You didn't think we'd forget about basses, did you? I mean, how could we? When it comes to the Fender Custom Shop, basses are no joke. While we might get excited about all the guitars Fender Custom Shop produces, we have to give it up for the basses. The Fender Custom Shop luthiers are absolutely no slouches when it comes to longer scales and four strings. Fender Custom Shop basses are among the finest bass guitars you can find floating around today. Because of this, we think it's absolutely crucial to dedicate a whole article to Fender Custom Shop basses – and since we're thinking that, that's exactly what we're here to do today.
We've got a couple of things to run down here today, so why waste any more time? Let's talk Fender Custom Shop basses.
Fender Custom Shop Bass Neck Shapes
So as you might know, we've talked pretty extensively about neck profiles before (you can actually read about it here!), so there's a good bit of overlap from our previous discussion and this one. However, we're here to give Fender Custom Shop basses their day in the sun, so we'll be giving everything here the time of day – don't you worry. Let's talk about neck shapes.
'51 P Bass "U"
Throwing back to some of the earliest Fender Precision Bass necks, the '51 P Bass neck profile measures at .940" thick at the first fret and .990" at the twelfth fret. You'll notice with basses, you're getting a fuller feel in hand than Fender Custom Shop guitars. No real surprise there, but it's definitely something you'll notice. The '51 P Bass neck doesn't exhibit too much change from the first to twelfth fret. You might recognize some greater change in thickness with some of these other necks as we go on, but for now, this simple and vintage neck profile is honest and authentic.
'60 J Bass "U"
Following in a similar path to our '51 P Bass "U", the '60 J Bass "U" hearkens to the earliest days of everyone's favorite offset bass. The '60 J Bass "U" measures at .790" at the first fret and .990" at the twelfth. Something you probably immediately caught on to with this neck, as compared to the '51 P Bass "U" is the more drastic change in shape from the headstock to the body. Fitted for speedier playing (or at least speedier playing relative to the early '60s), this profile offers quite a bit of versatility with tightness near the headstock and fullness near the body.
'60 P Bass Oval "C"
As time moved on, music got faster, louder, and more demanding. The '60 P Bass Oval "C" alludes to this reality as the previously chunky P Bass "U" translated into a speedier form with '60 J Bass "U" in a strikingly similar form with the '60 P Bass Oval "C". What was once a speedier "U" is now a more moderate speed "C" with this profile that measures .790" at the first fret and .990" at the twelfth. One Jazz's "slow" is a Precision's "fast" as it turns out. The main difference here is the wideness of the neck, since a Jazz Bass nut is, on average, narrower than a Precision Bass, meaning the thickness is the same but with a wider surface as you travel down the scale.
CC Jazz Bass 4 String
Alright, but if you really want thin and fast, you can turn to the CC Jazz Bass 4 String "C". The CC Jazz Bass 4 String "C" is our thinnest and fastest neck in our little assortment, here. Measuring .820" at the first fret and .910" at the twelfth, this neck drops in for players who need something ready for fast, articulate, and groovy playing. Those who prefer a closer wraparound of the fretting hand are sure to have a perfect match with this profile.
'55 P Bass Soft "V"
Now, when we talk about "V" neck profiles as compared to "C" and "U", we're referring to with a neck that balances the thickness of "U" necks with the reduced shoulder of "C" necks. Highlighting this balance as it took place with early '50s Precision Bass necks, the '55 P Bass Soft "V" measures at a respectable .925" thick at the first fret and .950" at the twelfth. Not exhibiting a huge difference at either end of the neck, the '55 P Bass Soft "V" has the playability of later necks with the consistency of earlier necks.
'57 Bass Soft "V"
As we build upon that last neck, we have our '57 Bass Soft "V". This neck mostly differs from its '55 P Bass cousin with a fuller twelfth fret measurement, exhibiting a greater change in thickness as you move from the headstock to the body. The '57 Bass Soft "V" measures .925" at the first fret and .990" at the twelfth.
'75 Jazz Bass
To round this all out, we've got a unique neck profile falling somewhere in between a "C" and a "U" with the '75 Jazz Bass. This neck, usually reserved for the J Bass, measures with a thickness of .820" at the first fret and .970" at the twelfth fret.
Fender Custom Shop Bass Neck Woods
Let's circle back around on something familiar. In our talk about neck shapes and woods, we ran down a good couple types of woods that can be used in Fender Custom Shop guitars. Lucky for us, a lot of the same theory applies for our Fender Custom Shop basses, so there will be some repetition here. If you're looking for a longer round-up of similar information, check out our neck shapes and woods piece.
Maple
No surprises here. Likely the most common type of wood you'll see, maple is a classic. What you may find out and about with necks is different classifications of maple – namely, riftsawn, quartersawn, and AA or AAA. What these terms all signify is different levels of characteristics and quality in your maple. AA and AAA refer to proverbial steps up in quality of your maple neck, AAA being a higher "grade" than AA, and riftsawn and quartersawn refer to the different selections of graining that are found from different cuts in a maple log. Whichever maple you find, it's an overall excellent addition to a Custom Shop bass.
Flame Maple
Entering the world of new aesthetic woods, we have flame maple. Differentiating itself from the usual maple pack, flame maple features more dense and vibrant grain patterns. Flame maple does quite a bit to liven up the look of your Custom Shop neck with players usually citing its intricate patterns as the reason for its selection.
Birdseye Maple
If you're looking for an extra visual motif on your maple neck, we have birdseye maple. This cut of maple, characterized by its dense, circular "birdseye" markings, can be found on many different Custom Shop builds and always makes for a great aesthetic addition.
Roasted Maple
You may have seen roasted maple necks elsewhere out in the electric guitar world these days. This proliferation is for good reason! There's a great case for a roasted maple neck when it comes to designing your own Fender Custom Shop bass. One reason could be that roasted maple offers a darker color which might richen the look of your bass. Another is that roasted maple is physically lighter and produces a more resonant tone off the bat.
Rosewood
A lesser-seen pick for Fender necks, we have rosewood. Setting itself apart from other Custom Shop necks, rosewood offers a distinctly darker color and warmer tone for players looking for something especially different.
Roasted Flame Maple
Doubling up on specialties for maple, roasted flame maple necks come cut with dense tiger striping and a dark, caramelized color. Among the most distinguished picks for Custom Shop necks, roasted flame maple represents the personality and showmanship Fender Custom Shop guitars can exhibit.
Fender Custom Shop Pickups & Wiring
We've already come a long way, but let's not quit yet – we still have some much cool stuff to go through! Let's not beat around the bush, let's get into wiring and pickups.
Fender Custom Shop Bass Wiring
Vintage P Bass
Let's talk about our classic P Bass setup.
Now, since there's fewer configurations to go through and fewer fancy setups among those configurations, this section will certainly be shorter than the Stratocaster and Telecaster articles. Essentially, there's no need to overthink these wiring setups and not too much to go over, but let's run these wiring configurations down nonetheless.
The Vintage P Bass wiring setup presents no surprises to those familiar with classic Precision Bass electronics. One split single-coil pickup inherently does not demand too much from its wiring. Because of this, the Vintage P Bass wiring features a single Master Volume and a single Master Tone for its one pickup. Iconic, seamless, and effortless, the Vintage P Bass design is ubiquitous among Precision Basses, so this Custom Shop setup continues in its popularity.
Vintage '60 Jazz Bass Stacked Knobs
When it comes to Jazz Basses, we get a little fancier. Two single-coil Jazz Bass pickups allow for a little more customization in your tonal journey, so let's talk about this stacked-knob setup. Onboard, the Vintage '60 Jazz Bass Stacked Knobs wiring setup features two concentric control dials. Each knob is wired to each pickup on the bass – one stacked pair of knobs for the neck and one for the bridge. The upper control knob of the first knob controls the volume of the neck pickup while the lower one controls the tone of the neck pickup. The same principle controls the other concentric pair of knobs, but for the bridge pickup. Offering an more individualized control scheme for either pickup, we have the Vintage '60 Jazz Bass Stacked Knobs setup.
Vintage '64 Jazz Bass
On this next wiring design, we simplify things one more time. Across three knobs, we have a knob for the neck pickup's volume, another for the bridge pickup, and a third, smaller knob for the whole guitar's tone control. Moving the Vintage '60 Jazz Bass's individual tone controls into a universal tone control makes for a more streamlined and holistic tonal mixing experience.
Fender Custom Shop Bass Pickups
We have just a handful of bass pickups to talk about, so here we go.
'64 Jazz Bass
Our '64 Jazz Bass single-coils carry with them a distinctly vintage-style tonality. Balancing warm, clear and articulate sounds with defined low ends, present midranges, and punchy high ends.
'75 Jazz Bass
With vintage bobbin design and construction, the '75 Jazz Bass features alnico 5 magnets, flush mounted pole pieces and enamel wire. These vintage-minded single-coils play with enhanced dynamics and a distinctly warm voice for expressive string response.
Noiseless Jazz Bass
If you're looking for a vintage Jazz Bass sound but with more modern mindfulness, we have the Noiseless Jazz Bass. Bright clarity, clear definition, and responsive harmonics all coincide alongside a pure and hum-free profile.
Hand-wound P-Bass
For our P Bass fans, we have a hand-wound split single-coil. Alnico 5 magnets and enamel wire throw back to original '50s and '60s Precision Bass pickups to serve the legacy of the world's most famous bass pickup.
Fender Custom Shop Bass Bridges
Let's round this all out with some bridges – thrilling, we know, right? Jokes aside, a bridge is just as important as any other part of a Fender Custom Shop, so let's give it its time.
Vintage Threaded Saddles
For our classic four-string setups, we have a genuine Fender bass bridge with nickel-plated steel bridge plate and four threaded barrel saddles. Ensuring the classic stability that drove so many basses over the years, this bridge is an excellent choice.
Vintage Groove Saddles
Building upon our Vintage Threaded Saddles bridge, this pick gets groovier with grooved barrel saddles on top of a nickel-plated steel bridge. If you're looking to build upon the vintage bridge experience, look to this choice from the Custom Shop.
American Deluxe Bass Bridge
Doubling up on a bass bridge features, we have the American Deluxe Bass Bridge. A chrome-plated steel bridge plate with partially threaded stainless steel saddles makes for solid intonation and precision demanded for the longer scales of Fender's bass models. What makes this bridge additionally unique is its capabilities for string-through-body or top-load stringing that opens up different choices for setting up and playing.
RSD Bass
An even more modern setup, the RSD Bass bridge features a solid brass billet and threaded steel saddles for a design that is incredibly sturdy, fluid, and playable for a wonderful pick for any Fender Custom Shop bass.
Any Questions?
Okay, so that was quite a bit of info. If your head is spinning a little bit, we totally understand. If you've got any additional questions about the Fender Custom Shop, feel free to reach out to us here at Russo Music! We're always here to talk.
