Fender Boxer Bass - The STELLAR Jazz Bass Special Reissue from Japan! - LowEndLobster Review
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
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The bass has one of the best recorded sounds I’ve heard on the channel from a modern passive bass.
Definitely😁👍
Sounds like it has that distinctive, active boost without the battery/circuitry.
I have to absolutely agree with you on that. Great tone.
Did you listen with headphones? Pickups sound a little too bright overall. I don’t think it’s anything Lobster did, I think it’s just the name of the beast.
Love Fender Japan!!! The art is still firmly in control in their production process...
Absolutely , I own a Japanese J bass … superb build quality 😊
Fender should make more their basses in Japan instead of Mexico
That's a growly guy. Even with the tone off it's still there. That's something I like in a bass.
Thanks for this. I live in Japan and I think Fender Japan has higher quality because quality control is a big thing out here. Case in point, i've never had a bad cup of coffee in this corner of the world. No joke.
I recently bought this exact bass. Really like everything about it,your review made me pull the trigger,thank you!!!
I love the random laughs at the end of some riffs. Seems like a good chap this Lobster fella
I noticed that really like this bass’ slap tone. I think the Jazz pickup being in the Seventies position is a big difference maker. This has got to be one of the best PJ designs of all time.
It's a chirpy one! It reminds me of those Ibanez Eagles, it'll slap all day long.
I have this bass, it rocks, so many different tones available and generally amazing build quality. It’s my go to out of all my basses as it’s super versatile and sounds amazing for any recording 👍
Videos from Lobster and Bully this morning to start 2023 off right!!
I've always been a fan of this color.
Same, I had a 1992 VW GTI MK2 in this color that I kinda miss sometimes lol
@@LowEndLobster This color was prominent in the Fender 'Performer' guitar series from the '80's. It would be nice to see a Harley Benton Gotoh 4-string jazz bass in this color with torty pick guard.
I have a 62' Reissue MIJ Jazz Bass and I've never seen a MIM or MIA equal. I would take this one all day long. Incredible tone.
I had one of the original Jazz Bass specials in the late 80s.The best bass I’ve ever owned
I did too, stupidly sold it around 2000 during some tight times. It was such a good bass that even the Rick that I bought later couldn't stop me from wanting another....so I bought an 87 on Reverb a few years ago. I'd honestly hate to have to choose between them if made to pick just one.
Brings back memories. I had the silver Jazz Bass Special back in the late eighties. No internet back then. I didn't know much about what all the controls did just dialed in the sound I needed for a Covers Band.
I've got a blacked out MIJ Jazz special from the 80s. Blacked out everything pickups knobs gotoh tuners and bridge. It's super light and is well built.
Great review of my bass! Glad you enjoyed it. It really has become one of my main go to basses. As I mentioned on Discord, that micro tilt neck adjustment is a huge feature, considering you almost always have to shim a Fender neck. The original Boxers from the 80’s actually did not have the micro tilt.
This bass sounds awesome and keeps a growl no matter the tone knob setting
I would buy that bass in a heart beat, but different color. The tone is awesome! Some of the best guitars made come out of Japan. My cousin has a 70's Made in Japan Fender p-bass. Perfecto.
I've seen them in red
Makes me think of my 1986 Aria Pro II The Cat Bass which I bought new back in early 1987.
Boxer basses have been recently discontinued as you said, but you can still get any of Duff McKagan's signature basses which are essentialy the same thing.
Except the Duff bass is not made in Japan.
The newer ones are definitely a long way from the original ones .. with block inlays and bindings , which I’m not really a fan of .. much prefer the originals ( I have one in Blizzard Pearl , which is now turned yellow )
Nice review 👍🏻 I have an 87 I believe, original series anyway that I bought brand new 😁guess I’m the oddball or the only one willing to say I bought the Razzberry and black version. Love this bass it has served me well over the years.
I bought my original back in 2003, it’s a 1986 model and I’ve never adjusted the trust rod once and it’s done hundreds of gigs over the years. The extra preamp s itch on the original is fantastic
Grabbed one of these, second hand, a couple of weeks ago and I'm really happy with it. If you can, definitely give one a try...
Happy New Year Lobster from me and Peeka the kitty. I have seen these At my local shop and just the MIJ tag got me gassing for one. I am glad I did not cave because I have a Tokai custom edition PJ in white with the almost identical specs. I do however think this bass is all that and a bag of chips as I personally like a pronounced high end (it can always be eq'ed out). This bass and the one I inspected at the shop were very well made as usual from Fender Japan.
I hate that they discontinued this awesome bass.
I got super lucky, my local Guitar Center had one new for sale at like $670. It is so nice!
@@maddogsmadgaming9438 that is a helluva deal. Always loved the 80s jazz and power jazz special, and these are very similar
Nice review, and a great job covering all of the tones. My main bass for many years has been an 80's JBS. They are great basses.
Looks like I’m buying this. Thanks for the review
Awesome Fender bass from Japan!
Great review Lobster! Happy 2023!
I play this bass in the Torino red as my main bass and love it! I play in an old school punk band, and a more folk rock band and it meets the tone needs easily in both bands.
Duff McKagan is the reason why I picked up the bass so many years ago, I've always wanted an original jazz bass special 87 but sadly no luck yet. Hopefully I'll get my hands on one of these in the meantime, ridiculous how versatile they are and obv, super cool looking. Loved the vid, Lobster! Happy new year and much love
These haven’t been made for probably a year, and there’s plenty of retailers that still have them.
I own a 1989 Jazz Bass Special in cream white that I bought back in 2018, I love the way the bass plays and sounds, but I bought mine in rough shape. It's needed a new neck and bridge pickup and has cost me a lot in repairs. I'd honestly recommend buying the Duff Signature or the Boxer reissue, you'll capture the same vibe without inheriting any previous owner's problems
I wish they remade them in black. Blacked out is the way to go for me, hardware and everything
With an ebony board, as well would be sick.
For a total Passive Bass, that has a great Slap Tone ! ❤️❤️🎶🎵
I still have my Jazz Bass special that I bought back in the 80’s , and it’s a great bass ( it’s the one with the black lacquered neck , and the finish is wearing away slowly , while the Blizzard Pearl finish is definitely very Yellow these days ) and love the sound of the Seymour Duncan 1/4 ponders .. I am a huge fan of Fender Japan made basses , and have sold my US made Precision’s as they don’t play nearly as well .. Love the body shape , and wish they made one with 2 Jazz Bass pickups ( not a fan of the larger Jazz bass body shape ) great review Lobster , and look forward your next ones ..
After spending quite a while trying to find an 80s MIJ Jazz Bass Special, but without much success (harder and harder to find them in decent condition and the ones that are, go very fast), I decided to pull the trigger on a Torino Red Boxer. Should have it this week and this review helped a lot in the decision-making process. Excellent job and I can't wait to try it out!
Enjoy!
I have the Red one it certainly rocks and so will yours 😊
🎊Happy New Year Lobster🎉
Unfortunately, Fender Japan has discontinued the Aerodyne model you showed.
The new models (Precision & Jazz) only come with the traditional pickup configurations (no more p/j).
What's more, the new ones have fretboard markers, no longer come with the Aerodyne logo on the headstock, no more smoked chrome hardware & the price has gone up by about 30%.
On the upside, they now come with a basic Babicz bridge as standard.
Glad I got mine back in 2020😁👍
Pretty wide tonal range on that bass!
My only Japanese Fender was a 2006 (?) Geddy Lee J-bass "crafted" in Japan I bought new for about $650. Absolutely solid--not only built like a tank, but if a dozen tanks ran over that bass, it would just look up afterwards, wink, and say, "That all you got?" Also had a beautifully figured neck, front an back. Sadly, so very regrettably, I had to part with it; if not, I'd be playing it right now--it growled and snarled when it needed to and had gorgeous, well-articulated, attention-grabbing lows.
Yo, Lobster! I absolutely love mine (red version). I dropped a Dimarzio Relentless pickup set in there and the thing rips. My favorite bass to play in my collection right now. The 12" fingerboard radius and electronics setup are fantastic. Real nice playing, right? Fender Japan rules. Cheers from NYC 🤙🏻
I sold Fender Aerodyne jazz basses during the first release in the USA. If someone was tall enough they bought it for $649 over the $399 standard series. So consistent bass to bass.
Have to agree about the rise of fenders prices and how the value is no longer there. Glad to see the mij instruments continue to shine.
It certainly growls more than a J-Bass. I like it.
Interesting. I have one from 1989 in pearl white. Love it. MIJ E88XXXXXX. It came with a Hipshot D tuner too.
I recently got an 84-87 one of these in the pink color back to me from my friends I used to play & had to replace all new pick ups, and much more and forgot how evening worked. This helped a lot thank you!
Awesome video, Lobster! Coincidently after watching one of you recent reviews some days ago I thought "Lobster could do the Boxer. It would be one of the best reviews around for sure". And hey, you read my thoughts!...
Regarding the Boxer itself, I am fortunate to have one this same color as yours, I bought second hand a couple of months ago. And boy, how happy I am with this bass. It is a killer in my recordings, sounds authentic and resembles a Jazz Bass sometimes. Its slap sound is phenomenal, I've had some basses before but none came close to this one.
Only thing that is concerning me, the TBX control doesn't seem so effective on mine. It really sounds like the TBX has almost no effect at all, even though it's still somewhat noticeable but too subtle. I'd like to get a second opinion by comparing some recordings with and without TBX, using a DI, to conclude if mine is working as expected. In you video I could notice it a little bit more. Let me know if you want to hear some of my recordings to compare. Thanks a lot.
I have the og for a long time. Mine turned way darker metallic green as the reissue. As did most of them + black lacquerd neck.
To my knowledge they were originally bronze colored not green in the 80's but paint turned green on all of them.
Great sounding bass! I'm loving your channel, brother.
Looks great and sounds really nice.
I love 80s - 90s MIJ fender pickups. There’s something to them that captures that scooped, biting loud ethic of the era. Just a step shy of where 1/4 pounders are, but a step farther than classic model Dimarzios.
Is anyone else interested in Lobster reviewing the Reverend Wattplower II? The triple-P combined with a humbucker has me curious.
I'm not a big PJ guy buy my jaw just DROPPED when you started playing. Haven't heard this much punch in a while.
This one of my favorite Fenders of all time. I remember passing a used fretless that would have cost me $300. I regret not buying that bass till this day.
Great bass Lobster. I love the QC of basses made in Japan - never disappointing. Nice review - Verdine White would be proud!
I'd prefer to wire this with the same VVT, but change the 3 way selector to Series/Parallel. I did this mod on my Jaguar bass, and I love it, especially how she sounded through the pedal board.
Sounds great! I had one of the fretless Specials (no fret marks) from 83-86 and it was a work horse. Did a bunch of jazz gigging with it and loved it.
I picked up an original Jazz Bass Special in a copper-ish color at a pawn shop for an embarrassingly low price. They're fantastic! For some reason the original bridges always get white gunk on them. Changing it out is my next project.
Thanks, LowEndLobster. Really informative review. I love the this model in the red. My only gripe is, being a basswood body with the large vintage Gotoh tuners, there is considerable neck dive. But still, a very affordable, and top quality electric bass guitar.
This bass with its pickups wired in series sounds similar to a Fender Jazz bass with 2 single coil pickups wired in paralllel
If only Fender Japan would share the Katana with the rest of the world...
I bet these would sound great with flats or tapewounds.
I have this bass in red and immediately put some flatwounds on it. It definitely took some of the nasal sound out of the high register.
I almost bought the sire U5 on your glowing review, but saved 300 bucks and got the Fender Used.
73 Fender Jazz, 72 Precision, 72 Telecaster bass, 79 Rickenbacker 4001, 79 Rickenbacker 4080, 84 Fender Japan Jazz Bass Special, 1999 MusicManStingray5, 2008 Godin A4 Fretless, 2000 Martin-BC15E in my guitarsenal. Best of the bunch? 84 Fender Japan Jazz Bass Special, hands down.
I played an original Boxer on New Years Eve! It's been pretty horribly abused but I'm hoping the person who owns it will let me fix it it up.
I had Japan instruments 20 years ago, was always a sign of quality ... I am know looking for the hybrid II precision model from Japan . I would love to hear more about this bass ....
Excellent review of a great Bass - Had a few of the original JBS's back in the day. Just one thing - You said on this one you'd prefer the truss rod adjustment to be at the heel? OK but you'd have to remove the neck for adjustment then, which was one of your complaints about the Steve Harris Signature. So you'd prefer this bass (no pickguard) to have heel adjustment with a visible rout for ease of access? Not for me, nothing wrong with a headstock adjustment..
This reminds of the 'No fear' bass Duff used to use
Hey Butch here, thanks for the review! Happy New Year! The tone variety is great. You're right about that model no longer being offered. I looked at the Fender website and the PJ version is not listed, only P and J models are available. I like the looks of the chocolate burst J bass and the hot rod burst P bass. But, they are pricy.
Hi Bro , Happy new year for you ❤
I'm a guitar player who owns a few basses but your excellent review of this Fender made me want to get one 🙂🙂🙂
That said, I own many Japanese Fenders and Squiers and their quality has always been legendary...
Only thing I would do is install a black tusq nut because of the sonic advantages of tusq and I think a black nut would look better with that headstock but that's just personal preference...
For the record, the black Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass that you showed in the pictures still sells for under $900. It's the new Fender Aerodyne Special basses that are $1350. You can get Aerodynes for $600 used, so I'm not sure why anyone would pay $1350. They're great basses, but they're not worth $1350. Also, the new Special basses have gone away from the classic vintage neck radius. Part of what made the Aerodynes unique was their 7.25" radius. Now they've got a 12" radius. This is a pretty disappointing change, as is the price increase.
Those are really nice and definitely better looking than the new Aerodyne basses, but personally I want two Jazz Bass pickups in a Jazz Bass, not one and a Precision pickup...
I have this bass, fretless, pearl white body. Nice. I missed out buying an all black model when they were new.
Nice review, I owned a Japanese made Jazz Bass special in the late 1980’s . But I regrettably traded the bass for a 5 string Cort - something I regret , isn’t retrospect a wonderful thing ? 😂
Happy New Year and nice video to start the year. Fender Japan makes great stuff. Looking forward to another year of bass playing and your reviews.
yay you rock!!! love u lobster
Great review!
I'd rather go for a Jacksonbacker X series sounding way better to me 😉
Get that bass and order a fender case too. It will hold it’s value like no other instrument.
Bought a Fender Aerodyne Jazz made in Japan from Sweetwater , retail is now just over $1300. Beautiful bass but it neck dives like crazy, it’s the same weight as my 2011 Squier P bass which is well balanced. Sending it back and will exchange for a Fender USA bass since it’s only $400 more.
I think that's a bass I would actively be looking for in case I'd want to get a Fender.
This bass has been my daily driver for about two years now, and it might be my favorite bass I’ve ever owned (and I’ve owned “better” basses). I got mine for about $550 from Guitar Center due to a pretty major ding in the back of the bass that nobody but me will ever see. The only downside to me: the painted on numbers have worn off on the control knobs, but otherwise I love this thing.
Looks cool. Pretty standard tone profile for a PJ in that the P pickup is good, the P and J combined is good, the J on it's own is not something you're going to use much unless you're using it as a base tone to throw a bunch of effects on.
I used only the bridge pickup and never any effects. It's all in how you eq it.
I have the fender boxer stratocaster and the camera does not do justice to the color in thise line. It's beautiful.
Lob Dude,
We got talking about medium-scale Basses once, and you mentioned Serek Basses.
They're too expensive.
Do you recommend any other good, but cheaper brands.
The easiest thing to buy in Australia is either the Affinity or CV Jaguar Bass.
Short-scale basses have become quite easy to get.
But, medium-scale Basses!!!
That's a different story.
Thanks, William from Australia.
Angry. That's a good adjective for this one. An angry PJ bass is kinda where I live. I play an old Ibanez RS-824 similar to yours and it has the same qualities to it.
This bass reminds me of the 80s Peavey basse
Hey lobster, thanks for showing this great bass! I agree that fender quality has declined and prices are way too high. Other than Sire, what company do you think is Turing out consistent quality basses in the $1000 and below range.
I have an A series 1983-84 PJ-555 (PJ-Bass on the headstock, not Jazz Bass Special) that is almost stock (toggle switch had to be replaced last year); and it's and absolute joy to play. The neck is super stable, electronics are solid, and yes it has its own proprietary voice that cuts through the mix like a hot knife on butter. Quality is top notch, almost 40 years and still a solid bass.
Nice bass ! 😎
Happy New Year Lobster! I think an effortable Alternative might be the Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas with DiMarzio PU´s! If I am not wrong is Charvel owned by Fender. Exus.e my awful English it´s not my mother tongue. Keep on Grooving!
Happy new year Lobster, what's the amount of the tone capacitor used this TBX tone control?? Sounds amazing in both ways...Great review 🤗
I believe they're the stock values but I'm not sure
@@LowEndLobster The stocked value if you buy the tone control in Spain is 82k carbon film resistor.I think this works for guitar very well, but on bass the tone capacitor in a PJ configuration perhaps change..to get the perfect sweet spot in the 12 o clock position...?? I try to figured it out..have a nice Day Lobster...🤗🤗🤗
I have that same bass and I put that same Gotoh bridge on it . I also put a Seymour Duncan hot stack in the bridge .
This bass feels more like a Ibanez to me. ( if they made a P bass again)
For the price, it should have a hum cancelling bridge pup
Actually it’s pretty quiet. Although I never solo just the Jazz pickup. Sounds way fatter with both on. Sometimes I do solo the P-Bass pickup which sounds awesome on its own.
Looks exactly like my very first bass - a Yamaha...same body style and same pickup configuration too...I paid $64.00 for that bass at a pawn shop. A new set of flat wound strings and it sounded almost as good as that one...
I used to laugh when I heard people say that they never bonded with an instrument. Well, that’s what happened when I bought one of these. It was my first 4-string bass in quite some time and it just didn’t do it for me. I did love the finish on the neck and you can’t go wrong with Gotohs, but overall it just felt cheap. I sold it after less than a year and used that money to buy an old Peavey Patriot bass. Couldn’t be happier with my decision!
Ah yes, the bass that Duff made famous, and his Signature models are based off, Duff is the only reason these are known in the first place
Is the body the same as a “p bass” or is it the fender “lyte” body? I think it sounds real good, i just don’t like the look (and that’s totally fine). There was a lyte at my favorite used shop, and i love the way it sounds, just can’t get over the body’s awkward size. This bass gives me that vibe, that’s why i ask. Also, I’d rather the truss rod adjustment be up top, rather than vintage fenders “yea,of course… people that can afford our basses went to medical college, therefore…spinal surgery on a bass is child’s play”. I know, its no wheel, but at least you dont have to take the freakin neck off.
…and of course “YAY JAPAN!!!”
HAPPY NEW YEAR WILL!!!
just saw one of these same color at guitar center for 679.00 guess its a close out.
Jeez that's a steal and a half
Can you review an old bass - a Jackson Charvel 2B MIJ 1986. Thanks.
I've always been a big Fender guy, mainly for the visual styling and the history of the brand, but yeah… QC on the MIM instruments is absolute crap. I've only owned two American-made Fenders (a Jazz Bass from 2000 that I sold ages ago, and a Precision from 2018 that I still have), and those were both flawless. (The P is my favorite bass I've ever owned, despite its limited tonal palette.) But I agree, the MIJ Fenders are really excellent and blow MIM out of the water, for roughly the same price. I owned a 2008 (?) MIJ Jaguar for many years that I absolutely loved, although I did end up selling it to buy the Precision. My one complaint about it was its active electronics were so noisy that I ended up only ever using it in passive mode. It sounded awesome in passive mode though, but that flaw nagged at me the entire time I owned it. This video kind of makes me want to get another MIJ Fender though!
isnt this pretty much the same as Fender Duff Mckagan Precision Bass except for the radius?
Great sound, but that finish is a bit .... divisive?
I love those! I think I prefer them slightly over the Aerodyne PJ I have, I got it for $800, I took your advice spoke to the seller, they knocked off 10%, they can be had for $900 still!
The fender custom shop was originally created because the Japanese made guitars were putting their American made counterparts to shame