Fender Introduces Classic Player Rascal Bass

Back in 2013, Fender Master Builder Jason Smith created the retro styled Rascal Bass to display at the NAMM Show. “I wanted to build a short-scale bass that was reminiscent of some of the Kay and Danelectro basses,” Smith stated.

This week Fender announced that the Rascal Bass would be put into full production as part of their Classic Player Series.

Fender Classic Player Rascal Bass

The 30-inch scale bass’s body, which borrows its shape from the company’s Bass VI, is alder covered in a gloss Ocean Turquoise finish. Its flat-sawn maple neck features a “C”-shape profile and is topped with 9.5-inch radius rosewood fingerboard. The fretboard holds twenty-one medium jumbo frets with a special dot inlay scheme that has markers below the twelfth fret on the bass side and markers above the twelfth fret on the treble side.

The Rascal is fitted with three Seymour Duncan lipstick Stratocaster pickups that can be set with seven pickup configurations. A 5-position switch allows for selecting the bridge pickup, the bridge plus middle pickup, the middle pickup, the middle plus neck neck pickup, or the neck pickup. The volume knob works as a push/pull switch to access the bridge plus neck and all three pickup configurations. Hardware includes a Guild Starfire bridge with individually adjustable steel barrel saddles, vintage-style tuners, and a synthetic bone nut.

The Fender Classic Player Rascal Bass is shipping soon with an advertised price of $799.99.

Fender Classic Player Rascal Bass Details:

Color:Ocean Turquoise
Body Material:Alder
Body Finish:Gloss Polyester
Body Shape:Bass VI
Neck Material:Flat Sawn Maple
Neck Finish:Gloss Polyurethane
Neck Shape:“C” Shape
Scale Length:30″ (762 mm)
Fingerboard:Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius:9.5″ (241 mm)
Number of Frets:21
Fret Size:Medium Jumbo
String Nut:Synthetic Bone
Nut Width:1.625″ (41.3 mm)
Position Inlays:White Dots (Bass-Side Dots 3rd to 9th Fret, Double 12th Fret Dots, Treble-Side Dots from 15th to 21st Fret) and White Side Dots
Pickups:Seymour Duncan Lipstick Strat
Controls:Master Volume, Master Tone
Pickup Switching:5-Position Blade and Pull/Push Down: Position 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup Position 3. Middle Pickup Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup Position 5. Neck Pickup;5-Position Blade and Pull/Push Up: Position 1. Pull/Push Up, Bridge and Neck Pickups Position 2.Pull/Push Up, Bridge, Middle and Neck Pickups
Pickup Configuration:SSS
Special Electronics:2-Position Pull/Push Switch on Volume Pot
Bridge:Guild Starfire Bass with 4 individually Adjustable Steel Barrel Saddles
Hardware Finish:Chrome
Tuning Machines:Vintage-Style
Pickguard:2-Ply White Pearloid

For more information:
Fender

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Leave a Reply to Enrique Cancel reply

  1. If it came in sea foam and a competition stripe my credit card would already be out. Make it in a 34″ and the portions the same size, I’m in for 2.

    • Enrique

      Negligent, have you considered the Carvin PB4 or PB5? Each is a custom shop special order and each is long-scale and available in Seafoam Green (SG) and Surf Green (SFG).
      I opted for a PB5 in EADGC and in SFG. They just might be able to accommodate that
      stripe too! They offer a wide range of colors, fingerboards, woods, p/u configurations (active or passive/active AND passive). That Rascal bass would definitely look better in surf green;
      its color is too much like the old Gibson/Fender Pelham Blue.

  2. $ 799 for this one, and put another 0 for the CS version http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_rascal_bass_oct_mbjs.htm … no comment.

  3. I would get two. One as is. The other I’d change the pickups to something a little less quirky. I wish the other 30 inch scale basses had 21 frets. Fender is really weirdly inconsistent for this scale, any where between 19-22 frets depending on the model. Bronco has 19, Mustang and Jag have 20, Coronado and this have 21, Starcaster has 22! Come on guys get it together. I’ll take 21-22 any day on all models. I love the short scales but they need to get the specs ironed out. Can we all agree that stuff like shared saddle bridges and less than 21 frets on a bass have no business on a 21 century bass? I understand the importance of history and retro chic, but when it comes down to it, most of these are going to be players so shouldn’t playability been the ultimate consideration?

    • Well, in the video from fender about this bass, the builder said this was a throwback to pawn shop basses of the 1960s. So, quirky building techniques are par for the course, right?

      • Enrique

        As it is constructed from a pawn shop perspective, it is made to get the attention of pawn shop
        patrons, of which I am one…well, sometimes. I did once find a mint condition RIC 4001 in one of these shops, but I try to think of pawn shops as having a big CAVEAT EMPTOR sign above the entrance. Quirky building techniques? Buyer Beware!

    • Enrique

      Shared saddle bridges should have gone out with those intonation-unfriendly “bar”
      bridges such as found on old Gibson EBOs and EB3s. Retro chic isn’t always tonally acceptable.

  4. Enrique

    Could be called “Frankenbass” as it seems to have been built with features from various classic basses and guitars (e.g., Strato p/u config., Danelectro lipstick p/us, Guild bridge etc.) I am partial to short-scale bass guitars, so I might be persuaded with one it it plays well and sounds good.

  5. I’m actually really pumped to get this thing. sexy blues/ indie rock tones.

  6. Doug Percival

    “Hardware includes a Guild Starfire bridge with individually adjustable steel barrel saddles.” Now that would be nice to have on the Guild Starfire reissue, instead of the wooden bridge saddles.