1960 Fender Custom Shop Bass Demonstration/Review

[@mattwarner2447]

For whatever reason, stack-pot jazz basses just have an absolutely magic sound that I've never been able to exactly nail with my 3-knob.

[@JAK0449]

agreed

[@division17]

Great video! Out of all your bass videos, this was by far my favourite. That bass sounds AMAZING.

[@groovybasslines]

Great little Grooves ! 👌

[@vicshere99]

I have Thomastik-Infeld flatwounds on mine, and it’s the dream pairing. Plays so smoothly and suits any genre of music, surely one of the best basses Fender have ever built, and I keep finding new sounds with so much variety with two tones and volumes. Absolutely beautiful bass that has me forgetting my Les Paul, Martin and Tele some nights!

[@1mespud]

It'd be even more authentic if they added the "hootenanny" strap button behind the headstock as they did on their early 60's P/JB basses.

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

Agreed

[@MoPower2112]

God! That bass sounds amazing! So much punch!

[@Meddled]

The Custom Shop doesn't copy the circuitry of the original stack knob bass. The originals had a resistor in series with the output of each pickup. The hot side of the output connected to the end of each resistor. Leo Fender implemented this circuit to try and decouple the two tone controls, so that you could roll down one and only hear it affect the relevant pickup. Fender has never copied this circuitry because the general consensus is that you always need the full output of each pickup to modify downstream.

[@trevor4127]

+Alan Donnet I was always curious about this issue on a stacked knob jazz. Like if you had both pickups full volume, and only rolled the tone off on one of them, what would it sound like?

[@Meddled]

I've read up a bit more. Apparently the stackers only had those resistors to stop the volume controls acting, each, like a master volume. Leo Fender hadn't figured out how to wire two pickups to two volumes, so he used the resistors to block each volume control out of the path of the other.

[@blackfang04]

Damn, that is one beautiful bass.

[@qbass00]

Randomly stumbled onto your channel, you have some beautiful basses dude! Love the sound of the LaBellas on this one.

[@al891967]

That bass is SWEET !!!---Love the neck !!!---

[@wysiwyg2489]

1:58 The circuit change came from the need to isolate the volume controls since the circuit doesn't have a pickuo switch. To fix this, the solution at the time was adding a couple of 220k resistors to the circuit. This pretty much kills the bass output so Jaco, which at the time was young and wanted to have an "in your face" sound never liked the dual stack configuration. You can fix this by adding two 15k resistors instead of the original 220k but for some reason this was not investigated at the time. IMHO Leo changed the design to three knobs to have a less expensive design, easier to manufacture.

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

I would agree, production cost, rather than tone led to the change to 3 knob circuit.

[@metallicarocks911]

As a person who has played bass for 7 years, I personally love the brightness that rounds give, and jazz basses lend so much more to the brightness that rounds give, but I have to say that those strings on that bass would sound fantastic in a mix. It does still have that growl through the more 'thumpier' sound of flats. However, I think that if you were to solo the instrument, or give the bass a more prominent role (Slap, plectrum), then rounds would be best for it, as jazz basses are richer and far more brighter than its single split-pickup counterpart. Just my two cents, considering the mixed opinions in the comments.

[@charlesanddenisemoscatello5802]

The flat wounds sound killer brother!!

[@Fenderbassplayer]

The stack knob Jazz was actually gone by mid 1961. It was only made for about 18 months which is why an original is so rare....and expensive.

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

You can order one from Fender, or check Reverb. There are a lot of Custom Shop 1960 Jazz basses.

[@aussiecoastie72]

Such a wonderful instrument , Thank you for sharing 🙏🏻

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

ThankYOU for your kind words.

[@keithruddell1800]

thanks for sharing. i'm thinking about a Bassman 100T or TV to compliment my Ampeg Heritage B15.

[@B17B25guy]

Thank you, for the review! What I am curious about is the (subjective/objective) difference between the 'C' shape neck and this bass guitar's 'U' shaped neck?

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

I could only describe it as a U shaped neck would be a little bit deeper and thicker from front to back. A C shaped neck is a bit thinner and more shallow. If you would look at them in cross section, the shape would look a U or a C, respectively.

[@danielbradler6169]

what a beauty my next bass will be a fender

[@davidrichardson7687]

Cool Demo Dude with Bass face.

[@lokotron1]

indeed a beautiful tone.

[@davidrichardson7687]

Nice Bass and vintage sounds.

[@mojito6629]

Very nice bass!

[@Mat_Gomez23]

This was actually a controversial debate why Fender replaced the Stacked Knobs with the standard three knobs we all know and love today, there was two reasons: One: It was too expensive to make because the Stacked Knobs were made from anodized aluminum and other expensive parts were put into it and the second debate was because that it was too complicated To use and they replaced them with the standard three knobs because it was more simple to use than the stacked knobs. Personally for me I like both but if I had to pick one the Stacked Knobs win, there’s just a variety of tone and so much you can make it sound.

[@luvbasses5487]

Maybe a couple of concentric knob control plates escaped the factory in '62 in order to "use 'em up and get 'em out." That being said, FENDERBASSPLAYER is largely correct. By August '61, the "three-knob" assembly was in full-swing and by one year later, in AUG 62, our beloved, beautifully figured slab boards went the way of the buffalo...GONE. Breaks my heart. :(

[@roeybenuri5251]

HUGE fan amazing review amazing playar

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

wow...thankyou....very kind

[@mattattrill]

that sound, nice playing man!

[@DynaBruhBlackKnight]

Thank goodness...!..finally a comprehensive review of a Custom Shop Bass...it seems all Fender does is make vids for their guitars..smh..but great review, Grooms..is like to see you get a hold of a CS P or the Postmodern next...

[@Ithumpify]

I just built a parts J bass with the old config. But next week I'm changing to the 3 knob config. I like less knobs plus thats the way the jazz bass I had in the late sixties was.Thought I would like the stacked knobs but no.

[@Codington-j5o]

Beautiful bass, excellent demo! Do you actually own all these basses and if you had to choose one as your favorite...it would be the?

[@다크앤젤-t4l]

소리가 진짜 찰지네요 진짜 팬더소리 👍

[@sjk254]

It's Fender we're talking about. It was cheaper to use 3 standard pots and knobs than 2 concentric pots with special knobs.

[@Maryonpark]

Love the bass. I just can't get into flat wounds personally, I know a lot of people love them. It all sounds a bit dead to me.

[@maxjbg]

I like them a lot on p basses but a jazz bass is capable of so much details with rounds.

[@zr2700]

Check out Ernie Ball slinky cobalt flatwounds. The smooth feel and thump of a flat, with the clarity and presence of a round. They are a perfect mix of a flatwound and roundwound string, best of both worlds. I’d recommend them to anyone

[@jazz65]

i agree, when i started play bass i bought a set of flats and i took them off them after a few days ... straight to the bin. not for me ... dead tone, no chances to work with the tone like with a good set of round wounds, the only good thing i like ab flat is that they don't eat the frets, but who cares. tone first ! ^_^

[@Mat_Gomez23]

It’s a common thing why Roundwound users say that flatwounds sound dead or dull, the reason is that those that played roundwounds are used to the growl and attack sound of roundwounds instead of the mellow vintage sound of the flats. It’s about the tone you’re after for.

[@michaelphelps1994]

Fender said that the stack knob configuration wasn't warm enough.

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

And I would agree 😃

[@shagadelic8680]

The finishes on these are so sexy. The seafoam sparkle with a tortoise pickguard...damn.

[@amoblahblah]

sounds amazing :O

[@jamest821]

The CTS Concentric Stacked Pots only come in 250k/500k there is no 250k/250k CTS Stacked Pot, so the tone pot is 500k in these, thats likely the only reason why 1960 stacked pots are brighter. Theres so much Illusion illusion with vintage guitars but the brightness is just potentiometer numbers.. Standard Jazz Bass V/V/T uses 250k on the tone pot. If you went V/V/T and put a 500k pot on the tone it would likely be exactly the same sound no reason for it to not be.

[@fonkamex]

Interesting ! I was wondering why he said is more brilliant. If I ordered a stacked pots all in 250k the sound would be perfectly right

[@beeps123]

How come a fancy Warwick thumb bass don't give us this tone??

[@davidpeters44]

because the MEC pickups suck.

[@adrianxboxx2552]

What pick ups do I need to sound like your bass? I have an american standard fender jazz bass

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

If you want to get a bit closer to the vintage tone of a 60's jazz, try a set of Fender Custom Shop 60's pickups or Seymour Duncan Antiquity II jazz bass pickups.

[@adrianxboxx2552]

@@jonathangroomsbassist thank you!

[@adrianxboxx2552]

@@jonathangroomsbassist set my dark glass b3k pedal (grunt mode) and it's similar!, increase the meds range too

[@CNick75]

I know this is an old video but is that closet classic or NOS?

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

From what I recall it was light relic.

[@markbass354]

Jonathan why doesn't Fender bring back that color , that's a beatiful bass , thanks for the review.

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

Mark B I think Squire offers that finish but the only other way is a Custom Shop instrument or limited run.

[@bassdroppointsource]

Jaco preferred the stack knob Jazz and played those almost exclusively.

[@GrungeyMr]

+bassdroppointsource the bass of doom never had stack knobs, thats the only fretless bass he had, he practiced with fretted basses tho.

[@bassdroppointsource]

A quick perusal of the Talkbass and a google image search seems to prove you right. I stand corrected!

[@reginamoss4150]

I don't think that is correct.

[@korgen-rock]

Wrong

[@henrybonruiz]

Classic tones!

[@stevenscott9983]

It does sound great.

[@jaredbauer3267]

Gotta say, I'm a P-bass guy all the way. I'm not a fan of the Jazz bass, however I am a huge fan of this Jazz bass. Really great sound.

[@liten48]

luv the high steem clover leaf keys

[@Roman_24]

Is it possible to buy it?

[@robertogomesmusic]

Thank you!!!

[@DonCbas]

Muy bueno!

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

Gracias! 😀

[@v33punk]

It's missing the individual string mutes though. It's not an exact replica.

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

They were in the case, not installed.

[@Whiskel]

0:27

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

???

[@williambradley8004]

The custom shop Basses are amazing,but to my ears they don't sound any better than the American professional 2 and original series ,60s jazz basses.

[@albertlarroca1271]

another copy...wood not the same as a 1960, and so on. Cool clip, anyway.....

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

Alder body, same as an original.

[@laserlithuanian]

i do not like the tone of those strings

[@Roman_24]

Is it possible to buy it?

[@jonathangroomsbassist]

You can order one from Fender. Ebay and Reverb also have many Custom Shop 1960 Jazz basses available.

[@Roman_24]

@@jonathangroomsbassist I want exactly the one that is in the video !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!