1960 Fender Jazz Bass
The inaugural Jazz Bass — Fender's most versatile bass design. The two-pickup, narrow-neck formula created an instrument that would rival and often surpass the P-Bass in popularity. Slab rosewood board 1960 examples are rare and historically significant.
Current Market Value
* Prices are estimates based on recent market data. Actual value depends on originality, condition, and provenance. Pricing methodology
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Recent Sales
Showing 10 verified sales for 1960 Fender Jazz Bass. Reissues, replicas, and parts listings are filtered out.
Specifications
| Body Wood | Alder (offset body — narrower at waist than P-Bass) |
| Neck Wood | Maple |
| Fingerboard | Brazilian Rosewood (slab) |
| Scale Length | 34.000" |
| Frets | 20 |
| Pickup Config | SS |
| Bridge | Jazz Bass bridge (four saddles, closer together than P-Bass) |
| Tuners | Kluson Deluxe (bass) |
| Finish Options | Sunburst, Custom colors, Natural |
| Est. Production | 600 |
Pickups & Electronics
Two stacked single-coil pickups (hum-cancelling). Originally called 'Deluxe Model.' Independent volume controls for each pickup. Very narrow nut width (1.5 inches vs P-Bass 1.625 inches).
What Changed in 1960
First year of the Jazz Bass — designed as a deluxe, higher-end alternative to the P-Bass. Offset body (like Jazzmaster for guitar), narrower neck, and two pickups. Originally called the 'Deluxe Model' before the Jazz Bass name.
Notable Examples
Jaco Pastorius played a heavily modified late 1960s Jazz Bass. Marcus Miller, Geddy Lee, Noel Redding — the Jazz Bass defines modern bass playing.
Collector's Notes
Slab rosewood board (1960-1962) vs veneer board — same distinction as on guitars. 1960 and 1961 examples with slab boards are the most valuable early Jazz Basses. Verify pickup originality — the stacked single-coils are unique to early J-Basses.
How to Authenticate a 1960 Fender Jazz Bass
The 1960 Jazz Bass is an early pre-CBS model with the distinctive stack-knob (concentric) control plate — two concentric volume/tone knobs instead of the later three-knob layout. Slab Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The narrow 1.5-inch nut width that defines the Jazz Bass feel. Offset alder body. Serial numbers on the neck plate (four or five digits, no letter prefix). For 1960, numbers should fall within documented Fender serial ranges. However, neck plates were not assigned sequentially to bodies, so neck date stamps (pencil or ink on the neck heel) and body cavity dates are more reliable. Look for a hand-written date on the butt end of the neck heel and in the neck pocket or under the pickguard on the body. The stack-knob (concentric) control plate is the key identifier for pre-1962 Jazz Basses — two concentric knobs control volume and tone independently for each pickup. Two offset single-coil pickups should be original — verify construction. Kluson Deluxe bass tuners. Slab Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. Pot codes corresponding to 1960. Serial number on neck plate. Four-saddle Jazz Bass bridge. The finish should be nitrocellulose lacquer. Nitro finishes check (develop fine cracks) and wear naturally over decades, showing wood underneath at contact points. The aging pattern should be consistent — even checking across the body, not localized. Refinished guitars often have a 'too perfect' look or inconsistent wear. Under UV/blacklight, original nitro fluoresces differently than modern polyester or polyurethane. Original custom color finishes are verified by examining the color in the pickup cavities and under the pickguard where it has been protected from light. Stack-knob Jazz Basses are highly collectible. Verify the control plate is original — reproduction stack-knob plates exist. Check for replaced pickups (extremely common on player Jazz Basses). The narrow nut width means the neck is delicate — check for neck repairs and headstock cracks. Brazilian rosewood should be verified (dark, richly figured). Slab board should be thick and flat-bottomed. Refinished bodies are common. The 1960 Jazz Bass differs from adjacent years in having the stack-knob control plate (replaced by three-knob layout in mid-1962). The slab-to-veneer rosewood transition occurred in 1962. Pre-CBS Jazz Basses are premium collectibles, especially with stack-knob controls.