Congrats on your purchase. Just FYI jazzmaster pickups are not P90s as you mentioned, they are their own thing. Just like a strat single coil but instead of tall and skinny, they are wound flat and wide. The slugs are the magnets. In P90s the magnet is a bar on the underside of the pickup in which the 6 screws are mounted. The screws themselves are not magnetic. The sound is very different as well, usually the P90s are thick and throaty whereas jazzmaster pickups are usually bright and spanky.
Be nice to see a output graph or something but the video is pretty useless. I think they have a higher Q - a higher frequency peak at the high end somewhere. But I think that is also caused by the 1 meg pot.
Man, you always go above and beyond by having a narrative in your videos. It feels like I'm settling in to be told a story. Really, really great stuff man.
Sonic Youth, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Tame Impala, The Cure, J Mascis, Alvvays, Jonny Marr are all attached to it, I definitely recommend listening to Jazzmaster artists, ultimate Indie guitar
Johnny Marr had a Jag signature? I know he started out on a weird Gretsch, then his 'famous' 335...l don't doubt he's got a JM.. blokes got everything else!!
My favourite Fender. Played one regularly for over a decade. It’s midrange clarity, articulation, beautiful vibrato is unmatched and no surprise it was used by lots of studio cats in the ‘60s. Then there’s the indie links. And I play jazz on it both in small ensembles and a couple of Big Bands. But please use at least .11 gauge strings on it.
Hi, i've never played a Jazzmaster (strat player), I hope to own 1 one day as I think they are beautiful, I just wondered why you'd recommend using minimum 11's on one, is it for tuning stability or tone? Or something else?
The issues many JM players have with strings popping out from the bridge slots (particularly if you’re a heavy handed player) can be alleviated by using higher tension strings which provide more stability. I’ve never had this issue but some other players install Mastery bridges to help with the problem.
@@DarClaude The higher gauge strings add a bit more warmth to the tone as well. personally, I have an American Professional II. This guitar comes from the factory with 9's on it. I played it for a bit with the 9's but then went back to my old stand by 10 gauge strings. I have heard others have upgraded to 11's and 12's. However, I am very happy with my NYXL 10 gauge strings, the bend quality, the tone, etc. I do not need 11's.
There’s many artists playing JM, but mostly it’s related to post-punk, shoegaze, britpop, alternative and 2000s indie era. The Cure, The Horrors, Ride, The Charlatans, Radiohead, Dinosaur JR, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Wilco, Portishead (yeah, even trip hop), The Walkmen, Noel Gallagher and that’s only what I remember
The Jazzmaster burst onto the scene in 1960 when the Ventures played Walk Don't Run and is THE premeir surf guitar world wide. Have a listen to Yellow Bird by the Ventures. Haunting tone of the Jazzmaster in capable hands.
I'd luv one too... just finding an excuse to get one (to go with the other 12!?!).. The Japanese versions are really good... and Squier has em with anodised pickguards... decisions, decisions!!
Now you need a jag! I’ve had one for 20 years and it’s been so inspiring to play and write on. I think it has a shorter scale from the jazz master too. Super fun guitar.
The control layout is a neat idea that works better in theory than in practice. It's almost a two channel guitar. You can set the rhythm circuit for the neck pickup and set the lead circuit for either two pickup operation or bridge pickup only. In a studio that could be handy. In practice you kinda know the sweet spots for the pickups so you just roll the knobs to taste and dont use the rhythm/lead circuit switch. The pickups have their own lane that either speaks to you or doesnt. Its a nice guitar to have in a collection i guess.
Spot on. There is just something about the electric guitar. Different models always have the ability to surprise you and coax out something new. I think we will all have our core guitars that really fulfill what we really need, but it is always nice to find a new and unusual model that inspires us differently.
Another reason why I love jazzmasters so much is because you can play behind the strings and it sounds amazing, especially if you want to make more noisy and chaotic sounds, or even just spooky
Back in 1970 one of our finest guitarist in HS used a jazzmaster to play Dazed and Confused and nailed it note for note and sound. I was amazed and now respect tgat guitar so much.
The Jazzmaster is my favorite guitar of all time. My main guitar is a shell pink Jazzmaster and it’s perfect for the music that I play. It’s the guitar that I play jazz on while I’m at school, and it’s my main instrument when recording my Midwest emo stuff
You need to mess with the tremolo and see what you think about that. That was one of my early draws back in the day to the Jazzmaster was the sound and the way the tremolo worked as compared to a trem on a strat.
Great video. Carly Simon session guitarist and Critters lead guitarist, Jimmy Ryan, plays a jazzmaster. Lead guitar in "You're So Vain" is on a jazzmaster.
Oh man I’m going to buy a guitar soon and can’t choose between jazzmaster and jaguar. Jaguar is kind of too bright for me and the switches are so extra, but the neck length is perfect… seems like I’ll end up with both hahaha
so i think something really nice about the jazzmaster is that it's a guitar that begs you to use the tone knob. it comes with super bright 1meg pots but that also gives you a lot of tonal range. normally single coils use 250k pots to dampen the brightness and humbuckers use 500k to let more highs through. jazzmasters use 1meg pots on that main circuit...and then use 50k pots for the rhythm circuit for that really dark mellow sound. such a great, dynamic instrument that's way underrated. also, check out mike ganon for the coolest custom jag/jazz build (and also because he's a great player, ofc).
I find it a strange phenomena, discovering a guitar that's been around since 1966. New to you, great to try different things. When i look back to the first time I saw a telecaster, I wanted to know what it was immediately. Strange when I think about it now, "discovering" something that was already so ubiquitous. It's interesting to me that we can forget a time when we didn't know something.
My daily driver these days is my Firebird, but I suddenly wonder what the Jazzmaster experience is like. Better take something to relieve the GAS. Great video!
in 88, when there was NO market for them, i bought a 58 jazzmaster in almost mint condition for $550. it was absolutely brilliant and wonderful, but in less than a year, i found that i really wanted a telecaster sound for what i was playing. i traded it straight across for a brand new MIJ telecaster. i had no regrets at the time, because the tele was exactly what i needed. but even fifteen years later...omfg, the values skyrocketed, largely because of sonic youth and dinosaur jr. by 2010, it would easily have been worth 20k or more. now, i really have my mind set on getting another jazz.
I don't have and have never had a strat. I've been looking but I picked up a jazz master with p90s a few weeks ago and loved it. Was belting out AC/DC and thought man, why you never see anyone rocking these.
The use of black and white doesn't have to mean you're simply representing the past. It could be that you are representing the time before an awakening -- think of the beginning of "The Wizard of Oz," versus when she arrives in Munchkinland. I have a Jazzmaster, by the way, and even though I'm not a good guitar player, I do like it a lot. Happy holidays!
Having owned 3 Jazzmasters, my first was a pawn shop find in the early-mid 90's that my dad found for me for $200 or so. It was a '59 2 tone sunburst with a neck that I swear wasn't a "C" shape. That guitar was stolen by a "band mate" in 'late 97 I think, and I never saw it again. Broke my heart. I didn't get a replacement for it until I found a Classic Player for a reasonable price, and a little over a year later, I was gifted a Fender Custom Shop 250k. Then less than a month later, I found another great deal on a 60's Nitro Lacquer Jaguar in fiesta red. I have one more Jaguar on order bringing my total number of offsets to 5 (the 5th being a G&L SB1 (Lynx) that I absolutely adore. This is in addition to the 2 stratocasters I have and I wouldn't even call myself a guitarist. Although I am forcing myself to learn. I always found the Fender designs to be timeless. I will always love the utilitarian aesthetic of the Telecaster, the artistic and legendary shape and sound of the stratocaster, but my real love is with Jazzmasters and Jaguars. The look, the sound, the feel...all of it inspires me to pick them up and tinker with em. A day doesn't go by where I don't do something with at least one of them.
The Jazzmaster was made for Jazz, but it came out in the same year Gibson released the ES335. There is a trick though. With the rhythm circuit volume and tone full on you can get a great bluesy lead tone.
Gojira even uses a tele. But just imagine. A telecaster with a metal influence, single, then active on the bridge, with a wizard style neck 7 string of course and .066 gauge yes
Just got a Troy Vanleeuwen jazzmaster for Christmas and I am in love. I agree I always thought they were ugly and gimmicky and never even gave them a second look until recently and it had opened up a whole new world of inspiration. So glad I got it. Looking at a Jaguar next. Variety is the spice of life!
I used to feel the same about tellies and now since I tried a friend's telecaster 4 monthes ago I want one so bad. never expected it to sound that good and the neck bro..
Went through the strat to the Jazzmaster in '85. It introduced me to Seymour Duncan, and as a certified grumpy old boy, I've even dipped into Jaguars. Loving it!
I really like my Doheny, which is kind of like G&L's version of a Jazzmaster. It has very bright, thin-sounding pickups, which is very good for a lot of situations. It's very inspiring and I use it as much as my Strat.
The classic jazz master setup and circuit has a unique sound, it is a bit more ''open'' with higher highs and extended lows, from the pickups that are unique jazz master pickups (not p09's) to the pots that are 1000kΩ instead of 250 (the secondary circuit has other Ω values this is why it sounds different than the ''normal'' neck pickup). I fell in love with the sparkly cleans of one that a friend brought to the studio years ago, a Japan made one. During the first lockdown I finally bought myself a classic vibe squier that I've since then modded and setup a bit. I need to go back to 1000k pots cause I've changed them with 500's ( easier to find back then) to open up the sound at the high end and hear more from the Fender vintage pickups that I now have. With the more extended freq range a Jazzmaster has , different overdrives and distortions react in a different way. With some it can sound like you have also a clean signal guitar and others are oversaturated in a weird but some times nice way
You should go listen to this band called Deepsea Diver, she uses a Jazzmaster along with a ton of other effects and is extremely intresting to listen to.
NIce man. I have a lespaul and still have not touched the dipswitches in the rear yet. Suppose to be able to make it sound like the greeney les paul that kirt hammett now owns. OH and BTW the joke with JIMMY PAIGE used to be he sold more Gibson Les Pauls wit his tele than gibsdon actually did.
The rhythm circuit doesnt sound much different to my ears to simply using the lead circuit and turning off the bridge pickup. I believe the practical use is you have two settings that you switch to on the fly, with its own volume and tone. So it can be two differdnt guitars in a way. The best use for me though is i use the rhythm circuit as a killswitch by rolling down the volume
My Bloody Valentine (Kevin Shields) completely redefined for me what music was about. If you're smart & creative enough, you can create a whole new sound based around the Jazzmaster that changes the world.
You should look into My bloody valentine Kenvin Shield use the Jazz master as his weapon , I also encourage you to discover the flaoting trem, sounds really good tho !
Nice episode. I began with Mustangs, Jaguars and Jazzmasters. Back in the 1980's Jazzmasters were inexpensive (400 bux for pre-cbs) and cool - Elvis Costello, The Cure and The Cars... I've had a half-dozen over the years. Played better than a hundred shows on my 1965 Candy Apple Red Jazzmaster. i sold most of those guitars as i moved to Les Pauls and telecasters, but I stil have that 1965. It plays itself and it's got a tone that can sit right in with the rhythm or jump out in front for solos. One day I'll sell it, but for now - it still makes its way out of the case now and then when I'm looking for something a little different.
I love your work, Mr. Cole, but I feel like you lost the thread at 9:20. Santana has been with PRS for a very long time. Brian May has been a "custom guitar / AC-30" player for his entire career. Maybe I have that wrong? Regardless, I really like your content and I am very happy to have discovered your work and I look forward to more from you in the New Year!
Awesome guitar! I have an American Pro 2, and it is a great departure from my Gibsons. Also, it's a common misconception that those are P90s, but they are not. They are actually just like a Strat pickup but wound shallow and wide instead of tall and narrow.
You don't always need the higher priced model guitar. A base level foreign built guitar can be just as good. Fender style guitars and be 'tricked out' easily. The Fender electric guitars were created to reduce parts and cost. So they are not hard to 'hot rod' them on the bench. It is the origin of a 'kit guitar'. Three pieces of wood, hardware and electronics.
Love the offset bodies, but still am not sure where the pickups would fit into my sound yet. I initially hated Strats because they felt awkward to me, preferring Les Pauls and Teles. Finally found one that felt right(and modded it heavily) Right now I’m designing a custom P90 based guitar, but down the road will probably grab a Jazzmaster or clone.
I do most of my playing sitting down and Jazzmaster's have always been my first choice. So comfortable and natural feeling. Looks good, sounds good, feels good. What else could you want?
I am most time a fingerstyle player. And i like these Jazzmaster pickups for the big shape. It doesn‘t hurt my fingernails. And i can better slap on the strings.
Loved your jam and lines. You missed perhaps the best thing about a Jazzmaster/Jaguar...the vibrato! Much better than the Strat vibrato. Better than a Bigsby also. And the rhythm circuit is darker, designed for Jazz.
Definitely a fan of the sound(s) these and Jags produce, but even beyond that, I just think that shape is *_beautiful..._* Those curves are just perfect, and that slightly rebellious slant just, to me, exudes a vibe reminiscent of the vintage cars from the 30s and 40s that were hotrodded throughout the 60s-90s. Plus, as a guitarist myself, I've not seen many of the bands and artists I follow actually play one. _(As any enthusiastic guitarist will readily admit, we're always looking to see what guitars the guitarists we watch are playing.)_ Most of what I see regularly, it's all Strats and LPs, plus a healthy mix of active-pickup-having Ibanez, Schecter and ESP stuff. So for me, a lot of it is just that it looks different than the styles I most regularly see. In any case, I am definitely planning on finding a Jaguar or a Jazzmaster (perhaps one of each, if the prices are right...?) to add to my modest collection. And one or the other are certainly first in line as the next piece I plan to actively seek out. As to which.... I'm still torn. I'll have to go play around with a couple of them to really decide that.
See with me I have always found the Stratocasters attractive. When I first saw a telecaster, I thought they were ugly for ages, then all of a sudden I started to really like the design. I think it's because so many bands I love play them. They are personally my favourite-looking Fender model now, it's funny how something can grow on you like that. I have always found the Jaguars and Jazzmasters ugly-looking though!
People forget that it was designed to be played with heavy flat-wound strings as it was originally offered as a "Les Paul/Gibson" killer for jazz guitarists. I don't know why floor models have lighter gauge strings which results in the notorious buzzing which people are immediately turned off by and ultimately think the jazzmaster is dookie. I have two among my collection (13 guitars total but in need of downsizing.)
I think you’ve got the separate tone knob on the rhythm circuit turned way down! (And that’s on top of the rhythm circuit also being configured with different electrical values, so it’ll sound mellower on its own version of 10 than the neck pickup would sound in the lead circuit.)
Opposite for me, as soon as fell in with Marquee Moon I knew I had to get a Jazzmaster. They're cool guitars that you can play "wrong", i.e. plucking strings behind the bridge to get that Sonic Youth harmonic effect, and there's just something to having so much of the guitar strings exposed behind the bridge that deepens the sound to my ears. Since I didn't hear any complaints about it in the video, I'm guessing Fender's newer models finally fix the bridge problems? They were notorious for buzzing during play and it was a design flaw. To get a vintage Jazzmaster to sound professional, players often bought after-market bridges, or would use the "super glue" technique. That's fine for a pawn shop guitar but for something commanding high prices new, it's unacceptable.
The reason indie bands used Jazzmasters and Jags in the 80s is because they were top quality Fender guitars that could be had for cheap because nobody wanted them.
These are great guitars. I agree to be open minded about guitars. I never liked the Les Paul Special and thought it was a budget version of a standard. P90s with slab mahogany body and fat neck are my preference now
Strange, had trouble going back to my Strat when I played out after enjoying the Jazzmaster at home. Would lose my place on the fretboard though the two don't seem that much different. Not like the Jazz was a 22 fret neck or odd neck joint. Beats me, but have shied away from it as I'm a Strat guy number first and foremost. The controls are a bit of a learning curve but if you get lost there on stage just toggle down and use the lower circuit much like a Gibson which I grew up playing.
Try the Ultra Jazzmaster. The pickups and the wiring is totally different. IMO it’s what a Jazzmaster would grow to be if it could be anything it wanted.
