I bought a pre-CBS Jazzmaster in the 70's in a pawnshop for 150 bucks and I love that goofy guitar. Sure it hums (like most Fenders), sure it's got strange wonky electronics and that weird garage spring whammy bar but I love that guitar. It's the neck. Fits my hand better than my Strat and it doesn't hurt my aging back like my Les Pauls. Loving and playing this guitar doesn't send my others to the cornfield. They still exist and I still play them but I play my Jazzmaster the most ... honest. I also prefer stomp boxes. Weird I know.
Julian Lage does!!! If you don't know his brilliance yet... you're welcome & enjoy! I love his solo work, but am even more crazy about his duo work with Nels Cline... and his 4 work with Nels Cline in the full band project - The Nels Cline 4
Not many, it's true. Ed Bickert is the most famous one: They are heavy and don't fit against my body in a comfortable way, particularly with their extended scale length (same as a Strat and JM, longer than Gibson) and rather light headstocks. I also don't like the feel of all the chrome (to be fair, Jags have a lot of chrome too).
A few years ago I thought I would take guitar lessons and bought a couple guitars. Not playing them right now for various reasons. But anyway, one of them, the cheaper one was a Squier Jag. I took it a reliable tech and had a complete set up done with a bone nut and had the bridge replaced with a StayTrem bridge from the UK. Eventually I put a U.S. Fender trem plate and arm on it. With .11s or .12s, the tuning was very stable.
The answer to the question of why they are great is certainly in the eyes and hands of the beholder. In all my years of playing and selling instruments, I could never personally get comfortable with the Jazzmaster and certainly not the Jaguar (due to its shorter scale length), yet I understand their appeal. On the Fender side of things, I have always been a Strat guy and to some degree a Tele guy, although I've yet to ever own one. Their perceived greatness in the modern era has almost nothing to do with what they were originally intended for, as many have already explained thoroughly. My take on their relative ubiquity these days is built on a variety of factors. My personal history with Strats and many of their derivations seems to follow this kind of a chronology; With the arrival of Jimi Hendrix's unleashing of the full potential of the Stratocaster, the blueprint of the Strat as the de-facto instrument for the pyrotechnical virtuoso was set and the Strat's chronological arc in the non-50's modern era pretty much started with Jimi and came to an end by the mid-90's, with the exception of John Mayer. This is not to say the Strat hasn't and can't be used by other players in other fields, but the image of the "gunslinger" guitar player could very easily be painted with a Strat or Strat type guitar in hand. The list of iconic "Straty" players is pretty extensive - Jimi, Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen, Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, early Mark Knopfler, Yngwie Malmsteen, even a guy like Mike McCready in the so-called grunge era, kept the idea of "if you're a serious guitar player, you play a Strat" idea alive. The arc of a Strat could also be described as such; Stock guitar played as it was designed (Buddy Holly, Eldon Shamblin, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy, Ike Turner), stock Strat played to the nth degree (Hendrix, Clapton, Blackmore and Bolin), home-brew modified Strat (EVH), small build/higher tech/EMG "super Strats" (LA studio musicians, 80's David Gilmour, Jamie West-Oram, Daryl Stuermer), production high end "super Strat" virtuosos (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Frank Gambale, Allan Holdsworth), return of the stock Strat/vintage "relic'd" virtuoso (Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Johnson) and then ending with Mike McCready from Pearl Jam and John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Current players that rely heavily on a Strat, can almost categorically be described as coming from one of the above camps. By the end of the millennium, I think people/listeners and players alike became bored with the ubiquity of the Strat and reacted rather strongly against it. John Mayer's arrival and his use of the Strat was both a return of its viability and catalyzed an aggressive reactionary stance many younger players have towards the Strat. I saw it happen first hand in the retail sphere...Literally in one year, our Strat (and Strat-ish) stock and orders went from about half of our electric stock to less than 10%. We had an entire wall of Strats at one point we had to mark way down to move them...people simply stopped purchasing and asking for them. In fact, our store's identity became somewhat negatively associated as being "a Strat store" i.e. not the cool store. I could probably come up with a similar narrative arc for the Telecaster, but I don't think it has ever had the same visceral negative reaction the Strat experiences with younger musicians. And the 70's inspired Tele Deluxe models helped curb a negative reaction. Basically, for better or for worse, the Strat just isn't "cool" to a lot of younger musicians. They see the shape of a Strat and they have this visceral negative reaction for some reason. Is it irrational at times? Sure. Could a younger player who relies on effects and the creation of "sound scapes" do what they do on a Strat? Absolutely. We may see a return of the Strat into the "cool" camp with younger players in a non-ironic manner, as I see quite a few folks gravitate towards Strats that are big into Vulfpeck and other more rhythmic usage. But it is still, to this day, not a guitar type that generates "oohs and ahhs" like it once did when you open the case, bring to a session or hop on stage with one. What replaced the Strat (and to some degree the Tele) for younger musicians? The Jazzmaster. Why? Mostly because of the above reasons. Do younger musicians these days have the same monetary limitations or aesthetics the punks and post-punks of the late 70's had? Probably not, but I did see first hand the reactions young musicians had to what I would present to them as a "cool" guitar (a Strat) and then promptly respond with "what else ya got"? If I happened to have a beat up old Coronado or a Starcaster available (which was rare) they would respond with the "oohs and aahs" previously given to a Strat or a Tele. If I happened to have an old vintage Jazzmaster, they would REALLY get excited until I told them the price. Once Fender caught on and began releasing affordable re-issues and re-interpretations of the Jazzmaster and to a lesser extent, the Jaguar, sales of those types really picked up and the Strat receded into the background. Enough time has elapsed to convince me the Jazzmaster/Jaguar (or more succinct "off-set guitar") boom is not just a fluke or an outlier. Is it partially based on reactions against the Strat? Probably so, to some extent, but I think equally for what they bring to the table beyond the aesthetic/coolness factor. As many have stated earlier in the thread, Jazzmasters and Jaguars' "slinkier" string tension is one reason. There is a tactile "give" to the strings on these guitars that is very different from a Strat or Tele. It is a similar dynamic that happens on a trapeze style Gibson guitar vs. a tune-a-matic style. (There was a similar reaction against LP style guitars in the retail market, with favoritism shifting to hollow bodies, Epiphone Casinos, Rivieras, trapeze 335's and switches to Gretsch/Bigbsy style guitars). The loss of sustain on a Jazzmaster is considered preferable, as the drier, more focused and less "hi-fi" tone sonically follows the aesthetics of modern music genres. They just sound way different than the ubiquitous Strat/Tele twang and full range sound, yet they also don't encroach into stereotypical Gibson-esque territory. The sympathetic "behind the bridge" vibrations are also desirable for "sonic scapes" and ambient sounds. Ironically enough, many of the playability and set up headaches, long associated with Jazzmasters and Jaguars frustrated the younger players, too (strings popping out, difficult intonation, etc.), but the logical solution ("hey, buy a Strat/Tele") was a "no fly zone" for them. Out of the necessity of a larger demand for better playing Jazzmasters, came the Mastery bridges and other tweaks made by repair shops to improve the playability, without damaging the "coolness" factor. Now that Fender and other small builders have caught up with the market, they offer all sorts of spins on the "off-set" guitar, some better than others, but with crucial tweaks and improvements over their vintage brethren to make them viable guitars well past just being a "non-Strat." The Mastery bridge, the tweaked neck angles and removal of the darn near, obsolete extra tone circuits makes the modern off-set guitar absolutely on par, playability wise with a good Strat or Tele. Ironically enough, the modern off-set craze is very similar to the "super Strat" boom of the 80's; a modern, "hot rodded" spin/improvement of an older design. Personally, I still can't warm up to the Jazzmaster/Off-set guitar. It sits weird on my body and even though the Jazzmaster neck is essentially a Strat neck, it doesn't work for me. But, I get why they are cool and I get what they do that Strats don't. Instead, I find myself playing my Elite Epiphone Riviera with a Bigsby when I want to head into the "modern/lo-fi/ambient/pedal board" sonic territory. It does all the "behind the bridge," loose vibrato and atypical sonic palette stuff, but it suits my body/playing style better. I bought the guitar on a whim when I could still get Epiphone EP pricing and when my Strat would simply cause jeering and snickers when I brought it to a gig. It has turned out to be as much a part of my sonic arsenal as my Strat. The mini-humbuckers don't sound like a "typical" guitar, yet, they are close enough in gain and treble response, that I don't have to make major adjustments to my rig after playing my Strat. Every time I've auditioned a Jazz/Off-set guitar through my rig, its just too muddy.
You are correct! In 1964, I was avidly searching for a good Fender guitar because I was really into playing surf music at the time. I tried them all at the time, but the Jaguar was considered the Fender flagship guitar then. I was on a limited budget and could not afford either the Jazzmaster or Jaguar. They were quit a bit more expensive than either the Stratocaster and Telecasters. I want to say they were close to around $400.00 but can't remember for sure. I settled on a white 1964 Fender Stratocaster similar to what Al Jardine is pictured with in the Beach Boys Concert album. It cost me $299.00 with a hard shell case. I thought my mother was going to have a cow. That was a lot of dough back in the day. In the long run, I made the best choice but was bummed at the time because the Jaguar and Jazzmaster were considered the quintessential surf guitars back then and I really wanted one. As an interesting side note, my surf music buddy who was a much better guitar player than I was, had pre ordered the mysterious Fender Marauder. He waited for over a year but it never came to fruition. By that time, people were switching over to Gibson electric guitars until Jimi Hendrix came on the scene. The rest is history.
I had a '70's green metalflake Jazzmaster with matching headstock that I bought for $100. It wasn't pre-CBS, but, today it would be "vintage". I didn't like the wobbly bridge, as others have noted, the strings would pop out easily. The little sliding switches were ungainly. Hopefully, whoever has it now has fixed it up and is enjoying it. I also had a 70's Tele. When I bought it, it was the cheapest Fender that I could find on 47th St. The previous owner had filled in the string holes, and installed a Les Paul Jr.-style stop tailpiece/bridge, and two humbuckers. It had a rosewood fingerboard. That was a fun guitar, but collectors would be apalled.
This is one of my guitars - the Fender Jaguarillo. It's basically a Jaguar mixed with a Strat. Fender sold them briefly in their Pawn Shop series.
I had a G&L ASAT special with the premium honey color. I really loved the quality of that guitar, but the neck profile was way too thin for my hands. I never really adapted to it. I eventually traded it for some African drums that I needed. I was going to try and replace the neck with an aftermarket neck, but G&L's neck pockets and scale are slightly different than Fender specs. It was better to just offload it. I was sorry because I really wanted to like that guitar. It was different and unique.
Yeah that was cool too! I loved the Pawn Shop series, they came up with some cool ideas at reasonable prices. Although I did have to take myself off Fender's mailing list, as there were too many guitars in the series I was tempted by!
First of all, never understood why it was called JAZZmaster It has a "tone" that has NOTHING from jazz, and I've never seen a well-respected jazz guitarist having one as a lead instrument. It had NO clean tone at all. PERIOD. The "clean" already sounded distorted, grainy and fuzzy Other than the looks, I think it one of the very worst electric guitars ever.
It was originally designed for jazz musicians. Were you playing an original Jazzmaster with the rhythm circuit, or one of the modern Standard/Player Series versions which have double humbuckers and are more or less large-bodied SGs? What you describe is the opposite of my experience with real Jazzmasters.
I really wish they worked for me, because this is one gorgeous guitar I'd love to own...the Johnny Marr signature Jaguar in metallic orange. But the short scale, bridge and tremolo design just don't lend themselves to my heavy handed bashing like my Telecaster, Les Paul Junior or Flying V do.
As mentioned, back in the day Jazzmasters & Jaguars were Fender’s top of the line guitars. The Jazzmaster is slightly bigger and heavier, the Jag has a short scale neck and, I believe, single coil PU’s. They both have a lot of switches and knobs to alter the sound in various ways - which look cool, but IMO are unnecessarily complicated and noisy. Strats and Teles were more affordable and more user friendly. However if you were into surf music and could afford one, it was THE “surf” guitar to have in the early 60’s.
MBV Loveless is all Fender Jazzmaster and I think it's the best guitar record ever made. Just my opinion. I can't play any instrument but I'm in awe of the sound. And the shape is just a gorgeous piece of equipment. Fender 60th Anniversary Classic Jazzmaster – Kevin Shields
Your experiences with guitars must be a lot different than mine. If you think a Jazzmaster is one of the worst ever you haven't played many guitars. They were called Jazzmaters as an attempt to market them to players who weren't using Fenders. As far as tone, the typical jazz guitar tone has been one of the weakest, drab and lifeless sounding instruments used in jazz. Very few artists play with enough attack and high end to add interesting harmonics and depth and some still prescribe to the lameness. BTW Bill Frisell is considered a well-respected jazz guitarist and he loves Jazzmasters.
My main guitar is a Jaguar, specifically the Classic Player Jaguar HH that I modified with P-rails pickups. What I love about it, and all Jaguars, is their short scale neck that makes playing a bit smoother and their versatility with tone options. The biggest draw for me is the trem arm, which I sometimes hold in my strumming arm to accent downstrokes (kinda like My Bloody Valentine.) I love that surf-rock sound. Also, Jags have that curvy, offset body shape that just looks like a beautiful woman's body to me.
For those who've mentioned how noisy the Jags can be, I have a Jaguar bass that can be played in passive or active mode and it was noisy when I got it (particularly in active mode). So, I shielded the cavities with copper tape and it's drop dead silent now. One key is no gaps in the shielding. I view the Jaguar as being distinctly different from a Jazz bass or P bass. I generally play fretless with rosewood or ebony boards and really dig in, so I don't use rounds on them. But the Jaguar, which is much closer to a Jazz than it is to a P (it's the same scale as both, unlike on the guitar side, apparently), allows me to use Thomastik-Infeld Powerbass rounds to give me the crunch of a Jazz bass and, when switching to active mode, adding (rather than switching over to) a huge, round low end to the sound.
