Fender Plus Deluxe Club

[iceboxbass]

UGH Well as it turns out, the tuners that I bought off eBay are not going to work...As this is the first time for me swapping out let alone taking off a tuner on a Fender bass, I didn't realize the positioning of the two pegs on the tuners that hold the tuner on the backside of the headstock matter. Turns out the ones from eBay are on the opposite side than mine...plus the tuning heads are about half again larger than mine, which might not have been an issue, but I'm not about to go and drill 10 new holes into my 98 American Standard Jazz V headstock Not going to happen. Sure are pretty tuners though.

I contacted the eBayer and they are more than willing to have me return the tuners plus pay for all shipping costs 100%. But, they also have some smaller Fender Jazz tuners they're going to send me a photo of so I can see if they'll work. If it's the very same as mine they'll let me buy the 2 that I only need instead of buying a whole set of 5.

 

[G-Man60]

Hey G-Man60...I forgot to thank you for this information that you'd posted back in May and the research that you did thru your friend who has a contact at Fender. I especially like the photo of the Jazz V Plus cost, Standard equip and color options. Quite something how this bass is holding close to its original value! Even after almost 3 decades. In another club thread, Spector, we are finding out all the time about one offs that were made per endorsing artists requests, that make us scratch our heads. So not all that uncommon with bass/guitar manufacturers. Maybe my Metallic purple is one of those special request per an endorsing artist or it could've been a good quality refinish...in any direction it which it might be, I'm sure enjoying its beauty and playing it. Thanks again!

SirMjac28 - yes glad to be of help but sorry we couldn't nail this down one way or another. The important thing is you're enjoying that very cool metal flake purple Jazz V Bass. A quick note - I was at a party a few months ago and some one was watching VH1 Classic on the tube and there was a Prince video playing and I was not sure what song it was(there was a lot of crowd noise and I was across the room) or what period it was from but I thought I saw his bass player in the video playing a purple five string bass that looked quite a bit like yours. The camera only focused on the bass player for a few quick shots but from what I could see it looked eerily similar. I wonder - could it be????

 

[iceboxbass]

SirMjac28 - yes glad to be of help but sorry we couldn't nail this down one way or another. The important thing is you're enjoying that very cool metal flake purple Jazz V Bass. A quick note - I was at a party a few months ago and some one was watching VH1 Classic on the tube and there was a Prince video playing and I was not sure what song it was(there was a lot of crowd noise and I was across the room) or what period it was from but I thought I saw his bass player in the video playing a purple five string bass that looked quite a bit like yours. The camera only focused on the bass player for a few quick shots but from what I could see it looked eerily similar. I wonder - could it be????

Kind of eerily funny you talking about Prince’s bass players metallic purple Fender V...the first time that I took my 90 metallic purple Fender Jazz V Plus to band rehearsal our sound tech asked if I stole that bass off the Prince Purple Rain set! Lol

 

[JIO]

View attachment 3161486 View attachment 3161489 View attachment 3161492
Kind of eerily funny you talking about Prince’s bass players metallic purple Fender V...the first time that I took my 90 metallic purple Fender Jazz V Plus to band rehearsal our sound tech asked if I stole that bass off the Prince Purple Rain set! Lol

Nice pics!

 

[woodyng2]

Just read most of this entire thread....have a few questions for you Plus Afficianadoes.
I found specs on the 4 string Precision Deluxe Plus, which shows it having a 34” neck,with 1.65 nut.
Did the Jazz Plus have the smaller nut size? (Presuming 1.5”)
I really like the smaller bodies on both models,and would prefer a model with 2 J pickups,but also prefer the wider nut neck. On the J models,are the 2 pickups the same size ,or slightly different like traditional J basses? I am a passive pickup fan,but am really intrigued by all the accolades being given for the Kubicki preamp these basses came equpped with.
In short,i am giving some thought into getting one of these.

 

[Jvdben1]

This was from a TB’r who was kind enough to send me the spec’s when I was looking, hope this helps you out. They are phenomenal instruments for every level of player. I’m a new bass player who started at 55, this really helped me get around faster and was much more comfortable for my older and smaller hands-good luck to you!
Jazz Plus Specs:

Series: U.S. Plus/Deluxe Series
Body: Downsized Alder Body
Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood, 9.5" Radius (241mm)
No. of Frets: 22
Scale Length: 34" (864 mm)
Width @ Nut: 1.750" (44.5mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Machine Heads: Gotoh
Bridge: Fender Elite Jazz Bass 5-String
Pickguard: N/A
Pickups: 2 Silver Fender LaceTM Sensor J Bass(r) Pickups (Neck & Bridge)

Controls:

• Stacked Master Volume and Pan Pot,
• Stacked Treble Boost/Cut and Bass Boost/Cut,
• Circuit Select Switch (From Full Clockwise...Standby, Active With Mid Boost, Active, Passive)

PreAmp: Kubicki

Weight: 8.6 lbs

INTRODUCED: 1990
DISCONTINUED: 1994

If you open the control cavity on the back you will see a adjustable tone pot that increases or decreases the amount of mids. We have a club come by say hello and show off your bass there's plenty of info Fender Plus Deluxe Club

 

[woodyng2]

This was from a TB’r who was kind enough to send me the spec’s when I was looking, hope this helps you out. They are phenomenal instruments for every level of player. I’m a new bass player who started at 55, this really helped me get around faster and was much more comfortable for my older and smaller hands-good luck to you!
Jazz Plus Specs:

Series: U.S. Plus/Deluxe Series
Body: Downsized Alder Body
Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood, 9.5" Radius (241mm)
No. of Frets: 22
Scale Length: 34" (864 mm)
Width @ Nut: 1.750" (44.5mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Machine Heads: Gotoh
Bridge: Fender Elite Jazz Bass 5-String
Pickguard: N/A
Pickups: 2 Silver Fender LaceTM Sensor J Bass(r) Pickups (Neck & Bridge)

Controls:

• Stacked Master Volume and Pan Pot,
• Stacked Treble Boost/Cut and Bass Boost/Cut,
• Circuit Select Switch (From Full Clockwise...Standby, Active With Mid Boost, Active, Passive)

PreAmp: Kubicki

Weight: 8.6 lbs

INTRODUCED: 1990
DISCONTINUED: 1994

If you open the control cavity on the back you will see a adjustable tone pot that increases or decreases the amount of mids. We have a club come by say hello and show off your bass there's plenty of info Fender Plus Deluxe Club

That’s odd...i looked at some reverb sales that stated 1.5” for the Jazz versions. The p bass seems to have a 1.65”, so i would be very surprised ( although also very happy!) to see the J basses with a 1.75” nut. I’m very interested in these,love a lot of the features. I don’t have one of these basses,but am looking for something to replace my Jazz bass,want a smaller body,but a bigger neck/ nut more like a pbass.
Thanks for the info!

 

[SirMjac28]

Just took my baby out of her case it's been a while and man oh man this bass is so incredible still in perfect tune. I keep forgetting how light this bass is and how great this neck feels.

 

[amper]

That’s odd...i looked at some reverb sales that stated 1.5” for the Jazz versions. The p bass seems to have a 1.65”, so i would be very surprised ( although also very happy!) to see the J basses with a 1.75” nut. I’m very interested in these,love a lot of the features. I don’t have one of these basses,but am looking for something to replace my Jazz bass,want a smaller body,but a bigger neck/ nut more like a pbass.
Thanks for the info!

The specs are for the 5-string version.

 

[amper]

I feel like it needs to be mentioned that these instruments were not called the "Plus Deluxe" series, they were called the "Plus" series, as in "Jazz Bass Plus" or "Jazz Bass Plus V". In the price lists, they appear as the "US Plus" series.

The 1990 Jazz Bass Plus and Jazz Bass Plus V introduced the snaller version of the Jazz Bass body that was later continued in the "American Deluxe" series up through 2009. Beginning in 2010, Fender switched the American Deluxe line back to the larger, traditional Jazz Bass body for the remainder of its run.

There are some minor differences in neck pocket size and pickup size between the Plus V and the American Deluxe V, and the parts are not interchangeable. Notably, the AmDlx returns to a top-routed style with pickguard and control plate.

You can still see the smaller body size in a couple of other special models, and it is still available in 5-string form (not 4-string) from Warmoth as the "Deluxe 5J".

I paid $811 USD for mine (ash body, clear finish), new, in 1993, at Zapf's Music in Philadelphia. My picture got unlinked when Dropbox shut down their Public folder feature, so here's a new copy of it, onstage in 2009, opening for the Psychedilc Furs at the House of Blues in Atlantic City.

 

[amper]

I feel like it shoukd also be mentioned that back in the 1990s, the Jazz Plus was widely disdained, because it does *not* sound like a traditional Jazz Bass, hence the low prices in the secondary market at least up through 5 years ago (not sure where they are now).

The combination of Lace Sensor pickups and active preamp was completely unlike any Jazz Bass Fender had ever released before. It has a very modern sound, which I love, but far too many people expect a Jazz Bass to sound like something from the 1960s and never change.

But I will also say that in 20 years of gigging with my Jazz Plus V, I never once heard anything but that it sounded great.

 

[SirMjac28]

I feel like it needs to be mentioned that these instruments were not called the "Plus Deluxe" series, they were called the "Plus" series, as in "Jazz Bass Plus" or "Jazz Bass Plus V". In the price lists, they appear as the "US Plus" series.

The 1990 Jazz Bass Plus and Jazz Bass Plus V introduced the snaller version of the Jazz Bass body that was later continued in the "American Deluxe" series up through 2009. Beginning in 2010, Fender switched the American Deluxe line back to the larger, traditional Jazz Bass body for the remainder of its run.

There are some minor differences in neck pocket size and pickup size between the Plus V and the American Deluxe V, and the parts are not interchangeable. Notably, the AmDlx returns to a top-routed style with pickguard and control plate.

You can still see the smaller body size in a couple of other special models, and it is still available in 5-string form (not 4-string) from Warmoth as the "Deluxe 5J".

I paid $811 USD for mine (ash body, clear finish), new, in 1993, at Zapf's Music in Philadelphia. My picture got unlinked when Dropbox shut down their Public folder feature, so here's a new copy of it, onstage in 2009, opening for the Psychedilc Furs at the House of Blues in Atlantic City.

View attachment 3260269

Nice

 

[SirMjac28]

I feel like it shoukd also be mentioned that back in the 1990s, the Jazz Plus was widely disdained, because it does *not* sound like a traditional Jazz Bass, hence the low prices in the secondary market at least up through 5 years ago (not sure where they are now).

The combination of Lace Sensor pickups and active preamp was completely unlike any Jazz Bass Fender had ever released before. It has a very modern sound, which I love, but far too many people expect a Jazz Bass to sound like something from the 1960s and never change.

But I will also say that in 20 years of gigging with my Jazz Plus V, I never once heard anything but that it sounded great.

I agree Fender is stuck making traditional Jazz and P basses I also think if these basses had Kubicki on the headstock they would be worth two to three times as much.

 

[JIO]

I feel like it shoukd also be mentioned that back in the 1990s, the Jazz Plus was widely disdained, because it does *not* sound like a traditional Jazz Bass, hence the low prices in the secondary market at least up through 5 years ago (not sure where they are now).

The combination of Lace Sensor pickups and active preamp was completely unlike any Jazz Bass Fender had ever released before. It has a very modern sound, which I love, but far too many people expect a Jazz Bass to sound like something from the 1960s and never change.

But I will also say that in 20 years of gigging with my Jazz Plus V, I never once heard anything but that it sounded great.

I agree Fender is stuck making traditional Jazz and P basses I also think if these basses had Kubicki on the headstock they would be worth two to three times as much.

I agree. I can hear one without having seen it first - nothing sounds like a Kubicki pre-amp. I have the Fender/Kubicki 9v pre in a Fenderbird and it sounds like a Factor.

These basses were top of Fenders line in the early 90's - right below FCS basses - $811 was a chunk of change then. I bought my first very used '86 Kubicki Factor in the mid 90's for about that same price. (new they were $2500) and bought two more also for that price range. Since Phil's passing they are now listing close to what they cost new. The Jazz Plus's can currently be had for anywhere from $900 - $1200 so they are holding their value pretty well ATC. Having owned, played and recorded Factors - the Jazz Plus is basically a Kubicki sonically, which is a very distinctive sounding preamp. I never used the passive settings on mine but I'm pretty sure you could get one to sound more like a J with EMG's if dialed correctly. For me the active settings are what made the bass unique and engineers loved it.

FTR, I called my thread Fender Plus Deluxe Club to include the Precision Bass Plus Deluxe which was developed at the same time as the Jazz Plus (1990) but released a year later. These high-end active basses were the peak of modern development at Fender which began in 1980 with the Precision Special, and later 80's Elite series (Elite I & II)

 

[Stewthebassman]

I bought my jazz bass in 1992 in Milwaukee, for about $600. Adjusted for inflation, that's about $1,000 today. Amazing, an instrument that holds its value!

 

[JIO]

I bought my jazz bass in 1992 in Milwaukee, for about $600. Adjusted for inflation, that's about $1,000 today. Amazing, an instrument that holds its value!

I agree. If a player is looking for a quality instrument it is one of those basses that are overlooked.

 

[amper]

It's been so long since I've toiched a Factor or X-Factor that I don't renember precisely what they sounded like. I only know that when our original bassist quit my band, we auditioned several prospects, and while they were all good players, none of them really understood where we were going, musically (post-punk evolving into shoegaze/dreampop/indierock).

So, having just then paid off my credit line with the store from my purchase of my 1990 Rickenbacker 330 (which had been $940 new), I decided to just buy a bass. I settled on the Jazz Plus V because I liked the way it looked, felt, and sounded, having up to that point to preconceptions of what a bass "should" sound like.

Someplace around here, I have a copy of the Fender catalogue from that year. I'll post it when I get a chance.

These days, I'm playing a StingRay 4 and a Warwick, but my plan has always been to build a Warmoth Deluxe 5J to replace my Jazz Plus V. I'll use the 5-inline headstock, rather than the later 4+1, but I want to go with the American Deluxe 2004-2009 era Bill Lawrence designed SCN pickups, and I'm not sure which preamp I'll choose. I also plan to add a piezo bridge.

I prefer the StingRay to any 4-string Fender, but I very much prefer the 1998-2009 AmDlx Jazz Bass V to the StingRay 5, even the StingRay Classic 5, which I like better than the original StingRay 5.

 

[amper]

Oh, and the tuners on the Jazz Plus V were definitely Gotoh mini tuners. I never had an issue with them.

One caveat with the Jazz Plus V is I wouldn't recommend using flats on one. The neck is a bit too thin to handle the tension.

 

[SirMjac28]

The tuners are ridiculous this bass is still intune after sitting in the closet for a year and I see folks on Reverb selling them with the electronics stripped? I don't think anyone could even begin to duplicate the preamp?

 

[JIO]

The tuners are ridiculous this bass is still intune after sitting in the closet for a year and I see folks on Reverb selling them with the electronics stripped? I don't think anyone could even begin to duplicate the preamp?

There are many pre-amp options to choose from now. Aguilar is pretty popular, and people like Sadowsky's also. I think a 9v pre that does it all (traditional sound or more modern and everything in between) is the L-2000. (G&L) Every setting sounds great active or passive. I like to unique tone of the Kubicki but the G&L is the most versatile and user friendly.