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Post subject: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:53 pm
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Actually I'm trying to reconcile some inconsistencies with my early 1970's Jazz Bass. I have owned this since 1990 and always believed it to be from 1971 or 1972.

The neck plate is #306634, the neck pocket has a green stamp and the name Galien in red. The strange part are the volume and tone knobs - all three are numbered "021857 250K AUD2 35-137". I can't find any reference to where part #021857 was used on a Fender instrument as opposed to an amp.

What is the concensus of the group?

Thanks!

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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 3:42 am
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Pot code is incomplete ? Fender always put solder wire on pot code. Or it is a 137 = CTS pot
35 = 35 the week , 2 = 1972

Look there;http: //www.vintagerocker.com/potinfo.html


Guitar Info
Your guitar was made at the
Fullerton Plant (Fender - CBS Era), USA
in the Year(s): 1971


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:56 am
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Some contradiction here but nothing unusual.

Based on the serial Fender says it can be a 71, 72 or 73 here: http://www.fender.com/support/articles/u-s-instruments-product-dating/
Guitar Dater Project output states it is a 1971. This is of course impossible since the pots weren't made till 9 weeks after the 71 model year ended June 30, 1972.

Since the pot codes date to just past mid 1972, it is likely to be a 72 model made after September of 72.

Pencil writing of various names in earlier years and stampings in later years a
such as Galien on this one is not uncommon. Bane stamps are quality control stamping usually. I don't recognize this name but that doesn't mean anything bad necessarily. I see a lot of J Torres neck pocket stamps during this period.

So it was made after 35th week of 1972 since that is when the pots were made. It is less likely to be a 73 model than a 72 model and certainly not a 1971 model. It is most likely to be a late calendar year 72 or early calendar year 73 model. It could have been made as late as June 30, 1973 and still would technically be a 72 model since Fender model years at that time run on fiscal years not calendar years.

Pity the neck heel code stamp is smudged as there were 3 different code formats used in 71, 72 through mid 73 and later 73. That would have narrowed it down considerably. In the absence of the neck code I'd go with the pot code and I would also check for codes on the back of the pickups that would be informative if legible.


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:12 am
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brotherdave, I'm not sure of what I wrote earlier ; Did you agreed with that ?

" Or it is a 137 = CTS pot 35 = 35 the week , 2 = 1972 "


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:17 pm
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Well I thought the pot code thing here was settled here but maybe not. Copying below from "The Brother Dave Printable Fender Field Guide" available to save or print on my website's INSTRUMENT HISTORIC DATA PAGE, so if the OP can piece together one complete pot code by analyzing what is visible on all three pots, then the OP can at least know the earliest it could have been made:

First 3 numbers are maker's ID code, next two numbers are year, last two are week.
“1378812” Decodes 137 = CTS ID, 88 = 1988, 12 = 12th week of that year
“304-6237” Decodes 304 = Stackpole ID, 62 =1962, 37 = 37th week of that year
NOTE: In 66 CBS placed a massive pot order. These pots all date to 66 & were used from 66 until 70! So a 1970 neck date/serial could have a 1966 pot date."

I keep a printout of the entire 4 page document in the glove compartment of my car. You never know when it will come in handy. I'm hoping to update it to 2012 soon. Now it goes through 2009. I have a couple of new irons in the fire so time is sparser now than I'd like.


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:08 am
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Thanks for the information.

I decided to look at the pickups and see what I could find:

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The neck pickup clearly shows 1460. 46th week of 1970?

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This one is more of a stretch, but it looks like 7461460 with the 1 being smudged.

I would compare it to my 1969 Jazz Bass but it has EMGs so it won't help.

Any help would be appreciated.


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:57 pm
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The Pots could've been changed but the rest of the bass looks very legitimate to me.
I own a 1970-71 Jazz bass and what you have looks very similar to my bass.


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:33 am
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Hi! I'm pretty glad to find your thread because my 1971 Jazz Bass is a sibling of yours, serial #306808, and it also have these rare pots stamped "021857 250K AUD2-35 137".
What I found out might be of interest for you too:
The pots are discontinued special taper pots for amplifiers with a special 2-35% taper, hence the stamping "AUD2-35", so this is not a dating information at all.

But on my tone pot I found a stamping "7039" after the "137" which exatly says week 39, 1970.
I'm pretty sure Fender had shortage of the standard guitar pots those days hence they took these amp pots, at least for our Jazz Basses ;-)

So check the 4-digit code beneath the isolated wire of the tone capacitor on your tone pot, I can see the digits on your picture of the electronics, they are there.

Regards
Josef


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:51 pm
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Galien is legit.

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Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2016 5:53 am
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Anybody else out there having an early 1971 Jazz with a serial close to #306xxx and pots stamped "021857 250K AUD2-35 137" like mine and the tchawks (please see my post of March, 22nd)?


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:45 am
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No one out there?


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Post subject: Re: Dating an early 70's Jazz Bass
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2016 10:15 am
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JosKap wrote:
No one out there?

No. The Fender Forums are just about completely dead. Especially the Bass forums. Sad, but true. :cry:


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