1976 Fender Jazz Bass, as made famous by Flea (amongst many others)

Fender's second bass, and its most versatile.   An absolute beauty from 1976, Olympic White naturally faded to Ivory . . . OK, it's not shell pink, but get it in the right light, strip off your top, and you're centre-stage in Stadium Arcadium.

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Following launch in 1951, Fender had stuck to the Precision as its groundbreaking, and only, bass guitar for eight years.  Times change, tastes change, choices are demanded.  So, come 1959,  Leo Fender and the team turned their attention to producing a "deluxe" alternative, launching the new Jazz Bass in 1960.  Years later, Leo put it just right: “Well, it’s like a car, you know—you come out with a standard model, then you have a deluxe model—a Cadillac version.”  The brilliance of the Jazz Bass lay in the introduction of both a neck and bridge pick-up - the neck pick-up delivering pretty much everything you might expect from a Precision, the bridge pick-up introducing the trebly attack so beloved across musical spaces as wide as rock and disco, or funk and punk.  And the two volume knobs giving you all the opportunity to mix and merge to make the sound your sound.

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The Fender Precision is everywhere, and rightly so.  But if you want true sonic versatility, the Jazz Bass is the one for you.  Fender's used to tell the story so well in their own article: Jaco, Geddy and Flea Can't Be Wrong: The Story of the Jazz Bass (sadly removed, but hopefully to return!). Even so, the list of players Fender gives tribute to seems inconsequential compared to the 600+ you'll find on Equipboard.  But what a list.  Funk, disco and punk aside, "When you hear the breathtaking bass breaks by John Entwistle on the Who’s immortal “My Generation,” by John Paul Jones in Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” and by Geddy Lee in Rush’s “YYZ,” you’re hearing a Jazz Bass."  Nice.

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And, of course, there's Flea, who brings all styles together.  He's famous for his 1961 Shell Pink Jazz bass, received from a fan after requesting in his online tour journal if anyone knew where he could get a pre-CBS Jazz Bass so he could be “as cool as John Paul Jones.”  It's an utterly unique bass, now with its own Flea signature model.  But that original has stood the test of play and time.  As Flea puts it himself: "It's just a magic bass.  It's been a bass for so long, I guess, it stopped being a tree a long time ago."  Right with you, Flea...

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And it's not just bass guitarists that love the Fender Jazz.  The neck is by design incredibly narrow, and thin front to back.  Any guitarist that wants to pick up the bass is going to be naturally drawn to this one.  Yes, it's a bass, but it's as close to a six-string electric guitar's neck as you could wish for.  Fast and easy.  A guitarist's dream. 

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This 1976 model is an absolute gem.  Originally produced in custom colour Olympic White, the lacquer has aged to a beautiful ivory.  It's been lovingly looked after over the years and is in fabulous condition for its age.  And it might just add Bill Wyman to the list of famous players - or at least a Rolling Stones tribute act.  It comes in a case stencilled "Tumbling Dice" . . . Which opens up a Pandora's Box of provenance.  Dig into it and you'll find Tumbling Dice is not an unpopular name for tribute bands.  I gave up after half an hour of search results.  Sometimes it's not about where it was last used, but where it will be used next.  Whatever your style, if you want a vintage bass that covers all the bases (sic), then this is the one for you!