Does anybody use a Fender Jazzmaster for jazz?

[One_Note]

[Scotto]

Here’s my Jazzmaster with single Fralin P90 in the neck position. Pots and caps have been changed to give it a warmer sound along with brass saddles and Tomastik flatwounds. Fun guitar!

[lammie200]

So since I commented in this thread a while ago I changed my lineup of JM's. Both are partscasters, or in this case partsmasters. The bodies are from Warmoth. The necks are from Best Guitar Parts. The 6 string has Kinman pups and is wired with a conventional rhythm circuit and a 6 position Rothstein varitone with a concentric volume and tone pot in the 3-way switch circuit. It also has a Mastery tremolo and a Staytrem bridge that I got right before the maker stopped importing to the USA. It has a roasted ash body and a roasted maple neck with an ebony fretboard. The 12 string has Rose pups and the same varitone circuitry as the 6 string. It has a chambered ash body and a roasted maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. I have a passion hobby for partscasters and have been at it for over 30 years now. A lot more choices for parts these days than when I begun. That is kind of a curse because it leads me to change things although there aren't any reasons to change anything about these two, or my strat and tele partscasters. Really happy with them. I am working on two more teles at the moment - one will be for slide work and the other will be fretless. Yeah, I can't control my obsession.

Ahh! Damned by the sideway picture syndrome. Anyway, you get the picture(s.) Fixed.

[Greentone]

Yes. Jazzmaster pickups are excellent...perhaps the best pickup ever from Fender other than the Telecaster bridge pickup as originally produced.

[neatomic]

All we see here are P90s ... Anyone like proper jazzmasters pups?

i love jazzmaster pups...and the whole original jm tone circuit...can't be beat for jazz

leo designed the jm pickup with the p-90 in mind...same wide, shallow bobbin...but leo used real magnet polepieces (like he did on fender pups) instead of the p90s screw polepieces with bar magnets beneath the bobbin

jm pup has a bit more clarity and even tonal response...less in your face upper mids

my fave fender pup ever...tho i agree with gt ^, original tele bridge pup was clever...the even polepieces gave it an almost pedal steel vibe

all these jm vibed guitars are super cool, but nothing beats a true vintage style jazzmaster

cheers

[One_Note]

i love jazzmaster pups...and the whole original jm tone circuit...can't be beat for jazz

leo designed the jm pickup with the p-90 in mind...same wide, shallow bobbin...but leo used real magnet polepieces (like he did on fender pups) instead of the p90s screw polepieces with bar magnets beneath the bobbin

jm pup has a bit more clarity and even tonal response...less in your face upper mids

my fave fender pup ever...tho i agree with gt ^, original tele bridge pup was clever...the even polepieces gave it an almost pedal steel vibe

all these jm vibed guitars are super cool, but nothing beats a true vintage style jazzmaster

cheers

Jazzmaster pickups are really unique and interesting sounding. It does have some tonal response in common with P90s, but just shifted brighter and with greater articulation. Some of that is colored by the typical 1M pots used too.

[JGinNJ]

I came really close to buying one recently. I tried a few, from the Squier up to the Original 60's one- and a "real" original. The vintage one, through a Twin Reverb, was like buttah.. but they go for over 4K.
The Original 60's was the one, and I may buy one yet, but I bought a nice archtop instead.

Well, it took a year, but I just brought home a Classic Player JM, MIM circa 2010. It was competitively priced at my local GC, and has a nicer neck than the new Vintera. It sounded great through the Tonemaster Twin Reverb they had, and I'm trying to get a similar sound through my amps. Part of the reason I bought it is for quiet practice at night, and through a Roland miniCube on blackface setting, with headphones, I get that sound.
I realized, in getting familiar with it, and doing a little comparison to my archtops, that what's cool about it as a jazz guitar is not that sounds like an archtop, but that it has a unique, lush, full, clear sound. Makes me want to play Johnny Smith style chord melody (which is kind of my thing anyway!)

[lawson-stone]

I just got a Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster which I intent to use to play... jazz! I'll be posting a NGD and a clip or two real soon now.

[DMgolf66]

I just got a Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster which I intent to use to play... jazz! I'll be posting a NGD and a clip or two real soon now.

Looking g forward!

[ah.clem]

I purchased a Classic Vibe Tele with a Jazzmaster neck and neck pickup a few years ago and put TI Flat 12s on it, and I really like the sound compared to a straight-up Tele (which I also really like). If I didn't like archtops so much, I'd be tempted to buy a Jazzmaster. But I just got a beautiful '98 Ibanez AAF-207 that I've been looking for for a long time, and I'm working with a local luthier on the build of a custom 7 string acoustic flat top. This covid thing has cost me quite a bit of money.

[azureglo]

Re-animating an old thread but my recent shoulder injury has meant that clambering over my L4 is positively painful so built this as a "what if Leo had gone to talk to a young Joe Pass?" (or certainly the pre Synanon version with hair). I reckon what he would have come away with:

• Single neck pickup, preferably warm and bassy like an ES-150 “Charlie Christian”
• No tremolo
• Simple controls, no need for the silly bass cut, we use the volume when comping
• Super comfy to play sitting down (he even got a patent for this did, Leo)

So, I’m going for that imaginary spec starting with:



Some upgrades: hard tail plus some height adjustable saddles like the originals but sans threads and in brass for extra mojo… Bridge post taped up and height adjuster on lowest with thread locker.


A P90 from the real Mojo (UK)


Shielding:


Simplified controls from:


to: a stock 250K/0.047pF combo to keep everything mellow and treble free.


And voila!


So, first thoughts, running stock D’Addario 11s with a wound g and through my 1980's Polytone Mini Brute, this hits the sweet spot. Super comfy to play sitting down. Covers all my usual bases from hard bop swinging lines to cocktail bar solo chord melody with a simple twist of the volume knob. I do like this Mojo P90, very reminiscent of the P90 on my first ES-175, a 50’s model with a single pickup, lovely note separation on shell voicings and a nice tenor sax growl on solo lines. That said there's still a bit of “plinkiness” compared to my Offset Tele.

I’ll futz around with strings, having recently tried Thomastik 10 flat wounds in lieu of the D’Addario Chromes which I find too high tension and dull. Noise wise, I use P90s a lot and it’s there, but doesn’t bug me and I carry a Boss noise gate if things get ugly. That said, Mojo and a few others make Jazzmaster sized Humbuckers so they’re on the cards for further experimentation. If its a keeper, then I'll change that lurid cream cover and black knobs for some parchment items.

Further experiments to be done with:




It is actually just a glorified P90 as well and only bears a cosmetic resemblance to the real deal which sported two horizontal 4-inch steel magnets with three suspension screws for attachment. That said it’s got 38AWG winding wire, an Alnico 3 magnet and a civilised 3.2K output, perfect for no nasty pre amp overdrive…

Cheers

Anil

[WilliamScott]

Gorgeous. So how does it sound?

[azureglo]

Gorgeous. So how does it sound?

Woody and throaty, think Cannonball Adderley on Autumn leaves. Its surprisingly loud unplugged but through my Polytone MiniBrute its quite easy to tame: Compared to my late 60's L4, its actually closer to the elusive tenor sax timbre but its early days and a string change to Thomastik 10s is imminent. It blows any of my Teles into the weeds for the Ted Greene/Ed Bickert stuff.

It maybe the sheer user friendliness of that contoured body snuggling in like an old friend clouding my judgment buts its like rediscovering guitar playing all over again...loving it.

-Anil

[One_Note]

Very nice! I'm sure it's a proper Jazz machine. I do think a darker pickguard would look better with that finish, but that's just me.

[unknownguitarplayer]

Nice! Where did you get the single pickup pickguard?

[azureglo]

Nice! Where did you get the single pickup pickguard?

Thanks, its a custom order from Brian Pilans in the UK (approx £31): search for Squier Jazzmaster.

earlpilanz | eBay Stores

[unknownguitarplayer]

Thanks, its a custom order from Brian Pilans in the UK (approx £31): search for Squier Jazzmaster.

earlpilanz | eBay Stores

Thanks!

[Hammertone]

Plank guitars are fun. I like the physical balance and extra wood tonejuice of a JM body. This one is 7.2 pounds - Hipshot stainless bridge, T-Armonds, MJT pine body, Warmoth fatback neck w/ 1 3/4" nut and jumbo frets. Great fun, until daddy takes the T-bird away:

[Little Jay]

Very cool project! I would be tempted to leave the bridge pickup for the occasional funk jam. That being said….. I can funk hard on my ES-125 with its single neck pickup so maybe not

[citizenk74]

Thanks, its a custom order from Brian Pilans in the UK (approx £31): search for Squier Jazzmaster.

earlpilanz | eBay Stores

[jim777]

That was outstanding

[azureglo]

Well Joe P may not have taken to the Jazzmaster but I'm lovin' it. Latest iteration:







It definitely likes these:



Started off as this:



Started off as an original series Affinity hardtail body, sanded/sealed/clear coated, changed the bridge to the US narrower spaced hardtail, added a Roswell Charlie Christian and a Classic Vibe 60’s neck.

[citizenk74]

Beautiful Guitar!

[azureglo]

Dig it,











Throaty, loud and super comfortable to play, maybe Mr C would approve...

Peace

Anil

[hotpepper01]

Interesting options so far. I have had a jazzmaster earlier. I have bought me one of these 6o anniversity classic Fender jazzmasters. Mexican made. Jazzmasters are good for playing while seated, That comes in handy as I play bigband and soon enough also jazz combo. They have that non P90, classic wide range single coil sound. That is a sound that is hard to find on other makes/models. In about 2/3 weeks I am going to pick it up in Germany during the autumn holiday break.
Not sure, do I need to shim the neck, replace the bridge by a Mastery or Halon, does it need the AVRI trem parts? Any shielding to do? I do not know yet. I will start with what I will get. This JM is a rare bird in the Netherlands where I live.