Fender Jazzmaster

This is a candy apple red CIJ (Crafted In Japan) '93 Jazzmaster. I won't list all the features, as they should be common knowledge to anyone reading this. This guitar is based on the early sixties JM models, I believe. I never had a Jazzmaster before, although I have had two Jaguars (and hated both). The thing I like best about the JM is the "two guitars in one" circuitry, allowing the player two switch between two different sets of sounds with the flick of a slide switch. Leo Fender was a clever guy.

Get over the old thinking that the JM is a one-trick surf pony. Not true. People like J. Mascis, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, and many others use the JM for all kinds of music. Magic Slim plays some mean blues on his. Nils Lofgren uses one with Bruce Springsteen. I had to work with it a little to figure out how to set up the dual sound thing, but no issue. JMs sound very spanky and trebly when played with a clean sound. If that's what you want, then great, but for me, when I gave it a little distortion and rolled back the treble on my amp and boosted the mids and bass, it came to life. The sound was trebly, but not overly so, and pickups had a nice bite to them. I don't see any reason to swap them for the moment. Because they're single coil pickups, you do get a little 60 cycle hum, but it's not too bad.

The guitar is beautifully made. No complaints.

JMs are quirky guitars. The strings pop out of the saddles, and there always seems to be some fret buzz. I remedied the situation by filing notches into the saddles, and that seems to have solved the string popping. I intend to have the guitar set up properly, and soon. I really don't want to install one of those buzz stop thingies, as I heard they're pain in the a** to deal with.

Otherwise, the guitar is solid as a rock. It will last for years.

no opinion

I own lots of guitars, almost twenty, and have been playing for decades. The JM will never be my main guitar, because I don't have a "main guitar." I play Gibsons, Fenders, a Gretsch, a Rickenbacker 12, Danelectros, and an Epiphone Moderne, among others. The JM is another weapon in my aresenal, so to speak. So far, I like it a lot.

This is not the guitar's fault, but the dealer I bought it from, who shall remain nameless (he's in Montreal), shipped it to me with no strap buttons, and never told me they were missing. I wish he had been forthcoming with me and told me they were missing. I bought replacements.

1961 sunburst, all original except for the frets and nut. Tremelo never goes out of tune. The guy that refretted it said that the neck had "narrow nut" written on it, he had never seen that before.

Neck position - think SRV tone

middle position - the one I use most due to the noise-canceling

bridge - bright, and not in a bad way.

jazz circuit - I turn the volume down on mine and use it as a kill switch. Not bad sounding, just not my cup of tea.

Sounds good distorted, however the clean tone is where this really shines. The pickups are similar to P-90s. The coil is wound flat and wide, in contrast to Fender's usual tall and thin coils. This gives them a warmer tone that is without losing their single coil clarity. Mellower tone than a Strat.

As mentioned before the neck had "narrow nut" written on it when removed for refretting. The only problem I ever had with this guitar was the nut - the 1st and second strings were a little closer together than the others. Not a dealbreaker for me, but I had the nut replaced when it was refretted, and I'm glad I did. Without asking me, the guy planed the fretboard (!!!) so now it has a flatter radius than it did originally. Yes I know pros do it to vintage instruments all the time...and it does play great. I just wish I'd had the chance to make the decision....
Finish is in good shape for an instrument going on 50 years old.

This guitar will be 50 years old in a couple years, I'd say yeah, it will withstand live playing, the hardware will last, the strap buttons and everything else are solid. I can depend on it, I only wish they made an automobile half as reliable.

Not sure its still under warranty....heh
In all seriousness if I have a problem with a 40-50 year old vintage amplifier or guitar, the last place I'm taking it is to today's "Fender".

Wonderful, beautiful sounding, amazing guitar. I bought it from a guy for $600 in 1992. I've been playing for over 25 years, this is by far my favorite guitar. I own over 20 other guitars, this is Number One. It never leaves the house so its not likely to become lost. If someone stole it I would hunt them down and make them sorry they took my baby. The tremelo works! And it works GREAT, without ever going out of tune! How many other guitars can that be said of? One of the other things I like about these and Jaguars is the fact you can space the strings how ever you want. Mustang owners take note: Mustang/Jazzmaster/Jaguar bridges are the same size! Upgrade your Mustang and you will then be able to adjust string height individually, as well as change string spacing. I always thought these bridges were great,never understood why they never really caught on.
I also like the fact these guitars' body style were never really copied, at least to the extent Strats were. I do own a Fernandes Decade Sustainer, a fine guitar in its own right, that uses the Jazzmaster/Jaguar body shape.

1961 - Slab neck as they came. White.

Middle position is to die for. Bridge pickup is better then strat.

All good. Will need fret work soon but hey she is old.

Two years older then me so I guess has lasted

Modern Fender sucks - but we all know this

Best u can get

1960 Fender Jazzmaster, serial #48077,originally sunburst, the body was refinished to a dark brown in 1978 by the previous owner after he saw Elvis Costello perform, "Radio Radio," on S.N.L.,as seen on youtube. Now worn, and lighter/transparent natural body finish. Very light weight(7.2 pounds) 2 piece alder body, with the deeper/wider maple neck shape of the very early jazzmasters,7.25 radius slab rosewood fingerboard,clay dots,reftretted with 21 dunlop 6105 frets,20 year old seymour duncan vintage neck/seymour duncan quarter pound bridge pickups,(installed in 1987, original pickups in storage.)"Pat Pending" back plate(Pat Pending #'s arrived on 1961 models),soft bend tremolo bar, nitrocellulose tortoise shell pickguard. The offset body design is extremely comfortable and Jazzmasters were the first Fender guitars to have a rosewood fingerboard, (the thick slab rosewood design only lasted through the first few years of production), near p-90 style pickups,dual pickup controls and the subtle and beautiful sounding tremolo are the main features of this guitar.

I play mostly old school rock, blues, funk, and some folk and country and the guitar can handle any of these styles with ease. I now play through a new mesa boogie 5-25 express combo, digitech Ex-7, and seymour duncan lava box overdrive. The neck position sound is strat like with a blooming bottom, warm and round. The in-between setting again sorta sounds like a strat's in-between setting, but fuller and heavier like a humbucker,(cancelling most of the hum as well) and is big and open sounding. When overdriven in the middle position it has the power of a Les Paul with more bite and clarity. When I turn down the volume pot on the guitar, I can get a very pleasant, near acoustic guitar sound. The bridge pickup setting is cutting, almost tele like as roars and bites at the same time, twang and kick, Clean, overdriven, distorted, the pickups maintain warmth, clarity, and huge character.

The guitar is 47 years old with a recent dunlop 6105 refret and plays like a dream. I play with slightly higher than average action and 11-52 to 12-54 strings( depending on how strong my fingers are feeling)The guitar was designed with heavier strings in mind, so with a heavier gauge string the tuning is very stable and the strings don't pop out of their ridges on the bridge. However, for the low E string, my tech guy also brought up the little screw in the hole just south of the string slot, a few millimetres up, so the string cannot move out of the slot= no worries, can slam away without fear of the string moving.I recommend this easy 1 minute mod.

This guitar is built like a tank. Super solid feeling, quality everything, feels absolutely bulletproof. Just needed new frets after all those years.

hehehe. None required.

I have been playing guitar for 28 years and this is the first guitar I have ever played/owned.( gift from older brother)It is a remarkably flexible instrument that also has it's own distinct voice and is very expressive. The thing about jazzmasters is that they have an incredible "attack", I think more so than a strat or a tele. What you trade off a bit in sustain somewhat due to the bridge design, you gain back in attack and presence. I love it because it looks, feels, and sounds so beautifully vintage, but can handle many modern sounds as well,and it's natural tone shines in any occasion. Even when playing around acoustically without plugging it in, it sounds magnificent. I own many great guitars, but this guitar is my #1. I have received many, many compliments on this guitar over the years. An incredible and special instrument from 1960.

This review is for a 2007 "Crafted in Japan" (CIJ) alder body Jazzmaster in "Old Candy Red" (I'm guessing supposed to be aged candy apple red) with matching headstock, vintage-style mint green pickguard and pure white pickup covers. This is a color combo not offered on the current US models, and it looks great. The finish is fantastic, although it is poly, not nitro (poly is tougher but does not age the same way). The fretboard is rosewood. Two soapbar style Japanese pickups. Has separate "pre-set" tone and volume settings for lead and rhythm - a feature well ahead of its time. Has the highly publicized but erstwhile forgotten by Fender floating tremolo system that My Bloody Valentine showed the world the possibilities of and which was a big reason for my buying this guitar. Part of the tremolo system is a floating bridge that's held in place by nothing but string tension - this can be finnicky, though I think it just requires a certain amount of care to set up right (see below).

The Japanese pickups are not like the US pickups, and most people replace them with US pickups. I probably will too eventually, but I'm quite happy with the sound from the stock pickups. I'm playing through a little Marshall practice amp, so maybe not the best way to judge, but it sounds warm, rich and deep to me, which is a Jazzmaster hallmark (of course, real JM pickups might sound even warmer, richer and deeper; I have no basis for comparison on my amp). There is some hum when using only one pickup at a time - these are flat-wound single coils, not humbuckers. When used together, the hum is greatly reduced.

One thing about the tremolo is that it was not designed for big bombs. It'll only take you up or down about half an octave max. It was designed for the way guitarists used tremolo in the 50's. Not a problem for me but maybe a problem for some. I'm more interested in using it as a true vibrato or for interesting chord bends, and for that it's a fantastic design because it just does not take your guitar out of tune no matter what you do with it.

The build quality of the guitar is top-notch - no flaws whatsoever. Absolutely a beautifully made instrument. Factory setup seems average. String height is a bit high but not unreasonable and easy enough to adjust (I just haven't bothered yet). The stock strings that were factory installed are quite heavy, but this is what the Jazzmaster was designed for. Intonation seems ok. One thing that tripped me up about the factory setup - and I wonder if this actually might contribute to some of this guitar's reputation - is that the factory had adjusted the floating bridge so that it was straight with the strings loosened for shipping. When I tightened them, the bridge moved to the pickup side (it's designed to move as part of the tremolo system). I played like this for a while before I realized it, and I was getting lots of buzz from the bridge during that period. Finally one day I slapped a bridge cover on just for kicks and I noticed how odd it looked... because the bridge was tilted 2-3 degrees. I loosened the strings, reset the bridge and the buzz went away completely. So, anyone who's having bridge buzz on a Jazzmaster, check your bridge and make sure it's straight!

I would absolutely gig with this guitar. I would probably deal with the string height first (no big deal, the guitar can certainly withstand insanely low strings), but I feel like everything as stock is basically gig ready. It's a friggin' Fender! And the Japanese absolutely know how to build guitars; there's nothing about the country it was made in that affects its durability. Some say the Japanese tremolo springs are not always as strong as the American ones, but I haven't taken mine apart to verify this - it seems strong enough to me. The other hardware all feels top notch. The knobs actually feel *better* to me than the ones on the US reissues!

Never had to deal with Fender support; not sure what would happen since it's a Japanese model. There is a one year warranty but I have a feeling I'd have to ship it to Japan... anything that could possibly go wrong could probably be fixed cheaper locally even paying out of pocket.

I love this guitar. When I first opened the gig bag it came in (no hard case like the US models), I thought it was possibly the most beautiful guitar I had ever seen, and I've seen a lot of guitars. I still can't take my eyes off of it, especially in this finish with the matching headstock. In playing terms, it has that intangible quality about it that makes you feel like you're playing a real guitar, not one of those cheeseball light-stringed metal guitars that are still popular with some people even today. The sound is warm and deep and will probably be even moreso if I ever throw in some "real" US pickups (or the Curtis Novaks). And the tremolo is seriously just a work of art if you ask me.

Some people don't like the bridge, and to them I say "nuts". You've got to use the heavy strings the guitar was designed for. I haven't had a single problem with strings jumping around, and as long as the bridge is straight, I've got no buzz either (the bridge stays straight once you set it that way; you just need to do it when you re-string). This guitar is a *system*; everything's designed to work together in a certain way. You can customize it to make it more suited to your play style if you need to, but you need to think how any change is going to affect the rest of the guitar. It works perfectly out of the box if you use it as designed. And it's really got a lot of character. The Japanese models are a great deal at only about a third of the price of the US reissues.

1959 Fender Jazzmaster. Ash body w/ blonde finish. Original fatter body type which was only produced in late '58 and early '59. Gold guard. Great floating tremelo design...lead and rhythm circuts with lots of tonal variety. Great 50's Fender quality...neck is killer and the guitar is very resonant.

Sounds very sweet...musical, bright, spanky (probably due to the ash) and thick. Not noisy, sounds great. You can play many different styles on a vintage JM, from punk to indie to country and r&b.

I use it mostly with BF Fender tube amps.

Very nice for a Jazzmaster, which can occasionally have some issues, most of which can be resolved by someone who knows these guitars well. No factory set up here, as it's 48 years old, but set up very well. Bridge height/adjustment/angle on these JM's is very important to how they play, so do some research online to find the optimal set up...especially if you're frustrated or having tuning issues. Some flaws which can be expected from a vintage piece, but they're irrelevant, IMO.

Very reliable, very durable...this guitar was not a closet find, it's definietly been played throughout its life and it's held up very well. Overall, a nice broken-in feel.

N/A

Been playing 15 years...i've owned other vintage JM's and this one is superb. As stated above, killer neck and very resonant body. Ash wood on Jazzmasters is the best...alder sounds great, too, but there's just something about an ash/blonde JM! Pickups are very musical and still have nice output...very distinguishable tone between the different pickup settings.

It is a fender japan Jazzmaster with 21 frets. The colour is a nice Candy apple red on both the body and the headstock with a sort of glass layer over it. The bridge was (when i got it) a origional jazzmaster bridge but as jazzmaster/jaguar players will know its not the best bridge for a guitar, so now i have a mustang bridge on it. It also came with the origional tremelo arm which are a bugger to find if it wasn't included.
Also there is the contols, it has a 3 way selecter 2 pairs of volume and tone knobs/slides and a rhythm-solo selecter.

it sounds great, the best sounding guitar i have played. It suits my music style aswell as i play grunge because it has the look and sound of a grunge guitar (sonic youth, nirvana, dinosaur JR)
Thinking about it it maybe the settings i have on my Line 6 spider II
that is making it sound good because ive never put it through another amp.
When i replicate the noises Kurt cobain uses in the songs like Endless Nameless or Radio friendly unit shifter i find it easy with the temelo system, i beat the hell out of it when im playing live and i come out with some amazing werid noises, the temelo system is my favorite feature on the guitar.

The down side of this guitar is that it isn't perfect in the Action and Fit department, i costantly have to get cheakups by experts on it and things need to be ajusted like every month which a guitar shouldnt have to do, the main problem is the bridge even when ive changed it it still drops and bends, it probebly dosnt help when i beat the tremelo system but thats how i play it so im gunna have to get used to it :)

is also isnt very reliable because when im playing live the strings jump out of the saddles also the strap buttons are loose, every time i tighten them the come loose again, it would be embarassing if the strat buttons fell off while i was playing live, at the moment i am using this guitar as a backup because my strat copyy is more reliable, but that will change soon when i get it sorted out.

1965 Jazzmaster. When I first bought this guitar, the original sunburst finish was gone, the pickguard was cracked, had humbuckers, roller knobs and pots were gone as well as the vol and tone knobs and pots. Had(and still has)a tuneomatic bridge. I ordered a new brown tortoiseshell pickguard, Knobs, pots and switches and Seymour Duncan quarter pound pickups. Still has the original Kluson tuners and vibrato assembly. Like most JM players, I don't use the roller knobs.

Killer sound!! unbelievable!! These quarter pound pickups have guts! Why don't more humbucker freaks try these pickups and leave the humbuckers in the guitars that they were meant to be in?!! You can still get the Fender snarl, but with increased mids and bottom end. I think the tuneomatic helps as well. In clean mode it has a darker sort of twang, sort of a cross between a Tele and a Strat. I hardly get any pickup buzz. Sounds best with 10-46 guage strings.

Nice vintage feel and vibe. The neck has that smooth, solid feel that you just don't get on new guitars. Minimal fret wear. Plays like butter. I love the offset body. Seems to hug me like a beautiful woman. My brother did a fabulous factory job with the white finish.

Everything is Fender rock solid and tight. You cant't really rely on the vibrato to do the heavy metal dive-bomb thing, but it still works for Ventures/surf/Stray Cats type stuff. I don't use this guitar as a workhorse. Just when I feel like it. I use my Squire Strat and Tele as workhorses, depending on what style I'm playing.

Could be better. Takes a long time to get new parts

The worst thing I could say about this guitar is that it is not quite as versatile as a Strat(you just can't sound like Mark Knopfler on this thing). It is your ultimate Surf guitar, good for country and it certainly rocks if you use better pickups. I submitted a review on 04/30/2004 about a Jazzmaster(1963) that I regretted selling in 1983 because of the weak stock pickups. This 1965 JM is my much sought after repacement. I have been playing for 28 years. This is what I use for other gear: Telecaster, modified Squire Strat, !976 Ibanez Les Paul copy(for slide) Precision Bass copy,1977 Yamaha acoustic, 1950's Kay archtop(my first guitar)and a recently purchased Linkon D10 pedal steel. For amps, I use a 1979 Peavey Mace, early 80's Ibanez GX100 and a Randall amp for my bass. For effects, I use a Digitek RP100 processor, Boss Super Overdrive, Ibanez tremelo, boss CM-3 compressor and a crybaby wah. Like I said, My Tele and Strat are my workhorses, but this JM does get playing time. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would be devastated. I'll never sell it.

My Jazzmaaster was bought for #570 this year (2006), made in Japan. If you're looking at this page you'll already know broadly the features of a Jazzmaster: The body shape, no. of frets etc.

Mine has a sunburst finish, rosewood fretboad and redd-ish / black pickguard. It looks fantastic - best looking guitar in my opinion (just ahead of a telecaster). Which is why I iniitally considerd getting this as my first "proper" guitar, having spent the previous ten years playing a '69 Hofner Colorama inherited from my Dad.

The floating tremelo system is quite wierd, but works fine. The tremelo however is quite slight - even if you have the wahmmy bar pushed right down to the body, the guitar is not all that detuned. Which is in contrast with a strat, say, where the tremelo arm is very sensitive and can be used for big dive-bombs etc. The Jazzmaster tremelo arm isn't really good for Van Halen histrionicx, but more for David Gimour (yes I know he played a Strat, that't no the point) / Hank Marvin type wobbles.

This is a bit if a shame because I used to enjoy butchering my guitar with tortuous whammy masturbation when practicing. But in reality this isn't much of a loss since in the process you'd inevitably end up with an out-of-tune guitar anyway.

Right, I'm not expert on guitar elactronics etc.. I don't a massive number ofguitars so I can only speak from my own experiences:

When I was looking to get myself a new guitar, I was looking for something that obviously played well etc, but also something that could replicate the chunky "sound" of my previous guitar.

In the guitar shop was impressed by the variety of sounds I seemed to be able to get. I could easily go from a "fat" chunky sound, to a round bluesy kind of tone, to a trebly edgy sound. Compared to other guitars I've played (colorama, stratocaster, telecaster), you seem to be able to get a lot of variety.

I've had no problem findind a really nice sound for myself. If anything I'm spoilt for choice and find myself constantly experimenting.

The guitar seemed set up fine when I got it. No flaws.

Now here's the controversial bit:

THE LEGENDARY JAZZMASTER BRIDGE.

I had no idea about the Jazzmaster bridge issues whn I got the guitar.

Over the week following getting the thing I fiddled with the actin a bit to get the optimim set up for me. Then had a band practice and found myselkf thinking "hmmmm, something sounds a bit odd here". At the end of the tune I look down and discover that my high E, B strings have mysteriously lowed themselves several millimeters and are now in contact with the fretboard. I got out my allen key and readjusted, shrugged my shoulders and off we go again. Only for the same thing to happen after further moderate guitar-battering.

I then looked on the web and discoverd that my bridge problems are far from unique. I've even had the whole bridge lower in height. This is apain in the a*se but there is a solution.

THE SOLUTION:

I spoke to my local guitar tech and he suggested using beeswax to grease up the saddle screw threads. I borrowed some from my housemate who uses the stuff to grease her dreadlocks (trivia fans). De-strung my guitar, took the bridge apart, smeared big dollops of beeswax all over the saddle scre threads, but bridge back together again, wiped off excess beeswax with, restrung the guitar. Problem solved.

Since then, a few weeks ago, I've not had the string actions budge at all. Yet the screws are still loose enough to be adjusted should I want to.

Another problem I've noticed some people having is the low E-string jumping off the saddle. Take advantage of the saddle design by adjusting it's angle, so that the low e-string saddle is angled upwards, towards your head while your playing slightly. This absorbs the downward force on the low e-string that might make it jump out. Since I've done this that problem is solved as well.

You should also experiment with youor string weights. Previously I'd always played with ligh-guage strings. I restrung my jazzmaster with regular gauge strings, and found it was still exceptionally easy to play. Now moved up to heavy strings and still easy to play, and the extra tension makes string-jumps and fret-buzz really unlikely. The thing now plays like a dream. Keeps in tune beautifully.... Nice.

So there are definately issues with the reliability of the bridge, but I've found that these are quite easily solved. I've got a mustang bridge taht I intended to try out but since using the beeswax, I've had no need to try it out on this guitar.

Bever had to speak to them.

Been playing for about ten years, mainly rock stuff (anything from Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Radiohead, Pixies).

The only downside to this guitar is the bridge, but like I say, if you have a little patience, it's not a difficult problem to solve.

I compared this guitar to a Strat and a Telecaster. The strat I didn't like because the sound felt too thin (almost puny to me - Hendrix would probably disagree but what did he know? Amateur). The telecaster was chunkier but just not as flexible as the Jazzmaster.

1965 Jazzmaster ; the real mccoy . Burst finish , original case accompanied . All parts present and original except possibly bridge cover .

It did not suit my style ; I bought it in 1984 and sold it in 2001 .
Used with many amps . Was noisy depending on single / double coil selection and standing angle. Sounded nice on a good day with the right amp .

Seemed OK all around ; just a typical production model of the period .

Could not withstand much of anything . The strings routinely leave their setting grooves with just a bit too much touch . Typical wimpy switches .

No experience

Playing 35 years ; now stuck in a Gibson electric Guild acoustic rut .
I wish I'd bought more guitars just like this one as it was all original , cost $300 , sold on eBay for $1600 in 2001 . I would never buy another now at today's prices .

'62 re-issue manufactured around 1992. Made in Japan - where else?
21 frets, vintage, rosewood neck cambered fretboard small and tight. I have huge hands, but can pay jazz chords easily on this wonderful guitar.
Typical Jazzmaster setup - I prefer to switching set to the Jazz neck pup.
Original Japanese pups - great sounds with am set to about 2 on the bass dial and a little reverb on.

With the pickups selector set to the neck 'Jazz' switching - the sound is the best ever. To appreciate this guitar you have to be a player. You must be in love with the concept of taking chordwork and soloing to an altogether higher level.
Never use any effect as I like the gain circuit set to 7 and treble controls set to high.
Not too many sounds with this guitar. The setting using the two pickups together are for surf music and shrill type solos.
There nothing I dislike about this guitar. It could be improve, but there again, so could I.

Not factory setup. I set it up properly using steel rule etc,. The guitar has a quick smooth action and the pickups are set high.
Quality of build is outstanding. All contributors who own a Japanese Jazzmaster know exactly what I mean. The finish on this guitar is as good, or if not better than Fender USA.

This guitar is another Fender workhorse. It will play whatever you wish. It is very well constructed.

Never contacted Fender.

I have been playing 30 years. I prefer this guitar to any of my other ones. That incudes: Gibson 335 and Fender Strat.

1966 Jazzmaster, sunburst, mostly original. I had to change the two way switch, because it was broken. And I'm missing the volume knob (white witch hat, chrome topped). If anyone has one I'm interested.

wkuhns1@aol.com

I played with an old blues legend in Chicago (Eddie C. Campbell), who has an old 50's model that he loves - and so do I. I moved to the west coast and had to try to replicate that tone. I got pretty close with my '66.

I use it sparingly at gigs unless I can commit to keeping a close watch on it. Too expensive and too many thieves out there. I run it through Mesa Boogie or old Fender tube equipment and it always gets compliments.

Fortunately, I have a local shop in Laguna Beach that did a great set-up after it arrived. Everything checked out, everything works.

It's reliable, but I'm scared to take it solo to a gig. I guess I'm always safe ...

I tried to find my volume knob through Fender - what a joke.

It rocks. It's hard to bend strings on this one, because of the bridge set-up. Anyone have suggestions?

I have a 2004 MIA '62 reissue made in Fender's custom shop in Corona, CA. The thing ships with a hardshell case, which is good 'cause the Jazzmaster's offset body makes it a little hard to fit into some of the off-the-shelf cases.

The stock soapbar pickups are a little mellow for my tastes. I'm doing the unthinkable and having some Seymour Duncan humbuckers put it in. For non-noise cancelling pickups, the hum is hardly noticeable ... quite a relief compared to my Telecasters. Even with the mellow tone of the stock pickups, it's got a sound that's unique and cool.

This guitar's fit and finish, however, make this thing come alive every time you hit a string. This guitar just has a body and neck that work so well together that it's incredible. It's such a comfortable guitar to play, I've grown quite attached to it. I bought it after putting my had around the neck of a Jaguar ... from that time on, this guitar style haunted me until I bought one.

I've used it live and love it. With a guitar this good-looking, you just gotta be seen with it! It feels a little more delicate than my Telecasters, but that shouldn't suggest that it feels flimsy. Hadn't had a problem with it so far.

As car as backups .... I don't play any gigs without a backup guitar.

Never had to take advantage of service on my Telecasters, Mustang bass, or Squier Jagmaster. I don't feel as though I'll ever have to take advantage of it.

I just love this guitar. The ocean turquoise finish is just plain eye-catching. This thing feels like it was made to fit .. whether you're playing it sitting or standing. The neck is one of the most comfortable necks I've ever played on.

I purchased this mid-90's MIJ Fender Jazzmaster a short time ago. As far as I can tell all parts are stock (haven't opened up the pickguard to see what's inside, though). From what I've researched, the body is alder and the fingerboard is rosewood. It's painted in a very nice looking CAR w/ matching headstock and a "spaghetti" Fender logo. As of now there's nothing hugely special about it that would really seperate it from other Japanese Jazzmasters. However, I really dig the features that are present. The rhythm circuit is fun to play around with, although I haven't found any serious use for it yet. Currently I just use it as a fourth pickup configuration, so that the three toggle selections are Bridge, Both, Neck (all w/ vol:10 and tone:0) and the rhythm circuit is neck with full volume and tone at 0. The trem-loc system seems like it could be useful after a bit of research and proper set-up, but I haven't snapped any strings yet to get to try it out. Again, there's nothing really stand-out about this jazzmaster that would make it superior to other jazzmasters, but I really like many of the stock features and think it's a very well-featured guitar out of the box. I can't think of anything else I'd really want it to have (well, other than a better bridge), so I'm going to give it a 10.

I've used it with a small number of amps so far, first on an old Silverface Fender Vibrolux Reverb (in-store). On the tremelo channel the guitar sounded like a dream. There was some amount of twang on the bridge p/u, but it was warm and sounded very lush. The bridge pick-up sustained very well, and had very piercing mids and defined lows. I didn't play as much with the both p/u selector, as on that amp it wasn't nearly as interesting of a sound as the bridge or neck individually to me. After taking the guitar home, I found that it sounds very nice on (believe it or not) a novelty Fender Mini Tone-Master amp that I purchased a while ago for kicks. The bridge p/u sounds very thin without the aid of some reverb (as played through some cheap no-name practice amp), while the bridge is still very satisfyingly warm and sustain-y. Unfortunately, I have no high-quality tube amps or large solid-state amps at home, so I can't do much more testing as to the sound. It sounded great through that old vibrolux, though. The signal responds fairly well to pedals, though I haven't put it through a big workout on the wah-wah or stereo poly-chorus yet. It responds very well to some distortion. I'm going to give it a 9 on sound due to the bridge pick-up being a bit thin on lower quality amps. For most people with the money to shell out to buy and properly modify a jazzmaster, getting a good amp should be no problem.

I can't comment on the factory set-up, as I bought it used. However, the set-up from the store was excellent. I've had to make two minor changes to the set-up so far; one of the height adjustment screws on the bridge slipped, and the tremelo bar holding mechanism got a loose bolt shortly after I got the guitar. Both were very simple, 5 minute fixes. The action is very smooth and low (especially considering the 7.25" radius). Frets are dressed well, the truss rod is well adjusted, the pick-ups are raised properly, All the tuners function well, and the trem-loc was not too far off from where it should be to work properly. I don't know who did the set-up on this guitar (perhaps it was the shop owner or a tech there), but I would love to congratulate them. It's well done.

As for the fit, the jazzmaster body is probably the most comfortable guitar that I've played. It's a bit heavy (7-8lbs), but the offset waist contoured body feels great. Whether in a sitting position or standing, it forms to my body and feels very natural to play. None of the switches seem prone to me accidentally toggling them while strumming vigorously, but also all of the important switches, knobs, and toggles are easy to access without looking.

The guitar does have a few flaws, all easily explained by the fact that it isn't a new guitar. There are some minor dings along the body, most notably one in the crook of the upper waist, which is about a 1cm ding with wood visible. Beyond that, there are two other small dings on the back and a few creases on the neck, headstock, and lower horn. It's a decade old guitar, though, so I would consider that normal wear. The finish is starting to develop lengthwise ripples near the bridge, most likely due to moisture or some humidity the guitar was stored in. For the most part it seems like it was gently played and stored well, though.

I haven't gigged with this guitar (nor do I intend to in the nearby future). The hardware all seems like it's sturdy enough, however I would probably like to replace the bridge and perhaps look at switching the p/us (especially the bridge p/u) to something with hotter output, such as the Seymour Duncan JM p/us. The tuners have done a good job of staying in tune so far, all the other hardware doesn't seem very prone to breakage. After some bridge modification I'd probably consider it gig-worthy, with a back-up. The finish seems thick enough that I'm not worried about it wearing off, though the ripples developing near the bridge probably indicate that it might crack under bad atmosphere conditions.

I've had no problems with the strap buttons, they seem solid enough with my simple leather strap. I'd probably at least consider strap-locks before gigging it, just in case.

Because of the bridge being a bit undependable, it will lose points in this category. However, from my research it's a very fixable solution (mustang bridge or saddles, Tune-O-Matic bridge with filed-to-radius saddles) that won't set you back too much money to do if you shop around a bit.

I haven't dealt with Fender about this guitar, and probably won't any time soon. The customer service at Guitar Crazy was amazing, though, and I would definately shop there again.

I've been playing for nearly 4 years now, and this is my third guitar. I started out with a student guitar -- a Peavey Raptor Plus. It's pretty close to a strat clone. My other guitar is an acoustic, and doesn't get pulled out much. My Jazzmaster is without a doubt the highest quality instrument I own. The neck feels great to play on, the finish looks very classy, the body is shaped excellently. If I happened to lose my instrument, I'd either hunt another down or find another offset waist guitar, such as a mustang or a jaguar. However, if I had one of those, I probably would not enjoy it as much as my jazzmaster. The warm pickups and full scale length (25.5") made the guitar initially much more appealing to me than the 24" scale mustangs and jaguars (even though all of that chrome on the jag looks very awesome).

I really love the jazzmaster's sound (even though due to the MIJ pickup winding it has a mix of strat sounds and jazzmaster sounds... you should be able to find the website detailing that easily enough). It's different from the more common Fender instruments, and in a good way. Also, the offset waist contoured body is an absolute treat. When the Jazzmaster was first released, they had the body shape spot on for comfort, and the Japanese remake is no different. The matching headstock is a great bonus to me as well, I much prefer the looks of them. With the competant set-up my guitar recieved, it plays very smoothly and I don't have to fight with the instrument to coax notes out of the higher registers, like I did with my previous guitar.

As for what I dislike, the biggest thing that I don't like is the bridge. That's a simply fixed problem, and I don't feel like going into detail on the subject again. Beyond that, most of the things that others might consider as problems, I consider as quirks that greatly add to the character of the instrument, such as the tremelo (which despite being very simple compared to, say, a strat trem, is often very misunderstood). Also, the bridge pickup is at times undesirable, with its sometimes thin and too trebley sound.

I don't think I could pick out a distinct favorite feature, but perhaps a top 3.

1. Great feeling body and neck
2. Warm, distinct sound
3. Unique, distinct, subtle tremelo system

The Jazzmaster I have is made in Japan. I bought it new about 12 years ago. Paid about $550 for it. Maple neck, rosewood fret board. Photo flash finish. I couldn't stand the bridge and the E string kept coming off ,so of course, I fixed it. I took it to my local guitar geru and had him put Schaller stop bar bridge, which meant redrilling the holes and filling the old one and I had him put EMG Humbuckers under the soap bars, they will just fit. This worked wonderful. I eventually took the Humbuckers out and replaced them with EMG strat pickups. This works equally well. The tremlo obviously went south with the new bridge, but what a nice playing guitar. The neck is sooooo nice and no hum or noise and the bridge is solid and it retains the look of the jazzmaster. I eventually by passed the upper vol and tone controls so it is now one vol, one tone, and a 3 way switch. I get a lot of questions about the sound. Players just shake their heads.....

I have been playing for about 45 years, so I've owned way too many guitars. I keep about a dozen. This Jazzmaster is one I've kept. I've gig with it quite a bit. It is always a nice instrument to revisit and always feels good to play. I play a little bit of everything. This guitar is so comfortable to play and it just fits.

This guitar has the best neck and it came from the factory well set up. Maybe that 22nd fret would be nice ocassionally, but that's asking a bit much.

I take very good care of my instruments.

N/A

I have a couple of the new Epi elite guitars which if you can live without the Gibson headstock are as good as the real thing, Replace the PU with Stock 57's and WaLa. I have a strat, 3 tele's,a Gibson 333, Epi LP Custom and Epi LP Std, 2 Peavy EXP series (good guitars, replaced the PU's. and 2 Fender showmasters and an Ibanez Art Star. That's about it.

My Jazzmaster was made in 1972-21 frets, yellow with a tortoiseshell pickguard and a bound neck (YEAH!!) Standard config otherwise.

Jazzmasters are so underrated-More versatile than given credit for-It's great for the experimentalist due to its unusual layout and tremolo-The bypass and the neck pu give a very warm sound, the bridge pu is very trebly. I've had great luck with this guitar when doing a solo electric gig, as it's great for rhythm and open-tunings really breathe. If you're a slide player, give this a shot! On the other hand, I can see why these instruments are not for everyone. It IS noisy even by single-coil standards, and there are not a lot of "in-between" sounds. The volume decreases dramatically when rolled off, and the tone control isn't terribly interactive. The pickups are somewhat microphonic (maybe due to age, or design). But, it does what it does really, really well, and some things that one wouldn't think it would do well.

I got this used at a time when I needed to sit down to play due to an injury-This was the idea behind the JM's design. Very comfortable to play and well-made. Contrary to popular belief, the tremolo stays in tune very well. I LOVE the bound neck on this guitar and the large headstock works well on the model (and only on this or a Jag). It is somewhat high-maintenance, and I have had issues with the pickup selector, grounding and pickups needing to be reinforced to prevent falling into the guitar. Also, the high E string tends to fall out of the nut no matter how it is adjusted, and due to the bridge's design, strings can move about. But, it's old and has been ridden hard...

My JM has been pounded, and it shows!! It fell face-down on a street once and left only a ding or too, one busted string and was IN TUNE!! Other than the above-mentioned electrical issues this guitar is indestructible. I would not use it without a backup as it is a somewhat temperamental instrument that HATES interference.

I've been playing nearly 30 years--a variety of styles, situations and instruments. The Jazzmaster I have has been through a lot, and it has a special place among my instruments. There are some things it does really well, and some areas where it falls short. But it has "the vibe." and is a great guitar for the player who wants something a little different or explores sounds and styles that are outside the norm.

i bought a 1962 blue laminated top jazzmaster. the neck is quite nice for alternative. not for hendrix bends. ya. 3 way selector and rythym or lead toggle. Passive electronics i think. I believe it was maple. floating tailpiece. (shit.) strange vintage tuners. like the real 1962 ones.

mostly i play rock or incbusy type songs. a lot of distortion. i use my marshall half stack with it and sometimes a boss-ds1. it does have a buzz when u put it in the rythym treble position and most others exceot if you place the toggle in the middle. this sucks if u use distortion but it can be fixed for a hundred bucks and it takes a week. not on my agenda. the sound really varies unfortunately its not good. it can be good, but when there is distortion on it it sounds like a dying squaling elephant whos nuts just got kut off. a ripple sort of sound. if u have any idea of what i mean.

the action was fine and mostly everything was fine except for the sound problems and the bridge. the bridge sucks monkeys nuts. it rattles non stop which makes u insane. and the strings come out of place every couple of minutes which makes it out of tune. the tuning pegs were ok but it would barely tune right. you have to tune it every ten minutes. it was glazy which i did like.

im sure it will last long but dont use it live. it sucks everywhere. if u wanna be different and use one ur stupid. because you could play the same price for a strat which is nicer more reliable and better sound 2 if u get it with a humbucker. go with the american strats though. trust me.

i dont even know man i had it for 2 weeks. returned it. got an american highway 1 strat. thats how you roll man.

overall. ... . .get a strat. its pointless unless you have oodles of time and money to spend on a ridiculous guitar collection and repairing, and improving. most rock stars do this. dont follow their foot steps unless u are 1

1960 or 1961 fender vintage jazzmaster made in usa. 21 frets.
ash body. see thru blonde finish. gold kluson tuners.
have the orig. case, hang tags

SOUNDS REAL GOOD

got it 40 + yrs since it was built

has for 40 yrs

never used

playing for 13 years. have several other guitars. a 1990 prs custom 24. a 1999 prs mccarty soap bar. a 1990's fender us strat plus. takamine 12 string acoustic. vox xc 30 amp with a 4x12 fender tonemaster cabinet. i really like the jazzmaster. i want to know if anyone knows what this guitar is worth? is it a rare model? i have only seen 1 like it and it was a 59 model jazzmaster. the serial # is 48530 and the neck date is 1-61. thanks for any help. e mail me at sga03705@allstate.com or loungeflys@aol.com.

1964 Fender Jazzmaster....made in the US of A. Usual number of frets and features...rosewood fingerboard with clay dots - no binding. Neck is stamped 4APR64B.

The guitar is all original apart from a refinish, a new trem arm and the changed pickguard (the old one was split so I had it taken off)

Style wise, this is a perfect guitar for me. I also have a 1967 Jazzmaster (currently being refinished into Black). I play mostly alternative stuff, but jam along to anyhting usualy.

I'm using this with a Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp.

My current effects setup is: Zvex Machine > MJM China Fuzz > NVN Bronto Jr. > Zvex SHO > Boss DM3 > Boss RV2.

I also plug in a Boss TU12H tuner to the dry output of the DM3

all of the above pedals and the tuner are powered by an ADL Juicebox.

The guitar has the usual single coil buzz on the neck only, and bridge only pup positions...the buzz goes away in the middle position like in all Jazzmasters (hum cancelling position)

The bridge pup is weaker than the neck one...the neck pup is full and bassy, and with both pups on the sound is amazingly shimmery and warm....the pups on my 64 compared to my 67's are considerably hotter...they got a lot more balls to them.

The guitar loves effects, especialy my MJM China Fuzz.

To my ears it sounds like what a good Jazzmaster should sound like, so I give a ten on this one.

Well, I have no idea how the factory setup was, since I got it secondhand. The action was ok...but the guitar had been stripped of it's initial sunburst colour, and had the usual 70s style "natural look"

*sigh*

What was worse, was that someone had carved a few names on the top, and also the guitar looked like it had been left by a window having the sun hitting it for years - the tortoise shell pickguard had faded considerably, and the knobs, pup covers etc had yellowed a lot. The pickguard had also warped (common thing) and also shrunk - not to mention the split it had - so I decided to put a mint green repro on it.

Thankfuly, everything else on the guitar was original, so I decided to get it refinished into one of my favourite colours - Firemist Gold...admitedly, this colour shouldn't be on a 1964 guitar (isn't period correct - it's a CBS era colour), but I liked the colour, so I had it done anyway.

For this job I contacted a luthier in Tunbridge Wells, just outside London. You can see the guitar being restored step-by-step on his website www.ron2e.com

Just click on "1964 Jazzmaster" on the left hand menu.

You will see what an amazing job was done to it (he's also currently refinishing my 1967 Jazzmaster). When it was returned to me, the guitar not only looked amazing, but played better than any Jazzmaster I've ever played! :)

so a 5 for the state I got it in, and a resounding 10 for the restored product!

The guitar will definetely withstand live playing, and everything else thrown at it...it is 40 years old already and going strong...I can't see why it wouldn't make it to 100!

I get no buzz from the bridge or anything...all is well with 10s on.

I'd always have a backup for gigs, but I don't think I'd use it.

Pre-CBS...never dealt with them....but I thank them for making it!

I have now been playing for 12-13 years or so...I also own a 1967 Jazzmaster an Epiphone J200 and a bunch of pedals.

If it was stolen, I'd cry just like I did when my 1967 one was stolen (but then recovered!). There's nothing I hate about it...it sounds great, playes well, is comfortable, and also looks great!

I don't really like comparing different guitars...it's like comparing apples an oranges.

I will one day get a nice Tele, and SG, and probably a Les Paul with P90s....but the Jazzmasters will always be my #1 favourite guitars....I've played them for such a long time.

1964 Jazzmaster
Sun Burst finish with original hard shell case

Its a little tight for me - I'm a part-time player

I bought this guitar 20 years ago. It belonged to a woman who took lessons as a teen-ager. Her dad bought her the guitar new. She took a few lessons and quit. It has zero fret or neck wear. I grew up playing Gibsons, so the neck stretches my hand beyond my comfort level, so I play it very little. I also got a Deluxe Reverb amp with the guitar. It has the best surf sound I've ever heard. I play some jazz too and that also sounds great.
This guitar is 100% factory issue. It holds a tuning better than any other guitar I've ever owned - '54 Les Paul Special '71 Les Paul
'76 Les Paul Epiphones, Harmonys, Silvertones, Melody Makers.
The only feature I don't like is the chromed cover on the bridge. It rattles, so I remove it. I'm not a performer so this instrument sits in its case. I've always thought it should belong to a professional who can use it to its potential.

My 63 Jazzmaster has been in my arsenal since 1988 and was one of my main stage axes until I retired it recently. It has an alder sunburst body that was refinned in black laquer decades ago. The neck is Maple/rosewood with no binding and clay dots. It was modded when I got it with Schaller tuners, a Gibson tunomatic bridge with some roller saddles and the trem lock locked. I never had a vibrato arm on it. Electronics are stock except for the bridge pickup. It was real weak so I put in a Duncan Jazzmaster 1/4 pounder single coil in. It is an exact fit replacement. It came with a brown Fender case that is original and still in good shape. It has been refretted twice since 88. The preset controls for the pickups are a sweet feature that bumps up my rating here.

This guitar has a lot of sentimental value to me as it has been a studio and gigging mainstay for many years. I recently retired my 68 Tele,57 and 62 reissue Strats and this jazzmaster, replacing them onstage with new Mexican guitars (60's strat, 72 strat, and Tele Custom reissue) This guitar excells at loud slightly distorted rhythms and also sounds wonderful driving effects. It gets used often for chimy sounds and I record 50% of all my rhythms with it. I love the action and shape of the neck, and tuning is rock solid with the tunomatic and schallers. The thing was noisy as hell till I used copper foil to shield it. I love the offset shape as it is very comfortable. The tortoise guard is super pretty, unlie many modern ones. It has a great 60's vibe and gets compliments a lot. I run all my axes into a Crybaby, Rat distortion, and a tube echoplex into 2 blackface Fender Bandmasters and 2 Ampeg 412 cabs loaded with Electro-Voice SRO 12 speakers.

Well-it is a loved but beat refinned refretted non-original utility axe, but it is tough as nails and the one bad pickup is the only problem ever. It has been refretted twice with Dunlop 6100 wire. The hardware is oxidized and it's pickworn, but it looks great and has a nice vibe. Everyone that plays it likes it, even guys that don't really dig Fenders. Non-original stuff :Schaller tuners and straplocs, Duncan pickup and Tuneomatic bridge. Also during the last refret I had a new bone nut installed. It is well played and has held up like a champ. Also, the black paint is OVER the original sunburst-Dunno if this is original or oversprayed.

Tough as a ballpeen hammer! I never have used it without backup but it never breaks strings and tuning is rock solid as the vibrato is locked off. I would not be afraid to use it as my only axe,but I choose not to. For a 41 year old axe it has held up great, considering it's been gigged with hundreds of times

this is a pre-CBS fender. Support from Fender is a non-issue with this one

I ve been playing heavy alternative rock since the days when that ment HuskerDu, Replacements, Buzzcocks, etc. This little Jazzmaster has been with me longer than any other except my first electric (a Gibson LP Jr. I still have) and if something happened to it I would be dvastated-I retired it for just that reason. It compares favorably with my strats, teles, and other axes. It's just a big part of my sound and an inspirational tool for making music. No money could replace it and really, I've played a lot of Jazzmasters and this one is unique. I couldn't replace it at all!

Nothing special, typical Fender Jazzmaster. Mine was Made in Japan, I believe it was made in the early to mid 80s. 21 frets, 2 single coil pick-ups, Maple neck, Rosewood finger board. It's got the dual circuit that all Jazzmasters have, pretty cool how you can change the volume and tone at the fkip of a switch, but other then that not much in the way of features.

Here's my current set-up: Jazzmaster > Boss FZ-2 Fuzz > Cry Baby Wah > Big Muff Pi > Boss CH-1 > MXR Phase 100 > Boss NS-2 > Peavey Amp. My only gripe about the sound is that the single coil pick-ups do hum a fair bit, BUT it's nothing my NS-2 can't handle. I play Alt. Rock, and this guitar suits my style perfectly. I use a fair number of effects and I like experimetning with them and I sometimes try to get the weirdest sounds I can. Aside from the hum, I have no complaints at all.

The action on this guitar is great. I bought it used, and the previous owner had it set-up very well, I've only had to make one or two VERY minor adjustments to get it the way I want it. There were a few chips in the finish, and the pick-ups do hum a bit, but other then that, it's held up very well for a 20 year old guitar. No noise from the pick-up selectors or any other controls. I also like the off-set design, it makes this a very comfortable guitar to play.

I've gigged with this guitar a few times without any trouble. Very solid. The only thing is that the finish has a few chips, but other then that, it's in good shape, and I expect it will stay that way. I always bring a back-up guitar in case, but I don't expect I'll need it. I definately feel I can depend on it.

The guitar didn't come with a case when I bought it, so I went to the local Fender dealer to order one. The guys at the store were pretty good about it, phoned them right there while I was there to get one ordered for me. My gripe was that the guy in charge of cases was on vacation so it took an extra two weeks for them to get it here, but I got the exact case I wanted, and even with the two week delay, it only took about 3 and a half weeks total. Other then that I've never dealt with Fender

I've been playing for about 5 years now, bought this about 2 years ago. This is essentially my dream guitar, I was shocked to see it one day in a store and after trying it out I bought it almost immediately. It fits my style and sound perfectly, and it's so comfortable to play with it's off-set design. Two thumbs up!

This Jazzmaster had the usual stock features: Soapbar pickups, tremlock vibrato,Kluson tuners, rosewood fretboard, and original beige case.

To be honest, I don,t really know how good this guitar sounded through the right amp. I bought this guitar in 1983, and at the time, I was playing through a Fender super twin. These amps don't sound very good unless you play them LOUD, and I'm not a loud player. This is why it"s essential to match the guitar with the right amp. During that time, I was into heavy Rock, and because of the weak pickups, and the fact that I used the master volume for overdrive, I didn't get the sound that I should have. I traded this guitar for a Gretsch tennessean that some donkey put humbuckers into; BIG mistake!! I give this guitar a 9 for what this guitar MAY have sounded like through a better amp.

The finish was rather boring; the previous owner had taken off the original finish and laquered over the natural wood. If I still had this guitar, I would refinish it an olympic white. I didn't experience the the usual loose-bridge problems, as I didn't have this guitar for very long. There are many JM owners who complain about the lack of sustain. The problem is because of those threaded steel saddles! They are C-R-A-P!! Why do telecasters and Les Pauls have lots of sustain? because they have brass saddles, thats why. I don't know if brass saddles are available for jazzmasters, but they are fairly simple to make. Any competent repairman or machinist should be able to make them, And it should't cost much either. I have never tried this with a jazzmaster, but I would be willing to bet that it would improve the sound 100%. As for the action, it was as good as a Fender can get; nice vintage feel and smooth action.

What can you expect from any Fender solidbody? So solid you could bash your way through a door with it (not that I would). Aside from the cheesy bridge, I think they are very solid and reliable.

Never dealt with them.

I miss this guitar very much, and I,m still kicking myself for gettin rid of it. When I can afford it, I would like to get another one, even if it's a Japanese reissue in need of upgrading. I have been playin for 26 years, and right now, I own two telecasters, a Squire strat, A fender copy bass, a 1976 Ibanez Les Paul copy, a '77 Yamaha acoustic, and a 1950's Kay archtop (my first guitar). The only thing missing is a Jazzmaster. I would like to include a list of classic Jazmaster recordings:


Walk Don't Run-The Ventures
Honky Tonk-The Ventures
Perfidia- The Ventures
Little Sister- Elvis Presley (w/Hank Garland)
Mean Woman Blues-Roy Orbison(w/wayne moss)
money-Waylon Jennings(w/Wayne Moss)
Money-Waylon Jennings(w/ Wayne Moss)
Almost anything by Jerry Cole and His Spacemen

This is a follow-up to my review of my 1967 CAR Fender Jazzmaster which was stolen from my flat.

Thanks to this review forum, my guitar was identified by a reader and I managed to get it back!

many thanks to Mark for all his effort and time and also Harmony Central for forwarding his information to me.

without their help recovering the guitar would have been impossible.

1962 Jazzmaster; sunburst; alder body; maple neck w/rosewood fret board; two "soap bar" pick-ups; vibrato tail with Trem-lock; advertised on E-Bay as a 1963, but neck date stamped May 1962 and neck plate serial no. is five digits (no "L" prefix); three-way toggle switch for pick-up selection on lower horn, rhythm circuit with switch and thumb-wheel controls (volume, tone) on upper horn; came with Fender black tolex hard case, probably a later edition

Perfect for my '60s "oldies" - surf, doo-wop, folk rock, prom-type ballads; very bright with good "bite" for surfing lead riffs; played through vintage Fender amps: Super Reverb, Pro Reverb, Vibrolux Reverb, Bandmaster, Tremolux, Bassman, Dual Showman Reverb, Twin Reverb, Quad Reverb; matches well with these amps, except my '70s Twin Reverb (comes out very shrill, probably the amp, not the guitar); slight preference for the JM over my '63 Jaguar (25.5" vs. 24.0" scale); use light-gauge 10s; string buzz does not impact the amplified sound, partially solved by removing bridge cover; will also have the nut checked as a possible cause, or change to a different gauge

no mods apparent; neck pick-up was weak - sent out to be re-wound and guitar set-up; back of body is NOT sunburst, but a very dark green (almost black) - if a re-fin, must have been a "pro" job as it is indistinguishable from original; very clean with minor dings and scratches - no belt buckle rash, cracking, or checking

very reliable with a lot of life left; finish appears durable; cosmtically, I always wipe down my instruments after each use; no loose connections with input jack, pots, switches, pick-ups

Fender authorized dealer and service centers available; guitar is long out of warranty, but work performed was more than satisfactory; no problems since pick-up re-wound and set-up done

playing almost 39 years; playing with this JM for three years; had a re-issue MIJ Jazzmaster previously, which was quite good, but this is better (it may be in only my mind); other guitars - 1963 Jaguar, 1967 Mustang, 1972 Telecaster Thinline, 1970's Mosrite Avenger, 1994 standard Strat w/vintage pick-ops, Silvertone Hornet (Jag-style body); Fender amps listed above, plus Silvertone 1484 (Twin Twelve piggy-back), solid state Fender Twin Reverb

My jazzmaster was made Japan in 2001 equiped with two P-90 pups. Ireplaced the bridge pup wayh a SD JB. Beceause it fits my playing style better. Like all jazzmasters. A vintage tremelo system, classic tuners.I really like the switching options on this guitar.

I play jazz, rock, pop and a little funk. With the JB in the bridge, it works perfectly for me.
Another fun part of this guitar, is the noises you can make.

The factory setup could be better. And the bridge is really crappy.
But the feel on this guitar is very good. (I tested it in a store, and just fell in love, I was lucky to trade it in with a Ibanez RG620)

I just have no backup guitar, 'till yesterday (i bought a Schecter hollywood classic special millenium edition!!! A unique piece)
And gigged and rehearsed with it for over a year, and it never lets me down. I switched strap buttons for strap locks. But i always do that.
And it stays in tone very well

Never needed customer support so i can't tell.

I play for about eight years now, and this was my first decent guitar i have. I was getting sick of the floyd rose bridge on the Ibanez. Breaking a string during performance is a disaster with it, switching string is a pain in the ass, and if you want to try other tunings, you have to adjust the bridge every time again.
If my jazzmaster was stolen, i would try to find another one.

made in 1965. sunburst. clay dot inlays. this was actually built after the CBS aquisition, but it was early on and was still built to pre-cbs specs. no binding on fretboard. features seem pretty well described by others, but i love the versatility of the pick-up configurations. full range of tonal possibilities. the longer neck/scale gives it a great low end--almost baritone sounding (not really but kind of). the tremolo is great and works perfectly in locked mode.

this is now my main choice. i've always loved les pauls, went through a strat phase. then it was on to an affair with tele's. once i tried this one out i knew it be be my main guitar forever. the sheer variety of tones is amazing. a little bit noisy with just one pickup, but not a big deal. i can use it for anything--rock,surf,country--i guess not death metal, but we've all got our BC Rich Warlach's and Jackson Flying V's for that, right?. through any amp it's great--but through my hiwatt it is a religious experience.

the neck is perfectly broke in, like an old baseball glove. i had it refretted, and they did a nice job. the guy who did it is a JM freak. he set it up perfectly, shimmed up the neck a bit so the action is perfect (this might be a solution for anyone with action problems). my pickguard is cracke in several places, looks like it's falling apart but hasn't yet. someone (maybe Jimi) took a lighter to the pickgaurd as well, so there are some melts and burn marks. the finish is beat up--but that's what make's it cool. adds character.

bought it in 2000. it's been set up once. and i live in MN where the summers are humid and hot, and the winters are freezing and dry. never had a problem with it yet. this thing has seen some wear in the 40 years it's been on the planet--but it functions today probably as it did back then.

i spent $1700 on a '65 Fender that has better tone, more options than a strat, and is a fraction of the price. i'm glad Jazzmasters are a fringe guitar. let all the others get caught up with strats and teles and LP's. we can still get our vintage Jazzmasters (and Jaguars for that matter) at reasonable prices.

1967 CAR Fender Jazzmaster with matching headstock (and transition logo - neck stamp 13OCT66B).

Non-original body finish, pickguard, bridge, pickup cover, tone pot and trem arm.

Mine got stolen sadly from my flat 2 months ago (Highgate area, London), so the review is going to be in past tense.

This is the ideal guitar for me, so I'll give it a 10.

The guitar suited my style of playing very well. I like playing mostly alternative/indie music, but I also like jamming along to anything I hear or takes my fancy.

The amp I used it with was a 70s silverface Fender Musicmaster Bass amp (12 watt, 1x12, tube).

The pedal setup I used (which also got stolen alongside the guitar) was Colorsound Wah > Zvex Super Duper > Zvex Fuzz Factory > Holowon Tremolo > Boss DM > Boss RV2 + a monkey FX looper

and no, I had no insurance.

*bangs head on desk*

anyways, the sound of the guitar clean was heavenly. My favourite position on the Jazzmaster has to be with both pickups on. That's the one I used more often.

The neck pickup on it's own was full and round, but the bridge pickup would never sound good to my ears for some reason...it was a bit too weak...lacked body...and all in all sounded quite uninspiring, so I hardly ever used it.

By the way, with both pickups on, the buzz is eliminated as well, so that was another reason to keep the pickup switch in the middle position.

The guitar also handled effects very well, especialy my Zvex stuff.

When I got the guitar (about 1 1/2 years ago) it was very well setup (a surprise for a Jazzmaster!!).

sadly, it was set up for 9s.

Big mistake....I changed the strings to 10s, and was going to go onto 11s as well. That eliminates buzzing, which loads of people always complain about. The bridge never gave me any problems (I used to have a Jaguar too - no problems with that either - just use heavy strings), and the tremolo was a joy to use (I had the trem lock setup properly too - brilliant invention)

The headstock of this particular guitar had still it's original finish, but the body had been refinished to match the candy apple red on the headstock.

The matching of the colours in my opinion wasn't very good. It looked a 7 out of ten (the finish on the headstock looked 30 years old, while the finish on the body looked about 30 minutes young!).

In any case, that had nothing to do with the playability of the guitar, which was excellent. The bound neck with the blocks looked like a million dollars, although a very small (almost triangular) piece of the binding was missing somewhere round the 5th fret.

the finish on the back of the neck after all the decades of play had also worn off, and sliding up and down the neck was a joy.

A brilliant guitar - the best I've ever owned.

the only points off are for the refinish, and the binding bit missing.

This guitar would definetely withstand live playing, it felt solid, and with the added straplocks I put on, I had no qualms to use it live with no backup.

never dealt with them.

I have been playing for 12 years or so, I'm slowly rebuilding my gear collection after the burglary, so not much to list just now (80% of my gear was gone - no insurance, so it's a slow process)

Well, it DID get stolen, and I feel sick every day I think about it. I got a 64 Jazzmaster on the way, but I still want that old CAR 67 back. I sold a 64 Mustang and my old MIJ Jaguar to get it, you see.

*sigh*

great guitar

wish I had it back.

To get started, I have a review for my other 1962 Jazzmaster just a couple down from this one.
1962 Fender Jazzmaster serial #90977. This one is a later '62 that has a neck date of September of that year.
21 fret Brazilian rosewood laminate fretboard w/ 'clay' dot inlays
Olympic white refinish with matching headstock.
Other than the refinish it is 100% original.
Single line Kluson tuners.
Tortoise shell pickguard.
orig frets have absolute minimal wear.
original tan HS case w/ gold hardware.

This Jazzmaster stays in Bb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb tuning that is used by Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes. He uses a 1961 Jazzmaster as his main guitar, so this can approximate his sound quite nicely. It is set up with fairly low action and I use 10-52 gauge GHS strings. Here is my pedalboard setup, which is connected w/ george L's vintage red cable and powered by a godlyke powerall:
->dunlop hendrix oct/fuzz -> mxr blue box -> turbo rat -> russian big muff -> mxr 10 band graphic eq -> EHX frequency analyzer -> mutron vol/wah -> Fender Musicmaster bass amp or Fender Champ (both silverface). I also occasionally use a Boss DS-1, but it is pretty noisy. This guitar sounds amazing in this tuning. The bridge pickup just growls like an old Gibson P-90, but with slightly less girth and more clarity. It is especially fun to hit the low Bb really hard and then watch it squirm. The dynamics this guitar can produce are surprising. See, because of the bridge/tailpiece design, Jazzmasters have a very distinct sound when played hard. It is because the length of string behind the bridge rings out and creates some weird harmonics and semi feedback like sounds. But at the same time, you can ease up on your right hand (if you're right handed that is) and avoid these sounds. Also, without distortion, these noises are nearly nonexistent. I also like to actually hit the string behind the bridge.
The neck pickup is very nice also. It is basically what you would expect from a nice Jazzmaster. It is really round and thick sounding when compared to a strat. It is smooth also. I love the fact that these pickups retain alot of clarity even when played hard with alot of distortion. Overall, this Jazzmaster sounds much more aggressive than my other '62. I am not sure why, maybe a combination of the setup and how the pickups have aged.

I got lucky upon receiving this one. The action was very nice, although slightly low for my taste and strung with 9's none the less!!! Whatever floats your boat, but 9's don't do it for me. I promptly strung it up with a new set of GHS Boomers in 10-52. I also checked the arc of the bridge saddles and then raised the bridge slightly. I did make a really important discovery in terms of Jazzmasters because of this guitar. IF YOU HAVE A JAZZMASTER AND THINK YOU BRIDGE IS RATTLING< READ BELOW!!!!
There are two metal ferruls in the body of Jazzmasters and Jaguars. The bridge fits into these hols and rests only on the sharpened points of two small screws. What happens is the bridge can sometimes slip forward and the posts of the bridge can actually touch the edges of the ferruls and buzz like a damn chainsaw (well not that bad, bud frustrating still). You can adjust your saddles until the cows come home, but if this is the reason behind it, it will never improve. My fix is very simple. I pull the bridge and put ONE or two wraps of electrical tape around each bridge post close to where the top of the ferrul is, close to the bridge itself. Now when the post touches it won't make any noise. Some may object and say that rubbery tape will kill tone, but the bridge is still resting in the bottoms of these ferruls, metal on metal, so tone, in my experiences, is unaffected. It is still important to keep your bridge adjusted properly, so no amount of strategically placed tape can cure a maladjusted one.
Now onto the finish. It is Olympic white and refinished. I do not know for sure, but I would say the finish is more than a few years old, though. It has begun to yellow and has some places that are more yellow than others. I had to clean it up some when I got it, but nothing major. It has a few small nicks and a couple scuffs from the wonderful original Fender case. The original case is in beautiful shape also. It looks like brand new compared to the case with my other '62. All 3 latches work and are still gold, the leather is still wrapped around the handle, and the leather ends are still soft even. The little leather tab on the flap that covers the inside storage area is even still there!!

This is as reliable/durable as they come. There are no problems at all. No cracks around the neck pocket. Nothing wrong at all. All of the adjusting screws still turn without trouble, as do every other screw in the bridge. All the pots are fine. The 3 way toggle was slightly corroded when I got it, but after a cleaning it functions well. One thing that I am very thankful for is that the pickguard has not shrunk a whole lot. The pickups can still be adjusted with no problems. I didn't even have to sand the holes like I did on my other 62. I have several other old Fenders, which I will list below. This, like the rest, is ultra dependable. I would not be afraid to gig without a backup.

No idea here, but short of a lifetime transferrable warranty, I imagine they would be of little help. But, I don't think I would ever need them to help me with this guitar anyway.

My collection of guiars is always changing, but I have a few that I will never part with. This is definitely one of them. Here is my current family:
1962 Fender Jazzmaster -dakota red
1962 Fender Jazzmaster -olympic white
1973 Fender Musicmaster Bass -olympic white
1969 Fender competition Mustang -Red
2003 Fender cij Jazzmaster
1995/96 Fender Jagstang
1997 Fender cij '57 strat
Fender cij blue flower Telecaster
90's gibson cl-20 standard plus acoustic

Silverface Fender Champ
Silverface Fender Musicmaster Bass...new jensen speaker & RCA tubes
early 90's Fender tweed Blues deluxe
50's or 60's Harmony H-400

It should be obvious that I am a very large Fender fan. I have owned many other brands, but I always end up deciding that a Fender suits me the best. Jazzmasters are the most perfect guitar I have ever come across. Perhaps this biases my opinions. Check one out for yourself. If you buy an old one, you won't have any trouble reselling it if you aren't happy with it. One last thing, if anyone reading this has a 1970's Jazzmaster that you are willing to sell or trade, let me know. Any condition is fine. Thanks for reading all this!!!

1995 MIJ. white with red tortois pick guard.

you're doing your JM a disservice if you're playing thru a solid state amp. And i recommend an eq pedal for a little extra gain and high-mid. Its tone is distintly unique, and if you really get to know and understand it, its hard to use any other guitar. A telecaster is a good alternate in the studio.

facory set up rating: 1. miserable. the "locking" trem didn't even lock.i had to mcguyver it. 6 months of experimentation with the action/ set up paid off. near perfect playability, what you would expect from a good fender. i've played many other Jm's its amazing the width of their different personalities. that's what makes this guitar so special. I've found the 60's ones to be a bit noisier, but were also had more zing.
amazingly road worthy for such a feature rich guitar. pots get dirty stragely easy.

the warrenty is only as good as where you buy it from.

been playing in chicago for 6 Years. i bought the JM cuz nirvana was my favorite band. thank goodness KC has exquisit taste in guitars. i would like to see some comparasions to jaguars in future reviews.

Olympic White Jazzmaster with Brown Shell pickguard MIJ, bought just 3 months ago, August 2003. I've not done any modifications to it, there's simply no need. Only thing thats a bit annoying is the bridge thing, but thats no news, innit?

I play a variety of styles, blues, jazz, classic rock, country, punk, hardrock, pop, deathpunk, whathaveyou. And this thing fits it all. I've no troubles with noise really, well, I find it a bit harder to create nice feedback with this one like i can with my Stratocaster, but its not that big a thing...
At home I use a Vox Cambridge Twin amp, and its got this beautiful classic sound, in the rehearsalroom I got it amped to two massive Marshall amps and cabinets, its a harder sound, still beautiful though. I mostly use a light distortion or nothing at all.

After I got home from the guitarshop, I tuned it and just started playing, got nothing I can think of thats wrong or that I'd like to change. I've not yet pulled any strings so I guess they use quality ones at Fender. I use a bit of different tunings, mostly the classic EADGBe but also a bit of drop-d and open G tunings and some others, it's no problem tuning it around and tuning it right back.. Once its tuned, its tuned.

As far as I can tell, this guitar can withstand just about anything, I can put it in its bag go out into temperatures below zero, go to bandpractice, take it out and its tuned and ready to go. I've not been that hard on it really, but I've seen the same guitars on concerts go through hell, being thrown several feet into the air, hitting the ground, being stamped and pounded on, and then played again as nothing had happened, crazy!

I got a year of free services with it, I haven't needed it yet. My other guitars usually needs a service every three months..

I've been playing for about 7 years, I got a standard mexican Stratocaster, and an Epiphone Casino in addition to the Jazzmaster. I know to you Americans 1000$ for a Japanese Jazzmaster probably is a bit much, but when an American JM costs about 3000$ you probably can understand how the prices are here in Norway. If we want to pay less for good guitars we mostly have to go to London to find quality guitars at affordable prices. Anyways, I can live with 1000 dollars for this guitar, it's certainly worth, even though it cost twice as much as my strat, and a bit more than my Casino. I like it a whole lot better than my strat, cos let's face it, Stratocaster are a boring guitar, with a Jazzmaster, at least I feel like I have something a bit unique, in addition to it sounding, and playing like a dream. I love the look of it, especially the white finish. If I lost it I would definetely replace it with one exactly alike.
In conclusion; It's the best bloody guitar I've ever tried, and also best looking, which counts for about fifty percent, doesn't it? I've tried American, Mexican and Japanese Strats, Telecasters and other types, and I can't think of anything that can justify the differences in prices.

1962 Fender Jazzmaster serial #80123. You know all the specs, so here are some details:
21 fret Brazilian rosewood slab fretboard w/ 'clay' dot inlays
dakota red w/ matching headstock (30 year old refin in nitro laquer)
reissue low E tuner
reissue vol/tone knobs
later '66 logo on headstock
Other than the low E tuner, finish, & knobs, it's all original.
Single line Kluson tuners
Tortoise shell pickguard
orig frets
original tan HS case w/ gold hardware

I am going to give this a 9 rating for features. The tremelo is very useful and despite what many say, can be used to great effect and even stays in tune well if adjusted properly. The preset rhythm controls can come in handy. I like to leave both controls wide open on it while playing. This way I can play on the bridge pickup then switch to the neck without reaching clear down to the 3 way toggle. The bridge is also very useful, although terrible if not maintained well. It is height adjustable as a whole and each saddle is also intonatable and height adjustable. In my opinion, there isn't much more you could do to it. But there prob are more features that you COULD add, so I will give it a 9.

I play in a few alternate tunings like CGDGCD and a couple more similar ones. I use 10-52 gauge strings. Here is my pedalboard setup, which is connected w/ george L's vintage red cable and powered by a godlyke powerall:
->dunlop hendrix oct/fuzz -> mxr blue box -> turbo rat -> russian big muff -> mxr 10 band graphic eq -> EHX frequency analyzer -> mutron vol/wah -> fender musicmaster bass amp or fender champ (both silverface)
To get started, I have a japanese Jazzmaster that I can compare this to. The neck pickup is my favorite. It has a real thick sound, like a humbucker BUT it maintains more string definition. It remains clear, while also staying thick. It is real even sounding without aemphasis anywhere in the frequency range. For being a single coil, it isn't exceptionally noisy either. I have heard jazzmasters as having a 'clunky' sound and I think that could probabaly apply. The treble pickup is fairly bright, but not overly. The tone knob, when rolled back, can make the bridge pickup sound almost like the neck, but slightly thinner with a little more bite. I play alot of drones and tend to let notes ring out for a while and it works perfect for this. When I do this with any of my humbucker equipped guitars, it just sounds like a steady chord, I can't hear each string ringing. Overall, the sound is very smooth, yet strong and defined. I think that is a pretty good definition. There really isn't anything that I don't like about the sound of this guitar. Overall, I feel that a 9 is again a good rating. I would give it a 10, but I haven't heard every guitar out there. For my purpose, though, I feel that this Jazzmaster is EXACTLY the sound that I have been searching for the last 8 years.

How well was the guitar set-up at the factory? (How was the action?)
.....HAHAHAHA
But anyway, the action was terrible when I got this. The bridge was so low, and the saddles so high, that the intonation screws on each saddle were touching the strings....UNPLAYABLE. The 2 larger bridge height screws are soldered in place so that it doesn't go into what someone else here called 'self lowering mode'. Since they were soldered, I shimmed each side with a washer and reset the height for each saddle. It now plays great and has what I would consider low/med action that is leaning toward the low side. I do get a slight amount of fret buzz, but it doesn't bother me very much. It mainly comes from my low E and I believe it is because it is tuned to C. It has no buzzes when tuned to standard pitch. The original frets are in excellent shape. A few of the lower ones have some slight dimples in them, but none that adversely affect playability. I don't think they will need replaced for at least 41 more years at this rate. The neck is perfectly straight and doesn't even have any wear on the back. The finish, as I said earlier, is dakota red with a matched headstock. It is in laquer and I would guess has been there since the late 60's or near there. It is quite shiny and has more of a 'closet classic' type wear pattern. By that I mean that it is noticably old, but it hasn't been abused. It has a few small nicks and some slight scratches, but overall is extremely clean. I don't really know how to rate this category as it is a 1962 model, but I will rate it on how I feel it is overall at the present time.

This guitar has help up VERY VERY well over it's 41 year life. There are no cracks around the neck joint, which alot of Fenders seem to get. The pickguard has no cracks, but it has shrunk slightly, but not as much as many that I have seen and heard of. Everything is intact. Most of the chrome, except for the screw heads, look almost like new. They show some age, but are still quite shiny. All the white plastic parts have yellowed and look extremely cool. The fretboard itself has very slight grooving between the first few frets on the treble side. Nothing major, just though I'd mention it. The 5 remaining Kluson single line tuners are still very smooth and nice. To have lasted this long in this shape, I have to say it is a damn well made guitar. The case is a little rough, not bad, but not perfect. It's done what it was intended to do. I never play anywhere that puts me on the spot, but if I did, I don't believe I would feel like I would need a back up. It feels slightly more solid than my japanese Jazzmaster. I believe that Fenders are one of, if not the, most durable guitar maker in the land (when speaking of 1950's & 60's models).

Never had the pleasure, but seeing how my Jazzmaster was made in 1962, I doubt they would be much help to me.

I have been playing for a little over 8 years now. I own alot of other gear and I feel very proud of what I have. Here's some of the main ones:
'69 fender comp mustang
fender cij Jazzmaster
1995/96 fender jagstang
1997 fender cij '57 strat
fender cij blue flower tele
90's gibson cl-20 standard plus acoustic
gibson les paul melody maker
prs santana se

1987 marshall artist 4203 amp
early 90's fender blues deluxe amp
60's harmony amp

One thing I would like to say to any of you guys who are planning on buying an old guitar sight unseen for the first time is NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING. Make a list of questions before you call and make sure you get a straight answer on each of them. If a part isn't original and you don't ask, they probably won't mention it. Good luck finding your own Jazzmaster!!!

Overall, I LOVE this guitar. It is everything that I have been looking for. It is very versatile, which fits my playing style well. My japanese Jazzmaster compares well to this one. I know alot of people talk s**t on the japanese ones, but it sounds good, too. It's a great alternative if you can't afford an old one. I would kind of like to put US pickups in the japanese one, but the stock ones still sound good to me. If my '62 was stolen, I'd probably cry uncontrollably for a long period of time. I don't think I would ever find another that is this nice. I even want to try to get another one now so that I'll have 2 old ones, probably a cbs era model (late '65 up). I would give it a 10, but again, I don't know everything. I think a 9 is one hell of a good rating.

1963 USA made beauty
21 frets
Alder body, maple neck with brazilian rosewood veneer fretboard
3 way toggle with seperate "rhythm" switch (heavy bass capacitor on neck pickup with seperate volume/ tone control)
2 hot soapbar style single coil pickups
nitrocellulose Olympic White finish
Bridge replaced with Mustang unit (this is ESSENTIAL)
great Fender floating style vibrato
original Kluson tuning machines
Long scale which is perfect fopr my 6'4" self

I play '60's influenced rock and roll, modern rock/ punk, blues, jazz and everywhere inbetween. This is quite possibly the greatest guitar I've ever played. Versatile tones and my fingers simply MELT into the fretboard. The pickups are notoriously noisy but I don't care. Chords are like slabs of beef coming out of my Pro Reverb. I also use a Deluxe Reverb and record with a Champ or Supro Super. This guitar is AMAZING!!!!

Factory setup N/A. A good setup is ESSENTIAL for a Jazzmaster to be in top form. Shrinking pickguards push the pickups down low which makes the guitar lose tone. I have boosted my pickups up with extra foam and squeezed them through the pickguard. What TONE!!!! The original Jazzmaster/ Jag bridges are their weakest point. AReplace with a Mustang bridge and the sustain and playability increase tenfold. Bends on this guitar make me feel like I'm in complete control. The extra scale length makes it feel more stable and easy to control intonation. A WICKED blues machine!

40 years and still cookin. Pre CBS Fenders are the greatest solid body guitars ever, period. Leo's presence must have pushed everyone in the direction of pure quality control. I am a whammy bar maniac and the guitar stays in tune very well. The finish is checked but hey, thats the vintage mojo workin. New plastic finishes will always seem cheap to me. The wood breathes on this guitar.

N/A

I have been playing 20+ years and have a collection of which I'm very proud. This is my fave though hands down. BUY THEM WHILE YOU CAN!!! These guitars are escalating in value daily!!!!!If it were stolen I would freak out, although I've played quite a few pre-CBS examples and they all kick ass.

I brought a Fender Jazzmaster about a month ago. No literature was given to me with it, even though it is new. It is a '62 re-issue MIJ, 3 colour sunburst, with a reddish pickguard. It is a very nice looking guitar. It has the really annoying floating bridge, which caused me some problems. I got a gig bag with it (not supplied by Fender).

It sounds beatiful. I play some funky stuff which requires a punchy, clean sound, and the JM has a large array of clean tones/sounds to choose from. It sounds pretty good with distortion, but not as full sounding as my other guitars. I've experienced no pick-up buzz at all, and would say to anyone that does- buy decent leads, not cheap rubbish, and switch off any electrical items that could interfere (fridges, tv etc.). This guitar is no good for solo's which need any sustain, but with it's short quick notes, it has a distinctive sound. I would prefere this guitar to have a little more sustain than it does, but I rate the tones and variety of sound this guitar gives.

When I got this JM, the set-up was AWFUL! The action was ridiculously high. If I bent the high e up, the b string would get caught over my finger! It was a discrace. I can't understand how Fender let it out of the factory like that. I had to adjust the neck pick-up aswell, because the low e boomed out, far louder than the other strings. And that bridge...that irritating bridge. The nuts wriggle loose from the saddles when you strum, the strings move over the saddles, it rattles and buzzes. I filed deeper grooves in the saddles, and lowered the height. I then set up the guitar properly, and sorted the intonation etc... I sprayed the bridge with a light laquer (hair laquer none the less! Only the best for my guitar), and left it to set. Hey presto. The guitar is now set up exactly how I like it. The action is not as low as my others, but it suits the guitar to be a little higher. There is now no buzzing, and everything stays where it should. Again, I can not believe Fender would sent a guitar out that needed so much attention. I know all Jags/JM's have the bridge problem. I bought a new Jag when I was younger but got rid or it after a few months 'cause it wouldn't settle, and I didn't have the experience to deal with it. For the money I spent I should receive a guitar that doesn't buzz, and have parts of the bridge fall out! Bad Fender! I feel better after that little moan, so on the good side- the finish is perfect, the fret board is very nice, and I love the solid feel of this guitar.

This guitar refuses to go out of tune, even with hard continuous playing. The deep varnish looks like it will last for years. Everything looks and feels like it will last. I would never gig without a backup, but I would feel confident with this guitar that nothing will go wrong.

The shop has guarranteed it for a year. I don't think that warranty has anything to do with Fender. I wanted to get a white pick guard for it, but was told by Fender that Japanese JM dimentions are slighty different to American issues, and that they don't make a white pick guard for Japanese models. I think that is a joke. I was told that a pick guard would cost #50 ($80).

I've been playing for 10 years, my other guitars are a Gibson SG standard, and an Epiphone Casino. I play them through a Fender Dulux Amp through various DOD and Boss FX. I love the feel of this guitar, I like the straight head. The shape is beautiful and unique, and the rich color is pleasing to the eye. If it were lost or stolen, I would get another Fender, but maybe not a JM. I went out to buy a Mustang, but was not impressed with the low out-put sound, and even higher action, would you believe! I played a Tele, but it was a black delux, and too ugly for my taste. I wish it had a white pickguard. My JM has settled to be a very nice guitar indeed.

My Jazzmaster was made in august 1966, it's sunburst, all original and basically mint condition. The bridge cover and the hang tag are lying safely in the original case! The neck has block inlays and a bound fretboard. It's just the way I want it! Feels very pre-CBS to me.

I play my Jazzmaster through a 130 watt music man HD-130 and it's quite noisy, which I don't mind. But in the middle position it barely hums at all! I mostly use the neck pickup nowadays and it's perfect! It's got plenty of bottom and the right amount of brightness, so I love it! And the tone control turned to zero gives you that perfect cliche jazz sound!
I've duct-taped over the rhythm/solo switch since it's completely useless, and kills the sound if you flick it by mistake while playing.
Sometimes I feel the pickups are a bit weak though...

It's all perfect!

I've used mine on quite a lot of gigs and it works perfectly. String brakes are rare and when they occur you can still finish the song since it barely retunes at all.
The only problem is that the bridge has started to unscrew. Making the action too low so I have to raise the bridge every week or so.
But I'm sure that can easily be fixed.

-

Great guitar! The bridge is the only not perfect thing about this guitar but you can't get it all...

I purchased my early 64 Jazzmaster that was well used at Ebay. It was sunburst and had the usually scratches. It is all original except for the bridge pick up. When I got it and play it sounded terrible. When I put in the correct pick up. Wow! it sounded great. It came with the original single line Klusons tuners. One of them the g string tuners is a little bent but it still works and I have not problems tuning it and keeping it in tune when I am gigging.

I play classic surf music and my Jassmaster give me the sound I want. After the replacement of the japanese pickup to the real one that has the correct grade of wire and has the wire wounded all the way to the edge (full) he guitar has full depth and sound great. People listed at my sound and are truly amazed with what I get. Of couse my 63 double showman playing stereo with my 73 super reverb does help out. I have not trouble getting the true real surf sounds. You must have a Jazzmaster to get the true surf sound.

The action is very good. My friend set up my guitar. He is Dick Dale's Amp man. He set the action low and fast and the guitar is the easiest guitar I have ever played. It has the original frets and they have some wear, naturally, but they will last me for many more years. They are to smaller stock frets not the big ones. So my fingers slide with ease over up and down the neck.

I have had no problems with this guitar. Except once in blue moon if I play too hard on the 1st string E it might slip out of the nut. But it does not happen very often. The strings D'Adarrios 13 play very well and I cannot find better ones. The strings do not go out of tune while playing. Only if the weather changes but any guitar does that.

I have not used customer support so I do not know.

I played surf music in the 64 65 era. I put my guitar down for 31 years. In 97 I started to collect my gear and pick it up as a hobby. I have a 1963 blonde moroon double showman with 2 D130 JBLs. That are original stock. I have a 1973 Super Reverb that I had change over to the blackface circuitry and I sounds like a 10. I play through a original 1964 reverb tank that splashes very clear and wet reverb . And I like to get some echo out of my Stero Music Man box from electro-harmonix. People come up to me as say they cannot believe the sound I have. I have had people hear my CDs and have the interest to play with my band. That makes me feel good. Obviously my Jazzmaster is the key for me. The most important thing to remember about the Jazzmaster is people like to fiddle around and change things. When you know what you are doing and you set up the guitar correctly and play throught the correct systems you will get the correct sound and reliablity. Like anythings else there are old fantastic used Mercedes and junk ones. I believe the Jazzmaster is the Mercedes of the guitar line. But then I look at the music I play.

I purchased my early 64 Jazzmaster that was well used at Ebay. It was sunburst and had the usually scratches. It is all original except for the bridge pick up. When I got it and play it sounded terrible. When I put in the correct pick up. Wow! it sounded great. It came with the original single line Klusons tuners. One of them the g string tuners is a little bent but it still works and I have not problems tuning it and keeping it in tune when I am gigging.

I play classic surf music and my Jassmaster give me the sound I want. After the replacement of the japanese pickup to the real one that has the correct grade of wire and has the wire wounded all the way to the edge (full) he guitar has full depth and sound great. People listed at my sound and are truly amazed with what I get. Of couse my 63 double showman playing stereo with my 73 super reverb does help out. I have not trouble getting the true real surf sounds. You must have a Jazzmaster to get the true surf sound.

The action is very good. My friend set up my guitar. He is Dick Dale's Amp man. He set the action low and fast and the guitar is the easiest guitar I have ever played. It has the original frets and they have some wear, naturally, but they will last me for many more years. They are to smaller stock frets not the big ones. So my fingers slide with ease over up and down the neck.

I have had no problems with this guitar. Except once in blue moon if I play too hard on the 1st string E it might slip out of the nut. But it does not happen very often. The strings D'Adarrios 13 play very well and I cannot find better ones. The strings do not go out of tune while playing. Only if the weather changes but any guitar does that.

I have not used customer support so I do not know.

I played surf music in the 64 65 era. I put my guitar down for 31 years. In 97 I started to collect my gear and pick it up as a hobby. I have a 1963 blonde moroon double showman with 2 D130 JBLs. That are original stock. I have a 1973 Super Reverb that I had change over to the blackface circuitry and I sounds like a 10. I play through a original 1964 reverb tank that splashes very clear and wet reverb . And I like to get some echo out of my Stero Music Man box from electro-harmonix. People come up to me as say they cannot believe the sound I have. I have had people hear my CDs and have the interest to play with my band. That makes me feel good. Obviously my Jazzmaster is the key for me. The most important thing to remember about the Jazzmaster is people like to fiddle around and change things. When you know what you are doing and you set up the guitar correctly and play throught the correct systems you will get the correct sound and reliablity. Like anythings else there are old fantastic used Mercedes and junk ones. I believe the Jazzmaster is the Mercedes of the guitar line. But then I look at the music I play.

It is a 1966 or 1967 (early CBS) sunburst with rectangular neck position markers. When I bought it in about 1980, it was in near mint condition with the original hardshell case. I am intersted in as much sustain as possible, so I have added a Buzzstop and Groove Tube Fat Finger, as well as a replacment Mustang bridge. I have also replaced the bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder. I feel I could return the guitar to its original condition without much problem.

I play blues, but want to avoid the overly familiar SRV Stratocaster/Fender amp combination. I find that I can get a variety of distinctive sounds with this guitar in combination with a small solid state Crate amp. I know it sounds crazy, as I used a Fender Deluxe Reverb then a Super Reverb many years. I am regulary getting compliments on the tone and many cannot believe I am not using a tube amp. I occasionally use an Ibanez Tube Screamer for a little extra edge. I usually use the neck pickup for lead and the center position for rhythm.
I do have a noticable problem with hum, but this is blues after all.

This guitar plays like a charm. I have done most of the setup and tweaking myself. I prefer to use Fender Bullets with a .10 on the top and .52 on the bottom. I love the sound of the heavier strings, but must compromise on the top strings in order to do effective string bending. There is a little fret buzz and the guitar probably needs to be refretted.
Did I say this is blues?

I am not particualrly hard on guitars. Sometime the pots and switches are noisy. There have been no letdowns.

No dealings.

I started playig blues when I was 18. I am now 51. I have owned a lot of guitars over the years but now have a 1967 Epiphone Casino (my first guitar!), a 1976 Les Paul Deluxe and a 1959 Les Paul Jr. TV Model, as well as some acoustics. The Jazzmaster is my main guitar.

I would definately try to replace this guitar with another, if I could afford to.

66 Jazzmaster, sunburst, had a no name chrome humbucker between the stockers, took it out, and added a black pickguard. Very good shape when I got from the original owner in 82, and I use it, with my 3 other Jazzmasters, in a 3 piece classic rock group, "Red Line 7000". I really dig the large inlays, and bound neck.

I only use the bridge pickup, sounds deep, and dark, and light, and airy,all at the same time, thru a 50 watt Marshall and a 4X12 cabinet, with the preamp at 11, and the master volume at 2 1/2 to 3. The crunch is superb!Rarely use any effects at all. Super noisy tho, so a noise gate is a must. I love it, and will keep it forever!!!

Quality seems good. Had some trouble with the floating bridge going into "auto lowering mode", so I put some lock nuts on the height adjusting studs. No mo' troubles....

Have banged hard on it for years. Have replaced the volume pot, and the pickup selector switch. I normally have a spare (remember, I have 3 other Jazzmasters!), but it has generally been OK. Just don't break a string, it goes wildly out of tune.

none required

Was my first guitar, and taught myself to play at age 26 (in 1982) As I have a total of 4 Jazzmasters, I am a big JM fan. Also have a refinished gold 64, a pristine candy red 65, and a refinished white 72. But my 66 is my fav, best tone, and playability. They all sound, and play differently. The unique sound, and styling, plus Fender quality makes me a lifetime JM user.

'64 sunburst. Bought in a pawnshop a long time ago. This has been my project guitar over the years and I'd NEVER part with it. The neck is unique - it's sooo thin I'm amazed it's always stayed straight with totally consistent and fast action. Everyone who sees it says it's a real looker (I think my natural swamp ash Strat is a better looker, but I don't argue with friends!). Over the years, I've fixed all the the irksome things a factory can do to an instrument - 1) a real bridge (badass), 2) refretted and nutted (bigger frets), 3) Schaller tuners to stay in tune, 3) real pickups (dimarzio strat for neck and duncan hb for bridge - SCREAMS!, 4) good bridge saddles (graphtec), 5) some rewiring (I use the slide switch just to kill both pickups when not playing or for staccato effects), and 6) proper gauge strings - at least .10s on this. The result is what I call a "beastmaster" - this guitar ROCKS! The basic guitar came with a surplus of features and they all worked, even if they could be improved. Even the whammy is decent, I don't have tuning problems with it.

With the changes to bridge, saddles and pickups, this sounds a LOT different than granny's Jazzmaster! Everything from shimmering clean to incredible rich harmonics through the full range. Part of the trick seems to have been srewing the pups right down to the wood instead of floating on that funky old black foam. I never cared that much for the low-sustain, thinnish sounds of the original design but this guitar is so comfortable, flexible and basically well-made it was worth customizing. This guitar can really respond well to your mods. My rating is for "factory" sound, but trust me, you can turn these into 10's without much effort and you will amaze your audience!

When I got this thing at the pawnshop, it was already about 15 years old and the frets were shot. The neck has always been totally true though so refretting was all it needed. Action can be set over a wide range; I don't personally like the lowest possible action but this guitar doesn't buzz anywhere even if you set it that way.

Intonation etc was made more precise by swapping out the bridge. All the electronics and electromechanical components were typical for that vintage Fender - very industrial-grade and solid.

The body work is fantastic. This guitar is easily the most comfortable to play of all I've owned, including all manner of Gibsons and Fenders. The finish has held up incredibly well, it buffs up pretty much like new and this thing is pushing 40 - almost as old as me and looks a hell of a lot better!

This guitar is pretty tough. I used to worry about the thin neck but it is a really really hard maple (beautiful patterned maple you just don't see any more) and it's survived a few drops and collisions with others with no real ill effect. I could easily depend on it, but have a stock usa strat for backup primarily for it's ethereal clean sounds and the famous quacks.

Why even try with a '64?!

been playing 30+ years, have had all kinds of Gibsons and Fenders but settled on this JM and a fantastic Strat - I'd never part with either. Fender and Roland amps, celestion and jbl speakers, Digitech stomp, pretty simple but does the job. If this guitar was stolen there'd be a baffling world supply shortage of gin! It's absolutely not replaceable.

I have a Limited Edition Jazzmaster RI. (in Transparent Blond with gold hardware) . I had to look long and hard to find one in a store, which made me think that this maybe wasnt a very good guitar, but the opposite is true.

I havent found a guitar with a better, smoother clean sound that also has so many tonal options. I love the rythem channel, it sounds awesome thru my Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10. I'm not so hot on the neck pick-up its alittle weak and tinny sounding. Im just starting to build my own custom Jazzmaster, and plan on putting a humbucker in the bridge position but will keep the stock JM neck Pu.

I do like the heavy radius on the jazzmasters necks, and the off set body looks and feels great. I dont normally like gold hardware very much but on this particular guitar it looks great!

I havent had any problems as of yet with mine. Regular string changes and setups and smooth sailing.

Never had to contact, Lucky me

My favorite guitar. The only one I could never part with. I plan on building / buying more with very slight variations to an almost perfect design.

1960 Fender Jazzmaster, Olympic White (refinished) - stock configuration w/ slab rosewood fretboard, clay dots, original hardware and tortoise shell pickguard, original neck pickup, seymour duncan hot jazz bridge pickup, separate rhythm circuit controls.

Tonal range from warm woody strummy to thick bright staccato snarl. As others have noted, the Jazzmaster has minimal sustain, which, together with the "wide wound" single coils, produces its unique tonal qualitites. I run mine through vintage Fender amps, depending on the gig/situation. It works well with both Tweed and Blackface type amps. Overall, the tone sounds a little more tight and focused than other Fender guitars.

Action on my Jazzmaster is pretty good, not super low (not good for Malmsteen leads). It has a very pronounced neck radius, which requires a higher action above the 12th fret to avoid choking out on bends. The neck is very straight. I run .11s on it and I like the feel; it feels like a vintage Fender should. As far as factory settings, fit, and finish, etc., mine is 42 years old and has been refinned several times - so, I havent't a clue.

Jazzmasters can be a little finicky, but nothing major. I play mine out all the time. It feels very solid and reliable 95 percent of the time and when it doesn't it's usually easy to get it back into shape.

n/a

I have been playing for around 20 years, semi-pro for the last 10. In addition to my Jazzmaster, I have a Telecaster, Stratocaster, SG Standard, Taylor acoustic and several vintage Fender amps of varying sizes and flavors. Overall, I'd say the Jazzmaster is a great second guitar to own. If I had only 1 guitar it would be Strat or a Tele, but if you're looking for a guitar that sounds and plays a little bit different (and looks really cool) the Jazzmaster is a great choice. If something happened to mine I'd take my time and find another good one.

I'VE JUST STUMBLED IN HERE OUT SURFIN' AND THOUGHT I'D PUT IN MY TWO CENTS WORTH.....I GOT TURNED ON WITH JAZZMASTERS IN LATE 1963 WHEN THE ASTRONAUTS RELEASED THE SURFIN' WITH ALBUM, AND I'VE HAD AT LEAST ONE LYING AROUND EVER SINCE. SO DUDES, I BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT AND THIS IS WHAT I THINK..... THE FENDER JAZZMASTER IS QUITE FRANKLY THE MOST MISUNDERTOOD GUITAR IN ROCK HISTORY. BUT THIS RAMBLING IS FOCUSED ON THE NEW '62 AMERICAN REISSUE. MINE IS OUT OF THE FIRST RUN AND IS QUITE FRANKLY THE BEST JAZZMASTER I'VE HAD YET. SO GOOD IN FACT THAT I SOLD ALL MY "VINTAGE" STUFF AND SETTLED ON THIS ONE. AS FAR AS JM'S GO, IT IS A 10. THE LOOK, FIT AND FINISH IS FLAWLESS AND ONCE I GOT THE NECK TORQUED UP AND THE NUT CUT DOWN, IT PLAYS LIKE BUTTER. ACTION AND NECK FEEL IS A 9.5. FLAT WOUNDS 12 THROUGH 52 ARE A MUST AND THE PICK UPS SOUND FAB. 8.0. THEY CAN BE QUITE NOISY AROUND CRAPPY DIMMERS BUT IN THE MIDDLE POS. THEY HUM BUCK AND DO QUITE WELL. THROW AWAY YOUR SILLY PEDALS. PUT A 490PF CAP ACROSS THE VOL POT, PLUG THAT PUPPY INTO A GOOD TANK AND A 2-15 PIGGY BACK AMP, AND STAND BACK YOU'LL BE STUNNED TO LEARN THAT "FUZZ" IS A FOUR LETTER WORD.

IT SUITES MY FANCY JUST FINE. I PLAY MOSTLY INSTRO ROCK AND 60'S R&B. THE JM WILL PULL OFF TONES MOST PEOPLE JUS DON'T BELIEVE.

I'VE HAD THIS ONE SINCE IT WAS FIRST RELEASED AND SO FAR, SO GOOD. IN GENERAL JAZZMASTERS REQUIRE A LITTLE TLC. THEY ARE A LOT LIKE A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR HONEY, PAMPER AND STROKE HER, AND SHE'LL PURR..... THIS GUITAR HAS ONLY POOPED ON STAGE ONCE WHEN THE SWITCH BECAME LOOSE AND ROTATED THEN SHORTED OUT ON THE LEAD SETTING. LIKE I SAID TREAT IT GOOD AND YOU'LL BE REWARDED.

DEALING WITH THE GUYS IN CUSTOMER SERVICE AT FENDER STINKS. I HAD A NECK PROBLEM WITH A DIFFERENT GUITAR AND THEY BEAT AROUND THE BUSH FOR TWO MONTHS BEFORE THEY FINALLY REPLACED THE NECK. THE GUY I TALKED TO WANTED ME TO BELIEVE THAT I HAD NO CLUE WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT....NOW THAT'S HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE CUSTOMERS.

AS I'VE SAID.... THIS IS THE BEST ONE I'VE EVER OWNED....PERIOD. HOPE TO BUY A SECOND ONE REAL SOON. I ALSO HAVE A NEW AMERICAN RI JAG, AND IT'S COOL BUT IT'S NO JAZZMASTER

Japanese reissue candy apple red with matching headstock and SD pickups.

I play new-wave, brit pop and noise (my bloody valentine, ride, the cure, sonic youth...).
My favourite pick-up combination is the middle one (neck and bridge) because the bridge pu has more highs for me and the neck pu is ok.
I have a Mesa Studio Caliber and a lot of pedals, it sounds great with the Ibanez TS-9 and with my russian Big Muff (listen to Loveless of My Bloody Valentine).

I haven't problems with the bridge.

Now is my only guitar, I like it very much.
I would to buy another one but vintage with block inlays in the neck.

1985 american made 62' reissue. candy apple red. volume, tone, 5-way selector, 3-way, etc. nothing out of the ordinary for a jazzmaster...

i was led to the jazzmaster after hearing dinosaur jr, my bloody valentine, and sonic youth. All those groups made the most of the JM's percussive, yet superbly harmonic sounds. the JM cranks out tone from all angles. even when playing it unplugged it can light up the room. the more you beat it the more it responds. my playing style developed out of drumming so i really appreciate a guitar that loves a beating. this guitar is great under pressure...

i bought the guitar used on ebay, so i have no idea what fender originally did with it...when i got it it had 9's on it for strings (which are way small for this ax. i know fender equipped this guitar with a shite bridge before they sent it off into the world...

this guitar is a gamble in a live setting, when playing out i would have a spare just in case. this guitar will either give you tons of trouble(with tuning nightmares), or nore at all...it just depends how it "feels" at the time...and how well set up of course. the finish does fade and scratch up over time, but this guitar definately ages with character (i'm not worried about it being flawless either..)when i got it it had a huge ding by the jack, the previous owner looked like he dropped it hard...

the website is a glittery confusing commercial... but having never called them for anything i can't say...

i've played keyboards for 12 years, drums for 10, and guitar for 6 years. i own 2 drum kits & cymbals. 2 keyboards. 2 ukeleles, a sitar, tabla drums, generic acoustic, norma hollowbody electric and lots of other crap.
i play a 1985 US jazzmaster with 12 g strings through a fender deluxe amp (40 watts of tube fury), big muff PI (russian version), boss pitch-shifter delay, boss dynamic filter, crybaby wah, digitech spacestation (for synth, volume, fuzz, octaver, tuner and fade in synth). If my JM was stolen i would take out a loan to buy another one (bloody expensive things!).
As far as the debate between MIJ & US made, i've owned both. my first JM i bought new in 1998 for $695. it was a 1995 MIJ with the classic brownish sunburst. the US ones are of superior sound and quality, but i would still buy a Japanese one any day. the MIJ is still a fine example of what a JM is all about, even though it is a less conventrated dose of that glory...
as everyone knows, the bridges suck...have someone good fix set it up right. mine is getting set up right now and the guy i left it to says he knows a trick for fixing the JM bridge, but unfortunately he didn't tell me what it is, so i can't tell you...what's that you say? how could i leave my prescious guitar to someone and not even know what it is he's going to do to it? well, i've tried everything to keep the bridge from slipping, and i couldn't do it..he can do whatever he wants...
there is something wonderfulabout the JM. it's not for everyone. this guitar has a cult following though. the few of it's fans are devoted fans who wouldn't play anything else, despite the obvious faults. i would buy ten of these things if i could find or afford them...

The guy who gave it to me told me this was made the first year jazzmasters were re-issued; don't know when that is. This guitar is awesome. Sunburst with the reddish pickguard. I've replaced the bridge, because it kept collapsing on me and I played too hard for it to keep the strings in place; the neck, because I wanted something wider, more strat-like (and dimarzio tuners); and the pickups, because I wanted something with more bite, so I got Dimarzio Evolution neck and bridge humbuckers. Whatever's left of the original guitar - body, "tailpiece" and electronics - is just fine. Before, I give it an 8; after, I give it a 10.

Like I said, I got rid of the soapbars. I remember really digging the clean sound I got out of them, but for what I'm playing, I needed something different and couldn't afford another guitar, so I had to change the sound. Dimarzio humbuckers do the trick. First show I played after the transformation, I played it straight through a Marshall half stack, and the first thing anyone would mention after the show was the sound of the guitar. I play mostly country/rock - leaning more on the rock, and also some europop/electronic stuff on the side that requires that U2 clean sound sometimes, and industrial crunch other times. I love what I can do with this guitar. Versatile. Right now I'm using a Sovtek Mig 60 tube head, and Fender London 185 solid state head. Again, the guitar rocks.

Well, after replacing the hardware, the guitar is very comfortable, easy to handle, and durable. Only thing I regret is replacing the neck, although I like my dimarzio tuners. Oh well. New neck is good, but I've probably worn it out, 'cause it's starting to feel kinda' dull. Up until now, I got no complaints.

Back in the mid to late 90's I was playing in an emo band (don't ask) that was pretty intense, which made the guitar virtually unplayable. After the makeover, it became my main guitar. I mean, don't they look great? At least they're rare looking, you know? I recently got my first hollowbody guitar, in which I had Gibson PAF humbuckers installed, and right now it's a toss up between the two about which is the b/u and which is the main. For the country/rock stuff I prefer the hollow body 'cause it's big and I like that if I'm fronting; for the europop side gig I trade between the two, but for the heavy stuff the Jazzmaster is the one. Plus this one is definitely the more durable of the two. I don't have to worry about dropping it too much.

nope.

I've been playing for about 14 years and semi-pro for about 8, and my Jazzmaster is one of the highlights of this time. It was given to me, and the deal goes that if I want to get rid of it, I have to return to previous owner, so I'm pretty much stuck with it, and happy about that. I own a few guitars and the good thing about it is that each guitar has its own sound; I don't have two of the same thing, or that sound the same. The Jazzmaster -"Vivian" is her name - is the one that gets played the most, my most reliable one. Again, don't they look awesome? I used to hate them until this friend of mine came up to me and said "I have something for you..." I developed a small crush, but with time, money and hardware, I fell in love, and I'm happy to report that I still am.

This has already been described to death. I only wish they would make these with Mother O' Pearl inlays again. A bound neck would also make me happy.

Its a 1995 MIJ Olympic White, with black pickguard that I bought online somewhere (the pickguard that is)

I do want to say that the vintage tuners on these are by far the easiest to restring that I have come across. Simply cut the string a few inches extra past the peg, stick it in the hole and wind it up.

Depends on the amp yr using, and if yr smart enough to get SeymoreDuncan replacement pickups. I think it sounds incredible.
MIJ stock pickups are garbage compared to the SD's.

So many awesome guitars get sold because of bad amps. I almost sold my JM due to what I percieved as its thin sterile sound, when it was in fact the piece of junk solid state CRATE half stack. I didnt realise this until I finally played through a vintage Bassman. Hey, we're all beginners at some point and not everyone has proper guidance.

I believe 3 things are necessary to make these guitars sound good. I discovered this by trial and error over many years.

1. Change the pickups to SD's. They offer 3 different outputs. I have the middle ones and they are great.

2. Use 11 guage or higher strings.

3. Get a GOOD tube amp. Im playing stereo through a 68 Silverface Bassman with 2 12's and a 1980's Marshall MKII half stack. The tone is unreal, makes my hairs stand up on end. Someone mentioned that these guitars are not good fr the hard rock/metal sound... that is simply not true. Sure, its not going to sound like a Les Paul, but if you have a Jazzmaster, you most likely *dont* want that sound anyways. Overdrive is where these guitar shine, i do believe. A side note, Distortion Pedals are NO SUBSTITUTE fr a good amp. If you want a quality distortion sound, dont rely on some 9volt Pedal.

I have also noticed that my Jazzmaster will sound different on a daily basis. One day its perfect - exactly what I want, and other days its less that perfect. I think maybe its due to the fluctuating weather in my area, as well as the nature of old tube amps.

I tend to roll down the Treble on my amps when using the Bridge pickup, for as its a little bit too bright.

My experience is that these guitars take some getting used to. I had the usual fret buzz that everyone complains about - so I raised the bridge and no more buzz. It seems to me that low action is an impossible dream with MIJ Jazzmasters. I have learned to play with moderate to High action, and its not a problem... in fact its made me a better player.

I had problems with the bridge screws lowering by themselves - so I took some clear nail polish and glued it in place, no longer a problem. If I want to readjust it later, it easily comes undone.

I had some problems with tuning - so I asked a professional and learned how to properly string it up, and how to properly intonate it... no longer a problem.

Everyone complains about the bridge. Over the years, the strings have worn a nice little notch into the grooves that were already there. I play pretty hard, and dont have a problem with string slipping anymore. I did though. If I bought a new JM, Id file the groove a little bit more to hasten this effect. I actually have grown top love the bridge.

The finish is nice enough. mine is chipped and stuff, but thats my fault. I believe guitars are meant to be played and NOT collected. Shame on all you collector scum out there hording super nice equipment, driving prices up beyond a real players grasp.

Once again, I wish the folks at Fender would wise up and realise that Block inlays and a bound neck add to the beauty of these guitars. I've seen some real cheap guitars with these features, so it cant be a question of saving money... wait a minute, what am I saying... Corporate greed = Make it cheaper cheaper cheaper. As if Japan owned Fender gives a hoot about stuff like making guitars into werks of art.

Its been my main guitar fr over 7 years (Ive been playing fr 11 years now). I never had a backup when playing out. Never had a problem besides breaking strings.
I have put my JM through hell and its still kicking. Routine tightening is necessary.

Never dealt with them. Ron at R-n-R takes care of every guitar that leaves his store.

Be warned that it is extremly easy to fall completely in love with these guitars. If mine was lost or stolen, Id do whatever it took to get another one - though Id save fr one with pearl inlays.

I have only messed around with the new American models in stores, but see no real difference between the MIJ and MIA models. If yr like me and cant afford a vintage or a American model, the MIJ will do fine.
Dont let "Best" ruin "good enough". Not everyone can be a picky anal purist.

Recently I aquired a 70's Epiphone Scroll which became my #1 guitar.
I didnt touch the JM fr a long time. Only recently I went back to the Fender, and remembered why I love it. Great sound, looks and style - doubled with a vibe that pushes creativity. Seems like every band that has pushed the envelope has used one of these somewhere down the line.

The same old features that the re-issue has. Not my bass but some guy who keeps on coming into Kelowna Guitarworks and bragging about his awesome Fender Jazzmaster. Not a bad guitar but I wish he would just shut-up!! basic features. Good Sound.

As I said above good sound. I have played and heard better. This Jeremy guy keeps on phoning G&L begging them to put out a re-issue of their own of the Jazz Master. Give it a rest buddy. It's an alright guitar but that's it!

Action O.K., But those damn strings keep on coming off if you play the guitar to hard. Gezz. Every time I am in Kelowna GuitarWorks checking out amps or guitars, this guy keeps on coming in to get his guitar fixed by the local luther there. Then he goes on and on about how this is the greatest guitar. His is the one with the Canadian Flag on it. I'm sure those guys at G&L know him by name as he phones there every week to asks them why they can't put off a re-issue Jazzmaster. Jeremy!! Isn't your Jazzmaster good enough???

I guess it is durable. Reliable. Not with those strings doing a pop-o-wheeley EVerytime you play HARD>>>>>>>>>>>

The finish is good. I think he paid too much for it. Meaning your guitar Jeremy Buddy!! And this is a re-issue so it should last awhile.

Yuckkyuyyyyyy yuckkkyyyyy. No customer support. Fender sells you a guitar and then kick you in the butt and say, we never want to see you again. God old Fender. Good gear but customer service is first to none. The Fender dealer is good, but the Fender factory is like a pawnshop cica 1980's.

Jeremy. Stop telling everyone that you have a Jazzmaster but leaving out the re-issue part. It is a re-issue not an original. The original Jazzmaster was made much better. The re0issue is O.K. but the quality isn't the same. Fender can put all the hype they want to on this but it isn't going to change a thang...

My Jazzmaster is a bit of a Frankenstein - most hardware, body and neck are 68, pickups and controls are from a 65, and the pickguard is a reissue! When I bought it, some of the original Klusons were damaged so I replaced them with reissues as well (I kept the old ones for the vintage freak in me!). I also had the nut replaced (high E slot allowed string to slip out) and entire guitar setup. I have a buzz-stop for it, but took that off as it prevents all the cool behind-the-bridge stuff you can do with the traditional setup. Fantastic neck - all the finish has long worn-away and it has that great, almost slippery feel. Guitar has been refretted at some point with jumbo-ish (?not sure exactly) fret-wire, and the surf green color might be a refin - it's so pristine that it's hard not to think so. It's possible that the color is a result of fadin/yellowing of lacquer over a light blue finish - there are a few spots around the headstock where the color is clearly blue and sea-foam-y green. I love this guitar, but it's a little temperamental, which is why I give it an 8.

I love the sound of this guitar - way more throaty and raw than my G&L tele's, this guitar sometimes makes me stare at my amp in disbelief. I play mutated pop, improvised other, and generally rock. I use a Fender Hot Rod DeVille (2x12), a Silverface Bassman through a Marshall 4x10 cabinet, or a Sovtek Mig50 through a single 12" Peavey cab (with the nice tweed finish, so it's not all Peavey ugly). Effects wise, I use a Marshall Compressor->TurboRat->Ibanez Tube Screamer reissue->ZVex Fuzz Factory->Big Briar MoogerFooger Ring Modulatore->Boss Pitch Shift/Delay->Boss Loop Station. Clean sounds with a bit of compression are really rich, especially when selecting both pickups; very nice sustain, chimey, present, etc. With one ore more distortion pedals going, the guitar begins to sound like it's coming apart (which I love); very full, dare I say it? - dangerous sound. The guitar is quite noisy on either of the single pickup sounds, but much of the hum goes away when both are in use. Others have complained about the string path and how it doesn't give good sustain, but I love the tremelo setup on this guitar, and am willing to sacrifice Gibson-style sustain for what's gained there.

This guitar is inherently pretty rickety - I don't believe these were rock-solid when they rolled off the line in the 60's and the last 35 years haven't helped much. That, too, adds to the charm of this guitar for me. It's not a perfect setup, and it needs more regular adjusting than any of my other guitars, but I really expected nothing less. I mess with my guitars all the time, trying out different configurations, so this isn't a big deal for me.

This guitar does withstand live playing. The hardware, etc. is all good. I'm not going to throw it on the floor in a temper tantrum, but I'm not like that anyway. I always have several guitars with me at shows, so the backup point is moot. I do depend on it regularly.

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I've been playing for 17 years. I have two G&L tele's, a DeArmond 335 copy, crappy Aria Pro II strat copy, DeArmond 7 string, lots of toys and other junk. I would love to have more Jazzmasters - I've always loved the look of this guitar - so I'd definitely look for another if mine went away.

This is a USA-made 2001 reissue '62 Jazzmaster. It has a custom color finish with a rosewood fingerboard,one-piece maple neck,standard floating tremolo,two vintage pickups..includes brown tolex hardshell case.

I play rock,blues,jazz,and other styles..both rhythm and lead. I use vintage tube amps like a Fender blackface Twin and a Super Reverb.
The pickups on this Jazzmaster are WAY too noisy. The only setting that is even reasonable is playing both pickups(wired to hum cancel here). The bridge pickup has an annoying treble,but the neck pickup sounds much better..if only it didn't hum. Once you turn up your amp for some punch,or stage volume..you have noise problems from generally thin sounding pickups. Fender should upgrade these pickups.

Guitar had an average set-up..shims in the neck,and not a real tight fit in the socket either. The rosewood fingerboard is very nice,and the neck was very straight..no problems here,although I could not quite get used to bending strings on those thin frets.
The floating bridge is very average..doesn't offer stability for tuning and intonation,and the angle of the strings to the tailpiece is not sharp enough.
Custom paint was nice,neck is finished very smooth.

It has a durable finish,beautiful rosewood,nice shiny chrome hardware.
It doesn't stay in tune that well, and the tremolo bar doesn't help. I made sure to lube the string trees and the nut, but still wasn't happy with it. I would not play out with it considering tuning headaches and the noisy pickups.

Fender has been slow on orders and customer service requests every time I have dealt with them in the past.

This guitar looks very cool, and the offset body shape is easy to hold when you play. It has a lot of tradition attached to it from the surfer music days...but not enough reliability for me to keep it. I already sold it and I do not miss it. I'm going to continue to purchase Gibsons with humbucks. I might try a hardtail Strat and add Kinman silent pickups to it. Check out Kinman's site.
Fender needs to redesign the Jazzmaster tremolo system,bridge,and pickups before I would buy another one.