1962 Fender Jazz Bass Sunburst Pre-CBS

DESCRIPTION

This '62 Fender Jazz Bass is the kind of instrument you dream comes through your doors when you own a guitar store. Documented ownership history, huge tone and feel, and worn-in mojo that can never be replicated. This very original instrument is what we consider a piece of American history - played around the New York City area for about 50 years. It even has the initials of one of the previous owners carved into the back of the body!

This is an instrument truly tough to describe in photos. The finish and body wood has become almost three-dimensional as it has worn in over the years, and the only way to truly appreciate this '62 Jazz Bass is to hold it in your hands. Although its been played, its been well cared for, and shows no signs of major abuse, with limited repairs.

The case alone is a piece of history, covered in cool old stickers. It's functional, but not in great condition. We will ship the bass in a safe, modern, generic case - and ship you the original case separately (all at no extra cost, simply because we believe in the importance of preserving the integrity of the bass/case relationship but also keep the bass safe in shipping).

Don't miss out - a 1962 Fender Jazz bass with an original finish is not easy to find these days, let alone the unique relic'ing it has received over the decades. Get it before it gets scooped into a collection forever!

SETUP & INSPECTED BY OUR TECH TEAM

All of our guitars come with a FREE professional setup to a comfortable action as specified by that instrument’s manufacturer. Our setups always include inspection of (and necessary adjustment to): action, intonation, tremolo angle, truss rod, frets, nut, bridge, and more. We can accommodate special setup requests - additional charges and/or shipping delays of 1-2 business days could occur.

INDIVIDUALLY PHOTOGRAPHED

After 15 years of innovation in our photography process, Ish Guitars has developed a way to get you the most accurate true-to-life color of every instrument we sell. We never embellish, oversaturate, or misrepresent our images, so that your buying experience can be as much like visiting our showroom as possible. Keep in mind that various computer screens can show colors a bit differently, so the color on your screen may not match the real thing perfectly no matter how hard we try. Also, unless otherwise noted, we individually list and photo every piece of gear that comes through our doors.

HEAR A LIVE DEMO

Experience our innovative Video Appointment service! Connect with
our Gear Experts to hear this instrument played live over Zoom and receive one-on-one guidance. Contact us to schedule your appointment!

TECH NOTES

Great authentic vintage piece from the past that plays just as well as any modern equivalent!

Truss rod is fully functional and smooth to the touch when turning.

There was a professional re-fret done in 1981 which required the neck to be planed. You can see the evidence in the neck heel photos of the listing and the thinness of the fingerboard cap where the majority of the planing happened.  This isn’t uncommon, often done to address a ramp/hump where the neck meets the body. Original clay fret dots are era appropriate to the bass, as well as markings on the neck heel.

The nut was replaced at some point in the past, with an era appropriate equivalent. Most likely removed when the re-fret of the instrument took place.

Small chip out fill repair on the 19th fret.

Broken headstock repair on E string tuner. This repair is rock solid, see attached photos for detailed pictures. You will see 2 small dowel filled holes evident on the headstock from the work. These are smooth to the touch and properly finished.

There also appears to be some sanding/roughness by the decal on the headstock. Potentially from what looks like a bigger chip that had happened at some point in the past. Purely cosmetic, and smooth to the touch as well.

The reversed tuners appear to the best of our knowledge to be the original pre-cbs era tuners. They turn smoothly and more importantly are very straight without any wobble/bends often found on vintage instruments. The tuning keys are slightly loose/can be shifted slightly on the A/G strings. It’s not super easy to move them, aka when you would be regularly tuning, but they do have a very slight amount of play.

All the electronics were inspected/tested and are functioning appropriately. Pot markings and cap markings both match the appropriate year of the bass (see attached photos). Very clean/smooth feel and no scratchiness/noise exhibited. The wiring internally appears to the best of our knowledge to be undisturbed and all original.

Both the pick-guard and screws all appear to the best of our knowledge to be original to the bass.

There are a few things missing from the original bass. Ashtray pickup cover, finger rest, metal pickup cover/rest, and string dampeners/mutes are all missing. Screw holes from all these missing components are evident. Dunlop Straplocks installed by previous owner. Original strap buttons are missing.

The bridge and saddles appear to the best of our knowledge to be all original. At some point in the past some other bridge had been installed, you can see 4 small marks behind the bridge as evidence, but the original bridge was installed back on before we received it.

There was a small crack that extended from a screw in the neck pocket. This was re-glued and stabilized in the past. No issues or flex present showing. (See attached photos).

There isn’t any exact markings visible on the neck pocket that indicate a specific year to the bass, but with the info/originality of all the other components of the bass, it appears to the best of our knowledge to be the original body and appropriate year of the instrument.

Neck pickup was removed and inspected, appearing to the best of our knowledge to be all original to the bass. We decided to avoid removing the bridge pickup due to the tightness of the routing/wiring and to avoid any potential damage that could have been caused in it’s removal to be inspected.

“KW” carved in the back of the bass, initials of the previous owner, along with a small “PH”.

Overall this instrument is playing well beyond it’s years and has a full life left ahead of it. Outside of the cosmetic wear and tear throughout the years, the previous repairs and care to the life of this bass is very evident. Setup with medium/low action the neck plays cleanly throughout without fret out issues/buzz.

Weight: 9.2 Lbs 

Case Details: Original Hardshell Case + Fender Jazz Bass Molded TSA Hardcase (FJBTSAC). Original Case will be shipped separately.

Cosmetic Condition: Overall good condition with tons of mojo and wear. This is the type of authentic aging that you could only wish for in a modern Custom Shop instrument! Please take a close look at our listing photos to get a detailed look of its condition. Additional photos of internals and close-ups of parts/components available upon request.

Neck Profile: Fender 60s C

Neck Thickness: 1st: .81" / 12th: .97"

Fingerboard Radius: 7.5"

Nut Width: 1.50"

Scale Length: 34"

Electronics Layout: 1 Neck Volume / 1 Bridge Volume / 1 Master Tone  

Pickup Ohms: Neck (8.7k) Bridge (8.5k)

String Gauge: 45-100

String Spacing: 19mm