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Post subject: Jazz Neck Question
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:45 am
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I have a '66 Jazz I bought in 1972 for $120. Of course back then it was just a used bass and $120 was worth a lot more than it is today! After gigging with her for 36 years, I've decided to retire her and buy a new (used) Jazz (yes, I shopped around but still love the Jazz). I recently bought a 2000 American Standard. S/N is Z0026542 and according to the neck plate, the bass was made in Corona California. Now for the question. This bass does not have the dark stripe down the middle of the neck in the back. I noticed other new ones on the internet that also don't have this stripe. However, I've noticed some older Jazz's that do have this stripe. Can someone fill me in on when the dark stripe was and was not used and what it signified?

Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Jazz Neck Question
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:27 pm
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aljazzman66 wrote:
Can someone fill me in on when the dark stripe was and was not used and what it signified?


I will get back to you on the time frame.

Although the recent American models do not have the rosewood...unless it is a reissued model (70's, 60's, etc..)

The rosewood strip is where Fender inserted the truss rod. I am pretty sure they insert the truss rod under the fingerboard for the necks without the stripe.


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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:57 pm
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rufus mangler wrote:
The dark stripe on the back of the neck, known as the 'skunk stripe', was originally to fill up the hole through which the truss rod was fitted. As the necks were made of one piece maple, including the fingerboard, there was no other way of getting into the neck. The wood itself adds nothing structurally...it just closes the hole.

Fender stopped using a skunk stripe between 1960 and around 65, when they introduced rosewood fingerboards. As the truss rod could now be loaded from under the fingerboard, they abandoned the stripe.

Fender restarted maple finger boards, and reintroduced the skunk stripe in, I think, the late 60s. As the stripe had now become part of the Fender image, they left it in, even on rosewood fingerboard necks.

In the past decade, Fender started producing graphite reinforced bass necks. There is no room in these necks to include the reinforcement AND the skunk stripe, so the stripe goes. If you have a look at the recent American Deluxes, and Standards, you will notice no skunk stripe. You will also notice that even the maple fingerboard necks are two part...neck and separate fingerboard.

If you look at the non graphite reinforced vintage series basses, you'll see they still have skunk stripes.

(From another site, by a guy named Andy.)

From this thread: http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... hp?p=59965


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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:47 pm
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Thanks for the feedback. That pretty much explains it. My '66 Jazz has a rosewood fingerboard and doesn't have the skunk stripe. My 2000 Jazz also has a rosewood fingerboard and based on the feedback, I'm assuming has a graphite truss rod since it also doesn't have a skunk stripe. Of course this brings up the question of what the advantages or disadvantages of the metal rod over the graphite rod (or other way around) are. Any opinions?


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Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:38 pm
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aljazzman66 wrote:
Thanks for the feedback. That pretty much explains it. My '66 Jazz has a rosewood fingerboard and doesn't have the skunk stripe. My 2000 Jazz also has a rosewood fingerboard and based on the feedback, I'm assuming has a graphite truss rod since it also doesn't have a skunk stripe. Of course this brings up the question of what the advantages or disadvantages of the metal rod over the graphite rod (or other way around) are. Any opinions?


Your 2000 Jazz bass still has a metal rod in the center of the neck that adjusts from the body with an allen wrench. The graphite rods are actually two wood rods coated with graphite shells, inlaid on either side of the truss rod, that serve to stiffen the neck so that it doesn't move as much as the older necks did when seasons change and humidy and temperature changes throughout the year. This is an improvement and you will have less adjusting to do on your new Jazz bass as compared to your '66, on average. The skunk stripes are actually walnut strips put in to fill the truss rod routes on older maple necks as was stated above.

BCbassman


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:43 am
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I have te 2001 model it has the dark strip,I can't believe you gave up your 66 in faver of a crapy 2000 jazz bass, im really peed of with mine its a right mess under the scratch plate.


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Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:47 am
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This is all great information!

Would you know what year the American Jazz started having that graphite reinforcement? Thanks.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:47 pm
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I believe the graphite rods were installed in the necks after the circa 1995 redesign of the truss rod system, which was when the body side, allen nut truss rod was first used. I may be off on that year by a couple of years but my 1995 Fender Precision bass has the allen nut truss rod and the through-body stringing that marked that version af the American Standard Fender bass.

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