Addison wrote:
From what I have gathered, the older clear finished MIJ's were ALL alder and the solids were basswood OR alder, depending on your luck.
These days, they're all basswood.
Fender Japan has the '62 fretless SB listed as alder:
http://www.fenderjapan.co.jp/jb62-fl.htmlThe listing for the plain old '62 RI states basswood, however, which is a much cheaper bass, but it only shows the solid colors with SB as an option. So I have to wonder if the SB standard '62 is alder too or of it's only Fender Japan is offering alder on the pricier Js. I personally have never seen a basswood SB J (Or at least seen basswood listed in any specs for a SB J). Truthfully, I don't have an expert eye to tell the two apart.