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I don't think this is a Fender Jazz... help?

#21
sissy kathy said:
Even taking your word for it I still can't make it out. Gotta go to the eye doc.
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For reference:

ks4_zpsa4d5f0c0.gif
 
#23
NWB said:
Looks like a frankenbass. Not from the early 70s.

I could be wrong ;), but I don't think Fender offered active electronics in the early 70s. Or a birdseye top... Those are Bartolini pickups and the controls indicate that it's an active preamp. Note the side jack.

A lot of the workmanship looks dodgy. Particularly the string attachment to the posts.
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Most of the workmanship is spot on! It's just the little things, like the strings, but I've actually seen people wind their strings like that on purpose. I like the brass plate on the back of the headstock to cut down on dead spots.
 
#25
Looks like he's asking about $350 too much to me. Is that body cracked at the control plate? Doesn't look like a Fender body to me, controls look suspect and the neck may have real issues if he's had to install a fat finger on it. I'd want to play that one before plopping any money on the table. Also he says he's willing to trade for a quality bass, from the condition of this one I'd be scared to give him anything of any quality if this is how he takes care of his instruments.

I don't normally bother to take the time to even look at instruments being sold when the seller doesn't bother to take the time to prep the instrument for sale (i.e. trim the strings, replace missing knobs, replace missing screws, clean the crud off the darn thing...).
 
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#26
I'd be having a look at the crack at the control plate, as it looks like it goes all the way through the body, but it's nothing some glue and an overnight clamping couldn't solve. The extra string tree in the head is odd, but as others have mentioned, someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to try and eliminate dead spots from the 70's Fender neck. Maybe that plate on the back of the headstock also helps stabilise things from the inevitable headstock cracks that tend to happen in old Fenders?
 
#33
sissy kathy said:
I'm not a connoisseur of basses but I like what I am seeing. Look at the fit and finish around the pickups, there is a side view that suggests the isn't a top and back veneer but solid. The string installation means nothing, there of plenty of people with more money than brains; one could have bought that base and did a poor string change. They only thing I see wrong with the binding is that there seems to be a color mismatch with the inlay but, that could be lighting.
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I should have mentioned the weird installation of the tuners.
 
#35
sissy kathy said:
The bridge seems to be after market. I have a 32" monitor and can see a name there the brand is not legible but says "*****th IV USA". If its an active pre-amp where are the electronics of '70s vintage? I zoomed in 500% and the best I could get off the bridge is "Sortch", I seems to be a very fancy cursive S.
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That's a Ken Smith bridge.
 
#36
awilkie84 said:
Most of the workmanship is spot on! It's just the little things, like the strings, but I've actually seen people wind their strings like that on purpose. I like the brass plate on the back of the headstock to cut down on dead spots.
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The tuner installation doesn't look so good.

Why do think more basses don't have the brass Fat Finger on them to cut down dead spots?
 
#37
Careful. It seems like the seller knows nothing about this bass (or bass in general), and that throws a red flag to me. It's probably stolen. The body, tuners, electronics, bridge and everything but the neck are not original. Not even the neck plate! My suspicion is that someone put this bass together (poorly) for themselves, and then it was stolen and put up on craigslist.
 
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