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Help me with my future jazz bass :)

Which one do you prefer?

  • Fender Japan JB62 Jazz Bass O Serial 1997-2000

    Votes: 8 14.0%

  • Tokai Jazz Sound 1985 - Sunburst

    Votes: 10 17.5%

  • Fender JB-STD 2014 3 Tone Sunburst

    Votes: 4 7.0%

  • Fender JB Standard Jazz Bass MIJ 1994 Lake Placid Blue Made in Japan

    Votes: 35 61.4%
  • Total voters
    57
Pedro Cofre

Pedro Cofre

Jun 22, 2018
71
156
33
Chile
#1
Hello everyone, I write from Chile.
I'm looking for a new jazz bass, so I've been looking at reverb, since in my country there isn't much to look at.

I have found some that interest me a lot, all these Japanese.
The only problem is that I won't have the opportunity to try them before I buy it. That is why I come to you to give me your opinion about it.

1.-Fender Japan JB62 Jazz Bass O Serial 1997-2000 Electric Bass.
The seller specifies the following:
Model: JB62 Jazz Bass
Year: 1997-2000
Neck: straight
Fret: 70%
Truss Rod: Unknown
Weight: 4060g

My opinion: I like this bass, even though it has a bit of wear and the frets are not in the best condition.
Price: $597 + $150 Shipping
Link Removed

2.- Tokai Jazz Sound 1985 - Sunburst
"Tokai Jazz Sound from around 1985 (according to the serial number) it's the model that was sold in the American market from what I understand, since it has the after lawsuit headstock….it's in really stellar condition. Upgraded wire harness, but otherwise original. This bass sounds great! It was in a closet for years, unplayed. Will come in a non original gig bag. Super well made bass".

My opinion: this bass looks in excellent condition to be from 85, aesthetically I love it. The only thing is that I have never tried a tokai and I don't know if that bass is really worth it. I like vintage basses, and this one is quite vintage considering that it's from 1985. One of the advantages is that it's in the US, so it's easier to send it to my country.
Price: $650 + free shipping
Link Removed

3.-Fender JB-STD Jazz Bass MIJ 2014 3 Tone Sunburst
"Here we have a gorgeous 2014 Fender Japan JB-STD Jazz Bass in 3 Color Sunburst, Made in 20 (JD 14 serial number) in Excellent condition, bass looks great with only light player wear and one noteworthy mark on the bottom (see photo ) all electronics are working fine, bass plays and sounds really good.Frets are in great shape with only very minor wear, truss rod works fine, metallic parts still have a nice shine.
Weight is 4.0kg
Comes with Fender padded gig bag, manual and warranty card.
- We ship VIA FedEx, DHL and EMS
- We use 8mm boxes designed for international shipping."

My opinion: this bass is in excellent condition, I like its aesthetics and it is almost perfect. The only problem I have is its basswood body, since I have read that it is less dense and tends to dent more easily.
PRICE: $528.73 + $158.62 Shipping
Link Removed

4.-Fender JB Standard Jazz Bass MIJ 1994 Lake Placid Blue Made in Japan
"Here we have a gorgeous Fender Japan Jazz Bass, Lake Placid Blue in Very Good condition, Made in Japan 1994 (Q Serial number) bass looks great with only light player wear and few small dent and a paint chip, all electronics are working fine ,bass plays and sounds good.Frets are in great shape with only very minor wear.
Weight is 4.1kgs
Comes with Fender gig bag
- We ship VIA FedEx, DHL and EMS
- We use 8mm boxes designed for international shipping.
Please feel free to contact me for a shipping quote, we aim to ship World Wide! But please understand that some places it is just not possible or far too expensive to be viable."

My opinion: this bass has an amazing color, it has an ugly chip but in general it looks in good condition, just like the previous one, the basswood body makes me doubt.
PRICE: $596.71+ $158.62 Shipping

Link Removed

I hope you can help me by giving me your opinion, I want a bass that sounds and feels good to play.
Finally here are the links in case you want to appreciate them in more detail.
Thank you very much in advance :).

1.- Fender Japan JB62 Jazz Bass O Serial 1997-2000 Electric Bass Guitar Ref No.5336 | Reverb
2.- Tokai Jazz Sound 1985 - Sunburst | Reverb
3.- Fender JB-STD Jazz Bass Reissue MIJ 2014 3 Tone Sunburst | Reverb
4.- Fender JB Standard Jazz Bass MIJ 1994 Lake Placid Blue Made in Japan | Reverb
 
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#4
I wouldn't be certain that #1 is Alder, I believe basswood still was more common for MIJ/CIJ of the era, and that alder and US-spec pickups came on a pricier model, labeled JB62-US. Buying from international Reverb, I'd treat this as if it were also basswood, it's just a gamble that it'd be Alder and not one with great odds. Basswood definitely dings easier than alder, but in my experience it's overblown, normal handling hadn't dinged anything yet. If you're accident-prone and drop things frequently, you'll end up with some dings, but it's not super fragile.

My vote is #4, the figuring on the neck looks great and I'm a sucker for those old FujiGen instruments. Around 95 Dyna Gakki started taking over some of the production from FujiGen, and by 96/97 FujiGen had stopped entirely IIRC.
 
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#6
bakageta said:
I wouldn't be certain that #1 is Alder, I believe basswood still was more common for MIJ/CIJ of the era, and that alder and US-spec pickups came on a pricier model, labeled JB62-US. Buying from international Reverb, I'd treat this as if it were also basswood, it's just a gamble that it'd be Alder and not one with great odds. Basswood definitely dings easier than alder, but in my experience it's overblown, normal handling hadn't dinged anything yet. If you're accident-prone and drop things frequently, you'll end up with some dings, but it's not super fragile.

My vote is #4, the figuring on the neck looks great and I'm a sucker for those old FujiGen instruments. Around 95 Dyna Gakki started taking over some of the production from FujiGen, and by 96/97 FujiGen had stopped entirely IIRC.
Click to expand...
I understand that the reissues of those years were alder body
 
#7
bakageta said:
I wouldn't be certain that #1 is Alder, I believe basswood still was more common for MIJ/CIJ of the era, and that alder and US-spec pickups came on a pricier model, labeled JB62-US. Buying from international Reverb, I'd treat this as if it were also basswood, it's just a gamble that it'd be Alder and not one with great odds. Basswood definitely dings easier than alder, but in my experience it's overblown, normal handling hadn't dinged anything yet. If you're accident-prone and drop things frequently, you'll end up with some dings, but it's not super fragile.

My vote is #4, the figuring on the neck looks great and I'm a sucker for those old FujiGen instruments. Around 95 Dyna Gakki started taking over some of the production from FujiGen, and by 96/97 FujiGen had stopped entirely IIRC.
Click to expand...
in your experience does basswood work well?
 
#12
Pedro Cofre said:
Hello everyone, I write from Chile.
I'm looking for a new jazz bass, so I've been looking at reverb, since in my country there isn't much to look at.

I have found some that interest me a lot, all these Japanese.
The only problem is that I won't have the opportunity to try them before I buy it. That is why I come to you to give me your opinion about it.

1.-Fender Japan JB62 Jazz Bass O Serial 1997-2000 Electric Bass.
The seller specifies the following:
Model: JB62 Jazz Bass
Year: 1997-2000
Neck: straight
Fret: 70%
Truss Rod: Unknown
Weight: 4060g

My opinion: I like this bass, even though it has a bit of wear and the frets are not in the best condition.
Price: $597 + $150 Shipping
Link Removed

2.- Tokai Jazz Sound 1985 - Sunburst
"Tokai Jazz Sound from around 1985 (according to the serial number) it's the model that was sold in the American market from what I understand, since it has the after lawsuit headstock….it's in really stellar condition. Upgraded wire harness, but otherwise original. This bass sounds great! It was in a closet for years, unplayed. Will come in a non original gig bag. Super well made bass".

My opinion: this bass looks in excellent condition to be from 85, aesthetically I love it. The only thing is that I have never tried a tokai and I don't know if that bass is really worth it. I like vintage basses, and this one is quite vintage considering that it's from 1985. One of the advantages is that it's in the US, so it's easier to send it to my country.
Price: $650 + free shipping
Link Removed

3.-Fender JB-STD Jazz Bass MIJ 2014 3 Tone Sunburst
"Here we have a gorgeous 2014 Fender Japan JB-STD Jazz Bass in 3 Color Sunburst, Made in 20 (JD 14 serial number) in Excellent condition, bass looks great with only light player wear and one noteworthy mark on the bottom (see photo ) all electronics are working fine, bass plays and sounds really good.Frets are in great shape with only very minor wear, truss rod works fine, metallic parts still have a nice shine.
Weight is 4.0kg
Comes with Fender padded gig bag, manual and warranty card.
- We ship VIA FedEx, DHL and EMS
- We use 8mm boxes designed for international shipping."

My opinion: this bass is in excellent condition, I like its aesthetics and it is almost perfect. The only problem I have is its basswood body, since I have read that it is less dense and tends to dent more easily.
PRICE: $528.73 + $158.62 Shipping
Link Removed

4.-Fender JB Standard Jazz Bass MIJ 1994 Lake Placid Blue Made in Japan
"Here we have a gorgeous Fender Japan Jazz Bass, Lake Placid Blue in Very Good condition, Made in Japan 1994 (Q Serial number) bass looks great with only light player wear and few small dent and a paint chip, all electronics are working fine ,bass plays and sounds good.Frets are in great shape with only very minor wear.
Weight is 4.1kgs
Comes with Fender gig bag
- We ship VIA FedEx, DHL and EMS
- We use 8mm boxes designed for international shipping.
Please feel free to contact me for a shipping quote, we aim to ship World Wide! But please understand that some places it is just not possible or far too expensive to be viable."

My opinion: this bass has an amazing color, it has an ugly chip but in general it looks in good condition, just like the previous one, the basswood body makes me doubt.
PRICE: $596.71+ $158.62 Shipping

Link Removed

I hope you can help me by giving me your opinion, I want a bass that sounds and feels good to play.
Finally here are the links in case you want to appreciate them in more detail.
Thank you very much in advance :).

1.- Fender Japan JB62 Jazz Bass O Serial 1997-2000 Electric Bass Guitar Ref No.5336 | Reverb
2.- Tokai Jazz Sound 1985 - Sunburst | Reverb
3.- Fender JB-STD Jazz Bass Reissue MIJ 2014 3 Tone Sunburst | Reverb
4.- Fender JB Standard Jazz Bass MIJ 1994 Lake Placid Blue Made in Japan | Reverb
Click to expand...
Lighter/less dense woods can be very resonant. And dents make a jazz bass look cool. I wouldn’t let basswood keep you from choosing a particular bass. Get #3 or #4, depending on the color you prefer.
 
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#16
People make this comment all the time, but it’s SO true: Other people’s preferences on a topic like this are kind of irrelevant. We all have very different priorities, and what is a deal breaker for one person might be a nothing for someone else! (And vise versa.)
 
#17
Based on the available information and my experience with similar models I would get the Tokai. They are generally very good instruments. But you'll never know for sure without actually trying them.
 
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#19
Pedro Cofre said:
in your experience does basswood work well?
Click to expand...
It's not a "high end" material, but I prefer it over poplar, and it's pretty common on MIJ/CIJ stuff, I'd say it's proved the test of time across them. The MIJ of this era are all very highly regarded, and while most people wouldn't seek out a basswood body specifically, if basswood wasn't a good fit for a bass then you wouldn't see these old MIJs praised as much. The lighter weight is a large upside for me, as I get older my body doesn't appreciate having a boat anchor strapped to me.

Pedro Cofre said:
This neck is the correct?
Click to expand...
What do you mean by correct? That looks like the neck I'd expect on a 94 MIJ, I see what looks like Gotoh GB1 tuners, and my 93/94 has a skunk stripe. The figuring on that neck looks fantastic to me.
 
Last edited:
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