1990 Fender Jazz Bass Plus Review

Greetings!

A few days ago we took a look at a Fender Precision Plus Bass, and today I am writing about a gnarly 5-string Fender Jazz Plus (that also happens to be coming up for sale). To provide a little history, from 1989 to 1993 Fender sold upgraded American Precision and Jazz basses, with “Plus” added to their marketing names. Most of these were four string Jazz basses, with a few Jazz 5-strings and Precision basses thrown into the mix.

The body on this one is finished in the very rare Silverburst poly, which is exactly the opposite of a Gibson Silverburst ; this one starts with the silver on the outside. It has a pseudo- traditional Jazz Bass profile and shape and is nicely balanced. It appears to be made out of alder, but then again I am not a carpenter or tree surgeon, so I cannot say for sure. These models did not come with a pickguard or the traditional chrome control cavity cover, and I think it looks awesome.

The neck is pretty good. It has a very narrow nut (1.75”) and tight string spacing. This one took a top and crown of the frets and lighter-tension strings to get a low action with no buzzing. It was worth the trouble, because it plays very nicely now.

The spec hardware is classic Japanese stuff, which means that it is very good -- 5 Gotoh GB-7 compact sealed tuners and a Gotoh high-mass bridge. The crummy plastic Grabber strap button that the factory used for a string tree is long gone, having been replaced by a solid-mass tree that gives nice string tension over the nut.

This Jazz Plus has its original electronics, which consist of silver Fender Lace Sensor pickups and a Kubicki 9 volt active pre-amp. There are stacked master volume and pan knobs, stacked treble and bass boost/cut knobs, and a 4-way selector that works as follows: passive/active/active with boost and standby (off). They are not noisy and sound great. The knobs are the same as the ones that the Fender Custom Shop used on the Kubicki Factor basses they built around the same era.

Overall, this one is in fair condition, with quite a few dings and wear spots, and some heavier about midway down the back of the neck (not in the money).

But looks aside it is a great player, and not too heavy (around 9 pounds). After it had a pro set-up, it plays easily and is as smooth as silk. With its narrow neck it would be a good transition instrument for a 4-string player that want to get into a 5-string.

Check one out if you get a chance, or better yet, buy this one from me!

Mahalo!