Jazzmaster now your go-to guitar?

Kuras · February 21

I'm with @Panama_Jack666 on the Mastery bridge front. Have tried a Mustang, StayTrem but the Mastery was the clear winner.

stickyfiddle · February 21

I love my Jazzmaster. I don't use it for that much lately if I'm honest, but when you need a specific flavour there's little better

impmann · February 21

TBH, its not for everybody. And whilst it has definite Fender lineage, the JM doesn't feel remotely like a Strat or a Tele, in my experience. Sound wise, yes it has the brighter Fender sound but the wide pickups have their own sound - some can sound quite 'clanky', and not in a nice way.

A lot of folks will blather about the trem being the 'best in the world' - I'm not convinced it is. It depends on what you use a trem for (and no, I'm not a Floyd Rose divebomber as its not 1985 any more) but I'd probably put the PRS trem in that category for what I play. Its nice, and everything - once its set up properly - and will do everything a Bigsby does without 1) the ugliness, 2) the weight and 3) the dreadful stringing. The only thing it doesn't do that a Bigsby does is knock the guitar hideously out of tune if you so much as look it...

Comfort - unsurpassed imho in terms of body shape. Its great. The ergonomics are good, but the switch can be a pita if you play sitting down.

I'd never be able to replace a Strat or a Tele with a Jazzmaster - all three are very different. But a JM makes inspires me to play in a different way - and that in itself is worth the entrance fee.

duotone · February 21

As someone who doesn’t own a P90 equipped guitar, I’m watching this thread with interest.

Are the Jazzmaster pickups similar to the PRS Narrowfield humbucker?

https://uk.prsguitars.com/electrics/model/studio_2023_2

impmann · February 21

duotone said:

As someone who doesn’t own a P90 equipped guitar, I’m watching this thread with interest.

Are the Jazzmaster pickups similar to the PRS Narrowfield humbucker?
https://uk.prsguitars.com/electrics/model/studio_2023_2

Jazzmaster pickups are nothing like either a P90 or a PRS Narrowfield Humbucker. At. All.

Lestratcaster · February 21

I haven't played one unfortunately but I would like to try one!

Whitecat · February 21

duotone said:

As someone who doesn’t own a P90 equipped guitar, I’m watching this thread with interest.

Are the Jazzmaster pickups similar to the PRS Narrowfield humbucker?
https://uk.prsguitars.com/electrics/model/studio_2023_2

Narrowfields need to be treated like mini humbuckers, basically. Nothing like JM pickups, which are certainly not humbucking!

Lots of companies do JM style bodies with P90s, but as mentioned above, P90s are a very different pickup from a traditional JM.

A popular config is a P90 in the bridge (often a JM-sized one) and a JM pickup on the neck. Best of all worlds for some.

Funkfingers · February 21

Vintage-style JM pickups have wide, shallow coils.

The Fender Am Pro 1 series and some Squier JMs feature coils that are of similar proportions to a P90 but with individual rod magnet polepieces. (Good pickups but not pukka JM sounds.)

Several third party pickup makers now offer replacement designs that fit under JM covers but are actually humbuckers, Z-coil or whathaveyou.

Persons wishing to make a Jazzmaster fulfil some of the duties of a Stratocaster should check out Roebuck "Pop" Staples' modified JM.

brooom · February 21

It's not my main type, but certainly one of the guitars I play the most recently. I took me a while to appreciate what they do.

I don't think of it as an alternative to a strat or tele. It feels more like a jazz guitar in geometry, due to the tailpiece/floating bridge arrangement.

It makes me want to play chords. They sound great and can be made to feel great if well setup.

26.2 · February 21

A CIJ into an AC30 was my main live guitar from 2004-2011ish. Always sounded great, but I always preferred Tele or Jaguar in the studio. I’ve done the odd gig with it since then, but I’ve kind of moved away from it, mainly because I’ve ended up playing more lead these days and the Tele is a bit easier and perhaps sits a bit better in the mix. I think I’ll have a session on it tonight and see how it sounds for my current stuff.

I put real JM pickups in it as opposed to the CIJ ones and a mustang bridge, also better wiring and a stiffer trem spring.

jellybelly · February 21

duotone said:

As someone who doesn’t own a P90 equipped guitar, I’m watching this thread with interest.

Are the Jazzmaster pickups similar to the PRS Narrowfield humbucker?
https://uk.prsguitars.com/electrics/model/studio_2023_2

JM pickups are really flat, wide single coil pickups. They have pole piece magnets like a Strat/other Fender's, a lot of 'turns' compared to an equivalent Fender single coil and a wider sensing area which makes the neck pickup in particular very thick and warm sounding but without the additional output that a PAF or P90 would have for the same vague tonal output. The bridge pickup has a sort of percussive 'hollowness' to it too. Variations exist - 50s models had A2 magnets while later ones were brighter and had A5s. I've found them generally a bit 'cooler' on output for the same volume compared to a Jaguar, Strat or Tele.

Part of their 'bright' character is down to 1 meg pots as stock. Swap them for 250ks like a Strat and it'll sound like the warmest, thickest Strat ever, without giving up too much definition.

Sonic Youth are a good reference point - the intro to Teenage Riot is a neck pickup, while the intro to Kool Thing is that hollow bridge tone...

GavRichList · February 21

I personally find a Jaguar to be a bit more of a unique playing experience (in the context of fender) owing to the scale, though sonically a Jag is a little closer to tele and Strat territory (arguably more flexible than both, but that’s a tin hat discussion for another time).

As for Jazzmasters, they’re a lovely guitar to play for all the reasons others have covered. The neck pickup especially, as it’s probably my favourite sounding pickup full stop. They feel a big guitar, fwiw. Cowboy chords area of the neck feels very far away compared to say, a tele. In the main, the bridge pickups are pretty ass, until you add gain and/or chorus. My JM is my stock do-all-want-for-gigs touring guitar. It’d be my jag in truth, but it’s too valuable now.

Danielsguitars · February 22

I played a single cut for years then I made a jazzmaster and it was one of my favourite guitars I've made, what a sound they make, I also found out an offset is the most comfortable and so I started down the making set neck short scale offset road and it's where I'll stay now.

It's the best fender by miles for my tastes.

marxski · February 22

Don’t think it’s been covered here yet but a big difference between JM Strat and Tele is the in raised bridge of the JM whereas the other two lie flat against the body. This takes some getting used to.

Unless I have used the tremolo I sometimes can’t remember if it’s a Jazzmaster or Strat middle position I’ve used on recordings. But if there’s trem I can tell straight away as both have strong signatures.

As for JMs not being good for blues? This guy seems to getting on fine:

https://youtu.be/Yab9k_bEhQU?feature=shared

Revolutions · February 22

JM is a perfect do-it-all guitar. I put some higher output vintage style Creamery’s in mine & it gave me warmth a Jag or a Tele couldn’t do in an indie band. It’s got some grunt, and can do a convincing Gibson bridge pickup sound.

I went back to higher gain playing & regrettably sold this last year to raise some funds.

Revolutions · February 22

Revolutions said:

JM is a perfect do-it-all guitar. I put some higher output vintage style Creamery’s in mine & it gave me warmth a Jag or a Tele couldn’t do in an indie band. It’s got some grunt, and can do a convincing Gibson bridge pickup sound.

I went back to higher gain playing & regrettably sold this last year to raise some funds.

Oops, struggling to add photo on my phone

Sharky77 · February 22

I've played Strats and Teles for years and have only recently got into Jazzmasters. I bought a 40th Anniversary Aged Squier model a couple of years ago which is really great but last month finally took the plunge and built a really high spec one with a Mastery trem/bridge, Lust For Tone '59 pickups, 920D Wiring Harness etc

I do have a neck but it's currently with my tech having the headstock painted to match the body and the frets levelled so I currently have one of my strat necks on it whilst I'm away on tour. I absolutely love it! More 3d than a Strat with more lows and highs. It was unusable to start with without a treble bleed. With the 1meg pots as soon as you roll the volume back all the highs were gone and it was a really steep taper to the volume aswell. I installed a cap and resistor as a treble bleed and it made a HUGE difference. I also tend top leave the tone pot rolled off to 7 so it's not quite as bright.

Mastery trem feels incredible though and I don't have any tuning issues with it.

In regard to the OP question I don't feel it's in between a strat and a tele. The neck pickup in mine is bigger sounding than any strat or tele neck I've tried. Very satisfying for playing isolated at home.

lovestrat74 · February 22

Looks great, even with that strat neck on it

lovestrat74 · February 22

I've just set this one up as per Puisheen's recommendations, I guess I am half way there already. Plays great now. Raised the bridge up a little and put a .75" shim in the neck. Made a massive difference. Brought the guitar to life. Just need to route for some JM pups

GavRichList · February 22

If we're doing pics.....a quick flick through my phone tells me I've been playing JMs live for a decade now. Old bugger. (not to mention all the years of Mustang and Jags before that) anyway, have had 4 in total, and I'd argue that each is better than the last. Gold one sure was pretty, mind...

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