Fender Jazz Bass Plus V Natural 1990 (pre-owned)

When Fender wanted to prove it could build a modern, high-end bass at the start of the ’90s, this is what came out. The Jazz Bass Plus was the top of the American line — a Jazz Bass rethought from the electronics out, with Lace Sensor pickups, a Philip Kubicki active circuit, and a sleeker, downsized body that sheds weight without losing the familiar Jazz feel.

This one’s a 1990 five-string in Natural, so the alder grain sits right there under the finish. It’s a USA-made instrument from the years these were genuinely top-shelf, and it’s held up — really good condition, and a hard case to keep it that way.

The body is alder, and on a Natural finish you get to see exactly why Fender picked it — light, resonant, and even across the whole range. The Plus body is slightly downsized from a traditional Jazz and runs without a pickguard, this gives it a tighter, more focused feel against you.

The neck is a one-piece maple build with a walnut skunk stripe down the back and a rosewood fingerboard. The profile is a comfortable modern C with a 9.5″ radius — flatter and faster than a vintage Jazz neck, so chords and quick runs sit easier under the hand. The nut is narrow for a five-string, keeping the spacing close to a four and making the jump painless.

It’s a 34″ scale, so your strings, technique and muscle memory all carry straight over from a standard bass. The low B stays tight and usable without asking you to relearn anything.

This Plus V is in really good condition for its age. The Natural finish carries the light, honest wear you’d expect from an early-’90s instrument, with nothing structural to worry about and a neck that’s straight and playing well.

It’s a clean, gig-ready example of a bass that’s getting harder to find — and it comes with a hard case so it stays that way. The photos tell the full story on any individual mark, and we’re happy to walk you through it.

Here’s where the Plus V stops being a normal Jazz. Instead of standard single-coils it runs a pair of silver Fender Lace Sensors — hum-free pickups with a wide, detailed voice that pulls out harmonics you don’t usually hear from a passive J. They stay clean and articulate, with plenty of range before they ever turn harsh.

Feeding them is a Philip Kubicki-designed active preamp. The controls are stacked — master volume and pan, then treble and bass boost/cut — with a four-way rotary that steps between passive, active, active-with-boost and a standby (off) position. That’s a genuinely passive J tone, a modern active voice, and a hotter boosted setting from one instrument, plus a built-in mute for swapping basses on stage.

So who’s it for? Anyone who wants a single bass that covers vintage and modern without compromise — a studio player, a function or covers bassist, or a Fender fan after something rarer than the usual suspects. It’s a piece of early-’90s Fender history that still earns its place at a modern session.