Fender Jazz bass
FlyGuitars What was your first bass?
Jack Casady One of my pals was Danny Gatton who was a very, very fine guitarist who's since passed on. Danny was a 16 or 15 year old wonder kid when I turned 16. We played in each others bands on the circuit from time to time and his bass player got sick and I filled in for him for a two week gig. I really enjoyed the instrument and went out and brought a 1960 concentric pot Jazz bass, that was my first bass. The Precision is a little tough for the size of my hands but the Jazz bass with that more narrow neck at the top was little easier for me to get around on.
FlyGuitars Can you remember what it cost for the Jazz bass at the time when you bought it?
Jack Casady I remember that the 58 Tele was $115 dollars. I'm sure that the Jazz bass at the time was a little bit more. I bought it in 1960 the first year the Jazz bass came out. I'm sure that's a matter of record, you know you didn't get deals on instruments then. You paid what they charged.
FlyGuitars By today's standards it would be quite cheap but unfortunately back then it was expensive I guess?
Jack Casady Well you know gasoline or as you call it petrol was 19 cents a gallon so it's all scaled down. The dollar was a lot harder to make in those days and I worked six nights a week in a club. When we had a steady gig we got a $115 dollars a week, that was a lot of money. It was enough money for me to go out and get my own apartment when I was 17 but if you paid $300 dollars for an instrument or $500 dollars for an instrument that was a lot of money.
FlyGuitars So when you first joined Jefferson Airplane you were using Fender basses?
Jack Casady Yeah the first three albums are recorded with a Fender Jazz bass, and I customised that by adding a P pickup right butted up against the neck. So in essence I had on the very bassy end of the speaking length of the string an offset P pickup and then two bar pickups of the Jazz bass.
FlyGuitars And how did that the P pickup work?
Jack Casady I took the concentric pots that were used and later on dropped by Fender for there Jazz bass line. You would have a volume and a tone stacked up on top of each other, so that's the configuration I used. I used a volume/tone, volume/tone, volume/tone for each pick up and blended them together. That was my '60 Jazz bass, it got stolen just before I came out to California in 1965.
When I arrived out there I bought a brand new 1965 Jazz bass. That bass originally came with the two volumes and one tone. I took those controls out and put in concentric pots and added a p bass pickup.
Thanks to Graham Fieldhouse and Jack Casady
Further reading: JackCasady.com | HotTuna.com
Fender Jazz bass guitars for sale
1971 FENDER JAZZ BASS OWNERS MANUAL WELL-WORN BUT INTACT & ORIGINAL
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$99
You can bet that there are not a heck of a lot of 70's Fender instrument manuals out there. This one is from a 1971 Fender Jazz Bass and it's in OK shape with some wear, patina and a loose cover. But even with those imperfections it will still add value to your vintage Fender Jazz Bass. Because there is no revision date inside the cover, it's perfectly suitable for Jazz Basses from 1968 thru 1975 or so.
FREE USA SHIPPING and a 30-day ... more
1982 1983 FENDER PRECISION AND JAZZ BASS OWNERS MANUAL GREAT SHAPE & SCARCE
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$75
While not an ancient manual by modern standards, this particular manual is scarcer than you might think. Remember, the 1982 & 83 P and J Basses with the white pickups were only made for 2 years so naturally the print run only lasted that long. This is in very nice shape, crisp & flat with no stains or fading. Both the P and J bass are mentioned and if you own either one then this manual will add much more to the value of your bass ... more
FENDER POWER JAZZ BASS SPECIAL 1984-1987 MADE IN JAPAN
Spring Hill, Florida, 346**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$600
1973 Fender Jazz Bass Natural Ash w / Black Blocks + Binding, Case
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$4400
Offering smooth sustain and a detailed, punchy quality, the maple fretboard delivers enhanced note attack and more upper midrange accentuation, with a particular burp and grind from the bridge pickup. The original pair of ... more
1968 Fender Jazz Bass Vintage Electric Bass Guitar Sunburst w / Case
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$8800
With an alder body, maple neck and bound rosewood ... more
Fender Flea Signature Roadworn Jazz Bass W / 1973 Geddy Lee Style Neck MOP INLAY
Brooklyn, New York, 112**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2450
1962 Shell Pink bass. Stacked knobs for individual tone control of each separate pickup. I can install the original pick guard or the pearl one (1 think this matched and brings out the Mother of Pearl Block inlays. I actually pre it without a pick guard
The neck is 53 year old Neck is straight ... more
Used Fender American Vintage II 1966 Jazz Bass LH 3-Color Sunburst
Winchester, Virginia, 226**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2200
Used Fender American Vintage II 1966 Jazz Bass ... more
Used 1994 Fender American Vintage 1962 Jazz Bass, 3-Tone Sunburst
Tampa, Florida, 336**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2400
This bass is in Very Good condition, as ... more
Original 1971 Fender Jazz Bass in excellent playing condition, with OHSC
Canyon Creek, Montana, 596**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$4000
IMPORTANT: the frets have been professionally filed to create a LINED FRETLESS.
I purchased this bass in 1972 and with the exception of a few gigs, ... more
Vintage 1960??s Fender Jazz Bass Precision Bass Tuner Bushel
Fort Mill, South Carolina, 297**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$45
... more
Vintage late 1960??s Fender P Bass J Bass Tuner Jazz Precision Bass
Fort Mill, South Carolina, 297**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$109
... more
Fender Jazz Bass 93 - 94 - Sunburst Birdseye Maple Neck
Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$999
Just cleaned, restrung and set up with nice action!
Features a beautiful birdseye maple neck!
Case: Hard
Scale Length: 34 "
Nut Width: 1 5 "
Fret Wear: 9 5 / 10
Action at 12F (6th): 6 / 64 "
Action at 12F (1st): 6 / 64 "
Weight: 9lbs 9oz
Overall Condition: 7 / 10
Cool Factor: 11 out of 10
USA Seller, check my feedback to see how I value my customers and see my ... more
Fender Jazz Bass 93 - 94 - Black Japan
Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1099
Just cleaned, restrung and set up with low action!
Case: Soft
Scale Length: 34 "
Nut Width: 1 51 "
Fret Wear: 9 5 / 10
Action at 12F (6th): 5 / 64 "
Action at 12F (1st): 4 / 64 "
Weight: 9lbs 2oz
Overall Condition: 8 / 10
Cool Factor: 11 out of 10
USA Seller, check my feedback to see how I value my customers and see my other listings for more rare Japanese ... more
Fender Jazz Bass 93 - 94 - Sunburst Japan
Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1099
Just cleaned, restrung and set up with low action!
Case: Soft
Scale Length: 34 "
Nut Width: 1 5 "
Fret Wear: 9 5 / 10
Action at 12F (6th): 5 / 64 "
Action at 12F (1st): 5 / 64 "
Weight: 9lbs 5oz
Overall Condition: 8 / 10
Cool Factor: 11 out of 10
USA Seller, check my feedback to see how I value my customers and see my other listings for more rare Japanese ... more
Fender Jazz Bass 94 - 95 - Sunburst
Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1099
Just cleaned, restrung and set up with nice low action!
The gig bag does not close all the way at the top
Case: Soft
Scale Length: 34 "
Nut Width: 1 49 "
Fret Wear: 9 / 10
Action at 12F (6th): 5 / 64 "
Action at 12F (1st): 4 / 64 "
Weight: 9lbs 6oz
Overall Condition: 8 / 10
Cool Factor: 11 out of 10
USA Seller, check my feedback to see how I value my ... more
Fender Jazz Bass 1995 - White Japan Bass Guitar
Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1099
Just cleaned, restrung and set up with low action! Plays great!
Cosmetic wear, dings and chips seen in the above photos
Case: Soft
Scale Length: 34 "
Nut Width: 1 48 "
Fret Wear: 9 5 / 10
Action at 12F (4th): 5 / 64 "
Action at 12F (1st): 5 / 64 "
Weight: 8lbs 3oz
Overall Condition: 7 9 / 10
Cool Factor: 11 out of 10
USA Seller, check my feedback ... more
Fender Jazz Bass 1994 - Sunburst
Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1199
Just cleaned, restrung and set up! Action set up nice and low!
Electronics have just been cleaned up and work great!
Case: Soft
Scale Length: 34 "
Nut Width: 1 53 "
Fret Wear: 9 8 / 10
Action at 12F (4th): 5 / 64 "
Action at 12F (1st): 4 / 64 "
Weight: 9lbs 9oz
Overall Condition: 7 4 / 10
Cool Factor: 11 out of 10
USA Seller, check my feedback to see how I value my ... more
Fender Jazz Bass JB75 2004 - Natural Japan
Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1299
Case: Soft
Scale Length: 34 "
Nut Width: 1 5 "
Frets Remaining: 9 / 10
Action at 12F (4th): 6 / 64 "
Action at 12F (1st): 5 / 64 "
Weight: 9lbs 4 5oz
Overall Condition: 9 / 10
Cool Factor: 11 out of 10
USA Seller, check my feedback to see how I value my customers and see my other listings for more rare Japanese Guitars and other unique gear! I use recycled ... more
Fender Jazz Bass JB62 Left Handed 2005 - Sunburst CIJ
Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1299
This iconic bass has just been cleaned, restrung and set up! A good example of these Jazz CIJ's don't come up in lefty's very often so snag it while it's still available!
The bass is set up with nice low action and is a nice hefty weight which gives it incredible resonance!
Case: Soft
Scale Length: 34 "
Nut Width: 1 47 "
Frets Remaining: 8 5 / 10
Action at 12F (4th): 6 / 64 "... more
1985 Fender Boxer Series Jazz Bass Special PJ bass PJ-535 Medium Scale Black
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1300






















