Jaguars 'n' Jazzmasters

rcaz

So I've decided to hang up my Squier and buy something proper...

I've always thought the "other" Fenders were brilliant - mostly for their looks - but now I've decided I'd like one, I need a bit of help. Anybody play these guitars? I suppose I'm looking for pros and cons, or what might be better than either.

I've had my heart set on a Jazzmaster for the last while, 'cause they always seemed a bit fancier, but I played a Jaguar in Music Maker today, and it was gorgeous, so now I don't know what I'm doing. All I know is I want it in Sunburst... Or white? Damn it...

Also, American/Japanese? I've read (On here, I believe) that the Japanese Fenders are really well made guitars, but they're vintage models. Back then, the Jags and Jazzmasters had loads of problems with bridges, right? And Shop/Internet?

Can anyone help me out? Nice one.

El Pr0n

duckmusic

They are very nice looking guitars. A friend of mine has a JAG and it sounds really good but he is having major problems with the bridge. He also had problems with it when he took it into the studio and ended up using my TELE which he had just borrowed the day before. Not exactly sure what the problem with it was but a guitar isn't much good if it unreliable :cool:

As for buying over the net, its something I have never had any problems with. You should be fine as long as you use a good site. The only difference is how quickly you want your new guitar

John

The bridge's can be problematic, sometimes the string can pop out of its saddle but this can be overcome in two ways:
1) change the bridge, there are a number of options out there, just have a google.
2) use thicker gauge strings (apparently this doesn't always work but it is fairly reliable)

Apart from that, Jaguars tend to come with single coil pickups and Jazzmasters with humbuckers. Jaguars have a shorter scale compared to the Jazzmasters. Basically you're best just trying both out and then deciding. Musician normally have one or the other in at any one time. And the Japanese ones seem to be the **** and generally a bit cheaper too.

rcaz

"Yeah, I've heard about the bridge problems, but there seem to be ways around it. If you mean the strings jumping from the bridge saddles, you can just file out the saddles, or even replace the stock bridge with a Mustang bridge."

I'd just posted that after you, John. Ya pre-empted me!
Point is, the bridge thing wouldn't throw me. I haven't seen either in Musician for a while... It's become something of a ritual, looking for a Jazzmaster in each guitar shop in Dublin every weekend. Sort of sad. Is it just down to trying 'em out from here, then?

Doctor J

They don't need to have a **** bridge or be sunburst you know

http://www.thomann.de/ie/fender_jaguar_hh_rw_blk.htm

punchdrunk

okay a few points,
jazzmasters ain't got humbuckers! they are very large single coils that look a little like P90's but sound very different,like strat pickups only smoother and more powerfull

remember these were built back when people played 11/12 guage strings!
the bridge was never meant to work with an ickle set of bendy 9's!!

due to shorter scale,11's on a jag feel like 10's on a tele/strat...it's not so bad!

bridge problem can be solved by...
shimming the neck and then raising the action,it creates more downward pressure on the bridge and holds the strings in place more securely it also helps the sustain
fender originally used shims (thin strips of wood) in the neck pocket on production jag's and jm's in the late 60's when people started going to lighter strings and complained about the bridge, as a "quick fix"
it's easy to try and reversable

mustang bridge works great (i have one),
but D&G strings feel a little too high and unfortunately the original mustang saddles have no height adjustment screws but the graphtech ones do,
these will let you drop the D&G down to the right height
so really the mustang bridge with graphtech's is the best option

another thing that will help is to limit the travel of the bridge as it's a "floating" bridge;the leg posts sit into a metal cup that it pivots in when you use the trem,it's meant to reduce friction but...once again, it was designed back in the day to add a wee country wobble to your tune,not play like steve vai
the problem is that if you push it all the way down a few times it won't return to the same spot because theres too much "play" in it,throwing you out of tune
a simple fix is to slip some rubber tubing/heat shrink over the post's legs so it's a bit more snug and more likely to return to pitch

you can get a "buzz stop" this is a device that pushes the strings down from behind,looks like this


i've heard mixed reports though...

regards buying the jag or jazzmaster?, i bought a jag cause it looked cool,i'd never played one before even! but even though it's not as fancy i think the jazzmaster is the better guitar

punchdrunk

anyway,here's a pic of mine...

fourmations

Slighty off topic

but there may be a few beauties up on ebay soon

the king of the jazzmaster, j mascis (dinosaur jr)
had a big chunk of his stock nicked in NY recently

(he is the primary reason i have hankered for a jazz myself
for the last 15 years)

they put out a circular all over the place
for people to watch out for them, in auctions, pawn shops etc

seriously though, if they are ever found they should
be beaten to death with the jazzmasters!

serious vintage stuff (see below from the circular on the web)

Guitars
1959 Fender Jazzmaster SN# 38927 - decal coming off. cracked headstock at top near low E peg. color black with purple/bluish sparkle coming through. adonized pick guard gold metal. tuneomatic bridge gold, tuning pegs gold.

1961-3 Fender Jazzmaster SN# 62012 - purple sparkle, black pickup covers. headstock repaired, a whole new piece of wood was glued on for the top part of the headstock under the tuners and up a 1/2" , along the whole top of the headstock. gold tuneomatic bridge, gold tuners

1964-5 Fender Jazzmaster SN# L21581 - orange, white pearl pickguard, stickers all over it, original tuners.

Fender Purple Jazzmaster new SN# R074329 - purple sparkle with matching headstock gold adonized guard tuneomatic bridge.

Rory Gallagher Stratocaster new SN# R25507 - has a big gold grover tuning peg on low E

Rickenbacker 197? Fireglo Bass SN# 4001 - checker-board binding

david

Im really close to buying a vintage white/tortiose shell/rosewood Jazzmaster from Germany, €629 for the CIJ version. Its either that, a Gretsch/Electromatic Hollowbody or a nice CIJ strat

punchdrunk

ooh tough choice dude,gots me a cij strat a while back and though i'm no big strat lover but this ones a cracker!

david

punchdrunk wrote:

ooh tough choice dude,gots me a cij strat a while back and though i'm no big strat lover but this ones a cracker!

Honestly how is the trem on the Jaguar??? This could be the deciding factor for me because i have no tremmed guitars at the moment... I know the strats trem would be the best out of the three but theyre just a bit generic.

punchdrunk

honestly if you use a pencil to line the nut slots
stick graptech saddles for a mustang on it,and tape up the bridge posts so they're a litte more firm your good to go!
it'll play as good as any strat if you take time to set it up
there's great long arm on the jag/jm,i love that!
mines missing tough

gaffmaster

freakonaleashx wrote:

Honestly how is the trem on the Jaguar??? This could be the deciding factor for me because i have no tremmed guitars at the moment... I know the strats trem would be the best out of the three but theyre just a bit generic.

I've an American Vintage Jaguar, the trem is quite nice. It's not suited to dive bombing, but a gentle vibrato or dip etc it is better than any other trem i've tried.

the arm itself is long, but they dont screw into the mechanism, they just sit in there. So, mine always falls out if i play in any way aggressively.

OP - if you can, try playing both. the scale length is the main difference. if you have small hands you might like the jag more. there is more sustain with a jazzy mind you. there's another forum you can visit dedicated to strange fenders www.jag-stang.com/forum

Have fun and good luck with your puurchase. Both guitars can be problematic, but the problems are worth it becasue they are very aesthetic and have lovely noises when ya play them right!!!!

deaddonkey

gaffmaster wrote:

OP - if you can, try playing both. the scale length is the main difference. if you have small hands you might like the jag more. there is more sustain with a jazzy mind you. there's another forum you can visit dedicated to strange fenders www.jag-stang.com/forum

We are no longer located there, we have moved to

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/ which we started ourselves about a year ago when jagstang went tits up.

jag-stang.com is abandoned now.

I suggest you come and check us out, there are no places more knowledgeable about offbeat fenders.

rcaz

Punchdrunk - That's gorgeous! :eek:

Doctor J - That's the one I played, really nice, but I'm not a fan of black guitars... They look a bit boring, or something. Aninanyways, I like me tremolo arms. As for the **** bridge, seems there are loads of ways sort the dodgy bridge/tremolo problems out. As for it having to be Sunburst, there's something about sunburst on a Jag... I'm going to go with that inner child that buys things 'cause they just downright look cool.

People who've played both of 'em, any opinions? I'm wanting to get more and more into effects and noise. What'd be the guitar for the job? Bear in mind nothing's set in stone, throw out some other guitars you think of, too, as I'm by no means an expert. That's what the board's all about, right?

Beastieboy

I just got a japanese Jazzmaster a short while ago. I'm looking to replace the pickups and also have the bridge saddles changed as the strings keep slipping.... If i buy the pickups and saddles on the internet is there anywhere in town (Dublin) that will do the work. I'd do it myself but i might fcuk it up. :rolleyes: I'm not sure how to reset the bridge right either. Any suggestions.