A wonderful January 1964 Jazz Bass - Refinished in Dakota Red by Scott Lentz

1964 Fender Jazz Bass

This January 1964 Jazz Bass weighs 9.50 lbs. and features an asymmetrical double cutaway, contoured solid alder body. One-piece lightly flamed maple neck with a wonderful medium-to-thick profile. Bound rosewood veneer fret-board with 20 original medium frets and inlaid clay dot position markers. The end of the neck is stamped in black "7 JAN 64 A". Headstock with transitional "Fender" in gold with black trim and four patent numbers and one design number in black below, "Jazz Bass," "Trade Mark," and "Electric Bass" in black on three lines beside, and "Offset Contour Body" at the ball end of the headstock. Single round string tree. Individual Fender tuners with oval "paddle" metal buttons. Four-bolt neck plate with serial number "L23324" stamped between the two top screws. Two eight-polepiece, single-coil pickups with outputs of 7.57k and 8.15k. Three-layer 'minty' white over black plastic pickguard with beveled edges and eleven screws. Three controls (two volume blend controls, one for each pickup, and one master tone control) and jack socket, all on metal plate adjoining pickguard. The potentiometers are stamped "304 6403" (Stackpole, January 1964). With the original thumb rest on the treble side of the pickguard secured by two screws. Seven-sided black plastic control knobs with white markings. Combined four-saddle bridge/tailpiece. Housed in the original Fender three-latch rectangular brown hardshell case with brown leather ends and dark orange plush lining (8.75).

This wonderful bass has been expertly refinished in Dakota Red by Scott Lentz. All of the electrics and parts down to every last screw are original with the exception of a later handrest and bridge pickup cover.

"After the introduction of the Jazzmaster in 1958, Fender needed an upscale model to augment the bass line. In 1960, Leo's new Jazz Bass borrowed the offset waist and part of the name from the Jazzmaster. It also featured a narrower neck width, which was faster playing than the Precision Bass" (J.W. Black and Albert Molinaro, The Fender Bass, p. 25).