I've always been curious - what about the Jazzmaster would make it particularly suitable for playing jazz with? Has any notable jazz player ever used one? In other words, what was Fender thinking????
I've always been curious - what about the Jazzmaster would make it particularly suitable for playing jazz with? Has any notable jazz player ever used one? In other words, what was Fender thinking????
s'all goof.
I think the original concept was the offset waist made it comfortable for playing while seated, and the pickups were supposed to be "darker" and therefore able to give a more jazz-approved tone. Also, the rhythm-lead circuit would be helpful for vamping out the chords and then stepping up to take a lead.
I also think that surf bands took them over and the jazz guys never had a chance.
curt, they were being completees. none of the jazzmasters i've played have been very "jazzy". alternative rock and surf are great on them.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
It's interesting...Jazzmasters were Fender's top of the line guitar. In 1958 they listed with a price tag $50 more than a Strat. Big bucks back then. It was developed to have a tone much richer and warmer than the company's other products and was definitely aimed at the Jazz market, with Fender thinking the tonal options/depth would be just what the Jazzers wanted. Of course, it wasn't and the thing finally died a death in the late 70s/early 80s I think. Even then, it was hella expensive. Nowadays the originals and reissues (I've heard the reissues are magnificently put together) are picked up by the alt rock/indy and retro crowd. As far as I know no Jazz player of note has ever used a Jazzmaster.
Tenebrae
exactly.
i bought mine about 10 years ago for $750. minimum wage was $5, and that was a whole summer of cutting lawns and painting at that rate.
it wasn't until i put new pups in mine that it really showed what it could do (not very jazzy mind you). still though, it is THE BEST guitar i own, period.
mine is an MIJ mind you, great workmanship, crappy pups. but i've played some of the new ones and they were pretty cool. they don't sound like mine though so i'll stick with what i've got.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
Originally Posted by tenebrae
Just when you think you're safe in making claims... :)
Tenebrae
Yeah, but I doubt he liked it. Tele's do jazz better than the Jazzmaster does.
Tenebrae
Yeah, but I doubt he liked it. Tele's do jazz better than the Jazzmaster does.
I remember an interview with Joe and at the time he said something like, "This is nice, but it's not Jazz."
I've also heard that the guitar belonged to a rehab program he was in.
VM
If aliens listened to our current top 40, they'd think that the entire planet was populated by sexually ambivalent robots with ethnic insecurity.
Yep. It's when he was kicking heroin at Synanon.
I believe that Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall gave 'em a spin and said pretty much the same thing.
I owned one when I was in an alt-rock, shoegaze kind of band back in the nineties. It was a really nice guitar, but the pickups lacked focus and I wouldn't be so 'jazzed' up about it if I still owned it now.
"I'm gonna find myself a girl
that can show me what laughter means
And we'll fill in the missing colors
In each other's paint-by-number dreams..."
Oh man, this is dangerous... I was just at my fav shop telling them to call me when they get in JMs and Jags. Been feeling the whole My Bloody Valentine vibe lately and am interested. Did the Shoegazers mostly play JMs?
Yup. Jags and JM's.Did the Shoegazers mostly play JMs?
"Go Team Venture!"
Thurston Moore, Jay Mascis, Kurt Cobain... all Jazzmaster wranglers
the jazzmaster jedi
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
What about Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine and the guy(s) from Swervedriver? I love the noisy jangle those guys made!
Ok, Sonic Youth used pretty much anything. So that includes Jags and Jazzes. Depends on the era you're talking. IIRC then Jet Set is all Jags.
Cobain was a Jag player. He was a small guy, he had small hands. Jags have a 24" scale length and they were cheap when he started playing them so he played them. 'In Utero' (and the subsequent tour) onwards was done on a black MIJ HSS strat before he moved onto his custom Jagstangs.
J Mascis is Mr. Jazzmaster if you ask me. That's what he plays man.
Kevin Shields also played JMs (among other funny things like Vox guitars....)
Also, Courtney Love from Hole and various others I forget at present.
You ever seen "The Year Punk Broke"? I'm pretty sure everyone uses a Jazzmaster at some point or another in there. Maybe they just passed Jay's around? :hee
DOH! I loved at the cover of MBV's "loveless" last night... yeah, it's blurry, but there does appear to be a JM on the cover...
Mickey Baker (Mickey and Sylvia). "The Wildest Guitar" in my player right now. Question: Is it jazz, rock or ??? Recorded in '59 with a new aluminum guard JM. BTW, I just got in a Fender Japan Aluminum Guard burst '59 JM replica. Yum, yum. Tossed in a set of Curtis Novak handwound vintage JM pickups. YOW!
If there was a JM with say p-90's in it... would it be more jazzable?
"The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."
"there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"
Is that one of those "If a tree falls in the forest..." questions? ;)
Could be...
"The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."
"there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"
Didn't Leo Fender also prefer jazz to rock n' roll, hence the attempt to produce a 'jazz' Fender guitar? Plus his marketing men wanted a slice of the Gibson action, no doubt.
Jazzmasters (and Jags) had that extra-dark sounding preset that could be accessed via the recessed pots on the top bout. I always thought that the whole extra tone circuit sounded awful on those, and never used anything but the regular switch on my '61 Jazzmaster.
I have a question...I have a chance to get a ?'68? Jazzmaster. Average condition as far as I can tell for a 38 year old guitar. It's an rusty/reddish-orange color. Owner says his dad bought it new. I question a refin. but he denies the possibility. Original case too. Same guy I bought my '69 Twin Reverb from a little over a year ago. What's it worth, ballpark. I know all the "what ever your willing to pay for" crap. I looked it up on ebay and didn't find one like it. So, any ideas? I have a chance to see it again tomorrow, so any quick help would be appreciated.
Dean
'64 SGJR
'65 ES335TD
'69 VIBROLUX REVERB
'69 TWIN REVERB
'71 PRO REVERB
'76 LES PAUL STANDARD
'00 LES PAUL CLASSIC PLUS
'03 '70s STRATOCASTER
That rusty reddish-orange color could be an old Candy Apple Red that faded. They were known to do that. Blue Book says $1500 in average condition $2000 in excellent condition
VM
If aliens listened to our current top 40, they'd think that the entire planet was populated by sexually ambivalent robots with ethnic insecurity.
Fripperton, Thanx for the info. I'll check it out and let you guys know!
Dean
'64 SGJR
'65 ES335TD
'69 VIBROLUX REVERB
'69 TWIN REVERB
'71 PRO REVERB
'76 LES PAUL STANDARD
'00 LES PAUL CLASSIC PLUS
'03 '70s STRATOCASTER
I have a Jazzmaster question too.
I've only ever seen them with Rosewood boards. However, there is a photo in "The Story Of The Fender Stratocaster" by Ray Minhinnett & Bob Young (I'm sure plenty of you will own this book) captioned: "Freddie Tavares discusses guitar design with Leo Fender and Clint Walker" (page 21). They're all sat round playing Jazzmasters and the one on the left has a maple board neck. Did they exist or was this a one-off?
Adam
I'm pretty sure it was a one of a kind model. I've heard of some with maple boards in the 70's but all the early ones had rosewood as far as I know, prototypes excluded. If that pic is early enough it may have been with a strat neck which had maple boards before 1959 when the JM was introduced.
VM
If aliens listened to our current top 40, they'd think that the entire planet was populated by sexually ambivalent robots with ethnic insecurity.
Forest White had one of the Jazzmasters with a maple neck. IIRC, there were only three made.
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
I'm curious to know what an original 1958 Jazzmaster would be worth now and how many were made that year
Nels Cline plays a jazzmaster as his main guitar. He is more avant-garde jazz (also plays with wilco and has worked alot with Thurston Moore), but says he plays a lot of jazz music with it. The shoegaze dudes used them also...I would agree and say that I think that they're great, but not great for jazz.
I put P-90s into my JM-inspired guitar. Absolutely love the sound, but have to say it's less jazzy than the standard JM p/u's.
Seeing Nels' JM on the cover of GP actually inspired me to build mine. His "Jazz" sound on those mid-90s Nels Cline Trio discs was amazing, though I think he was playing a Jag on those.
Here's a pic of Nels mangling a JM. Hey, what's that amp on the chair behind him? Nah, couldn't be!
Nice pic! Did he stop at GC on his way to the in-store to buy that JM? It looks a tad newer than his 58. ;)
Yeah, it is a cool pic, wish I had been there
I wonder what that box he's diddling with is?
It's probably an EH 16-Second Delay.
Is that called a "Memory Man"?
I wanted to try one of those at GC the other day, but the guy couldn't find a power adapter to fit it. I really need a new delay effect.
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