Fender start making 5 string P basses?

This is the Jazz Plus V to which I'm referring: Fender Precision Bass Plus RARE Purple Sparkle with hard case

Your top knobs and rotary have been replaced with dome knobs. Stock would've been bulkier, faceted jobs similar (though not identical, if I recall correctly) to those used on the Factor. Like these: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Here's the purple Precision Plus I saw. Technically not listed as sold, might be worth messaging the seller! SOLD - Fender Jazz Plus V

 

[iceboxbass]

By mismatched knobs, he meant the black rounded-top knobs aren't original. (the lower part could be original if they are knurled) The ones it came with are the same as on Kubicki Factors, which have a beveled flat top. The interesting thing about these 5'rs was the two 'string trees' were what was used as strap-pegs on Kubicki Factors. Ingenious recyclers they were.

Yeah I got that from his next posting, thanks. But then the Jazz 5+ that sold on TB classified has same knobs as mine...??? And it's definitely not the same bass as serial#s don't match. Weird thing that I saw was that one has a chip in almost the same place but same area as mine which is by the input jack...mine has quarter size dings from someone trying to find the input jack with their instrument cord and one more chip on the opposite body side in addition.

 

[iceboxbass]

I believe the color of your bass is actually Midnight Blue or "Candy Apple Blue(CAB)" as others may refer to it. I have seen quite a few Strat Plus guitars and Precision/Jazz Pluses bases painted in this color and they often look like a very dark blue until you shine direct light on them where the sparkle in the paint brings out a purplish hue. If you look at the pictures in the Reverb link listing of the "purple" precision plus bass someone else posted, there a few pictures where the bass looks very dark almost like a dark blue or even black without direct light projected on it. This reminds me of another color Fender used called "Mystic Black" where it really looked like black paint until you put it under direct light and it suddenly appears to change to a greenish sparkly hue. If it was just plain purple paint I would suspect a re-paint but the metal flake in the paint is a dead give away that it is indeed the original Fender color Midnight Blue/Candy Apple Blue/CAB - very cool and desirable color as is Mystic Black. Just my two cents worth.

That is very interesting...though no matter the lighting situation I've not seen mine look blue...even in the dark lit GC add...but that is an interesting point to consider. Thank you.

 

[G-Man60]

That is very interesting...though no matter the lighting situation I've not seen mine look blue...even in the dark lit GC add...but that is an interesting point to consider. Thank you.

Here are a couple paragraphs from a professed Strat Plus expert about the plus series "Candy Colors" that may shed some light(npi) on my assertions about your purple bass color. Also, most(but not all) Strat Plus colors were used on the Precision/Jazz Plus series as well. Please note last paragraph which describes Midnight Blue/Candy Apple Blue/CAB. Here is the link to his website - Invalid Link Removed

"Candy Color Complications:The Plus series came in several candy Colors. Candy Apple Red, Midnight Blue (aka:Candy Apple Blue or CAB), Electric Blue (a bright blue, very rare), Midnight Wine, Frost Red, and Lipstick Red. If one understands how Candy colors are applied, then one would know why this color varies so much and why some of these colors get mistaken for each others such as with CAR and Midnight Wine.

Here is how candy colors are made: Candy colors are a three step process. They start out with a fine metallic base coat, such as silver or gold. Sometimes they even use a solid color such as vintage white on the Lipstick Red Strats. In any case, the base color can affect the final outcome of the finish color. To give you an example, a gold base coat will cause the guitar to have a slightly darker finished look. The "candy" name and look comes from the fact that the next coat is a transparent color coat over the base coat. With CAR, the color coat is red of course. Here's the thing, if 4-coats are put on compared too 6-coats, the final color will be lighter. The color gets darker with each additional color coat applied. Then after the color coat comes several coats of clear. This too can cause variations in color because as it ages it can yellow by being exposed too light (UV). So a CAR Plus can have a gold base coat and an aged clear coat making the guitar look almost like Midnight Wine—thus the color debates begin! Truth is Midnight Wine is made the same way as CAR, but Fender used a darker red color coat, sometimes having almost a slight purple tint to it. 7-Up Green (aka Candy Apple Green, which was NOT a Plus color) is done the same way, FYI.

Another interesting Candy Color is Lipstick Red. This color is obtained the same way as CAR or Midnight Wine, but the Fender finisher put down Vintage or Arctic Whites as the base coat instead of a metallic color. Then they used the transparent red color coat over that, followed by several clear coats. The result is a very deep red that looks like it has water on top of it. Very cool trick, BTW. Fender also had Crimson and Blue Burst and as well as the Blue and Crimson Frosts as I have talked about earlier—which the color coats showed the nice Ash grain through the tops and bottom of the guitar and became a solid color around the edges. These, in a sense, are also a type of candy color.

Now on to Midnight Blue (CAB). It was done with the same process as CAR and Midnight Wine but Fender used a dark transparent blue color coat. This finish is often pretty thick and you will find that they chip and get neck socket cracks quite easy. This color can change quite a bit as the clear coat takes on UV turning it slightly yellow. Adding a yellow hue on top of dark blue you get purple! Some of these will turn a deep purple color! Then, mistakenly, get called.... purple! Look at the pictures below. Over the years I have refinished a few guitars and I had a CAB that had chips all over. I decided to strip the body and refinish it. To my surprise I found 17 coats (not counting the clear coats) of finish. I also found that the fine sliver base coats were extremely hard to remove! This guitar started out as CAB (3 times) then was CAR (3 times with a black sealer coat between the CAB and CAR) and ended up being CAB again! What in the world was going on at Fender's paint shop??? So now if you want to talk about thin skin verses thick skin....we will not even go there. But one thing about these pictures, they do show the process of how Candy Colors are made!

 

[JIO]

I believe the color of your bass is actually Midnight Blue or "Candy Apple Blue(CAB)" as others may refer to it. I have seen quite a few Strat Plus guitars and Precision/Jazz Pluses bases painted in this color and they often look like a very dark blue until you shine direct light on them where the sparkle in the paint brings out a purplish hue. If you look at the pictures in the Reverb link listing of the "purple" precision plus bass someone else posted, there a few pictures where the bass looks very dark almost like a dark blue or even black without direct light projected on it. This reminds me of another color Fender used called "Mystic Black" where it really looked like black paint until you put it under direct light and it suddenly appears to change to a greenish sparkly hue. If it was just plain purple paint I would suspect a re-paint but the metal flake in the paint is a dead give away that it is indeed the original Fender color Midnight Blue/Candy Apple Blue/CAB - very cool and desirable color as is Mystic Black. Just my two cents worth.

I beg to differ (WADR) but this (below) is Midnight Blue from that early 90's period - being a Jazz Plus. It's pretty straight forward dark fine metallic blue and side by side the purple bass would look purple and this one would look blue. Google "Fender guitar Midnight Blue" and yes, there will be a few mis-posted pics of purple finishes. Same with eBay or Reverb - sellers will mis-name guitar finishes by not knowing or (?). Currently, there is an '85 Burgundy Mist Metallic Performer that has amber'd over time and it is listed as Dusty Rose. (never a Fender choice)

I found a chart of Fender colours from the later 90's in "The Fender Bass - An Illustrated History" that shows a Midnight Purple. (last row second from left) Most likely they were starting to introduce it earlier sparingly.

 

[JIO]

Yeah I got that from his next posting, thanks. But then the Jazz 5+ that sold on TB classified has same knobs as mine...??? And it's definitely not the same bass as serial#s don't match. Weird thing that I saw was that one has a chip in almost the same place but same area as mine which is by the input jack...mine has quarter size dings from someone trying to find the input jack with their instrument cord and one more chip on the opposite body side in addition.

Most likely both had changed knobs - these basses only came with the beveled flat-head anodized matte black tops.

 

[SirMjac28]

They installed a version of it in the "cowpoke" for a couple of years as far as I know but it wasn't the same and I've not played one to know. Most likely Fender developed their own pre for later active basses. A version of Phil Kubicki's pre was also installed in the Urge (I & II) basses from the early 90's.

I had a Cowpoke it was close but not the same

 

[G-Man60]

I beg to differ (WADR) but this (below) is Midnight Blue from that early 90's period - being a Jazz Plus. It's pretty straight forward dark fine metallic blue and side by side the purple bass would look purple and this one would look blue. Google "Fender guitar Midnight Blue" and yes, there will be a few mis-posted pics of purple finishes. Same with eBay or Reverb - sellers will mis-name guitar finishes by not knowing or (?). Currently, there is an '85 Burgundy Mist Metallic Performer that has amber'd over time and it is listed as Dusty Rose. (never a Fender choice)

I found a chart of Fender colours from the later 90's in "The Fender Bass - An Illustrated History" that shows a Midnight Purple. (last row second from left) Most likely they were starting to introduce it earlier sparingly.


View attachment 2995168 View attachment 2995188

Call me crazy(it wouldn't be the first time nor the last) and you may certainly be correct. But the color swatch on the color chart you provided does not even look close(to me anyways) to the purple finish of that five string plus bass. It looks much more closer to the Midnight blue color from the early 90's. What exact year is that color chart from and could you scan a close up of the midnight purple color swatch from it? When I click on the color chart to enlarge it, it's way to blurry to actually see what it actually looks like.

I have been extensively collecting the Fender Plus, Deluxe and Ultra series guitars and basses for over 25 years and have owned more than I care to count or remember and my knowledge pales in comparison with Xhefri's knowledge of the Fender Plus series color combinations. And although he only describes the Plus series guitars the same colors were used in the Plus bass series as well. Neither he nor I have ever seen a metallic purple used on them ever - other than the Midnight Blue which suffered from the yellowing UV faded clear coat which turned some of them(not all) purple.

Once again I submit his extensive knowledge into the plus series colors from the last paragraph I posted above from his website.

"Now on to Midnight Blue (CAB). It was done with the same process as CAR and Midnight Wine but Fender used a dark transparent blue color coat. This finish is often pretty thick and you will find that they chip and get neck socket cracks quite easy. This color can change quite a bit as the clear coat takes on UV turning it slightly yellow. Adding a yellow hue on top of dark blue you get purple! Some of these will turn a deep purple color! Then, mistakenly, get called.... purple!"

The mystery continues.....................

 

[JIO]

Call me crazy(it wouldn't be the first time nor the last) and you may certainly be correct. But the color swatch on the color chart you provided does not even look close(to me anyways) to the purple finish of that five string plus bass. It looks much more closer to the Midnight blue color from the early 90's. What exact year is that color chart from and could you scan a close up of the midnight purple color swatch from it? When I click on the color chart to enlarge it, it's way to blurry to actually see what it actually looks like.

I have been extensively collecting the Fender Plus, Deluxe and Ultra series guitars and basses for over 25 years and have owned more than I care to count or remember and my knowledge pales in comparison with Xhefri's knowledge of the Fender Plus series color combinations. And although he only describes the Plus series guitars the same colors were used in the Plus bass series as well. Neither he nor I have ever seen a metallic purple used on them ever - other than the Midnight Blue which suffered from the yellowing UV faded clear coat which turned some of them(not all) purple.

Once again I submit his extensive knowledge into the plus series colors from the last paragraph I posted above from his website.

"Now on to Midnight Blue (CAB). It was done with the same process as CAR and Midnight Wine but Fender used a dark transparent blue color coat. This finish is often pretty thick and you will find that they chip and get neck socket cracks quite easy. This color can change quite a bit as the clear coat takes on UV turning it slightly yellow. Adding a yellow hue on top of dark blue you get purple! Some of these will turn a deep purple color! Then, mistakenly, get called.... purple!"

The mystery continues.....................

There's no specific date on or referencing the colour chart I posted from "The Fender Bass" book, but it's on the page covering Fender basses from 1996. The image of the chart I posted was a pic I took of the books reproduction of the chart - so the clarity is many times degraded and that's as good as it gets. I don't buy that the purple bass was originally blue with an aged amber coat because FTR, a yellowed clear-coat would not turn blue into purple - it would turn it into green. Blue+yellow=green. Blue+red=purple. Basic colour-wheel stuff. As an artist and finisher myself I know this to be true so I'll stick with my theory (as in, I have no idea what Fender did and am not saying I know) as to the purple bass being Midnight Purple (which, you know... is dark purple), used sparingly before it was added to Fenders colour chart in or around 1996.

 

[G-Man60]

There's no specific date on or referencing the colour chart I posted from "The Fender Bass" book, but it's on the page covering Fender basses from 1996. The image of the chart I posted was a pic I took of the books reproduction of the chart - so the clarity is many times degraded and that's as good as it gets. I don't buy that the purple bass was originally blue with an aged amber coat because FTR, a yellowed clear-coat would not turn blue into purple - it would turn it into green. Blue+yellow=green. Blue+red=purple. Basic colour-wheel stuff. As an artist and finisher myself I know this to be true so I'll stick with my theory (as in, I have no idea what Fender did and am not saying I know) as to the purple bass being Midnight Purple (which, you know... is dark purple), used sparingly before it was added to Fenders colour chart in or around 1996.

Interesting. I guess the only way to solve the mystery is to find one of the plus deluxe/jazz purple basses and either remove the neck and inspect the neck pocket or find one of the standard plus purple basses and remove the pickguard or even simply remove the back cavity cover to see if it is really purple underneath. Fender definitely did do some things that were well out of the norm - there is no doubt about that. But it seems a little odd and cost ineffective that they would only spray a handful of basses in this attractive color years before putting it into their standard color options - but again not saying it is not possible. And the plus series guitars lasted through 1998 and there has yet to be any examples of those being sprayed metallic(midnight) purple? If you are correct, that would also make the purple plus basses very rare and desirable indeed. Any of you purple metallic plus bass owners willing to try to help solve the mystery??

 

[iceboxbass]

Interesting. I guess the only way to solve the mystery is to find one of the plus deluxe/jazz purple basses and either remove the neck and inspect the neck pocket or find one of the standard plus purple basses and remove the pickguard to see if it is really purple underneath. Fender definitely did do some things that were well out of the norm - there is no doubt about that. But it seems a little odd and cost ineffective that they would only spray a handful of basses in this attractive color years before putting it into their standard color options - but again not saying it is not possible. And the plus series guitars lasted through 1998 and there has yet to be any examples of those being sprayed metallic(midnight) purple? If you are correct, that would also make the purple plus basses very rare and desirable. Any of you purple metallic plus bass owners willing to try to help solve the mystery??

Couldn't you get the same result with pulling up the electronics cavity cover? Which I pulled mine off and the paint looks the same as the body paint. Or is there some kind of designation under the neck pocket?

 

[iceboxbass]

Here’s a pic of my Jazz+ V electronics cavity.

 

[klejst]

Love the color.

 

[JIO]

Here’s a pic of my Jazz+ V electronics cavity.

View attachment 2996003

Factory finish - and if there was any aging/changing of the finish due to UV, you would see a difference between the inside control-cover shelf and the outside finish. So since we're in conjecture-land, I'll throw out this theory; purple is one of those tersiary colours that some people like and most people either don't like or aren't as drawn to. Look at the rarity of common use of purple in cars, cloths, house colours (in & out), etc. You see it here and there but not everywhere, like blue, red, green or yellow. A colour right behind it in use is orange. Orange is used more than purple, but it's still not as common as the primary colours. So, as rarely as it is used in commercial applications as listed - it would make sense that if it was to be used, it would be introduced sparingly. If the Fender colour-design guy decided to do a full-on run of purple guitars/basses - most likely they would be sitting on a lot of inventory. But if they shot a handful over time - those players who really like purple would buy them, and later they would be considered "rare" and collectable. Fender has a few colours that weren't commonly used - the '85 Performer 'alien' green, and the whole International Series from the late 70's-early 80's. Add to that the reversed-burst finishes that Phil Kubicki brought to early 90's Fender US that haven't been used since. Most people want the 'classic' Fender colours and the odd runs come and go depending on trends/fashion.

 

[JIO]

While swapping out the Fender shoulder strap buttons for Dunlop's strap dual action buttons...I decided to open up the electronics cavity to check the mids gain dial to see where it was dialed in at...Looks like the former owner had it dimed out and it sounds GREAT that way Also while having the control cavity plate off I checked the grounding wires out as I'd seen there was a discussion on this to stop any pickup buzzing, though I don't have buzzing issues. I see that there's 2 grounding wires soldered to the input jack, one coming from the pre and one from the bridge and the cavity cover has shielding foil on the backside as well. FWIW

This mid gain dial was only on the 9v Fender/Kubicki pre - the 18v Kubicki pre did not have it. Having owned both, I prefer the 9v system mostly because I never used the 2 passive settings and it had that gain adjustment option.

 

[G-Man60]

"Fender has a few colours that weren't commonly used - the '85 Performer 'alien' green, and the whole International Series from the late 70's-early 80's. Add to that the reversed-burst finishes that Phil Kubicki brought to early 90's Fender US that haven't been used since."

All of those colors as strange as some of them seem have been well documented by Fender. The mystery purple plus basses.....nothing. Interestingly, I do know that in the early 90s around the time that the purple plus basses would've had to have been sprayed, Fender released a Jeff Beck signature Stratocaster related to the plus/ultra series(ultra series Fender Lace pick-up config) that was offered in a metallic purple color which looks like an almost identical match for the purple plus basses.

And with that said, yes the cavity looks like it was an original finish in purple. The only thing that even remotely looks odd (I admit I am nitpicking here) is the sizeable chip in the paint on the cavity ledge that was over sprayed with the purple - which could have been one of the under coat colors that may have lifted and cleaned/chipped away before the final coat(s). Sadly, without any definitive confirmation from Fender or a 100% reliable source, we will forever be locked in conjecture land and their originality/rarity will be subjective. The red flag for me is that in my 25 years of collecting all of the Fender Plus Series guitars and basses, I have never seen this production color ever on any of the plus series basses or guitars(except the JB signature I mentioned above)until they started infrequently popping up over the last few years. But just because I have never seem them doesn't mean they don't/can't exist!

Who doesn't love a good mystery? I have a friend who has a connection with some Fender employees knowledgeable in their production history and it may take some time but I'll see if they have any insight into the mystery purple plus basses. And not that it's worth a damn....but I really like that purple color plus bass and I would love to own one!

 

[iceboxbass]

Factory finish - and if there was any aging/changing of the finish due to UV, you would see a difference between the inside control-cover shelf and the outside finish. So since we're in conjecture-land, I'll throw out this theory; purple is one of those tersiary colours that some people like and most people either don't like or aren't as drawn to. Look at the rarity of common use of purple in cars, cloths, house colours (in & out), etc. You see it here and there but not everywhere, like blue, red, green or yellow. A colour right behind it in use is orange. Orange is used more than purple, but it's still not as common as the primary colours. So, as rarely as it is used in commercial applications as listed - it would make sense that if it was to be used, it would be introduced sparingly. If the Fender colour-design guy decided to do a full-on run of purple guitars/basses - most likely they would be sitting on a lot of inventory. But if they shot a handful over time - those players who really like purple would buy them, and later they would be considered "rare" and collectable. Fender has a few colours that weren't commonly used - the '85 Performer 'alien' green, and the whole International Series from the late 70's-early 80's. Add to that the reversed-burst finishes that Phil Kubicki brought to early 90's Fender US that haven't been used since. Most people want the 'classic' Fender colours and the odd runs come and go depending on trends/fashion.

Interesting and well stated of one side.
I'm in agreement that purple and orange are not well loved colours especially when it comes to automobiles. I've never been compelled to buy a car in one of those colours.

This mid gain dial was only on the 9v Fender/Kubicki pre - the 18v Kubicki pre did not have it. Having owned both, I prefer the 9v system mostly because I never used the 2 passive settings and it had that gain adjustment option.

I find myself clicking over to an active mode when a more aggressive tone is demanded in certain songs, rather than reaching for one of my active electronics boutique basses. Very happy.

"Fender has a few colours that weren't commonly used - the '85 Performer 'alien' green, and the whole International Series from the late 70's-early 80's. Add to that the reversed-burst finishes that Phil Kubicki brought to early 90's Fender US that haven't been used since."

All of those colors as strange as some of them seem have been well documented by Fender. The mystery purple plus basses.....nothing. Interestingly, I do know that in the early 90s around the time that the purple plus basses would've had to have been sprayed, Fender released a Jeff Beck signature Stratocaster related to the plus/ultra series(ultra series Fender Lace pick-up config) that was offered in a metallic purple color which looks like an almost identical match for the purple plus basses.

And with that said, yes the cavity looks like it was an original finish in purple. The only thing that even remotely looks odd (I admit I am nitpicking here) is the sizeable chip in the paint on the cavity ledge that was over sprayed with the purple - which could have been one of the under coat colors that may have lifted and cleaned/chipped away before the final coat(s). Sadly, without any definitive confirmation from Fender or a 100% reliable source, we will forever be locked in conjecture land and their originality/rarity will be subjective. The red flag for me is that in my 25 years of collecting all of the Fender Plus Series guitars and basses, I have never seen this production color ever on any of the plus series basses or guitars(except the JB signature I mentioned above)until they started infrequently popping up over the last few years. But just because I have never seem them doesn't mean they don't/can't exist!

Who doesn't love a good mystery? I have a friend who has a connection with some Fender employees knowledgeable in their production history and it may take some time but I'll see if they have any insight into the mystery purple plus basses. And not that it's worth a damn....but I really like that purple color plus bass and I would love to own one!

EXACTLY! I'm loving and finding learning Fender history highly interesting. AND I love a great mystery!