Why a Jazzmaster?

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:24 am

Why is the Jazzmaster the instrument of choice by bands like Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr?What can you do with a Jazzmaster that you can't do with a Stratocaster?

peewee · Post by **peewee** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:39 am

Jazzmasters are pretty cool guitars. A little darker sounding than a Strat and the neck is a little faster/easier to play, IMHO. They're also a bit more affordable in terms of "vintage" Fenders than the hallowed Strat or Tele. Funny thing is that you'd never catch a Jazz master playing one!

A friend had a great '64 back in the early 1980s that I loved playing; especially for straight ahead Chicago Blues stuff. Magic Slim's been using them for years!

randyz · Post by **randyz** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:06 am

I think Mike nailed that one. It comes down to price. Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo typically buy junk guitars to capture the Sonic Youth 'prepared guitar' sound. Jaguars and Jazzmasters were still hanging around in pawn shops long after all the Strats got snapped up by collectors. Reminds me of Elvis Costello who also ended up with a Jazzmaster when he first went looking for a Strat.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:19 am

One, and only one early Jazz guy cut an album using a JM, right after they came out in '59.

Mickey was part of the Atlantic house band, hired in '53, and his work is on literally hundreds of jazz, calypso, R&B, and rock albums. He is, however, perhaps best known as the male half of the "Mickey and Sylvia" duo, who had a major hit with "Love Is Strange" back in the early '60s (covered by Paul And Linda McCartney at one point).

This is one of my fave instrumental (with the emphasis on the "mental") albums, given me by bandmate George Boccanfuso. It is killer, especially considering how long ago it was recorded. Mickey gets loads of mileage out of a trademark bounce echo/doubletracking combination, which took maximum advantage of the then-new stereo recording technology.

This album is still available, although Mickey has moved on to Gibsons...

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:51 am

I've never played one (obviously).
Is the Jazzmaster's neck similar to the Jaguar's neck?

peewee · Post by **peewee** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:59 am

Paul, that's really hip! I never knew that Mickey Baker played a Jazzmaster; and a '59 at that. Always saw pics of him with an archtop or a LP Custom. I always liked his work on the Louis Jordan sides from the '50s with the Tympani 5. Thanks for sharing!

lennon211 · Post by **lennon211** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:50 am

The Jazzmaster has a slightly longer (approx 25") 21 fret scale like other Fenders while the Jaguar has a slightly shorter (24") scale and 22 frets. I've played both and like the Jag a lot more for its tone and look, hence why I have one and want another. Playability I found to be similar.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:34 pm

A lot of people didn't/don't like the Jazzmaster because it has almost no sustain, but that is because of a poor design with it's bridge and there is a fix out there for it. (I can't recall the link/name at the moment)Once this fix is done, then they sound and play great with plenty of sustain, and in a lot of ways they are better than a Strat because their pickups are more powerful and a little thicker sounding, but they still have that Fender crispness. They're a cool guitar.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:08 pm

Well, yes; true of players from the '70s and later, when LPs had sustain into next week and shredding was the modus.

Initially, it definitely was the look and the seemingly complex controls. Jazz guys were/are a conservative bunch, and playing something that looked like it stepped off a "Twilight Zone" soundstage didn't fit in with the image of either black or white jazz players. Mickey really broke ground, but then retreated back to jazz and rock respectability soon thereafter.

I like the JM; the thinking was that the longer scale gave more room between frets for chording. I really like the Jag neck for leads; profile is the same, but having the headstock an inch closer and the frets closer together, really makes a difference, at least to me (but I'm a short scale nut anyway...)

sir_andrew_of_left_coast · Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:33 pm

I think this is the part you're thinking of, Greg:

http://www.allparts.com/store/bridge-parts-miscellaneous-bridge-parts-bp-0653-010,Product.asp

Additionally, some folks add the bridge from the Mustang.

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:45 pm

It was indeed J. Mascis, Elvis Costello, and Sonic Youth who started the trend for "other" Fenders - I know for sure that Mascis went out looking for a Strat and found the much cheaper Jazzmaster. These guys' use of them lead to guys like Kurt Cobain picking them up (though he never used a Jazzmaster, only Mustangs and Jaguars), leading to a rebirth of these guitars.

I love my Jazzmaster! A truly different beast. I always loved that it could go from painfully harsh and thin to very dark without ever touching a tone knob. It fits right into my Rickenbacker arsenal.

Always loved Forrest White's comment about how he thought it looked like a "pregnant duck"!

sir_andrew_of_left_coast · Wed Jul 25, 2007 2:05 pm

"What can you do with a Jazzmaster that you can't do with a Stratocaster?"

You can do a better job of covering this tune:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B00005EF9Y001001/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_001/102-9526720-5659314

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 3:31 pm

Oooh,now I really want one!

longhouse · Post by **longhouse** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:53 pm

Jazzmasters are very 'moody' if the set-up is off. It's a guitar that I have wanted for years -but every time I play one at a shop it's an absolute dog! One day maybe...

You're right about the Mustang bridge. That's why so many vintage Mustangs have been cannabalized.

I remember seeing James Burton backing Ricky Nelson (Hello Mary Lou) with a Jazzmaster.

As for guitarist who are making music right now (not just the 60s, 70s, or 80s), long-time Rickenbacker endorser and master guitarist Marty Willson-Piper has been slinging a Jazzmaster for years now.

blue330 · Post by **blue330** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:12 pm

I always think Tom Verlaine (of esteemed NYC pre-punk art band Television fame) kinda put Jazzmasters on the map for that crop of 80s-90s hipsters. I'm not sure, but I think he was playing one in the Neon Boys, the pre-Television outfit which included Richard Hell. This was the early 70s, when he may have been one of about 3 people on earth using a Jazzmaster. His sound on the 1st Television LP was a sonic landmark. None of that "carpet-fuzz" business, you can tell it's a Jazzmaster!