J Mascis Jazzmaster on the cover of german Gitarre & Bass magazine!

[luau]

If we don't support this than who will?

Agreed 100%.

I think it looks great.

[HeartfeltDawn]

well i have to say that i never have used a TOM on any guitar besides stop-tails.

i guess i'm wrong, but i would think string movement wouldn't be as easy and string breakage would increase due to this. i guess the strings don't get caught in the saddles? Bigsby's have TOM's too don't they? pretty sure i answered my own question. oh well.

I've got one Bigsby-equiped 335, the Maestro vibrola equiped 355, a Dillion Duo Jet clone with a Bigsby copy and have owned four other guitars with Bigsbys. it's fair to say I like them! All of them had T-O-M bridges and I can say that I've never broken a string live and very rarely does anything break on me at any time. I can think of two high E strings popping and that's it. I don't change my strings regularly, I leave them on for ages. I do tune down a half step from normal tuning though so maybe that takes out the stress on the strings. It does puzzle me why Bigsbys get such a bad rep when I personally find the normal Fender Strat trem to be utterly vile in every way!

Anyone ever used a roller bridge with a Jag or a JM?

[spacecadet]

Well, the obvious flipside of that is to ask why it being a J. Mascis guitar would prevent you from wanting to play it?  I mean, if you like it otherwise, why on earth does a small signature decal on the headstock make a difference?  How is playing some anonymous designer at Fender's vision of what a Jazzmaster should look like any more or less onerous?

That wasn't totally my point.  The point is what if I don't want a TOM or any of this other stuff but I do want a purple guitar with a gold guard?  I have to buy the J. Mascis Signature Model, which makes it look like I'm trying to copy J. Mascis and includes a bunch of stuff I don't want, when all I really want is a purple guitar with a gold guard.  See?

I'm saying colors change on guitars all the time, and the guitar is still what it is - color doesn't affect sound or playability.  If you want a TOM and whatever else, great - but that's not a Jazzmaster to me, it's not stock.  So why can't Fender just release a standard JM in some new colors and let people customize themselves afterwards?  Why are they still stuck with these 1950's color schemes?  (I know you can refinish, but it's harder than just replacing a bridge or tremolo or whatever... and then you can never put the guitar back to stock again if you so choose.)

It's like if a car company only made a particular model car in red if you also bought it with an automatic transmission, just because some famous celebrity who also drives a red car likes automatic transmissions.  So I can't get that car in red if I want to drive a stick?  And I have to have some dumb decal that says "Paris Hilton Signature Model" or whatever on it for all to see?  What if I don't particularly like Paris Hilton?  Why would I want to advertise her?  So I'm stuck buying a brown car because Paris Hilton likes automatics.

Yes, this is sort of an indictment of "signature model" guitars in general.  I think they're mostly marketing.

[StevenO]

Well, the obvious flipside of that is to ask why it being a J. Mascis guitar would prevent you from wanting to play it?  I mean, if you like it otherwise, why on earth does a small signature decal on the headstock make a difference?  How is playing some anonymous designer at Fender's vision of what a Jazzmaster should look like any more or less onerous?

That wasn't totally my point.  The point is what if I don't want a TOM or any of this other stuff but I do want a purple guitar with a gold guard?  I have to buy the J. Mascis Signature Model, which makes it look like I'm trying to copy J. Mascis and includes a bunch of stuff I don't want, when all I really want is a purple guitar with a gold guard.  See?

Yeah, that's what i was trying to get at. The guitar is really nice but it is distinct and will always have that "J Mascis signature model" aura attatched to it which makes you not so unique.  And besides, guitar porn won't be so fun if there is thread after thread of the same super distinct looking guitar, Right?

[pullover]

I don't see you as being poser for owning someones signature model (even a J. Mascis signature). Unless of course your band is called Shminasaur Shmunior, you sound like a cross between Niel Young and melodic Sonic Youth, and you take too many "extended solos". Which, come to think of it, probably describes a lot of people here!
To be honest, though, not a lot of people know who the fuck J. Mascis is, let alone what his guitar looks like. Dweebs may know, but in the end who cares.
I wish Fender offered more color options too, but when I buy a guitar it's mine not Fenders. Change the color, the bridge, the pickguard, who cares if it can't go back to stock, it's yours now. I think bands should be judged by how they sound, not by what model guitars they play anyway. Although, if you're a douche, and your band sucks, it's not helping you any when you play that Deryck Whibley Squier Telecaster with red X's painted all over it!

[holy-reverb!!]

Dinosaur performed on MTV canada a few weeks ago and they gave a new J jazzmaster away. It looks amazing  when the guy was showing it off. So they are in last stages of pre-production already if they are giving them away. Unfortunately  I could not go to the show because I had an exam. Still, it was exciting to see the new J model on TV.

[HeartfeltDawn]

I like the look of the guitar, but would anyone honestly play this?  It's kind of obvious that you're playing "somebody else's" guitar.

There's loads of name guitars out there. The McGuinn Rickenbacker, BB King's Lucille, the Johnny Smith jazz archtop, Clapton's had god knows how many guitars named after him and people buy them. I don't think this is any different. It's not for me but someone will like it.

[djetz]

Gold guard=  

Yeah, a lot of people here seem to feel that way. I just don't get it. Gold, to me, looks like metallic urine. I feel the only use for the stuff is in electronics, where you don't have to see it. I like shiny stuff, but silver/chrome just looks a million times better to me than gold. But, you know, whatever floats your boat.

[echobaseone]

Gold, to me, looks like metallic urine.

METALLIC URINE It's ANOTHER one for the band names thread.

[fourmations]

hi

I move that the J Mascis JazzMaster be herafter known as the "JM-JM" 

i'm in the "signature = sad" boat

i'd feel like a dickhead with a J jm
and this is coming from someone who is irrationally obsessed with him!

Hand on my heart, J is the sole reason i bought a JM
(it didnt bother me that MBV, SY and swervies use them either!

having said that I would not want a J JM - smacks of obsessive loser
that is trying to get some J mojo from it!

I am very interested in the larger fret theory and would love to play one,
its not on my shopping list though, if i loved the frets I would get a warmouth neck
or something like that preloaded with my fave frets,

ciao

4

[Daysleeper]

I wouldn't buy one, but c'mon! Doesn't this guy deserve one?

He's been sporting JM's for decades, even when it wasn't cool to have one. You may not like it, but shouldn't we be glad that a great player and one of our favorite offsets is finally getting some praise.

Don't like it...don't get it, it will be gone before you know it. Mine as well enjoy the Jazzmaster model finally getting some attention. Enough of these damn strat signatures...how many are there now?

[StevenO]

I wouldn't mind a Nels Cline signature 59' Jazzmaster but of course Fender would obviously end up screwing that one up.

[JazzBlaster]

Hand on my heart, J is the sole reason i bought a JM
(it didnt bother me that MBV, SY and swervies use them either!

+1

what's going to happen is they will make a short run of these, then in a few years everyone will say "Remember that J Mascis Signiture model? Wish I had one of those!"

[RumorsOFsurF]

i'm in the "signature = sad" boat
i'd feel like a dickhead with a J jm
and this is coming from someone who is irrationally obsessed with him!

I like some of the Signature models.  Some of them have features that are unavailable in the other models.  Example:  Muddy Waters Tele has amp knobs and rosewood board. Cool features, IMO.  For around 500, not a bad price!  Another example: Jimmy Vaughan $trat.  Under 500. MIM with "V" neck and Tex Mex PUs(If you are in to that).  On the other hand, the Eric Johnson $trat is a little pricey for a non-custom shop model...

*Ducks and waits for barrage of insults about $trats..

[fourmations]

i'm in the "signature = sad" boat
i'd feel like a dickhead with a J jm
and this is coming from someone who is irrationally obsessed with him!

I like some of the Signature models.  Some of them have features that are unavailable in the other models.  Example:  Muddy Waters Tele has amp knobs and rosewood board. Cool features, IMO.  For around 500, not a bad price!  Another example: Jimmy Vaughan $trat.  Under 500. MIM with "V" neck and Tex Mex PUs(If you are in to that).  On the other hand, the Eric Johnson $trat is a little pricey for a non-custom shop model...

*Ducks and waits for barrage of insults about $trats..

there are so many signature strats,
the fact that there is only one sig JM means it will stand out a mile,

I'm sure in a year, that there will be more JMJM's
than 3ts with white p/g and b&b's!!

i dont think the purple is right, its not the right shade
nice idea but need a "better" purple IMO

rgds

4