Not sure if this has cropped up before but I’m looking to buy a new Jazz and find myself wavering between the Japanese FSR in Walnut and the shell pink roadworn Flea bass. I can try the Flea in a local store but the FSR is miles away, anybody had experience of these two? Which one is the better buy?
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Have any pics of the Japanese FSR?
Which one is "better and why"? Thats a decision only you can make, my friend. I might think one is better, while you may think the exact opposite. What kind of specs do you prefer? Vintage frets or larger frets? Fretboard radius? Road worn and relic'd finish or not? Chocolate or vanilla? Neither is "better", it's picking the bass that works for YOU, not what others think you should get.
Which one is "better and why"? Thats a decision only you can make, my friend. I might think one is better, while you may think the exact opposite. What kind of specs do you prefer? Vintage frets or larger frets? Fretboard radius? Road worn and relic'd finish or not? Chocolate or vanilla? Neither is "better", it's picking the bass that works for YOU, not what others think you should get.
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There was one of these in the classifieds a couple of weeks ago at a great price. I think around $825. Not sure if it sold or not.
I've owned or still own a number of Japanese Fender basses and none of them have ever disappointed. And while I've never owned one of those lovely Walnut JB62's, they've long held a spot on my personal GAS list. So, if it were my money to spend, that's the one I would get.
On a basic level, the physical specs should be pretty close between them, except perhaps the weight. (If the JB62 is made of basswood, it should end up being a bit lighter than the alder Flea Jazz) Fender-Japan loved to use a mix of '70s and modern specs for their Jazz bass necks. I guess you could almost call them a "Slim '70s" style…a vintage, 7.25" radius, but with less front-to-back thickness.
P.S.: Even if it's listed as an FSR model, Fender-Japan sold this model for a handful of years. Technically speaking, it's a standard, "Japan Exclusive" model, not a Factory Special Run. I believe it's model designation was "JB62 WAL".
On a basic level, the physical specs should be pretty close between them, except perhaps the weight. (If the JB62 is made of basswood, it should end up being a bit lighter than the alder Flea Jazz) Fender-Japan loved to use a mix of '70s and modern specs for their Jazz bass necks. I guess you could almost call them a "Slim '70s" style…a vintage, 7.25" radius, but with less front-to-back thickness.
P.S.: Even if it's listed as an FSR model, Fender-Japan sold this model for a handful of years. Technically speaking, it's a standard, "Japan Exclusive" model, not a Factory Special Run. I believe it's model designation was "JB62 WAL".
The one Flea I played was just outstanding sounding, though I have seen threads on here about some potential QC issues.
I read one particularly long thread on the subject of QC, sounded like there was nothing wrong with it that a set up wouldn’t fix, but some of negativity from a few people chiming in was off putting, though I noticed some of those were from people that hadn’t played one but had the usual axe to grind about it being MIM.
I was less than impressed with the few Flea basses I've tried. Had absolutely nothing to do with quality control…setup was very good on all three. Nothing to do with them being MIMs, either since my favorite Fender bass is an MIM.
Nothing wrong with the bass, I just object to a $1,300 price tag on a $800 bass.
I'm.going to Guitar Center to try out a few amp heads today, if they have a Flea bass ( pretty sure they do) maybe I'll try one out again.
Nothing wrong with the bass, I just object to a $1,300 price tag on a $800 bass.
I'm.going to Guitar Center to try out a few amp heads today, if they have a Flea bass ( pretty sure they do) maybe I'll try one out again.
Bought the Flea, needed a bit of tweaking to set up but plays really well, lovely neck. Sounds quite meaty with the tone on the neck pickup rolled back a bit through my Orange Crush amp, pickups wise it sounds more vintage than my Japanese Geddy Lee. If the Walnut FSR had been available in my neck of the woods I would have tried it out, but there just isn’t one to be found in a store. Got a pretty good deal, haggled them down to just over £900 as opposed to the £1074 on the tag as I could’ve bought an end of the line American Precision in a shop nearby for under £1000, but I don’t need another P, not that they knew that. Overall I’m impressed so far.
I would go with the FSR Jazz, as I don't like stacked knobs, but that's just me. Not to mention, Walnut is both a beautiful wood and finish.