NBD - my "signature" Jazz Bass

[Rexel Matador]

I've finally accepted that the fine people at Fender are never going to call and offer me a signature model, so I've taken matters into my own hands:

 

 

 

I've gone for a "what if Jim Root played bass?" kind of vibe.

 

Allparts body

EMG JX pickups

LHZ preamp (just a fun experiment as they usually go in Spectors with PJ pickups. Sounds pretty good though. Way more natural and "woody" than I was expecting. The bass and treble controls are on the stacked pot in between the two volumes. It's in that position because I accidentally enlarged the wrong hole, but I quite like how it looks and have convinced myself that it's a logical place for it!

 

Hipshot Kickass bridge and ultralite tuners.

 

The neck is a Fender Player 2 neck. Lovely rolled edges, but came with lacquer all over the frets. I've done a level crown and polish, so it's all gone now.

 

Tuned to BEAD. Discovering tapered B strings has been a revelation to me. It sounds and feels great, even at the standard 34 inch scale length.

 

It's bothering me a bit that the pickup screws, jack nut and saddle springs are not black - might have to sort that out in due course!

Edited November 3, 2025 by Rexel Matador

[Sté]

Very graphic result. I dig it. 

[HeadlessBassist]

Fender should actually make something like that. A more vintage-modern version of a Hotrod Jazz. I like it a lot. 

[Bassassin]

Love it. I'm not normally a fan of black hardware on a Jazz but that white/black/maple aesthetic really works.

 

And I'm a complete sucker for a maple/dots J neck. 😎