How are the Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups? They don't give that great of a description. Are they really vintage or a little hotter? I might be joining the ranks if I can save up the money before the one I saw at a pawn shop sells!
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How are the Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups? They don't give that great of a description. Are they really vintage or a little hotter? I might be joining the ranks if I can save up the money before the one I saw at a pawn shop sells!
True that Di Marzio could help a little in their descriptions. FWIW all their bass pickups are noiseless designs. The "J" has been around the longest and their most popular. It uses ceramic pickups The ultra j and the area j use alnico magnets, I believe. The area j is supposedly the closest to vintage tone.
I have a set of js in a fretless jazz with East Retro j preamp and love the tone and quietness.
I have a set of js in a fretless jazz with East Retro j preamp and love the tone and quietness.
I'm in (soon)!
I've got a new to me/used Fernandes Jazz on the way as a result of a trade. Was originally offered to me as Japanese-made, but during the process even the previous owner admitted that this actually can't be verified (no MIJ marking anywhere on the bass). It was sold to him as a japanese model years ago and he says he never doubted it, because it's such a good quality bass. He seemed quite honest about it, admitting it and all so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt in this case.
Before the trade, I scouted all over the internet (first here, naturally + I didn't know there were so many sites dedicated to old Japanese basses, hehe) but this exact model was nowhere to be found. The fernandes' japanese website came in empty, and I looked through A LOT of those old catalogs. The are some that are a bit similar, but there's always some difference. For example, the logo is in a different place than usual but otherwise it matches the older fernandes logo. The headstock is not a lawsuit model, but the body is a Fender replica. It has a model number though, on the neck pocket and neck:
- Neck pocket: BT-65 (and a red (A) stamp)
- Neck: JBT-65M (I'm thinking the M means "Maple")
the XX-65 models are cheaper/midpriced on the new Fernandes Catalogs, but as we all know these numberings can change over the years. My guess is that this might be a Korean model, somewhere between the older Japanese and newer Chinese models. Any guesses? Pic below.
Invalid Link Removed
EDIT: The pots & PU's (Duncans) are aftermarket, everything else should be stock.
I've got a new to me/used Fernandes Jazz on the way as a result of a trade. Was originally offered to me as Japanese-made, but during the process even the previous owner admitted that this actually can't be verified (no MIJ marking anywhere on the bass). It was sold to him as a japanese model years ago and he says he never doubted it, because it's such a good quality bass. He seemed quite honest about it, admitting it and all so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt in this case.
Before the trade, I scouted all over the internet (first here, naturally + I didn't know there were so many sites dedicated to old Japanese basses, hehe) but this exact model was nowhere to be found. The fernandes' japanese website came in empty, and I looked through A LOT of those old catalogs. The are some that are a bit similar, but there's always some difference. For example, the logo is in a different place than usual but otherwise it matches the older fernandes logo. The headstock is not a lawsuit model, but the body is a Fender replica. It has a model number though, on the neck pocket and neck:
- Neck pocket: BT-65 (and a red (A) stamp)
- Neck: JBT-65M (I'm thinking the M means "Maple")
the XX-65 models are cheaper/midpriced on the new Fernandes Catalogs, but as we all know these numberings can change over the years. My guess is that this might be a Korean model, somewhere between the older Japanese and newer Chinese models. Any guesses? Pic below.
Invalid Link Removed
EDIT: The pots & PU's (Duncans) are aftermarket, everything else should be stock.
Welcome Fathand!!! See number below. Beautiful bass!
Role Call:
WackoStu #1
Madbassplaya #2
FAB-170 #3
Jumbotron #4
banikek #5
Butchblack #6
Quadzilla #7
Whothehell1313 #8
Peter Steele #9, posthumously RIP Brother.
Maxoges #10
Slaps76 #11
Big Brother #12
Siote lucky #13
Fathand #14
Role Call:
WackoStu #1
Madbassplaya #2
FAB-170 #3
Jumbotron #4
banikek #5
Butchblack #6
Quadzilla #7
Whothehell1313 #8
Peter Steele #9, posthumously RIP Brother.
Maxoges #10
Slaps76 #11
Big Brother #12
Siote lucky #13
Fathand #14
The story continues (sorry)..
I got the bass today, and decided it's a keeper - we had an agreement that we'll cancel the trade if either one is unhappy. A keeper BUT destined to be modded further. I'll most likely use it to test some series/parallel wiring, I'll ditch the Tone pot (I don't really use them, they're always completely open) and replace it with a s/p switch. I'll replace the bridge also with a Gotoh 201.
It's country of origin is still a mystery, but hey - Seems to be a good bass, who cares. I did however do some comparison with my MIM bodied frankenjazz and made some notes:
- The body is practically a Fender replica. I put it side to side with my MIM Frankenjazz - the Fernandes is a bit thinner, front to back, otherwise they're pretty much identical. No routing under the pickguard, nice and clean but the guard has been there for a while. The colours under there and elsewhere are showing some difference. I'm actually tempted to leave the PG off, it looks pretty nice that way...
- The finish is pretty light & thin, maybe a nitro finish of some sorts because it immediately reminded me of the finishes Fender Highway ones have.
- The bridge screws align perfectly with the Gotoh 201 I already had, so the Fender theme continues there.
- To my ears the SD QB's sounded really good through my home rig (PSA 1 + monitor speakers), I hope they do through my live rig too. Never had or heard them firsthand before, so this was a cool surprise.
- Compared to my Frankenjazz, this thing is light as a feather.
I got the bass today, and decided it's a keeper - we had an agreement that we'll cancel the trade if either one is unhappy. A keeper BUT destined to be modded further. I'll most likely use it to test some series/parallel wiring, I'll ditch the Tone pot (I don't really use them, they're always completely open) and replace it with a s/p switch. I'll replace the bridge also with a Gotoh 201.
It's country of origin is still a mystery, but hey - Seems to be a good bass, who cares. I did however do some comparison with my MIM bodied frankenjazz and made some notes:
- The body is practically a Fender replica. I put it side to side with my MIM Frankenjazz - the Fernandes is a bit thinner, front to back, otherwise they're pretty much identical. No routing under the pickguard, nice and clean but the guard has been there for a while. The colours under there and elsewhere are showing some difference. I'm actually tempted to leave the PG off, it looks pretty nice that way...
- The finish is pretty light & thin, maybe a nitro finish of some sorts because it immediately reminded me of the finishes Fender Highway ones have.
- The bridge screws align perfectly with the Gotoh 201 I already had, so the Fender theme continues there.
- To my ears the SD QB's sounded really good through my home rig (PSA 1 + monitor speakers), I hope they do through my live rig too. Never had or heard them firsthand before, so this was a cool surprise.
- Compared to my Frankenjazz, this thing is light as a feather.
I am selling my super rare 5 string Fernandes. Check out the classified! it's rare MIJ Jazz.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/...-string-jazz-bass-leb-j5-751562/#post10776978
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/...-string-jazz-bass-leb-j5-751562/#post10776978
I'll take number 15 lol, I am loving my fernandes jazz I bought off of rogerbmiller a few weeks ago. I played a 4 hour gig with it tonight. Very comfortable, played like a dream and sounded awesome. The color is also awesome. I was about to call up fernandez for more info, but they don't even have a phone numer 
Maybe someone here can chime in...
Maybe someone here can chime in...
I had some people ask me about this bass in another thread. Well here she is. An older Fernades trans-grren acrylic. Has awesome inlays, EMG active pickups. It's not as heavy as most acrylic basses. This one just under 11 lbs.
From what little I can find out about it, this was made in the Fernandes Custom Shop in Japan. It's a one of a kind from what I'm told. Not another one like it out there (please let me know if my sources are incorrect). It was custom ordered from a Fernades dealer in Tokyo.
Craftsmanship is second to none. Neck pocket and all joints are TIGHT. All routes and holes are very precise. 3-piece maple neck, awesome fretwork, rolled edges on board, etc.
It's built like a boutique. Great time and care was taken when creating this baby. The factory case is custom molded to the shape of the body.
Behold!
I WANT THIS BASS SO BAD! Please whoever owns it sell it to me!!!
I just picked up a semi-functional 90's Fernandes on Craigslist for super cheap and made some repairs and it's awesome now. I'll post some pics soon, but before I do, I wanted to share this with you Fernandes fans:
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It's an archive of their catalogs going back to the 70's. There are some really great pictures in there. I found it when researching the bass I just acquired, and it helped me place what years it might be from. I've seen a few folks around here looking for info on their fernandes basses, so hopefully you might find this helpful.
Cheers!
Link Removed
It's an archive of their catalogs going back to the 70's. There are some really great pictures in there. I found it when researching the bass I just acquired, and it helped me place what years it might be from. I've seen a few folks around here looking for info on their fernandes basses, so hopefully you might find this helpful.
Cheers!
Here's my Japanese Fernandes P snuggled up to my '77 Greco Mercury (FujiGen). I sure would like to find a Japanese Jazz to go with these two.
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can anyone ID this bass for me?i bought it in thailand a few years ago very cheap and it plays so well it is becoming my fave bass(my others are fenders).i have seen musicman pup setups and fender j bass setups but cant find this pj setup.any ideas guys?
butchblack
Life is short. Do good. Find and do what you love.
Here's a link to Fernandes catalogues.
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I also have a Fernandes PJ that I think is 90 something
I read a very interesting story this evening about Fernandes!
Please share!
Sorry guys that have submitted. Numbers coming shortly!
I read a very interesting story this evening about Fernandes!
What's the scoop?
Role Call:
WackoStu #1
Madbassplaya #2
FAB-170 #3
Jumbotron #4
banikek #5
Butchblack #6
Quadzilla #7
Whothehell1313 #8
Peter Steele #9, posthumously RIP Brother.
Maxoges #10
Slaps76 #11
Big Brother #12
Siote lucky #13
Fathand #14
Chris 1125 #15
TC2112 #16
Grey Area #17
Welcome new brothers in the tone!
WackoStu #1
Madbassplaya #2
FAB-170 #3
Jumbotron #4
banikek #5
Butchblack #6
Quadzilla #7
Whothehell1313 #8
Peter Steele #9, posthumously RIP Brother.
Maxoges #10
Slaps76 #11
Big Brother #12
Siote lucky #13
Fathand #14
Chris 1125 #15
TC2112 #16
Grey Area #17
Welcome new brothers in the tone!
I just picked up a semi-functional 90's Fernandes on Craigslist for super cheap and made some repairs and it's awesome now. I'll post some pics soon, but before I do, I wanted to share this with you Fernandes fans:
Link Removed
It's an archive of their catalogs going back to the 70's. There are some really great pictures in there. I found it when researching the bass I just acquired, and it helped me place what years it might be from. I've seen a few folks around here looking for info on their fernandes basses, so hopefully you might find this helpful.
Cheers!
Thank you also for posting this. Wonder what happened to 2004-2006?
