 today released the Flea Jazz Bass Active, marking Fender’s second collaboration with notorious Red Hot Chili){kind=link}
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today released the Flea Jazz Bass Active, marking Fender’s second collaboration with notorious Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player, Flea. This second artist signature bass was designed to complement Flea’s beloved, vintage-style recording bass – a Shell Pink Flea Jazz Bass Fender reproduced with him in 2016. The brainchild of Flea and Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Jason Smith, also a Flea/Red Hot Chili Peppers fan and bass player himself—this new active model is hyper-modern and represents Flea’s energetic on-stage preference and style.
“We wanted our second artist signature bass with Flea to complement the Shell Pink Flea Jazz Bass—a reproduction of his beloved studio bass we recreated with him in 2016,” said Justin Norvell EVP, Fender Products. “This new active model is a complete 180 from the super vintage-style of the first; it’s what Flea plays live on stage and was built to cut through with punch.”
This American-made, stage-ready active Jazz Bass features an offset alder body offered in two finishes: Satin Inca Silver and Satin Shell Pink. Following the design of Flea’s favorite on-stage bass, this model has a smooth and fast Satin Polyurethane neck finish with a matching headstock; it’s complimented by a 22-fret “C”-shaped maple neck, 12”-16” radius maple fingerboard, and a 1.6” wide nut. The model is completed with a single, high-output humbucker with an Aguilar OBP-1 18-volt preamp, which allows this bass to crank out massive output. It lends those who wield it a loud and dominating presence on the biggest of stages.
“This bass helps me hear every note crystal clear, it’s great in the studio, and it’s a really warm sound with a lot of love in it,” said Flea. “This bass has a lot of character. It’s a workhorse, you know, you can beat it up, and it still rocks.”
Flea is very vocal about music saving his life, involving himself heavily in the Silverlake Conservatory, a non-profit organization that facilitates music education for all ages. “Almost all music programs have been cut in Los Angeles public schools – and I was determined to fill that void and break barriers,” said Flea.“ Now at Silverlake Conservatory, we’ll be able to teach 1,200 kids a week. It is exciting to me that long after I am gone from this planet, it can still be a music school in the neighborhood. If we care about kids of all flavors, economic backgrounds, and ethnicities being intelligent, educated, sensitive people, we need to support education in the arts.”
Fender’s Artist Signature Series models honor popular and iconic musicians through product progression and storytelling, creating instruments inspired by the unique specifications of the world’s greatest guitarists and bassists. To view a mini documentary video, featuring Flea’s second artist signature model and the inspiration behind it, click here. Access a full product description and specs here. Product photos and shots with Flea and the Flea Jazz Bass Active are here.
For additional information on new Fender products and to find a retail partner near you, visit www.fender.com. Join the conversation on social media by following @Fender.
Learn more about Silverlake Conservatory at www.silverlakeconservatory.org
Flea Jazz Bass® Active – $1,699.99
It takes a bass of unusual power to keep up with Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea’s hyperkinetic playing style—a bass like the thunderous Flea Jazz Bass Active. Sporting a custom-shaped Jazz Bass body and a hot Fender humbucking pickup mated to an Aguilar OBP-1 18-volt preamp, this bass cranks out massive output, perfect for pounding a stadium with the power of funk. The rock-solid quartersawn maple neck sports a comfortable “C”-shaped profile that works well for any playing style; the custom-carved heel makes it effortless to access the upper register. The fast-playing 12-16” compound-radius fingerboard sports 22 medium jumbo frets and a bone nut for enhanced tuning stability. Other features include a 4-saddle HiMass™ bridge for enhanced sustain, vintage-style disc string tree, lightweight vintage-style tuning machines with tapered shafts and 5-bolt asymmetrical neck plate with custom Flea artwork. Includes vintage-style G&G hardshell case and Certificate of Authenticity.
