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Post subject: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about it.
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 1:05 pm
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This bass is in a pawn shop and I have no idea if it is worth it or not. I don't know anything about basses as I am a 30 year drummer and I am wanting to learn bass. I was told this is an excellent bass to play, but I dont know how to tell if it is American, Japanese, Mexican, or a Frankenstein. I can't find any pictures that match all of the characteristics of this online.
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They want $250 for it....is this a deal or no? There are not serial numbers anywhere on the guitar. I removed the 4 screws on the chrome plate and did not see any numbers on the bottom of the neck or on the body. There was a small piece of rectangular sandpaper in there. On the body there was an area that matched the piece of sand paper that was not painted green and there was a number 2 written with a black marker in the box. Any help would be awesome. Dunno if the pictures will load on here because I don't really know how. Maybe so.... thanks for any and all help!


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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 1:10 pm
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Here is a picture of the body from the front... I could only do 3 pics
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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 2:37 pm
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:evil: No Serial Number = NO SALE! :evil:

You can see exactly where the serial number has been sanded off. This in and of itself is a crime. There is a reason the serial number is missing. Don't support criminals. Now run!

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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 9:28 pm
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Yes the serial number has been sanded off the back of the Head below the tuners,........Not Cool!! :evil: this Pawn shop obviously deals in stolen goods,.... Pawn shops here in Canada require serial numbers be on items they're selling & they require a drivers License .... this Bass would of been reported to the Cops as being fishy ... :(


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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 9:58 pm
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FAKE! :twisted: don't buy it! :evil:


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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 1:18 am
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The asking price would seem to indicate the seller realizes it is not a real MIA despite the neck plate. For $250 it's prolly a great playing bass. Offer $150 or $200. If you get it, you get it. If not, no harm done. Whaddaya want for 2 bones? I mean really .... It's not like we're talking about $2K here. If you're looking for an investment then by all means pass it up but if you just want a bass to play who freakin' cares if it's MIA or MIM or CIJ? I ask again, whaddaya want for 2 bones?

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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 1:23 pm
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I agree, that's probably a "hot" bass and should not be purchased.

If you're looking for a first bass, you might consider the Squire Affinity Series J-Bass, which is what I purchased. The street price for a brand new one is $180 so you'll be saving money, not to mention getting a pristine unplayed instrument in your choice of finishes. This is my first bass and I really love this instrument. With the money you save you can buy some new strings, a padded strap, and maybe have some cash left over.


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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:53 am
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As far as the pawn shop is concerned, I live in a very small town.....lets call it podunksville. :lol: The guy that works there has zero knowledge about musical instruments. While I was at church this past weekend, I showed all the pictures I have of it (about 15) to the other bass and guitar players there. They seem to think that the neck had been refinished because at the top of the bass near the tuning keys, the clear coat looks like water. It has flat and shiny spots all over it. The place where the serial number would have been is not a clearly "sanded" spot, meaning is has splotches of shine and flat where the number would be, kinda like they sanded the entire top and sprayed clear but did not clean it and it did not take in all areas. Someone is gonna buy the guitar one way or the other, be it me or the next guy to walk in. I am not a supporter of stolen merchandise, and have spent my entire life out of trouble, but nothing gurantees it is stolen. Thing I don't understand thus far in my entrance to wanting to learn a guitar instrument is why they don't burn the serial number into the guitar. Why not put the number under the pic guard or somewhere like that? I think this guitar was refinished at the top and that is why it is not there. I play all over this area, so if I were to play it in public and the owner identified it as his and as being stolen, I would gladly return it. My point of this post was to try and determine some information about the bass as far as quality, what to look for as far as potential problems, any kind of alterations that had been made, etc. That is the information that I would appreciate someone knowlegeable letting me know. If the guitar is stolen, it would have a very good chance of being returned as it would be gigged in public all over the state. So with all this being said, will someone please tell me about the bass itself (other than serial number missing issues) and my choice of trying to learn on it. What should I look at as far as potential irreversable damage, etc. Again, any help would be appreciated.


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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:31 pm
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Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
It's a Fender Jazz Bass. Colour appears to be a metallic deep forest green which is very likely the result of a refinish. 3 ply white pick guard. Rosewood fret board. 22 frets. Vintage style bridge. Conventional J-Bass pickups and controls. Regular issue tuning keys. A Fender Corona neck plate which may not be stock.

For more information about this guitar please contact Fender Consumer Relations. You will be asked to provide the serial number.

The only other information that can be gleaned from the pics you provided is:
1) The guitar may or may not be stolen and without talking to the previous owner you will never know.
2) The guitar appears to be refinished, and not very well at that.
3) It is not a fake or a counterfeit. Anyone wishing to counterfeit an MIA Jazz Bass guitar would have done a better job of it and they would not try to sell it at a pawn shop and the asking price would not be $250.

I will ask it again, what do you want for 2 C-notes? Seriously.

You should simply let this one go and keep searching because you are not going to obtain the answers you seek.

Another thing to consider is that the chance of your finding a real, genuine, documentable MIA Jazz bass for 2 bones is slim to none.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:50 pm
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If a bass can even be slightly thought to be a stolen bass you should prob stay away from it . It doesn't matter where you live really. The number one thing about Fenders etc is when purchasing knowing if there is a serial #. Biggest reason to remove a serial number is the fact that it's stolen-- However I suppose some lummax might just remove a serial number because he thinks the guitar may get stolen. That's a lummax for yah'. They aren't quite right in the head. How many lummaxes are out there? That's the question to think about.

Now then.. we have the deal where someone may have just built the guitar from parts and that throws the stolen thing out the window somewhat.. I could prob take the guitar and tell you if that's the case-- Find someone who can tell if that in fact it's a parts bass with decals on it. That would prob make that bass a decent purchase ! It looks like it has nice parts on it. I like the color-- rare in my opinion- you don't see those every day in that color of green.

I didn't know drummers were alowed to buy a bass.
Being the fact that the truss rod adjust is on the heastock tells us something as dose the decal etc and the neckplate. Take the bass apart and take a bunch of pics and post them on here and I think it can be identified almost to a "T" as to what it is. Will the guy at the pawn store let you do that?


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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 12:58 pm
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I'd pass on it to be sure. I have a funny vibe about it, unless they do let you take it apart to get closeup pics of the serial numbers on the pots, etc.


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Post subject: Re: Wanting to buy this Fender Bass, but know nothing about
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:03 am
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I think that this bass may be a Squire Affinity bass that was re-decaled to appear to be a USA made bass of some sort.
USA tuners and a neck plate were used to make the bass appear legit but the body is not of USA manufacture.
A knowledgeable bassist would spot it right away but a new bass player may not know the difference.

One point - Measure the length of the pickups. If they are the same length it is at most a Mexican made bass and possibly a rebranded Squire.

Any USA made Jazz will have the longer Bridge pickup.

An Indonesian Squire affinity sell new for that asking price and used for about 100 to150 dollars less. I bought one for $99 bucks!

Just know what you are buying.

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