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99-760: First introduced in 1960 as the Deluxe Model , it borrowed design elements from the Jazzmaster guitar. It was renamed the Jazz Bass as Fender felt that its redesigned neck—narrower and more rounded than that of the Precision Bass—would appeal more to jazz musicians. The Jazz Bass has two single coil pickups with two pole pieces per string. As well as having a slightly different, less symmetrical and more contoured body shape (known in Fender advertising as

198-476: A "scoop" on the midrange. This is similar to what happens on some guitars when one blends the sounds from two different pickups, such as the Fender Stratocaster . Some "Deluxe" Jazz Bass models feature an active pre-amp (usually with three bands of equalization) in place of a single passive tone control; these basses have three separate equalizer controls: bass and treble responses are controlled by

297-457: A 'curved' neck plate set into a chambered pocket for greater sustain and a 22-fret neck, similar to that of a Precision Bass Plus , with a standard vintage-style top-load bridge, two separate volumes and a master TBX tone circuit. Usually known as "Boner" Jazz Basses, these early American Standard models (designed by George Blanda, who was Fender's senior R&D engineer during that period) were discontinued in 1994 and shouldn't be confused with

396-632: A 'floating tremolo ' with tremolo lock, and a uniquely designed bridge were other keys to the guitar's character. The tremolo lock can be manually activated to keep the entire guitar from going out of tune if one string breaks. The Jazzmaster also had an extra-long tremolo arm . The bridge and tremolo construction is very different from that of the Stratocaster , and gives the Jazzmaster a different resonance and generally less sustain. The bridge sits on two fulcrum points and moves back and forth with

495-411: A 1966 model existing parallel to it (with block inlays and binding, but paired with a small pre-CBS headstock). The American Vintage Reissue Series version was introduced in 1999, also based on the 1962 model. In 2007 Fender released a 'thin skin' Jazzmaster reissue with thinner vintage nitrocellulose finish. The 1962 model was discontinued in favor of a 1965 model which was equipped with a bound neck and

594-485: A 9.5" fretboard radius and moving the tremolo plate around 1 cm forward towards the bridge. The tailpiece was moved forward not for cosmetic or functional reasons, but to reduce the manufacturing cost of the Jazzmaster and Jaguar guitars in the same factory. Because of the Jaguar's shorter neck length, the tailpiece is placed relatively further forward than the Jazzmaster's. To use the same jig, both guitars are made with

693-698: A 9.5" to 14" compound-radius ebony fingerboard. Fender has designed signature Jazz Bass models for notable players including: In July 2005, Fender introduced its first 24-fret bass since the Fender Performer Bass , the Fender Jazz Bass 24 . The Jazz Bass 24 featured a sleek alder body, a 34"-scale length, modern C-shaped maple neck with a two-octave rosewood fingerboard, abalone dot inlays, 24 medium-jumbo frets, Hipshot-licensed tuners, Fender/Gotoh High Mass top-loading bridge, two custom-wound Seymour Duncan SJB-3 Quarter Pound pickups,

792-459: A Forest Green finish, a pair of Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Jazzmaster single-coil pickups and a Tune-o-matic bridge. In October 2011, Fender introduced the Squier J Mascis signature Jazzmaster with gold anodized aluminum pickguard, featuring several custom specifications from J Mascis including slightly warmer "P90" sounding pickups, fast satin finished neck, and nonfloating bridge. During

891-499: A Greasebucket tone circuit since 2006. In 2008, the American Series models were replaced by a new American Standard line, which greatly differs from the first-generation American Standard Series basses introduced in 1994. The 2008 American Standard Jazz Bass retained the "American Series" rolled-edge neck with highly detailed nut and fret work, as well as the familiar rounded body shape with the vintage body radius, but deleted

990-575: A Stratocaster-style hard-tail string-through-body bridge, locking tuners, compound radius ebony fretboard, contoured neck heel and a squarer body (instead of a traditional body contours). On April 21, 2020 Fender introduced the Jim Root Jazzmaster V4, featuring a bound ebony fretboard with white rectangular block markers, satin Polar White finish and a pair of EMG Jim Root signature Daemonum open-coil active humbuckers . During

1089-516: A bar magnet at the base instead of the magnetized polepieces of the original pickups. September 2010 saw the introduction of the Mexican-made Black Top Jazzmaster HS. This guitar sports a Duncan Designed single-coil Jazzmaster neck pickup and a hot vintage alnico humbucking bridge pickup, with other distinctive touches including skirted black amp knobs, a Jazzmaster tremolo tailpiece (without locking button) and

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1188-588: A bound neck with larger, pearloid dot inlays, matching headstocks on custom colors, and a black G&G reproduction case with black tolex and a red plush interior. As with the AVRI models, Fender offers limited production Thin Skin 1965 Jazzmasters. The hardware and accessories remain the same as normal production models, though the finishes are, as with the original Thin Skins, available in additional colors. Also, as with

1287-475: A bright sound, with more high end than the Precision Bass. This makes it ideal for slap playing as well as finger-style players. This bright sound is because of the two pickups at different points in the string's length. The bridge pickup gives a tone with more treble, while the neck pickup will yield a rounder sound. The ability to blend the volume of both pickups allows for a wider variety of tones than

1386-470: A faithful replication of Elvis Costello 's 1960s Jazzmaster used during his 1977 debut album, My Aim is True . This signature Jazzmaster guitar features a solid walnut-stain finished alder body and a modified tremolo bridge for Costello's trademark "spy movie" sound. In June 2009, Fender announced Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore signature Jazzmasters, in honour of the guitarists of Sonic Youth . These models were released on July 1, 2009. Both editions have

1485-471: A feature that was a hallmark of the original Custom Color Jazzmasters in the 1960s. Originally, the model was offered in an array of Custom Colors, such as Candy Apple Red and Sherwood Green Metallic. However, by the end of the model's production run, Fender offered only three colors: Black, Olympic White, and Three-Color Sunburst. With the exception of the discontinuation of color options, the model remained largely unchanged from its introduction in 1999 until it

1584-456: A new flash-finish method meant to create a thinner lacquer finish, and vintage-reproduction paperwork and manuals. Some improved vintage details included neck shape, thinner cases, decals, colors, pickups, tuners, and various production techniques. The American Vintage line includes a single Jazzmaster model: the 1965 Jazzmaster. In keeping with the original 1965 models, the AV 1965 Jazzmaster includes

1683-629: A number of otherwise unavailable Custom Colors, and many of the Custom Color Thin Skins featured period-correct matching headstocks. The Thin Skins were 100% nitrocellulose, including the sealer, which was polyurethane on the normal '62 Jazzmaster. This, in addition to thinner color and clear coats, created a much thinner finish than the normal. Also offered through Wildwood was a unique model, the American Vintage Reissue Thin Skin 1959 Jazzmaster. The '59

1782-413: A pair of custom-wound dual-coil Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups, a three-band active preamp, five-bolt neck plate, 18V power supply and a Deluxe string-through-body/top-load bridge with milled nickel-plated brass saddles. Models manufactured prior to 2003 (formerly known as American Classics ) were identical to the mid-1990s American Deluxe basses in appearance, excepting the 22-fret bound maple neck featuring

1881-477: A passive/active push/pull volume knob and a 3-band active EQ with a "slap" mid-scoop switch. It was available in the Fender price list as part of the Deluxe Series line, with Cherry Sunburst (discontinued as of 2007) and Tobacco Sunburst finishes over a quilted maple top and chrome-plated hardware. The 5-string version was introduced in 2007. In 2008, Fender offered both the four- and five-string versions of

1980-447: A period with black Stratocaster control knobs. The five-string version (introduced in 1992), available with pao ferro or rosewood fingerboard and a five-in-line tuner configuration with Gotoh Mini machineheads (c. 2006), has been updated with a tinted maple neck featuring a dark rosewood fingerboard and a 4+1 tuner configuration with Fender/Ping tuning machines as of 2009. In 2017 Fender switched to pao ferro fingerboards before discontinuing

2079-412: A pickup switch that operates from side to side, a black headstock, and only one volume knob. The difference lies in the pickup, bridge, colour, and the relative placement of the volume knob to the jack input. Ranaldo's instrument has a Sapphire Blue finish and features dual Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups that are re-spec'd to Ranaldo's specifications and a Mustang bridge. Moore's version features

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2178-486: A rosewood fretboard and white block inlays. Fender discontinued the five-string version in 2009. The Custom Classic four-string Jazz Bass has been renamed Custom Active Jazz Bass as of 2010, featuring Fender's high-mass vintage (HMV) bridge and a 1960s Jazz Bass "U" shape neck. The Standard Jazz Bass model is sanded, painted and assembled in Ensenada, Baja California along with the other Standard Series guitars (replaced by

2277-487: A single unit with one volume control, giving the Jazz Bass a sound more similar to the Precision Bass. The two pickups are built to be opposite from each other in both magnetic polarity and electrical phase, so that when heard together, hum is cancelled—the humbucking effect. The Highway One Jazz Bass is a moderately priced American-made bass introduced in 2003, featuring a Leo Quan BadAss II bridge with grooved saddles, Posiflex graphite neck support rods, 1970s styling, and

2376-466: A somewhat brighter tone from the bridge pickup. According to Fender itself, this change happened in 1972. However, Fender's own history is clearly incorrect, as there are unquestionably examples of Jazz basses made in late 1970 that use the 4" pickup spacing. Both 3.6" and 4" spacing are found in Jazz basses made in 1971, and there are even a few Jazz basses made in 1972 that use the older 3.6" spacing. Around

2475-550: A standard fretboard material on other Fender models around 1959. The walnut 'skunk stripe' which covers the truss-rod channel on the back of one-piece necks, is absent where the truss-rod was installed from the top, and the rosewood fretboard glued on afterwards. As with many other Fender models, there are significant differences between pre-CBS models and models made after the CBS acquisition of Fender. The changes implemented by CBS after their purchase of Fender were largely universal, and

2574-433: A strings-through-body/top-load bridge, Posiflex graphite neck support rods, rolled fingerboard edges, highly detailed nut- and fretwork. Five-string versions are presented with a 4+1 tuner arrangement and two Hipshot string trees since 2002. The asymmetrical five-bolt neck plate, along with the smooth contoured heel allow much easier access to the upper registers. Bound fingerboards with pearloid block inlays were added with

2673-432: A three-ply white or tortoise pickguard. This is a variation on the traditional Jazz Bass design—differences being that it has only one master volume and tone, but additional on/off switches for pickup selection, series/parallel switching, and a two-band active preamp with bypass switch. The Jaguar bass retains the slim Jazz neck, bi-pole pickups, Jazzmaster /Jaguar body design and the trademark Jazz Bass growl. As of 2008,

2772-526: A three-way toggle switch. Other features include an alder body, maple neck with 9.5"-radius rosewood fretboard, 21 medium-jumbo frets, gloss polyester finish and chrome hardware. The Jazzmaster Standard was evolved from the Blacktop model. The Standard featured two coil-tapped Blacktop humbuckers and a Pau Ferro neck; often mistaken for Rosewood. Outside of these changes, the Standard had identical specs as

2871-613: A unique tone. Fender also offers several models of the Jaguar Bass in the Squier line (and an American Standard version since 2014), most with a Precision/Jazz "P-J" pickup configuration. Fender Jazzmaster The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as a more expensive sibling of the Fender Stratocaster . First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Convention , it was initially marketed to jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarists in

2970-639: A veneer fretboard when the American Vintage Series were revamped in 2012. Fender revamped their Jazzmaster offerings and makes the following models. Starting at the bottom with the Squier Affinity Series, a traditional Jazzmaster with Seymour Duncan -designed wide single coil pickups, Squier Classic Vibe 60's Jazzmaster and there is also the Mexican Classic Player series which have a vibrato-unit closer to

3069-402: A vintage-style Stratocaster tremolo bridge. Fender's 2017 "American Professional Series" includes a new version of the Jazzmaster which has a Deep C-shaped neck with 22 narrow-tall frets and features different controls and V-Mod pickups. Fender's 2020 "American Ultra Series" The American Ultra Jazzmaster features a unique "Modern D" neck profile, and the tapered neck heel allows easy access to

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3168-635: Is also available in Copper Age with maple fingerboard, black block inlays and binding since August 25, 2020. The vintage Jazzmasters (original series) were produced in the following colors: Some available Custom Colors (this is not an all-inclusive list): Vintage Jazzmasters were available in most of the common Fender Custom Colors of the era. Fender would also occasionally paint guitars in colors owners requested that were not otherwise available as 'official' Custom Colors; due to this, there are Jazzmasters in colors that deviate from Fender's offerings from

3267-402: Is generally thought to produce a somewhat brighter (and correspondingly less warm) tone than alder. By the mid-1970s, the combination of 4" pickup spacing and the use of heavier ash bodies with maple fingerboards combined to produce a notably brighter tone than that produced by Jazz basses from the 60s. American Standard Jazz Basses produced between 1989 and mid-1994 featured a larger body shape,

3366-512: Is in the rhythm position, it selects the neck pickup only with the brightness rolled off slightly due to different values of the potentiometers (500k Ω vs 1MΩ in the lead circuit), and the volume and tone are controlled by the two thumbwheels; the other controls are bypassed. The intention was that this circuit would allow the performer to quickly switch to a "preset" volume and tone setting for rhythm playing. The lead circuit potentiometer values also stray from Fender's usual specifications. Up until

3465-489: Is inlaid into the maple neck. In 2016, Fender released a "Limited Edition American Special Jazzmaster" which featured stripped-back controls and a Bigsby B50 tremolo/tailpiece instead of the traditional Jazzmaster tremolo/tailpiece. It also had a different type of bridge. In January 2018 the American Performer Jazzmaster was introduced, featuring Yosemite pickups with Greasebucket tone circuit and

3564-555: The Dinosaur Jr frontman. This model is much the same as previous Jazzmaster models aside from its Adjust-o-matic bridge (the Fender equivalent of the Gibson Tune-o-matic bridge), and its unusual purple sparkle finish. It was for a time the only model of Jazzmaster in production with a matching headstock , but later certain color options of the '65 American Vintage Reissue Jazzmaster appeared with that option. After

3663-556: The "Offset Waist Contour" body), the Jazz Bass neck is noticeably narrower at the nut than that of the Fender Precision Bass . While the Precision Bass was originally styled similarly to the Telecaster guitar, the Jazz Bass' styling was inspired by the Jazzmaster guitar, with which the Jazz shared its offset body and sculpted edges, which differentiate it from other slab-style bass bodies. The original intention of

3762-502: The "bullet" truss rod in mid-to-late 1974, before reverting to the more standard four-bolt neck fixing and dot-shaped fretboard markers in 1983. White pickup covers and a pickguard/control plate were introduced the same year. In 1986, Fender introduced the Japanese-made Fender Performer Bass , also with micro-tilt neck, designed by John Page and intended to be an Elite version of the Jazz Bass; however,

3861-402: The 1957 P-Bass and the 1960 introduction of the "Deluxe" Bass which we now know as the Jazz Bass. The Elite basses of the early 80's were super high quality versions too, but the basic design of the instruments were unaltered on any Elite series. The Plus was a new design. These Blanda Plus designs are sometimes called "Boner Basses" because of the longer horns required to get good balance due to

3960-579: The 22 fret necks. Besides the missing pick-guard, the Precision Plus Deluxe will have a slightly smaller body than the Plus version also. Fender used select woods on both Plus versions too. "I hardly ever see one of either version come up for sale. If you can find one in original condition you should seriously consider it as it is a playable collectible. They traditionally have exceeded the appreciation in actual value over any other Fender basses of

4059-620: The 22-fret neck and reshaped the pickguard with nine screw holes. American Deluxes produced between 1995 and 1999 were initially available with "single-pole" pickups designed by John Suhr . These were soon changed to the Bill Turner-designed dual-coil Ceramic Noiseless units with nickel-plated (gold-plated on certain models) polepieces until the advent of the Bill Lawrence-designed Samarium Cobalt series in 2004. Other refinements include

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4158-670: The 24-fret Jazz Bass in a stealthy Flat Black finish (with matching headstocks and hardware). These 2-octave Jazz Basses were gone from the Fender pricelist as of 2009. The Steve Bailey 6-string signature model produced between 2009 and 2011 also had a 2-octave fingerboard and was tuned BEADGC Fender 24-fret Jazz Basses were made in Korea . In 2005, Fender introduced the Fender Jaguar Bass , as of 2008 available in Hot Rod Red, Olympic White, Sunburst and Black finishes, with

4257-539: The 50th anniversary of the Jazz Bass, first introduced in 1960, Fender released in 2010 the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Jazz Bass. This bass sports a selected alder body, finished in a Candy Apple Red nitrocellulose lacquer, and incorporates design elements from several periods in the instrument's history, including 1960s-era lacquer finish, headstock logo, chrome bridge and pickup covers, 1970s-era thumb rest and bridge pickup positioning, modern-era high-mass bridge and Posiflex graphite neck support rods. The Jazz Bass has

4356-518: The A and low B strings, and Fender's High Mass Vintage (HMV) bridge. The American Deluxe series was discontinued in 2016. The American Elite Jazz Bass, introduced in 2016, sports a compound modern C-to-D neck shape, fourth-generation noiseless pickups, a "spoke-wheel" truss rod system for easier neck relief adjustments and a new asymmetrical neck heel. It is offered with a compound radius ebony (since 2017) or maple fingerboard, in 4 and 5-string versions. The Mexican Deluxe Active Jazz Bass combines many of

4455-605: The AVRI Thin Skins, some '65 AV Jazzmaster Thin Skins are available with the modern 9.5" fingerboard radius and larger 6105 fretwire. Some dealers, such as Wildwood, also tout lighter body weights. The Fender Custom Shop also produces various Jazzmaster models, including reissues, relics, and models with modern appointments, such as flamed maple tops, humbuckers, hardtails, and modified or non-production bridges. Fender's Japanese facility produces offset-waist guitars which have been sporadically available outside Japan since

4554-476: The American Vintage Reissue (AVRI) series to include two offset models, one of which being a reissue of the 1962 Jazzmaster. The reissue was mostly true to the original 1962 Jazzmaster, featuring vintage-inspired pickups, hardware, a period-correct brown tolex case with a gold interior, and a variety of Custom Colors. The Custom Color Jazzmasters in this line did not feature matching headstocks,

4653-491: The Carved Maple Top Jazzmaster HH to its premium Select series. The instrument features an alder body with a carved maple top, a pair of new Wide Range Special humbuckers controlled by a three-way switch, volume and tone (with push-pull S-1 switch), and an Adjusto-Matic bridge and tailpiece arrangement. It also features an innovative "channel-bound" rosewood fingerboard, in which the fingerboard itself

4752-569: The Elite versions that came out during the waning days of Fullerton except for the 5 string versions which got Gotoh bridges instead of Schaller. The Precision Plus and Plus Deluxe were the creation of George Blanda who also designed Plus versions of the Jazz Bass. Blanda was the senior designer at Fender during this period and did some rather drastic mods on the instruments to compete with other high end designs from other companies. The Blanda redesigns were more innovative than anything Fender had done since

4851-620: The Fender Jazz Bass Plus, which has the same 22-fret neck design, but utilizes a different (downsized) body styling, Lace Sensor pickups, Schaller "Elite" fine-tuner bridge on the four-string model or Gotoh Hardware high-mass bridge on the 5-string model, and Phil Kubicki -designed active electronics. Unlike the Fender Precision Bass Plus , which had an optional maple neck, the Boner Jazz Bass

4950-596: The Fender version was discontinued, Squier released a J Mascis Signature with similar specifications, in antique white with a gold anodized aluminum pickguard. In the past, a Nokie Edwards (of The Ventures ) signature model was produced in Japan, without rhythm circuit. April 2008 saw the introduction of the Elvis Costello Jazzmaster, the second signature Jazzmaster model made at the Corona facility –

5049-607: The Jaguar Bass comes in Olympic White and three-colour Sunburst finishes, together with a four-ply brown tortoise shell pickguard. These colours were previously available only for the Japanese domestic market. In 2012, Fender also introduced the Reverse Jaguar Bass in its line of Pawn Shop Series guitars. This special issue features a reversed body stock orientation, and also reverses the humbucking pickups for

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5148-511: The Jazzmaster was no exception. From 1968 until the model was discontinued in 1980, it remained largely unchanged. After years of dwindling sales, with instruments being pieced together from leftover factory stock, the Jazzmaster was officially discontinued in September 1980, but has since then been re-released in many forms and modifications. The Jazzmaster was re-introduced in 1986 as a 1962 reissue model from Fender's Japanese factory, with

5247-531: The Jazzmaster's followup, the Jaguar. Jazzmasters, along with Jaguars and their imitators, fell out of fashion among players during the 1970s largely due to their "old-fashioned" appearance and sonic characteristics. The 70s rock sound meant "fat" humbucker tone and much sustain, so guitarists gravitated toward the Gibson Les Paul and its copies. Fender continued to offer the Jazzmaster as part of its product line until 1980. Just as Fender discontinued

5346-414: The Jazzmaster's notable features is the pickup circuit featuring unusual "roller" thumbwheel controls and a slide switch at the upper neck end of the pickguard. The slide switch selects between two different pickup circuits, the "lead" and "rhythm" circuits. When the switch is in the lead position, the guitar's tone is controlled by the conventional tone and volume knobs and the pickup selector switch. When it

5445-551: The Jazzmaster's signature bridge and tremolo setup with a Stratocaster-derived assembly. This modification is in the 1990s Japanese Squier Vista Series Jagmaster guitar. Fender has since introduced more faithful recreations of the original Jazzmaster, with genuine Jazzmaster bridge and tremolo assemblies. There are also several manufacturers of high-end Jazzmaster-styled guitars, such as Danocaster, Nash, Bilt, Rhoney and Kauer. American-made Jazzmasters were out of standard production entirely from 1980 to 1999. In 1999, Fender expanded

5544-482: The Jazzmaster, Tom Verlaine of Television and Elvis Costello started giving the guitar a cult following. They were later embraced by the American indie rock scene. There are a wide array of budget-priced Jazzmaster imitations, particularly from the 1960s and '70s. Eko, Greco, Dillion, Univox, Epiphone, Yamaha, Framus, Teisco, Aria, Jansen, Harmony, and National are but some of the brands who released guitars in

5643-565: The NAMM Show in January 2014, Fender debuted a Jim Root Signature Jazzmaster, based on the recommendations by the guitarist of Slipknot and formerly Stone Sour . While the guitar is a Jazzmaster by name it features none of the normal Jazzmaster accoutrements, except for the silhouette. Instead, it features high output EMG 60 and 81 humbuckers, black satin lacquered mahogany body, a single volume control with three-way pickup selector switch,

5742-513: The P-90 has its magnets placed underneath its coil, whereas the pole pieces of the Jazzmaster pickup are magnets themselves. Also, the JM coil is wound flat and wide, even more so than that of the P-90. This is in contrast to Fender's usual tall and thin coils. This 'pancake winding' gives them a warmer thicker tone without losing their single coil clarity. Additionally, due to the pickups being reverse-wound,

5841-569: The Player models in 2018). On December 5, 2008, the Standard J-Bass has given CBS era-style decals, a three-ply parchment pickguard and a tinted maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard (also available in a fretless version with a rosewood fingerboard and 20 inlaid white fretline markers). Other features included two staggered bi-pole single-coil pickups and a return to the black bakelite control knobs. Models produced before 2003 came for

5940-467: The Precision Bass can produce. Pickups are RWRP (reverse wound, reverse polarity) from one another, so all hum will be canceled when both pickups are at full volume. Having both pickups cranked up at full volume produces the classic scooped, "growling" sound which many players—such as Marcus Miller and Will Lee —use for slap bass playing. This sound is the product of certain frequencies from both pickups being out of phase and cancelling each other, leaving

6039-602: The S-1 switching system and incorporated a new high-mass vintage bridge, Hipshot lightweight vintage-style tuning machines, a richer and deeper neck tint, gloss maple or rosewood fingerboard and satin back for smooth playability. It also has a thinner finish undercoat that lets the body breathe and improves resonance. In March 2012, Fender updated the American Standard Jazz Bass (except the five-string version) with Custom Shop 1960s Jazz Bass pickups. To celebrate

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6138-463: The Standard series in 2018. All five-string Jazz basses came with pau ferro fretboard since 1990 (some US Deluxe models were also available with a plain maple neck option). Fender offers its 5-string basses with rosewood or maple fretboard as of 2006 after discontinuing the pau ferro fingerboard option in late 2005. In 2008, Fender introduced the fretted and fretless Steve Bailey signature models, its first six-string Jazz Basses to feature

6237-658: The Telecaster and Stratocaster had done in other popular musical genres, Fender hoped to initiate a revolution in jazz guitar, at the expense of competitor Gibson . While the Jazzmaster never caught on among its intended audience, they were most successful in the burgeoning Southern California-based surf music and instrumental rock scene of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Fender headquarters were located in Southern California, and Leo Fender himself actively solicited local players' input and guidance in designing

6336-653: The Thin-Skin models. These models were identical to the normal production AVRI models, with the exception of the thickness of the finish (due in part to a thinner, nitrocellulose sealer), as well as additional colors and matching headstocks (though this option was not present on all Thin Skins). Some available colors: Their pickguards came in Mint Green or Brown Shell colors. Jazzmasters featured bound necks with dot inlays in 1965, with block pearloid inlays from 1966 until

6435-767: The base and top of a stacked double pot, while midrange is controlled by a second knob. They came with 22 frets, abalone dot position inlays and an 18-volt power supply on some models. Known as the Jazz Bass Deluxe since being introduced as part of a major reworking of Fender's Electric Bass lineup in 1995, they have been renamed the American Deluxe Jazz Bass . The American Deluxe Jazz Bass (available in four-string fretted and fretless, five-string fretted and left-hand versions) featured two samarium-cobalt Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups, designed by Bill Lawrence . Fender used downsized bodies to accommodate

6534-557: The bridge, a reworked bridge and hot P90 pickups, the Classic Lacquer series with AV65 pickups and the traditional appointments, and the American Special, and American Professional series which both omit the rhythm-circuit, opting for a single circuit layout. Fender intended the Jazzmaster to represent a solid body alternative to the hollow body archtop guitars that were then ubiquitous among jazz guitarists. As

6633-408: The color. Colors of the signature editions: Fender Precision Bass Plus The Precision Bass Plus is an electric bass made by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and designed by George Blanda in 1989. It was one of the first American-made Fender basses to feature a 22-fret neck, requiring the company to slightly oversize the body shape and lengthen the cutaways, which distinctly changed

6732-419: The early 1960s) and oval-shaped tuning machines . Block-shaped fingerboard inlays and an optional maple fingerboard were introduced after 1966/67. At first, necks with rosewood fretboards received pearloid blocks/binding, and maple fretboard necks received black. Fender switched to pearloid blocks/binding on all necks in mid-to-late 1973. Fender also switched to the three-bolt neck "micro-tilt adjustable" neck and

6831-553: The early 1960s. Its appearance is similar to the Fender Jaguar , though it is tonally and physically different in many technical ways, including pickup design, scale length and controls. The Jazzmaster's contoured "offset-waist" body was designed for comfort while playing the guitar in a seated position, as many jazz and blues artists prefer to do. A full 25.5-inch (647.7 mm) scale length , ' lead ' and ' rhythm ' circuit switching with independent volume and tone controls,

6930-467: The end of their original run in 1977; the headstocks were also larger ("CBS-style") in this era. They have featured matching headstocks (headstocks painted the same color as the body) at several points throughout the guitar's history. Matched-headstock versions generally fetch a higher price. In 2012, Fender replaced the AVRI line with the American Vintage (AV) series. The AVRI 1962 Jazzmaster

7029-594: The era. Additionally, many of the Custom Color Jazzmasters have matching headstocks. Blonde and sunburst models did not feature this option. In 1999, Fender added the Jazzmaster to the American Vintage Reissue series. The American Vintage Reissue (AVRI) 1962 Jazzmaster was produced in the following colors: There were also limited edition variations of the American Vintage Reissue Jazzmaster available, most notably

7128-484: The features of the American Deluxe models with a traditional Standard Jazz Bass body, vintage-style hardware, a contoured neck heel and a 12"-radius 20-fret rosewood or maple fingerboard. It comes in 4 and 5-string versions and sports a three-band active circuit powered by two dual-coil ceramic Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups and an 18V power supply with an active/passive switch (as of 2016). The Custom Classic model

7227-479: The following years, as the use of mutes gradually declined, both the Precision and Jazz Bass models eventually began to be produced without bridge/tailpiece covers. A number of cosmetic changes were made to the instrument when CBS purchased the Fender companies in 1965. During 1965/66, the Jazz Bass received bound rosewood fingerboards with pearloid dot position inlays (which replaced the older "clay"-style of

7326-484: The highest register. A 10"-14" compound-radius fingerboard with 21 medium-jumbo frets makes for easier soloing at the upper frets, while the Ultra Noiseless Vintage pickups and new wiring options provide a wider variety of available tones. Other features include sealed locking tuning machines, chrome hardware and bone nut In July 2007, Fender released the J Mascis signature Jazzmaster, in honour of

7425-424: The initial models had were the "Spring Felt Mutes", which were present on basses from 1960 until 1962. The mutes were designed to dampen the overtones and the sustain; they were screwed in place between the bridge and aft pickup. Those felt mutes were not a tremendous success and were replaced by a cheaper, more simple foam mute glued underneath the bridge cover, as was used by the Precision Bass from 1963 onwards. Over

7524-464: The instrument was to appeal to upright bass players. The original Jazz Bass had two stacked knob pots with volume and tone control for each pickup. Original instruments with this stacked configuration are highly valued in the vintage guitar market. In late 1961, it received three control knobs: one volume knob for each pickup and a third to control the overall tone. Despite this new feature, many stacked knob models were made until about 1962. Another feature

7623-719: The introduction of the American Deluxe Jazz Bass FMT & QMT in late 2001, featuring flamed or quilted maple tops and gold-plated hardware. Fender discontinued these models in 2007. In 2010 the American Deluxe Jazz Bass was updated with a pair of N3 stacked-coil Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups, an active/passive toggle switch, CBS styling and a 21-fret bound compound radius maple neck featuring rosewood or maple fingerboards with rectangular block inlays. Other features include Hipshot vintage lightweight tuners, "Strong Arm" string retainer bar for

7722-409: The introduction of the Jazzmaster, Fender used 250kΩ potentiometers on their guitars. The Jazzmaster's lead circuit uses 1MΩ potentiometers instead, contributing to its unique tonal characteristics. As a concession to its more conservative audience, the Jazzmaster was the first Fender guitar carrying a rosewood fingerboard instead of maple. The fingerboard had "clay dot" position inlays and was glued onto

7821-615: The late 1980s, either from Japanese dealers willing to ship overseas, or from US dealers who have imported them. Since 1996, its Squier offshoot has manufactured a budget version called the Jagmaster . In May 2008, Fender introduced the Classic Player Series Jazzmaster, which was made in Mexico. Fender made changes to the original design. This included replacing the bridge with a Tune-o-matic type, giving it

7920-414: The maple neck. Some early pre-production/prototype examples came with a one-piece maple neck, others with an ebony fingerboard, or a black painted aluminum pickguard. Longtime Fender associate George Fullerton owned a 1957 Fiesta Red pre-production body coupled with an unusual and experimental fretboard manufactured in 1961 using vulcanised rubber — reportedly one of two ever made. Rosewood became

8019-563: The neck pickup and master TBX tone. It was discontinued in 1993. The Precision Bass Plus Deluxe does not have a pick-guard. The Plus Deluxes also have active EQ, so there will be a battery as well. The jack will be on the lower bout, not on the pick-guard. This is the forerunner of today's American Deluxe Precision which replaced it in the line-up in July 1995. The Plus and the Plus Deluxe shared premium Schaller manufactured hardware similar to

8118-425: The overall look of the instrument. Other features included a solid alder or ash body, a 1-piece maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard, adjustable Lace Sensor Precision and Jazz pickups, Schaller deluxe die-cast tuning machines, 3-ply black, parchment or 4-ply brown tortoise shell pickguard, Schaller Elite fine-tuning bridge, 3-way toggle pickup switch, master volume, series/parallel push-push button for

8217-566: The period." This bass features the same specifications as the Precision Bass Plus , but has a downsized body shape, rear-routed controls, side-mounted jack socket and a Kubicki -designed 2-band active EQ with separate stacked control pots for master volume, pickup pan, treble and bass. Introduced in 1992, it was discontinued in 1994 and replaced by the American Deluxe Precision Bass in 1995. Here are

8316-503: The pickups provide a 'hum cancelling' effect in the middle pickup position. This position eliminates the typical mains hum that is inherent in most single-coil pickups. The Jazzmaster has a mellower, 'jazzier' tone than the Stratocaster, although it was not widely embraced by jazz musicians. Instead, rock guitarists adopted it for surf rock . The Ventures , The Surfaris , and The Fireballs were prominent Jazzmaster users. One of

8415-575: The previous Blacktop model, including the relocated tailpiece. Despite numerous modernising design changes, the Standard shipped with a vintage bridge, long lambasted for its instability and frequency to buzz. The Player Jazzmaster replaced the Standard in 2018. While specs remained similar, the neck was extended to 22 frets, pickup rings were replaced with scratchplate mountings and the humbuckers replaced with more 'vintage' voiced models. Knobs and other plastic details (excluding scratchplate) were switched from black to white. In January 2013, Fender added

8514-464: The radical styling was not popular and production ceased the same year. Two other changes that were more important to the tone of the instrument also occurred in the early 1970s. From 1960 until late 1970, the two pickups on the Jazz Bass were spaced 3.6 in (91 mm) apart. The bridge pickup was then moved .4 in (10 mm) closer to the bridge, creating a spacing of 4 in (100 mm). Many players believe that this change contributed to

8613-539: The saddles and increasing clearance over the tailpiece's domed screws (this is more commonly achieved by increasing bridge height with a tapered neck pocket shim, or a factory-machined angled pocket on some models). The contentious relocated tailpiece has remained in some of the Mexican Jazzmaster line ever since. Fender has also sometimes used different, specially-designed P-90-type high-output single-coil pickups on limited lines. These P-90 pickups operated with

8712-490: The same NAMM Show, Fender also unveiled a Troy Van Leeuwen signature Jazzmaster, in honor of the Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist. The TVL Jazzmaster is based on a late 1960s Jazzmaster, with block pearloid fretboard inlays, unique gloss Oxblood finish with matching headstock, Mustang bridge, and other late 1960s-style features including a bound rosewood fingerboard and white "witch hat" knobs. This model

8811-399: The same time, Fender began using ash for most of the instrument bodies. Prior to the early 70's, most Jazz basses had bodies made of alder , except for those that were finished in a clear or ("natural") finish - for those basses, ash was nearly always the wood of choice. In the early 70s, ash bodies became increasingly common, and by 1974 ash bodies were the rule, rather than the exception. Ash

8910-1161: The specifications for the deluxe precision plus Model Name: Deluxe Precision Bass(r) Plus Model Number: 019-7600 and 019-7602 Series: U.S. Plus/Deluxe Series Body: Downsized Alder Body Neck: Maple Fingerboard: Rosewood (019-7600) or Maple (019-7602) Fretboard No. of Frets: 22 Scale Length: 34" (864 mm) Width @ Nut: 1.625" (41 mm) Hardware: Chrome Machine Heads: Fender Schaller Elite Bridge: Deluxe Plus with Fine Tuners Pickguard: N/A Pickups: 2 Silver Fender LaceTM Sensor pickups, (1 P Bass(r) and 1 J Bass(r)) Pickup Switching: Pan Pot Controls: Master Volume, Pan Pot, Master Treble Boost/Cut, Master Bass Boost/Cut Colors: (706) Black, (715) Lipstick Red, (732) Brown Sunburst, (747) Caribbean Mist, (773) Midnight Blue, (775) Midnight Wine, (780) Arctic White, (790) Blue Pearl Burst, (791) Black Pearl Burst Strings: Unique Features: Active Electronics Source: U.S. Accessories: Case U.S. MSRP: $ 1,119.99 Specifications: Prices and Specifications Subject to Change Without Notice INTRODUCED: 1992 DISCONTINUED: 1994 A 1995 brochure from Fender lists

9009-451: The spirit of the Jazzmaster, mainly to capitalize on the surf rock sound of the 1960s. Most of these manufacturers took inspiration from the Jazzmaster, but made significant changes to their finished product before bringing them to market. Foreign Jazzmaster inspired guitars with faithful pickup variants are rare, though examples of nearly identical tremolo systems were far more common. It wasn't uncommon to see modern copy variants replace

9108-405: The tailpiece in the same position, meaning the Jazzmaster's tailpiece sits closer to the bridge than it does in higher-end Fender models. This move changed the visual style of the guitar slightly making it distinct from all other Jazzmasters. While altering the visual style, the relocated tailpiece imposed solutions to two of the important setup issues in the guitar, by increasing the break angle over

9207-459: The tremolo motion. Aftermarket versions that provided more sustain and less buzz were created during the 2000s by companies such as Mastery, Staytrem and Halon. The body is larger than that of other Fender guitars, requiring a more spacious guitar case. The Jazzmaster has unique wide, white 'soapbar' pickups that are unlike any other single coil guitar pickup . Although they closely resemble Gibson 's P-90 pickups, they are constructed differently;

9306-482: Was discontinued in 2012. In the late 2000s, Fender produced limited quantities of the 1962 Jazzmaster known as Thin Skins. These were almost identical in spec to the standard AVRI Jazzmasters, with the notable exception of the finish, though some, such as those offered by Wildwood Guitars in Louisville, Colorado, offered Thin Skins with a 9.5" radius in lieu of the vintage-spec 7.25". The Thin Skins were offered in

9405-588: Was made at the Fender Custom Shop . This Custom Shop Jazz Bass was a cross between the American Vintage and the American Deluxe series . Features include an oversized select alder or premium ash body, a modern 34"-scale C-shape maple neck with an unbound rosewood, pau ferro or maple fingerboard featuring triangular pearloid block inlays and 21 medium-jumbo frets. Available in four- and five-string versions, all Custom Classic Jazz Basses came with

9504-410: Was offered in a variety of colors, and a special version in blonde was offered featuring vintage appointments instead of the 6105 fretwire and 9.5" radius fingerboard. In 2012, Fender discontinued the entirety of the American Vintage Reissue (AVRI) series, including the 1962 Jazzmaster. The line was replaced by the American Vintage (AV) series. The new series featured more accurate vintage appointments,

9603-412: Was offered only with a rosewood fingerboard. The Jazz Plus Bass was available with an alder body and the option of a natural-finish ash body on the four-string model for a $ 100 upcharge, either a maple or rosewood fretboard on the four-string and pau ferro (an exotic hardwood whose tone is brighter than rosewood yet warmer than ebony) on the five-string. The Jazz Plus debuted in 1989 (the five-string model

9702-523: Was released in 1990), but was discontinued in 1994 and replaced by the USA Deluxe Series Jazz Bass the following year. A fourth push button control is available on American-made Jazz Basses produced between mid-2003 until 2008. Known as the "S-1 Switch", this feature allows the pickups to operate in standard, parallel wiring , or alternatively in series wiring when the switch is depressed. While in series, both pickups function as

9801-441: Was subsequently replaced with the AV 1965 Jazzmaster. The current American Vintage Jazzmaster comes standard in the following colors: This series has also been offered in limited quantities in some of the following colors: As with the AVRI '62 Jazzmaster, Thin Skin models are available, also in additional Custom Colors, including: Like their vintage counterparts, pickguards come in Mint Green or Brown Shell colors, depending on

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