Fender Jazz Bass, Black (1973)

No instrument pulls off the "Black Tie" aesthetic quite like Fender Jazz Bass.

This 1973 Fender Jazz Bass in its original custom color Black finish recently came into the shop in the hands of its original owner, who'd custom-ordered it in 1972. The owner played professionally in local bands for years, and clearly took favor in this bass. It's got the right amount of honest wear that lets you know its 50 years old, but with a pride of ownership that helped maintain an impressive level of originality to this day.

With only a recent rewind of the original pickups (done by Lindy Fralin in 2023) to show for modifications, it has remained otherwise unchanged from the factory. The Black finish - a custom color in 1972/1973 - looks quite stunning with the contrasting 3-ply white pickguard, black pickup covers and knobs, and the uber-cool black neck binding and matching black blocks. Add in original chrome-plated hardware like the often-missing pickup and bridge covers, and you'll got a winner in the Best Dressed category. Weighing in a slightly north of 9lbs, this mid-weight '73 is nicely balanced with great resonant low end rumble and a lovely playing neck. Notes and clear and responsive, with the original frets showing little wear throughout. Pulling the neck from its pocket revealed a clean, proper paint stick mark with all of the period-correct stamps we look for.

Ken Krausfeldt's stamp is clearly legible on the neck, whereas the original neck butt ink stamp has all but faded away (quite common during this period). The neck pocket shows stamps that include Fender employees R. Vega, J. Torres, and Benny Munoz. Even the underside of the original guard is employee-stamped G. Rodriguez, a name often found on guards and in body cavities during this period.

The original owner started having issues with the pickups later in his ownership, likely due to some shorting of the coils due to oxidation or moisture. Thankfully, Fralin knocked it out of the park with the pickup rewinds, preserving the punchy late 60s tone of CBS-era J-Bass pickups without compromise.

This great one-owner Jazz Bass could easily slide itself into the hands of a player or collector, as it satisfies much of what both are looking for in a quality vintage Fender bass.

Includes original hardshell case and hangtag.