This is the first Jazzmaster I've ever owned and the second offset I've ever owned– I had an MIJ MG-69 Mustang for a hot minute, but never really bonded with it. My main guitars are a Tele, Sheraton, and an SG so this is new territory for me but I'm enjoying it so far. This one is only a year old, so it's pretty much in mint condition.
Build quality is spot on and exactly what I expect from Fender Japan. Between this and my MIJ tele, I dunno if I would ever spend the extra money on an MIA Fender unless I had to.
U-shape neck (feels more like a full C), 9.5" radius, 1.615" nut width, angled neck pocket, glossy neck, vintage tuners, CTS pots, and the best Fender color IMO. I like that Fender took the time to shield the body cavity too. I need to break out the multimeter and verify continuity, but it's pretty quiet so far. The stock bridge rattled like crazy so I immediately swapped it out for an American Pro bridge– problem solved. Made for an easier setup too.
I'm not crazy about the "Vintage-Style Single-Coil" pickups. As far as I can tell they're just rebranded V-Mods which are wound more like glorified strat pickups
. I'm going to make sure she's a keeper before eventually replacing the pickups. Probably a set of Curtis Novaks.I'm still getting used to the vintage-size frets and while the basswood body isn't a deal breaker, I would have preferred alder or ash. I know they have to keep it under a certain price point though.
All in all it's a great guitar so far, especially for the price!
