58-61 Jazzmasters sound best imo

[eggwheat]

I thought I get the groups view on this.. I really do think the early jazzmasters up to 62 sound better..I first bought a what i thought was a 66 jazzmaster, (this was years ago before I knew shit) I thought the sound was incredible..so I bought a ahother 66 jazzmaster, I thought it sounded weak and nothing like the other one, I was really dissapointed..Looked into it and realised the body of my original 66 jazmaster was actually ' 61. So basically my first jazzmaster was a 61 with a 66 neck on it! Looked at the pick-ups and sure enough they were black bobbins, and second 66 I bought was grey bobbins so I thought this is the reason..different pickups..So anyway after that I have always bought pre '62 jazzmasters, and every 65 or whatever jazzmaster ive tried..well i just dont think they sound as good. The '59 I have is the best sounding of the lot, I think it's incredible..and i'd love another 

[zhivago]

I've owned a '61, '64 and a '67

my favourite has been the '61....this is mostly due to feel though....

all three guitars sounded very, very nice...I did feel that the '61 and '64 had the edge over the '67 sound-wise...but that could be due to the individual guitars as a whole and not just the pups (I cannot know for sure though - it's pure speculation from my part)


it has to be said though, my favourite year for Jazzmasters is 1961...I haven't tried any 50s ones yet...maybe one day...but as it is, 1961 is my favourite year


as a further comparison, my '61 is Ash, and compared to the alder of the other two, I found the sound of the ash guitar to be more "airy" (if it makes eny sense)

I found the alder guitars to sound a bit more "dense"

I like both sounds a lot, so the second '61 I'm working on has an alder body

my 2p

[Gill]

I've played quite a few and owned a '63 w/ alder and currently have a '59 w/ ash...

The main differences I've noticed that do have an effect on the sound (as far as I can tell) are the slab board vs. the veneer and the ash vs. the alder.  Slab board JM's tend to sound a little woodier and richer, IMO, and the ash wood, like Z said, does sound airy and nice compared to the denser alder, which still sounds great, just different.

The post '65 JM's I've played have tended to be very light and seem to have smaller bodies and skinnier necks...I don't know if there's any truth to this, but I've played quite a few and all of them seemed to have these characteristics compared to the pre-cbs models.  I think the JM's sound better with heavier bodies, like Tele's, as they cut through more...

I have to say overall that ash is my favorite wood with a JM...airy and spanky.

I know Z favors the '61 for the neck size, but I haven't had the good fortune to play a '61 so I can't speak to that...the '59 neck is sweet, perhaps a little shallower in the back and a little beefier in the shoulders than the other early 60's JM's I've played if I had to describe it...

Additionally, even though the '59 is still all JM in sound and fit, I have to say that it is the most "strat-like" JM that I've ever played.  I say this in a good way, as it sustains a bit better than other JM's I've played and perhaps the ash wood contributes to the 50's strat-like tone.  Perhaps it is the bigger first generation body that's strat-sized, too...

Gill

[Jay]

I have two 65's and the Ash '61 and I like one of the '65s best.  It's noticeably brighter and punchier sounding then the other two.  Especially in the neck position where it doesn't get muddy when overdriven a little as the others tend to do.