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Post subject: Figuring out an 80's MIJ 32" medium scale Jazz Special
Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:58 pm
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I'm reposting this from another dead thread regarding P-Bass Lytes, since this one I've gotten is a bit of a mystery to me and Google hasn't been much help.

I have an 80's G serial Jazz Bass Special, but it's a 4 control active bass similar to the Lyte. It's also a 32" scale bass, and I know the Power Jazzes and the passive Jazz Specials are 34", and the Power Jazzes have a completely different headstock design.

However, I thought the Lyte was a 2 vol, 2 tone bass, and mine is 2 pickup tone, 1 master tone (the TBX circuit everyone keeps talking about maybe?) and 1 master volume. The neck has not been re-appropriated from any other bass, I think, as it has only been drilled for a non-rectangular plate as shown. The hardware is gold, and the wear on the tuners matches the wear on the bridge, output jack, and strap buttons, so if it's a part bass someone matched everything really well. The pickups are black, covered, and Fender-branded with a battery and preamp (I think, I'm not an electronics expert) in the control cavity. I'm not sure if the pups are passive and pre-amped or active. I wasn't aware that there was a different.

I have some pics up over on TalkBass:http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=726465&highlight=fender+mij+jazz+special

The body does look a lot like a Lyte, but the headstock is all wrong for a Lyte, as well as being medium scale. Were all the Lytes 34"s or may there have been some 32"?

Any information form those who are more familiar with 80's MIJs would be greatly appreciated. It plays like a dream, sounds great, and the flame neck is to die for. Regardless of what it is, it's awesome, and it's my first Fender.


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Post subject: Re: Figuring out an 80's MIJ 32" medium scale Jazz Special
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:02 pm
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Did this bass have a 2+2 headstock? I think the bass you're talking about is a Fender Prophecy bass.

Image

The Prophecy line of basses was one of two lines of basses produced by Heartfield.

The Prophecy I features a double cutaway basswood body, bolt-on maple neck with 22 frets on a rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays. It also sports a fixed bridge, graphite nut, chrome hardware, P-style J-style pickups and volume/balance/TBX controls.

The Prophecy II is similar to the Prophecy I, but has an ash body, gold hardware, active electronics and volume/treble/bass controls.

The Prophecy III is similar to the above basses, except for the addition of a laminated ash body, through-body laminated maple neck, gold hardware, volume/treble/bass controls and active electronics.

All models were produced from 1991 to 1993. They first appeared in Fender Frontline in winter (i.e. early) 1992 and last appeared in summer 1993.

Not sure if these basses use a medium-scale 32" length. From my personal experience, all Prophecy basses were 34".


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Post subject: Re: Figuring out an 80's MIJ 32" medium scale Jazz Special
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:57 pm
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Hi, thanks for getting back to me!
Nope, it's a traditional Fender styled headstock with smaller tuners, Gotohs perhaps? I'm not sure what Fender Japan used in the late 80s, but it's basically a P-Lyte body, 4 controls, vol, tone/tone, and what seems to be a TBX because it's definitely NOT a blend control. But everything appears to be stock, and the G serial would seem to date it to several years before the debut of the P-Lytes, which I believe came in the early 90s. I've got some pics of it over up at TalkBass: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/85-6-mij-fender-jazz-special-32-medium-scale-bass-726465/.
I got some pretty good info from a guy by the handle kenjikun, but I wanted to see what the guys over here, being Fender guys specifically, had to say.
In any event, great bass.


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