Phil Maneri’s
BASS
LAB
Jaco ripped the frets from his ‘62 Jazz Bass® in the ‘70s and freaked out every bass player that heard him play. He was a game-changer player and everyone who has more than a passing interest in the instrument knows him and his sound. Fender didn’t make a fretless Jazz at the time, but has made plenty of fretless Jazz Basses since. This latest version sounds fantastic, plays perfectly, and can be had for under $1,600. Did I mention it’s American Made? Yeah, this is good stuff.
In classic ‘60s fashion, it features an alder body and maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. It features a classic three-tone sunburst paint, and every dimension is within a fraction of how they made them in the ‘60s. The pickups are a newer design (blending alnico 5 and alnico 2 magnets), but they have the vintage look. The pickup cavities and control cavity are not shielded – just like the originals. However, there was no noise detected by the absence of shielding. The new fluted keys and HiMass™ bridge are updated to more precise modern standards, without deviating much from the standards Leo set, originally.
Much like the American Professional Precision 5-string, this bass does feature a measurable neck pocket gap. This does seem unusual in the era of CNC fabrication. Most of the Fenders I have seen from the Mexican factory have little to no neck pocket gap. Having said that, the original ‘60s necks often had much larger gaps, so in the end, it has little sonic effect on the tone and playability.
The finish is thick polyurethane; I do wish they’d paint their stuff thinner. Regardless, it looks great everywhere you look at it. The design is classic J-bass all around, save for a slightly flatter fingerboard radius. It plays great and can adjust any way you might want it to be.
This is a ‘60s style Jazz Bass that looks like a vintage Fender, sounds similar to a vintage Fender and costs under $1,600. Like its brother, this bass should be at the top of most peoples’ under $2,000 shopping list.
Fender American Professional
Jazz Bass Fretless®
CONFIGURATION
| Strings: | 4 |
| Style: | Double cutaway |
| Overall Length: | 46” |
| Body Dimension: | 20” long x 13 ½” wide at lower bout |
| Body Contouring: | Moderate |
| Weight: | 8.6 lbs |
NECK
| Scale length: | 34” |
| Neck width at nut: | 1.519” |
| Neck width at 12th fret: | 2.220” |
| Neck width at joint: | 2.4” |
| Neck thickness at nut: | .965” |
| Neck thickness at 1st fret: | .800” |
| Neck thickness at 12th fret: | .917” |
| Neck thickness at joint: | 1.031” |
| String spacing at nut: | .342” |
| String spacing at saddle: | .756” |
| Fingerboard radius: | 9.5” |
| Descriptor for neck shape: | Slim C |
| Peghead break angle: | 6-9 deg |
| Bridge break angle: | 16-36 deg |
| Afterlength at nut: | 1 5/8” to 7 1/16” |
| Afterlength at saddle: | 1 ¾ to 2” (strings through-body) |
| Attachment: | Bolt-on |
| Pocket gap: | .017” |
| Truss rod type/access: | Compression rod / body end |
| Fret count: | Fretless, room for 22 |
| Fretwire: | N/A |
ELECTRONICS
| Pickups: | V-Mod Single-Coil Jazz Bass |
| Pickup location(s): | 10 7/8” and 14 ½” from 12th fret |
| Electronics: | N/A |
| Controls: | Volume, volume, tone |
| Shielding: | None |
| Preamp circuit voltage: | N/A |
CONSTRUCTION
| Body Material: | Alder |
| Neck Material: | Maple (with Posiflex™ bars) |
| Fingerboard: | Rosewood (lined) |
| Body Finish: | Gloss polyurethane (3-Color Sunburst) |
| Neck Finish: | Satin urethane |
HARDWARE
| Strings: | Fender USA Bass 9050L stainless steel flatwound |
| Gauge: | .045, .065, .085, .105 |
| Attachment: | At bridge, or through-body |
| Bridge/material: | HiMass Vintage, chrome |
| Nut: | Bone |
| Tuners/color: | Fender Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle w/ Tapered Shafts / chrome |
| Knobs/color: | Vintage Style Plastic / black |
| Pickguard: | 3-ply (mint green) |
| Control cavity cover: | N/A |
GENERAL
| Company: | Fender Musical Instrument 17600 N. Perimeter Drive, Suite 100 Scottsdale, AZ 85255 Phone: 480.596.9690 Fax: 480.596.1384 Email: consumerrelations@fender.com http://www.fender.com/ |
| Price: | $1,549.99 |
| Warranty: | Limited lifetime, non-transferrable |
| Options: | None |
| Accessories: | Elite Molded Case (included) |
| Available colors: | 3-Color Sunburst/Rosewood, Black/Rosewood, and Sonic Gray/Rosewood |
| Acquired from: | Fender USA |
| Dates: | Winter 2019 |
| Locals: | Illinois, Ohio |
| Test gear: | Gallien-Krueger MB 800, Aviom/in-ears |
TEST RESULTS
1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)
In-hand
| Features: | 3 |
| Tonal Flexibility: | 3 |
| Ease of Use: | 4 |
| Aesthetics: | 4 |
| Ergonomics: | 4 |
| Tone: | 4 |
| Value: | 5 |
In-hand Score 3.86average
On-bench Score 4.75average
On-bench
| Overall construction | 4 |
| Wood choice | 5 |
| Materials choice | 5 |
| Joinery | 3 |
| Fretwork | 5 |
| Fit and Finish of adornments | 5 |
| Quality of finish work | 4 |
| Ease of repair | 5 |
| Potential range of setup | 5 |
| Balance on knee | 5 |
| Balance on strap | 5 |
| Overall electronic quality | 5 |
| Solder joints, wire runs | 5 |
| Clarity | 5 |
| Noise | 5 |
| Shielding | N/A |
| Quality for Price Range | 5 |
SONIC PROFILE:
Low: Round and clear
Mids: Forward, but easily controlled with blending
Highs: Somewhat subdued from the flatwounds, but otherwise clear and precise
TONE-O-METER:
This bass faithfully represents the classic J-bass fretless sound all the way. It’s got all the popular tones and sounds that made the fretless J-bass a classic. A fat neck pickup, and a growly bridge pickup, with an easy to play neck make this bass a winner.
