NBD: Was I duped by MF/GC?

[SactoBass]

I like it. Actually, I like the buttercream better than the OW.

Same here!

That buttercream color rocks!

 

[BadB]

It looks like Vintage White to these tired old eyes.

 

[retslock]

My favorite bass at the moment is the Musician's Friend/Guitar Center's Fender Special Edition Deluxe PJ. You've probably seen the sea foam green version at your local GC. PJ passive configuration with a Geddy Lee neck...perfect. So I have every color they make except for the discontinued black color. I wanted another olympic white version to retrofit with black hardware and downtune.

Boy was I surprised when it was delivered and I opened the box to see the color as buttercream with a white pickguard! I first thought that the bass was old stock and the olympic white has turned yellowed, but the white pickguard tell me that this is not the olympic white version. It's a sexy beast, so I'll keep it anyways. This color is not featured on MF/CG yet, but the neck has a 2019 serial number. I wonder if it's a one-off made by mistake from the Fender View attachment 3665121 Mexican factory.

It’s the best looking one in the photo. Leave it just as it is.

 

[Machiavelli]

You know, there are other basses, right?

 

[Coke Kane]

Fender has their own screwy ideas of what "Olympic White" is. Sometimes they paint it "right." Other times they don't. It's supposed to be close to neutral white, leaning slightly cool and slightly tamped down in brightness. But for large parts of their history, Fender has painted it as a cream white (which is what original clear coated Olympic White ages to in time).

So, it's possible they're both "Olympic White." Pull the guard, and possibly the pickups, too look for one of those factory labels that have the color on them.

It's possible that your photo's color is a bit off, but that bass does not look like Buttercream to me. It could be one of their warmer variants of Olympic White, or possibly what they sometimes call "Vintage White." Vintage White and Buttercream are not too far from each other, but Buttercream definitely looks a bit more banana-yellow-like.

I'm not a fan of Buttercream or Vintage White, so I'd be tempted to return it. Or I would put the black guard from the Oly White P on in, and get a tort guard for the Oly White one. Or possibly leave the Oly White P as is, and get an anodized aluminum guard for the new one.

I thought about that at first that it's just a warmer olympic white, but why the different white pickguard, and not the black pickguard as on the other "lighter" olympic white bass? That tells me that's not the olympic white version, but a different color.

You know, there are other basses, right?

Of course, I have other PJs before I settled on the MF/GC exclusive version as my favorite. =)

 

[ashtray]

There’s a whole lot of yellow in Olympic White. Guessing originally in the 60’s it started off more white but the nitro yellowed quickly. When Fender makes OW color now, they “pre yellow” the color knowing the poly won’t really turn.

 

[Chrisk-K]

I love the maple + vintage white combo. Hmm, a PJ in that combo would bring me a little bit of happiness in this new year.

 

[mrjim123]

Buttercream ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...

I have a Buttercream Player Jazz. I love the color so much I bought two shirts to match it on Amazon. Oh, in case I haven't already said - Buttercream ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...

 

[dkelley]

You own 4 of the same bass? That's.... um...... dedication

 

[Matty Koff]

You own 4 of the same bass? That's.... um...... dedication

Post #25. 4 of that specific model and several other lovely looking P/Js. He buried his response in the posts he quoted

 

[EitherOr]

I think the white pickguard makes it look yellow. Changed a tort pickguard to a white pickguard on an Olympic white guitar and it made the white look like your picture.

 

[endy_y_p]

My favorite bass at the moment is the Musician's Friend/Guitar Center's Fender Special Edition Deluxe PJ. You've probably seen the sea foam green version at your local GC. PJ passive configuration with a Geddy Lee neck...perfect. So I have every color they make except for the discontinued black color. I wanted another olympic white version to retrofit with black hardware and downtune.

Boy was I surprised when it was delivered and I opened the box to see the color as buttercream with a white pickguard! I first thought that the bass was old stock and the olympic white has turned yellowed, but the white pickguard tell me that this is not the olympic white version. It's a sexy beast, so I'll keep it anyways. This color is not featured on MF/CG yet, but the neck has a 2019 serial number. I wonder if it's a one-off made by mistake from the Fender View attachment 3665121 Mexican factory.

How do you compare the tone between them?.....LOL just kidding!....great collection btw, I would keep the “false” color if I were you.

 

[Ric5]

My favorite bass at the moment is the Musician's Friend/Guitar Center's Fender Special Edition Deluxe PJ. You've probably seen the sea foam green version at your local GC. PJ passive configuration with a Geddy Lee neck...perfect. So I have every color they make except for the discontinued black color. I wanted another olympic white version to retrofit with black hardware and downtune.

Boy was I surprised when it was delivered and I opened the box to see the color as buttercream with a white pickguard! I first thought that the bass was old stock and the olympic white has turned yellowed, but the white pickguard tell me that this is not the olympic white version. It's a sexy beast, so I'll keep it anyways. This color is not featured on MF/CG yet, but the neck has a 2019 serial number. I wonder if it's a one-off made by mistake from the Fender View attachment 3665121 Mexican factory.

Put a tort pickguard on the cream one and rock it.

For down tuning will it be DGCF or BEAD?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

So how do you really feel about PJs with black block inlays?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

You know, there are other basses, right?

 

[pbass2]

Nice herd! I'm not much of a P/J guy, but I love P's and I love the neck on my Geddy. You got me thinkin' . . .

 

[retslock]

Put a tort pickguard on the cream one and rock it.

For down tuning will it be DGCF or BEAD?

Tort and cream is pretty.

 

[DuluthDank]

These are underrated basses. Lots of people only see them with bad setups at GC stores, but setup well these things are super easy to play, and the P pickup is a winner. Tried twice to dethrone mine with Aerodynes, but returned the 'dynes both times. It just seemed higher quality overall, even though people say MIJ>MIM and all that. However in my experience these basses all have the same minor issue where the fret ends are not adequate rounded, but if you take care of that (easy DIY, cheap to pay for) the quality is up there the nicest MIM/low end MIA fenders IMO. I almost wonder if they skimp on that step on purpose to keep it from competing with the pricier stuff. I have one of the rare black/tort ones (300 made if I recall). It's the only color of the bunch that spoke to me , although the Olympic white is pretty cool.

 

[DuluthDank]

The seafoam was the first one I got off of Reverb. I call it the "talkbass" because I upgraded to Aguilar pickups and replaced the Hi-mass with a vintage threaded bridge based on what I read from talkbass members!

How you liking the Aguilars? The J output match the P pretty well? Does the P seem less aggressive than the stock P?

 

[Coke Kane]

For down tuning will it be DGCF or BEAD?

My singer sings in Eb, so it's either Eb Ab Db Gb or C# Ab Db Gb for the bass in olympic white. Then the bass I thought was arriving as a second olympic white (modded with black hardward) would be in D (DGCF or CGCF). The seafoan green would be in standard tuning, and the sunburst would probably be in BEAD. That's the end plan. Since they are the "same" basses , I don't not need to worry about volume differences when switching basses.