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Can someone give me the 411 on 70's Jazz bass, preferred years? issue years ? ETC.. I am starting to look for a 70's jazz. Thx

I had one and loved it, I am currently playing a newer Fender Jazz and love it. Like all 70's Fender basses the earlier the better and careful as late 70's Fender Basses can get a little heavy. I had a 78 Fender and loved it but it was heavy.

I had one and loved it, I am currently playing a newer Fender Jazz and love it as well but there is a certain cool to 70's Jazz. Like all 70's Fender basses the earlier the better and careful as late 70's Fender Basses can get a little heavy and some had quality issues.
Make sure you look at Pots and neck pocket for date codes.

First bass I ever bought (in 1976) was a 1974 Fender Sunburst P-bass, with Rosewood neck, It was heavy, neck dive was an issue, the pickups were plunky and weak (this was in the heart of the CBS ownership period, so that may have had something to do with it)... never much cared for it. After moving to Oahu, I eventually traded it in the early 90's for an Ibanez SR800... which, at the time I thought was really cool - neck-thru, jet black, pencil-thin neck, and an active EQ... I thought it was the shit!

At that time, I had NO clue how to EQ the P-bass, or the amps I played through, so I didn't much care for the sound. I replaced the pups with Quarter Pounders, changed the original flats (boiled them a couple of times! ) to round wounds, but just didn't like the tone at the time. Wish I had it now; I'd know how to dial in the "sweet spot"!

I know own a 1978 (?) P, with Maple neck. It's heavy - about 11lbs I think - but it sounds great. One of the pots shows a "91 build number, but was probably replacement, and has been suggested that it was a typical "parts" bass of the era... still, love it; it has mojo, and is a Fender.... the "real deal", and only the second one I've owned...

Here's the original thread I posted after buying it back in 2016..... viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7606&hilit=1978+fender+p+bass

I've been working on Fender basses since 1968. I've seen them all. I worked at Sam Ash Brooklyn, as repair tech- from 1979- 1982. I saw a lot of new P, and J-basses. The 70's basses, in my view, were some of the least desirable basses...for some of the reasons mentioned here. They used heavy, dense Northern Ash for the bodies. The quality control at Fender in the mid-late 70's was like everyone was going to the disco the night before, and doing so much coke, it clouded their brains at work the next day. I've literally seen, on a 79 lefty Strat, a neck pocket gap so wide, Fender assembled it with a piece of pickup foam as a filler on the treble side. I'm not kidding. I was playing a 1971 J-bass, and it was O.K., but my friend Pete's 1962, literally just made me want to sell it every time I played it and heard the difference. To this day, it mystifies me why manufacturers can't just leave their instruments alone! The entire 70's, and the decline in quality- and the boom in the vintage Fender market- drove Fender to wisely begin making them 'like they used to.' That began about 1982.
As far as what year 70's J-bass to buy, I'd play a few.. here's what to watch out for. Three bolt models- with loose fitting necks.. poor woodworking at the neck/ body joints, heavily polyurethaned fingerboards, and excessive weight. I've seen a couple with BENT upwards headstocks, too. Beware the extra string retainer some players put on to hold the 'E' and 'A' strings down when that occurs. Bullet Truss rods that were tightened so much, the fingerboards crack in between the nut and first fret. And the big deal breaker for me- some J-basses are so heavy, they'll even hurt your leg when you sit down with them!
I've seen only a few from that era that were made at what I would consider high quality levels. One was a 1974, natural, and had a killer tone.
Those basses that many of us in the business looked at with disdain, are now multi-thousand dollar collectors items.

My advice- find a Japanese Fender 70's re-issue. Fender Japan basses are always VERY high quality. You'll spend less and have a better bass. In my opinion.

Good insights, LH.

I’ve owned a lot of 70s Fenders, and can second some of the issues you mentioned. Ironically, my 2 favorites have some of those quirks, despite being 2 of the greatest Basses I’ve played.
My ‘74 Jazz, which is currently getting a new neck treatment, has a slight neck pocket gap. It’s always been nothing more of a cosmetic issue, and the neck never shifted in the pocket. It’s kinda heavy, but not prohibitively so.
My ‘78 Jazz on the other hand, has a tight neck pocket and is built amazingly. When I bought it, it was a project (not because of quality issues, it had just been an obvious road warrior). The original pickups totally sucked so I sold them with full disclosure on eBay and made enough to buy 2 sets of Fralins However, that bass is super heavy at about 12 pounds. Otherwise it’s perfection. The heavy body creates really good balance, so it sits well on a strap and is comfy to play.

I have never played a real 1970s Jazz Bass, but I can second this statement: I have a 2003-ish Fender Japan 1975 Jazz Bass reissue and I love it to bits. Mine is modded quite a bit, but when I got it all stock it already was nice. I mounted a Hipshot X-tender, and while I was at it, replaced the other 3 tuners with the matching Hipshot tuners for continuity's sake. I replaced the bridge with a Badass II because I like the added brightness and tighter bottom I get with it. The only thing I found a bit lacking were the original pots - I replaced them with MEC pots and added a switchable 6dB bass boost.

I have one just like this, but with a black pick guard and the chrome PU and bridge covers. It's in in mint condition, never out of the studio. I'm the original owner, bought it new straight from Japan. Paid over $1300. Price to members, $975 plus shipping costs within the continental US. PM me with your email and I"ll send you pictures and answer any questions. Or use my direct email wolfsweekly @aol.com

https://reverb.com/item/34357435-2006-f ... t=34357435

It really depends on what period of the 70's you had in mind. Every era has some gems and clunkers, but, as others have stated, the QC could be very spotty throughout the mid-late 70's, and I can certainly attest to that because I have a Tele bass you can drive a mack truck through the neck pocket gap. Pre northern ash/thick skin finish, and 3 bolt, IMO, are better.

My '72 J is the best J I've ever played/owned, and others who've picked it up and played it always ask me if I want to part with it. (Sorry, it's going to the grave with me). I can comfortably say that the Fenders up to around 73/74 still had a respectable level of QC and mojo left, as many were assembled from parts made years prior. But like anything else, you’re best to try it out before committing to buy (I know, easier said than done when you’re a lefty).

Thank you everyone for the responses and insight. Makes me think some more, the price differences from 75 to a 72-73 is quite a difference. I guess this reflects the quality control.

What cemetery?

Just watched a special on Geddy Lee and he said the same thing, he has had many J basses but the 72 was his beyond far favorite bass.

I forgot, I intend to be cremated. You can have one of the tuners though.

It'll be hard to burn the hardware. Might as well give him the tuners and bridge. Throw in the pickguard just to be a mensch.

Something perhaps relevant too,
is that you could potentially find the 60's pickup spacing (3.6") in some of the very early years of the 70's, like 70 and 71.
Then a shift to 4" spacing occurred sometime in the midst of 72-73,
hard to pin point as there are definitely overlaps within transitional years.

The most impactful trait of this change was tone.

Perhaps one of the biggest and most easily recognizable signature sound of a 4" spacing would be Marcus Miller's tone from his 77 Fender Jazz with a distinctive more-treble-y growl and voice.
I think Geddy Lee's 72 had the 4" spacing but don't quote me on that. No matter what she is thunderous.

As for the 60's spacing, you get a bit of a richer (dare I say warmer) in the lower mid range, the fundamental is just a little more present.. to my ears at least.

I have two 75's, one rosewood, one maple, both with some of QC defects mentioned in previous comments.
But, and that is my biggest criteria as far as any bass goes, they both have tone for days.
Even compared to a 63, a 65, '64' custom shop and a 77 I had the opportunity to play.
Which in my experience, play wear is usually a pretty good indicator of a great sounding bass,
and dogs can be found everywhere no matter the craftsmanship.

As guys mentioned before, best to try before purchase, or purchase to try knowing you can return, you'll just have to pay for shipping and insurance.

Good point. I've always preferred the 4" spacing. That, along with a maple neck, are the classic punchy J sound and especially for slapping, IMO.