Time to talk about one of the coolest Jazzmasters - possible prototype?

[zhivago]

this guitar was on a shop on gbase, years ago....it was listed for a long, long time as a "'57 prototype"

it never had a price attached to it, and after quite a while, it disappeared without a trace from the website....the photos listed were the following two:






later on, I stumbled across the following pic, which I used to think was of the same guitar....it appears that the decal is different though...might be the angle of the pic...I just can't be sure...  :-\




anyone have any more info/pics of the above guitar?

it's one of my favourite Jazzmasters ever

[Soiouz]

I think the three pics are of the same guitar, as I found the same photos together about a month ago on the web...   The guitar is still up for sale somewhere, but I did not keep track of the website where I found it...   :-[

If I find it again, I'll post the link here..



It looks like the trem has a patent number on it?? A later replacement?

[Naturality]

I saw the first two of those pics ages ago, about a year or so.
I think it's the same guitar, look at the grain it looks identical

[zhivago]

hmmm...yes, a replaced trem is a possibility I guess....I wish the pictures were larger....if you do find the link again, that would be great...I wonder what the price on it is...



mind you, provided a Scotland guard is at hand, building a replica should be quite straightforward

[CLETUStheFETUS]

I dont know....but it looks like heaven: Sunburst with the golden god pickgaurd!

[Soiouz]

Ok, I found the links....

On one page, they say "Call for price".. Here:

http://www.bestguitars.com/57Jazz.html


On the other, it is part of their gallery, and it says "Not for sale"... Go figure!  Here:

http://www.bestguitars.com/collection/57Jazz.html

[zhivago]

hehe...I guess there's a price for everything....


the description from the site:

1957/58 Fender Maple Neck Jazzmaster.

Here it is. One of the rarest Fender guitars in the world. An original solid maple neck Jazzmaster with anodized guard. The first few prototype Jazzmasters were seen around the factory with solid maple necks. This is one of those rare guitars. The neck is big and chunky, dated 5/57, and bears what looks like a "clipped" Duo-sonic logo stating only "Fender" [totally original.] Plus, the shape of the headstock is not that of a Strat or a later production Jazzmaster, but somewhere in between. The guitar is all original except for a professional re-fret. Comes with original tweed Jazzmaster case. How COOL is that?? For the serious collector ONLY!

[manwith2brains25]

probobly sounds great but im not too big of a fan of gold PGs or any light colord necks but hell if i could get my hands on that thing i would just change a few things and it would be perfect

[zhivago]

heh...you just reminded me of this Harmony Central review:

Product: Fender Esquire
Price Paid: US $25
Submitted 10/05/2000 at 06:53pm by Joe Franks
Email: kris4johnhome dot com

Features : 7

1950's Fender Esquire(Like Telecaster)Found it at a garage sale for 25 dollars. The seller was an older woman who said she bought it for he late husband sometime in the 1950's...he never played it and it had been collecting dust.

Sound : 7

This guitar had the twangiest sound I have ever heard. It was really thin sounding and did not stay in tune. I put some seymore duncan humbuckers in it(it took a little routing but it fit pretty good. Sort of sounds like Angus Young now...the way a guitar should! I fixed the tuning problem with some old grovers I took off an older guitar...the holes did not line up but I managed to make it work by driling a few extra holes...stays in tune like a breeze now.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10

I thought the action was kind of high and the bridge was really dorkiy looking so I added a Floyd rose to it...my router really worked well on the installation...I also added a locking nut to keep it in tune when I take a dive on the whammy bar! I would have given it a 3 but with my modification it is now a ten!!!

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion

Must be pretty reliable because it has been around for nearly 50 years.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Don't know don't care.

Overall Rating : No Opinion

This guitar looked ok when I bought it...not many dings and a kind of yellow looking finish...I think it will looke better if I get it refinished. It is overall a great guitar after my modifications. I play really hard rock and mainly play my BC Rich which is a much superior guitar I might say. It is good to have a Fender even if it is just a $25 piece of junk. With a little help it has turned out to be pretty adequete for a backup axe. I would not have paid very much for this guitar but what the hell!

[holy-reverb!!]

what about this.

http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/fender.html

this never looked like a 57 to me.

[zhivago]

we talked about that one extensively at the old forum....I think the general idea was that the guitar being what mr Fullerton says it is, was not very likely.

plus apparently he's been a bit...."dubious" with all the stuff he's been saying lately.

I reckon he's just getting old and starting to lose it slightly...confusing stories, and then insisting that he's right.


my grandad was the same!...it's kinda cute, in a natural kinda way 

[JazzBlaster]

that's been on gbase forever and I been drooling over it forever

[JazzBlaster]

is that a post cbs headstock?

[DeadPenny]

holy crap!

i work at a music store... and if i meet the fool that did that chop-job to the Esquire, i swear by all that is holy... i'll KILL him.

B.C. Rich, superior guitar... bah

[burker]

holy crap!

i work at a music store... and if i meet the fool that did that chop-job to the Esquire, i swear by all that is holy... i'll KILL him.

B.C. Rich, superior guitar... bah

I'd like to think thats a joke (the review) but if not..... terrible