Fender Jazz Bass Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1965), made in Fullerton, California, serial # L96205, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, period black tolex hard shell case.
This is a well-worn but nicely original and super vibey example of a "transitional" early-CBS era Jazz bass, heavily played but largely unaltered. It has typical mid-1965 features: a pearl dot rosewood fingerboard without the binding that appeared at the end of the year, gold logo decal and the older Kluson tuners. By the summer of '66 the bound, block marker fingerboard came in and dots were banished for the next couple of decades. This bass still maintains the full pre-CBS feel, with only the pearloid dots and late L-series serial number as CBS-era signposts.
The body is finished in a bright 3-tone "target" sunburst lacquer finish that has been well worn into and lightly faded, topped off with the cool older style nitrocellulose tortoise pickguard. The neck is dated July '65 and the pots are a matched set from the 34th week of that year. The original small wire frets and fingerboard show some wear but less than we might expect considering the amount of use the bass appears to have seen. At 8.88 lbs. this is around average weight for a mid-1960s Fender Jazz Bass and feels fantastic.
This bass appears well used over the past 58 years and it sounds like a cliche, but the ones that have seen this much gigging time do have a special vibe going on. Besides being such a badass looker this is an excellent player with a the typical bright punchy tone of '65-66 Jazz Basses. The chrome covers are gone but otherwise it remains a timeless piece of "real relic" Fender cool.
Overall length is 46 1/2 in. (118.1 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.)., 8.88 lbs.
In this era of artificially created Fender relics this is the genuine article, heavily played but not abused with a lot of honestly-earned wear. The body finish is fairly well worn overall, with a random collection of dings, dents and scratches everywhere and small spots worn into the wood from player's in the area above the pickups. There is heavy wear to the body edges but less belt buckle wear on the back than some. The body finish remains original with some small spots touched up here and there.
The back of the neck is heavily worn down to the wood with that glorious "played-in Fender" feel, there are only a few light dings and dents and for the most part the surface is quite smooth. The headstock is ambered and a bit scruffy looking but the decal is better preserved than many from this year. The bass looks to nave been refretted long ago with accurate smaller '65 style wire; these have been subsequently crowned down but still play well. There is a noticeable chip off the treble side of the fingerboard by the first fret that is somewhat worn down from play.
All hardware is original and complete except the chrome pickup covers have gone missing. The lovely nitro pickguard has shrunken up a bit and but has no cracked or broken corners; the bass shows some signs of having been played without a pickguard for a time so it is POSSIBLE this 'guard is from another bass but it is exactly correct for the 1964-5 period, and nicer than the plastic piece being phased in at the time. The pickups and wiring all appear untouched original, and the sound is still straight out of 1965, a "Genuine relic" Fender bass that is an excellent player with a killer feel and the real vibe of the ages. It is complete in a slightly later black Tolex Fender case, very worn with only one remaining latch but otherwise functional. Overall Very Good + Condition.
