Review: 1986 Fender PJM-65 Jazz Bass Special

Hi there!

I have long been a fan of the Japanese Fender Jazz Bass Specials, like the ones that Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses made famous back in the day. I have owned many of these over the years, but have run into a few that came with different specifications from the factory, and the subject of todays post is one of these: 1986 model PJM-65 Jazz Bass Special that I found in the secondhand section at the Ishibashi store in Nagoya, Japan.

For starters, there are plenty of obvious physical differences from the regular export model Jazz Bass Special. The alder body is sculpted, and painted in a cool shade of minty green metallic with a matching headstock. There is retinue of gold hardware, including the sealed tuners and a massive bridge. The Lace Sensor pickups do not have exposed pole pieces and there are four knobs instead of three (but the original knobs are still there!), with no select switch. And flipping it over, there is an aggressive cut at the heel for more access to the frets that bass players should never use.

Less obvious are an active electronics pre-amp, and the fact that this is a medium scale (32-inch) instrument. The rest of the good stuff is there, including the rosewood board with 21 frets, an output jack on the edge of the body, and the expected fine Japanese craftsmanship.

This bass is remarkable condition for a 30+ year old instrument (with the exception of the faded gold hardware), and it came with a wonderful set-up and a nice Ritter soft case for a very good price. It sounds killer and plays well, with much better sustain than I have found on other medium-scale Fender basses - maybe that huge bridge has something to do with it. Also, the 2 tone / 2 volume knob set-up is versatile and intuitive, and I think it actually has a bit more punch and warmth than the more traditional Jazz Bass Specials I have played in the past.

I am not sure where this will fit into my collection, but I like this one a lot, so it might not be going anywhere soon. Unless I get an offer I cannot refuse…

Mahalo!

Fender Jazz Bass Special Re-issue

Fender Guitars of Japan has re-issued many of the classic American-made guitars and basses of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. It was only a matter of time until they started reissuing their Japanese instruments from the 80’s.

Today’s subject is a very rare bass - a 2008 limited-edition Jazz Bass Special. This IS NOT the Mexican Duff McKagan model, this is a real-live Japanese-made bass. I have collected this particular model of bass for the past 20 years, have owned bunches of them, and it was a treat to be able to find a brand-new one. I found it at one of the Ishibashi stores in Japan, and brought it back with me on a business trip.

If you are not familiar with these, basses of this model and color were made famous by Duff McKagan of Guns N Roses, and later of Velvet Revolver. The original run of basses was from 1984 to 1987. The Jazz Bass Special used a Precision Bass style body, with a Jazz Bass profile neck, and a P/J pickup configuration.

This is a passive bass, with 2 volume controls, a TBX tone control and a 3-way pickup selector switch. The TBX circuit emulates an active preamp. From the center position, if it is turned clockwise, it will boost treble and cut bass and turned counter-clockwise, it will boost bass and cut treble.

The look is totally 80’s, starting with the P/J pickups to the black hardware and contrasting glossy black-fished neck and headstock.

Craftsmanship is up to the usual high standards of the factories that Fender Japan uses. The frets are finished superbly, and the neck pocket fit is super-tight. There is not a finish blemish anywhere on it.

A big plus is that it weighs in at 8.5 pounds, according to my digital scale. I have no idea what wood they used for the body, but have heard rumors that they use basswood. How appropriate!

These shipped with a nice Fender-logo padded gig bag. Hard cases are pretty rare in Japan, perhaps because they are harder to carry around on the subway.

So how does it play? It plays great, and it is solid. It is very versatile, sounds great and would work great for most any gig or recording opportunity.

One of the hallmarks of Fender Japan is that when the re-issue a classic guitar, they always get one or two details wrong. This model is no exception. The original basses came with a pearl white finish, while this one is real white. Also, this model does not have the plastic F-marked tophat knobs, using black-anodized barrel knobs instead. Also, I am pretty sure that the bridge saddles are not brass underneath that smooth black finish.