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Questions about purchasing a 1976 Fender Jazz Bass

jazzmcs

jazzmcs

Feb 26, 2009
99
18
#1
I was at the local music store (more of a swap shop) and found a refinished 1976 Jazz Bass (the store owner keyed in the serial number on the neck plate into his computer to come up with that date, the owner actually thought it was a 1978). BTW, my interest tone wise has been more in modern sounding basses but I've been itching for more of a vintage toned instrument as well. Also being a big fan of Marcus Miller I thought I'd try to find a 1970s jazz bass since they tend to have a brighter bigger bottomed tone. Well this one sort of just showed up right away. It is even in the natural color that I like even though it is a refinish and may have been white at some point due to very slight white markings in the grain of the back of the bass. So first off since I know very little about vintage Fenders I am wondering if this is a real 1976 Jazz Bass? Also do all the parts look original to you guys? The store owner was unsure but seriously doubted the bass owner, whom he knows, would have changed anything. From what I gather it appears to be an all original 1976 but I know there are fakes out there and some of you guys are pretty good at spotting them. So any help in confirming whether this is the real deal would be much appreciated. I posted all the pics of the bass below. BTW, the bass plays great though the neck could be a bit straighter for my likes. I did not test the truss rod but I will before purchasing.

Thanks!
Mike



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#5
Yup, it sounds great. The pots could use a cleaning but that's it electronically. The neck needs a bit of bow taken out for my tastes but it is not twisted or cracked. I'll test the truss rod tomorrow. Just looking for as much help as possible on determining the originality of this bass and any other things I should know before picking it up. I have it on hold until tomorrow to make a decision.

Thanks,
Mike
 
#6
That bass may be older then a '76. In late '74 they start with the 3-bolt necks with the bullet truss rod but still had the big "JAZZ BASS" logo like in your photos. Then some time in 1976 they changed to the logo like you see on Marcus Miller's bass with the smaller "JAZZ BASS" on the logo. So that bass is somewhere between a 1974 and 1976.

Looks in good shape....but those are the heavier years! My two '72 Jazz basses are still on the light side.
 
#7
From the headstock details it seems to be a 76.
Those tuners (tuxedo tails at the bottom of the clovers) came out about mid 76. The big TV logo was still in use early 76.
So it looks right, but you still need to check the rest of the parts to see if all the proper factory date codes are there.
 
#14
Thanks all, just picked it up for said price. It plays excellent. No issues with the truss rod at all. Definitely a radically different tone than I'm used to but in a good way. Very organic and dynamic. I have three gigs this weekend to dial it in on.
 
#16
Caca de Kick said:
From the headstock details it seems to be a 76.
Those tuners (tuxedo tails at the bottom of the clovers) came out about mid 76. The big TV logo was still in use early 76.
So it looks right, but you still need to check the rest of the parts to see if all the proper factory date codes are there.
Click to expand...

Good catch on the tuners! I did even notice that!
 
#18
millsbass5 said:
You mentioned that your're on a hi-fi/modern tone kick. Get a Sadowsky preamp PEDAL. You'll get ALL YOU WANT TONE-WISE,and then a bunch more. Those things friggin' smoke!!!
I use 'em on my Jazzes. They're a true Godsend,tone-wise.
Click to expand...

I also use the Sadowsky outboard preamp with both my '72 Jazz basses. Would not gig without it!
 

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