Clean L-Series Jazzmaster score on Reverb

[takeittothemall]

The guitar gods smiled upon me today. I snagged myself an L-series Jazzmaster just a few hours after it was listed on Reverb. The seller explained that he had just inherited the guitar from a deceased uncle and now is in need of / prefers cash. He clearly wasn't highly familiar with the guitar, as he referred to it as "starburst" (as delicious as that sounds) rather than sunburst and chose a picture of the case, rather than the guitar itself, for the cover photo of the Reverb listing--all of which contributed to a strike price that was substantially below the seller's unrealistic asking price and too good to pass up, especially given that vintage Jazzmaster prices seem to have gone bonkers recently.

We spoke on the phone and he says that, according to his uncle, it is 100% original "except the strings", which he reportedly verified at his local Guitar Center where he took it for examination. It looks like something of a case queen. The case itself is appears to be in fantastic shape. I am pumped for it to arrive and to see what I've really got, as well as upload some more detailed photos.

In the event that something smells funny upon receiving the guitar, I've got seven days to return it for a full refund, which provides some peace of mind, given that this seller was in no position to provide gut shots.

[zhivago]

Excellent guitar with transitional features!

[otis]

Well, that looks very promising!
1965, and very well conserved.
You're lucky!

[takeittothemall]

Well, that looks very promising!
1965, and very well conserved.
You're lucky!

Part of my luck is that the combination of a high price and poor photos probably scared away most other potential buyers. I'm glad he misnamed the color, otherwise I wouldn't have recognized the opportunity.

[saxjag]

takeittothemall hugged himself with barely-suppressed glee. Yes, he had scored, and scored big! But as he chortled all mimsy amongst the borogoves, little did he suspect that Fate itself was targeting him in that UPS truck, rattling the bones time and time again, and somehow always coming up Snake Eyes.

For a little while at least, takeittothemall's sanity was intact; had he seen gutshots of the mysterious Jazzmaster's innards, however, his mind would have snapped like a schoolkid's pencil as he ran gibbering and naked off the nearest cliff. For this guitar contained actual guts.

Something smelled funny, all right. And seven days... or seven years... might not be enough time to free his soul from the eldritch curse that even now was extending its icy tendrils (new strings indeed!) toward him.

[Pacafeliz]

Hell YEAH!!! I had one just like it, also very very cheap.i sold it here on the OSG, and I miss it. A lot.

Don't make that mistake too, man.

[takeittothemall]

takeittothemall hugged himself with barely-suppressed glee. Yes, he had scored, and scored big! But as he chortled all mimsy amongst the borogoves, little did he suspect that Fate itself was targeting him in that UPS truck, rattling the bones time and time again, and somehow always coming up Snake Eyes.

For a little while at least, takeittothemall's sanity was intact; had he seen gutshots of the mysterious Jazzmaster's innards, however, his mind would have snapped like a schoolkid's pencil as he ran gibbering and naked off the nearest cliff. For this guitar contained actual guts.

Something smelled funny, all right. And seven days... or seven years... might not be enough time to free his soul from the eldritch curse that even now was extending its icy tendrils (new strings indeed!) toward him.

Very well written and A+ for creativity. The Stephen King-style creative writing form is actually two doors down on the left. You can't miss it.

[amv]

In the event that something smells funny upon receiving the guitar

Always a distinct possibility when buying used gear.

Great looking guitar, though! Can't wait to hear the verdict after unboxing.

[takeittothemall]

Finally received the guitar. This thing is very clean. It definitely passes the sniff test. June 1965 neck stamp. Interestingly, it looks like the factory stamped the neck with model codes for both Precision Bass (5) and Jazzmaster (4). The bridge is missing a few height adjustment screws. This bad boy is heading to a local guitar tech tomorrow for a once-over, after which I will look to post some clips.















And now I have to decide which of my two 65's to keep:

[Gav Haus]

The guard is stunning - congrats; that really is a looker

[Ursa Minor]

Incredibly clean!

Still love your D+B as well. Cool to see them side by side. How different are those paint jobs at just about 6 months apart! Wow.

[Gav Haus]

Purely aesthetically speaking, the new one has it for me.

[takeittothemall]

Incredibly clean!

Still love your D+B as well. Cool to see them side by side. How different are those paint jobs at just about 6 months apart! Wow.

The d&b is a survivor. Other guitars have come and gone, but, despite more than a few offers, I can't convince myself to make a deal on the d&b.

I wonder if the d&b didn't have much red in the first place or if it's faded dramatically. Everything about the L-series is darker--the guard, the fretboard, the burst. I wonder if it's just much, much closer to the condition 65s started out in.

[otis]

The d&b is a survivor. Other guitars have come and gone, but, despite more than a few offers, I can't convince myself to make a deal on the d&b.

I wonder if the d&b didn't have much red in the first place or if it's faded dramatically. Everything about the L-series is darker--the guard, the fretboard, the burst. I wonder if it's just much, much closer to the condition 65s started out in.

If the d&b is the one you like best and you bonded with it, the choice between this one and a newcomer would be easy for me.
Personally and only judging from the pictures I like the new one better; no binding, very nice tort, dark fretboard and the finish is beautifull.

[l9gaj]

Good score. If I was forced to pick it would be the new one for me too but I have no sentimental connection.