1973 Fender Jazz Bass, Sunburst

A very cool 1973 Fender Jazz Bass, finished in Sunburst and featuring the classic maple neck, maple fingerboard, black block inlays and binding combination that gives these early-’70s Jazz Basses such a great look. This is a good, honest example with plenty of vintage character. The Sunburst finish shows numerous small scuffs, dings and marks around the edges of the body, while the neck is relatively clean overall, with more noticeable scuffs and marks as you move up towards the headstock. Overall it presents as a well-used but well-cared-for bass. The neck is stamped Feb ’73 A and has a comfortable, familiar Jazz Bass feel. It measures 38mm at the nut, with a depth of 21.4mm at the 1st fret. The frets are in great condition with plenty of life remaining. The truss rod works as it should and the bass is structurally sound. Originality is very strong overall, with the main changes being a rewound neck pickup and a later Fender hard case. The pots all date to the 4th week of 1973. The bridge pickup is date stamped 1972, while the neck pickup date is not visible. Electrically, everything works correctly and the bass sounds excellent. The pickup readings are nicely balanced, with the neck pickup measuring 6.67k and the bridge 6.93k. With both pickups and the tone control fully open, it has that classic Jazz Bass growl: plenty of top-end bite, punchy mids and a solid low end holding everything together. At 4.44kg, it is a comfortable and reassuring weight. A great-looking, strong-sounding 1973 Fender Jazz Bass with excellent playability, cool black block/bound-neck styling and plenty of real vintage character. It comes with a later Fender hard shell case.