Fender 60th Anniversary Road Worn Jazz Bass: Aged to perfection?

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In 1960, Fender launched a bass that has become iconic for bass guitar, the Jazz Bass. Now in 2020, the company has announced a 60th Anniversary Road Worn Jazz Bass to help mark the 60th birthday of a bass that Leo Fender designed all those years ago.

60 years of Jazz Bass

In 1960 Leo Fender released the successor to the Precision Bass – and the rest is history. A stylish offset body with two separate single coils ensured an enormous variety of sounds, immortalised in countless recordings by John Paul Jones, Jaco Pastorius, Geddy Lee, Marcus Miller and many other great bassists in the coming decades. The narrower neck profile of the Jazz Bass is still preferred by many players today.

Fender 60th Anniversary Road Worn Jazz Bass

Road Worn Jazz Bass

The new model looks a bit like a variation of the Flea Signature Jazz Bass, just with a wider choice of colours. The matching painted headstock complements this model perfectly and adds to the appeal. In contrast to the more expensive anniversary model, the Road Worn version is not only cheaper, but is also available in three colours: Olympic White, Firemist Silver or a classic 3-Color Sunburst. Each one is slightly aged, made to look loved and ‘road worn’.

Fender 60th Anniversary Road Worn Jazz Bass in Firemist Silver

Anniversary Differences

There are a couple of differences between this new Road Worn version and the other Anniversary model. Fender has completely dispensed with the iconic “ashtray covers”, so the 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass single-coil pickups are freely accessible. The fingerboard is made of Pau Ferro rather than rosewood and does not have any binding. Fortunately, alder has been retained for the body, as has maple for the slim neck. This should sound just like you expect for a Jazz Bass.

If you are looking for a Jazz Bass, this Road Worn model should be on your radar. The specification is very good and the three colour choices will appeal to many players. 2020 looks like a good year to pick up a Jazz Bass. As an anniversary model, it’ll be nice to own.

RRP – EUR 1499