Fender Jazzmaster

sunburst, made in japan, probably in 1994 or something (it's hard to date the MIJ ones).

i've recently modified it since i bought it - i got a set of non-locking Sperzel machine heads and also a pair of Seymour Duncan "vintage jazzmaster" replacemnt pickups.

the stock version i'd rate as a 9, and the current version i'd rate as a 10.

there is no one out-of-the-box 'jazzmaster sound' - they all sound so different to each other but they all seem to have the same chimey, sweet mids & highs and deep wooly bottom.

just a note - all my comments are based on playing with the 3-way switch in the neck position - i tend to leave it there to get a more full bass response.

playing chords with this MIJ one shows a rich spectrum of all the frequencies whether it be clean or fuzzy...a lotof other guitars kinda wimp outor become very selective.

this model has a heavier body than a few of the other MIJ ones, this weighs about the same as some of the heavier 60's ones i've tried.

Reading through al lthese reviews it's becoming a bit of a cliche to give a 10 for sound quality, but truthfully don't know what else to give it. i'm sure it has its limitations, but for my purposes it'sexactly what i'm after, and overall this is a pretty mindblowing guitar.

trust your ears!! original fenders were made out of INEXPENSIVE materials - if anything the MIJ reissues have equally as good if not better construction.

a message to those who diss on the MIJ models - have you ever really played one? there are numerous things you can do to improve any guitar, and with the MIJ jazzmasters i'd recommend getting the Seymouur Duncan replacement pickups when you get a chance. however the MIJ stock pickups still sound fantastic (as another reviewer mentioned, this is possibly testament to the sweet lovin' vibes created by the saddle/tailpiece combination), but they maybe sound a little shrill and eeky on ultra-high frequencies. the SD replacements kind of sharpen the focus of the entire sound and have a bit more "glow" in the tone...it's a very subtle difference though.

for fear of going over the top i'll say 9 here...but really it was great from day one

re: the bridge everyone complains about: I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING for fear of altering the sound somehow...it's a characteristic element of this whole guitar.

the main CON: i have to tune through all the strings 2-3 times whenever i tune up because the pitch gets all bent and stretched every time you alter another string, but once again it's just one of those pretty blemishes about this thing.

you can bend your notes/chords out of shape with the tremolo arm and it'll pretty much spring right back into tue, but if you drop the guitar it sounds like spaghetti...all DWANNNG DWOWNGG SPLUDGE...

had this thing for 8 years - no need to call anyone

this guitar produces an unusual 3-dimensionality that i haven't found with other guitars. for this reason i'm proud to say that it's converted a couple of friends who are tele/strat purists after they had a play of this...it could be the playing style as much as anything, but i find the jazzmaster seems to add a weepy, emotional tone to a lot of what i play...

comfortable to play, sweet sounding (even when not plugged into an amp)...it's never gonna be all things to all people, but what it does it does FANTASTICALLY well...

if this we stolen or lost i'd be DEVASTATED, but i would replace it with another jazzmaster, no question about it.

final word: don't believe the "MIJ sucks" hype - FULL CREDIT TO FENDER JAPAN

Mine is a 1965 USA sunburst. Bought from a Dutch expert in vintage guitars. He wrote some books about Gretsch and Guilt. I think it was in 1982. He got it from a from a "unknown" Dutch one hit wonder (radar love) band called Golden Earing. It looked like new, only some scratches on the back. You should see it now, hundreds of gigs later, covered in scratches, bents but still a beauty. The original case is broke down last year, so I'm looking for a new one to protect my baby. I love this guitar, it's like a soulmate for me. Actually we have the same age, I was born in 1965!

When I bought it I hated Les Pauls and Strats. I wanted something almost nobody had. I played in a grungeband and was a big J. Mascis fan. When I got it, it had the sound I was looking for. Nice fat tones for screaming solo's. Later on the band changed the music more to a '60 garagesound. And the guitar was perfect for that too. The last 10 years I've been playing Dick Dale-like surfmusic. And guess what? This is what it was made for. Together with my '65 reissue Fender Twin and a Rat Distortion, Marshall Guvner and Big Muff Fuzz it allows me to sound like D. Dale one time and Link Wray the next.

I use 0.10 strings, and the old bridge was so over used I had to replace it. I found out that a bridge from a Fender Mustang fitted, and it gave my Jazzmaster a much better sustain, and a warmer sound. Later on I found out that this was a much used trick (Phantom Surfers website has some nice tips on this).
In the 20 years I've been playing this guitar it never let me down, almost never detunes.

Well the finish wears of big time. But it's not the guitar's fault. I play like a madman on stage! But with all the damage done in all these year's, it looks even better!
Over the years I had to do some minor repairs, but hell my other guitars (Gretsch and DeArmond) have seen more repairs in fewer years.

Playing guitar for 20 years now, but I always go back to my Jazzmaster. My other guitars are a DeArmond M-75T and a Gretsch Silver Jet (for my psychobilly experiments), a semi Acoustic Aria (Gibson imitation) and some crappy cheapy 2nd hand guitars, leftovers from my punkpast. I own a Fender '65 Twin reissue and a Marlboro 30w combo. Some effectsboxes: Big Muff fuzz, Rat distortion, Boss OD, Marshall guvner OD, Dunlop WahWah, Boss digital delay and an old Ibanez phaser.
The most I love about my jazzmaster is the sound and the excelent tremelo, it almost never detunes.

There were a nice amount of features; rythym and lead circuts, floating tremolo with trem-lock, tone and volume controls for both circuts, 3-way pickup switch for the lead circut, comfortable body shape, and it's even got a bridge cover. What looks cooler than that? It's very versatile and defintely suits my needs.

I like the sound as-is a lot, but I plan on getting Seymour Duncan Vintage or Hot Jazzmaster pickups. Then I would LOVE the sound. It's great for my jazz obsession (it doesn't get that hollow-body sound, but it's still fantastic) but even better for my indie-rock obsession. Thom Yorke (lead singer of Radiohead, of course) uses a vintage '62 Jazzmaster for Airbag, Pearly*, and Lucky, among other songs. Everyone knows Sonic Youth had a Jazzmaster or two when they weren't playing with their rewired and majorly messed with $50 guitars. The sound is definitely versatile and awesome; I love the rythym circut, and the lead with both pickups on is heavenly. I'm giving a nine just because it didn't have the wide vintage pickups, which I will be getting soon.

I bought this used, so I don't know how well Fender did with it, but when I got it, the action was lower than my liking and the truss rod needed a little bit of tweaking, but other than that itw as fine. The finish is a nice Olympic white that seems to be holding up nicely and looks beautiful.

Definitely reliable in all cases. I'd gig without a backup.

Definitely a great guitar. I've been playing for over 5 years (I've been into music 11 years though, playing the piano.) I play it through a Peavey Classic 50 all tube amp and it sounds gorgeous. Occaisionally I'll use a Dan-Echo in the effects loop and the sound quality is hardly diminished. If it were stolen, I would be very, very angry. I would definitely buy another. I love the overall sound, and the circutry is great. I just wish the pickups were more true to the original.

My Jazzmaster is an early 1970s Japanese re-issue. It is apparently quite a rare model, it comes with a gold sunburst finish (sorry, not too up on the real names for the colours) and gold plated hardware. Oh, it also has a red tortoise shell scratch plate too. It also came complete with a lovely flight case.

Apart from that, it is a standard Jazzmaster.

The design of the guitar dates back to the 1950s, as most of you obviously know. Offering two very nice pick-ups, one at the neck and the other at the bridge. A floating tremelo block, 21 frets and a fantastic neck. The build quality is absolutely exceptional. It shames anything I have seen before or after.

The innovative feature of the Jazzmaster was it's rather unique tone controls. Fender extended this concept on the Jaguar, but you'll find that the scope of sounds the tone controls of the Jazzmaster offers are more than enough. You can turn the tone of your Jazzmaster from twangy 'surfer bum' to a fat grizzly sound with the flick of a switch and the sliding of a knob. Though in practice the tone controls only really come into practice when you are playing the guitar clean. It's nice to have them there though.

For the age of the instrument I think it's great. There's not much else you could ask for in a guitar. I consider the Jazzmaster a kind of 'utility man' guitar.

It's very hard to pin point the sound of the Jazzmaster because it is so good at producing a variety of tones. I'd say it's most adhering qualities are the fantastic 'ring' of the guitar when it is played clean and the wonderful gritty sustain it can generate when played through an overdriven amplifier. One of the things i love about the Jazzmaster is even if you overdrive your amplifier to hell the notes still retain a clarity.

The two pick-ups offer a wide scope of sound, from the 'twangy' bridge to the rich neck pick-up. The use of the tone circuits can also sinficantly fatten up the sound. So there is plenty of scope to appease the most picky of players.

Versatility is the key though. The Jazzmaster would be ideal for almost any kind of music.

Noise-wise, the Jazzmaster can be quite bad at times. If you switch on the tone circuits and your amp is overdriven you will notice that the guitar buzzes quite a bit though otherwise its perfectly fine.

In terms of famouse users:

Thom Yorke from Radiohead
Will Segeant from Echo & the Bunnymen
John Squire from the Stone Roses
Graham Coxon from Blur
the guitarist from the House of Love
and the guitarist in Pulp (don't know his name) have all used Jazzmasters. Coincidentally, the Pulp guitarist has the same issue as me.

Although I cannot profess that everyone will love the sound of the Jazzmaster, if you love indie music I can guarantee you will like the Jazzmaster as it is more than likely that the band in question have used one at some point. I love it. Purely subjectively, I give it full marks.

The build of my Jazzmaster is fantastic. It's finish is absoultely fantastic. The instrument is in absolutely A1 condition even though it is over 30 years old. The flight case is also in equally fine condition. The only sign of wear and tear is that the gold plating on the tuning pegs is beginning to wear off.

Playing wise, the action is fantastic and the neck and body are beautifully contoured. It is a joy to play. I have played numerous guitars in my life and this has to be my favourite.

The jack socket and all the switches and pots work perfectly without even the slightest hint of crackling.

Everything about the guitar is in faultless condition and everything is in perfect working order even though it is over 30 years old.

The previous owner never gigged with it. I have. It gave me no problems. It is suprisingly good at keeping in tune, despite the floating tremelo. The strap buttons are solid as rocks too.

The finish and body seem to be very delicate, so I wouldn't recommend throwing this thing around. Don't get me wrong, it's not a question of bad build, its just the kind of finish that will show up scratches and chips like a sore thumb. You should treat your gear with respect anyway, especially something as nice as this.

I would never gig without a back up. Though there is no evidence that the Jazzmaster would let me down as everything is working fine. I'd never gig without a backup as anything is possible. Though out of all the equipment I own, the Jazzmaster is the one I least expect to fail on me.

Never had to get in touch and no reason to at the moment. Seeing as Fender still make Jazzmasters, I assume that the parts will be easy to come across. I doubt I am still under warranty, seeing as it's over 30 years since the thing was made!

I have been playing the guitar for six years and this is the best instrument I have ever played. If it was stolen I would be gutted. It is a beautiful instrument and I have only ever seen one other Jazzmaster with the same finish as mine and that belongs to a bloke from Pulp.

Beauty isn't only skin deep. The Jazzmaster has a wonderful sound and it is a joy to play. I don't think I could ask for a better guitar. I give it a totally subjective 10 out of 10!

Made in 1965 with "spegetti" logo decal. Rosewood fingerboard, large square inlays, sunburst finish. Original case still looks like new. Came with black plastic body guard so the back does not have any scratches on it. You know all about the rythm circuit, and the single coils. They are not P-90s who ever said that is an idiot. Fender does not use Gibson parts.

Has a very mellow sound in neck position, somewhat bright in bridge position, as expected. I use the neck PUP 90% of the time. I play through an old 1970's Univox tube amp with the channels jumped and then out to a solid state amp. Harmonics are the best I've ever heard, can get any metal sound I want. Clean is where this guitar shines. Very versatile, even with 60 cycle hum. I played a re-issue recently and it sounded like crap. Sorry guys, if you want a vinatge sound, buy a vinatge guitar.

When I got it (1972) it buzzed like hell. I filed the frets and re-soldered the pots, so I did a lot of work on it. Action is better than anything I played in the last 30 years. Huge frets, wide fingerboard, nice action. The brige has never given me a problem.

Well, It hasn't missed a note in 37 years, so yeah, I would say it is somewhat reliable.

Fender was helpful in helping me identfy the year it was made and it's authenticity.

Well, for $175 I got a guitar that has no scratches, dents, or dings on it with 100% original parts, still has almost no wear on the fretboard, so yeah, You think I got a good deal? The case is worth more than I paid for the guitar. Case and guitar still look brand new.
I have no idea what it is worth today, but I honestly don't think the new ones sound as good as this one. Everyone laughed at me when I bought this in high school. Who's laughing now?

This is a 1974 fender jazzmaster, with all original parts. It has a natural wood finish and a white pickguard. It has what all jazzmasters do: a volume knob, a tone knob, and strangly enough 2 other controls which do the same things, but add to the looks. It also has a black switch that changes it from a bright sound to a quieter, more mellow sound. It also has single-coil pickups that look like humbuckers. If you have seen a jazzmaster before, you know all of this. Oh, but mine does not have a tremolo bar. It does help that this guitar is very very cool looking. Not that looks are what you should be after in a guitar, but I personally would have trouble buying a guitar that was bright pink and I thought was ugly. An aweful lot of features for a guitar.

AMAZING SOUND. To help you out on what I mean, I play mostly alternative music. To list a few: blur, radiohead, nirvana, smashing pumpkins, dave matthews band, weezer. If you like most of these bands, then this is probably a good fit for you. I am overwhelmed with happiness. This guitar sounds remarkable. It is an extremly versatile guitar. It is clean, far less "twangy" than other fenders, such as strats and teles, so it has more of a warm sound, which I love. I thought I wanted a tele but decided otherwise when I heard this. Most of these bands play teles, that's why I thought I wanted one. It sounds great with distortion (i use a proco rat), and even better clean. But what will really amaze you is how warm and buttery this guitar sounds. Not as warm or deep as humbuckers like a les paul, but rather a fantastic medium between twang and warmpth. Of course the amp you use is VERY important to how it sounds. I use a fender hot rod deville 410, which i must say is a fantastic combo. As you may know, however, all vintage guitars have their own unique sound. I played 5 different jazzmasters, from a 1964 to a 1978 model. All of them were quite expensive, but mine was the cheapest. One was a 1964 custom shop jazzmaster, which was the best one, but it was 3500 dollars and I felt that was far too much. For the most part, all jazzmasters have the same kind of sound. There are very subtle differences between each one, but that is it. They are a bit more bass-y than the other fenders, but not overly so. I found that teles were a bit too twangy for me, and strats a little less so, but still too twangy, and this I felt was just a wonderfully WARM sound. Jazzmasters in general are hands-down my favorite fenders, and for my purposes it suits me very very well. For Radiohead fans out there, it sounds very much like the song "lucky" off OK compter. In fact, Thom Yorke uses a vintage jazzmaster on that very song.

This is something that varries an aweful lot between vintage guitars. They ALL play differently. Mine plays like a dream, and it has all the original parts. However, the volume and tone knobs are off-center by quite a bit and are not very smooth in movement. In fact, fairly poorly. But that is just mine. I still give it a 10 becuase it simply a flaw that MY guitar has. All jazzmasters have great action and fit. Finish is just fine.

Hey, anything that can stay perfect from 1974 to 2001 DESERVES a 10! The strap buttons are a liiiiiittle less grippy that i would want, but i a, used to my gretsch hollowbody where you actually unscrew them and lock your strap underneath. But I've never actually had a problem with it.

I wouldn't know. Everyone has a different opinion, as far as I can see.

I have been playing for 7 years. I have owned a fender squire (my first) and currently own a gretsch country classic, a guild acoustic, and this FANTASTIC jazzmaster. It is a great addition. I would recommend it to anyone. If your musical tastes are similar to mine, check this baby out. It is very versatile, so even if you like other forms of music, this just might work, but i think it gels best with alternative. It has great features, great feel and great sound. What more could you want? It IS worth it to pay the extra money, or for that matter do the extra hunting around, to get a REAL vintage jazzmaster. I played a brand new american jazzmaster in Guitar Center and I HATED it. It sounded terrible. This guitar is 100 bucks more, and look what you get! That's the best 100 bucks I've ever spent, I'll tell you. Concider this my warning to NOT buy ANY any of the new jazzmasters, especially if you like the sound of the vintage ones. If this guitar were lost or stolen, it would be impossible to replace. Vintage guitars are one-of-a-kind. However, I would buy it again. I am glad I did. I only slightly regret that it took every ounce of my money to do it. But this is a good price for a guitar you will have for the rest of your life. It is perfect in every way and I love it. I would really encourange anyone who is concidering one to look into it. I'm glad I did.

1996
japan
22
laminated
volume, tone, 3-way toggle, rythem and lead swith with seperate tone and volume.

kinda weird, I play punk kinda popy and thrashy
marshall head and jackhammer pedal, fender cab.
its not noisy any more.
all.
any
like every thing

great
great
every thing was and is perfect

yes. I played my first show with it and some ass knocked it over and aparently jared some solder loose. so i took it back to the dealer and he sent it back to fender, and they fixed it. other than that its got scratches and all kinds of knicks

just to have it repaired when it was droped

since 94
I also own a squier strat.
nope
sure
well after I learned more about the electronics and stuff I repaced the bridge pickup w/ a duncan distortion and the neck with a strat. got rid of the mane tone control and put a bass capasiter in the top set of controls

1960 Olympic White Jazzmaster (not a reissue). Many people have commented so I'll try not to duplicate.
Just to be clear: the pickups are not P-90's, although they look pretty similar. These were designed by Fender to be 'mellow' (compared to Strat pickups). They have less bite and less output than Gibson P-90's. The neck on this one is pretty standard medium-width ("B" code) with slab rosewood fingerboard and really small frets. Has the bridge they all complain about. if you look closely at the threaded bridge saddles you'll see the threads get wider for the bigger strings. Maybe this accounts for why I haven't noticed any problems with strings slipping under hard strummin'. Has wicked cool tremolo system that stays in tune but won't move very far.
In general this gal is very well made, typical early 60's Fender combo of 'futurama' style and unbreakable construction.

oh boy...creamy! harmonic! buttery! the sound of these things is worth all the problems from the bridge. the pickups are kinda weak and buzz a little, but they have a rich, complex, smooth, round sound (my girlfriend knows nothing about guitars, and she calls it "round" so there you go). Big difference in bass output and volume between neck and bridge pickup. A bass-cut switch, like Jaguars have, would have been handy. Both-on setting is exceptional; as others have noted, hum is cancelled, and resulting tone is slightly hollow (strat-like), very glassy and harmonic. very 'strummy.' In general pickups are less biting and agressive than the strat sound; closer to a humbucking sound, but more detailed on both top and bottom.
the main thing about these guitars' sound comes from the bridge that everyone complains about. There is a lot of string behind the bridge (before it hits the trem/tail assembly) and the angle is low (partly why sustain isn't what it could be). However, I'd advise against putting the buzz-stop gizmo (add-on roller thing that increases angle to the bridge) on there. The strings behind the bridge vibrate (duh)along that short length. this adds high-frequency harmonics, chime, what have you. especially with the amp cranked or a distorion box on. If you mute the behind-the-bridge string length you can tell the difference; the guitar sounds less "live." This special harmonic sound is partly why these guitars (Jazzmasters and Jaguars) are faves of shoe-gazer and intense-guitar-sound outfits like My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, or Spacemen 3.

fit as a fiddle.

solid. It's basically a cricket bat. I can't imagine what would go wrong with it.

find me a time machine and I'll tell you. Plus I'll have a trunk full of custom color strats to sell.

the "9" rating doesn't mean I don't love it. I do. However, these guitars are not for everyone, the bridge is a (minor) drawback, and I can't necessarily say that for what I paid it's objectively a "fantastic value." In my mind I got a bargain, but this is to help y'all out, not to bore you with how much I love this thing. I do wish it had a Jaguar bass-cut switch, though.

Some words for those out there using these reviews before buying a guitar:

1. these guitars depend on the set-up of the bridge, so a well-cared- for Jazz is dreamy, but a beat one may be awful until nudged. plus, the pickups vary a lot in output. I had one previously and I wasn't thrilled enough to keep it long (it buzzed more and didn't sound as rich). I got lucky here, but you want to try a few first. Also the pickguards tend to shrink and warp on some.

2. although they look similar, Jazzmasters and Jaguars sound very different. Jags are short scale and have very bright, percussive sounding pickups. Jags sustain less, but are easier to play, both due to short scale(which means to me I can put heavier strings on). They do both have the same tremolo and the same harmonic thing coming from the bridge. (they do sound great together, by the way!)

3. string gauge matters. Light strings make a Jazz sound less interesting, and they may slide off the bridge (i've never noticed this but people do say it). I use 11s (roundwound) on the Jazz (I find 12's get too bassy and don't jangle enough)and 12s (round) on the Jag. really heavy or flat strings are too deep and 'surfy' for me, but it is a cool sound.

4. the new made-in-america reissues are supposedly extremely well-made and (supposedly) sound the same or similar to the old ones. since they are only special orders, you may not be able to try one in a shop. but if you're not a 'it's gotta be vintage' type, check 'em. The older 'reissues' made in japan (of which many are reviewed in this section) are totally different guitars (they have thin-sounding strat-like pickups under those big covers, and are generally not well set up or as friendly to play). I'd say they stink, but that's just my opinion. At any rate, the reviews of MIJ Jazzmasters are of little help if you want to know what the original or new reissues are like.

The guitar was made in Japan as a reissue in 1997. It is fitted with two large soapbox pickups with two seperate areas for sound and pickup selection. On the lower half there is a 3 way toggle selector with a volume and tone knob, whilst above there is the black 2 way selector with rolling volume and tone knobs. The guitar has a gorgeous wood finish with a tint of red or cherry. The body is thin, relatively light and comfortable whilst the neck is smooth and easy to play. Finally it has the floating tremolo system which offers a new dimension but does ocassionally cause the guitar to lose it's tuning.

I used to be very much a heavy rock guitar player who used alot of power and bar chords but soon became bored with this style. Since purchasing my Jazzmaster it has offered me many new sounds which have helped to develop my sound and style as a guitarist. I now enjoy playing more alternative rock, for which I would say this guitar is very good. However it doesn't offer that fat, heavy sound of a les Paul but does offer variety. I play the guitar through a Marshall valvestate amp and do tend to experience some buzzing off the pickups.
This guitar can make almost any sound you want but if it's loud, distortion your after you will most likely need new pickups or a fairly heavy distortion/overdrive box.

When I first received the guitar it was set up poorly. The main problem was the bridge which was unstable and didn't fix into any sort of set position. I have fiddled with the bridge for months and months and only sorted it very recentley, and what a difference in sound it makes to the guitar. No more buzzing from strings, no more cut out notes when bending and the action is miles easier. I have to say the way it was originally set up was very dissapointing and I became worried about the bridges quality, which I still think is poor, but if you have patients and persistence then take the time to set the bridge up correctly and you won't look back.

This guitar will withstand live playing if you have set it up correctly. It stays in tune fairly reliably and is no worse than any other guitar I've played. The bridge remains questionable but apart from that this guitar is highly dependable and has never let me down yet. I definitley without question would gig this guitar but would have to carry a backup simply due to the bridges unpredictability.

NA

I previously owned an epiphone SG les paul guitar, which is frankly put to shame by this one. The weight, feel, action, and sound are all a mile better. The only thing it lacks is power in sound which my old guitar gave me. When I bought it I sampled a strat and tele before buying. I felt this guitar had a certain uniqueness about it that I'd never seen or played before. It has fantastic good looks and I just love it. Maybe not as well recognised or prefered as the strat or tele but it's different and has other dimensions. I would not hesitate to buy another one if it was stolen. It's a fantastic guitar, only shame is the bridge.

20 or more people have filled this section out already.

i own a pair of these(as well as a jaguar which is virtually the same guitar as far as the pros/cons are concerned), and of the 15 guitars i've owned at one point or another, these are my favorites. they both sound almost exactly alike, more alike thatn any two tele's or strat's i've owned, altough one is heavier and has a little more sustain. i love the neck pickup with the mids turned up on my super reverb. it's warm, glassy and springy. these guitars sound good with reverb. you can't get a gibson crunch. at it's thickest it still sounds very wiry.the bridge pickup has ruined my hearing, but that's probably my fault. it's extremely trebly, and i avoid it unless i'm feeling like an idiot. it's great for making racket. i want to try some of the seymor duncan replacements. i'm not dissatisfied, just always looking for sounds. speaking of, you can get a nice gating effect by turning the volume on one channel all the way down and toggling the selector. duh.

well, i said in the last section that the first on was a beast. the first one was a jaguar. all the problems are the same. except the jaguar has less sustain. the first hurdle was the bridge. how did this make it off of the design table? i went the tune-o-matic route. i thought about ordering a mustang brige until i got a mustang. those high adjustment screws fell on mine, like the jaguar did, so i stuck with les paul doo-dad.i even got the cheap-o $15 dollar copy, and it works fine. it raises the action a bit on the top and bottom strings, because of the curvature of the neck against a flat bridge, but i have grown to prefer it this way. it's great for playing with a slide or_____________.
then the vibrato: this took a little thought. i use mine alot. and after doing so it comes lose and falls out when you lean over. i adjusted it a couple of times...and that got old.so i removed the back plate and pulled the "fingers" that hold the arm in the socket. i then drilled the hole to accomodate a threaded bushing, and inserted the bushing. i then used a die to cast the arm so the whole deal would work similar to a strat and it would no longer fall out. i then lossened the tension spring to only allow down action. i have no tuning problems now. after i modified the jaguar like this, shimmed the neck, and found better tone with 11's, i loved it. i immediatley set out looking for jazzmasters and performed these modifications on them. i know most people would rather buy something they don't have to put time and money into modifications to play well, but it was worth it to me. once modified they require almost no maintaining. however,it's beyond my powers of reasoning to comprehend why fender keeps chucking out these guitars with these problems when every review on the internet cites these first. the finish is great. the frets have all been well dressed. the guitar is great aside from those fundemental issues. so even though 80% of the guitar is a 9, action, fit and finsh: i give it a...

i've played these guitars live extensivly and have experienced no problems with durabilty whatsoever. fenders bouce. i put strap-locks every guitar, so it maybe could've included those. i've only owned one guitar that came with them so i don't mind putting them on by now.i sorta just assume there's going to be something i'll want to change no matter what guitar it is. as far as dependablitity, these are all in different tunings, so they're all sort of "first guitars"

they take forever.

i've been playing for 8 years, i've owned all kinds of guitars, amps, and effects. gear comes and goes. i'm always changing something. my favorite amp is my super reverb. i knew what i was getting into when i bought these guitars. i had no idea how work was going into them. it's certainly not for everyone, but the procedures to remedy the basic ailments are easy and worth it to me. i love the sounds. i love the modified vibrato.