vintage style Jazz basses (and actual vintage)

[Pow_22]

So,after years as a p bass player my recent band is really suiting my bitsa Jazz.  This is quite a well paid gigging band and i want to treat myself to a new jazz.  Im very much a fan of the 70's styling - rosewood, block inlays etc and do lean towards a 'vintage' type tone.  Ive seen a reasonably priced genuine 77 jazz bass that looks brilliant, would scratch my vintage bass 'itch' and is with a reputable seller.  Secondly I've also seen a AVRI 75 which again is aesthetically bang on but obviously not actual vintage.  Thirdly ive seen a few MIJ 70's reissues that nail the vibe albeit with incorrect pup spacing.

 

Pricing wise it varies from £2500 for the vintage, £1400 for the AVRI and circa £950 for the MIJ.  Heart is with the 77 but head tells me the AVRI will be the better bass.  Ive always loved the MIJ basses but they generally need a pickup upgrade which ill need to factor in, the other 2 options are plug and play.  Has anyone compared the AVRI's to genuine 70's basses?  I know weight is one consideration as the 77 ive seen is in boat anchor territory but ive also heard the AVRI necks are very deep (front to back) and not inkeeping with the models on which they are based

Edited April 15 by Pow_22

[luckman67]

Last year my friend brought over is newly acquired '78 Jazz Bass which, he paid around £1300 which was a very good bargain indeed. He did some work on the back of the neck and the result was amazing I still, can't get over how good that neck felt in my hand it felt amazing.

Your right about the weight though it was very heavy it reminded me of my old,Peavey T40. It really was a great feeling & playing bass through my Rumble 200 combo.I didn't want to give him it back. H gave me the thumbrest that was on it which now is on my 2014 Am.Std Precision.

 

[jd56hawk]

You might want to consider Bacchus and G&L..some of the best Jazz basses made.

[ead]

I think I remember from somewhere that the MIJ ones are actually 60s positioned pickups.

[ossyrocks]

I have two J's at the moment, a vintage '73 and a 2003 '75 AVRI. They are quite different, the AVRI is natural/maple/black blocks, and the '73 is classic SB/Rosewood/Tort.

 

The AVRI is light, maybe 8 1/2 lbs, the '73 is about 9lbs 2oz. They sound very different, the '73 is mellow and deep, but can get honky on the back pickup if you need it. The AVRI is much more what you would expect a Jazz to sound like, and can get very funky on the back pickup. I've not had a MIJ, but I had a MIM Roadworn. It was nice to play and very light, but I did have to change the loom and the pickups. I have an '87 MIJ P bass which is a very well made instrument, but again, changed loom and pickup.

 

If it were me making the decision for you, and you could only buy one bass, I would be looking for a vintage one but at a reasonable weight.

Good luck!

Rob

Edited April 17 by ossyrocks

[Belka]

On 15/04/2024 at 14:14, Pow_22 said:

 Thirdly ive seen a few MIJ 70's reissues that nail the vibe albeit with incorrect pup spacing.

It's worth saying that from sometime in the mid-late 2000s Fender Japan started using the correct '70s spacing on their reissues. These later basses are also a lot lighter than the '80s/90s versions, which get into boat anchor territory like the originals.

On 15/04/2024 at 14:14, Pow_22 said:

 

 

[risingson]

I’ve owned a 74 Jazz in the past which sounded great but on the heavy side. Any later I’ve found the quality to be inconsistent and seemingly from the late 70s onwards very much so. 
 

I think the AVRIs are really good and especially the ones they made in the early 2010s. I’d also consider a custom shop second hand for your budget. I know this might prove controversial but my experience is that if you want an older feeling instrument they do walk a pretty good line on replicating it. 

[Lozz196]

I had one of the Fender Mex Classic 70s Jazzes and it was a very nice bass, def worth checking out.

[Pow_22]

10 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I had one of the Fender Mex Classic 70s Jazzes and it was a very nice bass, def worth checking out.

 I do like the look of those but seen a lot of horror stories about the neck/truss breaking.  Plenty of photos online of the first block marker popping out and truss rods maxed.  They absolutely look the part tho and have entered my thoughts

[Burns-bass]

Genuine vintage can be problematic. Sometimes they’re light, play great and work flawlessly. Others are dogs.

 

Dont ever buy one without trying it.

 

The recent US 70s jazz basses are all ace and I’d spend my cash on that if I needed a reliable working instrument.

 

Vintage for show, modern for dough (etc).

 

The Geddy Lee Jap jazz bass is exceptional if you can find a good one.

[Reggaebass]

I had one of the Fender  Classic 70s Jazzes for a long time, really nice jazzes, the necks are deeper than a standard jazz 

[Reggaebass]

I’m different in that I buy my vintage basses to play and not for show, I happily play them anywhere and they’ve never let me down 

[walshy]

@Pow_22 I have a 78 and an ‘66 stacked pot AVRI in atm if you wanna come and try? Not sure how close you are to Hexham? 
 

@AndyTravis has played them and I’m sure he will let you know what they’re like 

Edited April 18 by walshy

[sshorepunk]

I picked up a 2005 75 AVRI at weekend, not weighed it, but feels good to me, estimate it at around 9

Sounds great 

really nice neck on a 75, I think a 74 is chunkier, but same width, 

 

whilst I was looking, I also looked at Japanese 70’s jazz basses, noticed some have correct pick up spacing for 70’s and some don’t, probably depends when made 

 

a few things to consider when looking at these basses 

 

Tony 

 

Edited April 22 by sshorepunk

[LeftyJ]

On 15/04/2024 at 15:14, Pow_22 said:

Thirdly ive seen a few MIJ 70's reissues that nail the vibe albeit with incorrect pup spacing.

 

Pricing wise it varies from £2500 for the vintage, £1400 for the AVRI and circa £950 for the MIJ.  Heart is with the 77 but head tells me the AVRI will be the better bass.  Ive always loved the MIJ basses but they generally need a pickup upgrade which ill need to factor in, the other 2 options are plug and play.  Has anyone compared the AVRI's to genuine 70's basses?  I know weight is one consideration as the 77 ive seen is in boat anchor territory but ive also heard the AVRI necks are very deep (front to back) and not inkeeping with the models on which they are based

 

I have a MIJ '75 RI from around 2003. It does have the incorrect pickup spacing (60s style) but as you commented you lean towards a more vintage tone, I would say that it isn't a bad thing necessarily. Still, the woods chosen (heavy ash body) and the somewhat thicker '70s style U-shaped neck (which is in fact very much in keeping with the originals) add to the proper '70s vibe and tone. The weight on the '70s ash models is always a consideration, as the originals can be quite heavy too 

 

I would like to add that the Japanese JB75US models don't require a pickup upgrade at all, as they're fitted stock with American-made vintage reissue pickups which sound excellent. The pots can be a different story, and it's often worth upgrading those to something with a smoother curve. 

 

I modded mine with a Hipshot Xtender (and changed the other tuners to the same model Hipshot for the hell of it and to match the shine, as the original Gotohs had much more patina), a Badass II and at first I had an Audere JZ3T preamp in it but I didn't like it so switched back to passive but with a 6dB bass boost under a rotary switch to match the appearance of the other knobs. I had the jack moved to the side of the body, and had a battery box routed in the back. I kept the stock pickups, as they're excellent. 

 

Here it is before the preamp was added:

 

 

[Misdee]

The fat chunky necks on the Fender AVRI basses applies to the 1974 reissue rather than the 1975 version that preceded it. Even then, somehow that '74 neck is still pretty playable, probably because it has a narrower than usual nut width for a Jazz Bass. Those Reissue '74 Fender pickups are really good, too.

 

FWIW, I've had a fair few '70's Jazz Basses back in  the day and you can find the odd jem and some sound really good, but none I have ever owned were a patch on some of the better modern examples in terms of being well made practical instruments. I love the 1970's basses styling, but for  playability, durability and practicality I opt for newer examples. A reissue or any nice  Fender Jazz Bass with the right vibe is a really good option in my opinion. 

Edited April 22 by Misdee