Fender Custom Shop Unveils New Limited Geddy Lee 1972 Jazz Bass

Fender’s Custom Shop has taken all of the aspects of Geddy Lee’s famous 1972 Jazz bass and created a Limited Edition Geddy Lee Jazz replica. Every detail was considered, from the neck shape, wiring, pickups – even the wear and tear.

Fender Custom Shop Limited Geddy Lee 1972 Jazz Bass

Sometime around 1977, Lee purchased the bass from a pawn shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for $200. That instrument went on to take a pretty significant place in rock and roll history, as Lee used it on Rush’s 1981 mega-hit, Moving Pictures. He recorded including “Vital Signs”, “Witch Hunt”, “Limelight” and “Tom Sawyer” using that bass, and the instrument also made an appearance on the music videos for “Limelight” and Vital Signs”.

Lee played the bass sparingly in the ’80s after Moving Pictures, but returned to it in 1993 with the album Counterparts. As noted in the Rush documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage, Counterparts engineer Kevin “the Caveman” Shirley insisted that Lee returned to the Jazz bass and the band returned to its power trio roots. Lee has since used the bass as his main one on subsequent albums and tours.

Lee’s bass is now on its third neck, which was created by Fender’s Custom Shop and features white binding. Pearl inlays have replaced the original black ones, and the neck is fitted with the original tuners, bushings and string tree. Lee requested the back of the neck have an oil finish instead of a poly finish because it is smoother and faster. All of his touring basses are now set up this way as well.

The new Fender replica bass carries an MSRP of $8,000. Street prices aren’t yet known.

Fender Limited Geddy Lee 1972 Jazz Bass Specs:

Color:Black
Body Material:Select Alder
Body Finish:Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck Material:Maple
Neck Finish:Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck Shape:Custom “C”
Neck Binding:1-Ply White
Scale Length:35″ (889 mm)
Fingerboard:Bound Maple
Fingerboard Radius:9.5″ (241 mm)
Number of Frets:20
Fret Size:Medium Jumbo
Nut Width:1.5″ (38.1 mm)
Position Inlays:Mother-of-Pearl Block
Bridge Pickup:Custom '75 Hand-Wound Single-Coil Jazz Bass
Neck Pickup:Custom '75 Hand-Wound Single-Coil Jazz Bass
Controls:Volume 1. (Middle Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Master Tone
Pickup Configuration:SS
Bridge:Leo Quan Badass II
Hardware Finish:Nickel/Chrome
Tuning Machines:Vintage-Style Locking
Pickguard:3-Ply Pearloid
Other Features:White Fingerboard Binding with White Pearloid Block Position Markers, Bone Nut, Limited Edition Engraved 4-Bolt “F” Neck Plate, ’70s Jazz Bass Headstock Perimeter, Bridge Pickup in Mid ’70s Location 1/4″ Closer to the Bridge, Modified Jazz Bass Wiring using a .022uF Capacitor Instead of a Traditional .05uF, Dunlop Dual Design Straplock on Upper Horn, Dunlop Original Straplock on Bottom, 3 Large Jazz Bass Knobs

Get Bass Gear News in your inbox.

Stay up to date on the latest bass gear news (every Thursday).

Share your thoughts

  1. How is it 35″ scale? The regular Geddy’s are 34″…. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.

  2. MSRP of $8,000…Ok I will say it…That is F-in Asinine in plain English….
    Seriously you could build a Warmoth close of that with quility parts (better then when the Fender custom shop uses) for about a little over 1K. FU Fender

  3. Nice bass, but you can keep your $8k bass. I’ll stick to my customized/hot-rodded $200-$300 basses. Plain ass dumb!

  4. 8k give me a #$%^& break.Fender you suck on this one!

  5. So the original was $200 but the copy is $8k? On what planet does that make sense?

  6. Perhaps the $8000 is a typo as much as the 35″… $800 maybe?

  7. FNDR
    WAT R U DOIN.
    FNDR PLS
    STAHP!

  8. $8000 and no 24k gold strings, sorry not for me!

  9. I’m sure it is a bit more comfortable than the Japanese Geddy Lee. But not $7,200 more comfortable. Even if it was $5,000 it would be a joke. This is good enough reason to look into Lakland, Sadowsky, Mike Lull, Sandberg etc. They simply make a better bass for less money. F-U Fender!

  10. Does It include geddy lees nut sack wtf

  11. I think we all need to understand that the only reason its 8 grand is because unlike the regular sig bass made on an assembly line, this one is probably put together by a Master Builder, carving out every inch of that bass to make it EXACTLY the same as the one Geddy has used on the stage countless tours and shows, as well as handwiring the pickups and electronics right down to the very ohm readings on Geddy’s pickups. I probably wouldn’t pay that much for it either, but you’d probably being paying just as much for any other high end, Custom hand built bass. Heck, A vintage Jazz Bass literally a year before Geddy’s was made goes for $500 more see for yourselves.

    http://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/bass/fender/jazz-bass/fender-jazz-bass-olympic-white-1970/

    In the end, its all about QUALITY. That being said, it probably plays like butter and sounds like thunder ;).

  12. Every detail? How about the Amalgamation sticker on the pickguard? I love and respect Ged, but this is too much.

  13. Why has the paint got to be worn off in places? Getty wouldn’t buy a new car with dents and bare metal showing.

  14. Go home Fender, you’re drunk.

  15. I’d buy 4 Ricenbackers before 1of these POS!

  16. Remember that the $8000 is MSRP and not street price. Usually the street price is about half of MSRP, which would put it around $4000. That would mean that it’s not that much more than any other tribute guitar by any other manufacturer. Heck the Alex Lifeson Gibson carries an MSRP of $6500, but it actually sells for $3500-4000.

  17. Does no one here get that this is a “Tribute” instrument and not a “Signature” instrument? Signature instruments are assembled the same as all other instruments on an assembly line. The only difference is that they use the same hardware, pickups, wood, and colors as what the artist uses. They can then run just slightly more than a “regular” one and are meant to be taken out an played. A “tribute” instrument, on the other hand, is hand assembled, piece by piece, by a single worker. Not only do they use all the same hardware, wood, etc. as the artists instrument, they are also painstakingly, hand-worn to match the exact artist instrument. What you get is an instrument that looks and feels like you took in right out of the artists hands after a concert. They are not really intended to be taken out and played on tour (though you could).

    • Tim

      And yet this thing has a nitro finish on the neck…………sounds assembly line to me.

  18. I just find it… I’m going to say “amusing” – $8000 replica of a bass bought for $200. Really? I like Geddy. Really. But I’m not paying that for his name.

    • I’m sure he gets a cut on licensing fees of his name. If $200 is good enough for Geddy it’s good enough for me. I’m sure an 8K Geddy Lee sounds like me playing a $500 Standard Jazz.

  19. Oh same model same shape same features, 8K , Fender management you must be very talented and creative !

  20. Blackie

    Why? Oh why, would ANY Musician worth his notes purchase a “signature” instrument? Be yourself…learn, grow and create. Stop this nonsense, the World needs original artists – not a boatload of copycats.

    • Tim

      And you need to go to your local (or anywhere) builder and get one built to your specs/preferences. A whole lot less than 8 grand.

    • Ricardo

      I agree with blackie. having owned many fenders in the past they are decent instrumens and some have a great sound. Once I went into a store in nyc which had about 15 vintage fenders on the wall. All of which had price tags simular to this gede bass. I spent an entire afternoon playing all of them and putting them up against a bass which I just purchased but had one week to return if I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to take every other bass players word for it and believe all the hype on vintage fenders I wanted to hear it for myself with my own hands and my own ears. In the end what I learned was not all instruments are created the same some sounded okay other sounded horrible but none sounded better than the bass I walked in with. I would spend 8000 on a bass but it better be the best damn bass I’ve ever heard. remember guys that’s a lot of money do your own research and make sure that bass sounds as good as you want it to sound for that kind of cash.

  21. Charles walker

    I asked the Fender CS about having one of these made back in 08 , was told msrp would be around 8g’s and I would probably pay 4500 – 5 grand

  22. bvdon

    That price is absurd.

  23. High Tech Bill

    I would rather buy a Rickenbacker 4003 or find a vintage 4001 for 1/4 of the price of this thing.

  24. Mike

    I’ve seen RUSH 41 times. Geddy is at the top of my bass heroes list …..but 8k for a fender bass?!?
    I guess for hi end collectors or Geddy himself only. I’d rather have a new bass built to my own specs at probably less than 1/2 that.

  25. Ronald Tonelli

    $8000… Insane!

  26. Gary A.

    The most I would pay for ANY bass is $1500…..end of story. I don’t care if Geddy would have built it himself. No way.

  27. Dan Lowe

    For the princely sum of $8,000 MSRP, Geddy Lee should personally deliver it to your door, play a few songs for you, autograph it, and throw in some VIP passes to the next Rush tour.

    Even then, it is still a shocking price.

  28. bobw

    I know this is an old article, but I read the hatred and vitriol in the comments and I just had to comment. No one is making you buy this bass. That said, it is a hand-built, limited production replica almost certainly intended for collectors more than working musicians. A handful of Rush fans will buy these and hang them on display in their mancaves, pulling them down now and again and plugging them in to play a few notes and them replacing them on the wall. These basses are Rembrandts, or Mickey Mantle rookie cards, or the like, and will probably be worth much more than the 8,000 in 20 years or so; Fender does not expect 22 year-old bassists playing in bars to buy these Geddy Custom Shop basses.

  29. Moe

    If nobody wanted to spend $5 – 6 G’s on this bass than why did it sell out? Fender only made 50 of these which is an extremly low number. Chris Squier Rickenbacker 1000 made, Lemmy Rickenbacker 500 made. This bass will be worth 10Gs in 4 to 5 years when RUSH finally hangs it up (I hope it is longer than that). It will never be reissued and Geddy Lee is one of the most iconic bass players in modern rock history. Whoever had the opportunity to buy one and did, made a very smart move.

  30. I love Geddy. I love Jazz basses… but $8K I can buy an AWESOME bass that will sound amazing… and a friggin motorcycle