Geddy Lee Jazz - Japan/Mexico Differences?

[JES]

I had a CIJ Geddy neck and played a MIM Geedy in a store. The CIJ neck was the thinnest I'd ever played. Stable and everything but a feat of engineering.

 

[phillybass101]

I'm never selling my MIJ/CIJ Geddy Lee. Staying with me till the end no matter what.

 

[winterburn69]

I'm never selling my MIJ/CIJ Geddy Lee. Staying with me till the end no matter what.
View attachment 1154110

Same with my MIJ, sounds and plays way too good to ever part with. Plus silver isn't a very popular colour on basses and it might be hard to sell. Oh well, that'll be my kids' problem.

 

[leemelone]

I had the MIJ version and I found it was very weak sounding. I loved the way it played and the fact that it looks like a 72 block inlay Jazz bass but I got rid of it because it just didn't cut it sound wise.

 

[jpmcbride]

Reviving a somewhat old thread ... I love my MIJ Geddy. Its the highest quality bass I've ever had. I can dial in super low action with no buzz whatsoever. And with the thin neck, it almost plays itself. Pickups sound great and it sits well in the mix. I typically like a more P-bass sound, so I put flats on it and mostly play the neck pup. But even with flats its has a wide variety of tones it can produce. The only downside is that its heavy. Haven't weighed it, but its the heaviest bass I own. Never tried a MIM Geddy.

The reason I'm posting is I can't figure out what year it is. It has a "T" serial number and says "Made in Japan". According to the Fender serial number decoder, its either a 1994 or 2007. Big difference! Any idea how to be sure? Another clue is that the neck plate does not have the Fender "F" on it. Someone told me that earlier ones had the F.

 

[BK Bass]

Reviving a somewhat old thread ... I love my MIJ Geddy. Its the highest quality bass I've ever had. I can dial in super low action with no buzz whatsoever. And with the thin neck, it almost plays itself. Pickups sound great and it sits well in the mix. I typically like a more P-bass sound, so I put flats on it and mostly play the neck pup. But even with flats its has a wide variety of tones it can produce. The only downside is that its heavy. Haven't weighed it, but its the heaviest bass I own. Never tried a MIM Geddy.

The reason I'm posting is I can't figure out what year it is. It has a "T" serial number and says "Made in Japan". According to the Fender serial number decoder, its either a 1994 or 2007. Big difference! Any idea how to be sure? Another clue is that the neck plate does not have the Fender "F" on it. Someone told me that earlier ones had the F.

In the spirit of your post, I am reviving this somewhat old thread again. According to Invalid Link Removed, your bass was made sometime between 2007 and 2011:

"2007 was another transitional year for Japanese-made Fender instruments, with the return to the “Made in Japan” country-of-origin identifier on the serial number decal. This was a running change, and both “Made in Japan” and “Crafted in Japan” decals appear on instruments from 2007 and 2008.

Made in Japan T + 6 digits 2007-2010
Made in Japan U + 6 digits 2010-2011

Note: A new Japanese vendor was enlisted in 2010 to help meet demand for the Geddy Lee and Marcus Miller Jazz Bass models. These two basses and the other instruments listed below that were supplied by this factory continued to use “Made in Japan T + 6 digits” designation through 2011"

 

[jd56hawk]

Gotta love the MIM guys!

 

[chicagobob]

so , after all that. what are the factory differences between the mim and mia geddy jazzy?

 

[Z-Bass]

My son has the MIM Geddy. A good friend of mine has a CIJ and one of the rare USA limited edition in transparent crimson red finish. I've played all three but differences in strings and setup made it difficult to compare. I do prefer the USA necks as they are a little thicker but not overwhelmingly so. I've used my sons MIM at a gig in the past and it played and sounded great. I'm sure there are some differences in quality between the CIJ and MIM. My friend just got his studio up and running. Maybe I'll see if we can do a comparison recording/video of all three in the near future.

 

[embellisher]

I've only played a couple of MIM Geddy Lees, but neither of them compared to my CIJ Geddy that I bought back in 2001.

I don't play my four stringers very much these days, but this bass is going nowhere. It's one of the best sounding and playing four strings I've ever played. I'm puzzled by those that found the pickups in the CIJ to be lacking. Mine absolutely kills. I've been looking in vain for a 5 string Jazz that sounds like it for over 20 years.

 

[Jjango]

My Crafted in Japan Geddy has a serial number of S+6 digits, which means it was manufactured between 2006 and 2008:

[This invalid link has been removed]

Pretty sure I bought mine back in '06. Personally, I think it's one of the best basses Fender has ever made. 9.25 lbs, which is perfectly comfortable for me. And the neck (mine is still straight as an arrow) is to die for!

 

[Apolicious]

correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the MIJ basses have SD Antiquities pickups in them, whereas the MIM had Fenders? because that would explain a lot.

 

[Z-Bass]

correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the MIJ basses have SD Antiquities pickups in them, whereas the MIM had Fenders? because that would explain a lot.

Going back to my post above about comparing all three models, this makes sense to me. My son's MIM sounds more standard or basic for lack of a better term. The CIJ model pickups are livelier and have a bit more punch to them. As you'd expect, the USA pickups sounded the best (as they should). Noticeably have a lot more growl and just hit differently.