Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

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shoegaze_head
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Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

Post by shoegaze_head » Sat Oct 08, 2022 3:36 pm

Hey ladies and germs,

I've been sitting on some parts to build my own jazzblaster for a while, I like the sound of wide range humbuckers and thought it would be cool to build my dream guitar. Recently though it seems like all my money is being eaten up by bills, school, etc etc so I'm wondering if I should postpone the blaster and just get a telecaster deluxe (also the bassist of my band is a major telecaster apologist and won't shut up about how I need one lol). The amount of money I need to pour into getting the blaster finished is a decent sum more than buying either a squier CV 70s tele deluxe or even a reissue fender.

Expecting heavy bias to the jazzblaster, but curious to hear you guys' opinions on what I should do. Do you think the feel of the guitars would be different? I haven't owned a tele so I'm not sure how different it would be.

Would there be any sonic differences between the two? I can't imagine it since it will be the same pickups just in a different body.

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Re: Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

Post by MattK » Sat Oct 08, 2022 4:22 pm

I made my choice some time ago, no regrets -
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Re: Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

Post by MattK » Sat Oct 08, 2022 4:24 pm

I guess it comes down to, do you need a vibrato? Otherwise the scale and voicing are the same and it'd just be body shape preference (well I suppose there are control differences but it's not a lot, and the TD has the edge with a tone control for each pickup).

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Re: Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

Post by Embenny » Sat Oct 08, 2022 4:36 pm

I don't have a bias toward the Jazzmaster, it's just a matter of going with what you want from a guitar.

A Squier Tele Deluxe is just a Telecaster with humbuckers, unless you invest in CuNiFe or threaded alnico pickups. Getting a Squier JM with humbuckers in it is no closer nor farther away from Jazzblaster/Tele Deluxe territory.

Teles feel completely different to hold, and don't have the vibrato. So just pick which one you like more.
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Re: Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

Post by andy_tchp » Sat Oct 08, 2022 5:55 pm

shoegaze_head wrote:
Sat Oct 08, 2022 3:36 pm
Expecting heavy bias to the jazzblaster, but curious to hear you guys' opinions on what I should do. Do you think the feel of the guitars would be different?
Absolutely.
shoegaze_head wrote:
Sat Oct 08, 2022 3:36 pm
Would there be any sonic differences between the two? I can't imagine it since it will be the same pickups just in a different body.
Again, yes, absolutely. Pick attack/decay behaves entirely differently when comparing a Jazzmaster to a Telecaster.
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Re: Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

Post by jvin248 » Sun Oct 09, 2022 6:15 am

.

Moar Guitars is always a good thing for GAS-filled guitarists ;)

What I'd do: buy a used Tele Squier SS or EART/Harley Benton/Glarry/etc (Glarry and Eart sold them for $75 shipped via Amazon, if any fears about playability then just have a backup guitar tech and budget $50-$100 as insurance you probably won't need) and install a 4-way switch to get series humbucking mode out of the standard pickups, or even just hard wire the pickups together in series and have a permanent 'Junior' that you can play at gigs that is super durable. If you have access to a router you can buy a $10 half bridge and route space for your WRHB, or do the Eddie Van Halen trick of chipping out the cavity by hand. Many of the non-Squier competitors build full size guitars copying MIA where Squier goes with skinny necks and thinner bodies... save money and get 'moar' ;)

Remember there are half a dozen WRHBs out there ... most you'll find, including Fender built ones, are just standard humbuckers with offset screw poles and matching covers. Last I looked, Fender didn't sell any of their new CuNiFe WRHB except with a whole MIA guitar attached to them. Might find them on Stratosphere, but you need to be very particular about reading any sales listing to ensure that is what you are getting and not just a regular humbucker dressed differently.

Or get a humbucker festooned with screw poles on both bobbins so you can raise the magical two pairs of three screw poles like WRHBs. Screw poles act like EQ adjusters so this can actually help you get the tones you seek. Or if SS pickups in series just tip one for more treble and one for more bass and you can get something similar and fun too.

.

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Re: Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

Post by JSett » Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:54 am

jvin248 wrote:
Sun Oct 09, 2022 6:15 am

Remember there are half a dozen WRHBs out there ... most you'll find, including Fender built ones, are just standard humbuckers with offset screw poles and matching covers. Last I looked, Fender didn't sell any of their new CuNiFe WRHB except with a whole MIA guitar attached to them. Might find them on Stratosphere, but you need to be very particular about reading any sales listing to ensure that is what you are getting and not just a regular humbucker dressed differently.
.
Fender have been selling the CuNiFe separately ones for about 18 months now.
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Re: Jazzblaster vs Telecaster Deluxe

Post by Bradley-Jazz » Sun Oct 09, 2022 12:05 pm

I have a Squier Tele Deluxe. I put an Hosco WRHB in the bridge (alnico but pretty accurate) and 1M pots, and it’s a great guitar.

But it’s still a tele (I love teles). It *feels* nothing like my JM. The ergonomics are obviously very different but the big vibrating string length behind the JM bridge makes so much difference to the feel, the overtones, the way it responds.

If you want WRHBs, get the deluxe and swap in the pickups of your choice. If you want a JM with WRHBs, you’ll need a jazzblaster.
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