Fender Jazzmaster

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Apart from that, it is a standard Jazzmaster.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In terms of famouse users:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

great
great
every thing was and is perfect

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

just to have it repaired when it was droped

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

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

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

fit as a fiddle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NA

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

20 or more people have filled this section out already.

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

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

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

they take forever.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PERFECT

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

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

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

Perfect

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

Never dealt with Fender, never had to.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

n/a

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is a "parts" Jazzmaster pieced together with non-original parts. It's a 65 Jazzmaster body, bridge, and trem, Jazzmaster pickups of unknown date/origin, an allparts tortoiseshell pickguard, a Telecaster neck, and non-original finish. Jazzmasters are supposed to have a rhythm circuit like a Jaguar, but mine's missing. Instead, I have a thin switch (Jaguars had 'em, Jazzmasters didn't). Recently, my friend Mel from Los Mel-tones gave me a Seymour Duncan Jazzmaster pickup and I put it in BETWEEN the existing ones, making it a 3-pickup Jazzmaster. I have the old 3-way switch for neck/neck&bridge/bridge combinations, along with another 3-way switch which either turns the middle pickup on by itself or off, or turns it on with whichever pickups are on with the first switch. I can get any one of the three, any two, or all three with this setup...very versatile. What a Frankenstein! Wait, before you get mad, I bought this guitar in pieces and brought it home in a paper bag. I wouldn't do this to an all-original vintage guitar.

This guitar works really well for all the kinds of music I like: surf, garage, rockabilly and real (non-SRV/Clapton/Hendrix) blues. I use it with a Fender reverb from '63 and a '62 Super amp and it sounds really good. It can get really thin or really thick, and a whole lot in between. It's a different sound than other Jazzmasters cause of the third pickup, HUGE telecaster neck and different electronics.

How can you judge the set-up of a guitar you bring home in pieces in a paper bag? I have a set of .13-.56 flatwound strings on it and it feels great. The finish is by yours truly (I painted it white) so it's not perfect but it looks fine from a few feet away. I've worked on this guitar a whole lot so it's set up the way I like it.

This was my main guitar before I got my '65 Jaguar. Now it's #2. I beat the crap out of my guitars, and they survive. This guitar is no exception. I haven't broken strings on it (remember, they're .13s) and it never let me down.

Never needed it.

I've been playing for about 14 years (half my life). My other guitars are a '65 Jaguar and a re-issue Strat. This guitar has seen alot of use on stage and on recordings. I really like it and I'd be sorely pissed if anything ever happenned to it. Anyone trying to steal it would get a Doc Marten boot in the head before you could say "Hold it, you weasel!" The only thing this guitar is missing is a built-in beer keg. Maybe I'll install it and then it would be the "Frat-o-caster." If you want to see a photo of it (before it got a third pickup) go to www.scenemusic.org/artists/treblemakers

* made in 1962, usa. * 21 frets. * solid top. * movable arm w/ plastic knob lock vibrato, lead circuit (volume, tone, 3-way switching), rythm circuit (volume, tone). * s/h pickup configuration. * 2 p-90 cream single coil pickups. * passive electronics. * ash neck and body. * enamle finish. * jazz body style. * rocker bridge. * kluson deluxe non-locking tuners. * jazz tolex hardshell bass case (the previous owner needed the extra space).

it has a jazzy sound, but it would go well with all music types. i am mostly a heavy punk/rock musician, but i play all different types of music. i am in jazz band at my school and we play different varieties of jazz, swing, etc. i have a 170 watt standel bass/normal amp, a small gretch streamline amp, and a kay wah-wah pedal. i'm only 14 yrs old, so i don't usually have any money. i hoping to get a morley pro distortion wah II, a gibson cl-20 standard plus acoustic guitar, and a marshall valvestate vs100r combo amp. the guitar sounds the loudest when the volume is up to 10 (duh) on rythm setting. with my standel amp up to 10 also, it is possible to get loud enough to be heard through almost 2 neighborhoods (i can't explain it very well, you would have to hear it for yourself). the jazzmaster has the best sound i have ever heard coming out of an electric guitar. the guitar comes in real handy when you have a lousy mini recording studio. it can produce a whole bunch of different sounds ina whole bunch of different ways. you have the rythm setting (a little distortion addes to it), the lead setting (a very clean, clear sound), and the whami bar. this guitar would work if you need a rythm and lead guitarist, but only have one. the thing i don't like about the jazzmaster is that it's rather old. it has a few knicks around the bottom edge, i had to take out the whami bar because since the arm is removable, it wouldn't stay in one place. i can't get it to lock anymore either. the pick guard screws are nickel instead of stainless stell, so they are very rusty, same with the frets, bridge, tuners, and pickups. i took it apart, and the wireing is in excellent condition, but the spaces in the body are moldy, so i had to clean that out. the paint is still fairly good. other than that, the guitar is perfect.

the guitar was set up really well, there isn't much i can tell you other than that. i had to go re-adjust the pickups. i might have to replace them sooner or later, but i think that they will probably last another decade or so. the top was bookmatched properly, and the bridge was routed properly also. the flaws was that everything on the guitar that is made out of nickle, is rusted. the whami bar is bad, the pickups aren't very good anymore, but all that is just because the guitar is old.

this guitar will withstand live playing, only i don't thrash with it anymore because i get nicks in it. i would have to replace everything that is nickle eventually, and maybe i could cover up those nicks, but other than that, it will last for a very long time. it depends on how it is being taken care of. the strap buttons are solid, i can depend on it, and i use it on a gig without a backup because nothing bad happens to it unless someone takes it from me and bashes it. it is rock solid if i take out the whami bar.

i haven't had to deal with company, and i don't need to. i never had to get it repaired because i am very good at fixing guitars. if it had a warranty, i think that it would be expired by now.

i have been playing for 11 years. i have 3 patch cords, 3 straps, too many guitar picks to count because i like to collect them, i always keep 2 sets of extra strings with me. usually i use fender 150 extra light, but i have to use mark II for the time being. i have a kay wah-wah pedal, a microphone somewhere, a standel 170 watt bass/normal standel amp, a gretch streamline amp, a casio keyboard, zildjian 5a hickory drum sticks, vic farth 8d jazz drumsticks, and a concord mini recording studio.

This Jazzmaster was sitting in an old auto paint shop for many years. The guy I bought it from, was told to clean up the paint store, he found this guitar. Sure enough, it was a 1958 FENDER JAZZMASTER with all the original parts. The only thing not original was the finish. He found it unfinished, ready to be sprayed. This guitar has a slab fingerboard, gold anondized pickguard, and Pat pend on the tremolo. The body is 2 peice alder. The amazing thing about this guitar is the wiring harness and controls. The remind me of electronics from WW2. In any case, this had a date of December 1958, penciled on the neck, under the laquer. An impressive find INDEED.

My friend has a 1959 Jazzmaster, but it sounds nothing like this guitar. I think the wood, electronics, and gold pickguard help to give this guitar its unique tone. I play alternative, and this guitar is perfect for that. I had the guitar restored by John Warden of Warden Custom Guitars, and he did a beautifal job restoring it back to its 3 color sunburst finish. The sound is Fender Hollow to the extreme. My best Strat will not get this tone. For some fantastic reason, this guitar will stay in near perfect tune and intonation. The pickups are a little noisy, but not as much as you would think (Remember the gold anondized pickuard was used to cancel signal interference). My overall opinion of this guitar is one of the best. It sounds like Clapton meets the Chili Peppers. When it comes to Psychedelic there is no comparison. This guitar has a tone that is as deep as the Grand Canyon.

All the factory work was probably the finest ever instituted by Fender. The Pickups were spun on the same spool, with identicle number of turns (Note to Jazzmaster collecter's: if the Ohms are not nearly identical with the pickups,the pickup or pickups were rewound or replaced). The slab board was used on this guitar in 58' and set the trend for the other models. The bridge and tremolo are not good for Hendrix stuff, but good for 50's style tremolo effects. Overall a fantastic, inovative fat sounding guitar.

This guitar is as solid as they come, but it is an aquired taste. It is best for toneful phsychedelic or grunge. It is not good for any 80's style Heavy metal ( Maybe Elvis Costello). Jazzmaster's tend to vary as far as intonation and tone so I would search hard before spending too much money on the wrong Jazzmaster. Clapton used this guitar with the Roosters back in 63, so it probably can withstand alot.

Wouldn't have just anyone work on this. John Warden is my tech, so he's the only one to work on it. Other than that, I've never had to get in touch with Fender yet.

If you can find a 58' Jazzmaster get it. I was lucky (incredibly lucky) to find a treasure like this. It is like going back in time. I like this guitar for its "tone" which is unlike any Fender Strat or Tele. It pushes more of that Fender Hollow sound, which I love. I wish there were more out there, but I think people have now caught on to the value of this guitar. I remeber when they were cheap. Not anymore!!!

My jazzmaster is a 1961 model with the biggest, fattest slab neck I have ever seen (Fender stopped making rosewood slab boards in early 1962). It has the same 25.5 scale, radius, fret count, etc. as vintage strats. It is attached to the body with four bolts. The tuners were kluson deluxes, which were a bit worn, and have beened replaced with good quality replicas (the originals put away).
The guitar has two soap bar single coil pickups and a three way switch (neck/both/bridge). The pickups are noisy, except in the middle sition, which is reverse polarity and hum canceling. There are two nobs on the lower bout, one for volume, and one for tone, which ontrol both pickups. In addition, there is a switch on the upper out, accompanied by two rollers. In the up position, the neck pickup is elected, with tone and volume controlled by the two rollers. Theoretically, then, your switches give you four distinct tones; bridge, middle, and two neck settings. Realistically, few players use the upper bout switch (it's more natural to use the standard volume and tone for a second neck setting).
The vibrato arm is floating. It has a smoother feel than a strat, but lacks the pitch range. It's very comfortable, perfect for half step surf dips and pulls, not good for dive bombing. Tuning stability is typical for a vintage whammy.
Each string can be individually adjusted for height and intonation. Each bridge piece has about a dozen shallow grooves that the string can sit in; I'm guessing the intent is to allow players to micro adjust string spacing. If true, this is a brain dead "feature" -- tring spacing should be the result of a properly installed nut and neck placement. In addition, the grooves are shallow enough so that strings will jump out of the grooves if the guitar is played hard. The bridge design also results in below average sustain. Some jazzmaster players buy an aftermarket gizmo to hold the strings down, which solves the above described problems, but looks goofy.
The bridge also has a switch which allows you to lock down the tremelo for string changes.
When I purchased the guitar, it had all of its original gold hardware, a bit worn but sensational looking, and its original tortoise guard. The guitar had been repainted a ghastly yellow, apparently with a broom. I had it refinished nitrocellulose surf green by master painter Scott Lentz. The results are fantastic, the best looking jazzmaster ever. It has since been gigged pretty heavily, and when the frets completely wore out, I had them replaced with a set made from a super hard swedish alloy recommended by my (excellent) guitar tech, John Warden. It came with the original flat brown case in excellent condition. These old cases are not very practical, IMO, so I generally used a gig bag. Many of the "features" on this guitar, state of the art in 1961, are either quaint or useless. It gets pluses for tonal versatility, great looking hardware, world class slab neck, a good whammy, and individually adjustable string height and intonation; minuses for noisy pickups and below average tuning stability (by modern standards).

I play traditional rock and roll, blues, surf, and swing jazz. My number one amp setup is a '59 reissue bassman and a reissue reverb tank. I don't use any distortion that I can't get by turning the bassman up. The impressions set forth below come after many AB sessions over the years; ie, going back and forth between guitars to make sure of what I was hearing.
This is the best sounding electric guitar I have ever owned. The neck pickup is warm and very guitar like. Each string can be heard clearly. It's perfect for Chuck Berry double stops. The middle setting is, as noted above, hum canceling. It is a bit sterile sounding at low volumes, but has a great blues sound when pushed. The bridge pickup is just great; much more machismo than a strat, more warmth and depth than a tele (not to put down the tele sound). These are three very distinct sounds, all very cool. The volume knob greatly influences the sound; when it's pegged, you get a slightly overdriven sound, and it cleans up when you back down.
The one negative is excessive pickup noise, worse than a strat.

This was a used guitar, and I have no idea how it looked new.

This guitar is rock solid. Tuning stability is good enough for professional playing. The electronics are complex, which increases the risk of interior wiring problems, shorts, etc. I carry a spare, which is humbucker equipped, to use if the room is extremely electronically noisy.

not applicable; 37 year old guitar.

How long have you been playing? 27 years
What other gear do you own? new Epiphone Emperor Regent, 60s Fender Bronco (hotrodded with SD little 59), Jerry Jones 6 string bass, 1934 Gibson L5.
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? They are pretty expensive now. I might be able to get part of the vibe with a reissue jazzmaster, and SD jazzmaster antiquities. I'd sure miss the neck.
Did you compare it to other guitars? I have owned about 20-30 guitars, including many strats and teles. These include a dead original '62 strat and a dead original '52 esquire. Found myself always going back to the jazzmaster, and trading or selling the others. Also used to have a '62 slab jag. Wish I still had that one.

My Jazzmaster is from 1965, and i'm guessing it was made in the USA. it has two p-90 pickups, a neck and bridge, a 3-way toggle switch, volume and tone knobs, one slide switch, and two roller knobs. the slide switch swaps between two different circuits. the roller knobs contol one circuit and the big knobs control the other. the neck is realtively skinny and is rosewood. it has a floating tremolo system, that stays in tune rather well.

The clean sound is amazing, its realy nice. perfect for playing stuff like r.e.m. the distorted tone is the really reason i'm not giving it a ten. it sounds good distorted but its a bit too mellow. i've read that when fender was designing these guitars, they wanted them to have mellow sound so jazz players would use jazzmasters. i play through a mesa/boogie preamp and power amp, and a fender bassman head, both going into a mesa/boogie 1x12 cab. through the boogie stuff and the bassman, it has a mellow sound distorted, more so through the boogie stuff. but other than the distorted tone being too mellow, its sounds great. i play pop and punk, and it suits me perfectly.

This guitar seems pretty dependable, its been around since the 60s so i guess its a durable guitar. i can depend on it.

never dealt with fender

I love this guitar and everything about it. i like mine a lot because whoever had it before me refinished it to ocean turquoise, and it has a tortoise shell pickguard, so its a really nice looking guitar. but it has such a great feel to it and sounds really good, so i suggest this people looking for a good clean sounding guitar or a good punk/grunge guitar. i admit the old ones are a little expensive now, but the newer ones are not. and occasionally you find a cheap one thats vintage.