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Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 3:03 pm
by NewKId
I have only had Teles in my life since I was 13...until this Wednesday when I bought my first Jazzmaster online.

I chose a black Classic Player Jazzmaster as my first JM investment. The darkest Pau Ferro fretboard I ever saw on a JM put me over the top. It looked like a rosewood board slipped through the Fender QC department. Many thanks to Sweetwater for showing several of the same model for sale. This dark fretboard really popped out. I will attach pictures when I get the guitar next week.

Yesterday, I went to Guitar Center to play the CP Jazzmaster for the first time - yes after I bought the guitar already. I loved it!

Since I had only done one afternoon of research before buying this CP Jazzmaster I didn't know about the AOM bridge and vibrato placement issues some folks here have with those features. I thought the guitar played great, looked great, and I'm very excited to spend lots of time with it. I've never used a tremolo being a Tele player so that will be a fun exploration.

Playing that Jazzmaster felt like home for me. I can't believe this guitar had never entered my consciousness before. Better late than never right? I'm glad this Jazzmaster community exists and have enjoyed reading many posts today. Cheers to everyone, I'm very happy to read your stories.

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 3:06 pm
by Larry Mal
Congratulations! That's how I felt when I played my first one too, I felt like I had come home to something I had always suspected was out there but didn't quite know where it was.

Welcome to the forum!

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 4:09 pm
by NewKId
Thanks Larry,

I've enjoyed several of your posts already. So nice that you're the first to welcome me here. We lived in St Louis when Mark McGwire broke the home run record for a season in 1998. What a great year. My youngest daughter was born in Creve Coeur. She's 21 now. We also lived in Kirkwood.

We're in Seattle now and enjoying the Pacific Norwthwest.

Cheers,
Don

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 5:44 pm
by DeathJag
Dude! I had that experience moving from a strat to a jag, and then the av65 JM jumped it all up to another level.

I have never played such a comfy guitar! And I notice my playing is better too!

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 5:46 pm
by Embenny
You know how some people go on about how they wish they could see a movie for the first time again, like the Usual Suspects or the Sixth Sense?

I feel like that about discovering offsets. I'm envious that you got to play a Jazzmaster for the first time. You never forget your first!

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 8:27 pm
by Larry Mal
NewKId wrote:
Fri Feb 08, 2019 4:09 pm
Thanks Larry,

I've enjoyed several of your posts already. So nice that you're the first to welcome me here. We lived in St Louis when Mark McGwire broke the home run record for a season in 1998. What a great year. My youngest daughter was born in Creve Coeur. She's 21 now. We also lived in Kirkwood.

We're in Seattle now and enjoying the Pacific Norwthwest.

Cheers,
Don
Hey, there you go, Don! I used to live in Kirkwood myself back in the day, off of Geyer road, and I worked at Two Nice Guys for a while if you remember that joint, they'd been there since forever.

I grew up in Olivette primarily, so right next to Creve Coeur. The place I got my first Jazzmaster was Metro Music in Brentwood, which moved to Maplewood and became Eddie's Guitars, fairly well known from their internet presence.

I'm throwing a lot of St. Louis at you but it's a big little town so you never know. Welcome again!

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 10:24 pm
by smjenkins
Welcome to offsets and welcome to the board. It's a great community here and only made better by how awesome the thing we all love is.

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 3:11 am
by mackerelmint
Hi Don! Hope the snow's not ruining anything for you.

I think you'll find that the tremolo placement question is more a matter of traditionalist fussing than practicalities, but ymmv. I actually *like* the updated trem placement. And if the AOM cramps your style, that's an easy fix. Glad you found a guitar that "just fits". Welcome aboard!

You'll also notice that telecasters are extremely popular around here...

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:55 am
by NewKId
mackerelmint wrote:
Sat Feb 09, 2019 3:11 am
Hi Don! Hope the snow's not ruining anything for you.

I think you'll find that the tremolo placement question is more a matter of traditionalist fussing than practicalities, but ymmv. I actually *like* the updated trem placement. And if the AOM cramps your style, that's an easy fix. Glad you found a guitar that "just fits". Welcome aboard!

You'll also notice that telecasters are extremely popular around here...
My wife loves the snow. Me not so much. We have about a foot so far with several more days of snow ahead! It feels like Minneapolis all over again.

I've been playing my Tele all weekend and I think my CP Jazzmaster delivery will be several days later than scheduled. Its supposed to get here on Wednesday from Sweetwater in Indiana.

I agree with you and I think I will like the AOM bridge and trem placement just fine. I already made myself crazy by mapping out $800 worth of potential mods. But I'm going to live with the stock setup for a while and just play the hell out of this new guitar. Cheers!

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 12:10 pm
by Maggieo
Welcome to the clubhouse, Don!

Be careful with that modding impulse... :ph34r:

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 1:24 pm
by NewKId
Image

Image

I just figured out how to post pictures. Here's my new Classic Player Jazzmaster with its dark Pau Ferro fretboard. FedEx ground delivery is scheduled for this Wednesday 2/13/19 snow-willing.

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 4:57 pm
by Larry Mal
Hard to wait!

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:54 pm
by NewKId
Hi Larry, I just read your 2013 GearPage post about how you encountered your CAR MIJ JM. Great story and very inspiring how you gifted that treasure to your friend.

I’ve only had my CPJM a couple of weeks so I’m still figuring it out. It seems like the fretboard is a bit longer than my Tele so it feels more spacious for my fingers.

I’m loving all the clean tones I get out of this guitar as I mainly play fingerstyle Jazz.

But most of all I feel very satisfied and content with my Jazzmaster. The more I play it the more I feel like I found my instrument. There’s nothing I would change about it.

Cheers,
Don

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 4:31 pm
by Larry Mal
NewKId wrote:
Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:54 pm
Hi Larry, I just read your 2013 GearPage post about how you encountered your CAR MIJ JM. Great story and very inspiring how you gifted that treasure to your friend.

Don
Well, Don, I ended up getting that guitar back. So I gave it to Raphael in a fit of generosity, then I regretted it, but what can you do. But, he needed some money one day and kind of persuaded me into buying an MIJ Mustang from him, and it isn't hard for me to be persuaded to buy a guitar. I took it all apart and rebuilt it over the course of a year or so with better electronics and tuners and such, and shielded it all, and the day I finally got that project all together I happened to take a call from him and I mentioned that I had just wired it all together earlier that morning.

He told me that he missed that guitar every day and did I want to trade it back for the Jazzmaster, and I totally did. That was enough of that... I won't give it away again until I die.

Re: Thunderstruck by the Jazzmaster

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 6:46 pm
by NewKId
Oh, what a great ending to the story! Thanks for sharing that Larry.