derrickcook19941 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 so i've got this bass, it was my friends dad who bought it in the 70s. its got a natural finish, its glossy, even on the neck. both the fretboard and the neck are maple. only thing is the head stock says "fender jazz bass" and yet its a p bass neck and body. so its obviously fake, also on the back of the neck the screwplate has "made in japan" engraved on it. no stamping on the neck anywhere, nor the insides. it has a black/red/orange swirl pickguard that i think is marketed as "lava" and has a single lipstick looking pickup. looks a ton like the neck pup on a tele. it originally came with a pickup cover and thumb rest which i have removed (i play with a pick). it sounds very warm and all around a great bass but i want to know more about where this came from! can anyone help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickcook19941 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 picture ignore how creepy my former bandmate is eight1echo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billya Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Back in the 60s-70s there were bootlegs being made in Asia because people couldn't afford American Fenders and there weren't any being made in Mexico. Google "lawsuit era Fenders". This could be one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickcook19941 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Back in the 60s-70s there were bootlegs being made in Asia because people couldn't afford American Fenders and there weren't any being made in Mexico. Google "lawsuit era Fenders". This could be one of those. ive tried but everything is so garbled and hard to sift through. its just funny because the headstock says jazz bass when this is pure p bass haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickcook19941 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 also this actually says fender on the headstock. i literally dont even know where to start with this bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Is it a jazz neck or precision? It may actually be a real fender that copped a little abuse and then had a replacement bolted on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 The main thing though, is that it sounds good and plays smooth. Nothing else will really matter until it comes time to sell it. And anyone looking for a vintage fender probably has a good idea of what's going on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylekrische Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Have you popped off the pick guard? See if the body has any routing etc. in it. That lipstick pick up may be a good way to figure out what it is if it was actually made with that pick up in it. If someone just replaced it then it's going to be harder to figure out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusted_By_Space Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 There is so much wrong with that picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickman31 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 It could be a legit bass with a new neck. People used to put tele necks on strats and vice versa FangsAnalSatan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradedOnACurve Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 It could be a legit bass with a new neck. People used to put tele necks on strats and vice versa This. A Frankenstein maybe. I have a Lefty 57 P Bass Reissue that was Crafted In Japan (as opposed to the 90's and earlier MIJ one.) I bought most of the parts from one seller on ebay and then had it assembled with a Black Warmoth pick guard, Badass Bridge, and Duncan Quarter Pounders. It could also have parts from companies like Warmoth. People sometimes have custom pieces made by Warmoth and then they have someone slap a Fender logo on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgato48 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Could be a real one. I owned a Mark Hoppus signature bass which is J and P bass hybrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickcook19941 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 ok some clarifying points: -This bass is from the mid 70s, when my friends dad bought it. -The neck is a P Bass Neck and the body is a P Bass Body -The headstock says Fender Jazz Bass on it even though the neck is CLEARLY a P Bass neck (Nut Width is very telltale) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradedOnACurve Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 A serial number would be a giveaway. http://www.vintagerocker.com/fender/serial_numbers.html http://www.guitarrepairbench.com/guitar-dating/fender-serial-number.html If you can't trace the serial number for parts, it probably is an aftermarket part with the Fender decal slapped on. You may have to take it apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Did your friend's dad buy it new or used in the 70s? Any better pics of the headstock and neckplate? It is definitely a Japanese Fender copy from the 70s, can't comment on the specific brand though. It may or may not have come from the factory with the Fender decal, as I believe some of the companies left the headstocks blank, and then people would just apply their own Fender decal, regardless of which kind of bass it was (hence the new/used question). The trussrod cover leads me to believe the neck is the original. I used to have a Univox Precisely bass, which was a p-bass clone, but it had a slightly different p-bass pickup and said Univox on the headstock. I have a 63 p-bass and a 75 j-bass, and can say the Univox felt just as great. Basically I just love old basses, so let me close by saying killer axe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickcook19941 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Did your friend's dad buy it new or used in the 70s? Any better pics of the headstock and neckplate? It is definitely a Japanese Fender copy from the 70s, can't comment on the specific brand though. It may or may not have come from the factory with the Fender decal, as I believe some of the companies left the headstocks blank, and then people would just apply their own Fender decal, regardless of which kind of bass it was (hence the new/used question). The trussrod cover leads me to believe the neck is the original. I used to have a Univox Precisely bass, which was a p-bass clone, but it had a slightly different p-bass pickup and said Univox on the headstock. I have a 63 p-bass and a 75 j-bass, and can say the Univox felt just as great. Basically I just love old basses, so let me close by saying killer axe! pretty sure he bought it new, and yeah i have no idea, but indeed, i love my bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FangsAnalSatan Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I can't quite tell from the photo but it could be a legitimate Frankenstein, because I think the J-Bass's necks were like that from '70 to '76, before they advanced the rear pickups a 1/4" or however far it was, but I'm not scholar on boot Fenders. All in all, boo on using a pick. Finger master race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afireinside7444 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 www.talkbass.com They will prob have it properly ID's by the end of the day get some good close up pics. Prob built by matsumoku in Japan and a Jazz decal added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickcook19941 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 found it. this bass has been modified with a new pickguard and neckplate and tuners but this is definitely my bass, styles right, woods right, all the little nuances are right, and even the era (76) is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickcook19941 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 wait forget it, theres some things about that bass on the photobucket that dont add up, so case is back open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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