Fender Jazzmaster (New vs. Old)

[rogercollege]

Anyone have any insight on the quality of NEW Fender guitars compared to the vintage? Aside from the collectibility of guitars from the 50's or 60's, are they better than a 2008 model? What is the general consensus regarding newly built American Fenders.

New models are obviously less expensive, but do they stand up (sonically and mechanically) to the vintage?

[drumsound]

Fender guitars are made well and sound good.

[arbitropia]

I currently have a 2007 Mustang (made in Japan), and it's a nice guitar that compares favorably to the '66 I used to have. I don't notice much of a difference in tone, playability, or aesthetics (besides the vintage one looking cooler by virtue of its age). Not sure about the Jazzmaster, haven't played one of the new ones. I will say that a '63 Jazzmaster was the nicest guitar I ever played, so the new ones would have to be pretty awesome to reach that level.

[Randy]

I have a 2006 Japanese Jaguar, which is the same wood and shape as the Jazzmaster. I have played '92 American Strat and a '63 Tele and as far as I can tell, they are peers in terms of build and quality tone.

[Rodgre]

I have three "old" Jazzmasters which are kind of Frankenstein, as they all have Strat necks, and two of them have Duncan "hot" Jazzmaster pups. The tone of the one with original 60's pups is pretty unique and I haven't heard a new US or Japan Jazzmaster have the same character. It could be just that guitar, but I tend to find new Jazzmasters a little brighter than the old ones. Bright in a way that makes them a little thin sounding especially on the bridge pickup. One of my guitars has All Parts replacement hardware, which I'm hot and cold about. I think the tension and action of the vibrato arm is nice, but I think the metal isn't as substantial as the original old ones.

I think the quality of the "Made in Japan" hardware isn't the greatest. The bridges and vibrato systems seem to be made of cheaper metal than the old ones. I think the current US-made Jazzmasters have better quality hardware, and it seems to make them play and sustain a little more substantially. I can't be sure if the "Crafted in Japan" ones are better quality, though I have played one, and I thought it was similar to the US made ones.

To be honest, these are quirky guitars, when you compare them to Strats and Teles. They're klunky and the string tension is odd, and the pivoting bridge is strange. It's so unique, compared to the majority of electric guitars. To that end, these quirks are what make you either LOVE them or hate them. I just happen to love them.

My advice for upgrading a new Jazzmaster, especially a "made in Japan" one, is to put in better pickups of your choice. Personally, I love the Duncan Hot Jazzmaster pickups, but your taste may be different. I think these are warmer and have a nice balance from low to high, when compared to Japanese Jazzmaster pickups. I find the Duncan "Vintage" Jazzmaster pickups to be nice as well, though a little too bright, once again.

Because I like to darken up the tone a little, I replaced the 1M pots volume pots with 250K in all but one of my Jazzmasters. I left my 60's Jazzmaster alone because it sounds wonderful.

Also, I like the Mustang bridges for Jazzmasters, as the adjustable saddles are always adjusting themselves and losing hex screws on me (cheap hardware). You can get a nice afternarket Mustang bridge that has the right spacing for a Jazzmaster, but personally I've never had an issue with my regular ones.

Some people like to use a Buzz Stop to change the break angle at which the strings go over the bridge, to keep them from popping out of the saddles, and to help with sustain. I tried one for years on my restored '63 Jaguar, and I never liked the string tension. It feels so much better to me without it.

If you set it up properly, and possibly shim the neck angle to go back a little bit, the string tension feels better to me and you have less of an issue with the bridges.

I also own a Japanese Mustang from the mid-90's and though I love the guitar, I do feel that it suffers from cheap hardware, and therefore it often has tuning issues. One of these days, I'll replace the tuners and maybe even upgrade the bridge and vibrato, but that's a couple hundred bucks that is going to the cable company this month.




Roger

[kayagum]

This may be a tangent, but I've found the G&L guitars (even the Korean made, American set up / pickup made Tribute Series) to be a better quality than any currently made Fender. Plus the tone is more of what I think a Fender should be.

Leo Fender's legacy seems better served here.

[JefffM]

Anyone have any insight on the quality of NEW Fender guitars compared to the vintage? Aside from the collectibility of guitars from the 50's or 60's, are they better than a 2008 model? What is the general consensus regarding newly built American Fenders.

New models are obviously less expensive, but do they stand up (sonically and mechanically) to the vintage?

Fenders are mass produced on an assembly line (and alays have been) so you will always get good ones and bad ones.

The best of the new ones will be much better than the worst examples of vintage ones. I would venture that the best example of a new one might be beaten by the best example of a vintage one as I think guitars improve with age and being played in but that might be objective.

The other reason why vintage guitars are seen as better than new ones may be down to "natural selection" - many of the bad ones that came off the production line in the 50's & 60's will have been broken up for spares or had parts replaced, work done on them to improve them, leaving a higher percentage of better examples around.

Changing the subject slightly, I have a mid 70's Telecaster Custom - from what most people to be the worst period in the company's history - complete with a neck humbucker and the dreaded 3 bolt tilt neck but everyone who plays it falls in love with it. A friend of mine had the same model from exactly the same time period and it was horrible - even without plugging it in, it had no natural sustain or tone (plus it was Wine colour).

So my answer to your question would be, whether you go for vintage or brand new, try out as many examples as you can before you buy. You will definitely find a great new one if that is what you want but don't just get the first one you see.

[rogercollege]

Thanks for the tips. Switching gears a bit...how do Jazzmasters compare to Jaguars? Any thoughts on which is better? I have a Les Paul thru a Vox AC30 but I'm looking for a thinner, less thick sound...the Fender sound. I want good sustain and I use a fair amount of fuzz and overdrive. Think Sonic Youth. No guitar solos, but loud.

Jaguar vs. Jazzmaster?

[Mystic Steamship Co.]

My best friend works at a place here in murfreesboro called guitar mill. They make custom guitars for really good deals. They just started making Jazzmasters and they are RIDICULOUS! I'm saving up for one. They do amazing relics, and you can get one for about the same price as an american fender but you can get exactly what you wan't and it would be made much better.

[Rodgre]

I have a Les Paul thru a Vox AC30 but I'm looking for a thinner, less thick sound...

What pickups are in your Les Paul? Though not as thin as a single coil, I find the Classic 57 pickups much more chimey and less heavy/murky through an AC30 than the hotter humbuckers like the 490Ts.

Jaguar vs. Jazzmaster?

Differences Between Jaguars and Jazzmasters

Roger

[rogercollege]

I've got a 74 Les Paul standard with factory pickups. They sound good. Very thick. I'm open to new pickups, but i'd like to have the Les Paul sound as an option...that's why I'm looking into a 2nd guitar. If I wanted to install new pickups into the Les, what options are best for getting a Les closer to a Fender sound?

[kayagum]

I forgot you were talking Jazzmasters...

.... you may want to look into Reverend Guitars!

http://reverendguitars.com/reverend/gui ... eries.html

http://reverendguitars.com/reverend/gui ... eries.html

[JefffM]

Thanks for the tips. Switching gears a bit...how do Jazzmasters compare to Jaguars? Any thoughts on which is better? I have a Les Paul thru a Vox AC30 but I'm looking for a thinner, less thick sound...the Fender sound. I want good sustain and I use a fair amount of fuzz and overdrive. Think Sonic Youth. No guitar solos, but loud.

Jaguar vs. Jazzmaster?

The Jazzmaster has a mellower sound I think. The Jaguar can sound very nasal. The Jag definitely hasn't as much sustain as either my Strat or my Teles. It's a great guitar for certain things but not as versatile as the 2 biggies. If I was looking for that "classic" Fender sound I'd be looking for a Strat or Tele.

The biggest difference from a playing point of view is that the Jag has a shorter scale length than the Jazzmaster (which is the same as a Strat/Tele). 24" compared to 25.5" for the Jazzmaster/Tele/Strat and 24.75" on your Les Paul. The strings on the Jag are a little bit closer together as well. This makes a huge difference to the feel of the instrument.

The tremelo on the Jag/Jazz is quite subtle - no good if you want to divebomb. A lot of people say the trem just puts the guitar out of tune but this is only if it hasn't been adjusted properly.

If you are a bit heavy with your right hand, you might find that the bridge design can cause you to dislodge the strings from the saddles with an over enthusiastic strum. A lot of people replace the bridge for this reason.

Having said that, it is one of the coolest looking guitars with the Jag having the edge in my opinion with the chrome control plates. If you can live with the quirks and the sound works for you, both are great guitars.

In fact, this thread has made me want to get my Jag out from under the bed and play some surf music.

[weatherbox]

I had a '63 JM and the current AVRI kills it. I like the AVRI and Japanese market JMs more than almost any vintage JM I've played - the one exception was a truly godlike '62 that was accordingly priced over $4500.

[stereopathetic_banjo]

I was in the very same boat for the years I was thinking of picking up a jazzmaster. I tried and tried to dig the new ones, but most sounded like dead planks. I'd played a handful of old ones (even side by side) and the old ones just breathed so much better. I understand old wood, etc. And I realize stock pickups tend to be crap on the new ones. What caught me by suprise is the J Mascis sig jazzmaster. My friend Casey recommended one and he's one with a 60's jazz. So I took a chance, and when I got the thing in my hands, that was it. No more lusting after an old one. Yes, the electronics are crap and the pickups are so-so, but I replaced both, and it still gets me excited everytime I play it out. Gushing aside, perhaps try one of those out-OR the new 'thinskin' jazzmasters that fender is making. I get the feeling those are good too...Good luck in the hunt.