However, Fender's own history is clearly incorrect, as there are unquestionably examples of Jazz basses made in late 1970 that use the 4' pickup spacing. According to Fender itself, this change happened in 1972. Many players believe that this change contributed to a somewhat brighter tone from the bridge pickup. 4 in (10 mm) closer to the bridge, creating a spacing of 4 in (100 mm). From 1960 until late 1970, the two pickups on the Jazz Bass were spaced 3.6 in (91 mm) apart. Two other changes that were more important to the tone of the instrument also occurred in the early 1970s. In 1986, Fender introduced the Japanese-made Fender Performer Bass, also with micro-tilt neck, designed by John Page and intended to be an Elite version of the Jazz Bass however, the radical styling was not popular and production ceased the same year. White pickup covers and a pickguard/control plate were introduced the same year. Fender also switched to the three-bolt neck 'micro-tilt adjustable' neck and the 'bullet' truss rod in mid-to-late 1974, before reverting to the more standard four-bolt neck fixing and dot-shaped fretboard markers in 1983. Fender switched to pearloid blocks/binding on all necks in mid-to-late 1973. At first, necks with rosewood fretboards received pearloid blocks/binding, and maple fretboard necks received black. Block-shaped fingerboard inlays and an optional maple fingerboard were introduced after 1966/67. During 1965/66, the Jazz Bass received bound rosewood fingerboards with pearloid dot position inlays (which replaced the older 'clay'-style of the early 1960s) and oval-shaped tuning machines. Over the following years, as the use of mutes gradually declined, both the Precision and Jazz Bass models eventually began to be produced without bridge/tailpiece covers.Ī number of cosmetic changes were made to the instrument when CBS purchased the Fender companies in 1965. Those felt mutes were not a tremendous success and were replaced by a cheaper, more simple foam mute glued underneath the bridge cover, as was used by the Precision Bass from 1963 onwards. The mutes were designed to dampen the overtones and the sustain they were screwed in place between the bridge and aft pickup. Another feature the initial models had were the 'Spring Felt Mutes', which were present on basses from 1960 until 1962. Despite this new feature, many stacked knob models were made until about 1962. In late 1961, it received three control knobs: one volume knob for each pickup and a third to control the overall tone. Original instruments with this stacked configuration are highly valued in the vintage guitar market. The original Jazz Bass had two stacked knob pots with volume and tone control for each pickup. The original intention of the instrument was to appeal to upright bass players. While the Precision Bass was originally styled similarly to the Telecaster guitar, the Jazz Bass' styling was inspired by the Jazzmaster guitar, with which the Jazz shared its offset body and sculpted edges, which differentiate it from other slab-style bass bodies. As well as having a slightly different, less symmetrical and more contoured body shape (known in Fender advertising as the 'Offset Waist Contour' body), the Jazz Bass neck is noticeably narrower at the nut than that of the Fender Precision Bass. The Jazz Bass has two single coil pickups with two pole pieces per string. It was renamed the Jazz Bass as Fender felt that its redesigned neck-narrower and more rounded than that of the Precision Bass-would appeal more to jazz musicians. The body shape is also different from the Precision Bass, in that the Precision Bass has a symmetrical lower bout on the body, designed after the Telecaster and Stratocaster lines of guitars, while the Jazz Bass has an offset lower bout, mimicking the design aesthetic of the Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars.įirst introduced in 1960 as the Deluxe Model, it borrowed design elements from the Jazzmaster guitar. It is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental frequency.

The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to J-Bass) is the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. Various shades of white, blue, red, green, etc. JSTOR ( January 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.

Fender bass 4 string