2016 Fender Hama Okamoto Precision Bass #4, 3-Color Sunburst (MIJ)
Year: 2016
Finish/Color: 3-Color Sunburst
Made in: Japan (MIJ / Made in Japan)
Factory/Plant: Dyna Gakki
Body: Basswood, gloss polyester
Neck: Maple, U profile, 38,1 mm nut (measured)
Fingerboard: Rosewood, 7.25″ radius, 20 frets
Pickup: Vintage-Style Split Single-Coil Precision Bass®
Scale: 34″ long scale
The Hama Okamoto “#4” is Fender Japan’s signature Precision Bass for the OKAMOTO’S bassist, built to the spec of his own 1968 P-Bass: a Precision body and split-coil pickup carrying a 38,1 mm Jazz-width neck. The full story is in my guide to the Hama Okamoto #4, along with the other two in the vault.
The earliest #4 in the vault
This is the first of three, and the oldest #4 I own. In 2016 there was no choice to make: 3-Color Sunburst was the only finish the model came in, and Olympic White would not arrive for another two years. So an early #4 is a sunburst by default, not by preference. Everything that makes the model worth owning is already here in the first run. I measure the nut at 38,1 mm – identical to the 2017 and the 2018 sitting next to it – which means Fender got the profile right at launch and left it alone. Pick this one up expecting a Precision and your fretting hand will disagree within about four bars.
The other #4s in the vault The 2017 in 3-Color Sunburst and the 2018 in Olympic White.
Reported sighting: The 2016 Fender Hama Okamoto Precision Bass #4, 3-Color Sunburst (MIJ) has been spotted on a Bass Journey.
2016 Hama Okamoto #4 FAQ
3-Color Sunburst only. Olympic White joined the range in 2018, so any #4 in white is a later instrument. If you are looking at a listing that pairs a white finish with a 2016 or 2017 date, one of those two details needs checking.
No. I have all three consecutive years in the vault and measure 38,1 mm at the nut on every one of them. The U profile and the Jazz width were there from the start and did not move across the production runs, so buying an early #4 costs you nothing in neck feel.
