Thank you so much for that intro. When you see Jazzmaster demos on TH-cam, they play bluesy licks on it, and it just isn't playing to the guitar's strengths. It's an alt-rock/indie BEAST, and IMO, it's more of a rhythm guitarist's guitar. It *wants* to play big, chunky chords. Mine's a 2016 MIM Classic Player, modded with Curtis Novak JM-V and JM-FAT pickups. Basic signal chain is that, through an EarthQuaker Devices Westwood, into an AC30. It's fucking amazing.
My wife wanted to play guitar so we got her a CV Jag, and the tremolo on hers is rock solid *after* we set it up. I shimmed the neck, put 11s on the guitar, used loctite on the bridge height screws, and used a sanding sponge to even out the connection point on the tremolo plate. The whole deal took maybe an hour and all the materials cost about $25, but now the guitar stays beautifully in tune, has zero buzz behind the bridge, and plays beautifully with super low action. What I’m saying is, if you’re willing to do the work, there’s nothing wrong with the Squier offsets, cheap tremolo included.
True! I got a few too, did the setup according to premier guitar. Did it myself, because the luthiers kept fucking my guitars up and told me to get a Strat. But I declined, I just wanted an offset, these are not only bigger, but they suit my body better, better access to the higher fret register than a Strat. It's just a better guitar to me. But nowadays it seems everybody knows these are better, because it used to be cheap second hand guitars. These days they became even more expensive secundaire hand than new and the Strats are deadcheap nowadays. 😅
I’m no expert on offsets but I totally agree about 11s (12s even) and locktite. Those things made my little Classic Vibe pretty good. It’s the only Squier I have.
@@janzelf That made me laugh, lol. "Shit man, sorry, I don't know what's wrong with this piece of shit. Get a Strat or Les Paul, then I'll fix ya right up!"
Do you think it's better the 1966 series or the american porofessional? The ultra? I want to play high gain distortion and playing Shoegaze style at the same time.
@@isolirionband7300 If you want high gain Jazzmasters aren't really the series, but the Ultra & American Pro are more modern voicing/playability. But then high-gain can mean different things: like grungy fuzz tones, or modern metal high gain? JM's are great for the former, not so much for the latter. '66 (Not even sure if Fender is still making it) is the best Jazzmaster on the market imo. Ultra is a bit overpriced imo. If I was looking to do modern, high-gain, the American Pro would be a good choice. I'm the type that prefers American Fender's due to them holding their value, but the Squire J. Mascis does have some pretty hot pickups and is a fine guitar for the price range. But really, I'd find a shop and at least play a floor model (even if you're going to buy online) of each before deciding. You might fall in love with the '66 in spite of it being very traditional. Plus it's got the older 7.25 fretboard radius whereas the Ultra and Am Pro have the newer 9.5 radius. Fretboard radius is more important to me than pickups/pots, as the latter can be easily changed out. So get your hands on them and figure out what you like, especially if you're new to JM's as they can be a real pain in the ass to setup and aren't for everybody.
I'm betting if you shim the neck and raise the bridge - for more downpressure - on any JM, you'll eliminate that little bazz/rattle you kept finding. It's basic part of a good JM setup. They were designed for big heavy jazz strings (flatwound even) and that works better with the lower bridge setting.
thanks for mentioning the break angle on the bridge regardless SHIM THE NECK 1degree raise the bridge and get more break angle on the bridge (creating more down force on the bridge) you will have the same action better tunability more resonance ^ a better playing guitar and no rattle!!!! i wish he would have mentioned this mod in the story it helps so much
Yep for me I got a classic vibe Squier I had to shim the neck, there was no other option…and then when I started asking around I found out that pretty much any Jazzmaster after the 1980s factory switch most of them you need to shim the neck
The JM American Pro II solves most if not all of the vintage Jazzmasters problems including a different bridge, an easy to adjust neck angle system built in, and the Panorama tremolo system. They come with 9s and I have 8s on mine and no problem at all. However, if you want to go with 11's or heavier strings, you will need to pick up a different spring which is easy to install.
@@evolasme definitely agree. I bought an American Original 60's and even with a bridge replacement (liked the Mastery love the Staytrem) was still buzzing and felt off. Added a 1 degree shim and it plays like a different guitar. Wish I would have tried that first!
I've shimmed the neck on all of my JM's, except for the J Mascis. Even on the one's that shouldn't require it, such as the AM Pro II and AM Vintage II. If it's an offset, I shim, 95% of the time. Works wonders
This is the only guitar I have ever bought twice. I used to do a lot of buying and selling. Had a rarities flame koa strat worth around 2k and the squier J mascis at the same time and the necks felt almost the exact same. Sold both because I needed the money but bought the J Mascis again a year later.
Hi Rhett! Loved the video as always, awesome to hear you talk about Jazzmasters! Just one note: When you explain about the rhythm circuit at 8:00, it's correct that the vintage rhythm circuit isolates the neck pickup, BUT, when you showcase it at 8:40, you are using an AmPro II, whose rhythm circuit's is set with both pickups in series. Just wanted to add the note :)
That's been my experience as well! I don't own any currently but after selling my CV 60's Jazzmaster to a friend I've been thinking about picking up another CV of some kind. The name could have been a meme but they really did nail the vintage vibe.
@@danielgallardo7249 I own a 50's Classic Vibe Tele and Strat both play like butter and sound great. I'm considering the Mexican Tele with dual humbuckers and coil split. I played one and really liked it but the volume knob shaft was bent and they wouldn't knock-off any on the price. I like 24¾ scale better and Stat body contours best. Humbuckers for rock but a Tele and Marshall sound really good to my ear. I have never played a Jazzmaster in my 40 years of learning guitar...... and still learning.
My desert island guitar! The first trick to jazzmasters is to put the volume on 9 if it's always ice-picky. I setup my amp and guitar like a gibson: neck pickup volume and tone on 10, middle maybe 9 and tone on 6/7, bridge volume on 9/10 and tone on 6/7. If you've got issues with the setup, shim the neck. The squier classic vibe series is very great value (you probably have to shim the neck), but I've got a expensive 59-like version on the way because these guitars are my absolute favorite!
@@balaportejean7015 It's a piece of plastic or wood that is placed in the neck pocket to angle the neck backwards. This allows you to raise the bridge, which gives you a better break angle. This helps with stuning stability and less sitar noises (if you had any). I think I just used some folder paper as a shim, works great.
I think the Mastery bridge is a must have, you WILL knock the strings out of the grooves on the traditional bridge. I would also recommend seeing if you can get a MIJ JazzMaster second hand online.
Squier CV and Fender American Pro II sounded the best for me with distortion. Clean, I liked Squier the most, the American pro was too dark for me, and the others aren't dark enough. That's good, because the Squier CV has been on my list these last couple of years.
The J Mascis CV Jazzmaster has the tremolo plate mounted closer to the bridge creating a sharper break angle which many think helps with 2 of the main problems with the Jazzmaster tremolo. The break angle being sharper also puts more pressure on the bridge due to that break angle, also eliminated the strings popping off the bridge saddle / roller and eliminates the rattle.
Just saw your vid pop up after buying a the Vintera II literally this afternoon. I was blown away by the sound and quality of the guitar, especially at its price point
Love your videos. You come from an approach that many of us forget when looking at gear. The key point you always make is that this is what you hear and feel when playing the guitar. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, it is hard to find a store close by that has the selection of guitars you might want to try in the right colors, pickups, etc. A video on buying a guitar online and the process you would go through might be great. Also, ordering a custom guitar might be cool. I ordered a custom mandolin and its not always a guarantee you will get the sound and feel you wanted. Thanks!
On the buzzing: my Mexican Fender Jaguar has a similar vibrato that buzzes, too. The tiny saddle height screws will vibrate, buzz, and rattle their way out of the saddles. I haven’t lost any (yet) but I bought a Mustang bridge which has saddles made of different sized solid barrels that match the fretboard radius. 😊
I got myself a MIM JM with the 3 P90's (Jazz Master P90) When I brought it home, I felt like I made a mistake buying it. I just couldn't make a connection with the guitar. I thought I had while playing it in the store but things changed when I came home and plugged it in. My ignorance led me to think this. Watching your channel has opened my eyes to understanding how to hone in my sound with the amps that I have, and that I have done. I now really enjoy my JM.
I 've had my TVL Jazzmaster Copper (MIM) for over two years now. I know some would say that I overpaid for what is essentially a MIM but I love it and would recomend it to anyone - the key mods make it really playable and the quality is immaculate! Thank you Troy and Fender!
On the Am Pro II, "the rhythm circuit puts both pickups in series for a thicker tone with increased output, controlled by independent volume and tone roller pots" (from Fender's website).
Yup. My first guitar in 20 years, I'm obviously a newbie but the quality of my Ampro2 is awesome. The action is incredible. I've had zero problems with it.
Anyone else watching Rhett's videos after being subbed for 5+ years? It's like keeping up with an old friend at this point. Keep it up Rhett, you rock.
Funny true story, I love JMs...tried an Ultra but did not buy - for EXACTLY the same reasons you mentioned (and it sounded dead acoustically), bought an American Pro II, after some qc issues (Fender replaced the first one) found that I liked the guitar, great neck, but the push push was not to my liking. Ended up selling in and grabbed a Troy Van Leeuwin JM on the used market. Far better than the other two, I wish you had included it in the vid. Pickups and electronics are much better - it plays great. All that said I would love a Custom Shop but thats a lot of dough! Thanks Rhett for another great video!
Rhett your videos are so cinematic and well lit, and the cuts and whatever else (I dont know the terminology) are superb. The production quality is absolutely top notch, and I don't think anything else out there is getting the quality youre achieving here. I commented a little while back agreeing with someone on how excellent the drums sounded on a track you made, and I needed to follow up here to comment on your visuals work, too. Also, were I a fender guy, I'd take a jazzmaster. Love your work, man. Thank you for what you do.
Excellent, thanks Rhett. To me the Jazzmaster is a perfect morphing of a Tele and Strat. Nothing feels more luscious and sensual than a Strat but I can’t get the lovely clean both pup sounds of the Tele from it. Enter the Jazzy. And I just love what the tone circuitry does to the neck pickup. Best of both worlds, although I must give a nod to Strats on the neck pup for Blues. But it’s a rather indiscreet nod. I’m the 2nd owner of a 7 year old American Vintage ReIssue Thin Skin ‘65 Jazzmaster I snagged 5 years ago. Stayed with 11’s, installed a Mastery bridge and locking vintage tuners and Holy Toledo. Killer guitar. These were Wildwood specials and were available I think in a few different year models. Gave $2100 for it then, listed and verified in Mint condition. Now they’re going for $31-35 hundy. This guitar does everything including Setzer and is my all time favorite for Surf. If I had to pick one guitar to do everything…that’d be tough but it would be between this and my White Falcon. The JM does Setzer a little better than the Falcon does surf. So glad I don’t have to choose.
Have you played the J Mascis squier Jazzmaster? On one of my favourite albums of all time, "Peripheral Vision" by Turnover, the rhythm guitar is all this guitar, and for a squier, it's just bonkers mate. Also, Chris Buck recorded a video where he said he absolutely loves it!
It is probably the most popular Squier jazzmaster among artists : guys from Tame Impala , Kevin Shields , Joe Duplontier , Frank Iero , the man himself... the list goes on...
Hi Rhett, have you considered making a shoot out video on the Fender Jaguar? It’s a unique instrument just like the Jazzmaster. I have a mid 2000’s US made 62’ reissue that I was given as a graduation gift when I graduated from university. I absolutely love it! I did upgrade the pickups with a set of vintage pickups.
I’m surprised you switched! Always thought ‘62-‘65 AVRI pickups were the most sought after since they’re discontinued. What did you end up putting in instead?
@@andrewtesta3850 I still have the original pickups that came with the guitar. I thought about getting a pair of Seymour Duncan Antiquity Jaguar pickups, but they are the same as their Vintage Jaguar pickups and have just been aged. I went with the SD Vintage Jaguar pickups. I played the guitar for a while before swapping them out for the Duncan’s and the guitar sounded okay but after the swap sounded smoother and more like an original ‘65 I played in a store.
Great vid! I have the American Pro II and I love it. It was kind of a childhood guitar for me so I was super happy to cross that one off the list. Also I just noticed you have a Big Six! I loooove my Big Six and it's the main console/mixer for my studio.
I was lucky and got the Desert Sand 40th Anniversary Squier on a Black Friday deal for $360! Got it for a fun mod job and to play at the beach with our battery powered surf band jams. I really liked the specs of the desert sand satin finish, satin neck, and gold anodized pick guard. Aesthetics I could invest in. It played pretty good stock, except for the trem. Put in new wiring, Fralin Jazzmaster pickups, Staytrem bridge and a Descendant vibrato (which is AWESOME!). The stock tuners are good 👍🏽. After polishing & rolling the fretboard, polishing & filing the frets and doing a setup, it’s a really nice guitar (admittedly more than a beach banger!). $1,275 all in now, and with the Squier logo on the headstock, I’m thinking it won’t be as much of a target for theft.
Its annoying people are still not getting the Ultra's switching and only focussing on the out-of-phase thing. It really under represents what the guitar can do. The switch activates a separate volume for each pickup and if you're on the neck or the bridge, essentially you have a second volume which is really useful if you like to clean up via the volume pot. With the Ultra you can preset this and with the S1 switch to bring in the series mode, you get a little boost and a thicker tone, useful for leads. Its not just an out-of-phase sound you're getting from that switch and I'd imagine a lot of players would get more use of it than they would the traditional circuitry, just sadly far too few demonstrate the circuitry on the Ultra correctly. The downside to the Ultra's circuitry is OOP is always activated with the switch up when the two pickups are engaged (But only when they are engaged!). A second switch to select OOP would be hugely useful for players who like the JM's middle position and would like a second volume setting. The traditional Jazzmaster/Jaguar wiring is incredible versatile when it comes to tonal variety, from super bright to super dark. The rhythm circuit with a fuzz is heaven. But a lot of players are not looking for that much tonal variation, especially the artists who brought the JM & Jaguar back into prominence with all the heavy modding a lot did to their guitars. The Ultra has the best circuitry from that perspective, it's a JM for people not after a classic JM. Otherwise anything with the OG wiring with no common popular mods such as treble bleeds are the best ones to go for, so actually agree with the Vintera 2 winning here.
Great video - the JM deserves more love. The Squier J Mascis is my choice, anything below say the Troy Von Leeuwen Jazzmaster. I know if differs from the traditional Jazzmaster. But, especially for this kind of music, it sounds, and plays better than the Squier CV JM or the nice similar looking to the J Mascis Squier Anniversary ones. The Mascis neck is great. And for driven tones, I prefer it to the Vintera II. The true standout of the affordable Jazzmaster world. Looks beautiful too, you see people playing them all over the place - for good reason. Above that, a great fresh modern take is the Baum Wingman - plays and sounds great and I think a modern classic design. Which would be my choice in the 1-2k range (the Troy one is nice too though, love it's style too). I do like the more traditional Vintera II though, the J Mascis and Vintera are two very different takes on the Jazzmaster. I also love the Vintera II 50s Nocaster, also my favourite Tele. Would have to spend 400 more on the Jason Isbell for anything similarly good.
I have the Vintera I, which I upgraded with Seymour Duncan Antiquities and a Mastery System - my dissatisfaction with the out-of-the-box setup and subsequent upgrades definitely helped me learn everything about working on guitars. It gave me the confidence to take on a partscaster project.
I did something similar and inevitably sold my “modded” V1 to pay for the V2 which literally solved every problem I ever had with the V1 to begin with. I even have a few different sets of vintage correct pickups on the shelf in case I didn’t like the stock Alnico 2 ‘50’s voiced pickups but they actually sound phenomenal. Don’t even wanna mess with this one
dude i have ALWAYS wanted you to make one of these videos on the jazzmaster. i got the 40th anniversary squier one and i love it. bodysnatchers sounded sick too
I thought those pickups sounded the best out of all the JMs in this shootout. I could see myself vibing with that sound a lot more than the more vintage-sounding ones.
Rhett, you really need to check out a Squire Thinlline Cabronita Telecaster. You really do. It's a semi hollow body with Jazzmaster pickups. Sounds like nothing else and it sounds amazing!
Absolutely! was about to write the same comment! Had to let go of mine a while back and will forever regret it. Not only one of the best JM's i' ever played but one of the best guitar i ever owned period. There is definitely something special about that one. Great job Squier!!!
Is that the one with the shorter trem to bridge distance? That seemed like a major improvement over the other Squier models. I think the pickups are slightly different as well.
The new player 2 Jazzmaster is a cool option at about 800 bucks. Looks and plays great and has rolled frets. The pickups sound clear and bright and the trem works well. Not a bad option actually. I don't use the rhythm circuit so I actually like the minimalist approach.
Those custom shop bridges are super expensive because they arent available outside of being pulled from a custom shop guitar, at least last time I checked. Better off going with a mastery bridge which also has brass saddles. You can adjust a mastery for fret radius, indivual string height, intonation, and it doesnt buzz at all. My AV 65 jazzmaster with stock vintage tuners and trem paired with a mastery bridge is the most tuning stable guitar I own. It just always works well, sounds great, and doesnt go out of tune. I also never break strings with a mastery, so I dont even use the trem lock, as cool as that feature is.
I bought a Squier 40th anniversary JM new and it needed a good setup and I added a treble bleed circuit to it (the amount of high end that dropped off going from volume 10 to volume 9 was kinda ridiculous) but now I love it. It does have the sinking bridge issue which is a problem with a lot of JMs, not just Squiers, but I couldn't believe how good it feels and how FAST it feels too, I was shocked. I shot it out against a few other JMs at the shop, including the Vintera II and the Classic Vibe and I actually liked the 40th anniversary the best. Looks amazing too.
Interesting to hear what you've done to yours. I have a Squier 40th anniversary too. I was ready to shim and had some spare for the job, but then found out the pocket is pre-shimmed at the factory on these models, given that most players will do this anyway. I can get low enough action whilst preserving the break angle over the bridge. Personalty, I have not had bridge sinking issues and it stays in tune well. I like thinner gauge strings, so I use 10's on my JM - which I believe is the lowest gauge one should use.
@@PianoDentist I'm using 10s as well. I pretty much have to raise the bridge back up every time I pick it up. I think I'll just end up putting Loctite on the bridge poles like a lot of people do.
@@TJKoch91 Do you think it's better the 1966 series or the american porofessional? The ultra? I want to play high gain distortion and playing Shoegaze style at the same time.
Great video, I especially loved the jam at the beginning! As someone who actually owns both the Vintera and the Classic Vibe JMs shown in this video, I mostly agree with your rankings. I have modded just about every part of my Vintera by now, and at this point I wish I would have just saved the money because I could have done just about all the same mods on the Squier and still spent less than the ticket price of the Vintera. Another thing to note, the buzzing you are hearing is coming from the bridge and not the vibrato. As others have pointed out, this is common on those stock bridges and luckily can be corrected with a few setup steps that are specific to Jazzmasters.
I bought a used Mod Shop JM in Sherwood green for a really good price. The Mod shop version is basically an American Pro 1 which doesn't have the rhythm circuit, but you can get that same sound with tone control. A lot of people bagged on the AP1, and it disappeared off the market fairly quick, but i really love this guitar. I replaced the pickups with Lollar Black Bobbins (which sound fantabulous) as the original ones were pretty ice-picky. The neck is a C to D and is probably one of my favorite necks in my collection. I know the purists will wring their tits over it not being legit JM circuit design, but I love it and that's what matters.
Not surprised the CV placed 2nd. Tremendous value in that series. If the squier logo bothers you that much sand it off.. plus one for brass.. Makes all the difference. Great video!
Nice job comparing the various Jazzmasters! I didn't know much about them & now I have a better understanding of what a Jazzmaster is all about & what the guitar can play.
Neat comparison Rhett. And agree with your high ranking the Squier CV. I own the same one, only changed the stock PU's for Fender Pure Vintage Jazzmaster PU's. This definitely upgraded the sound. I made the neck feel siky smooth with a Scotsch Brite pad and then finishing this with steelwool. Made the fret ends feel better and give the edges a more semi-rolled fretboard feel with endless rubbing the frets with rubbers while watching video\s like your's. Did'nt evn feel the need to change the Trem system yet. The guitar stays intonated and in tune mostly. It sounds awsome and i am amazed that everytime i visit a guitar dealer , while waiting for my turn when buying something, i try out different more. sometimes a lot more costing jazzmasters i still haven't found one that feels better then my ol' Squier CV. ( some might sound even better but don't try that out becourse mine sounds great). Thanks again
Good video, Rhett. Regarding the custom shop bridge: when I went down the JM bridge rabbit hole last year, it was only available on custom shop models. Not aftermarket, they popped up second hand for hundreds of $ on Reverb occasionally. I got on the Staytrem wait list and received it in about 3 months for under $120. It's a drop-in product that is a massive upgrade: better sustain and excellent tuning stability for my Squier Vintage Modified JM.
Hey, huge M fan over here - but can we just acknowledge how wicked the bass lines and drum grooves are in this? My gosh they were laying in DOWN. Love the channel Rhett, thanks for all you (and your team if you have one) put out there for us. 🤘🏻🤙🏻
I bought an American professional 1 JM a couple of years ago and it's been my main guitar ever since. The pickups are fantastic and sound great through many different styles of amp. And I like that it doesn't have the rhythm circuit and they moved the pickup selector to the top so it doesn't get in the way when playing heavy. Not to mention the absolute tank you get for a case!
Loved this. My '65 pure vintage Fender pickups arrived 3 days ago to put in my lefty Squier Jazzmaster. This is my current weekend project. The Squier neck was shite. Replaced it with a block-inlayed neck I bought from Warmoth 22 years ago (cost more than the guitar itself). It's a total parts-caster at this point, but it plays great and the new pickups will send it over the moon.
Squier, thank you for making a lefty CV Jazzmaster a few years ago. Needed some work (neck shim, vibrato tweaked, wiring tidied, body buffed polished - a lot of bits on the finish - and new tuners, high e was damaged). I love the guitar. I dont have £1200+ for a US model. But you only made it for year or two. Now it's to give us a lefty CV Mustang Bass.
Great video - thanks for doing this, Rhett. I love my MIM Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster, which is a lot like the Vintera you liked, and for the same reasons. I wish it didn't have the screw-in trem arm, but teflon tape mostly takes care of that.. By the way, "set up out of the box" is Sweetwater, not anything to do with the Fender models. They do their 55 point inspection, which includes a basic setup.
Great overview man! Would love to see J Mascis JM in it as well. Regarding the "buzz" from tremolo I experienced the same with my J Mascis and I've found what it is: it's the tremolo arm sitting in the holder you have to push it really hard until you hear the click and then it sits tigth and solid with no buzz otherwise it's a little bit loose and will resonate with the strings hope that helps!
I’ve only played the Pro II (at Fanny’s last year) and really liked it. Then again I have a Pro II strat so maybe I am a bit partial...Great review. I almost pulled the trigger on the Squire.
Regarding the discussion at 23:12... you can indeed swap in CS pickups and an RSD bridge (if you can get one), but Fender does not currently sell the RSD bridge as an aftermarket part. The only way you're going to get one is if someone is parting out a CS Jazzmaster.
I’m a Vintera (first series) player myself, so I wasn’t surprised at this result. I play a 60s Vintera Modified Tele, and picked it out of a very similar lineup at our local shop. It was- for me- head and shoulders above an Ultra, two American Player IIs, a couple Japanese killers… among all those more expensive axes, mine absolutely sang. It’s the best neck I’ve ever played, and the body is as resonant as a hollowbody I just sold. Soooo good. Granted that it does have some modern bells and whistles (S1 switch, 4-way toggle), which I actually love, it remains a solidly vintage-feeling and -sounding instrument.
1 Riff. The neck pickup, on speakers, I couldn't tell the difference between them until you hit the Custom at 5,900k. And then it wasn't by much. When you got to the bridge pickup, was where there were differences. Squier ( jangly and sharp) Vintera (a more compressed jangly and sharp) Pro ( a muffled jangly and sharp) Ultra ( an improved Squier) Custom ( a more expensive jangly and sharp) Thanks for doing these videos, I shall subscribe. You were a help when choosing to buy an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. ;)
I really liked this video. Thanks! Jazzmasters are great guitars and too often overlooked. Beecause of the shape it’s a great couch guitar too! Two things: 1) that string buzz is because of the Jazzmaster bridge. It’s an inherent problem with these than can be overcome. You can shim the neck and raise the bridge to increase the break angle over the bridge. This will increase the downward force on the bridge and eliminate the buzz. It will also help the bridge stay in place better and work in tandem with the tremolo as intended. 2) the Jazzmaster pickups can be noisy as they are single coils. This can be somewhat alleviated with cavity shielding. I would love to see a video with your friend Dave the guitar tech where he goes through these issues and shows how to deal with them and make these guitars play at their absolute best. Thanks again!
Man nice round-up. I agree with you on the Ultra, not my cup of jazz either. My jazzmaster is the best one for me because I made it out of parts that I 100% wanted. White Squire body, 1996 fender mexico strat neck, gold pickguard, fender vintage pickups, mastery bridge & a fender locking trem system. Also locking gotoh tuners that are gold with pearl tuning heads. I was looking at so many jazzmasters and just not happy with anything I played or the specs with ones online. DIY / modding a squire is the best route if you don't have custom shop $$$.
This may be semi-off topic but in a nod to the CV's, I needed a tele for a small project ordered a CV from Sweetwater figuring I could get the tones I wanted and sell it right away. The guitar killed me. I couldn't put it down. And I love the alnico 5 (I think) tones. Put 10's on it (shipped w 9's) added compensated brass saddles and I have to say it is incredible...and btw I got the CV idea from your tele shootout....thanks dude!
My CV Jazzmaster is completely stock with stock 9's. Only change is to fix the bridge in place with plumbers tape (to prevent it from rocking) and blue loctite (to prevent it from dropping). It is an awesome playing and sounding guitar!!! As Brett says, it is kind of it's own thing. But then again, so is a Strat or a Tele.
I love the offset Jazzmaster shape, but never really been drawn to the pickup and electronic configuration. I built myself a guitar that's a Jazzmaster shaped body but with telecaster pick ups, and it's super comfortable to play. Really enjoyed the video! I also appreciate how you've ditched the plan B slogan at the end of each video.
Couldn’t have come at a better time. A buddy of mine lended me an American Ultra to try out for a couple weeks. Now I feel myself slowly falling into the offset rabbit hole.
there's a simple mod you can do to the cv jazzmaster that fixes all the issues with the trem. All you have to do to get rid of the vibrations is to shim the neck for a better break angle, and all you have to do to make the vibrato a lot more response and return to zero without coming out of tune, is file the knife edge of the tremolo to an actual point. I did that to mine, and now the trem on my cv feels better than fully fledged american jms ive tried.
Nicely done. Love your stuff, seriously. I think when it comes to these guitars, there's a lot of room - the sounds of all of these are not quite as Iconic as strats or teles (not that there's no JM voice, just that it is not nailed down in the public consciousness the way these others are). In 2017 I bought a Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster which did have slightly nicer pickups than the classic vibe - they were Seymour Duncan engineered, but I did pull those and the wiring and replaced it with a vintage American wiring harness (a little bit of work to fit since dimensions of the "Jazz" pot rollers were a little wider, Kinman Surfmaster/Fatmaster pickups (Noiseless - these pickups sound great), a post bridge tensioner and just recently a Goldo Vibrato, which is a really interesting take on a Jazzmaster vibrato - a re-design and shorter arm. The guitar plays and sounds great - and as you suggest, was a great platform for modding. after the upgrades, it's about $1000 and every bit as enjoyable to play as the custom shops I've been able to play.
I would go with the American Ultra for versatility. I'm not one to have a bunch of guitars, so the fact that it can do the classic Jassmaster sound OR a bunch of other sounds would make it the one for me.
That buzzing sound on my Vintera II went away when I raised the break angle . I thought originally that it was coming for the vibrato unit . Then it needed a shim . The thing I didn't appreciate on the more expensive Fenders was the angled neck pocket and the non traditional rhythm circuit . Great video Buddy . Totally agree with your pecking order ...
I own the white Squier JM Classic Vibe. l actually really like the pickups. I ended up putting in 250k pots for the main circuit, and 1meg pots in the rhythm circuit. This really helped me out, and I love the 250k for most uses (especially with distortion). I never used the stock rhythm circuit (don't know anyone who does), so I was able to preserve the natural brightness of the JM in the rhythm circuit by using the 1megs there, so I can flip to that for that bright chime thing (and I got it to be switchable too, so you can use the new rhythm circuit with any pickup(s) selected). For the tremolo response, you can open it up and pinch (or open up) the arm holder underneath the panel -- I was able to get it so the arm actually clicks in and has a tighter response. For the setup, you'll want to shim the neck and use at least size 10 strings to get some good tension going. The stock guitar was good, but I was able to do all these mods myself and they made the whole thing great. But I agree with Rhett on the fretboard -- it's the only thing that bugs me, the Indian Laurel looks really really bad (though it feels fine playing it) so I'm just accepting that as a cosmetic thing.
I have been waiting for this for a long time. Always wondered why you never played a JM. Maybe because of the Novo? It’s hard to find people this famous and this honest in videos.
Been playing a jazzmaster for almost 10 years and most of the time im on the neck pickup and sometimes both pickups. I use the stock rhythm circuit here and there, but rarely use the bridge pickup alone. Too me, the best clean tone is a jazzmaster neck pickup. It sounds great with drive too and all sorts of weird signal chains I run it through. Shout out to sunday handwound pickups. I put his iola jazzmaster set in my guitar last summer and have found way more use with the bridge pickup over the stock AV 65 JM pickups
You demonstrated the "rhythm circuit" on the American Pro II. That model, however, doesn't have the traditional rhythm circuit; it puts both pickups in series. The Ultra also foregoes the rhythm circuit, this time in favor putting the pickups out of phase. The S1 switch on the Ultra does what the rhythm switch does on the Pro II.
Hey Rhett, great video pretty sure you cannot just buy an RSD bridge. It is exclusive to the custom shop Jazzmaster and you’re right it is an awesome bridge also and maybe your assistant could do another one of these focusing on jazz tones, but wouldn’t it be cool and interesting If an actual jazz guitar player compared all those “jazz masters” I think the subtlety of those wide range singlescoil pick ups and the much-maligned rhythm circuit too frankly would all blossom in that context. having said that I’ll take the red custom shop one please! great vid.
Right on point Rhett! Pretty much everything I've touched MiM are fantastic... Guess I'm going to have to check out the Jazzmaster now... Thanks for a great review!
Also feel like you need a crossover video doing a setup on the squier with Puisheen’s channel. Amazing what you can do to maximize these less expensive guitars. At a guess, it needs a shim to increase the neck angle, heavier strings, and to grind the edge of the tremolo to make it more precise. Easy enough to do for most folks at home
I bought a Squier cv Jazzmaster a year ago to be a fun thing to mod up. The more I modded, the more I loved it. Mastery trem and bridge, new pickups. Now it’s my main. Had a lot of fun bonding with it along the way
With the Squier Jazzmaster, it's too bad you didn't get your hands on a J Mascis Signature model. The Classic Vibe series is great, but the J Mascis is known as one of the best values of any guitar model on the market. My friends are in a pretty popular hardcore band. They had their choice of dozens of guitars in the studio, but after auditioning all of them they ended up going with the J Mascis. Even though you wouldn't think of using it for their genre and even though they could have played some really expensive Gibsons instead, they just thought the J Mascis sounded and played the best. Their endorsement convinced me to buy one, and I've got to say that it may be my favorite guitar I own.
I got the Classic Vibe Jaguar and Jazzmasters a couple years ago, because I couldn't decide which I wanted. As soon as I played the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar just sat collecting dust. I sold it, and imported a Japanese Traditional 60s Jazzmaster, and it's AMAZING! I did have to change pickups and the bridge, but even with that, it still cost less than the Vintera. I now have three Jazzmasters, and all my other guitars just sit there, unplayed. I gotta sell them at some point, I guess.
I got a 40th anniversary JM on Black Friday for a steal and have spent the last year + gigging and touring with it, it is solid! Shimmed the neck and put a gotoh TOM in it, it’s my no.1 now!
Just when I thought man where is Rhett this week?! No uploads! And then you drop this great 5 guitar jazzmaster review! I had a vintage modified squier with the Duncan design pick ups , it looked great and played great, ultimately sold it on just cause how finicky the bridge was (even after following the puisheen jazzmaster set up neck shim videos) but I did love it and miss it for its “fidelity” clean sounds !
The brass Bridge Saddles of the Custom Shop JM are part of the "RSD" Fender Bridge, those are pretty rare and very expensive (that is why they are only found on the Custom Shop JM). Cost of those RSD Bridges are well past $500 these days. Also, changing pickups on a JM is only slightly less difficult than working on an Archtop or Semi-Hollow (just saying).
I am right now awaiting my set of Lollar ‘63s to put into my Squier JMJM. In addition, all the electronics will be swapped according to Lollar’s suggestions and there is a Descendant bridge and vibrato here already. Sure it’s an outlandish mod for a cheap axe but the feel is there where the wood and frets are concerned and the cost comes in somewhere close to the Vintera here.
Thank you so much for that intro. When you see Jazzmaster demos on TH-cam, they play bluesy licks on it, and it just isn't playing to the guitar's strengths. It's an alt-rock/indie BEAST, and IMO, it's more of a rhythm guitarist's guitar. It *wants* to play big, chunky chords.
Mine's a 2016 MIM Classic Player, modded with Curtis Novak JM-V and JM-FAT pickups. Basic signal chain is that, through an EarthQuaker Devices Westwood, into an AC30. It's fucking amazing.
You might want to check out @Puisheen if you haven't already. He has some very tasty shoegazey jm, as well as other offset demos.
@seedyv1 that's where I learned about Curtis Novak pickups, haha. 😄
Half hour Rhett Shull video about jazzmasters? Heck yeah
My wife wanted to play guitar so we got her a CV Jag, and the tremolo on hers is rock solid *after* we set it up. I shimmed the neck, put 11s on the guitar, used loctite on the bridge height screws, and used a sanding sponge to even out the connection point on the tremolo plate. The whole deal took maybe an hour and all the materials cost about $25, but now the guitar stays beautifully in tune, has zero buzz behind the bridge, and plays beautifully with super low action. What I’m saying is, if you’re willing to do the work, there’s nothing wrong with the Squier offsets, cheap tremolo included.
True!
I got a few too, did the setup according to premier guitar.
Did it myself, because the luthiers kept fucking my guitars up and told me to get a Strat. But I declined, I just wanted an offset, these are not only bigger, but they suit my body better, better access to the higher fret register than a Strat.
It's just a better guitar to me.
But nowadays it seems everybody knows these are better, because it used to be cheap second hand guitars. These days they became even more expensive secundaire hand than new and the Strats are deadcheap nowadays. 😅
I’m no expert on offsets but I totally agree about 11s (12s even) and locktite. Those things made my little Classic Vibe pretty good. It’s the only Squier I have.
@@janzelf That made me laugh, lol. "Shit man, sorry, I don't know what's wrong with this piece of shit. Get a Strat or Les Paul, then I'll fix ya right up!"
Do you think it's better the 1966 series or the american porofessional? The ultra? I want to play high gain distortion and playing Shoegaze style at the same time.
@@isolirionband7300 If you want high gain Jazzmasters aren't really the series, but the Ultra & American Pro are more modern voicing/playability. But then high-gain can mean different things: like grungy fuzz tones, or modern metal high gain? JM's are great for the former, not so much for the latter.
'66 (Not even sure if Fender is still making it) is the best Jazzmaster on the market imo. Ultra is a bit overpriced imo. If I was looking to do modern, high-gain, the American Pro would be a good choice. I'm the type that prefers American Fender's due to them holding their value, but the Squire J. Mascis does have some pretty hot pickups and is a fine guitar for the price range.
But really, I'd find a shop and at least play a floor model (even if you're going to buy online) of each before deciding. You might fall in love with the '66 in spite of it being very traditional. Plus it's got the older 7.25 fretboard radius whereas the Ultra and Am Pro have the newer 9.5 radius. Fretboard radius is more important to me than pickups/pots, as the latter can be easily changed out. So get your hands on them and figure out what you like, especially if you're new to JM's as they can be a real pain in the ass to setup and aren't for everybody.
I'm betting if you shim the neck and raise the bridge - for more downpressure - on any JM, you'll eliminate that little bazz/rattle you kept finding. It's basic part of a good JM setup. They were designed for big heavy jazz strings (flatwound even) and that works better with the lower bridge setting.
thanks for mentioning the break angle on the bridge regardless SHIM THE NECK 1degree raise the bridge and get more break angle on the bridge (creating more down force on the bridge) you will have the same action better tunability more resonance ^ a better playing guitar and no rattle!!!! i wish he would have mentioned this mod in the story it helps so much
Yep for me I got a classic vibe Squier I had to shim the neck, there was no other option…and then when I started asking around I found out that pretty much any Jazzmaster after the 1980s factory switch most of them you need to shim the neck
The JM American Pro II solves most if not all of the vintage Jazzmasters problems including a different bridge, an easy to adjust neck angle system built in, and the Panorama tremolo system. They come with 9s and I have 8s on mine and no problem at all. However, if you want to go with 11's or heavier strings, you will need to pick up a different spring which is easy to install.
@@evolasme definitely agree. I bought an American Original 60's and even with a bridge replacement (liked the Mastery love the Staytrem) was still buzzing and felt off. Added a 1 degree shim and it plays like a different guitar. Wish I would have tried that first!
I've shimmed the neck on all of my JM's, except for the J Mascis. Even on the one's that shouldn't require it, such as the AM Pro II and AM Vintage II. If it's an offset, I shim, 95% of the time. Works wonders
Man I really wish you could have put the J Mascis in to this. Truly the best guitar for the price of any guitar period.
My thoughts exactly
First thing I thought of. Love mine.
This is the only guitar I have ever bought twice. I used to do a lot of buying and selling. Had a rarities flame koa strat worth around 2k and the squier J mascis at the same time and the necks felt almost the exact same. Sold both because I needed the money but bought the J Mascis again a year later.
As superior as the J Mascis is said to be, Chris Buck asserts that the 40th Anniversary model is an even better JM and has one as his #1 instrument.
The 40th anniversary Vintage is also an excellent choice. I actually preferred that over the J Mascis.
Please do another video on the Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster. It has a cult following and I’d love to hear your input on it.
Rhett going shoegazey. I like the noise.
Hi Rhett! Loved the video as always, awesome to hear you talk about Jazzmasters! Just one note: When you explain about the rhythm circuit at 8:00, it's correct that the vintage rhythm circuit isolates the neck pickup, BUT, when you showcase it at 8:40, you are using an AmPro II, whose rhythm circuit's is set with both pickups in series. Just wanted to add the note :)
You are correct.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed that!
GREAT mixing of the audio rhett! I noticed the dynamics of the mix and space IMMEDITLY. Simply outstanding
The classic vibe stuff really is impressive
That's been my experience as well! I don't own any currently but after selling my CV 60's Jazzmaster to a friend I've been thinking about picking up another CV of some kind. The name could have been a meme but they really did nail the vintage vibe.
indeed
I bought a CV Jaguar FSR in Silver Sparkle. After swapping the vibrato, pickguard and pickups, it plays as good as my AVRI Jaguar.
@@danielgallardo7249
I own a 50's Classic Vibe Tele and Strat both play like butter and sound great. I'm considering the Mexican Tele with dual humbuckers and coil split. I played one and really liked it but the volume knob shaft was bent and they wouldn't knock-off any on the price. I like 24¾ scale better and Stat body contours best. Humbuckers for rock but a Tele and Marshall sound really good to my ear.
I have never played a Jazzmaster in my 40 years of learning guitar...... and still learning.
I’ve got the 70s Classic Vibe P-Bass in walnut and it’s awesome
My desert island guitar! The first trick to jazzmasters is to put the volume on 9 if it's always ice-picky. I setup my amp and guitar like a gibson: neck pickup volume and tone on 10, middle maybe 9 and tone on 6/7, bridge volume on 9/10 and tone on 6/7. If you've got issues with the setup, shim the neck. The squier classic vibe series is very great value (you probably have to shim the neck), but I've got a expensive 59-like version on the way because these guitars are my absolute favorite!
Thank you sir. What is shim? P’ease
@@balaportejean7015 It's a piece of plastic or wood that is placed in the neck pocket to angle the neck backwards. This allows you to raise the bridge, which gives you a better break angle. This helps with stuning stability and less sitar noises (if you had any). I think I just used some folder paper as a shim, works great.
I think the Mastery bridge is a must have, you WILL knock the strings out of the grooves on the traditional bridge. I would also recommend seeing if you can get a MIJ JazzMaster second hand online.
Squier CV and Fender American Pro II sounded the best for me with distortion. Clean, I liked Squier the most, the American pro was too dark for me, and the others aren't dark enough. That's good, because the Squier CV has been on my list these last couple of years.
The J Mascis CV Jazzmaster has the tremolo plate mounted closer to the bridge creating a sharper break angle which many think helps with 2 of the main problems with the Jazzmaster tremolo. The break angle being sharper also puts more pressure on the bridge due to that break angle, also eliminated the strings popping off the bridge saddle / roller and eliminates the rattle.
Just saw your vid pop up after buying a the Vintera II literally this afternoon. I was blown away by the sound and quality of the guitar, especially at its price point
Love your videos. You come from an approach that many of us forget when looking at gear. The key point you always make is that this is what you hear and feel when playing the guitar. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, it is hard to find a store close by that has the selection of guitars you might want to try in the right colors, pickups, etc. A video on buying a guitar online and the process you would go through might be great. Also, ordering a custom guitar might be cool. I ordered a custom mandolin and its not always a guarantee you will get the sound and feel you wanted. Thanks!
My favourite guitar
On the buzzing: my Mexican Fender Jaguar has a similar vibrato that buzzes, too. The tiny saddle height screws will vibrate, buzz, and rattle their way out of the saddles. I haven’t lost any (yet) but I bought a Mustang bridge which has saddles made of different sized solid barrels that match the fretboard radius. 😊
I got myself a MIM JM with the 3 P90's (Jazz Master P90) When I brought it home, I felt like I made a mistake buying it. I just couldn't make a connection with the guitar. I thought I had while playing it in the store but things changed when I came home and plugged it in. My ignorance led me to think this. Watching your channel has opened my eyes to understanding how to hone in my sound with the amps that I have, and that I have done. I now really enjoy my JM.
I 've had my TVL Jazzmaster Copper (MIM) for over two years now. I know some would say that I overpaid for what is essentially a MIM but I love it and would recomend it to anyone - the key mods make it really playable and the quality is immaculate! Thank you Troy and Fender!
On the Am Pro II, "the rhythm circuit puts both pickups in series for a thicker tone with increased output, controlled by independent volume and tone roller pots" (from Fender's website).
Yup. My first guitar in 20 years, I'm obviously a newbie but the quality of my Ampro2 is awesome. The action is incredible. I've had zero problems with it.
Anyone else watching Rhett's videos after being subbed for 5+ years? It's like keeping up with an old friend at this point. Keep it up Rhett, you rock.
Funny true story, I love JMs...tried an Ultra but did not buy - for EXACTLY the same reasons you mentioned (and it sounded dead acoustically), bought an American Pro II, after some qc issues (Fender replaced the first one) found that I liked the guitar, great neck, but the push push was not to my liking. Ended up selling in and grabbed a Troy Van Leeuwin JM on the used market. Far better than the other two, I wish you had included it in the vid. Pickups and electronics are much better - it plays great. All that said I would love a Custom Shop but thats a lot of dough! Thanks Rhett for another great video!
Rhett your videos are so cinematic and well lit, and the cuts and whatever else (I dont know the terminology) are superb. The production quality is absolutely top notch, and I don't think anything else out there is getting the quality youre achieving here.
I commented a little while back agreeing with someone on how excellent the drums sounded on a track you made, and I needed to follow up here to comment on your visuals work, too.
Also, were I a fender guy, I'd take a jazzmaster.
Love your work, man. Thank you for what you do.
This intro track gave me Mark Johnston vibes, amazing playing as always Rhett!
I got Mars Volta vibes lol
Excellent, thanks Rhett.
To me the Jazzmaster is a perfect morphing of a Tele and Strat. Nothing feels more luscious and sensual than a Strat but I can’t get the lovely clean both pup sounds of the Tele from it. Enter the Jazzy. And I just love what the tone circuitry does to the neck pickup. Best of both worlds, although I must give a nod to Strats on the neck pup for Blues. But it’s a rather indiscreet nod.
I’m the 2nd owner of a 7 year old American Vintage ReIssue Thin Skin ‘65 Jazzmaster I snagged 5 years ago. Stayed with 11’s, installed a Mastery bridge and locking vintage tuners and Holy Toledo. Killer guitar. These were Wildwood specials and were available I think in a few different year models. Gave $2100 for it then, listed and verified in Mint condition. Now they’re going for $31-35 hundy.
This guitar does everything including Setzer and is my all time favorite for Surf. If I had to pick one guitar to do everything…that’d be tough but it would be between this and my White Falcon. The JM does Setzer a little better than the Falcon does surf. So glad I don’t have to choose.
Have you played the J Mascis squier Jazzmaster? On one of my favourite albums of all time, "Peripheral Vision" by Turnover, the rhythm guitar is all this guitar, and for a squier, it's just bonkers mate. Also, Chris Buck recorded a video where he said he absolutely loves it!
Chris Buck later tried a 40th Anniversary JM and says it's even better. It's now his #1.
I wish the J Mascis Squier had the vibrato in the traditional location. I have the CIJ J Mascis Jazzmaster and it's in the normal location.
It is probably the most popular Squier jazzmaster among artists : guys from Tame Impala , Kevin Shields , Joe Duplontier , Frank Iero , the man himself... the list goes on...
Damn man. As a bassist, I appreciate the bass appreciation in the intro with the bass solo! Nice video!
Hi Rhett, have you considered making a shoot out video on the Fender Jaguar? It’s a unique instrument just like the Jazzmaster. I have a mid 2000’s US made 62’ reissue that I was given as a graduation gift when I graduated from university. I absolutely love it! I did upgrade the pickups with a set of vintage pickups.
I’m surprised you switched! Always thought ‘62-‘65 AVRI pickups were the most sought after since they’re discontinued. What did you end up putting in instead?
@@andrewtesta3850 I still have the original pickups that came with the guitar. I thought about getting a pair of Seymour Duncan Antiquity Jaguar pickups, but they are the same as their Vintage Jaguar pickups and have just been aged. I went with the SD Vintage Jaguar pickups. I played the guitar for a while before swapping them out for the Duncan’s and the guitar sounded okay but after the swap sounded smoother and more like an original ‘65 I played in a store.
Great vid! I have the American Pro II and I love it. It was kind of a childhood guitar for me so I was super happy to cross that one off the list. Also I just noticed you have a Big Six! I loooove my Big Six and it's the main console/mixer for my studio.
I like to refer to them as "Jazzcasters," for consistency, and they are the third brother. I love the way JMs play and sound, they're killer.
That does seem to be a better name
I was lucky and got the Desert Sand 40th Anniversary Squier on a Black Friday deal for $360!
Got it for a fun mod job and to play at the beach with our battery powered surf band jams. I really liked the specs of the desert sand satin finish, satin neck, and gold anodized pick guard. Aesthetics I could invest in. It played pretty good stock, except for the trem. Put in new wiring, Fralin Jazzmaster pickups, Staytrem bridge and a Descendant vibrato (which is AWESOME!). The stock tuners are good 👍🏽.
After polishing & rolling the fretboard, polishing & filing the frets and doing a setup, it’s a really nice guitar (admittedly more than a beach banger!). $1,275 all in now, and with the Squier logo on the headstock, I’m thinking it won’t be as much of a target for theft.
Its annoying people are still not getting the Ultra's switching and only focussing on the out-of-phase thing. It really under represents what the guitar can do.
The switch activates a separate volume for each pickup and if you're on the neck or the bridge, essentially you have a second volume which is really useful if you like to clean up via the volume pot. With the Ultra you can preset this and with the S1 switch to bring in the series mode, you get a little boost and a thicker tone, useful for leads.
Its not just an out-of-phase sound you're getting from that switch and I'd imagine a lot of players would get more use of it than they would the traditional circuitry, just sadly far too few demonstrate the circuitry on the Ultra correctly.
The downside to the Ultra's circuitry is OOP is always activated with the switch up when the two pickups are engaged (But only when they are engaged!). A second switch to select OOP would be hugely useful for players who like the JM's middle position and would like a second volume setting.
The traditional Jazzmaster/Jaguar wiring is incredible versatile when it comes to tonal variety, from super bright to super dark. The rhythm circuit with a fuzz is heaven. But a lot of players are not looking for that much tonal variation, especially the artists who brought the JM & Jaguar back into prominence with all the heavy modding a lot did to their guitars. The Ultra has the best circuitry from that perspective, it's a JM for people not after a classic JM. Otherwise anything with the OG wiring with no common popular mods such as treble bleeds are the best ones to go for, so actually agree with the Vintera 2 winning here.
Great video - the JM deserves more love. The Squier J Mascis is my choice, anything below say the Troy Von Leeuwen Jazzmaster. I know if differs from the traditional Jazzmaster. But, especially for this kind of music, it sounds, and plays better than the Squier CV JM or the nice similar looking to the J Mascis Squier Anniversary ones. The Mascis neck is great. And for driven tones, I prefer it to the Vintera II. The true standout of the affordable Jazzmaster world. Looks beautiful too, you see people playing them all over the place - for good reason. Above that, a great fresh modern take is the Baum Wingman - plays and sounds great and I think a modern classic design. Which would be my choice in the 1-2k range (the Troy one is nice too though, love it's style too). I do like the more traditional Vintera II though, the J Mascis and Vintera are two very different takes on the Jazzmaster. I also love the Vintera II 50s Nocaster, also my favourite Tele. Would have to spend 400 more on the Jason Isbell for anything similarly good.
I have the Vintera I, which I upgraded with Seymour Duncan Antiquities and a Mastery System - my dissatisfaction with the out-of-the-box setup and subsequent upgrades definitely helped me learn everything about working on guitars. It gave me the confidence to take on a partscaster project.
I did something similar and inevitably sold my “modded” V1 to pay for the V2 which literally solved every problem I ever had with the V1 to begin with. I even have a few different sets of vintage correct pickups on the shelf in case I didn’t like the stock Alnico 2 ‘50’s voiced pickups but they actually sound phenomenal. Don’t even wanna mess with this one
I've been curious about the stock bridge / trem of the V2s.... might just have to go play one for myself @@andrewtesta3850
dude i have ALWAYS wanted you to make one of these videos on the jazzmaster. i got the 40th anniversary squier one and i love it. bodysnatchers sounded sick too
Love my American Pro Il. I find the pickups incredibly inspiring!! 10/10 in my book.
I thought those pickups sounded the best out of all the JMs in this shootout. I could see myself vibing with that sound a lot more than the more vintage-sounding ones.
Rhett, you really need to check out a Squire Thinlline Cabronita Telecaster. You really do. It's a semi hollow body with Jazzmaster pickups. Sounds like nothing else and it sounds amazing!
Consider maybe also J Mascis Signature. It is one hell of a guitar.
Absolutely! was about to write the same comment! Had to let go of mine a while back and will forever regret it. Not only one of the best JM's i' ever played but one of the best guitar i ever owned period. There is definitely something special about that one. Great job Squier!!!
Is that the one with the shorter trem to bridge distance? That seemed like a major improvement over the other Squier models. I think the pickups are slightly different as well.
The new player 2 Jazzmaster is a cool option at about 800 bucks. Looks and plays great and has rolled frets. The pickups sound clear and bright and the trem works well. Not a bad option actually. I don't use the rhythm circuit so I actually like the minimalist approach.
Those custom shop bridges are super expensive because they arent available outside of being pulled from a custom shop guitar, at least last time I checked. Better off going with a mastery bridge which also has brass saddles. You can adjust a mastery for fret radius, indivual string height, intonation, and it doesnt buzz at all. My AV 65 jazzmaster with stock vintage tuners and trem paired with a mastery bridge is the most tuning stable guitar I own. It just always works well, sounds great, and doesnt go out of tune. I also never break strings with a mastery, so I dont even use the trem lock, as cool as that feature is.
Except that intonation on a Mastery is a compromise because of its shared saddles. Better to get a Staytrem... and for half the money.
I dig that intro tune man. Alot of different colors sharing the space
I bought a Squier 40th anniversary JM new and it needed a good setup and I added a treble bleed circuit to it (the amount of high end that dropped off going from volume 10 to volume 9 was kinda ridiculous) but now I love it. It does have the sinking bridge issue which is a problem with a lot of JMs, not just Squiers, but I couldn't believe how good it feels and how FAST it feels too, I was shocked. I shot it out against a few other JMs at the shop, including the Vintera II and the Classic Vibe and I actually liked the 40th anniversary the best. Looks amazing too.
Interesting to hear what you've done to yours. I have a Squier 40th anniversary too. I was ready to shim and had some spare for the job, but then found out the pocket is pre-shimmed at the factory on these models, given that most players will do this anyway. I can get low enough action whilst preserving the break angle over the bridge. Personalty, I have not had bridge sinking issues and it stays in tune well. I like thinner gauge strings, so I use 10's on my JM - which I believe is the lowest gauge one should use.
@@PianoDentist I'm using 10s as well. I pretty much have to raise the bridge back up every time I pick it up. I think I'll just end up putting Loctite on the bridge poles like a lot of people do.
@@TJKoch91 Do you think it's better the 1966 series or the american porofessional? The ultra? I want to play high gain distortion and playing Shoegaze style at the same time.
I gotta say that Pro 2 and Ultra has brass saddles too :) (BRASS MUSTANG SADDLES ). Loved the video
Really like your stuff, but buzz isn't from tremolo. It's because the angle you mentioned. Solutions: thicker string, shim or both
O M G this is hands down the best sounding intro i’ve heard in a while. You are a magician, Rhett
Great video, I especially loved the jam at the beginning!
As someone who actually owns both the Vintera and the Classic Vibe JMs shown in this video, I mostly agree with your rankings. I have modded just about every part of my Vintera by now, and at this point I wish I would have just saved the money because I could have done just about all the same mods on the Squier and still spent less than the ticket price of the Vintera.
Another thing to note, the buzzing you are hearing is coming from the bridge and not the vibrato. As others have pointed out, this is common on those stock bridges and luckily can be corrected with a few setup steps that are specific to Jazzmasters.
I bought a used Mod Shop JM in Sherwood green for a really good price. The Mod shop version is basically an American Pro 1 which doesn't have the rhythm circuit, but you can get that same sound with tone control. A lot of people bagged on the AP1, and it disappeared off the market fairly quick, but i really love this guitar. I replaced the pickups with Lollar Black Bobbins (which sound fantabulous) as the original ones were pretty ice-picky. The neck is a C to D and is probably one of my favorite necks in my collection. I know the purists will wring their tits over it not being legit JM circuit design, but I love it and that's what matters.
Not surprised the CV placed 2nd. Tremendous value in that series. If the squier logo bothers you that much sand it off.. plus one for brass.. Makes all the difference. Great video!
Nice job comparing the various Jazzmasters! I didn't know much about them & now I have a better understanding of what a Jazzmaster is all about & what the guitar can play.
Neat comparison Rhett. And agree with your high ranking the Squier CV. I own the same one, only changed the stock PU's for Fender Pure Vintage Jazzmaster PU's. This definitely upgraded the sound. I made the neck feel siky smooth with a Scotsch Brite pad and then finishing this with steelwool. Made the fret ends feel better and give the edges a more semi-rolled fretboard feel with endless rubbing the frets with rubbers while watching video\s like your's. Did'nt evn feel the need to change the Trem system yet. The guitar stays intonated and in tune mostly. It sounds awsome and i am amazed that everytime i visit a guitar dealer , while waiting for my turn when buying something, i try out different more. sometimes a lot more costing jazzmasters i still haven't found one that feels better then my ol' Squier CV. ( some might sound even better but don't try that out becourse mine sounds great). Thanks again
Good video, Rhett.
Regarding the custom shop bridge: when I went down the JM bridge rabbit hole last year, it was only available on custom shop models. Not aftermarket, they popped up second hand for hundreds of $ on Reverb occasionally.
I got on the Staytrem wait list and received it in about 3 months for under $120. It's a drop-in product that is a massive upgrade: better sustain and excellent tuning stability for my Squier Vintage Modified JM.
Hey, huge M fan over here - but can we just acknowledge how wicked the bass lines and drum grooves are in this? My gosh they were laying in DOWN.
Love the channel Rhett, thanks for all you (and your team if you have one) put out there for us. 🤘🏻🤙🏻
I bought an American professional 1 JM a couple of years ago and it's been my main guitar ever since. The pickups are fantastic and sound great through many different styles of amp. And I like that it doesn't have the rhythm circuit and they moved the pickup selector to the top so it doesn't get in the way when playing heavy. Not to mention the absolute tank you get for a case!
Loved this. My '65 pure vintage Fender pickups arrived 3 days ago to put in my lefty Squier Jazzmaster. This is my current weekend project. The Squier neck was shite. Replaced it with a block-inlayed neck I bought from Warmoth 22 years ago (cost more than the guitar itself). It's a total parts-caster at this point, but it plays great and the new pickups will send it over the moon.
Great playing in the opening. Great video.
Squier, thank you for making a lefty CV Jazzmaster a few years ago. Needed some work (neck shim, vibrato tweaked, wiring tidied, body buffed polished - a lot of bits on the finish - and new tuners, high e was damaged).
I love the guitar.
I dont have £1200+ for a US model.
But you only made it for year or two.
Now it's to give us a lefty CV Mustang Bass.
Great video - thanks for doing this, Rhett. I love my MIM Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster, which is a lot like the Vintera you liked, and for the same reasons. I wish it didn't have the screw-in trem arm, but teflon tape mostly takes care of that.. By the way, "set up out of the box" is Sweetwater, not anything to do with the Fender models. They do their 55 point inspection, which includes a basic setup.
Great overview man! Would love to see J Mascis JM in it as well.
Regarding the "buzz" from tremolo I experienced the same with my J Mascis and I've found what it is:
it's the tremolo arm sitting in the holder
you have to push it really hard until you hear the click and then it sits tigth and solid with no buzz
otherwise it's a little bit loose and will resonate with the strings
hope that helps!
I’ve only played the Pro II (at Fanny’s last year) and really liked it. Then again I have a Pro II strat so maybe I am a bit partial...Great review. I almost pulled the trigger on the Squire.
17:54 I actually really like that, it sounds kinda like a cocked wah, it sounds really cool imo
Regarding the discussion at 23:12... you can indeed swap in CS pickups and an RSD bridge (if you can get one), but Fender does not currently sell the RSD bridge as an aftermarket part. The only way you're going to get one is if someone is parting out a CS Jazzmaster.
I’m a Vintera (first series) player myself, so I wasn’t surprised at this result. I play a 60s Vintera Modified Tele, and picked it out of a very similar lineup at our local shop. It was- for me- head and shoulders above an Ultra, two American Player IIs, a couple Japanese killers… among all those more expensive axes, mine absolutely sang. It’s the best neck I’ve ever played, and the body is as resonant as a hollowbody I just sold. Soooo good.
Granted that it does have some modern bells and whistles (S1 switch, 4-way toggle), which I actually love, it remains a solidly vintage-feeling and -sounding instrument.
1 Riff. The neck pickup, on speakers, I couldn't tell the difference between them until you hit the Custom at 5,900k. And then it wasn't by much.
When you got to the bridge pickup, was where there were differences.
Squier ( jangly and sharp)
Vintera (a more compressed jangly and sharp)
Pro ( a muffled jangly and sharp)
Ultra ( an improved Squier)
Custom ( a more expensive jangly and sharp)
Thanks for doing these videos, I shall subscribe. You were a help when choosing to buy an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. ;)
Great comparison! My first memory of a Jazzmaster is Elvis Costello on the cover of “My Aim Is True”.
I really liked this video. Thanks! Jazzmasters are great guitars and too often overlooked. Beecause of the shape it’s a great couch guitar too!
Two things:
1) that string buzz is because of the Jazzmaster bridge. It’s an inherent problem with these than can be overcome. You can shim the neck and raise the bridge to increase the break angle over the bridge. This will increase the downward force on the bridge and eliminate the buzz. It will also help the bridge stay in place better and work in tandem with the tremolo as intended.
2) the Jazzmaster pickups can be noisy as they are single coils. This can be somewhat alleviated with cavity shielding.
I would love to see a video with your friend Dave the guitar tech where he goes through these issues and shows how to deal with them and make these guitars play at their absolute best.
Thanks again!
I was hoping you’d pick that one, that’s my exact budget. Thanks for doing this, perfectly done as always.
I recently bought a 60s Vintera II and I am so glad you also chose it - it sounds so good.
Man nice round-up. I agree with you on the Ultra, not my cup of jazz either. My jazzmaster is the best one for me because I made it out of parts that I 100% wanted. White Squire body, 1996 fender mexico strat neck, gold pickguard, fender vintage pickups, mastery bridge & a fender locking trem system. Also locking gotoh tuners that are gold with pearl tuning heads. I was looking at so many jazzmasters and just not happy with anything I played or the specs with ones online. DIY / modding a squire is the best route if you don't have custom shop $$$.
This may be semi-off topic but in a nod to the CV's, I needed a tele for a small project ordered a CV from Sweetwater figuring I could get the tones I wanted and sell it right away. The guitar killed me. I couldn't put it down. And I love the alnico 5 (I think) tones. Put 10's on it (shipped w 9's) added compensated brass saddles and I have to say it is incredible...and btw I got the CV idea from your tele shootout....thanks dude!
you never disappoint with the intro!
Doing the bodysnatchers riff was maybe the perfect choice to demo these guitars. One of my fav riffs to play on my own jazzmaster
My CV Jazzmaster is completely stock with stock 9's. Only change is to fix the bridge in place with plumbers tape (to prevent it from rocking) and blue loctite (to prevent it from dropping). It is an awesome playing and sounding guitar!!! As Brett says, it is kind of it's own thing. But then again, so is a Strat or a Tele.
As a new guitarist I love these shootouts, it really shows what you’re getting for the price. Great playing!
I love the offset Jazzmaster shape, but never really been drawn to the pickup and electronic configuration. I built myself a guitar that's a Jazzmaster shaped body but with telecaster pick ups, and it's super comfortable to play. Really enjoyed the video! I also appreciate how you've ditched the plan B slogan at the end of each video.
Couldn’t have come at a better time. A buddy of mine lended me an American Ultra to try out for a couple weeks. Now I feel myself slowly falling into the offset rabbit hole.
I plan on owning an ultra myself one day. I love the finish and tones you can get. Any suggestions?
there's a simple mod you can do to the cv jazzmaster that fixes all the issues with the trem. All you have to do to get rid of the vibrations is to shim the neck for a better break angle, and all you have to do to make the vibrato a lot more response and return to zero without coming out of tune, is file the knife edge of the tremolo to an actual point. I did that to mine, and now the trem on my cv feels better than fully fledged american jms ive tried.
Nicely done. Love your stuff, seriously. I think when it comes to these guitars, there's a lot of room - the sounds of all of these are not quite as Iconic as strats or teles (not that there's no JM voice, just that it is not nailed down in the public consciousness the way these others are). In 2017 I bought a Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster which did have slightly nicer pickups than the classic vibe - they were Seymour Duncan engineered, but I did pull those and the wiring and replaced it with a vintage American wiring harness (a little bit of work to fit since dimensions of the "Jazz" pot rollers were a little wider, Kinman Surfmaster/Fatmaster pickups (Noiseless - these pickups sound great), a post bridge tensioner and just recently a Goldo Vibrato, which is a really interesting take on a Jazzmaster vibrato - a re-design and shorter arm. The guitar plays and sounds great - and as you suggest, was a great platform for modding. after the upgrades, it's about $1000 and every bit as enjoyable to play as the custom shops I've been able to play.
I would go with the American Ultra for versatility. I'm not one to have a bunch of guitars, so the fact that it can do the classic Jassmaster sound OR a bunch of other sounds would make it the one for me.
Good choice! I plan to own the ultra one day. It’s a beautiful looking and sounding model
The push-push switch on the Am Pro II is a coil TAP (you don't need a HB for that - that would be a coil split).
That buzzing sound on my Vintera II went away when I raised the break angle . I thought originally that it was coming for the vibrato unit . Then it needed a shim . The thing I didn't appreciate on the more expensive Fenders was the angled neck pocket and the non traditional rhythm circuit . Great video Buddy . Totally agree with your pecking order ...
You don't appreciate the factory angled neck pocket yet you shimmed your guitar's neck... wtf?
I own the white Squier JM Classic Vibe. l actually really like the pickups. I ended up putting in 250k pots for the main circuit, and 1meg pots in the rhythm circuit. This really helped me out, and I love the 250k for most uses (especially with distortion). I never used the stock rhythm circuit (don't know anyone who does), so I was able to preserve the natural brightness of the JM in the rhythm circuit by using the 1megs there, so I can flip to that for that bright chime thing (and I got it to be switchable too, so you can use the new rhythm circuit with any pickup(s) selected). For the tremolo response, you can open it up and pinch (or open up) the arm holder underneath the panel -- I was able to get it so the arm actually clicks in and has a tighter response. For the setup, you'll want to shim the neck and use at least size 10 strings to get some good tension going. The stock guitar was good, but I was able to do all these mods myself and they made the whole thing great. But I agree with Rhett on the fretboard -- it's the only thing that bugs me, the Indian Laurel looks really really bad (though it feels fine playing it) so I'm just accepting that as a cosmetic thing.
I have been waiting for this for a long time. Always wondered why you never played a JM. Maybe because of the Novo?
It’s hard to find people this famous and this honest in videos.
Been playing a jazzmaster for almost 10 years and most of the time im on the neck pickup and sometimes both pickups. I use the stock rhythm circuit here and there, but rarely use the bridge pickup alone. Too me, the best clean tone is a jazzmaster neck pickup. It sounds great with drive too and all sorts of weird signal chains I run it through.
Shout out to sunday handwound pickups. I put his iola jazzmaster set in my guitar last summer and have found way more use with the bridge pickup over the stock AV 65 JM pickups
You demonstrated the "rhythm circuit" on the American Pro II. That model, however, doesn't have the traditional rhythm circuit; it puts both pickups in series. The Ultra also foregoes the rhythm circuit, this time in favor putting the pickups out of phase. The S1 switch on the Ultra does what the rhythm switch does on the Pro II.
Hey Rhett, great video pretty sure you cannot just buy an RSD bridge. It is exclusive to the custom shop Jazzmaster and you’re right it is an awesome bridge also and maybe your assistant could do another one of these focusing on jazz tones, but wouldn’t it be cool and interesting If an actual jazz guitar player compared all those “jazz masters” I think the subtlety of those wide range singlescoil pick ups and the much-maligned rhythm circuit too frankly would all blossom in that context.
having said that I’ll take the red custom shop one please!
great vid.
Good to see the Squire JM getting some love.
Right on point Rhett! Pretty much everything I've touched MiM are fantastic... Guess I'm going to have to check out the Jazzmaster now... Thanks for a great review!
Also feel like you need a crossover video doing a setup on the squier with Puisheen’s channel. Amazing what you can do to maximize these less expensive guitars. At a guess, it needs a shim to increase the neck angle, heavier strings, and to grind the edge of the tremolo to make it more precise. Easy enough to do for most folks at home
You beat me to it. This exactly 👍
I bought a Squier cv Jazzmaster a year ago to be a fun thing to mod up. The more I modded, the more I loved it. Mastery trem and bridge, new pickups. Now it’s my main. Had a lot of fun bonding with it along the way
With the Squier Jazzmaster, it's too bad you didn't get your hands on a J Mascis Signature model. The Classic Vibe series is great, but the J Mascis is known as one of the best values of any guitar model on the market. My friends are in a pretty popular hardcore band. They had their choice of dozens of guitars in the studio, but after auditioning all of them they ended up going with the J Mascis. Even though you wouldn't think of using it for their genre and even though they could have played some really expensive Gibsons instead, they just thought the J Mascis sounded and played the best. Their endorsement convinced me to buy one, and I've got to say that it may be my favorite guitar I own.
Jazzmasters go a long way with a good setup. My favorite of the Fender line. Thanks for the great vid.
I got the Classic Vibe Jaguar and Jazzmasters a couple years ago, because I couldn't decide which I wanted. As soon as I played the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar just sat collecting dust. I sold it, and imported a Japanese Traditional 60s Jazzmaster, and it's AMAZING! I did have to change pickups and the bridge, but even with that, it still cost less than the Vintera. I now have three Jazzmasters, and all my other guitars just sit there, unplayed. I gotta sell them at some point, I guess.
I got a 40th anniversary JM on Black Friday for a steal and have spent the last year + gigging and touring with it, it is solid! Shimmed the neck and put a gotoh TOM in it, it’s my no.1 now!
Fender really knocked it out of the park with the new Vintera line. Beautiful.
The lead tone from the intro is so cool man.
Just when I thought man where is Rhett this week?! No uploads! And then you drop this great 5 guitar jazzmaster review! I had a vintage modified squier with the Duncan design pick ups , it looked great and played great, ultimately sold it on just cause how finicky the bridge was (even after following the puisheen jazzmaster set up neck shim videos) but I did love it and miss it for its “fidelity” clean sounds !
The brass Bridge Saddles of the Custom Shop JM are part of the "RSD" Fender Bridge, those are pretty rare and very expensive (that is why they are only found on the Custom Shop JM).
Cost of those RSD Bridges are well past $500 these days.
Also, changing pickups on a JM is only slightly less difficult than working on an Archtop or Semi-Hollow (just saying).
Great vid - thank you.
I LOVE my Squier Deluxe Jazzmaster, even with the stock pick ups.
I am right now awaiting my set of Lollar ‘63s to put into my Squier JMJM. In addition, all the electronics will be swapped according to Lollar’s suggestions and there is a Descendant bridge and vibrato here already. Sure it’s an outlandish mod for a cheap axe but the feel is there where the wood and frets are concerned and the cost comes in somewhere close to the Vintera here.