Fenix Jazz Bass JB-90M

When I was 16, using my £1.50 an hour money, I purchased this mail order from an advert in a guitar magazine. I’d decided I wanted to be a bass player, probably as I wasn’t any good at the guitar (I’m still not any good at the guitar).  I believe, although I have no way of discovering, this came from GAK.

It looks pretty much like the Fender Jazz bass that it is trying to be. On the headstock it says “By Young Chang”, who seem to just make pianos these days. I believe they used to be the company that made the actual Squire Jazz basses and I assume the quality to be on par with one of those.  Actually, let’s ask the internet:

“During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Young Chang manufactured Squier electric guitars and basses for Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, and also manufactured acoustic, acoustic/electric, electric guitars and basses under their own “Fenix” brand.[1] However, because of the similarities to the Fender brand and instruments, Young Chang could not sell the Fenix instruments due to licensing issues with Fender, and production stopped” [Wikipedia]

Specs are hard to come by, but I drilled a hole in it to work out what’s in there (part of me wondered if it was solid plastic) and it seems to be made of splintery wood – so I probably hit a layer of plywood.

It suffers from particularily enthusastic reviews on Harmony Central, considering the price.

It was available in Black, Bone White, Torino Red, Honey Yellow, Apple Red Metallic, Green Metallic and Three Tone Sunburst.
Chrome Hardware
“Vintage” “Deluxe” Machine heads
Solid Alder body
Maple Neck (The JB-90R had a rosewood fingerboard)
Two jazz bass pickups each with their own tone and an overall volume knob.

There’s some interesting tales about Fenix as a company and this bass. Some of which are below:

​Following picture borrowed GumTree, also this has the rosewood fingerboard. So I’ll replace it with a proper one soon.