The difference between 60's and 70's Jazz Bass

You are pretty much dead on, except the only vol/tone/vol/tone Jazzes (other than reissues) were made in 62.

 

What you said about the pickup locale is right. Don't know about the other things.

 

You might want to check out these links:
http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/information-on-fender-bass-guitars.htm
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender2.html#jbass
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Bass

 

I assume you're talking about 62 Fender RI and the 75 Fender RI jazz basses.
The 62 is an alder body with maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. Its got stacked concentric pots which are Vol/ton, vol/ton. it has a 4 bolt neck joint. The 75 RI has an ash body with a maple neck and fingerboard(and another model with rosewood) and it has a micro tilt adjustment on the neck with a 3 bolt neck. Its vol/vol/ton. and the bridge pickup is moved about a 1/4 inch closer to the bridge and is arguably the best thing that ever happened to jazz basses.

Or if you're talking about jazz basses in general, then those the general differences between jazz basses on those decades anyway.

 

I know that quarter inch means a lot to some people, but I honestly never noticed a difference in the long run. A tad brighter, maybe, but it's such a subtle difference that I sincerely doubt people could tell the difference on a recording.

 

Yeah and value-wise the 60's basses were made in far fewer numbers and attract far higher values. The really early ones '60-62 had slab Brazilian rosewood fingerboards and these are just amazing. I think the tone is different too. Maybe alder and ash age differently.

70's production standards were poor. If it wasn't for Marcus Miller the 70's basses would be a footnote.

Having said that my mid 70's P-bass is starting to take on a more vintage tone. Don't ask me to describe it. I only notice it when I don't touch it for a few years and then come back to it. I had to move the bridge on mine sideways because it wasn't put in the right place. That's how well made they were. But fortunately the wood can't lie.

Davo

 

Oh, I'd say, about 10 years

 

Dave, that was far more eloquent than my response.

N I C E

Davo

 

The location of the bridge pickup is .4" closer---more like 1/2" than 1/4". Distance from the neck pickup on 60's is 3.6". On 70's, 4.0".

The only reason Fender moved the pickup was so it would fit under the metal bridge pickup cover. They never considered the sound difference.
The more I build with 70's locations, the more I find the difference is less significant. People also say the bridge pickup on the 70's style gets the "Jaco" tone, but Jaco played a 60's jazz.

You can find an occasional great 70's jazz, but for the most part, they have very heavy bodies, very bad truss rods, very bad neck pockets, very bad workmanship, etc. etc. Without a doubt, the worst decade of quality Fender ever had. I bought a '77 as an investment and just while sitting in it's case in storage, the truss rod pushed up through the fingerboard by the first block inlay and the neck is toast.

roger

 

Great post! I have noticed that the 70s Jazz basses (rosewood models) tend to have a more hollow sound (for lack of a better word), than 60s or current Jazz basses. Do you find that to be the case, and if so, to what would you attribute that? My thoughts are perhaps neck stiffness. Thanks.

 

Another good example of the bad quality is Geddy Lee's Jazz. It is a 74 and he had to change the neck on 2007 because it had became "unplayable". We still find a lot of fenders from the 50s with original necks.

 

There's also a difference in finish. Typical 70's J's have a thick coat of poly finish. And of course you'll see more 70's maple necks.

 

As I said. They're a footnote.

Davo

 

My GLee is 2003 and plays great! The neck is fine. But a friend of mine had to change the neck of his Geddy...

 

Footnote, schmootnote, play the bass, not the year.

My '73 sounds, looks and plays wonderfully.

I agree Fender QC took a huge dive in the '70s (more particularly around the middle of the decade), but there are plenty of fine instruments from every year. Even the heavy ash ones can have their own particular tone, very upfront and aggressive, which some like a lot. There are plenty of dogs from the '60s, too.

A few of the most iconic Fenders are from the '70s, e.g. Paul Simonon, Bruce Thomas' or JJ Burnel's Precisions, and Marcus Miller's Jazz, so love 'em or hate 'em they are more than historical footnotes, they are a real part of bass history, and without their declining quality never would probably never have spawned Sadowskys and the like, nor would have Music Man experienced such exponential growth.

 

The 70's for Fender is about like the 70's for the American auto industry. I had some cars built in the 70s that rusted away to nothing in 5 yrs.

 

About $2000

 

I'd like to comment if I may.

Having played and owned both, My opinion is that there is a noticeable difference in the sound between the two. I feel the 60's P/up loc results in a sound that is a little more lush with slightly more bottom end; certainly my preferred sound. The 78 jazz I owned lacked severely in the low end department when soloed with the bridge pickup.

I currently own a 62 re issue which is a much better sounding and much much better made instrument.

PS ...the 78 sounded very 'hollow'...an apt description.