Hi - Nice review. I'm toying with buying the blue one but would want to swap out the pickguard too. I've been looking for pickguards that would fit, as it's not a regular Jazzmaster. Where did you get yours?
I got my black pickguard through a seller on Reverb. Looks like they go in and out of stock but will be available again pretty soon. I'm REALLY happy with the look this gives the guitar! reverb.com/item/76479620-pickguard-for-squier-paranormal-12-string-jazzmaster-many-colors-xii
I just received my PJM Xii from Fender. I got the green with the green headstock. $328.99! Appears flawless. Do you tune yours in standard tuning, each pair of strings in E, A, D, etc …? Thanks for the video!
@@johnbiavaschi1829 I do use standard tuning at the moment, although I’ve been considering alt tunings for a six-string lately. One of these days, right? That’s a great deal for that guitar - enjoy!
Smart of Squier to make a lower-priced 12. Lots of people probably only need a 12 for occasional parts recording/live. No reason to spend $4k on a guitar unless you’re a touring pro.
Nice review. I just bought one from Sweetwater. It was on sale for $349 ($100 off) and had an extra discount of 10% off for Christmas. I got the blonde one. I hope to use it for some classic 12 string songs that I have always wanted to learn. I have lots of nice vintage guitars, but never wanted to put out the money for a really nice 12 string. So, hopefully this will work.
Of course they went on sale shortly after I bought mine LOL. Yeah - it was a good deal at full price, so it's even better on sale. Thanks for the comment!
FYI those are not P90's they are Jazzmaster pickups ( but the stock bridge being much hotter than a traditional JM pup). P90's and JM pickups are very different in sound and design. You can get JM sized P90's though if that is what you are after and it would be a much rounder aggressive tone than the stock JM pups. It is a common misconception by the way.
Interesting! I just assumed because of the look they were P90s. Live and learn! Fender simply has them listed as Fender Designed Alnico Single-Coil pickups. Good news is now I need another guitar so I can have some P90s. 👍
@@keithavarney170 These guitars have kind of hybrid pickups. The coils are Jazzmaster sized (very wide across, but very thin top-to-bottom). They have magnets underneath the coils rather than the original magnetic polepieces the Fender single coil designs use. They're rather hot. Additionally, the pickups have foam underneath to raise them rather than springs like the original Fender units use. To give better clarity and balance with the bridge pickup, pull it out and trim the foam down so you can lower it further, or remove the foam entirely and put Jazzmaster pickup springs in. Some of the serious gear tweakers are swapping in aftermarket 1960s-spec Jazzmaster replacement pickups.
In this case specifically, these pickups are probably hotter than most P90s though. I'd beware of replacing just one. Whichever is stock will probably be far louder than any replacement. The ceramic magnet setup in these pickups is no joke. Just stick a screwdriver on a pole piece, and compare the magnetic strength to an alnico pickup.
@@JulianA-tr6pt They are actually Alnico pickups using most likely V magnets. Pretty sure they are the same set they are in the Classic Vibes. The neck is quite hot though.
Corrections: Those are not P90s. P90s and Jazzmaster pickups ARE single coils. Synthetic bone is more consistent material with no dead spots than actual bone. The vintage (Kluson-style) tuners are fine. They have a fairly high turning ratio too. And it's the nut, not the tuners, that is going to be the source of your tuning stability issues. That hockey stick headstock is virtually the same as the ones Fender used on its original 12 string electric and acoustics back in the 1960s. It's not a little weird. Its a classic. And no one uses a 12 string as their main guitar.
I have one of these - I'll add, the tuners are pretty mediocre. They hold tuning, but adjustment tuner-to-tuner feels different (some are okay, some are very tight), some have "dead spots", and the tuner buttons rattle. They're not great. The Classic Vibe line tuners are far better. I think he made a correction clip about the P90/JM pickup thing, but the pickups in the XII have a high output, tall coils, and ceramic magnet with steel pole. They're not bad, but they'll push an amp's front end pretty hard for a JM, and a 12 string one at that.
Yeah - like so many other things, it's really subjective. I remember seeing Jonathan Cain from Journey playing one of these live - even then I noticed that the headstock was quite different. Good news is that I like this guitar the more I play it, headstock and all. Thanks so much for the comment!
For those looking for a quality 12 string without the prohibitive price tag, I suggest investigating the Reverend Airwave 12. It's a semi hollow Korina body design, engineered from the "blueprint" to be a 12 string. it's more of a mid priced model but it needs NOTHING. Individual intonation and locking tuners - STANDARD.
I got one of these for a GREAT deal.. I got it home and I realized it may not be my cup of tea. I think the sound is very limited- I think only the neck pickup sounds good and it just doesn’t sound all that good with what I do. It’s NOT like an acoustic 12 string, and it will not give you a Byrds type sound like a Ric 12 string. You can’t really dig in and play like Melissa Etheridge. It will sound like mush. I find that you gotta pick lightly.. use light picks. The light strings can easily be drowned out if your are rocking out.. Thought the music I have written on 12 string could transfer to a band format easily, but it kind of is not working out like I thought. Might be selling mine.
I agree that it sounds nothing like an acoustic and that it lacks that "jangly" sparkle you'd get from something like a Ric. It has a unique sound. And I'm using the neck pickup almost exclusively, particularly for live stuff. Wonder if changing out the bridge pickup would make much of a difference? I see it as a niche guitar and I've found it to be a good tool for writing and recording. For the price I still think it's good; of course it's $100 off now at Fender - I paid full price 🤣. I'd be curious to know what you end up getting if you sell yours. Thanks for the comment!
Hi - Nice review. I'm toying with buying the blue one but would want to swap out the pickguard too. I've been looking for pickguards that would fit, as it's not a regular Jazzmaster. Where did you get yours?
I got my black pickguard through a seller on Reverb. Looks like they go in and out of stock but will be available again pretty soon. I'm REALLY happy with the look this gives the guitar!
reverb.com/item/76479620-pickguard-for-squier-paranormal-12-string-jazzmaster-many-colors-xii
I just received my PJM Xii from Fender. I got the green with the green headstock. $328.99! Appears flawless. Do you tune yours in standard tuning, each pair of strings in E, A, D, etc …? Thanks for the video!
@@johnbiavaschi1829 I do use standard tuning at the moment, although I’ve been considering alt tunings for a six-string lately. One of these days, right? That’s a great deal for that guitar - enjoy!
Smart of Squier to make a lower-priced 12. Lots of people probably only need a 12 for occasional parts recording/live. No reason to spend $4k on a guitar unless you’re a touring pro.
Nice review. I just bought one from Sweetwater. It was on sale for $349 ($100 off) and had an extra discount of 10% off for Christmas. I got the blonde one. I hope to use it for some classic 12 string songs that I have always wanted to learn. I have lots of nice vintage guitars, but never wanted to put out the money for a really nice 12 string. So, hopefully this will work.
Of course they went on sale shortly after I bought mine LOL. Yeah - it was a good deal at full price, so it's even better on sale. Thanks for the comment!
Got the same deal what a bargain. I love mine excellent for that chimy 60's vibe.
FYI those are not P90's they are Jazzmaster pickups ( but the stock bridge being much hotter than a traditional JM pup). P90's and JM pickups are very different in sound and design. You can get JM sized P90's though if that is what you are after and it would be a much rounder aggressive tone than the stock JM pups. It is a common misconception by the way.
Interesting! I just assumed because of the look they were P90s. Live and learn! Fender simply has them listed as Fender Designed Alnico Single-Coil pickups. Good news is now I need another guitar so I can have some P90s. 👍
@@keithavarney170 These guitars have kind of hybrid pickups. The coils are Jazzmaster sized (very wide across, but very thin top-to-bottom). They have magnets underneath the coils rather than the original magnetic polepieces the Fender single coil designs use. They're rather hot.
Additionally, the pickups have foam underneath to raise them rather than springs like the original Fender units use. To give better clarity and balance with the bridge pickup, pull it out and trim the foam down so you can lower it further, or remove the foam entirely and put Jazzmaster pickup springs in. Some of the serious gear tweakers are swapping in aftermarket 1960s-spec Jazzmaster replacement pickups.
@@Klorpus Knowing me, I'll probably replace the bridge pickup at least. Some day 😜. Thanks so much for the info!
In this case specifically, these pickups are probably hotter than most P90s though. I'd beware of replacing just one. Whichever is stock will probably be far louder than any replacement. The ceramic magnet setup in these pickups is no joke. Just stick a screwdriver on a pole piece, and compare the magnetic strength to an alnico pickup.
@@JulianA-tr6pt They are actually Alnico pickups using most likely V magnets. Pretty sure they are the same set they are in the Classic Vibes. The neck is quite hot though.
Corrections: Those are not P90s. P90s and Jazzmaster pickups ARE single coils. Synthetic bone is more consistent material with no dead spots than actual bone. The vintage (Kluson-style) tuners are fine. They have a fairly high turning ratio too. And it's the nut, not the tuners, that is going to be the source of your tuning stability issues. That hockey stick headstock is virtually the same as the ones Fender used on its original 12 string electric and acoustics back in the 1960s. It's not a little weird. Its a classic. And no one uses a 12 string as their main guitar.
I have one of these - I'll add, the tuners are pretty mediocre. They hold tuning, but adjustment tuner-to-tuner feels different (some are okay, some are very tight), some have "dead spots", and the tuner buttons rattle. They're not great. The Classic Vibe line tuners are far better.
I think he made a correction clip about the P90/JM pickup thing, but the pickups in the XII have a high output, tall coils, and ceramic magnet with steel pole. They're not bad, but they'll push an amp's front end pretty hard for a JM, and a 12 string one at that.
Thanks for the comments. Have a wonderful day!
I use a 12 String as my main guitar. As does Roger McGuinn. So much for "no one"!
I have one and the same color. It's a great guitar especially at the price point.
And - of course - they dropped the price by $100 after I got mine 🤣. So yeah, killer deal for anyone that wants to pick one up now. 👍
Thanks for the review. The headstock is just based on the original Fender Electric XII from the mid 60's. I kinda like it.
Yeah - like so many other things, it's really subjective. I remember seeing Jonathan Cain from Journey playing one of these live - even then I noticed that the headstock was quite different. Good news is that I like this guitar the more I play it, headstock and all. Thanks so much for the comment!
I like it too, kindoff of retro unique
For those looking for a quality 12 string without the prohibitive price tag, I suggest investigating the Reverend Airwave 12. It's a semi hollow Korina body design, engineered from the "blueprint" to be a 12 string. it's more of a mid priced model but it needs NOTHING. Individual intonation and locking tuners - STANDARD.
I got one of these for a GREAT deal.. I got it home and I realized it may not be my cup of tea. I think the sound is very limited- I think only the neck pickup sounds good and it just doesn’t sound all that good with what I do. It’s NOT like an acoustic 12 string, and it will not give you a Byrds type sound like a Ric 12 string. You can’t really dig in and play like Melissa Etheridge. It will sound like mush. I find that you gotta pick lightly.. use light picks. The light strings can easily be drowned out if your are rocking out.. Thought the music I have written on 12 string could transfer to a band format easily, but it kind of is not working out like I thought. Might be selling mine.
I agree that it sounds nothing like an acoustic and that it lacks that "jangly" sparkle you'd get from something like a Ric. It has a unique sound. And I'm using the neck pickup almost exclusively, particularly for live stuff. Wonder if changing out the bridge pickup would make much of a difference? I see it as a niche guitar and I've found it to be a good tool for writing and recording. For the price I still think it's good; of course it's $100 off now at Fender - I paid full price 🤣. I'd be curious to know what you end up getting if you sell yours. Thanks for the comment!
Those pick-ups are not P90
Correct - there is a follow up quickie video explaining that. Thanks for the comment!
GEE WHIZ...no sound sample? no strumming? SHUCKS!!! ✌❤ from HAMPTON, VA
In case you missed it, there are recorded samples of the guitar at the beginning and end of the video. Thanks! 👍
They're not P90s. Google "are Jazzmaster pickups P90s".
@@GilgaFrank yes… there are comments below as well as a follow up video covering this. Thanks for the comment. Have a wonderful day. 👍