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1973 Jazz - Sunburst'n'Rosewood - Defintely Withdrawn.


wateroftyne
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Hi folks

[Edit December 12th - I'm in the frame of mind where I might let her go again. PM me if you're interested.]

My trusty Jazz just isn't getting played anymore. She's beautiful and marvellous, but whenever I pick her up I roll the bridge pickup off and wish she sounded more like a Precision. I've turned into a card-carrying P-nut.

You can [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohlVyNbPivk"]hear her here[/url], armed with some old-skool flatwounds and a fistful of terrible wrong notes (mental note: rehearse more).





















She's an honest player... medium weight, nicley worn finish, beautiful rosewood board (see photos). Maintained by Dave Wilson (ex-Overwater).

The neck is strong, stable and has barely needed any tweaking over the years. The truss screw is still flush with the heel. She holds tune perfectly, low action, the frets are all nice and level, no detectable dead spots, minimal fret buzz. The pickups are slightly overwound drop-in replacements from Wizard (and are therefore the dog's b*llocks).

The pickguard was orignally a black one with the thumb rest on the E side. This bass was produced during the transition and could have come out of the factory with either black or tort and the thumb rest on either side. The black guard (which the buyer can have) was warped, so I found a genuine early 70s tort and put that on instead. This required new holes to be drilled, and the thumbrest to be located to the G side. None of this work is detectable as it is all hidden by the guard.

The Thumbrest and pickups covers are Fender reissues.

The bridge is a correct Fender reissue - the original was replaced by the previous owner with a horrible 3-screw Schaller thing. You can see the 3 holes that were drilled for the Schaller in one of the photos. These holes are covered by the new bridge, and cannot be seen. Also in the photo, you can see there's a factory route where the centre screw would sit in the bridge. Fender QC at it's finest. I seem to recall my tech plugged the hole and re-drilled it... in any event, there's not question of it affecting the stability of the bridge, or the tone of the bass.

The pots & wiring is a bit of a mystery. Truth is, it sounds great so I never bothered tinkering with it. Assume the whole lot is non-orignal, though.

The Control plate is a bit mis-coloured... I'm not sure why. I tried to clean it up with no luck. I could have bought a new plate but it looks a bit funky as it is.

Umm... I think that's it. This bass is a beauty. She plays wonderfully, sounds like you expect an early 70s J to sound like, weighs about 9lbs, feels great and has ZERO issues. She is what she is!

I'm not desperate to sell her, but if someone wants to give me £1250 and can come to Newcastle to collect, I could be persuaded. I could deliver within the North East.

I'm also open to trades for an old or custom shop Precision, especially a maple-board fretless.

Ta for your time!

Edited by wateroftyne
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[quote name='Shaggy' post='78646' date='Oct 24 2007, 08:16 AM']That's a real beaut, but don't get a maple-board fretless P - they look fab but don't sound like a fretless should and the boards wear badly - get a rosewood board or ebony conversion.[/quote]

I've already got a rosewood fretless. I just want to collect the set... :)

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[quote name='wateroftyne' post='78648' date='Oct 24 2007, 08:24 AM']I've already got a rosewood fretless. I just want to collect the set... :)

[/quote]
Gobsmacked. You just can't beat 3T sunburst, tortoiseshell, & maple on an old Fender.

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That's a seriously beautiful bass. If it were three or four months time (and I've got my Lakky DJ5) I could swoop for that.

That said, how old a model Precision do you want to go? I've got a black '79, fretted rosewood board. Original pickup is long gone (it's loaded with a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder), otherwise 100% original. It's in pretty good shape, not major dings, a few suface scratches. Original Fender case.

P

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[quote name='Sibob' post='78768' date='Oct 24 2007, 12:27 PM']Beautiful!
Hate to be anal but i don't suppose you have any more close up shots of the neck joint on both sides from the front?

Cheers
Si[/quote]

Be as anal as you like! Err.. if you know what I mean. :)

Of course... I'll do that tonight.

Edited by wateroftyne
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Here we go:





I had to use the flash, which makes everything look ugly. :)

The neck pocket isn't Sadowsky territory, but it's not a remotely big gap... it's nowhere near big enough to slide a credit card into, for example. The right-hand one looks a lot worse because of the shadow.

All in all, the neck joint is rock-solid & stable.

I hope this helps... any more questions, ask away!

Edited by wateroftyne
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Why are folks so worried about neck pocket gaps? If it's 0.5mm or 2mm it ain't going to sound any different. If the neck moves in the pocket tighten the screws up! I've always preferred Fenders with a bit of a gap - with some of the Japanese Fenders you sometimes can't get a cigarette paper between the neck and the pocket, and more often than not you'll end up with paint chipping at the edge of the pocket if the neck does get a knock.

Nice bit of rosewood by the way, and it's nice to see an honest description of an older Fender.

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Hey, i didn't bad-mouth the neck pocket did i, i just wanted pictures! :huh:

[quote]If the neck moves in the pocket tighten the screws up[/quote]

A neck wouldn't move in the pocket if it was a tight fit! :)
And just for clarity, this particular gap doesn't bother me

Si

Edited by Sibob
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[quote name='BB2000' post='79207' date='Oct 25 2007, 02:57 AM']Why are folks so worried about neck pocket gaps? If it's 0.5mm or 2mm it ain't going to sound any different. If the neck moves in the pocket tighten the screws up! I've always preferred Fenders with a bit of a gap - with some of the Japanese Fenders you sometimes can't get a cigarette paper between the neck and the pocket, and more often than not you'll end up with paint chipping at the edge of the pocket if the neck does get a knock.[/quote]

Why can't Fender just get it right? The neck is meant to fit snug in the pocket yet for some reason 1/2 the time it doesn't. It's a small example (and I agree, I doubt it affects the sound of the instrument) but it's one of many to add to the list of Fender's very poor consistency.

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[quote name='thumbo' post='79314' date='Oct 25 2007, 11:56 AM']Why can't Fender just get it right? The neck is meant to fit snug in the pocket yet for some reason 1/2 the time it doesn't. It's a small example (and I agree, I doubt it affects the sound of the instrument) but it's one of many to add to the list of Fender's very poor consistency.[/quote]

Ah, but like so many examples of the fairer sex, it's the imperfections that create the magic :)
Chris

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I have a wonderful Precision on sale here on basschat , maple fretboard , natural black pickguard..of 1977 all original..i can consider a trade with your jazz...
you can check out pictures at my web site www.bassoffice.tk ..let me know what you think
cheers

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[quote name='Beedster' post='79319' date='Oct 25 2007, 12:06 PM']Ah, but like so many examples of the fairer sex, it's the imperfections that create the magic :huh:
Chris[/quote]

Exactly, definitely don't tell them you wish they were tighter! :)

Si

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[quote name='Hiperi0n' post='79322' date='Oct 25 2007, 12:12 PM']I have a wonderful Precision on sale here on basschat , maple fretboard , natural black pickguard..of 1977 all original..i can consider a trade with your jazz...
you can check out pictures at my web site www.bassoffice.tk ..let me know what you think
cheers[/quote]

Hello Hiperi0n!

Ta for your offer... lovely bass, but not quite what I'm after (whatever that may be!).

Good luck with the sale.

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I have a 75 PB maple fretted but i c u have one of those, me thinks a thinner jazz neck might suit me better[quote name='wateroftyne' post='79335' date='Oct 25 2007, 12:39 PM']Hello Hiperi0n!

Ta for your offer... lovely bass, but not quite what I'm after (whatever that may be!).

Good luck with the sale.[/quote]

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