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Post subject: AVRI '64 Jazz Bass brass ground strap
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2014 4:18 pm
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Hello,

The American Vintage Reissue Jazz Basses are beautifully rendered replicas of a real '64 (and I've owned many real pre-CBS Jazz Basses to reference them to) but the ones I've seen have the brass ground strap (this can only be seen with the bridge cover off obviously) as found on the earlier '62 AVRI Jazz Basses. On the originals this feature is found an '60 until about early 1963, so it's period incorrect for a 1964. Of course a hole could be made under the bridge for a ground wire, but it's a hassle and would be easy for Fender to do this at the factory. A small detail, but since one is paying for these instruments to be detail-accurate reissues of the originals, it would be nice to not have to mess with it. I guess this is a carryover from the AVRI '62 Jazz Basses which always had the ground strap. Strangely enough, a friend of mine owns a late model AVRI 62 Jazz which does NOT have the brass ground strap!

I own a Time Machine Series Relic '64 Jazz that (correctly) doesn't have the ground strap

Perhaps Fender has gotten this detail right on later production AVRI '64 Jazz Basses? Just wondering. If not, consider this a friendly request to consider doing so!

Thanks so much,

Bill Cherensky


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Post subject: Re: AVRI '64 Jazz Bass brass ground strap
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 1:59 pm
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Location: In the pocket north of Washington D.C.
I often wonder if Fender makes certain changes on their reissues to make sure that they are not confused with the originals.
A casual player would not know that difference with the ground strap but a serious collector would.

I know that I am way below your price point but my Road Worn Precision is stamped ROAD WORN under the pick guard. There is no mistake on what that bass is.

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Post subject: Re: AVRI '64 Jazz Bass brass ground strap
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 2:48 pm
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BCbassman wrote:
I often wonder if Fender makes certain changes on their reissues to make sure that they are not confused with the originals.
A casual player would not know that difference with the ground strap but a serious collector would.

I know that I am way below your price point but my Road Worn Precision is stamped ROAD WORN under the pick guard. There is no mistake on what that bass is.



Last week I purchased an AVRI '64 Jazz Bass. I removed the bridge and am happy to report that the hole for a ground wire is pre-drilled for those wishing to delete the ground strap and run an under-bridge ground wire as per a real 1963 and later Jazz Bass. Easliy done if you have some basic skills (the ground strap will have to be unsoldered from the brass shield under the bridge pickup) but I wonder why Fender bothers to install the ground strap in the first place since it's incorrect for a '64 Jazz Bass anyway. They even incude the individual mutes, mounting screws, and location template same as with the old '62 AVRI Jazz Basses. Not to the powers that be at Fender: save yourself and the consumer a couple of $, some aggravation and delete these parts. Less $ with the result of a little more correct-to-the-original '64 product!

A couple of other small quibbles: the back of the neck had some slight "orange peel" that I could feel when playing. Since I'm an experienced guitar repair person, this wasn't a very big deal, all I had to do was remove the neck, block it down with some 2500 paper, and buff it out, but for someone without the skills to do it, it would cost them a few $ to have to done if it bothered them. On an instrument at this price point, it really shouldn't have to be done.

Additionally, the thickness of the "round lam" fingerboard is much thicker than a real '64 (as it was on the Time Machine Series guitars as well). However, it is very similar to the very first round lam boards, made only for a few months ca. July-August of 1962 sometimes referred to by collectors as "a slaboid" fingerboard. The thicker board also allows for any future levelling of the fingerboard that might be necessary further down the road when the bass is refretted.

After the tweaks I mentioned, some minor fret work (I like the action very low so this was needed in order not to have any fret buzz) and a setup, I can say that it's a great bass. The 1/2 sawn maple neck is straight with very little truss rod tension required. The new '64 Jazz Bass gray bobbin pickups sound very good too!

Happily, I can say that the new '64 AVRI is quite close to an original '64 overall. Fender really did their homework this time! The body contours and neck profile are pretty much dead on to the original '64 JB that I owned for close to 35 years and just recently sold. It is a far more accurate reissue of a '64 Jazz Bass than the long running '62 AVRI Jazz Bass that it supercedes was of a real '62. If they correct just a few small details it would be even that much better, though. For anyone jonesing for a real pre-CBS Jazz Bass that can't afford to drop $10K or whatever on one, one of these will scratch that itch!

Re the "Road Worn" stamp, the Time Machine series instruments (those guitars as well as the old '62/'57 AVRI series having been replaced by the current AVRI series) had "Relic" stamped all over the place, under the guard, in the neck pocket, in the pickup cavities, etc.

No need to worry about someone being ripped off by a reissue being sold as an orginal. No matter how accurate they make them, it will never quite close enough to fool a knowledgeble collector. A novice with more money that brains, possibly. It's not a bad problem to have though, since it would mean that the reissue is that close to the original!


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Post subject: Re: AVRI '64 Jazz Bass brass ground strap
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 6:23 pm
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I know this is an old thread, but is there any definitive answer as to why Fender did this? I just recently purchased a 64 American vintage jazz, and I love the bass, but this is just weird. Am I missing something?


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