NBD: Slightly modified Fender Flea Jazz

[HeadlessBassist]

Alternative title, "I'm not buying that one - it's all scratched!"

 

Alas, poor Nate has gone. It was a lovely bass, but I don't gig Precisions. It's not my sound.

 

So here's [yet] another Jazz bass... 

 

Previous owner has added a Parallel/Series switch (like Fender's original S1 switching), quite why, I have no idea. Also a Leo Quan BadAss II bridge, which is an excellent choice, although I'd have preferred the Fender American Standard/Professional bridge with the through body stringing. I guess you can't have everything.

 

Liking the Shell Pink finish and the Pure Vintage 64 pickups (same as my American Original), but the relic job is VERY heavy handed. Then again, I could've been playing it since 1961 (eight years before I was born... 🤔)

 

Like I said in the Nate Mendel for sale thread, I haven't kicked this around a gravel car park, but some Mexicans in Ensenada probably have.

 

 

 

With it's American Original cousin...

 

Edited Monday at 21:42 by HeadlessBassist

[police squad]

these are great basses

I bought one when they first came out and gigged it a lot

best jazz bass pickups I've heard

[HeadlessBassist]

1 hour ago, police squad said:

these are great basses

I bought one when they first came out and gigged it a lot

best jazz bass pickups I've heard

 

 

Agreed. With the right set of strings, the Pure Vintage 64's are just about the richest sounding Fender single coils. The American Original has the same set.

I couldn't get PV64's for silky999's prototype Daphne Blue Nitro Jazz, so I've ordered a set of the newer Pure Vintage 66's from the Am.Vintage II to go in that one.

 

Edited Monday at 08:33 by HeadlessBassist

[BassApprentice]

It's funny that two of the most well liked Fender signature basses are from rocks bassists from the 90s (or late 80s if you will) and are both roadworn/reliced.

 

Might be nothing in those two coincidences but just crossed my mind there. 

[HeadlessBassist]

11 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

It's funny that two of the most well liked Fender signature basses are from rocks bassists from the 90s (or late 80s if you will) and are both roadworn/reliced.

 

Might be nothing in those two coincidences but just crossed my mind there. 

 

Yes, interesting coincidence, although I do generally like things to be shiny, new and well looked after. Maybe they both spent their childhoods in bedrooms full of broken toys..?

 

At least with these reliced basses, you're definitely not worried about scratching them! 🤣

Edited Monday at 08:46 by HeadlessBassist

[Lozz196]

I played a mates one very briefly and was impressed, it just felt "right" if that makes any sense.

 

And yes, thinking about it the Flea, Nate & JMJ are all Mexican reliced signature basses, and the ones that get rave reviews pretty much everywhere. 

[HeadlessBassist]

I guess they're basically the follow on models to the previous Road Worn Jazz and the Highway 1, both of which were universally loved. Same basic recipe with some added 'Signature Bass' dollars added on.

[Stub Mandrel]

I love mine. It's so eady to play and dounds so good it does any gig where I want a stress free time.

 

Suits Fender 7250 nickel plated strings really well.

 

I spent a good while tweaking the relicing to look more natural and checked it with freezer spray. Bought as a cheap way to get a great early-60s style bass. Relic/signature were not sought but aren't an issue, in fact I love the relaxed played-in feel.

 

[HeadlessBassist]

Lovely collection you have there too, @Stub Mandrel. Especially liking your Sire P10. I had the V10 for a while. It was a great bass.

[HeadlessBassist]

There’s something satisfying about little finishing touches - my genuine Fender Road Worn™️ strap buttons arrived in the post today…

 

Edited Thursday at 12:08 by HeadlessBassist

[Geek99]

On 04/08/2025 at 16:16, Stub Mandrel said:

I love mine. It's so eady to play and dounds so good it does any gig where I want a stress free time.

 

Suits Fender 7250 nickel plated strings really well.

 

I spent a good while tweaking the relicing to look more natural and checked it with freezer spray. Bought as a cheap way to get a great early-60s style bass. Relic/signature were not sought but aren't an issue, in fact I love the relaxed played-in feel.

 

I’ve played yours and liked it a lot 

[Sambrook]

On 04/08/2025 at 16:16, Stub Mandrel said:

I love mine. It's so eady to play and dounds so good it does any gig where I want a stress free time.

 

Suits Fender 7250 nickel plated strings really well.

 

I spent a good while tweaking the relicing to look more natural and checked it with freezer spray. Bought as a cheap way to get a great early-60s style bass. Relic/signature were not sought but aren't an issue, in fact I love the relaxed played-in feel.

 

What's freezer spray, precious? 

[Geek99]

Instant freeze used by plumbers to temporarily freeze a pipe so they can work 

[Joe Nation]

Keyboard cleaner spray works too.

[Stub Mandrel]

10 hours ago, Sambrook said:

What's freezer spray, precious? 

 

Pipe freezing spray sold by Wikes, Screwfix etc. For temporarily blocking water pipes. Judiciously applied to a nitro finish it causes the same cracking of the finish as decades of less dramatic temperature changes. 

[Sambrook]

Cheers...

[Stub Mandrel]

This shows where I used the edge of a knife to scrape some of the marks together and make them look a bit more 'natural'.

 

Also you can see the 'checking' which I highlighted by rubbing in oily dirt from my lathe's chip tray...

 

Obviously this is a very much a matter personal taste.

 

 

[HeadlessBassist]

That looks good, SM. I keep wondering what the little round dents are supposed to be, or what happened to Flea's '61 from which these basses were copied?

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

That looks good, SM. I keep wondering what the little round dents are supposed to be, or what happened to Flea's '61 from which these basses were copied?

 

If I had the courage I'd attack a few of the dents to get a wider range of shapes...

[HeadlessBassist]

I read the story on Reddit from the guy who gave the original '61 to Flea, and ended up getting a prototype signed Modulus in return. Apparently he paid $6000 for it at a store in LA. 

Edited 23 hours ago by HeadlessBassist

[HeadlessBassist]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

If I had the courage I'd attack a few of the dents to get a wider range of shapes...

 

No, I'm not brave enough to try and modify mine much, either.

 

Looking at my American Original [which I've had for nearly seven years], the nitro finish is just starting to show tiny flakes in places here and there, but we're talking pin-hole sized dots. No checking, though.

[Chris2112]

I've always wanted to try one of these, they look great and I presume they make all the right J-bass sounds, which are always pleasing to my ear (whereas the Precision tone really does nothing for me unless it's very bright and played with a pick, and even then...).

 

I always thought the relic finish looked good but I've never inspected one up close to see if it looked really authentic or not. It wouldn't fuss me that much, I've always thought they looked good in pictures and when I've seen them on the racks at guitar shops etc. 

[HeadlessBassist]

51 minutes ago, Chris2112 said:

I've always wanted to try one of these, they look great and I presume they make all the right J-bass sounds, which are always pleasing to my ear (whereas the Precision tone really does nothing for me unless it's very bright and played with a pick, and even then...).

 

I always thought the relic finish looked good but I've never inspected one up close to see if it looked really authentic or not. It wouldn't fuss me that much, I've always thought they looked good in pictures and when I've seen them on the racks at guitar shops etc. 

 

Yes, it's definitely got all the right ingredients - alder/maple construction, Nitro-Cellulose finish [to allow it to breathe/speak] & Pure Vintage 64 pickups. It's got that rich early 60's Jazz Bass sound with enough top end sparkle, but not over the top.

 

As for the Road Worn finish, the body really does look like it's been kicked around a car park by a bunch of Mexicans on their lunch break. 🤣 The pattern of wear seems to match Flea's original 61 very well. This one is a 2019 bass, so I'd imagine they've gotten pretty good at the process since the original RW instruments were launched ten years earlier in 2009.

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by HeadlessBassist

[Mickeyboro]

Amazing how many people come up after gigs and say ‘that’s had a hard life’…

 

Also, its the only bass I have owned a drummer has complimented sound-wise🤔

[HeadlessBassist]

 

46 minutes ago, Mickeyboro said:

Amazing how many people come up after gigs and say ‘that’s had a hard life’…

 

Also, its the only bass I have owned a drummer has complimented sound-wise🤔

 

I guess if the average Joe Public looks in a music shop, everything looks shiny and new.

 

I'm in the fortunate position where the singer/guitarist I've worked with for about 35 years regularly says that I have the best bass sound he's ever heard. However, that's just in trio/duo situations. In the live tribute show, my sound is thoroughly buried by five other noise makers. Ah well.