Guitar Tech Tips - Fender Jazzmaster Deep Dive Setup 

Jazzmaster is not only a guitar. It's a way of life.

In 1960, my older brother brought home a Jazzmaster and a Fender PRO amp. I was already playing guitar and so I jumped on THAT guitar! Back in the day (and I STILL do this) we would gouge out room in the pickguard for the screwdriver so we could adjust the neck (a cone bit on a Moto tool should work great!) ... no other techniques were needed. However, Jazzmasters -- by their design -- need a neck shim up by the body in order to keep downward pressure on the bridge. Cut a business card in half after taking off the neck, of course, and try one half of the card as a shim. If it needs more, stack both halves on top of each other. Reattach the neck and retune. Big difference. This guy knows a lot about this process and really cares that it is done right. I very much appreciate that!

18 minutes ago? wow, quality content right there, delivered by RU-vid straight from the Recommended section.

Absolutely the clearest information about Jazzmaster set up . Superior content and a good teacher. Many have knowledge. Only a few can teach. I have been scouring the net and had I found this first my search would’ve ended. It’s easy to determine who is his sponsor. That’s ok, just know there are common tools one can substitute for the ones he used. Like automobile feeler gauge from your local auto parts store. The BLACK gauge he used has white markings and are easier to see than scratches on a chrome tool.

Super helpful! 🙌 Been setting up my guitars myself for the last three years but once i got a Jazzmaster i realized they can be a bit finnicky for a beginner to setup haha.

Love these videos! You are single handedly saving my jazzmaster.

That first jazzmaster is gorgeous

Thanks so much for this video. What an excellent tutorial. You’re a great teacher. Music nomad stuff is great too, so much more affordable than Stewmac.

What a great tutorial. Thank you!

Hi bro my Fender Classic 60’s Jazzmaster & me say Thaks a lot… Grate class & great teacher 👏🏼🙏🏼

Best set up video ever....thank you!

Picked up my first Jazzmaster this morning, it’s a 2013 MIM. Bought it knowing it needs a tune up, played it anyway and I’m still amazed with its tone. Looks for the cool clip ✌🏼🏁🏜️

Great video!

Hrmmmm... is that an ocean turquoise jazzmaster??? lol Excellent resource for JM setups!

Muchas gracias por tu contenido!!

I watched this whole video even though my Jags don’t need any set ups.

I had a question about Mastery Tailpieces/Trem arm. I installed one on my Fender Mod Shop Jazzmaster, and I think the arm is longer than Fender’s, and I also think the string tension is a little higher with the Mastery system (compared to my other Jazzmaster which also has Mastery’s bridge but not tailpiece). Do those seem like legitimate observations to you, or am I not seeing/feeling this correctly?

What size feeler gauge do you use to check the neck relief? Bit foxed overall by anything to do with necks/trussrods!