A Piece of Early-'90s Fender History, Ready to Work
There's a certain window in Fender's history — roughly 1990 to 1994 — when the company went a little wild in the best way. The Jazz Bass Plus V was the result: a five-string Jazz Bass built in the USA, loaded with Lace Sensor pickups, and wired up with an active/passive electronics system designed by Phil Kubicki. It was different, forward-thinking, and it still holds up today as one of the more versatile five-strings Fender ever put out.
This particular example comes in Frost Red — a finish Fender offered exclusively during the Plus Series run — and it's in Very Good condition. The Lace Sensor pickups are intact and functioning, the active electronics work as they should, and the bass is ready to plug in and play. If you've been hunting for one of these, you know they don't show up every day.
Whether you're a working bassist looking for something different from the usual passive setup, or a Fender collector filling in the gaps, the Jazz Bass Plus V is a model worth knowing. The combination of a comfortable alder body, maple neck, and multi-mode electronics gives it a tonal range that most basses at this price point simply can't match.
This Fender Jazz Bass Plus V is in Very Good condition. The guitar is fully functional and will go through a full tech set up prior to shipping. It has play wear, comes with gig bag. Please review the photos carefully for full condition.
Body and Construction
The Jazz Bass Plus V features a downsized alder body — slightly smaller than a standard Jazz Bass outline — which contributes to its lighter, more balanced feel on a strap. The finish is Frost Red, a gloss lacquer that was one of the more eye-catching colors offered during the Plus Series era.
The neck is maple with a pau ferro fretboard — a tonewood that sits between rosewood and maple in character, offering good clarity and a smooth playing feel. The fretboard has a 9.5" radius and the neck runs 34" scale length with a 1.750" nut width, keeping that familiar Jazz Bass feel even on a five-string.
Pickups and Electronics
The standout feature of the Plus Series basses was always the electronics package. Two Silver Lace Sensor pickups — quiet, clear, and dynamically responsive — feed into a Phil Kubicki-designed active/passive circuit. This isn't a simple active/passive toggle; the circuit select switch cycles through multiple modes including passive, active, and active with mid boost, giving you a genuinely wide palette of usable tones.
Controls include a stacked master volume and pickup pan pot, and a stacked treble boost/cut and bass boost/cut. The Lace Sensors themselves are known for their extremely low noise floor and extended harmonic detail — characteristics that make them work well both in the studio and in a live mix.
Hardware
The five-string Plus V uses a Gotoh high-mass bridge, which contributes to the sustain and note-to-note definition you'd want on a bass with an active electronics package. Tuning stability is solid, and the overall hardware package is consistent with what Fender was putting on its USA-made instruments during this period.
The headstock is also slightly downsized compared to a standard Fender bass — a detail that helps with neck-dive on a five-string and keeps the overall balance more centered when playing standing up.
Product Features:
- Body: Downsized alder, Frost Red gloss finish
- Neck: Maple with pau ferro fretboard, 9.5" radius, 34" scale length
- Nut width: 1.750" (44.5mm)
- Frets: 22 medium jumbo
- Pickups: Two Silver Fender Lace Sensor J Bass pickups (neck and bridge)
- Electronics: Phil Kubicki-designed active/passive circuit with multi-mode selector
- Controls: Stacked volume/pan pot, stacked treble boost/cut and bass boost/cut, circuit select switch
- Bridge: Gotoh high-mass 5-string bridge
- String count: 5-string
- Made in USA; produced 1990–1994 (discontinued model)
Brand: Fender
Model: Jazz Bass Plus V
SKU: U-JAZZ-BASS-PLUS-V|N003274
Condition: Used
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