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Exactly this. I have a 99 Geddy and when I got a USA one in 2018 I preferred the sound of the CIJ over the USA. The USA neck is superior though.
Congrats. Mine has been Geddy-ized by the previous owner. Pickguard and Badass bridge, and the equivalent Bartolini Hot Js. Sounds close to the actual thing. This is a CIJ jazz bass. I have removed the tug bar and I prefer these knurled knobs. I am lazy taking a recent pic. And yes, it came with the maple fretboard Fender neck but I put the original back on.
Funny thing is that I did not realize that was the previous owners intent until somebody pointed it out to me. 640 with case from GC in SoCal in 2017, the additional neck and pickguard. But not the original pickup or bent plate bridge
Funny thing is that I did not realize that was the previous owners intent until somebody pointed it out to me. 640 with case from GC in SoCal in 2017, the additional neck and pickguard. But not the original pickup or bent plate bridge
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Why would Fender chose to not use the black block inlays on the USA Geddy?
Weird..
Congrats. Great sounding bass. Hope it plays as good as it sounds
My guess is they were going for a more premium look on the MIA model by using Mother of Pearl, in which case they succeeded. They consulted with Geddy on the design of the bass so no doubt he gave such refinements his imprimatur
That's exactly why I ordered a new one. I've seen several used but couldn't confirm they still had the OEM pickups.
Smooth_bass88
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With the USA version they wanted it to be as close as possible to the bass Geddy has actually been playing for the last decade. Basically the MIJ/MIM Geddy is a copy of the original 72' bass, the USA Geddy is a copy of the bass in it's current state. He had them make a custom neck for his No. 1 Jazz back around 2009 because the original neck on his was worn out. The new neck is based on the transparent red jazz bass he got from the custom shop some years earlier. So what you have is a body and pickups based on his 1972 bass with a replica of the neck from Fender's custom shop which had a slightly different neck profile, pearl inlays and a oil finish on the back of the neck.
Here is mine along with my other 2 keepers. Best Jazz Bass Fender makes. Custom shop build quality but all the vintage 70’s tone. I chose it over a real vintage 70’s.
The stock USA Geddy Lee pups are what I like most about that bass. Don't know who designed them, but they are absolutely killer.
@SC Bassboy Here's the story. They don't say why they went to the pearloid inlays. I don't like them.
Rush's Geddy Lee: how we made Clockwork Angels
"Geddy’s Number One bass is a black ’72 Fender Jazz Bass, which has been in the fold for many years. This is the bass that has been seen time and time again, onstage and in photos, and to which all other bass guitars are compared. This instrument carries most of the weight during the show. The bass received a new Fender Custom Shop neck in 2010, just prior to the start of the Time Machine tour. This neck has a maple fingerboard with a 9” radius, white binding, aged pearl block inlays, and a little more mass than the typical Geddy Lee-style neck. The back of the neck has a rubbed oil finish, as do all the basses that go into the studio or out on tour. This is the third neck this bass has seen, and it is set very straight for an extremely low string height and fast action. The alder body is of medium weight, with an aged pearl pickguard custom-engraved by James Hogg with the now-familiar “Amalgamation” symbol. All the touring basses have scratch plates engraved and paint-filled by James with various alchemical symbols. The pickups are original, although the bridge pickup was rewound to virtually original specs by Tom Brantley in 2010. A BadAss II bridge, Dunlop strap locks, and leather guitar straps courtesy of Levy’s Leathers are standard issue on all the touring basses.
The Number Two bass is a sunburst ’72 Fender Jazz, and is perhaps closest of all the basses to Number One. It has a neck made in 2011 by Mike Bump of the Fender Custom Shop; it too has a maple fingerboard with a 9” radius, but black binding, and black block inlays. Number Two has a set of custom-made pickups by Tom Brantley. The black ’74 Jazz has a neck which is the twin of Number One, both being made at the same time in 2010. It has the original pickups, but with a little voodoo inside to get just a little something more out of them. All three of these basses have the original tuners and string trees installed on the new necks. "
Rush's Geddy Lee: how we made Clockwork Angels
"Geddy’s Number One bass is a black ’72 Fender Jazz Bass, which has been in the fold for many years. This is the bass that has been seen time and time again, onstage and in photos, and to which all other bass guitars are compared. This instrument carries most of the weight during the show. The bass received a new Fender Custom Shop neck in 2010, just prior to the start of the Time Machine tour. This neck has a maple fingerboard with a 9” radius, white binding, aged pearl block inlays, and a little more mass than the typical Geddy Lee-style neck. The back of the neck has a rubbed oil finish, as do all the basses that go into the studio or out on tour. This is the third neck this bass has seen, and it is set very straight for an extremely low string height and fast action. The alder body is of medium weight, with an aged pearl pickguard custom-engraved by James Hogg with the now-familiar “Amalgamation” symbol. All the touring basses have scratch plates engraved and paint-filled by James with various alchemical symbols. The pickups are original, although the bridge pickup was rewound to virtually original specs by Tom Brantley in 2010. A BadAss II bridge, Dunlop strap locks, and leather guitar straps courtesy of Levy’s Leathers are standard issue on all the touring basses.
The Number Two bass is a sunburst ’72 Fender Jazz, and is perhaps closest of all the basses to Number One. It has a neck made in 2011 by Mike Bump of the Fender Custom Shop; it too has a maple fingerboard with a 9” radius, but black binding, and black block inlays. Number Two has a set of custom-made pickups by Tom Brantley. The black ’74 Jazz has a neck which is the twin of Number One, both being made at the same time in 2010. It has the original pickups, but with a little voodoo inside to get just a little something more out of them. All three of these basses have the original tuners and string trees installed on the new necks. "
A TB friend replaced the pups on his MIM Geddy and said this---
"I threw those Geddy rewind pickups in the bass today. Sounds really good. Not the growl that I was hoping for but they are extremely clear. The bridge pickup is amazing, the neck sounds similar to my 60s vintage, at least to my untrained ear after an hour. "
"I threw those Geddy rewind pickups in the bass today. Sounds really good. Not the growl that I was hoping for but they are extremely clear. The bridge pickup is amazing, the neck sounds similar to my 60s vintage, at least to my untrained ear after an hour. "
That's great, I'm happy for you. Here's my 2020 MIA.
I definitely prefer the pickups and the neck on the US Geddy over the CIJ I had back in 98. The feel of the neck is outstanding and the pickups are far superior to the ones on the CIJ to my ears. While my older one definitely had the Rush tone, it felt like that was all it could do. The MIA Geddy is much more versatile while still have that Rush tone on tap. It’s an incredible 70s style Jazz. Here is mine along with its siblings, a MIJ 66RI Jazz and a Stingray5 Special.
Thanks! I won't be changing anything that alters the physical appearance of mine, but I like the look of yours. The color of the neck and inlays is a nice contrast from the blackout body. It's kind of Roger Waters-ish but more jazz bassy and classy lookin'.
@ShawnG changed his guard out and it matches the inlays a lot better than the white guard. I just wanted to make it 'mine' and blacked out the body and headstock gear. Cars, trucks, guitars, I can't leave anything alone.
