NGD with video! Fender Jazzmaster (American Original 60's)

[smogfalls]

It's been a while since I had a new guitar day, or made a significant gear purchase, but I've been wanting to break my offset guitar virginity for so long now and thought that with so many options on the market right now, this would be the perfect time, hence my earlier thread seeking the advice of you jazzmaster connoisseurs! You guys pointed me in the perfect direction and I am extremely happy with my choice. Originally I wasn't taken with the binded neck on the AO line, but loved the rest of the spec. I realised that this was a pretty lame reason to not go with that model so I sucked it up and went for it. In fact, these guitars were out of stock everywhere with a 4-6 month lead time, but I got very lucky when 1 suddenly appeared on the guitar guitar site on Friday morning!.. so I pounced on it and added next day, Saturday delivery.

Here are my initial thoughts..

It looks classy as fuck. Absolutely gorgeous to behold, and the binding is already growing on me. I just wish it was aged slightly to match the off-white plastics on the rest of the guitar. Hopefully it'll yellow with age.
This guitar feels great to play and has a very resonant, lively tone even unplugged. Fit and finish is stellar, and it’s pretty light all things considered.. (8lbs I believe). The neck carve is very comfortable.. in my primitive way, I'd call it a "medium" thickness. I usually play nocaster type telecasters or an old 1949 es125 which has my favourite neck of all time. Both are very thick. This jazzmaster neck isn't in that same ballpark, but it's reassuringly sturdy with a nice, natural taper.

My only gripe is the trem system. The bar will not stay in place at all and falls out with any movement. It’s also squeaky and rattly/clunky. I’ve already ordered the staytrem and staytrem bridge so am really looking forward to fitting those.

Also, although I’m enjoying the tone, it’s is extremely bright and I’m running my tone control halfway down. The bridge pickup is a bit weak sounding too and I’ve spent a good while tweaking the pickup heights and the overall setup. I’m going to patiently wait for December when mojo is taking on new orders again, and I’ll grab myself the jazzmaster set with overwound bridge. Hopefully this will sort the balance out a bit and thicken the tone a tad.
I'm already a huge fan of the rhythm circuit and can see this will be extremely useful for me. I play all sorts of styles of music and my main gig is in a roots/swing/country/blues band.. think Tom Waits/Marc Ribot mixed with George Barnes, Django and Charlie Christian style I guess would be an approximation. But I also play a lot of contemporary music, Slint, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, Mars Volta, Kendrick Lamar to name a few.
This guitar will give me the whole range with ease.. Bill Frisell one minute, Omar Rodriguez the next and all points in between.


Thanks to everyone for your advice and guidance on this, it’s been massively appreciated and I’m well chuffed with my first offset guitar!

Anyway, pictures speak a thousand words so here’s a little video I filmed upon taking the guitar out of its case. Towards the end I use the trem, which sounds great, but it's extremely loose once you use it/dislodge it from it's position, and then it'll just swing around and fall out eventually.
(Excuse the plastic coverings and stickers still being on the guitar!)

https://youtu.be/yJmt-PpVqhE


Cheers,
Alex

[mediocreplayer]

Your playing is so tasteful!

From this brief demo, it feels like this is the perfect guitar for you. You make it sound like two different instruments when you switch circuits and play different styles.

I actually was gassing for an AO JM and this video, somewhat counterintuitively, provided a sort of a temporary cure to this desire -- I pictured myself getting the guitar and doing some unrefined strumming and being eventually disappointed in myself that I cannot play like this. So, thanks?

Great guitar and great playing!

[Zeus]

The tremolo bar needs a really, really firm shove to get it seated in correctly.

It definitely shouldn't be falling out, that's not right.

Lovely playing BTW!

[Mondaysoutar]

As said above, the trem bar needs a relatively hefty push into place man. The Staytrem collet will be the same if not stiffer initially. Once it’s in properly, especially with the Staytrem, it’ll stay where you leave it and have no free play on it at all.

I’ve the same guitar, the binding pretty quickly mellowed in colour man, couple of months and it’ll have calmed down. Enjoy, it’s a great instrument man.

[zip73]

Beautiful JM. Beautiful playing. Ditto what others have said about the trem.

[BlueMelody]

Beautiful guitar and love your playing, the guitar seems to suit you well...congrats and enjoy!

[ThatGuyOverThere]

A JM paired with a Princeton seems to be perfection. What tasteful and colourful playing. Congratulations!

[gusgorman]

Congrats - great guitar and great playing. I love the Rhythm circuit too.

With regards to the brightness - you get a resonant peak on the lead circuit with the volume above 8 which results in a very bright sound so I tend to treat 8 as 10, and 10 as 12 Beat that Spinal Tap!

[smogfalls]

Thanks for the kind words guys and for the advice.
A couple of days later and I'm absolutely in love with this guitar, I cannot put it down! Staytrem gear should be arriving any day now so I'll restring with 11-52's once I've fitted those bits and see if that helps with my new found rattling B string!
The trem is still not staying put no matter how hard I push. I think I need to do that hammer trick with the end of the arm. Staytrem will sort it anyway.

That's interest @gusgorman .. I did notice is suddenly gets double as bright with the volume past 8!.. I'm now setting it just under and that's giving me much more usuable range on the tone control too. Thanks for the insight

[schoolie]

Round MIdnight is my favorite! Great playing! That clip pushed me over the edge, and now I have a Thanksgiving package arriving

[algeriet]

About the vibrato arm; you're gonna need to really put your back into it until you hear a *clunk* and almost think you've broken it. That sucker'll stay put forever!

[Savolover]

I’m thinking about buying one of these. What kind of weight would you say the guitar is? Nothing puts me off like a heavy guitar!

[smogfalls]

I’m thinking about buying one of these. What kind of weight would you say the guitar is? Nothing puts me off like a heavy guitar!

Not heavy at all.. 8lbs according to the place I bought it. Feels very comfy!