Quandry, F or L series Jazzmaster!?

[Mr Scaramanga]

I have a dilemna, an expensive one. Please help.

I'm about to spend more money than I've ever spent on anything in my life, and for almost exactly the same price I can (just) get either a 65 L series or a 66 F Series Jazzmaster (both sunburst).

I've been saving for a long time and have given up waiting for a good e-bay/grapevine purchase so am just scouring the usual vintage guitar outlets. I've been assured that the 66 w/bound neck plays far better than the other...

I'm not collecting, just want to play a guitar I love but in the back of my mind I'm thinking that it makes financial sense to own an L-series.

It's a good problem, no doubt, but you can imagine the agonising?

[Orang Goreng]

It's a good problem, no doubt, but you can imagine the agonising?

Sure. A while ago I was faced with a choice between an '89 and a '73 SG, priced the same. The '89 was much nicer in all respects, but it seemed more logical to me to get the '73. I ended up getting the '89, but the '73 still haunts me at night .

If I were you and it would be possible to actually play them before you buy them, I'd pick the one that "speaks to you" most, so to say. I don't think '66 JMs are considered that much less valuable than a '65. Technically both are CBS guitars and may fetch slightly less money than a pre-CBS one because of the hype factor, but in reality the quality of both a '65 and a '66 will be equal to the ones made a few years earlier, as the "evil" CBS changes were made quite a bit later. But no two guitars are the same, so really, if you CAN play them, do so.