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Fender Power Jazz Bass Special, White Mid 80's

Prime_BASS

By Prime_BASS,
in Basses For Sale

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Prime_BASS Experienced

Prime_BASS

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Mid 80's White Fender Power Jazz Bass Special. It's basically a Duff McKagen artist bass, but with an active circuit, which is the "power" part.

Dont get confussed by the Jazz name, it's a precision special with a Jazz neck.

Ok I try and keep this short and simple.
Precision body, Jazz neck (22 frets)and P/J loaded. Pickup selector to switch between J pickup, J/P or just the P pickup. The P pickup is reverse mounted also to give a a warmer lower tone to the higher strings.
1 master volume.
1 Fender TBX control, treble/bass cut. Has a middle detent on the sweep for a flat tone, turn one way its cuts bass turn the other it cuts treble.
1 mini toggle switch. Switches from passive to Mid boost to Low boost. This switch controls the active tone circuit, the ATE circuit.
1 frequency sweep knob. This is bypassed when the mini toggle is off(passive) and all the standard Precision special passive tones are available.
when the mini toggle is in mid or low boost mode this controls the frequency which is being boosted, I don't know however the parameters of the frequencys, or whether it's shelved or not.
Battery compartment for the active circuit is located on the back, and is screwed in.
This is all Original

I installed a Quarter pounder P and a duncan designed J, as the standard J was weak and I had the duncan spare. The quarter pounder does sound better to me than the standard it has a flatter and hotter response. I still have the original Pickups and can install these if you wanted, although the J may need a rewinding or its just old and tired.

I will install the original knobs as soon as and replace a missing screw in one of the machine heads

Here's a link to a talkbass thread I found on it. [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=192864"]Talkbass fender power jazz thread.[/url]

and here's a adobe PDF file from fender on it. [url="http://support.fender.com/manuals/instr_owners/Jazz_Bass_Special_Japan_1987.pdf"]Fender manual from 1987.[/url] this is actually wrong I think as mine has a TBX control instead of a standard tone control.

This is a versatile P-bass, it does standard passive P-bass tones to some thick lead jazz tones with the active circuit engaged. You can get a great slap tone by using the low boost and setting the tone knob to the middle detent with both pickups selected, best I've heard anyway.
Even with just the P/U selector you can get a standard P, to a suitble less thumpy P to a standard jazz bass tone.
The active circuit is hard to describe, the only way to describe the low boost when the sweep is set really low is like the "low" button on some amps, never really played with the mid boost as it suits a mid scooped EQ better.
Ive usually only used it when I need to rage with my fingers to killing in the name, and as such would suit some of you heavy metallers out there or harder rock. It has a lot of natural treble which can be EQed out with the basses controls, but again I played it mainly with fingers and slapping.

This is a great playing and sounding bass, the neck is nice and fast and those extra frets do make a bit of difference.
It just isnt for me. I prefer the Jag's 2 band EQ and series/parallel switch, and it doesn't have the same mid range growl I'm used to hearing.
Doesnt get used with my band which is a shame as it would suit some songs that have a heavy churos, but I prefer doing more melodic soloing during songs which to me sounds better with my jaguar than this bass. It does do incredibly low and thumpy sound which is perfect for heavy guitar backing and some drop tuning, but drop D is as far as I go, and the electronics are much quieter than my Jaguar, as I think some one has shielded the cavities in its life time, for the better.

Trade options:
Some kind of White, yellow or very light brown sunburst CIJ or MIJ Fender Jazz bass, prefer a maple F'board too.
Anything with 2 Jazz single coils, again White or yellow.
Any kinda hollowbody with a 32" and longer scale.
Any dual humbucker loaded bass
Earlier the better Fender Mustang, again White or yellow, mustn't need a pickup change.
Any EBMM
Dean stylist cabbie bass.

For the sake of rules and keeping options open, a sale price would be a firm £500, Id would rather trade it as It would save me time clearing funds and I stop me using the funds to buy something stupid I dont need,

That's a big range but if it doesn't fit please just offer me, you never know

Photo's.
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Edited by Prime_BASS
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Prime_BASS Experienced

Prime_BASS

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[quote name='silddx' post='834362' date='May 11 2010, 04:20 PM']My mate has one of those, exactly the same. Loves it, and it's one of the nicest Fenders I've played.[/quote]

it is a very nice bass, plays very well, it's a shame I not a P bass kinda guy.

Hopefully some one will give it the use it deserves.

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OldGit Mentor

OldGit

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[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='834387' date='May 11 2010, 04:42 PM']it is a very nice bass, plays very well, it's a shame I not a P bass kinda guy.

Hopefully some one will give it the use it deserves.[/quote]


If that's anything like the P-Lyte than it's most likely not a P-bass kinda bass :)

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