Today, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) and the Fender Custom Shop (FCS) are proud to announce the Limited Edition Masterbuilt Adrian Younge Jazz Bass®—an instrument that is as remarkable and vibrant as Younge himself. Featuring an Aged Silver Sparkle lacquer finish and outfitted with a half-fretless neck and a pair of late-’60s inspired on-board effects. Together, Younge and the Fender Custom Shop have created a bold, expressive instrument designed to inspire new creative possibilities.
“For me this bass… represents something that was kind of put into a time capsule in hopes that somebody would find this in the future and use it,” said Adrian Younge. “It is a creative machine. I’m just excited to see what everyone’s going to do with this.”
Adrian Younge broke out onto the scene in 2000 with his sprawling solo EP, Venice Dawn. The small collection of songs showcased his love for soul classics and hip hop in equal measure and soon went onto amass a small but devout following. Nine years later, Younge’s profile skyrocketed after releasing his score for the cult blaxploitation film, Black Dynamite on Wax Poetics. This not only thrust his preternatural gift for production into the spotlight, but also showcased his virtuosic ability as a bass player. From this point onward, Younge followed his creative spark in just about every direction under the sun—from opening up his own record store to producing music for Kendrick Lamar to starting the now iconic record label, Jazz Is Dead alongside A Tribe Called Quest co-founder, Ali Shaheed Muhammad.
Through Younge’s many career highlights, the throughline is a focus on raw artistry. Whether it’s one of his film scores, solo records or an artist that he is cosigning, his work is centered around an unbridled love for true, earnest musicianship. For a player whose style is so entrenched in both the past—60s soul, funk and R&B— as well as the future, heavily sampled and processed hip hop production, the Custom Shop knew that this signature instrument needed to be able to do it all.
“Trying to capture an artist’s personality within a custom instrument is no easy task, but Adrian’s love of vintage analog recording equipment and his distinct playing style are on full display in his signature Jazz Bass®. The design of this bass elegantly weaves together wild features into something that truly feels like it could’ve been a producer’s secret weapon in the early 1970s. It’s the perfect representation of Adrian’s creativity and style,” said Fender Custom Shop Director, Chase Paul.
Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilder Levi Perry collaborated closely with Adrian Younge to recreate his personal Custom Shop Jazz Bass® built back in 2021. Its distinctive Journeyman Relic® Aged Silver Sparkle lacquer finish is beautifully offset by the dark rosewood fingerboard, lightly oxidized hardware and black pickguard. The pickup configuration is also unique for a Jazz Bass®: rather than a pair of traditional single-coil pickups, this signature model is loaded with a Custom Shop Hand-Wound ‘62 Split Single-Coil Precision Bass® pickup and a Curtis Novak BS-DS pickup, delivering warm, round and thunderous low end with smooth and punchy midrange presence. Enhancing its tonal range are two onboard effects, both modeled after some of Younge’s favorite vintage effects, a ‘60s-voiced fuzz and a square wave tremolo. Each effect is easily switchable via “hidden” push-pull toggles on the master volume and tone knobs. When used in combination with the fretless upper register of the fingerboard, players can seamlessly move from early-’70s fuzzy funk grooves to spacey, synth-like melodies.
“Whether it’s the half fretless, or the built in effects, there are so many things about this bass that are new and innovative that make it a creative workhorse, but at its core it is still a classic Fender that feels like it has been pulled from the past,” said Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilder Levi Perry. “It’s precisely that fusion of classic, contemporary, and totally far out that feels like the perfect way to pay homage to Younge. I am honored to be a part of this project and to get these Bass’s into players hands and to see the creative, and sonic boundaries it pushes.”
Watch Adrian Younge demo his signature bass.
LIMITED EDITION MASTERBUILT ADRIAN YOUNGE JAZZ BASS® ($14,500 USD, £13,699 GBP, €16,299, EUR, $23,999 AUD, ¥1,980,000 JPY)
From writing and performing on countless Hip Hop records and film scores, to producing and engineering at Linear Labs, to co-founding Jazz Is Dead, Adrian Younge’s influence on modern music and culture is undeniable. His experimental and unbridled creativity, coupled with his appreciation of late-‘60s and early-‘70s analog recording is at the heart of the Limited Edition Masterbuilt Adrian Younge Jazz Bass®.
Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilder Levi Perry worked with Adrian to meticulously recreate the Jazz Bass® that was brought to life several years ago by then Masterbuilder Vincent Van Trigt. Dressed in Journeyman Relic® Aged Silver Sparkle lacquer, the two-piece select alder Jazz Bass® body is paired with a quartersawn maple “C”-shaped neck, rosewood fingerboard and matching painted headcap. This particular bass harnesses the best punch and warmth of a Golden Era Precision Bass® with the thunderous lows of vintage hollow body basses, all wrapped into the playability of a perfectly crafted Jazz Bass®.
While nailing down specifications on this bass, Adrian requested something incredibly unique—a half fretless neck. So, this bass has vintage upgrade fret wire up through the 9th fret and is fretless from there all the way to the 20th. With the way Levi builds each neck, transitioning from fretless playing is effortless and intuitive, giving players a completely fresh approach on an instrument that could have been released in the late ‘60s. In addition to the special neck specs, Adrian sought to incorporate two of his favorite studio effects built in: a ‘60s-voiced fuzz and a square wave tremolo effect modeled after his rare analog fuzz boxes. Both effects are quickly turned on and off via the master volume and tone controls, unlocking another new set of sounds within this wildly inspiring Jazz Bass®.
Other premium features include 9.5” (241 mm) radius, vintage-style bass bridge, vintage-style tuners, bone nut, disc string tree, custom vintage-inspired strap and certificate of authenticity.
For technical specs, additional information on new Fender® products and to find a retail partner near you, visit www.fendercustomshop.com. Join the conversation on social media by following @Fender and @FenderCustomShop.