Hey Dunsy, great review. Ur tune at the end was awesome. I've got probably the coolest J Mascis Jazzmaster ever here. My brother Alex and my Mum got me 1 for my 50th 2 years ago. Alex emailed mbv and Kevin Shields and he offered 2 send it over 2 Mascis in Amherst. He signed it and Kevin signed it too. Cannot believe my luck. A J Mascis Jazzmaster signed by J Mascis and Kevin Shields!!!
Thanks so much for checking it out, I’m really pleased I got this one. Oh man, signed by J and Kevin?! Now that truly is a one-off! What a present from your family, absolutely brilliant!
Thanks Dunsy man. Loving ur videos. Soo many un-boxings. Lucky bugger. Great 2 see Ben from Senseless Things. Deco, my mate back in the 80s who gave me Dinosaur, YLAOM and Bug on vinyl was the hugest Senseless Things fan. Got It At The Delmar etc. Great memories. Do u have an email I could send ya pics of my Jazzmaster?? I named it JLK by the way. It stands for Just Like Kevin. Wanted something that combined J and Kevin, and also a bit of Robert Smith. I replaced the signed pickguard with a vinyl one, looks very Robert Smith. Gonna get the Mascis and Kevin Shields signed pickguard framed here on a purple background with Loveless and Green Mind covers. Sitting here playing Hand It Over on it now. Best guitar ever
Thanks Dunsy man. Loving ur videos. Soo many un-boxings. Lucky bugger. Great 2 see Ben from Senseless Things. Deco, my mate back in the 80s who gave me Dinosaur, YLAOM and Bug on vinyl was the hugest Senseless Things fan. Got It At The Delmar etc. Great memories. Do u have an email I could send ya pics of my Jazzmaster?? I named it JLK by the way. It stands for Just Like Kevin. Wanted something that combined J and Kevin, and also a bit of Robert Smith. I replaced the signed pickguard with a vinyl one, looks very Robert Smith. Gonna get the Mascis and Kevin Shields signed pickguard framed here on a purple background with Loveless and Green Mind covers. Sitting here playing Hand It Over on it now. Best guitar ever
The nite I met Kevin Shields. Literally the highlight of my life watching Mascis doing this!! And only 120 views. And Probably 118 of them are mine. Felt I had 2 comment then I noticed who else had. 3 comments 8 years apart for this genius ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qvw__3fG2Gk.html
I've read that the pickups on the Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazzmaster are super noisy but the ones on your Mascis sound pretty quiet. Thanks for the review, very helpful.
Great review thanks. I have one and agree that the neck is one of the best features, I remember J Mascis talking about basing it on a Fender Rory Gallagher Signature Strat , can't remember whether that was about the squire signature one or the purple fender one which preceded it though
Cheers for checking it out, Chris. Yeah, very nice guitar - even as someone who usually plays Gibson style guitars, I found this one really comfortable. Interesting re the Rory strat, could well be a similar neck. I've never had the opportunity to try one of them.
The Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster is one of the best bangs for your buck currently available on the market, it plays like a thousand dollar guitar for half the price (or less!). Not only does it come stock with the most common mods people would usually upgrade but Mascis specified tweaks and changes to just about everything on the instrument. It's got a fantastic, thin neck with a satin finish on the back, the pickups are incredibly well voiced and while very similar to P90's they retain the classic Jazzmaster tone. Mascis even asked for changes to the guitar layout itself specifically having the tremolo moved closer to the bridge to increase sustain. It also takes pedals and amps like a champ and I've yet to find something that doesn't work well with it. I can easily recommend checking one out if you're on the fence or interested in one, the only thing preventing this thing from being considered an "official" Fender is the logo on the headstock.
I own a super sonic (shell pink/tortoise shell). Awesome. Just bought this guitar today. Love them both! Squier is killing it. Everyone i know loves them.
Did you do that song in the end in that open tuning and is that a song you made up? Sounds so mega man. I'm thinking of grabbing one of these or the 40th anniversary in desert sand.
Yeah, just something I was noodling around with in that open tuning - ended up sounding not too bad. Really nice guitar, definitely worth checking out.
whenever I try to watch a jazz guitarist or get an urge to expand my music vocabulary with a jazz RU-vid lesson I don't see them ever using this type of guitar. I only ever noticed alternative and grunge or stoner rock types playing jazz masters
Yeah, I have never seen anyone play Jazz on one! Other than some 60's Surf bands, they seem to have been pretty much used for loud overdriven guitar. Which they are great for.
Ive had a few Jazzmasters over my last 50 years of playing, and they really ARE one of my favourite guitars. They do that "bell-like" tone thing better than anything else. This looks interesting. Those Mascis JM's are quite cool.
I love my Squier J Masics JM, specially cause it has a TOM bridge. My biggest issue with other jazzies is that they have that horrible Mustang-bride which always shrinks into the body after some hours of playing even if I use the locktite glue-trick or I treat these bridges with nail polish. Gotta get a Staytrem or Mastery for my other jazzie.
Dunsy! You are truly a man after my own heart. Like yourself, I absolutely love my Japanese Les Pauls and I always will. But, when I got my J Mascis about 3 years ago, it literally expanded my musical horizons in ways I'd never thought possible. Prior to getting mine, I couldn't be bothered with more than just a couple of basic pedals. But, once I got it, the sonic explorations were too addictive to not pursue. Thus, my ridiculously large pedalboard. lol The neck is what drew me to it initially, as it's a key feature on these, but the whole guitar is great. Only thing I would change is the pots. Way too muddy when rolled back. But, that's an easy fix that I just haven't gotten around to, yet. I hope you love yours as much as I love mine! As always, great video my friend!
Totally agree, Dave - it's just so different that it's hard not to come up with some new ideas. But it's not so different to play that I find it uncomfortable, if that makes sense? Those pickups and the subtle trem are a brilliant combination. And a dream to play with that neck shape. Crazy good guitar for not a whole lot of money.
i thought i wanted a Tele for most of my guitar life but every tele i tried was just too brittle and bright sounding...turns out the JMJM was the telecaster i had wanted all along
Great review! Just got a JM after years of being being intrigued by them and inspired by those who have played them, Elvis Costello, Kevin Shields, the Sonic guys, J. of course. I love mine, it's a beast. Really dug your outro song & video! Inspiration is the best!
I got one off reviews and indeed it's INCREDIBLE. One of the best guitars in the price range. The tones are incredible and I love the neck. A+ guitar. Nice playing BTW!
Just to say, the pickups on this model aren't proper Jazzmaster pickups. They're constructed like P90s are, i.e. two bar magnets at the bottom, and steel pole pieces.
I’ve heard tell that these shipped with a J Mascis set-up, i.e. HEAVY strings and stupidly high action. I did have to lower the action on mine, but that was an easy fix - no intonation work needed…
Superb video. Informative, balanced and incredibly helpful for me (and others no doubt) who is considering the JMJM after playing one in a store, and being very surprised how good, and how much fun it was to play. Keep up the great videos!
Thank you for taking the time to make this. It would have great to hear the guitar clean with no effects as with the distortion & chorus, we can't tell what it it actually sounds like. Cheers.
So if you're looking for a JMJM and you're craving something the same but different, keep your eyes open for a Squier Deluxe Jazzmaster. Exact same specs as the JMJM except it is in Candy Apple Red with a gold anodized pickguard. Mine was made in 2018 and it is fabulous.
@@IRequireMedication YES. I have 3 Jazzmasters - an American Pro II, an American Vintage II, and the Squier Deluxe. The Deluxe does not feel out-classed by the other two which cost $1000-$2000 more. It’s a truly remarkable, underrated guitar.
@@vacumatic New to electric, I'm an acoustic guy that wants to rock some heavy Cantrell riffs; Do I require a humbucker for metal-y hard rock? Appreciate your feedback.
I have the Squier Deluxe Jazzmaster. Cost me £300 new. I've changed the scratchplate to a red tort one. I'm considering removing the dark circuit, and replacing it with a dedicated tone pot for the neck pickup, and converting the slider switch into a Jaguar-style bass cut 'strangle switch'.
I've had mine since last July and it just feels like home to me. Super comfortable and sounds great. I'm currently making a body and moving the vibrato and bridge back to the original locations so I can use traditional bridges. I'm not a huge fan of the tune-o-matic style, especially with the vibrato.
I actually bought a roller bridge for this one, so plan on fitting that at some point. I didn't have any tuning issues, but just thought that I would give it a try.
just get a staytrem and an AVRI vibrato and you wont need a whole new body. The only weak point of this guitar is the squier the vibrato, its stiff and feels nothing like an actual one but thats like a 50 dollar fix!
@@devon8419 To my knowledge staytrem never went out of business? He stopped selling to certain areas for a bit now he does again, it just takes awhile to get, like a couple months sometimes! I still prefer mastery but staytrem's are a good alternative for the price! Halon bridges are pretty wicked too!
I own one of these and im not really a guitar tech but I seem to have feedback issues when i stop playing even on clean tone. when i take my hand off the neck its even worse. I love everything else about it and was wondering if anyone had a fix
That's not so good - I can't say that I've had anything like that at all and I've used it quite a bit with Fuzz pedals. Not sure what would cause that at all. It's not harmonic ringing from the strings behind the bridge is it?
@@DunsysGuitarWorld No there unfortunately nothing harmonic about it. I've adjusted it to where it is bearable on clean tones but cranking it too much makes it almost unusable. I do wonder if something happened to it because it was a floor model and that its just a set up issue i can fix. Thanks for replying though! I should also add that it is greatly reduced when i touch strings, the pick guard, bridge, tuning pegs etc. Ive read that i can achieve the same thing by using copper foil shielding? Im not an engineer so im not sure what the problem is.
JM says he only plays JMs live on stage (notice how high his action is - almost intentionally comically high) Everything we have heard him record on his records has been with Teles, which i recently noticed they finally released thr JM tele (J Mascis Telecaster - not Jazz Master Telecaster). His tele ios at quite the higher price point, but im sure its worth it.
Crazy high action!! I have the JM Tele as well - really nice guitar. Neck feels absolutely perfect. I changed the wiring so that it’s no longer out of phase in the middle position. I think that works for J, but definitely doesn’t for me.
I love your camera changes here and there, it pushes emphasis on your narration. Also a nicely done guitar review! I've been eyeing this model for a while, not just because i like Dinasour Jr. but more because of a Jazzmasters versatility on tone : )
Dunsy, Earlier today I noticed they have been rereleased so bought one after checking out your excellent video with your friend again to refresh my memory.👍
Thank ya! Yeah, I watched a couple of videos where creators are told “never give everything away too soon!”, but I figured I’d just get it out there in the open, lol 😂
I bought one from Sweetwater and the guitar was great with 1 exception. HUMMMM!! No shielding in the electronics cavities. I used the Aluminum furnace tape to shield it and checked continuity from 1 end to the other. Now, no hum and the guitar sounds fantastic and is silent when not being played.
This guitar is worth every penny and then some. They're very popular in the States so as a general rule you will need to mail order one. I had been listing to Chris Buck play his and chat them up on his channel, in a one in a million chance there was one just put out on the floor at Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks. I knew in the first minute I played it I was going to buy it. For a Squire, all the fretwork was done and absolute first for any over seas guitars I've ever played. Are you listening PRS? I had it PLEK'd and it plays as well as any of my US made guitars that I've spent several thousand dollars on. It's so fun to play! I love the pickups on this guitar! The are a little hot, not nearly as hot as people say online. I've heard that they are not the J Mascis signature pickups but I believe that is wrong. If they aren't his signature pickups they are no where near the other Jazz Master Squire or even MIM Jazz Master pickups. The pickups are a huge part of the charm of this piece.
Yeah, I was surprised when these weren’t available for a while as they seem to have sold well. I’m glad they’ve been reissued. Great guitars and I love the sound of the pickups. Well worth getting one.
Yes, but No. I mean, the guitar is awesome, BUT the stock pickups are awful, I understand that you cannot realize this if you have never put Curtis Novak Jazzmaster pickups into a Jazzmaster, BUT someone has the duty to pass this critical piece of information to the people and I have been that someone several times in the past and I have no intention to quit. Thank you for you attention, I’m sure that YOU are going to thank me in the future.
To be more specific, the stock pickups (both in clean and in dirty tone) sound: - Boomy - Undefined (i.e. lacking definition) - Thin - Harsh While the Novak’s sound full and defined, never boomy and never harsh. The difference between the two kind of pickups is UNTHINKABLE.
@Dunsys Guitar World ok cool. I've read that attempting to adjust this particular truss rod leads to it snapping. I guess they had to cut cost somewhere to pass the savings on to us. I hope it's not true because I'd really like to get this guitar. Thanks buddy
There’s a guy local to me who uses a Jazzmaster and a Jaguar. He’s quite the wizard on the guitar. Jazz players usually use arch tops. Telecasters are popular with some jazz guys, but the majority seem to avoid solid body guitars.
@@Great-Documentaries Three stores here in the UK have in the last one or two weeks changed the status from "unavailable" to "pre-order", saying that they'll be available in a few months. One of the sites says delivery expected at the end of June. I too have read that the squier signature program was no more, but it looks like, for at least one more run, that's not true.
