Kubicki X Factor on SBL

[BassicJazzy]

I own two 1990 Fender Jazz Plus V with Lace Sensors with the Kubicki preamp in it. This one pictured is my main squeeze and my first Fender. I don't mind the Lace Sensor pick ups but I pulled the battery because it doesn't sound to me like a Fender Jazz with the Kubicki pre on.
View attachment 7276076

This bass has been my primary and daily driver since I bought it new in 1990 from Guitar Center in Berkeley, CA (when there was a GC there). I was so heavily reliant on it in the 1990s that I bought another one of the same model and exact same year from Bass NW in the late 1990s. Her sister bass doesn't sound or play as well as the first bass shown here. Odd how that can be, hmm? </s>

It was made I think as some sort of knee-jerk marketing response to the new-at-that-time 5-string 'boutique bass kiddies' and only lasted a few years before they went back to the standard controls on the chrome plate. I heard that they stopped making them because of a problem between Kubicki & Fender but I can't imagine that they sold many of these either. They weren't the Jazz Bases that the kiddies were looking for so they didn't buy them. Despite all of that I still love this well made instrument.

I have the 4 string '90 Jazz Plus. Bought it new in '91. One correction to your points above, there is a blend knob in the secondary ring under the volume knob, which controls the balance between the two p'ups. I too no longer use this bass with the battery, my snap cap broke and I've been playing it passive anyway almost exclusively, so did not see the need to spend any money getting that fixed. I find the tone very pleasing in passive mode, but if I was a gigging musician instead of a bedroom headliner, I would like the option to add the preamp when I wanted a wider range of tones.

The boost setting isn't much of a boost, but it can be adjusted via a pot accessible in the control cavity. As it is, I think it give an 8db boost to the mids.

One other point about "why" they made this bass - - it has a smaller body than the standard J and is slightly lighter, has a different feel to it. Plus of course the Kubicki preamp. I think the smaller body and slightly more neck heavy balance was more of a reason it wasn't popular, plus, it doesn't look like a "standard" J bass. Here are some pics of mine:

 

[darev]

That's the one! Thanks for the clarification and I like your red 4-string. It's very cool. The string trees are different on the four string. They used two cheap-as$* plastic trees on the 5er. (*cheap but still working)

Thank you for the correction: yup, I forgot about the concentric knobs on vol and tone. Regarding the boost, I didn't realize it could be modified (cool). I was referring to the frequency boost on one of the pre settings and not volume. Maybe if it adjusted the EQ point or frequency itself then I would have found it useful. Maybe it does, heh heh.

The Fender is neck heavy for sure but I am a terrible judge of that common whinge. I play right-handed upside down so every bass is neck heavy for me. Speaking of common whinges: as far as weight is concerned both of mine seem to weigh more than my Laklands but I've never weighed my basses (yet?). I didn't realize this model were made to be lighter. That makes sense if one was using the same competitive marketing mindset that would also take the pick guard and signature control plate off a Jazz Bass. My main bass is beefy but it is a bit lighter without the battery

For those who care the tuners could be replaced I'm sure for lighter ones. However, I don't think I would touch the Gotohs on this one. This bass stays rock solid in tune.

It took me a very long time to find this specific bass on the internets. Only here on TB (naturally) do a few others also have this same bass. It certainly did not last in the marketplace long. I believe by 1993-4 (someone correct me?) they were back to control plates and tradition. They sold more Jazz Basses afterwards so that particular boutique experiment was over.

Back on topic: Kubicki, Kubicki, Kubicki, & Kubickis now with batteries

 

[BassicJazzy]

That's the one! Thanks for the clarification and I like your red 4-string. It's very cool. The string trees are different on the four string. They used two cheap-as$* plastic trees on the 5er. (*cheap but still working)

Thank you for the correction: yup, I forgot about the concentric knobs on vol and tone. Regarding the boost, I didn't realize it could be modified (cool). I was referring to the frequency boost on one of the pre settings and not volume. Maybe if it adjusted the EQ point or frequency itself then I would have found it useful. Maybe it does, heh heh.

The Fender is neck heavy for sure but I am a terrible judge of that common whinge. I play right-handed upside down so every bass is neck heavy for me. Speaking of common whinges: as far as weight is concerned both of mine seem to weigh more than my Laklands but I've never weighed my basses (yet?). I didn't realize this model were made to be lighter. That makes sense if one was using the same competitive marketing mindset that would also take the pick guard and signature control plate off a Jazz Bass. My main bass is beefy but it is a bit lighter without the battery

For those who care the tuners could be replaced I'm sure for lighter ones. However, I don't think I would touch the Gotohs on this one. This bass stays rock solid in tune.

It took me a very long time to find this specific bass on the internets. Only here on TB (naturally) do a few others also have this same bass. It certainly did not last in the marketplace long. I believe by 1993-4 (someone correct me?) they were back to control plates and tradition. They sold more Jazz Basses afterwards so that particular boutique experiment was over.

Back on topic: Kubicki, Kubicki, Kubicki, & Kubickis now with batteries

Yeah, I like the tuners too, wouldn't want to replace them. The deluxe Fender F-Stamp tuners are a drop in replacement and look the same, but have cloverleaf heads. I like the original Schaller heads better.

The adjustable pot control is the black plastic circle on a square metal thingy mounted top/middle on the Pre-amp board. It's right above the tone pot. You can use a small flat head screwdriver to turn that knob to increase or decrease the mid-boost. Not sure how much boost the max is, someone said it can go as high as 20db. I think they got it right where it is currently set. Gives a little punch, but not obnoxious, and doesn't increase gain significantly.

I think they sold less than 2000 of the J Plus, at least the USA-made ones. They might have made some later in Japan, not sure, never seen one.

The maple neck is outstanding. I find it is almost as fast and playable as my Ibanez SR Premium neck. Only 21 frets, but even the top frets sound good and rich, unlike the SR, which gets thin sounding at the top.

 

[darev]

The maple neck is outstanding. I find it is almost as fast and playable as my Ibanez SR Premium neck. Only 21 frets, but even the top frets sound good and rich, unlike the SR, which gets thin sounding at the top.

Yeah, that neck is fantastic. I had to have it refretted last year and had it Plek'ed at the same time.

It is interesting to me that two people who have Kubicki preamps in non-Factor basses take the batteries out and bypass the preamp.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I own two 1990 Fender Jazz Plus V with Lace Sensors with the Kubicki preamp in it. This one pictured is my main squeeze and my first Fender. I don't mind the Lace Sensor pick ups but I pulled the battery because it doesn't sound to me like a Fender Jazz with the Kubicki pre on.
View attachment 7276076

This bass has been my primary and daily driver since I bought it new in 1990 from Guitar Center in Berkeley, CA (when there was a GC there). I was so heavily reliant on it in the 1990s that I bought another one of the same model and exact same year from Bass NW in the late 1990s. Her sister bass doesn't sound or play as well as the first bass shown here. Odd how that can be, hmm? </s>

It was made I think as some sort of knee-jerk marketing response to the new-at-that-time 5-string 'boutique bass kiddies' and only lasted a few years before they went back to the standard controls on the chrome plate. I heard that they stopped making them because of a problem between Kubicki & Fender but I can't imagine that they sold many of these either. They weren't the Jazz Bases that the kiddies were looking for so they didn't buy them. Despite all of that I still love this well made instrument.

All that matters is that it works for you.

 

[fhm555]

I own two 1990 Fender Jazz Plus V with Lace Sensors with the Kubicki preamp in it. This one pictured is my main squeeze and my first Fender. I don't mind the Lace Sensor pick ups but I pulled the battery because it doesn't sound to me like a Fender Jazz with the Kubicki pre on.
View attachment 7276076

This bass has been my primary and daily driver since I bought it new in 1990 from Guitar Center in Berkeley, CA (when there was a GC there). I was so heavily reliant on it in the 1990s that I bought another one of the same model and exact same year from Bass NW in the late 1990s. Her sister bass doesn't sound or play as well as the first bass shown here. Odd how that can be, hmm? </s>

It was made I think as some sort of knee-jerk marketing response to the new-at-that-time 5-string 'boutique bass kiddies' and only lasted a few years before they went back to the standard controls on the chrome plate. I heard that they stopped making them because of a problem between Kubicki & Fender but I can't imagine that they sold many of these either. They weren't the Jazz Bases that the kiddies were looking for so they didn't buy them. Despite all of that I still love this well made instrument.

Does the V not have a passive position on the switch? My 4 string Plus has off, active with preset mid, active with mid adjustable via a min pot on the board, and passive. I sometimes got poopie from blues guys about my “disco bass”, and IIRC Fender referred to the switch setup as a slap switch. Since I don’t do slap I never worried much about the validity of that claim, but that bass brought more compliments on my playing than any other bass I’ve ever had. Through an SWR Basic 350 and a Hartke 410XL I could dial in just about anything I needed.
Almost forgot, the place I got mine had 3, all natural ash body 4 strings. The guy who sold it to me had a lot of Fender experience and he said they were among the nicest Fenders he’d ever seen.

 

[darev]

All that matters is that it works for you.

No shade here on the Factors. Love to y'all and love and peace to Phil Kubicki wherever he may be.

Does the V not have a passive position on the switch?

Sure does. Sorry if I misspoke earlier or skipped that part like I did re:the concentric knobs. Passive is the only selection I've used for 30+ years. The other preamp positions do not work because I pulled the battery. One gets bonus standby knob positions when doing that (Deducted dummy points: I kept a fresh battery in it for 20 years before I realized I didn't need it at all. Derp ).

I sometimes got poopie from blues guys about my “disco bass”, and IIRC

Disco bass. I like that.

Fender referred to the switch setup as a slap switch. Since I don’t do slap I never worried much about the validity of that claim,

"Slap Switch". Sounds to me just like something Fender would have done while throwing stuff to the wall back then..

but that bass brought more compliments on my playing than any other bass I’ve ever had.

I don't recall if anyone has ever commented on on my odd looking Jazz basses. Even fellow bass nerds after the show haven't commented that I recall. They usually wanted to talk about upside down playing or ask if I've ever listened to Primus/Geddy/Jaco

Through an SWR Basic 350 and a Hartke 410XL I could dial in just about anything I needed.

Ha, I see the comments about the Kubicki pre being "hi-fi" sounding. Then running it into a 'hi-fi' SWR amp hi-er or hi-est-fi.

BTW: I also played that same bass through SWR/Eden for years LOL. lo-fi

 

[Relsom]

I own two 1990 Fender Jazz Plus V with Lace Sensors with the Kubicki preamp in it. This one pictured is my main squeeze and my first Fender. I don't mind the Lace Sensor pick ups but I pulled the battery because it doesn't sound to me like a Fender Jazz with the Kubicki pre on.
View attachment 7276076

This bass has been my primary and daily driver since I bought it new in 1990 from Guitar Center in Berkeley, CA (when there was a GC there). I was so heavily reliant on it in the 1990s that I bought another one of the same model and exact same year from Bass NW in the late 1990s. Her sister bass doesn't sound or play as well as the first bass shown here. Odd how that can be, hmm? </s>

It was made I think as some sort of knee-jerk marketing response to the new-at-that-time 5-string 'boutique bass kiddies' and only lasted a few years before they went back to the standard controls on the chrome plate. I heard that they stopped making them because of a problem between Kubicki & Fender but I can't imagine that they sold many of these either. They weren't the Jazz Bases that the kiddies were looking for so they didn't buy them. Despite all of that I still love this well made instrument.

Yeah, Phil wasn't too happy when Fender released the American Plus models. It's one of the things that drove a wedge between them.

 

[ModulusFan]

This is bass a bass that should be in production. It is the most versatile four string ever.

What is with the glove?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

What is with the glove?

He has a medical condition and the glove helps him to play better.

 

[darev]

My apologies for derailing the thread on the Factors when talking about the preamps in the old Jazz Plus. I didn't know about the internal trim until this discussion, so thank you @BassicJazzy, @fhm555. That has helped direct me to more even more information. I'll stop now

 

[fhm555]

...Ha, I see the comments about the Kubicki pre being "hi-fi" sounding. Then running it into a 'hi-fi' SWR amp hi-er or hi-est-fi.

BTW: I also played that same bass through SWR/Eden for years LOL. lo-fi

If I've ever said I thought it was too hi fi I was suffering from heat stroke or something.
Another thing that makes it my favorite bass is how much it helps with not so hot amps. I used it through a Peavey MKIII and 215 for a while and still sounded good.
soapbox returned to the closed and locked position.

 

[JIO]

I have the 4 string '90 Jazz Plus. Bought it new in '91. One correction to your points above, there is a blend knob in the secondary ring under the volume knob, which controls the balance between the two p'ups. I too no longer use this bass with the battery, my snap cap broke and I've been playing it passive anyway almost exclusively, so did not see the need to spend any money getting that fixed. I find the tone very pleasing in passive mode, but if I was a gigging musician instead of a bedroom headliner, I would like the option to add the preamp when I wanted a wider range of tones.

The boost setting isn't much of a boost, but it can be adjusted via a pot accessible in the control cavity. As it is, I think it give an 8db boost to the mids.

One other point about "why" they made this bass - - it has a smaller body than the standard J and is slightly lighter, has a different feel to it. Plus of course the Kubicki preamp. I think the smaller body and slightly more neck heavy balance was more of a reason it wasn't popular, plus, it doesn't look like a "standard" J bass. Here are some pics of mine:

I've owned/played vintage Ex-Factors, FCS Ex-Factors, and the Jazz+. In common is the pre, both 9v & 18v. I've heard some comments over the past that the FCS Factor was a lesser product. Having owned both - the only difference was the pre and as was pointed out earlier here, some (like me) preferred the 9v pre. Quality was the same, everything else was the same regardless of an eBay sellers attempt to ask for more $ for a Kubicki-Kubicki dissing the 9v pre.

The Jazz+ was Fenders top-of-the-line Jazz bass made during the short-lived FCS-Kubicki alignment. It looked like a version of a Jazz bass and sounded like a Factor. As I mentioned earlier, that time period was all about 'retro' and players were re-discovering traditional Fenders roots after being sold back to Fender employees. The Fender guitars & basses made in Japan in the '80s leaned heavily on reproducing the vintage look & feel of vintage Fenders which started the process. So an active redesigned body J was not attractive to most players then. The smaller body was redesigned to accommodate a 22 fret neck (Fenders first) w/o a ramp, which was also the case for the first generation America Standard "longhorn" J. That bass suffered a similar fate as it didn't conform to a traditional J body. Both the Jazz+ & A/S J were fine basses otherwise - I also own a '93 A/S J and consider it a bargain on the used market for an American made Fender bass because players rejected it.

Of course Fender in the '90s evolved the J back into its traditional 'look', but also developed/introduced versions including 5-strings and active basses. So much of what is offered relies on trends - and still does to this day.

 

[darev]

The Jazz+ was Fenders top-of-the-line Jazz bass made during the short-lived FCS-Kubicki alignment. It looked like a version of a Jazz bass and sounded like a Factor. As I mentioned earlier, that time period was all about 'retro' and players were re-discovering traditional Fenders roots after being sold back to Fender employees. The Fender guitars & basses made in Japan in the '80s leaned heavily on reproducing the vintage look & feel of vintage Fenders which started the process. So an active redesigned body J was not attractive to most players then. The smaller body was redesigned to accommodate a 22 fret neck (Fenders first) w/o a ramp, which was also the case for the first generation America Standard "longhorn" J. That bass suffered a similar fate as it didn't conform to a traditional J body. Both the Jazz+ & A/S J were fine basses otherwise - I also own a '93 A/S J and consider it a bargain on the used market for an American made Fender bass because players rejected it.

Thank you for the background, Jio. That jibes and helps a lot with what I've been learning again about this instrument. I've owned it for all these years but only realized/cared as time went by that it was a little, uh, different. I was too busy learning how to play a 5-string to notice at the time.

Of course the Fender in the '90s evolved the J back into its traditional 'look', but also developed/introduced versions including 5-strings and active basses. So much of what is offered relies on trends - and still does to this day.

Always. Gotta stay on top of the market! What do the kiddies like today?

 

[Kitsapbass]

So - Steve Earle’s bass player used a black Ex-Factor on the Copperhead Road video, no idea if he used it on the recording. My 90 Jazz Bass + has the 9V Kubicki preamp and has the passive option. Debating changing out the Lace Sensors because they’re IMO extremely tame sounding, thinking either the Sadowsky pickups or the Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups.

 

[BassicJazzy]

So - Steve Earle’s bass player used a black Ex-Factor on the Copperhead Road video, no idea if he used it on the recording. My 90 Jazz Bass + has the 9V Kubicki preamp and has the passive option. Debating changing out the Lace Sensors because they’re IMO extremely tame sounding, thinking either the Sadowsky pickups or the Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups.

I saw one that had been changed to Dimarzio's, and it apparently worked well. The owner kept the original lace pickups, just in case the next owner wanted to reinstall them. Always a good idea to give someone the option of going back to OG. I like to keep things the way they were built, unless there's an overwhelming reason to change. I like the laces. Not a big fan of modding just to make it different, just buy a different bass if that's what you want.

 

[ModulusFan]

I always kind of dug these but never had the "urge" to buy one until recently. Holy moley the values lol. Last thing I need is another astronomically priced brand to become fanatical about.

 

[AndroWal]

This is being delivered to me in four days (1994 Jazz Plus V)....looks to be in great shape and I hope with little or no neck-dive. Curious if it is Rosewood or Pau Ferro. I have played narrow string-spacing at the bridge for most of my playing days (16.5mm)....looking forward to a Jazz with narrow-spacing!

 

[SomewhatHarmles]

Man, I was just thinking about the extended D on these.

I have an upcoming shortscale build, and was wondering if it's be worth trying to build.
The headstock may look a bit weird though

 

[BassicJazzy]

This is being delivered to me in four days (1994 Jazz Plus V)....looks to be in great shape and I hope with little or no neck-dive. Curious if it is Rosewood or Pau Ferro. I have played narrow string-spacing at the bridge for most of my playing days (16.5mm)....looking forward to a Jazz with narrow-spacing!
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Looking forward to seeing more pics of this beauty! '94 must have been pretty close to end of the production run for the Plus 5? Rare bass.