Fender Introduces Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision and ’70s Jazz Basses

Fender has rolled out two new basses as part of their Vintage Hot Rod series, an American-made lineup that the company describes as incorporating the best of old and new features. The Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision Bass and ’70s Jazz Bass riff on classic designs while adding new features like a 7.25″-12″ compound-radius fingerboards, new neck profiles, and Posiflex graphite support rods.

Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’70s Jazz Bass

The Vintage Hot Rod ’70s Jazz Bass is built with an alder body and a maple neck with a “U”-shaped profile that’s topped with a rosewood fingerboard. Besides the Posiflex system, the neck is supported with a truss rod with vintage-style heel-end adjustment.

Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’70s Jazz Bass

Rather than a pair of Jazz-style pickups, the bass sports an American Vintage ’63 split single-coil Precision Bass pickup in the neck position and ’74 Jazz Bass single-coil in the bridge position. Other features include white pearloid block inlays, a four-ply tortoiseshell pickguard, a Fender Hi-Mass bridge, vintage-style tuners, and an engraved Vintage Hot Rod neck plate with crossed checkered flags emblem. It comes in Three-color Sunburst and Candy Apple Red.

Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’70s Jazz Bass Specs:

  • Body Material: Alder
  • Body Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
  • Body Shape: Jazz Bass
  • Neck Finish: Satin Lacquer on Back, Gloss Lacquer on Headstock Face
  • Neck Shape: “U” Shape
  • Scale Length: 34″ (864 mm)
  • Fingerboard: Rosewood
  • Fingerboard Radius: 7.25″ to 12″ Compound Radius (184 mm to 305 mm)
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
  • String Nut: Bone
  • Nut Width: 1.5″ (38.1 mm)
  • Position Inlays: Pearloid Block
  • Bridge Pickup: American Vintage ’74 Jazz Bass Single-Coil
  • Middle Pickup: American Vintage ’63 Split Single-Coil Precision Bass
  • Controls: Volume 1. (Precision Bass Pickup), Volume 2. (Jazz Bass Pickup), Master Tone (Both Pickups)
  • Bridge: 4-Saddle Fender Hi-Mass
  • Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
  • Tuning Machines: Fender “F” Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle Keys with Tapered Shafts
  • Pickguard: 3-Ply White
  • Strings: Fender USA, NPS, (Gauges .045 – .100)
  • Unique Features: Chrome Pickup Cover, 8′ Instrument Cable, Thumb Rest, Vintage Leather Strap, Strap Locks, 1.5mm Saddle Height Adjustment Wrench

Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision Bass

Fender’s Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision Bass combines an ash body, a maple neck with a “C”-shaped profile, and a rosewood fingerboard.

Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision Bass

Similar to its counterpart, the bass actually features a PJ pickup configuration with an American Vintage ’63 split single-coil Precision Bass pickup and ’64 Jazz Bass single-coil pickup in the bridge position. It has volume controls for each pickup as well as a master tone.

Available in Black and Natural gloss finishes, the VHR ’60s P-bass comes with a three-ply pickguard in black or white. Hardware includes a Fender Hi-Mass bridge, a side-mounted oval output jack, vintage-style tuners with tapered shafts, a stealth “A” string retainer, and locking strap buttons.

Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision Bass Specs:

  • Body Material: Ash
  • Body Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
  • Body Shape: Precision Bass
  • Neck Material: Maple
  • Neck Finish: Satin Lacquer on Back, Gloss Lacquer on Headstock Face
  • Neck Shape: “C” Shape
  • Scale Length: 34″ (864 mm)
  • Fingerboard: Rosewood
  • Fingerboard Radius: 7.25″ to 12″ Compound Radius (184 mm to 305 mm)
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
  • String Nut: Bone
  • Nut Width: 1.625″ (41.3 mm)
  • Position Inlays: White Dot
  • Bridge Pickup: American Vintage ’64 Jazz Bass Single-Coil
  • Middle Pickup: American Vintage ’63 Split Single-Coil Precision Bass
  • Controls: Volume 1. (Precision Bass Pickup), Volume 2. (Jazz Bass Pickup), Master Tone (Both Pickups)
  • Pickup Configuration: PJ
  • Bridge: 4-Saddle Fender Hi-Mass
  • Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
  • Tuning Machines: Fender “F” Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle Keys with Tapered Shafts
  • Pickguard: 3-Ply Black
  • Strings: Fender USA, NPS, (Gauges .045 .100)
  • Unique Features: HR Serial Number Prefix, 4-Bolt Neckplate with Engraved Vintage Hot Rod Crossed Checkered Flags Emblem, Single Disk String Tree and Stealth “A” String Retainer, ’60s Spaghetti Fender Precision Bass Logo Decal, Side-Mounted Oval Output Jack, Posiflex Graphite Neck Support Rods
  • Included Accessories: Chrome Pickup Cover, 8′ Instrument Cable, Thumb Rest, Vintage Leather Strap, Strap Locks, 1.5mm Saddle Height Adjustment Wrench

Both the Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision Bass and ’70s Jazz Bass ship with chrome pickup covers, an instrument cable, a thumb rest, a leather strap, and a case. Each model will be available soon with street prices around $2,199. For more info, check out the Fender website.

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Leave a Reply to Bill Mcclure Cancel reply

  1. ZZZzzzzz, yet another Fender Bass that costs too much.

  2. I happen to own a 2000 Hot rodded Precision Bass, 3 tone sunburst……………I like it1

  3. Pretty cool basses here … #wishihadone

  4. Hot-rodded and yet still 20 frets, really? Fender is kind of like Apple, they really just do whatever the hell they want and everyone else be damned.

  5. they’re nice, but…..i just can’t see myself paying that kind of money for a fender…..hence why i play soundgear :P

  6. So much for instruments made for the working player. Who are the dumbshits that buy this overpriced crap?

  7. I like those machines, but it´s like another reissue of “how to do the same, but different”?

  8. Why so expensive? I am getting a hand made Clement bass for less than that?

  9. The specs are all well and good but how about an actual review. Can one mass made fender really be that much better than say a USA standard? Pretty unisnspiring colour choices too. I’ll stick to my 50s reissue P and my Warwick streamer I think :-/