As far as bassists go, few are more recognizable than the wild man Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers. The funky, freaky bass lines that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer slaps out have long helped establish and elevate the iconic sound of not only RHCP, but the likes of Atoms for Peace, Antemasque, and Rocket Juice & the Moon. Now, you too can play just like him — well, at least you can play pretty much the same instrument as him. Flea has teamed with Fender to create his own Flea Jazz Bass as part of Fender’s Signature Series.
The instrument is an exact replication of Flea’s own Shell Pink ’61 Jass Bass. The musician was gifted the bass guitar by a fan and used it on Atoms for Peace’s AMOK, RHCP’s Stadium Arcadium, and their most recent record, The Getaway. Consider this precise recreation his way of re-gifting it back to all his fans worldwide.
In addition to a 20-fret “C”-shaped maple neck, 7.25-inch radius rosewood fingerboard, and a 4-bolt neck plate with engraved artwork by Flea himself, the Flea Jazz Bass features a shell pink nitrocellulose lacquer finish that’s faded and “road-worn” in all the same spots as Flea’s actual personal bass. The pickups are a pair of Pure Vintage ’64 Jazz Bass single-coils, perfect for that cover of “Dani California” or “Suck My Kiss”.
“The ’61 Fender Jazz Bass is magic. It’s truly the greatest bass I’ve ever played,” Flea said in a press release. “Fender embodies everything I love about music and individuality. It reflects the soul of rock, punk, R&B and funk. It’s this bass that pushes me to give more each time I play. The Flea Jazz Bass is a true resurrection and possesses that wave of energy a bass should give you when it’s in your hands.”
Check out some exclusive images of the Flea Jazz Bass above and below. For more information on how to get your hands on this gorgeous instrument, head to Fender.com.
