Ok fellow Fender thumpers… man oh man do I have one for you! Both from a players and collectors prospective and do we have some JUICE to go over or what! This is a 1966 Jazz that has completely been trapped in the middle of the pre-CBS/CBS buyout… like the best of both F’n worlds No Doubt.

Let’s dig in shall we?

The one thing about a CBS Precision or Jazz (and yes the cats and kittens with more strings, Strats, Teles..etc.) is that fiery orange red or Cheeto Burst! Some folks call it a ”Target Burst” or “Clown Burst” but in 64 actually the pre CBS era- is when this process started.. in mid-1964, Fender modified the base coat process by placing a yellow layer on top of a base sealer coat and adding a lil white to that yellow layer…. SO, The white undercoat made the finish more opaque and less see through than earlier versions. It created an effect, where colors were more brightly colored but did not blend as smoothly as earlier iterations. 

Now that brief history lesson is over, here are a few Fender Nerd aspects that really sit this smack dab in Pre-CBS and CBS eras and man.. it’s SWEET! Ok check it… 1st look and the pic of the face of the headstock, and the neck itself. Very deep red’ish brown grain.. Brazilian for sure. The dots with the binding are as cool as it gets in my opinion but to REALLY make these even cooler, they used to be CLAY DOTS! ok, the reason I bring this up is, Fender nerds and aficionados know about the factory and some of the early nuances. So we also know that is not out of the question for the resourceful folks to use or in this case “re-use” surplus. So this neck was obviously cut pre-65 as it has the remainder of the Clay dots that were drilled out.. so these pearl dots could be installed, and jive with the 1966 stamp, neck plate, tuners, and such… but this neck and body were obviously pre-CBS items that were still in the factory. since I did mention it, we can go to the body real quick. The dowels or tooling marks are still in the early to mid 60s placement…above strap knob, under neck plate. Late 60’s to the 70’s moved from above the strap knob and to the upper right of neck plate. AND a pronounced Fullerton Bump still present in the cutaway a VERY Pre-CBS attribute. Ok.. ok.. i’ll quit, let’s get down to the brass tax huh?

This beaut weighs in at 9lbs on the dot and feels like an old J is supposed to. Hangs over the shoulder with ease and even weight displacement. I’m telling you folks, a back friendly vintage jewel you can play..and play…..AND PLAY! Frets are good, no groves or valleys..lots of life and plays so easy.. BUT will also take a beat down if needed.. very versatile and allows a player to really showcase “their” style and also dabble in other ponds with ease as well!!
It definitely shows it‘s Signs of use over the years, but nothing horrible, or that needs to be pointed out in particular because it has affected this beauty in any way whatsoever. There’s been no modifications or repairs… so yes, we are talking all original state.. and just honest to goodness normal playwear for a bass this old. And let’s be honest folks some of us are going out and dropping 5 and 10K on instruments that have been intentionally made to look like this one.!! lol
And don’t get me wrong… I love me a great Custom Shop or Master Built… just again, this one has naturally achieved It’s bad ass state.!! lol I will add one more cool “thang” case is original even with the blue lining. This beautiful bass and case were made and sent to the international market.. either Canada or the UK.. it’s in good used condition and looks really cool if you ask me! lol

This is an absolutely stunning Bass and really does have really good qualities and characteristics from both eras and for us players who also double as collectors… Y’all…. this one really is primed for us because of all the pre-CBS stuff that you kind of have to be OK with and just ”know about” but will service any fender fan or collector very well.
Thanks for the interest.