NBD: Was I duped by MF/GC?

[Coke Kane]

I have one of the rare black/tort ones (300 made if I recall).

Let me know when you're ready to sell/trade!

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

The Aggies are as advertised: vintage, woody, articulate sounding and enchances the growl factor. It is also about 75% the volume of the stock pickups; will leave that up to the player if that's a good or bad thing. The volume balance is the same as most PJs, the P overpowers the J. I don't think manufacturers wind a JP set from scratch, they just package they most popular P and most popular J pickup and call it a set. This isn't a big deal to me since I just used the P and blend in the J grind to taste. That, along with the passive tone knob, gives me more usable controls than an onboard active preamp.

The more I play the stock pickups, the more I love it. The stock P is very modern, in that it's louder and warmer/bassier. Where most Ps making their living in the low-mids, these stock Ps have an extended low end to them. Because of this low end, it does not have the Aggies' articulation, but it's still balanced and meant to rock! I first hated the stock Noiseless J and thought this is the worst pickup ever invented: low output and lacking in treble (how can a bridge pickup lack treble???). But I then realized that it works for the PJ setup! Let me try to explain this in a way in which only a PJ player can understand and appreciate. The Aggie J is a split coil design that sound bright and articulate, very much like a normal single coil J. But that brightness and articulation does not blend well with the P. Most of the time, that clanky brightness makes the G string too twangy sounding. This is where the crappy designed stacked coil and muddy sounding Noiseless J cames into play, when blended in with the P, it actually sounds like what you think a PJ sound sound like! You're not forcing a P pickup to play well with clanky J pickup. So I'm sending love to the stock Fender Vintage Noiseless Jazz pickup! Crappy sounding on it's own, but it is the missing link to a great sounding PJ bass!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.

Nothing like warm PJs...

 

[Robert B]

I have a Strat (with white PG) and a Tele in Olympic White, the color on both is the same as in your pic. It's definitely not Buttercream, which has a lot more yellow in it.

I agree. I also have a strat in Olympic White and in my experience, it's definitely a creamy, off-white, almost very pale tan color. Arctic White is much closer to a true white. I personally prefer Olympic White - it's a warmer hue. I don't know why you have such a variation in color between your two basses!

 

[felis]

If you really wanted (and ordered) black, and got buttercream instead, I can understand why you'd be upset.

Have you decided what you're going to do with it yet?

 

[Glenn Johnson]

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.

Where's the tort?

 

[nickpc]

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...e-with-maple-fingerboard-sweetwater-exclusive

Has the dot inlays, but that finish is GORGEOUS!!! I'm very very close to pulling the trigger on that one.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

That's the best looking one IMO. I love it.

 

[micguy]

You know, there are other basses, right?

Diversity within my little herd is a goal of mine - no two basses have the same pickup configuration - I'm after as many different sounds as I can get within a small number of basses (OK, small by Talkbass standards). Apparently, my approach to a bass collection is not universal. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[sotua]

KEEP IT AND TORT IT!

 

[Maxdusty]

If you really wanted (and ordered) black, and got buttercream instead, I can understand why you'd be upset.

Have you decided what you're going to do with it yet?

In this particular instance, the OP ordered Olympic white and was expecting one similar to the one he already has, wanted to put black hardware on it and keep it as a detuned bass. He got a bass that was more cream in color and with a different color pickguard. The color isn't even on the list of available options.

 

[bassstrangler]

I'm seeing an arctic white bass for the one you already own and the other you just received being Olympic white.

That's definitely not buttercream, but I've been known to be wrong a lot.

 

[tpaul]

If you offered me one of those four basses, just based on color alone, I'd take the cream colored one.

 

[Lowbrow]

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.



Of course, I have other PJs before I settled on the MF/GC exclusive version as my favorite. =)
View attachment 3665506

So THAT's were all the Aerodyne Ps are!

 

[TN WOODMAN]

Curious how the dot neck rosewood one in second pic white range compares to the block neck ones. Your original looks more Arctic and the other two more vintage /aged Olympic to me.

I like all and the fact they are a little different. If mine I’d leave the new one as is. (pick guard mint or parchment?) leave the black guard on the 1st one. Replace all hardware with black on this one because the contrast will be greater.

I have two boutique jazz basses. My Pensa Suhr has yellowed somewhat and it appears “buttercream “. My daughter says like an old yellow house. Hardware is chrome with black pickguard.

My Low End is Olympic towards Arctic
with a black guard. I have black Hipshot hardware (came with chrome) and an unmarked fretted ebony board and the contrast is truly stunning.

 

[felis]

In this particular instance, the OP ordered Olympic white and was expecting one similar to the one he already has, wanted to put black hardware on it and keep it as a detuned bass. He got a bass that was more cream in color and with a different color pickguard. The color isn't even on the list of available options.

OK - I missed that. Reading too fast again.
In the first post, I saw "So I have every color they make except for the discontinued black color.", and assumed he was after a black one.
The next sentence makes it clear though.

 

[Maxdusty]

OK - I missed that. Reading too fast again.
In the first post, I saw "So I have every color they make except for the discontinued black color.", and assumed he was after a black one.
The next sentence makes it clear though.

Yes, I did the same initially but he would love to have a black one though.

 

[DirtDog]

Nice collection. I dig ‘em. Not enough tort though! The Oly White needs a nice red tort!

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

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.

Coke, you were not duped by MF/GC: Your bass is olympic white, and a very nice one at that. Enjoy

 

[felis]

Coke, you were not duped by MF/GC: Your bass is olympic white, and a very nice one at that. Enjoy

Looking on Fender's site, buttercream looks way more yellow than the bass in the first post.

 

[Coke Kane]

Diversity within my little herd is a goal of mine - no two basses have the same pickup configuration - I'm after as many different sounds as I can get within a small number of basses (OK, small by Talkbass standards). Apparently, my approach to a bass collection is not universal. Nothing wrong with that.

There's method to my madness. I used to bring a PJ (fat tone) and a Stingray (modern bright tone) to gigs to cover a multitude of tones. But once you tune your effect pedals and amp to make the PJ sound optimal, plugging in a Stingray just sounds horrid. The pricey boutique overdrive pedal that sounds dreamy with your PJ, sounds like a fuzzy guitar with the bright high output Stingray. And I'm not just talking about the volume difference, that's the easiest part to correct. The overall EQ of the different basses is too much to overcome. I find myself EQing the Stingray to sound as close to the PJ as possible just to sound decent through my rig. Thus, defeating the purpose of even having a Stingray. By having a similar or identical bass as the one that has the best tone to you, you can make small changes to fit a particular song, but the foundation or DNA of yout tone remains the same. Different pickups, different brand strings, high/low mass bridge, string height action, enough to make each bass sound distinct on their own, but all still sound great through the rig you worked so hard on putting together.

Curious how the dot neck rosewood one in second pic white range compares to the block neck ones.

That bass was the first passive version of the now Active Deluxe Special PJ they sell. The neck is super slim and they used the American Standard pickups in it. The P pickup lacked mids so it kinda sounds like a Sansamp Bass Driver with the blend knob cranked. If you noticed, that second picture featured all rosewood fretboard except for one. That one maple board bass converted me to preferring maple fretboard.