Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm positive that its original. As a matter of fact there is an early 68 just like it w/ the same neck date on ebay right now. Also, a local guitar shop (Cranford guitar) had a Candy Apple Red 68 jazz w/ matching headstock. It had the black logo and oval tuners. I've even seen a few very rare local 68/early 69 P basses w/ oval tuners, Hoboken vintage guitars has had a few.

Also, if you look at the recent "The Fender Bass" book by J.W. Black and and Albert Molinaro, you'll see several pictures of 68 jazzes w/ oval tuners including a really cool lake placid blue w/ matching headstock. I recommend the book, it has lots of cool drool worthy pics.

Funny, I got an email from Albert at the same time I got the notice of your post... The basses in the book are likely his, so I'll ask him about them. He's much more of an authority on the basses than I am.

Actually I have a friend who used to collect only 66 jazzes because of the egg tuners and he told me the same thing, that 66 was the only year with them, but I have also seen some other years with them, I believe I also saw a transitional P bass with them once although I don't know if they were original to the bass. I had a 66 jazz neck with egg tuners on a 68 P bass body for years.
Maybe they were similiar to Grovers, they had some left over and used them when they ran out of regular tuners for a few years, also when were Fender necks stamped, upon completion or when the neck was done?.

Here is the 68 jazz on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=64400&item=7328683663&rd=1

Feb 68 neck date, April 68 pickups and 66 pots. My early 68 has 66 pots and pickups. My understanding is that 66 pots were used till 1971 because they were overstocked so its possible the same thing happened with the tuners. Who knows. I find this very interesting as I like to collect mid - late 60's jazz basses too.

Thats interesting Scott. If Albert owns any of those jazz basses, I'd love to buy one! Let us know what you come up with.

I'm sure he's not selling. He's got some much cooler stuf fthan that he won't part with...

Flats were, indeed, the bass string of choice in the early '60s -- in fact, I don't know if rounds were being made, so maybe there WAS no choice. My first strings in 1965 were LaBella flats, probably .055-.110, and they hardly moved at all when you plucked them, they were so thick. LaBellas were used by James Jamerson and many others. Bear in mind that when Leo invented the Fender bass, it was as a replacement for uprights; the idea was to have a louder, more portable version of the standup bass, so the sound should be similar. As for what Paul used, I'm 99 percent certain that in "Let It Be," he has black nylon or tapewound on the Hofner. Maybe he's more aware of what he uses now, but I recall an interview with Macca in whcih he was asked what type of strings he used. To which he replied, "I'm not sure. They come out of a little bag." Maybe this is what comes from having your roadies string your guitars, but it seems incredible that someone so particular (reportedly) about sound would not know what strings he was using. Then again, I think he is (and John & George were) all about sound and not particularly interested in what is used to make it. I think that flats were being used by George & John on the first few LPs. Listen to "Honey Don't" -- If them ain't flats on George's guitar, well .... um ... they're roundwounds!

I didn't even hear of round wounds until the early 70's and I started in 66-67. And I wonder if Mccartney is really so naive about his equipment, he has a reputation of being rather thrifty and he knows the if he endorsed any type of string they would sell like hotcakes and unless he had a deal he woudn't get any money out of it. I have often thought that he just didn't want to give away anything for free especially an endorsment, which I could understand. I believe those tapewounds were Rotosounds. If he had a Fender I'll bet they were regular fender flats and on the Ric I would bet they were Rickenbackor flatwounds. Those Labellas are still being made by the way, in fact I'm going to try a set as I've been using flatwounds almost exclusively again for the past 3 or 4 years.

Yeah, sometimes I think Paul is pulling our legs a bit on a lot of stuff. There is a James Jamerson set being made by LaBella. Just change 'em more often than he did!

Yeah I do too, good flats get better sounding as they age, to a point.

Here's another Jazz Bass with the oval tuners.
My August '65.

Those are two BEAUTIFUL basses, Kevin. That '65 Jazz looks to be in awesome shape.

Yes that Jazz is in really nice shape. I like those necks I had a 66 Jazz oval tuner "A" neck on a 68 Candy Apple Red P bass. Was a nice sounding and playing combination. I sold it for $500.00 in 1995 grr!

Thanks guys.
Yes, the Jazz is pretty nice. Everything is there including the ashtrays, except the fingerrest. I need to find one somewhere. It's got some buckle rash in the back, because I've played it alot.
The neck is incredible!
I bought it for $350.00 in 1989.
Now days I play the Jazz at home, and gig the V63.

My friend has a August '67 (dated neck and pickups) Coronado II bass with oval tuners. It is all original, and beautiful.