Squier J. Mascis - are they that good?

Neil

I am a fan of J.Mascis and I must admit they seem pretty reasonably priced for a trip into Jazzmaster territory.

I don't know if I would get on with one TBH as I had a Jag previously and found it heavy and bulky. I much preferred a  Strat.

What sort of weight are the Mascis models and how good are they really?

stonevibe

Heavier than your average Strat and not a bad JM for the money. Bridge and tailpiece aren’t traditional in choice and position of Trem, but it adds to the string tension, so works well

Funkfingers

Neil said:

I don't know if I would get on with one TBH as I had a Jag previously and found it heavy and bulky. 

Jazzmaster versus Jaguar.

• The neck sticks out further by one fret / 37mm. Hence, any muscle memory moves from your Jaguar will be out by one fret position.
• The pickup sounds are different. 
• No Bass Cut "strangle" switch.
• To equalise string tension, I give the 25.5" scale 010-046 and the 24" scale 011-052. 

As a Staytrem user, I approve of the non-rocking bridge on the Squier.

I am less convinced about the adjustable screw polepieces on the Squier pickups. That seems more like a P90 construction (two bar magnets beneath the coil bobbin) rather than a proper JM pickup construction (six rod magnets through the bobbin). It must have some influence on the overall tone.

These are just my opinions. You have to try the guitar and decide for yourself.

mikeyrob73

Great guitars @Neil ;

i may be about to put one up for sale if I can get the guitar I’m looking at I will need the space. 

Neil

mikeyrob73 said:

Great guitars @Neil ;

i may be about to put one up for sale if I can get the guitar I’m looking at I will need the space. 

Colour me interested @mikeyrob73 ; 

 I do like my guitars to be immaculate though. 

Neil

Funkfingers said:

Neil said:

I don't know if I would get on with one TBH as I had a Jag previously and found it heavy and bulky. 

Jazzmaster versus Jaguar.

• The neck sticks out further by one fret / 37mm. Hence, any muscle memory moves from your Jaguar will be out by one fret position.
• The pickup sounds are different. 
• No Bass Cut "strangle" switch.
• To equalise string tension, I give the 25.5" scale 010-046 and the 24" scale 011-052. 

As a Staytrem user, I approve of the non-rocking bridge on the Squier.

I am less convinced about the adjustable screw polepieces on the Squier pickups. That seems more like a P90 construction (two bar magnets beneath the coil bobbin) rather than a proper JM pickup construction (six rod magnets through the bobbin). It must have some influence on the overall tone.

These are just my opinions. You have to try the guitar and decide for yourself.

Apparently the pickups, bridge etc were specified by J himself so I guess that's the reason for the pickup anomalies. 

dazzajl

If you prefers a Strat to the Jag, the JM is probably going to feel even more oversized and ungainly to hold.

I really wanted to love a JM but it never felt right, a Strat is just perfect for me ergonomically. 

Definitely go and play one before buying blind to be sure you like it. 

Neil

dazzajl said:

If you prefers a Strat to the Jag, the JM is probably going to feel even more oversized and ungainly to hold.

I really wanted to love a JM but it never felt right, a Strat is just perfect for me ergonomically. 

Definitely go and play one before buying blind to be sure you like it. 

Is it really? 

I must admit I like my Les Paul's and Strat's but the Jag always felt queer to me.

NelsonP

I bought one recently - it's been quite heavily modified (in a good way) but fundamentally it's a very nice guitar.

NGD thread here:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/162554/ngd-squier-j-mascis-jazzmaster#latest

meltedbuzzbox

dazzajl said:

If you prefers a Strat to the Jag, the JM is probably going to feel even more oversized and ungainly to hold.

I really wanted to love a JM but it never felt right, a Strat is just perfect for me ergonomically. 

Definitely go and play one before buying blind to be sure you like it. 

A jag and a jm are practically the same size in terms of body dimensions 

thermionic

When I first got a Jaguar, I had no problem at all with fretting hand... but I did find myself picking behind the bridge the first time I picked it up!

Funkfingers

Make a feature of that. Add distortion and waggle the vibrato arm. 

Neil

NelsonP said:

I bought one recently - it's been quite heavily modified (in a good way) but fundamentally it's a very nice guitar.

NGD thread here:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/162554/ngd-squier-j-mascis-jazzmaster#latest

Yours actually looks great.

Prefer the tortoiseshell scratch plate, and some very nice upgrades. 

AntonHunter

meltedbuzzbox said:

dazzajl said:

If you prefers a Strat to the Jag, the JM is probably going to feel even more oversized and ungainly to hold.

I really wanted to love a JM but it never felt right, a Strat is just perfect for me ergonomically. 

Definitely go and play one before buying blind to be sure you like it. 

A jag and a jm are practically the same size in terms of body dimensions 

Different scale lengths though, I'd imagine that feels noticeably different. 

meltedbuzzbox

AntonHunter said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

dazzajl said:

If you prefers a Strat to the Jag, the JM is probably going to feel even more oversized and ungainly to hold.

I really wanted to love a JM but it never felt right, a Strat is just perfect for me ergonomically. 

Definitely go and play one before buying blind to be sure you like it. 

A jag and a jm are practically the same size in terms of body dimensions 

Different scale lengths though, I'd imagine that feels noticeably different. 

The neck feels shorter due to the scale length but the body sits exactly the same.

I swap between the two all the time. I cant say that it is ever a hindering experience 

meltedbuzzbox

https://forums.fender.com/viewtopic.php?t=22159

Worth a look, especially at the diagram half way down the page

punchesjudy

They're great guitars. Neck is particularly great imo. 
Pickups whilst not actually proper JM pickups are actually really good. 
Mine does weigh a lot , heaviest JM I've owned. Think it's around 8.9lbs or something, so not super heavy, just heavier than a lot of guitars.
Mines had the wiring upgraded and tuners are now Gotohs. It's now my main guitar, absolutely love it. 
Even without the upgrades it's a great guitar. 

Oh, stripped and refin'd as well.. obviously. Here it is. 

NelsonP

punchesjudy said:

They're great guitars. Neck is particularly great imo. 
Pickups whilst not actually proper JM pickups are actually really good. 
Mine does weigh a lot , heaviest JM I've owned. Think it's around 8.9lbs or something, so not super heavy, just heavier than a lot of guitars.
Mines had the wiring upgraded and tuners are now Gotohs. It's now my main guitar, absolutely love it. 
Even without the upgrades it's a great guitar. 

Oh, stripped and refin'd as well.. obviously. Here it is. 

Love that!

punchesjudy

@NelsonP Cheers! Love yours as well tbh. Just getting rid of the overly orange ish gold guard does wonders really. I'm still debating sticking some Mojo JM pickups in since I love the middle position so much with proper JM pickups. I am liking the stock p90 things though a lot. Beefy. 

Yours has all the upgrades that usually happen to my JMs regardless of where they originate from.