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1960 Jazz BassThe first Jazz Bass was made in 1960. It was made to accompany Fender's new guitar at the time, the Jazzmaster. Fender created these guitars to appeal to the jazz musician by making guitars that could be comfortably played both standing up and sitting down. The neck on the Jazz Bass and Jazzmaster were longer and narrower than any of Fender's previous models. This new design was intended to mimic the feel of the stand-up bass. Even the new mid tones that the guitars could produce were made with jazz musicians in mind. -
Block inlaysIn 1965, CBS purchased the company. At this point, the Jazz Bass started to take on a new look. The fret boards started being made with bound rosewood instead of the original maple. The clay dot inlays started being made out of pearl dot and the head stock tuners went from being a square shape to an oval shape. It wasn't until 1967 when the J Bass models were again available with maple fret boards. This time, the block pearl inlays were used instead of the original dot style inlay. -
3-bolt neck plateIn 1974, the look of the Jazz Bass changed once again when Fender decided to switch from the standard 4-bolt neck plate to the 3-bolt neck plate. This 3-bolt neck plate is a sure way to identify a Jazz Bass from the mid 1970s. -
1983 Jazz BassIn 1983, the Jazz Bass changed its look once again. Fender decided to return to the standard 4-bolt neck plate and the dot pearl inlays. At the same time, Fender also introduced white pickup covers and the signature white pick guard that the Jazzmaster guitar has. -
American Standard Jazz BassFender completely overhauled the Jazz Bass in 1989 by widening the shape of the body and adding a curved neck plate. This version is the heaviest of all the Jazz Bass models. The standard Jazzmaster style bridge was changed to the top loading vintage style Tune-o-matic bridge. Fender also added 2 separate volume knobs to replace the single knob that all the previous models had. This is also when the model featured a new added tone control knob. This model was produced until 1992, when it was discontinued. Fender went back to reproducing the previous 1983 model. -
American Standard Jazz BassIn 2003, Fender released the American Series which features the S-1 switch; this feature makes it possible to switch between pickups and gives the player more creativity with the sound they can produce from their pickups. The S-1 switch also gives the musician the option of toning down the bright sound of the Jazz Bass to make it mimic the sound of the Precision Bass. However, Fender discontinued the "American Series" and came out with the "New American Standard" model.
This newest Fender model goes back to using the lightweight vintage body. The S-1 switch has been discontinued. This new model also features a new and improved version of the original vintage bridge.
Comments
andytill said
on 10/21/2009 Great feature!