Fender unveils Flea Jazz Bass

Aside from his outrageous bass playing, Flea is famed for his Modulus signature basses, but it was a Shell Pink '61 Jazz Bass that fuelled his sound on Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium and The Getaway, and Fender has now recreated that very bass as the Flea Jazz Bass.

Fender reckons the original bass - "the greatest bass I've ever played" according to Flea - is possibly the only Shell Pink Jazz of the era, and it's been carefully recreated here with a Road Worn nitrocellulose lacquer finish that replicates Flea's playing wear.

A special neck plate engraved with Flea's own artwork provides the signature touch, and the four-ply tortoiseshell pickguard offsets the Shell Pink very nicely indeed, we think you'll agree.

Two American Pure Vintage '64 Jazz Bass single coils aim to recapture the original-era Fender tone, while stacked concentric controls shape the pickups' volume, tone and blend.

Elsewhere, a 20-fret c-shaped maple neck with Road Worn nitrocellulose lacquer finish promises "fast and easy" playing, and a four-saddled vintage-style bridge is also onboard.

This is one of the most stunning basses we've seen from the Fender camp in some time, but given its Mexican construction, the price is a not-too-shabby £919. Red hot, indeed.