Fender Jazzmaster

According to the Fender dating site, my JM was built around 1964. It's a natural finish (due to lack of the Fender decal on the head, I'm assuming it was refinished somewhere along the line before I got it). White/Cream-colored pickguard and other than the suspected refinish, it is all original (as far I know). I'm not so sure about all the technical aspects (such as the pickups, wood makeup, etc.) but I'm sure you can find out what the original equipment entails elsewhere....

This guitar has basically one sound--twang--a la surf music. A two position switch allows you to switch between real twangy and not quite so twangy but it still has a lot of twang (get my point?) Mind you, I'm not knocking it--I've had this ol' girl for over 20 years and if I didn't like the sound, I'd gotten rid of her long ago.

Bought used so I can't comment on the factory setup. When I did get it, the strings 'buzzed' a tad but after fooling around with the bridge, it doesn't buzz anymore. Neck/action has to be the best and smoothest I've ever played (that's what originally attracted it to me). Over the years, dirt got into the toggle switch/volume-tone pots, etc., filling the air with some static when I played but an occasional blast of electronics cleaner into the noisy items clears that up.

I'm not a professional musician but through my job (Air Force), I have traveled all over the world for 24 years. Took my JM with me everywhere and she has NEVER, EVER let me down!! She's been hauled in the cargo holds of commercial/military aircraft (and you know how gentle those cargo handlers are! (big smirk!)). The only bad thing that happened was the white toggle tip (the plastic piece not the switch itself) broke during one of those flights. (shipped in the original case, too. By the way--the plastic Fender logo on the outside of the case also broke but the contents were well guarded). So, she's been nicked, bounced around (yeah, I've done that, too!), and handled rough--but she just keeps on going...and going...and going.....

Bought used so I've never had the pleasure (or displeasure, as the case may be) of dealing directly with Fender. As noted earlier, I did date my JM with the assistance of their web site. Being a history buff, I did like that feature.

I've been playing close to 30 years (but never professionally...I'm still not a very good guitar player but I enjoy trying to play immensely!) Nowadays, I play my JM through a Marshall Valvestate 65 but have used real tube amps in the past. I also own an Epi Casino and a Yamaha acoustic. What do I love about it? Everything--it's reliability and playability, most of all. What do I dislike? Sometimes, I wish it didn't sound twangy...but then, the JM's weren't designed to sound like a Strat. Favorite feature: I love the way the neck plays. Just outstanding! And would I buy another if it was stolen or lost? Most definitely...although judging from some of the prices I've seen vintage JMs going for these days, I'm just not sure I could afford one! I recently purchased the Epi Casino and love how it plays---but I'm afraid my Jazzmaster will always be the great love in my guitar life.

My Jazzmaster was made in either 1998 or 1999 and has a very nice/glassy 3-tone sunburst finish. It was made in Japan of course and like all Jazzmasters has switches and knobs all over the place. The pickups are original Fender stock and don't sound half bad, and the body is made of either basswood or alder(i'm guessing basswood). I have added a buzz-stop to it and it makes the strings feel much tighter and also reduces buzz. It also keeps the strings from sliding all over th saddles. A buzz-stop is very recomended, but also costly($45 and it is a very small part).

You can get a jazzy sound or a heavy muffled sound. This doesn't bother me because i play jazzy type music but might bother others because there is not much range between those two sounds. I play it on a Fender Twin amp which sounds great and the pickups make very little noise if any at all.

I bought my Jazzmaster used from ebay(which is very risky) and when i recieved it, it was almost flawless. I just had to play around with the action and intonation a little. The guitar does buzz out if you bend the stings in three different spots, but i don't think any reissue jazzmaster doesn't have this problem...so i'm lucky!! Other than that, the guitar is pretty good. Also, unlike a lot of jazzmaster owners, i don't have any problems with my frets wearing down, not yet at least.

This guitar can definately be taken out live mainly because it stays in tune great. The finish looks great but i have not had the guitar that long, time will tell. This guitar seems solid as a rock and could in my opinion be played at a gig without a backup.

I have ver needed to cotact the company and i do not have the warranty.

This is the best guitar i have ever owned and i would definatley buy another if it was stolen from me. I love how solid it is and everything else for that matter. My Jazzmaster guitar is not perfect, but is the closest i've come to perfect for my taste in music and how much i purchased it for. It puts my previous guitars to shame.

This is a 62 reissue US made fender jazzmaster.
It has a thick neck with 21 frets.
It has two "soap-bar" picups with independent volume tone controls and a rythm lead switch. Unlike the Japanesse reissues this one is made of alder just like the old ones.
It allso has a beutiful floating tremolo.
And it comes with a brown tolexcase just like..the old ones ! (:

As far as the bridge pickup it has a bright nice tone, kind of like a strat yet not. Its perfect for leads as well as rythm.
The Neck pickup is fat and warm with alot of PUNCH.
I tested this guitar threw a vox-ac 30 and a 59 fender bassman.
As far as effects i used a Fulltone Fulldrive 2, A Ts-9 tubescreamer,
and a Fulltone 70's fuzz. For me this is the ultimate sound.
You can play fat rythms with it, you can play bluesy leads and pretty much anything. I myself play rock ( kind of pearl jam ) blues and funk. I love the sound of this guitar.

The craftmanship on this guitar is amazing. The finish is deep enough to swim in. It feels like the old ones and it looks like the old ones. The fret work is incredible.

THis guitar was build to last. It will keep up if you maintain it properly.
This guitar will probably need more attention than the others.

I just bought it so dont ask me...(:

This is a great guitar. I have been playing for 6-7 years now in different bands. I own a 60's reissue strat, a 79 strat and a Les Paul. And this guitar is the one for me. It fits into my sound like a glove. As i said befor i used it through a bassman and a vox with effects. I havent had the opportuninty to try it through any other amps. but i think that you will be pleased no matter what.

my particular jassmaster was made in 1967. it is factory black finish (a fairly rare custom finish). i bought it about two years ago. it has the typical jazzmaster setup one volume pot, one tone pot, a pickup switch, two p-90 styled pickups, two volume roller knobs at the top of the body, and a special switch that takes you to the preset tone selected by the two roller knobs at the top of the body. It has a jazzmaster/jaguar/bass vi floating tremelo system. it sports normal fender tuners of the time as well as a rosewood finger board. Fender made this guitar very strange by adding all the extra roll off knobs. I know numerous people who play jazzmasters as their primary guitar and hardly anyone ever uses that odd switch at the top of the body. It's really easy to hit with a pick when your strumming and sometimes you'll move it inbetween the two settings and when this happens no sound comes out. The bridge is also a peice of crap. it has individual barrel saddles that don't have a deep grooves in them that the strings could settle into. Instead they have little barrels with many tiny grooves. this makes it real easy to move strings while you're strumming hard. Also, if the guitar is not set up properly the bridge will move while you're using the tremelo and make it go really out of tune. Despite all of my complaints, it's definately me favorite kind of guitar.

First, this guitar has really weak pickups and it hums with alot of amp configurations. Although that is a huge pain i think that people have really overlooked many uses for this guitar. This guitar is not for everyone, it's for people who really want an interesting tone (it sounds nothing like a strat, tele, or les paul). These guitars work really well with loud amps. I've been using mine with a '72 masrshall super lead and a '68 fender dual showman, and damn it sounds good. I've used for so many styles; anywhere from trip-hop to emo-core. These guitars have a very bright tone usually that need to rolled off on the tone knob especially when using the marshall because the breakup tends to get really high-ended. The neck pickup is an enormously useful tool great for rhythm and textural work. The bridge pickup is something that's really cool for studio tracks because you can use the same tone and just by switching the pickup it sounds like two different guitars using the same setup. I've been using my jazzmaster with tons of different pedals (kendrick buffalo phuz, electro-harmonix deluxe memory man, ibanez ad-9 analog delay, ibanez ad-80 analog delay, roland bee-gee(fuzz), fulltone fulldrive 2, electro-harmonix small clone, ross phaser, and a soldano surf box). These things sound monstrous through a rad fuzz box. They get this screaming tone that cuts through everything. It's great for leads. Overall, this guitar is a bit of a pain, but it really rocks.

This guitar is thirty-three years old. So, fender had nothing to do with my guitar in a long time. It is original, and i have no real problems with anyting. It is a hard guitar to set up properly. If you're in the market to buy one, play as many as you can before settling on the perfect one. Sometimes you'll get one that plays really really well, and well, other times they play like crap depending on who set them up. It's really important to find a good person to set all of your gear up for because i have several friends that have had alot of problems with terrible repair men.

This guitar is a hoss, but i always keep a back-up. You just don't want to get into a situation where you don't have anything else to play. Buy a tele they are workhorses, and they are real simple. Mine's old and still original so i guess that's no one's ever had any real problems that warranted a change in hardware or pickups.

don't buy new fender stuff. it's trash unless you spend the big bucks. If you're gonna do that just look around for a while and find something old that has character.

Ive been playing for a few years now, and i own too much gear(1978 rickenbacker 360/12 wb, 1963 fender p-bass, 1978 gibson sg, zeta upright bass, warwick corvette proline bass, 1968 fender coronado, and plenty of others). This guitar is without a doubt one of the finest purchases i have ever made. if this were stolen i would cry, then i would try to find one that could take the place of this one. These vintage instruments are going up in value, so buying one is also like an investment. If you want something new in your tone that will give you a unique sound and you don't mind messing around with little problems along the way, then maybe a jazzmaster is right for you.

I have no idea where or when it was made. I found it in a pawnshop after about a year of looking. It was in Mint condition to!!! I am an amature, and I have a very bad temper. When a guitar doesnt do what I want...I know it isnt the right guitar. I tried Peavy...poor quality. I tried ESP, shotty neck and fret board. I even went to the 1500$ Les Pauls, they sounded great...but finish and neck were not up to my standards.

Then I played my first Jazz Master and Jaguar. I fell in love!!! I searched high and low,but to no prevail. Just as I was looking to buy me a Ibanez...I saw a pawn shop. I desided to go in. My best friend said "oh look there is a fender"

I shouted for joy and me and the owner talked for hours. We both agreed that the tobacco burst was perfect with the red pick guard. I gladly handed out 435$ for this beuty. Just as I was about to walk out the door, the owner said " hey wait! i got something to show you!'

He gave me a black Bronco for 50$. Now i am in love with all fenders!

perfect for grunge and lead. Who ever said it isnt for burning solos...is a liar

PERFECT

had it for 2 years...only (absolutly had to) changed strings 3 times and every thing was solid!

My guitar is a 1998 Fender Jazzmaster reissue, made in (ughh) Japan. It has 21 nickle vintage frets (perfect height), solid basswood body, two soapbar singles, and passive electronics. The maple neck is nicely finished in a glossy clearcoat (hey its not that fast but if feels great). The bridge is a little odd, but it still works (don't be a moron and think you can play heavy crap on it 'cause you can't, thats why its called a JAZZmaster). The body is awesome, very comfy with a spotless sunburst finish. The tuners need upgaded, I can't stand chrome plated plastic.

I play Jazz, Rock, Fusion, and swing. This guitar is PERFECT for this, as well as versatile. I use the guitar with my 100 watt Fender Super Bassman, and it gets nice sparkle in the timbres.
This guitar can go from growling 60's distortion to Glenn Miller with a switch pull. The pickups are weak, but thats how they were designed (once again it's a JAZZmaster not a METALmaster).

Perfect

Dings, scrapes, and I could nuke' it and it would still play. The only problem was a loose volume pot (My Fault).

Never dealt with Fender, never had to.

I have been playing since I was 5, I'm sixteen, and I hate loud-mouthed obnoxious teens like myself who grab a guitar becouase it looks good. My mommy didn't buy it, I earned it, by bagging groceries for a year. If it came down to it Id buy 15 of them if I had the money. DON'T BUY IT BECAUSE GAVIN FROM BUSH OWNS ONE. BUY IT FOR LIGHT PLAYING, AND RESEARCH THEM!

This is a 1999 Fender Jazzmaster 1962 reissue made in Japan. 21 frets with a 3-way toggle switch, lead/rhythm switch, volume and tone for each and a floating tremlo system. It has two single coil jumbo vintage pickups, which are not that great. It has a beautiful sunburst finish that I love and maplewood neck. Has an offset body and "7.25 radius on the neck which is very comfortable. I also have a fender deluxe hardshell case.

The Jazzmaster has a very crisp and clear clean. great for jazz or blues. I play hard/grunge rock, so when i like to pump up the distortion I get an annoying ear-percing feedback. So I am forced to switch to rhythm pickup and turn the tone down which makes is more difficult to switch back to clean. It is a very versital guitar for many types of music you just need the right pickups. I am currently in the process of buying a Seynour Duncan Quater Pound Jazzmaster Pickups. i currently run it through a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 Head and cabinet(which sounds great!).

The guitar was ok from the factory. which I ad on special order that took a month and a half. I oringally bought an Fender Jaguar, but that guitar sucked big time. the pickups were not adjusted right the bridge keep falling apart and the pickups sounded horrible then I traded it in for a Jazzmaster which was my oringal choice but I chose a Jaguar cus they didn't have any Jazzmasters at the time. I did notice one thing with the Jazzmaster. It has this little ring at the end of every chord or note you play, like the spring in the pickup was moving and you can hear it through the amp.

Its an awesome guitar, but if you pound on the strings you might move it off the bridge. The bridge is pretty bad, I plan to replace the bridge in the future. The finish is pretty good. The strap buttons are screwed in well. well i would never goto a gig and not have a backup. Anything could happen, you never know. my backup is a Mexican Fender standard Starocaster.

Well I bought it at Sam Ash in Edison, NJ. They were very friendly. Haven't needed to get it repaired yet. Just to be save I have it under warranty for LIFE. So i will not have a problem if something breaks on me.

I am still an amateur , I have been playing for 2 and a half years. I have many other Boss effect pedals along with my Marshall. I wish I could have asked about the feedback. If it where stolen I would defintly buy it again. If some reason I couldn't, I would buy either a Fender Mustang or a Double Fat Strat with Floyd Rose. I love the deep jazzy sound it gives and the crisp clean sound. I hate the anoyying feedback. I love the feel and the awesome fender headstock! Yes I compared it to the Jaguar, Jagmaster, Tornado, and Mustang and The Jazzmaster came out on top. I wish it had Two Seymour Duncan Humbuckers and a stronger bridge like the Mustang. Overall I am happy with my Guitar, I love Fender and think its the best.

it is a 1998, made in japan with 21 frets, solid top with a volume tone a 3 way selector, two wheels for volume one for each pickup. with two passive very big single coil pickups it kicks the shit out of my friends Jag-stang. a maple neck and basswood body make for great sustane and comfort the neck is great for my lager hands and won't give me a cramp in my thumb. great brige i do not think that the sting problum is as bad as some say it is. i play punk, jazz and blues and with all the bends i do i never had it pop out of the siting. best shit i ever played.

damn good i compared it to a gibosn sg, a fender cyclone and strat. what can i say this thing beat the hell out of them all. no noise a far i as i can tell the swith is at a strang angle and it was little but i got over that quick. i used it clean but i know that with my ts5 or the distorin on my amp it would sound just as great. i paly with cry-baby wah wah and the ts5 other then that just a dano cool cat for a little corus.

best guitar i have ever played as i sead it kicks the shit out of my friends Jag-stang hands down. funking great the neck is the best for me it fets like a dream

this thing would with stand Chernoble the only thing is you would need to wear a radiation sute to play it.

n/a

best fuckin thing i have ever played. i sead all 9's 'cuse i dont like to give any one or thing a perfict 10

An early 1959 jazzmaster, featuring offset waist double-cutaway 1-piece alder body, floating bridge/tremolo, threaded bridge saddles (2-way adjustable), gold anodized aluminum pickguard, 4 bolt bolt-on maple neck, 1 volume 1 tone, two single-coil pickups with reverse magnet polarity (hence, hum cancelling when both pickups active), 3-way toggle switch, 6-on-a-side Kluson tuners, rosewood slab fingerboard, copper shielded body cavities, two-way slide switch (which activates wheel-potentiometers for vol. and tone of neck pickup only). 3-color sunburst finish. A pioneering guitar which was briefly popular in the late 50's to early 60's (Replaced in popularity by Jaguar model in 1962 and of course by Strat when Hendrix was King in '67). Clapton played the instrument in the early '60's, and I have seen him with it in a still photo taken of the Yardbirds. It has also been popular in the late '70's new wave/power pop movement (Costello, Television, etc.) Cool guitar.

The guitar sound is best when both pickups are activated -- you get a humbucking effect with great enhancement of volume. Sound is like a cross between Strat and Rickenbacker pickups -- somewhat twangy and jangly, bright. The neck pickup alone has good bass response, but not really what I would call jazzy (as compared to ES335, etc, tones). The bridge pickup alone has excellent treble end and reminds one of a strat - tele sound. The selector switch allows you to turn off the bridge pickup and preset the tone/volume of neck pickup. Kinda neat idea. The 1 vol/1 tone pots for pickups is somewhat limiting; in addition, the roll-off that you get from pots is a little too "dead". The pickups are handwound, and as such, vary in ohms; they wound them to about 1700 turns, but depending on the tension of the wire (which basically varied from day-to-day -- the operator merely held the wire in his/her hands as the winder spun around) the ohms can vary quite a bit (5300 to nearly 7000). Moreover, the ohmmeter that they used was only accurate to +/- 500 ohms. Hence, each jazzmaster pickup will feature a slighlty different sound, tone, and output! Fender moved to a more mechanical winder in the '62 - '64 period, so the pickups from that era and later are more standardized in terms of windings and ohms.
The pickups themselves were wax potted back then, and, with the extensive shielding (copper lined cavities, aluminum pickguard) the instrument has very little hum, particularly when both pickups are activated.
I like the sound of this beast. It's actually great for pop or country music, plugged straight into any decent tube amp clean channel (Vox, Fender, MusicMan, Marshall, etc).

The action is amazing -- very low with little or no fret buzz. The frets have been worn and redressed several times -- it's more like a "fretless wonder" at this point. However, the threaded saddles, which are basically threaded rods, do allow string buzz at the bridge. By picking the right gauge strings, you can minimize the buzz, or buy an attachment called the "buzz stop". The finish is nitrocellulose, which checks over time (40 years). However, the 3-tone sunburst, contrasted with the aluminum pickguard, makes for a striking instrument. A number of early jazzmasters were also finished in custom colors -- I'd like to see a black color version, if one was made. That's gotta look cool. The tremolo works well and stays in tune; but I have seen/heard of other Jazz/Jags whose trem doesn't work nearly as well-- I guess you need to take it instrument-by-instrument.
Really a high-quality instrument, considering that it was mass produced (several thousand made in '58 -'59). The neck and body are solid, Jackson. Use it to defend the Alamo.

Very durable. Has withstood 40 years of playing and will soldier on for another 40. Backup? Why bother?

Fender Instruments is not as customer friendly as Gibson. Gibson offers better advice/support on vintage or used instruments.

The Jazzmaster, particularly the '59 anodized pickguard version, is one of the best Fender guitars ever made. Sure, the strat and tele hold down the main positions, but the offset waist double-cutaway body of the Jazzmaster (and the Jaguar) are by far the most comfortable and eye-appealing shapes known to Man. Why doesn't Fender produce more guitars with this shape? You could fit Strat pickups/wiring on this shape with no problem, and I bet it would sound great.
The sound of the jazzmaster is not particularly popular compared to Tele/Strat sounds. In a way, that makes it a unique tone machine that you won't find duplicated by everybody and his brother jamming in the garage. An additional tone pot (so that each pickup has a tone pot) would have really made this instrument a cut above the strat. Is Fender listening? Do they care?
These guitars are hard to find; but player grade versions are out there, and, priced very cheap compared to a '59 Strat. Go get one.

THIS IS A 1974 JAZZMASTER THAT I BOUGHT FROM MY FAVORITE GUITAR SHOP IN ATHENS (GREECE).I WALKED IN TO SAY HELLO AND SUDDENLY THIS GUY WALKS IN CRADLING THIS BEAUTIFULL JAZZMASTER WITHOUT A CASE.HE ASKED THE MANAGER IF HE WOULD BUY IT FOR $300 AND OF COURSE I JUMPED TO THE OCCASION AND BOUGHT IT WITHOUT EVEN LISTENING TO IT/S SOUND! IT FEATURES A TWO PIECE ASH BODY FINISHED IN SUNBURST,A TORTOISE SHELL GUARD AND A DEEP,CHUNKY NECK WITH BINDING AND LARGE BLOCK INLAYS. I DON/T CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY 70/S JAZZMASTER LOOK BETTER THAN THE 60/S ONES!IT ALSO FEATURES THE HORRIBLE JAZZMASTER BRIDGE THAT CAN KEEP THE STRINGS PROPERLY IN IT/S SADDLES ONLY IF THEY ARE HEAVY GAUGE.(I DON/T MIND,I USE 012/S ON THIS BABY).FURTHERMORE I HAVE INSTALLED THE FAMOUS BUZZSTOP DEVICE THAT ENHANCES SUSTAIN AND INCREASE STRING ANGLE OVER THE BRIDGE (I STRONGLY RECOMEND IT FOR ALL JAZZMASTER-JAGUAR USERS).REMEMBER THE BRIDGE IS COMPLETELY UNFUNCTIONAL AND NERVE WRECKING BUT IT REALLY CONTRIBUTES TO THE SOUND OF THESE GUITARS,DO NOT REPLACE IT WITH A TUNEOMATIC YOU WILL CHANGE THE ORIGINAL SOUND OF THIS LOVELY GUITARS! THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM THOUGH IS PURE GENIOUS AND IT REALLY MAKES THIS GUITAR ULTRA VERSATILE. THE TREMOLO WORKS GREAT FOR ANY TYPE OF MUSIC (EXCEPT METAL OF COURSE)

THIS GUITAR HAS ONE OF THE BEST CLEAN SOUNDS EVER HEARD!THIS IS THE MAIN TASK OF THIS GUITAR.LEO MADE THIS GUITAR IN ORDER TO BE USED IN ULTRA CLEAN SETTINGS.PLUG THIS BABY IN A GOOD FENDER AMP,TURN THE REVERB UP NAD YOU ARE IN TONE HEAVEN!

THE ACTION IS REALLY LOW (I DON/T NORMALLY USE LOW ACTION BUT FOR SOME REASON THIS GUITAR,ESPECIALLY AFTER THE BUZZSTOP INSTALEMENT AND THE HEAVY GAUGE STRINGS,HAS ONE OF THE BEST PLAYABILITIES I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED!). THE FINISH IS A BIT CHIPPED BUT LOOKS GREAT,AND THE FRETS ARE ALMOST NEW AND VERY WELL SEATED.NO COMPLAINS HERE

IT SEEMS VERY WELL BUILT .IT STILL IS A ?SPECIALITY? GUITAR. YOU CAN NOT REALLY USE IT FOR EVERYTHING BUT IT REALLY SHINES IN THE SETTINGS THAT IT WAS DESIGNED TO PERFORM IN. GIG WITHOUT A BACKUP?NO WAY!

I ASKED FENDER TO DATE THIS GUITAR FOR ME AND I HAVE RECEIVED A HANDWRITTEN LETTER WITH ALL THE INFORMATION I NEEDED PLUS A COOL FENDER STICKER!

GREAT GUITAR WITH LOTS OF PERSONALITY.IF YOU CAN FIND A 70/S JAZZMASTER PRICED WELL BUY IT!(THEY SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME WITH THE 50/S & 60/S ONES,THEY ARE CHEAPER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL! )