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NBD - 1972 Fender Jazz Bass

nattiep

nattiep

Sep 16, 2008
361
588
Buffalo, NY
#1
As someone who plays in a Rush tribute it has been a big goal to get THE Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. I currently have three of the signature models (CIJ 1999, MIJ 2010, USA 2015) but to have a real one to go with my 1976 Rickenbacker 4001 sealed the deal for authenticity in the bass department. I managed to find this one on reverb and ordered it from there. A wide padded strap should offset that. It's in fairly decent shape for the age of the instrument. I was shocked with how thick the neck was front to back in comparison to the signature basses. The weight as well. Those will both be something I have to get used to as the sig models (and the 4001) are all lighter with thinner necks.
It came with all the original parts except the bridge cover. I did the prerequisite mods to it (Removed the tug bar, added the Badass II, straplocks, and the large tone knob) to get it stage ready. Tone wise it's a beast. Sounds just like I need it to and the resonance of it unplugged is astounding. Very loud.

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#3
nattiep said:
As someone who plays in a Rush tribute it has been a big goal to get THE Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. I currently have three of the signature models (CIJ 1999, MIJ 2010, USA 2015) but to have a real one to go with my 1976 Rickenbacker 4001 sealed the deal for authenticity in the bass department. I managed to find this one on reverb and ordered it from there. A wide padded strap should offset that. It's in fairly decent shape for the age of the instrument. I was shocked with how thick the neck was front to back in comparison to the signature basses. The weight as well. Those will both be something I have to get used to as the sig models (and the 4001) are all lighter with thinner necks.
It came with all the original parts except the bridge cover. I did the prerequisite mods to it (Removed the tug bar, added the Badass II, straplocks, and the large tone knob) to get it stage ready. Tone wise it's a beast. Sounds just like I need it to and the resonance of it unplugged is astounding. Very loud.

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Wow! That looks fantastic man! Enjoy the beast! :)
 
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#4
nattiep said:
As someone who plays in a Rush tribute it has been a big goal to get THE Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. I currently have three of the signature models (CIJ 1999, MIJ 2010, USA 2015) but to have a real one to go with my 1976 Rickenbacker 4001 sealed the deal for authenticity in the bass department. I managed to find this one on reverb and ordered it from there. A wide padded strap should offset that. It's in fairly decent shape for the age of the instrument. I was shocked with how thick the neck was front to back in comparison to the signature basses. The weight as well. Those will both be something I have to get used to as the sig models (and the 4001) are all lighter with thinner necks.
It came with all the original parts except the bridge cover. I did the prerequisite mods to it (Removed the tug bar, added the Badass II, straplocks, and the large tone knob) to get it stage ready. Tone wise it's a beast. Sounds just like I need it to and the resonance of it unplugged is astounding. Very loud.

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Congratulations Nat! Geddy's '72 has a shaved neck so Fender duplicates that on his signature basses. 70s Fenders in general have quite a bit of meat on the back of the neck.
 
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#9
Awesome! Fantastic shape.

I've had my '72 for 2 weeks tomorrow. (I sold my US Geddy last year and figured I'd eventually get a '72)
Yours is more "Geddy" like - but once I played this one, there was no going back.
(If you were watching the "72s" on Reverb mine came from Cream City.)
The neck profile is "comfy"...


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#13
TonyP- said:
Stoked for you OP

Curious, how does it stand up against the 3 signatures are and what you feel the differences would be.

Thank You 😊
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I didn't leave the signatures stock at all. All three have Brantley pickups in them and proper Badass II bridges. The MIJ is decent, but it's the sunburst one so that's usually set for Drop D stuff and it doesn't get played out that much other than for one or two songs. The USA is fantastic, lightest, and has the best feeling neck with that factory oiled strip but it has a wicked dead spot on the fifth fret G string and I have to work around that. I have no idea how to fix that otherwise I'd main that bass on most shows. The CIJ is excellent, and the heaviest of the three sigs. Sounds great, but the neck is too thin. I also had the finish taken off and I've oiled it. That bass HATES humid outdoor shows. So far the 72 is the heaviest. It's probably over 10lbs with the Badass installed. It also has the biggest neck but it still has that monster tone. I love it as it's rock solid but if it was a touch closer to the USA shape it'd be perfect. I'm just worried about the weight when it comes to a long show and my hand isn't used to moving around like it needs to for Rush on a beefy neck. My 4001 is super thin too so going back and forth between those for a show might be a chore. I'd hate to modify the 72 any more than I have BUT my 4001 has been refretted three times, had the truss rods replaced, original Badass bridge and wavy Grover Titan tuners installed. It's whatever.
 
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#16
nattiep said:
I didn't leave the signatures stock at all. All three have Brantley pickups in them and proper Badass II bridges. The MIJ is decent, but it's the sunburst one so that's usually set for Drop D stuff and it doesn't get played out that much other than for one or two songs. The USA is fantastic, lightest, and has the best feeling neck with that factory oiled strip but it has a wicked dead spot on the fifth fret G string and I have to work around that. I have no idea how to fix that otherwise I'd main that bass on most shows. The CIJ is excellent, and the heaviest of the three sigs. Sounds great, but the neck is too thin. I also had the finish taken off and I've oiled it. That bass HATES humid outdoor shows. So far the 72 is the heaviest. It's probably over 10lbs with the Badass installed. It also has the biggest neck but it still has that monster tone. I love it as it's rock solid but if it was a touch closer to the USA shape it'd be perfect. I'm just worried about the weight when it comes to a long show and my hand isn't used to moving around like it needs to for Rush on a beefy neck. My 4001 is super thin too so going back and forth between those for a show might be a chore. I'd hate to modify the 72 any more than I have BUT my 4001 has been refretted three times, had the truss rods replaced, original Badass bridge and wavy Grover Titan tuners installed. It's whatever.
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Thanks for sharing such detail.
I firmly believe there is a solid “tone” in a chunkier neck. My biggest regret was selling my 74 J. Young and dumb then for sure.
 
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#18
nattiep said:
As someone who plays in a Rush tribute it has been a big goal to get THE Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. I currently have three of the signature models (CIJ 1999, MIJ 2010, USA 2015) but to have a real one to go with my 1976 Rickenbacker 4001 sealed the deal for authenticity in the bass department. I managed to find this one on reverb and ordered it from there. A wide padded strap should offset that. It's in fairly decent shape for the age of the instrument. I was shocked with how thick the neck was front to back in comparison to the signature basses. The weight as well. Those will both be something I have to get used to as the sig models (and the 4001) are all lighter with thinner necks.
It came with all the original parts except the bridge cover. I did the prerequisite mods to it (Removed the tug bar, added the Badass II, straplocks, and the large tone knob) to get it stage ready. Tone wise it's a beast. Sounds just like I need it to and the resonance of it unplugged is astounding. Very loud.

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I would have never thought thy the ric was so much smaller than the jazz…. Even though I’ve always owned rics and j at the same time !

The serial number on my 72 J starts with 369xxx. What’s yours ?
 
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#19
Rics are small, which is one thing I always liked about them. Chris Squire playing one made it look tiny. The solid rock maple makes tham average weight around 8lbs, despite being only 1-1/4" thick. No doubt a J is more comfortable to play for most people though, the Ric ergonomics are... unforgiving.
 
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#20
J-Bass RMR said:
Awesome! Fantastic shape.

I've had my '72 for 2 weeks tomorrow. (I sold my US Geddy last year and figured I'd eventually get a '72)
Yours is more "Geddy" like - but once I played this one, there was no going back.
(If you were watching the "72s" on Reverb mine came from Cream City.)
The neck profile is "comfy"...


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Click to expand...

Cream City is the best 😎👍 your Jazz looks awesome, btw
 
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