First jazzmaster choices

[57onyournek]

So the choices are vintage "golden era" JM, AVRI or build one for scratch.
My concern with a vintage JM is... Ok I know that the necks are hand made and vary from guitar to guitar and year. But is this something that I should be concerned with? Should I not buy online and try and play it first before I buy one or... And as always thank you for your time.

[Lock]

I own none of the above, but logically starting with an avri to get a sense of what a standard JM feels like before trying to replicate that or enter into the more expensive and complicated (what's the value of a '62 with one replaced pup and is it a refin? Etc.) realm of vintage guitars seems wise.

Unless you already collect vintage guitars or have built a ton of them.

[57onyournek]

Not looking to collect. But I can afford a vintage guitar for the first time. By the same token I'm not looking to over pay just want a good playing guitar

[thedude99]

If buying sight unseen and not concerned about (potential) future value, you have a better shot of getting a great guitar with a new one as opposed to a vintage one. I personally don't feel vintage is worth the premium over the newer from a playabilty and tone perspective. If you are already into vintage, or absolutely love a worn in vintage neck that's a different story. But if not...

[jvin248]

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I tried out a Classic Player JM ($825) at a local store, expecting something a lot different like between a Tele and a Strat, but unplugged it felt just like playing my Strat. The J Mascis JM seems to be quite popular ($450), occasionally shows up on CL, but didn't see that one to try. I'd suggest finding a JM to test out, borrow a friend's JM or something.

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[bencrit]

I'd buy vintage. If you find a good deal, you won't lose any money, and might actually make some if you end up reselling down the road given how quickly they are appreciating. They do sound better than the reissues (in my opinion), and are made of woods (i.e., Brazilian rosewood) you simply cannot get anymore on a guitar.

Most reputable dealers allow returns. So check for that if you are worried about it

As far as vintage Jazzmasters go, I have found the 59 necks to be pretty thin near the nut, but much wider down on the twelfth fret. 60-62 are a bit thicker and very nice in the hand. 63 seems to be the best year for my hand, as you will get a little thicker. Things are fairly consistent but you do find unique examples. Still further, one 59 I had had a pretty thin i.e. But it also had generous shoulders which really made it feel bigger.

Apart from the shift away from the pencils thin necks of 59, the variation is fairly subtle. My hand adjusts pretty quickly to different neck shapes, so keep that in mind.

You can still find a 63-64 Jazzmaster in sunburst for a decent price 4-5k. That is what I would look for as far as affordability goes. They are going up in price. A new reissue will depreciate 40 per cent the minute you walk out the store.

[spacecadet]

I would definitely not drop 4-5k on a vintage guitar without trying it first. If you can't try it, I just wouldn't do it. Vintage guitars are like any other used product; there can be all sorts of hidden or undisclosed problems, some of which can be a real pain in the ass to fix (and some of these can really drop the value lower than what you might have paid, had they been disclosed).

There's basically no correlation between how old a guitar is and how well it was taken care of. Guitars are tough; the fact that a vintage guitar still exists is often despite the owner, not because of it. And guitar owners are no better at basic maintenance than car owners, in my experience. A lot of people seem to play a guitar until stuff starts to wear out and then they put it away. So you could be buying a guitar that's been sitting in a non-temperature and humidity controlled attic for 30 years, with worn frets, scratchy pots, cracked solder joints, a worn out nut, maybe a neck twist, maybe some body cracks. You don't know unless you can inspect it in person.

Not to mention, not all vintage guitars were great to begin with. Some were, but there was variation. Even one in good shape, you might just not like.

So for all these reasons, don't drop a bunch of money on an Ebay or Reverb listing unless you live close enough to go try that guitar out. A 30 day guarantee or whatever can give you some piece of mind, but it's still a pain in the ass to send a guitar back. I've shipped several guitars and it takes me the better part of a morning to pack one up properly. And the ones I've packed haven't been vintage; you probably would need to take even more care.

Check around your local stores; near me I've seen plenty of vintage Jazzmasters. Try out a couple; you'll at least know if you need a vintage one at all.

I've seen more vintage JM's than AV65's in stores; it may be difficult to try an AV65, and to me they feel distinctly different than most other JM's, with a thicker neck. I've personally decided I like the way they look but I like a thinner neck, so I don't play mine much. So I think it would be really good to try one of them out before buying too, if you can find one.

The earlier AVRI's will be very hard to find in person without getting very lucky, but they're cheaper so might be a little less dangerous to take a chance on buying online.

[blackbox]

Danocaster is another very reliable option that will hold its value very well.

[57onyournek]

Thanks to all the responses! There's a 65 avri used local might go play this weekend. The dano is a real possibility. The vintage market seems to be a crap shoot with a bit of a learning curve. Good news is I don't one need it this weekend.

[N0_Camping4U]

Honestly, I'd go Dano.