Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by ohm-men » Tue Feb 02, 2021 1:32 pm

I'm thinking of doing a "replica" of a 58-60 Sunburst jazzmaster finish on a project I'm planning.
So I've been eying pics of original 58 to 60 Sunburst jazzmasters finishes.
So far I found that most have a quiet broad red band and that the yellow is different then what we typically see in later 60's sunburst.
Also in some cases the spray patterns of the burst do not match front/back and that they apear to be far less uniform of what we see in the 60's.

So, what's your opinion on these early offset sunburst finishes? How where they aplied.
Could it be that they were aplied in a different way? I "think" I see red overspray on the black edges!?
Also the hue of the red apears to be different then later sunburst finishes.
Does anyone here know how they were sprayed?

I know fender did a anniversary 58 a few year ago, but the sunburst finish apears more like a 2 tone then a 3 tone.
the pics of original vintage 58/59/60 Jazzmasters are 3 TSB. And these have either faded red, but the red is not as washed out as can be seen on later made guitars.

So please post pics of these early burst finishes and discuss these.

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:30 pm

You'll also find that many of the 1960 Jazzmasters had a thicker black band. My '59 was actually refinned to look like this.

I've actually said before that I'd love to get it re-done with less black & more of a 2-tone sunburst look, as if the red is all but gone.
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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by bterry » Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:35 pm

I think I have a few pics of my old ones, I will try to dig them up.

But, this finish would be (when new) identical to any 1958 Sunburst Stratocaster, I believe. Might want to also cross-reference any pics you can find of unfaded examples of Strats (I'm sure there are a few via a Google search) with any JMs you find, as they should be the same color palette and fade.

Assume you are looking for an unfaded/as new template? Because, these 1958/59 Fenders are famous for the red dye fading out when exposed to UV, making faded finishes unique to the individual guitar.

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by ohm-men » Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:50 pm

bterry wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:35 pm
I think I have a few pics of my old ones, I will try to dig them up.

But, this finish would be (when new) identical to any 1958 Sunburst Stratocaster, I believe. Might want to also cross-reference any pics you can find of unfaded examples of Strats (I'm sure there are a few via a Google search) with any JMs you find, as they should be the same color palette and fade.

Assume you are looking for an unfaded/as new template? Because, these 1958/59 Fenders are famous for the red dye fading out when exposed to UV, making faded finishes unique to the individual guitar.
I'd love to see the pics of the old ones.
I didn't think of doing a cross refference to strats of the same period. I have to check for those.

I'm indeed looking for a unfaded, new template to see how the bands were aplied. I came across some interesting examples that indeed look all unique. (less uniform than what's on the 60's jazzmasters, although these finishes are also pretty intesting)

I would like to recreate something based on a real late 50's 3 tone sunburst with the taller black edges and red that is a bit washed out, but not super faded. I intend to use a gold guard with possibly black pu covers (I know not period correct) but for the sake of the contrast.
The eventual guitar build will have no vintage parts whatsover, just more of a building expirience and to see if I can somewhat recreate a late 50's finish that looks somewhat period correct.

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by bterry » Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:48 am

Cool, I'll try to dig them up.

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:37 pm

You think you can't, you wish you could, I know you can, I wish you would. Slip inside this house as you pass by.

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by gishuk » Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:37 pm

Was just about to link that! :D

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by ohm-men » Thu Feb 04, 2021 10:46 am

Wow, that's just beautiful.... :?
I also like the back of the guitar, the black band follows the body contour all the way arround as does the the red and it also follows the contour of the tummy cut. Also the red is less faded on the back. Something to keep in mind.

And the sound of this guitar....amazing....

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:24 am

OK, now that I've picked my jaw back up off the floor...

2:00 - "Here's some Jaaazzmasterz...." :wtf: :w00t:

3:10 - "59 or 60 Jazzmaster..." ....which is exactly the type of finish I want to replicate on my own 59/60.
Just drop-dead gorgeous & a super dark guard too.
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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by ohm-men » Fri Feb 05, 2021 11:52 pm

:? That 59-60 Jm is ridiculous... Right up my alley for sure...

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by ohm-men » Sun Feb 07, 2021 4:42 am

Here are some pics I lifted from various sites, just for the purpose of these early Jm 3 TSB finishes;

1960 Tort guard;
Wide bands, with some fading out red.
Image
Image
Image

One from Norman's, I think a 1960 as well;
(print screen from yourube) but you can see the red band is less wide on this fine example
Image
Image

1958 or '59 Gold Guard;
Image
Image

Another '58 or 59, less good condition, but again a somewhat different patern;
Image
Image

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:25 am

ohm-men wrote:
Sun Feb 07, 2021 4:42 am
Image
This one's close to perfection!

Another thing to mention is that red, for whatever reason, is notoriously hard to photograph accurately in sunburst finishes. It often appears much brighter, more prominent than it actually is. I'd be surprised if that first 58/59 gold guard looked like that in person.
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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by Sauerkraut » Mon Feb 08, 2021 7:36 am

Went and lifted some more pics of the internet.

Lovely '59 JM:

Image
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Image

And this '60 JM reminds me of cheap knock-offs from later in the 60s. An extremely wide black band and almost no red visible:

Image
Image
Image

That last one looks a bit like this to me, or this.

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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Mon Feb 08, 2021 8:39 am

I'd be interested to know if any these early 1960 Jazzmasters were actual two-tone bursts, or if it's simply down to the red fading. It seems they were experimenting a little bit with the balance of colours. They were doing it with $trats around that time, right?
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Re: Let's talk about 58-60 Sunburst Jazzmasters....

Post by DJwiz » Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:37 am

IMHO, the sunburst of the gold guard JM is probably very representative of an early JM SB finish, for a guitar that sat in the case most of it's life, protecting the red band from UV. If it were my project, that is what I would shoot for.

That said, I am a total sucker for DARK 2-tone bursts on any guitar, especially seen on some old Gibson acoustics, as the last JM pictured exemplifies. It makes sense to me that some guitars were sprayed this way, if some $trats were sprayed that way around the same period. So, maybe go that way for something a little different, yet believable.

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