1990 Philip Kubicki FCS Ex Factor Bass Review and Comparison to a “Real” Kubicki

Hi there!

I have owned at least 8 Philip Kubicki Ex Factor basses over the years, and have long heard comparisons between the ones that were made in Phil’s shop versus the ones that were made and sold by the Fender Custom shop from 1988 to 1991. Seeing as how I happen to have a 1990 FCS Ex Factor in my possession, I thought it would be a good time to share my thoughts on this subject. I am an internet pundit, you know…

But, before I get going, I am going to say that they are all very good basses, regardless of where they were made, and are still a notch above most everything else on the market today.

For starters, the number one difference that know-it-alls like me will bring up is the electronics package. The basses that the Kubicki shop built all came with the 18-volt preamplifier that Phil designed. These are the ones with the 6-position selector switch (including standby) that sound like the thunder of the gods. Most of the Fender-built guitars came with a 9-volt preamplifier that only had 4 tone elections (including standby). I say most, because some of the early FCS basses used Phil’s leftover preamplifiers. The pickups appear to be the same on all of them.

The difference in tone between the two is big, but the 9-volt preamplifiers are not bad, just different. In active mode they are not as aggressive, but still sound nice and are plenty usable for most any gig environment. The passive tones are similar between the two.

As far as playability goes, I have found difficulty in getting a low action on a FCS Factor when compared to Santa Barbara-built bass. The truss rod will not drop the strings as close to the board, so grinding sometimes needs to be done. This one is no exception, but I am not willing to mess with it. Also, I have found that the 34-piece laminated rock maple necks tend to be a bit more reactive to climate changes than the original basses. I have heard this is because Fender did not seal the necks as well. Rumors…

It always struck me that the hardware was a tad cheaper, and the workmanship was a bit less precise of the FCS models, but I am not sure if this was just the power of suggestion. What I find now is that all of the Factor basses I run into have about the same appearance now that they are all over 20 years old, and most had plenty of use over the years.

The soft maple body, poly finish, logos, appearance and ergonomics are the same between the two different manufacturers, so nobody will know the difference unless they see the Custom Shop decal underneath the finish on the back of the headstock.

In conclusion, it really comes down to the action and electronics that make the biggest differences between these basses, so if you are looking for one of these on the used market there is a reason why the Kubicki-built basses have a premium over the Fender Custom Shop basses. Either way you are going to get a great bass, so it is your decision based on what features about these basses are most important to you, and what your budget is. Given a choice, I would pick a bass that was built before Fender got involved or after they turned the reins back over to Phil.

Mahalo!

Fender Jazz Bass Plus V

Sugoi!

So far, my blog post on Philip Kubicki Factor basses has more page views than any other I have written. Philip Kubicki is a great guy, and he worked with Fender for many years. One of his most famous guitars was the rosewood Telecaster that was made for George Harrison.

Beside his famed Factor basses, he also had a part in designing the Fender Jazz Bass Plus, one of which we are looking at today.

The 4-string Jazz Bass Plus was introduced in 1989, and the 5-string version came out a year later. They were made in the USA, and have notable differences from the American Standard Jazz Bass of the era. Maybe that is why they called them “Plus”. The Jazz Bass Plus was discontinued in 1994 when the USA Deluxe Series Jazz Bass was introduced.

Visually, the biggest changes is that these basses do not have a pickguard or the traditional Jazz Bass chrome control cavity cover, and I think they look awesome. The logo on the headstock is a little more modern, which I do not think looks very awesome.

The hardware is a bit different too. Fender used high-quality open-gear Hipshot tuners on the 4-string basses and Gotoh tuners on the 5-string basses. They all got a really beefy bridge (Schaller for the 4-string and Gotoh for the 5-string) for excellent sustain. The knobs are the same as the ones that the Fender Custom Shop used on the Kubicki Factor basses they built around the same era.

The color palette for the Jazz Bass plus had the conventional black and sunburst, and some horrifying pastels and disastrous reverse fade finishes. Both maple and rosewood fretboards were available.

But the biggest difference was in the electronics package they loaded into these basses. These got a pair of silver Fender Lace Sensor Jazz Bass pickups and a Philip Kubicki 9 volt active pre-amp. Controls were stacked volume and tone knobs, and a 4-way selector that works as follows: passive/active/active with boost and standby (off).

The bass in the photos is a very nice 1992 5-string Jazz Bass Plus that I owned about 5 years ago. It was in great original condition with its original 3-tone sunburst.

The body had the traditional Jazz Bass profile (not a boner bass) was nicely balanced. It appeared to be made out of alder, but then again I am not a carpenter, so I cannot say for sure.

The build quality was fine, and I never had any issues with it. I loved the tones from the Kubicki pre-amp, and the standby mode on the knob was a handy feature. A really nice bonus was that it weighed in under 9 pounds, which is hard to find on a quality 5-string bass.

Of course I sold this bass because I remembered that I do not play 5-string basses (and because I sell everything eventually).

If you decide to go looking for a Jazz Bass Plus, be careful when you look at them, as many I have seen in recent year no longer have the original pickups and pre-amplifier. Choose wisely.

If you hold out, you can still these for sale in the $600 to $800 range on Talkbass or eBay. Ignore the ones that are in the $1000+ range – those guys are smoking crack.

Mahalo!