Jazzmaster help?

[Bandeapart]

Okay,

so I finally think I made my mind up on wanting to sell off my telecaster to get a Jazzmaster. I know almost nothing about Jazzmasters, except that they look friggen awesome, and a lot of bands I like used them back in the day. (Elvis Costello, Blondie, etc.)

My old band has decided to reunite for a one off show for the premier of our DVD, and I came to realize that I don't have a guitar that can really pull off the punk we used to do.. so that's what started the ball rolling in my head that I wasn't ever really THAT happy with the tele. It's a great guitar, but I only like the bridge position and never find a use for the twangy neck position. I thought I would when I bought it, but that day hasn't come yet. I have my ric still, but I couldn't do the punk thing with it because when distorted that much, it feeds back, and isn't really much of a guitar for any little bit of finger tapping. I also have my ESP, but I never liked that thing. I only played it back in the day cuz it was all I could afford (free).

I want a guitar that will go from more of a strat-ish type clean, to a good heavy sound for punk (who knows, my punk band re-uniting may play more than one show after re-uniting). And no, don't suggest a strat, I just won't. Sorry to everyone, but I just hate the look of a strat (don't stone me). I respect them, but something planted in my head just makes me hate the look.

Anyways, anyone have any suggestions about a Jazzmaster? What to look for, what to avoid? I was thinking a Japanese one (I heard they were better for some reason), plus they are cheaper on eBay.

[Bandeapart]

I'd like to add something as well....

Please don't suggest getting it, and modding the hell out of it... I'm not a modification guy... I play stock, sorry. I don't want someone to say, yeah, get this one, but put these pickups in, switch this wire, pull the neck off, spit on it, yell at it and then put it back on backwards....... NO!

Please just talk stock.

[Le Chat Noir]

Regarding your second post, I wouldn't buy a Jazzmaster if you plan on leaving it stock. At a minimum, you'll be needing a Mustang bridge to stop your strings falling off it all the time! I've also heard the necks are a lot less comfortable than Tele necks.

I'm never keen on the idea of a guitar that has a lot of design issues right out of the box... I think if you do a Google search, you'll find there are numerous reasons why these are so widely modded compared ot other guitars.

[Bandeapart]

Well that's an easy swap right? Screw, unscrew, right?

[Bandeapart]

How about Jaguars? Are these just as plagued with issues?

[Le Chat Noir]

Yeah, it's not hard to replace the bridge. The same fault on Jaguars, Mustang bridges needed for them too

Personally I'd stick with your Tele, but if you're really intent on a Jazzmaster make sure you try before you buy!

By the way, personally I don't think it's a suitable guitar for punk or heavy rock at all! What was your reasoning behind picking out a Jazzmaster for your punk reunion?

[billynightingale]

if you use a heavy gauge string, you don't even have to worry about them coming off. I use 11's on my jazzmaster and never have issues. I don't own a japanese one, but the stock pickups in my american jazzmaster never really had issues with feeding back with too much gain. I also, however, don't know if a jazzmaster would be the best bet for punk music without modding it. I love mine to pieces, but I don't think I would use it for that. Anyways. good luck on the hunt.

[Bandeapart]

I seem to recall like Sonic Youth and Nirvana using them, right?

[billynightingale]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Bandeapart</i>
<br />I seem to recall like Sonic Youth and Nirvana using them, right?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Personally, I would never site sonic youth for a tonal reference:x

Kurt used a jaguar but had it modded with a humbucker in the bridge position.

[Le Chat Noir]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Bandeapart</i>
<br />I seem to recall like Sonic Youth and Nirvana using them, right?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Kurt didn't use Jazzmasters, he used mainly Mustangs and Strats, both modded a lot. Sonic Youth aren't punk to me, and they also modded theirs a lot... I'd say they're better guitars for shoegaze and drone rock, not thrashy punk or any rock that requires an aggressive style. I'd still choose a Tele for those styles, it's only the Sonic Youth association that has them living on in those genres really. Jazzmasters were designed for jazz (!), not with modern heavy rock in mind.

Have you thought of changing your Tele's pickups?

[Bandeapart]

Word.... and trust me, I didn't know what the word tone meant back when I had this band.... loud, heavy, and angry was what we wanted... unfortunately, these days I would prefer a guitar that will hit that and then be usable in my other musical parts of my life where I DO care about tone.

[Le Chat Noir]

How about a Les Paul or SG to give you something really different from your Ric?

[Bandeapart]

I don't like either, ha.

[TJ_Lee]

Strange...If you have to go with a Jazzy, please play a bunch first. I find my tele to be a workhorse of a guitar, it can do anything I need it to do, I find it weird how you can't find what you're looking for. But good luck on your jazzy quest!

[fat controller]

You don't need to swap the bridge on a JM - if you want it stock, you just file the appropriate groove on each saddle a bit deeper, which has the added benefit of allowing you to raise the overall height of the bridge a bit, which will increase the break angle a tad, which will help keep strings in place.

The main benefit of the MIA vs. CIJ JM is the electronics/shielding are good to go. I preferred the neck, wood and finish on my MIA (which I still have and is my main stage guitar) over my CIJ (which I sold.)

Fender just released the Thin Skin JM models - very sexy. My Thin Skin is lovely compared to the stock MIA models. Would think the extra $250 would be well spent.

A significant JM pro - almost no string breakage

A significant JM con - finicky guitars. They are not a set 'em and ;eave 'em guitar. Need to love them up. Read up on the way the bridge & trem work and think about putting some tape around the bridge posts to minimize the amount they rock and think about putting some loctite on the bridge set screws. Also think about heavier gauge strings - .11's at least. All those things help to stabilize the whole s---eree.