- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
The posted colour chart shows Midnight Purple - it must have existed if it made it to a chart.
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The posted colour chart shows Midnight Purple - it must have existed if it made it to a chart.
Five to six years after Icebox's 5 string Jazz(1990-91) would of been sprayed?? I don't know..........
Another thing I noticed about the picture of the cavity paint. Look on the body just to the right above the "chip in the paint on the ledge" that I noticed - it appears to be a noticable crease in the paint that appears to be approx. 2" long. It may just be a shadow or a reflection- Icebox can confirm that. If not, that is not typical for the quality in paint application that Fender was producing in that era and probably would've been caught in QC. Is it possible that a paint flaw like that made it past Fenders QC?....Yes. Is it likely?....no. During the late 80's and early 90s Fender was vigilantly trying to rebuild their reputation that was trashed when CBS bought them and ran them into the ground in 1985.......and quality control played a huge factor in their successful comeback.
So with that said, I am still not saying the purple paint is not original but I remain very skeptical because (a) there are only a very few of them that have surfaced, (b) the timing of the few that have surfaced, (c) the fact that this paint color never showed up on any of the plus guitar series of the same period, (d) there is absolutely no documentation from Fender or any other reliable source that the purple metallic paint was being used for any of the plus series of the same period * except for the Jeff Beck Signature Guitar which technically was not in the plus series of guitars or basses.
The mystery continues............
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,600
- 222,017
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
The chart posted (as I noted) has no date to verify when it was produced so it's being from '96 is only a speculation based on the page it was printed on in the book. Until further light is shed that chart could have been made earlier.
However, the chip is interesting. (as in, when did it occur) A respray is one way a chip like that could be all the same colour, but it could have still been from the factory. One of the Fender/Kubicki Factors I owned was factory finished black (w/body decal & clear coat) and it was originally red (underneath). Other than a small finish repair I did on it that uncovered that - it looked black everywhere. (the control cavity, neck pocket etc) Much of what I see in icebox's detail pic (in the creases) is dried buffing paste residue - very common regardless of it being from the factory. These Fender Factors and J+'s etc were nearing boutique bass quality - but this was Fender and not Sadowsky or Lull. (a factory vs a shop) and instruments were cranked out regardless of QC.
Another detail icebox can clearify is the (perceived) grey areas - the largest one at the lower lip and another smaller one below the chip area. Looks to be shielding paint which Kubicki Factors had and was brought into play on these Fender basses. So if this is confirmed, and judging by how thin the purple finish is over it - this tells us something. The way to find out would be to scratch the purple off of the inside of the chip area. It could be done by flat-blading an exacta-knife on the inside edge. Will it uncover a different colour? Will it uncover wood? My guess is as the shielding paint was as thick as that chip - originally the shielding paint got chipped there (how is anyone's guess) and it was sprayed over with the purple. Snatching off the purple there will uncover something. As the inside lip already has minor chips, it will not affect the value of the bass.
And lastly - if @icebox can take the neck off it may answer all of these questions. FTR, doing so is not mysterious or detrimental if you are not used to doing such. Inspect the neck joint - even take a detail pic of it for reference putting it back on. (only mention this because sometimes a slight shift of the neck in the pocket one way or the other is needed to align the strings - very normal)
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,600
- 222,017
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Remembered I had a pic of my J+ cavity - hummm.... this sheds some light and now makes me think the purple could be a respray. The brass inserts for the machine bolts that held the cover on were a tight fit (hard to see in the pic) and on icebox's it looks as if threaded brass inserts (commonly found in hardware stores) are in craggy holes. But why on earth would someone take out the original inserts? Anytime I finish/refinish a body I tape off the whole control cavity. (as it looks in this pic) So more questions.
I also never thought of this before - but seeing the foam that holds the battery in place makes me realize that the space it takes is the size of another battery. As the Fender Kubicki's never had an 18v option - Fender must have just used Phil Kubicki's cavity as an exact template. Just that.
I also never thought of this before - but seeing the foam that holds the battery in place makes me realize that the space it takes is the size of another battery. As the Fender Kubicki's never had an 18v option - Fender must have just used Phil Kubicki's cavity as an exact template. Just that.
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Yeah that would be a reflection of my Ceiling fan. There's another ceiling fan reflection on body just at lower right of cavity control as well. And recessed ceiling pot lights.
My J+ does have shielding paint sprayed in the cavity. I'm not quite ready to chip off a small patch...maybe a little later. If I was to guess I'd probably find the black shielding paint underneath the purple paint. There are a couple sizeable chips out of the body paint, maybe I can see if there's different colors layered.
Yeah I've not removed a Fender neck before. Though I have on other basses. Not a daunting task. Like you said, take detailed pics so to get it back together exactly the same for string alignment purposes.
I'm really not that curious at this time whether it's a factory original paint finish or not...maybe shortly down the road...I'd like to know though at some point.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,600
- 222,017
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
I don't blame you for simply enjoying your cool new bass - excuse our geekdom and just rock it!
Yes JIO and Icebox.....all points you both make are well taken. And Icebox if I owned that cool bass, I too would be leery of chipping any paint from any place on the bass - even the edge of the cavity. Sometimes just trying to chip away a small loose flake of paint could lead to bigger chips flaking away than desired. And the fact that what looked like a paint crease to me next to the cavity was a reflection from your ceiling fan dispels any thoughts that it was a flaw in the paint job from either a repaint or Fender. I 100% agree with JIO - enjoy that cool metallic purple 5er plus and I'll check with my friend with contacts at Fender to see if they can add anything to solve "The Mystery Of The Purple Plus Basses." But as stated earlier this will take some time.
And who knows, maybe you do have a real Fender paint variation rarity that was not cataloged at that particular time but somehow made it to market - just as JIO previously described. It is certainly possible! It would be interesting if there are any other purple plus owners out there willing to weigh in and show us their basses and some cavity photos.
One thing is certain, the Fender Plus line of both basses and guitars are absolute gems in every respect and for me it was love at first play some 25 years ago.......and I never looked back. I've met many players over that time(especially in the 90s and early 2000s) who really disliked the plus series because of the Lace pick-ups. They complained that the Laces were weak and lacked punch and power. But most of those folks didn't understand the Laces at all - especially on the guitars. Lace pick-ups are a much different animal than standard Fender pups and depending on how aggressive your playing style is, you can almost adjust the pick-ups right up to the string height where they really shine with both clarity, punch, power and are extremely quiet.
And who knows, maybe you do have a real Fender paint variation rarity that was not cataloged at that particular time but somehow made it to market - just as JIO previously described. It is certainly possible! It would be interesting if there are any other purple plus owners out there willing to weigh in and show us their basses and some cavity photos.
One thing is certain, the Fender Plus line of both basses and guitars are absolute gems in every respect and for me it was love at first play some 25 years ago.......and I never looked back. I've met many players over that time(especially in the 90s and early 2000s) who really disliked the plus series because of the Lace pick-ups. They complained that the Laces were weak and lacked punch and power. But most of those folks didn't understand the Laces at all - especially on the guitars. Lace pick-ups are a much different animal than standard Fender pups and depending on how aggressive your playing style is, you can almost adjust the pick-ups right up to the string height where they really shine with both clarity, punch, power and are extremely quiet.
Thank you. Good to know the pickups can be adjusted that high as with my other basses I like about a credit cards width between strings and pickups.
Power Trio
From Left To Right: Strat Plus 1990 * Jazz Plus Bass 1990 * Strat Ultra 1994
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This morning was my first gig with my 90 Fender Jazz V Plus and it was a HUGE hit! Even playing it in passive mode only. Our soundboard engineer who's a radio producer for one of our local radio stations absolutely loved the Big tone and of course the purple. Asked if I took it off the set for the movie "Purple Rain".
Our media production director, as we are on livestream, CBS local tv broadcast and live FM radio, came up to me twice expressing how much he loved my sound and thank you for playing. Looks like I found a new hit bass.
Our media production director, as we are on livestream, CBS local tv broadcast and live FM radio, came up to me twice expressing how much he loved my sound and thank you for playing. Looks like I found a new hit bass.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,600
- 222,017
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
This morning was my first gig with my 90 Fender Jazz V Plus and it was a HUGE hit! Even playing it in passive mode only. Our soundboard engineer who's a radio producer for one of our local radio stations absolutely loved the Big tone and of course the purple. Asked if I took it off the set for the movie "Purple Rain".
Audio engineers love the Kubicki pre -
"This morning was my first gig with my 90 Fender Jazz V Plus and it was a HUGE hit! Even playing it in passive mode only. Our soundboard engineer who's a radio producer for one of our local radio stations absolutely loved the Big tone and of course the purple. Asked if I took it off the set for the movie "Purple Rain". Our media production director, as we are on livestream, CBS local tv broadcast and live FM radio, came up to me twice expressing how much he loved my sound and thank you for playing. Looks like I found a new hit bass.[/QUOTE]
That is very cool - how could that sweet purple jazz v bass not be a hit??
I heard back from my friend who has a contact at Fender concerning the mystery purple plus basses. I also sent him your photos of the bass and the back cavity. He stated "that there was no known record of any of the plus series basses or guitars being sprayed (midnight purple) at any point of their perspective runs. He also said the cavity paint overspray on the cavity ledge didn't look like anything that Fender was doing at that time(I guess meaning the cavity ledge should of been masked?). He also questioned the threaded barrels that the cavity cover screws thread into saying they didn't look right. He offered a scan of a dealers catalog dated January 1994(printed in late 93) that showed the only colors they used on plus series basses over their short run. Funny, he also couldn't guarantee 100% that something like that didn't sneak out of the Fender factory at some point......it was almost three decades ago. He also stated that judging by the pictures, the paint job overall looked very well done! The mystery continues.....enjoy that bass!
Our media production director, as we are on livestream, CBS local tv broadcast and live FM radio, came up to me twice expressing how much he loved my sound and thank you for playing. Looks like I found a new hit bass.[/QUOTE]That is very cool - how could that sweet purple jazz v bass not be a hit??
I heard back from my friend who has a contact at Fender concerning the mystery purple plus basses. I also sent him your photos of the bass and the back cavity. He stated "that there was no known record of any of the plus series basses or guitars being sprayed (midnight purple) at any point of their perspective runs. He also said the cavity paint overspray on the cavity ledge didn't look like anything that Fender was doing at that time(I guess meaning the cavity ledge should of been masked?). He also questioned the threaded barrels that the cavity cover screws thread into saying they didn't look right. He offered a scan of a dealers catalog dated January 1994(printed in late 93) that showed the only colors they used on plus series basses over their short run. Funny, he also couldn't guarantee 100% that something like that didn't sneak out of the Fender factory at some point......it was almost three decades ago. He also stated that judging by the pictures, the paint job overall looked very well done! The mystery continues.....enjoy that bass!
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Have you guys seen this mid 90's Jazz 5 Plus for sale under $500? Has neck issues...beautiful bass though.
Fender 5 string Jazz bass plus 90's black | Cooper Pro Sound
Fender 5 string Jazz bass plus 90's black | Cooper Pro Sound
Just love these bass guitars, here is my - 93
I dont know if you guys have seen this?
Its in my opinion, a very good rewiev of the plus deluxe
Its in my opinion, a very good rewiev of the plus deluxe
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,600
- 222,017
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
