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
1961 Fender Jazz Bass Stack Knob
Loveland, Ohio, 451**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$34595
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1962 Fender Jazz Bass Sunburst Pre-CBS
Syracuse, New York, 132**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$20000
1963 Fender Jazz Bass Pre-CBS Vintage Bass Sunburst w / Case
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$17500
1964 Fender Jazz Bass Pre-CBS Vintage Bass Olympic White w / Gold Hardware, Case
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$16500
With extremely heavy playwear and a super jumbo refret, this Jazz Bass looks mean yet has a vitality and breadth of tones well-suited to ... more
1965 Fender Jazz Bass Lake Placid Blue Finish Left-Handed Electric Bass w / OHSC
San Diego, California, 921**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$14995
In Very Good Overall Condition (Please See Photos)
Headstock Has Been Cracked And Expertly Repaired (See Photos)
All Original
Original Lake Placid Blue Finish Shows Dings And Beautiful Vertical Checking
Alder Body
Maple Neck With Rosewood Fingerboard
Weight 9lbs 6oz
Nut Width 1 469 "
Neck Depth At 1st Fret .75 "
Neck Depth At 12th Fret 1 56 "
Comes With Original Fender ... more
1961 Fender Jazz Bass Guitar Refin Fiesta Red
Benicia, California, 945**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$13500
Original electronics.
It has the mojo
If you're local in the San Francisco Bay Area, feel free to call and set up and appointment to check it out in person.
Thanks for reading.
... more
Vintage 1963 Fender Jazz Bass Sunburst w Original Case ex-Blue Oyster Cult
New York, 100**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$12999
Bass has a killer neck and superb playability. Neck is nice and straight with a good low action and no buzz or issues. Action is perfect and it is super vibrant and resonant. Nice and light, too
Features original Sunburst finish. Signs of wear and dings to the finish throughout, all honest gigging wear. The logo on the headstock looks like it has been over sprayed. ... more
1962 Fender Jazz Bass Black / Reverb. In Excellent Condition.
Oroville, California, 959**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$10000
Made in Mexico. Well kept guitar. It??s black and has the Reverb feature. A real Classic piece
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Fender Jazz Bass 1966 - Olympic White
Brooklyn, New York, 112**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$9999
The body appears to be an original olympic white finish that was oversprayed black. The black was subsequently removed revealing the original color. The black paint remains in the corners and down in the checking. A lot of the clear coat has been sanded through during the removal process. The bridge cover holes look filled and there are a few small spots near the bridge and ... more
1962 Fender Jazz Bass Pre-CBS Vintage Bass Lake Placid Blue w / Case
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$9900
Tonewoods include an alder body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard, and at 9lbs 2oz, this bass is a medium weight example. Both black bobbin pickups retain their original winds, and this bass ... more
1964 pre-CBS Fender Jazz Bass refinished Sunburst w / orig. White hardshell case
Carbondale, Illinois, 629**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$9790
Add Me to Your Favorite Sellers
Olivia's Vintage would like to present this original 1964 Fender Jazz Bass with a refinished neck and body. The neck has a replaced decal under the finish and the Sunburst finish resembles the brilliance of the original color. It has a great playing neck with great frets. The parts are all original with the exception of the screws for the original chrome covers and the screws in the pickguard. The original white hardshell case is included. This bass looks ... more
1966 Fender Jazz Bass With Case
Saint Joseph, Missouri, 645**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$9500
Low profile oval neck makes this bass play so nice . Everything is original except for the pick guard
Which I replaced some twenty years ago. Not sure about the finish as this is the way I bought it
Some of the finish has worn as shown in the pictures
I believe this is probably a 1966 model, because of the tuning pegs but the neck is dated Nov 65
They don??t make em ... more
1968 Fender Jazz Bass (All Original) With OHSC
Lake Havasu City, Arizona, 864**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$9500
Totally original and ready to roll! A true closet classic. Original paint, original covers, pickups, case, etc!
This bass is being sold as-is due to the nature of its age
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Fender Vintage Jazz Bass 1968 Great Condition Sunburst G & G Case Thomastik incl
Garland, Texas, 750**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$9500
Purchased from a women I know, who inherited it from an Uncle. He played joints in Louisiana, and his band would play on a home built stage on his property, when the joints were closed and the crowds still wanted to party. Played in Louisiana for most its life.
This well cared for bass is vintage. Neck removed shows 8 for 1968 in pencil done at the factory. Brazilian Rosewood fret board later discontinued due to expense. Includes strings from Vienna in the package ... more
left-handed. 1962 fender jazz bass, old reunion, blues gig bag
Wallingford, Connecticut, 064**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$9000
1965 Fender Jazz Bass pretty refinish in Sonic Blue & ready for its next gig !
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 333**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$8995
1964 Fender Jazz Bass -- Bakithi Kumalo Collection !
Peckville, Pennsylvania, 184**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$8895
Vintage Fender Jazz Bass Sunburst 1968
Brookfield, Wisconsin, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$7999
Vintage Fender Jazz Bass Sunburst 1968
PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR FOR AN IN-HAND DESCRIPTION
An outstanding Jazz Bass offering superb tone & playability. The perfectly shaped neck is exceptionally comfortable & plays great up & down the fretboard. The body is very resonant & the pair of single coils deliver warm, rich, dynamic tones. Professionally set up with fresh strings & low action so it's ready to play straight out of the case
Cosmetic ... more
1969 Fender Jazz Bass rare all original last of the 60's great Post-CBS basses !
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 333**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$7995
Fender 1979 Jazz Bass. Vintage. You Won??t Find Another One This Nice.
Sebastian, Florida, 329**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$7900
Fender 1979 Jazz Bass.
This bass sounds as amazing as it looks. I??ve played many Fender basses, including at least nine 1970s Fender basses. This 1979 Fender jazz bass has an amazing sound. It has a low growl. The neck and fretboard on this bass plays like a dream and is perfect
I bought this Jazz Bass from the original owner who purchased it new, on August 5, 1980 at Windy City Music in Chicago. A Copy of ... more