1969 Fender Jazz Bass - Refin Sunburst - w/OHSC

For your consideration, a 1968/69 Fender Jazz Bass in refinished Sunburst with its original orange-lined hardshell case. This is a fun one. There is a lot of good going on with this bass if you can get past the refin — and honestly, even the refin has enough age and personality now that the bass still presents like an old instrument.

The latest dated component we found is the neck, stamped January 1969. The neck plate serial falls into 1968, and the neck still retains the small strap button on the back of the headstock, a feature Fender was phasing out around this period. Under the hood, both original pickups carry 1968 dates, while the three pots date to 1966, 1967, and 1967. 

The original neck pickup remains installed and sounds great. The original bridge pickup is no longer functioning and is included with the bass. A Seymour Duncan replacement is currently installed in the bridge position and pairs nicely with the original neck pickup. The nut has been replaced, and both body strap buttons appear to be replacements. Otherwise, the hardware appears original.

The alder body has no extra routing hiding beneath the pickguard. The Sunburst refinish is a little oddly shaped in places, but it has aged enough that the bass still looks appropriately old rather than freshly refinished. It is not pretending to be a collector-grade example, and that is part of why we like it.

The neck is straight, the truss rod works in both directions, and the bass plays well. We freshly set it up and strung it with flatwounds, which rounded out the vintage sound we were chasing. It has all the warmth, punch, and woody old Jazz Bass character you hope to hear when one of these gets plugged in.

This is a killer player-grade vintage Jazz Bass as it sits, with a lot of original late-’60s Fender still here. It would also make a fantastic head start for someone wanting to build a custom-color vintage Fender without sacrificing an untouched original finish to do it.

The original orange-lined Fender hardshell case is included, along with the original non-functioning bridge pickup.

Available for a test drive in our Jamestown, Kentucky showroom, and we ship worldwide. Let us know if you have any questions.

Weight: 9lbs 4oz