• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Here's a puzzle: help me recognize my Fender Jazz?

I

IzzyStradlin

Dec 29, 2010
12
0
#1
Hello all

I recently moved to the US from India, and couldn't bring along my trusty Yamaha RBX374 along. For six months, I'd been getting increasing urges to play the bass, so I finally gave in and bought a Fender J-bass off ebay. Perhaps a hasty buy, but it sounds fantastic to my untrained ears.

Here's what I know about it. It's a Fender Standard Jazz Bass IV, Made in Mexico. From the serial number, I found that it's a 2011-2012 model. The previous owner had an active electronics plate installed on it, with a 3-band preamp.

I would love it if someone with knowledge of these lines of J-basses could point out to me what woods are used for the body, the neck and the fingerboard.

I am absolutely useless at differentiating the woods, and would love to know, out of curiosity, the details of my first-ever jazz bass! Also, any additional trivia/review of the 2011-2012 models, or MIMs in general would be even more lovely!

here are some photographs:
 
#2
that would be a maple neck, rosewood fretboard and ash body; other than that, i don't know what the heck it is! none of those parts are from fender, not the nut, not the bridge, definitely not the control plate.
 
#5
do you have pictures of the back of the headstock to get the serial #? ... back of body would be nice too, that would help to identify at least what it started as .. that headstock logo is not indicative of a MIM Standard bass, but of a Blacktop Jazz ...
 
#6
Thanks oboylebass and tjh

Is it an alder body after all? I have uploaded pictures of the back of it as well. They can be found HERE

They're taken in poor lighting though, so the serial number isn't properly readable. For reference, it's MX11106269, with Made in Mexico printed below it. Fender's website tells me that MX11 stands for 2011-2012 models.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate it.
 
#8
Looks like ash. Look at the wide grain.

Might be a Factory Special Run (FSR) Mexican-made Fender Jazz. Northern ash (heavier, as opposed to lighter swamp ash) bodies, maple neck, rosewood board. Generally very well regarded, solid instruments.

Beautiful, whatever it is.
 
#9
Thanks for the vote of confidence Tim. I actually just finished checking out the poll on TB about difference in tone between Ash and Alder on a Fender Jazz. Certainly an interesting poll! And now I'm much less worried about the difference that the wood could make. :-)
 
#11
I hate to throw a wrench into things, but my *guess* is that it's a Squier VM that has been heavily modded.

The bnb neck was probably used on something else, and then a rosewood neck was put on. The logo decal is how the American Standards come, which are all adjusted at the heel, so if this is a genuine MIM neck then it would either be from a Blacktop Jazz - as elBandito noted - or it's an aftermarket decal.

The blinged out gold/brass was a personal touch, right down to the brass nut. I'm not a fan of gold hardware, but it looks decent here.

As for the control plate and preamp - I'm pretty sure Bassmods has a 5 control unit like that. Fully active with a push/pull on the first knob to switch to passive.

The best way to tell if it was a MIM body is to remove the pickguard cover and check for the CNC hole. The hole exists on some US basses also, but not on the Indonesian models.

I could be totally wrong of course, but even a VM body with those upgrades is still a very nice bass.


I'd still have a peek under the pickguard, though.
 
#12
Hey Marko

Thanks for replying. *Gulp*. I'm at work now, but I do hope that when I get home and look under the guard, I find the hole! I did manage to buy the bass for pretty cheap, so there is always a chance you are right.

Anyway, appreciate your input.
 
#14
MarkoYYZ said:
... The logo decal is how the American Standards come, which are all adjusted at the heel, so if this is a genuine MIM neck then it would either be from a Blacktop Jazz - as elBandito noted - or it's an aftermarket decal.

... The best way to tell if it was a MIM body is to remove the pickguard cover and check for the CNC hole. The hole exists on some US basses also, but not on the Indonesian models.
Click to expand...

This is/was a Blacktop neck, with that serial # it came attached to a black body ...

.. as Marko suggests, check for CNC hole, but wouldn't hurt to put up a pic of body without pickguard, may even want to open control cavity to expose that for us also ... most definitive way to tell on body would be to check neck pocket for stampings or in pup route for stickers ..
 
#18
:p It does not look like alder to me at all, that grain is too wide...
It does look like ash to me, although some of the Squier VM bodies (maple) looked similar too. However the tint was more "brownish" than this one here.

I would say ash, probably. I cannot see any similarity with any alder body I have ever seen.
 
#20
Philonius said:
Fender made some w/ a maple body; that's my first impression.
Click to expand...
The more I look at it, the more I'm leaning this way.

It's easy enough to type "ash wood" in a google search and find photos that show what the grain of ash lumber looks like compared to the body of the OP's bass. The bass is definitely not ash.

EDIT: This is ash.
attachment.jpg
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back