Fender Jazzmaster Is The Best Electric Guitar

[SadFuzz]

Didn't know where to put this.
How many of you agree?
Any JM stories welcome...

[N0_Camping4U]

Why did you capitalize every word in the topic's title, out of curiosity?

[Embenny]

Why did you capitalize every word in the topic's title, out of curiosity?

A Common Practice By Some People Online, I Have Noticed. In Fairness, Most Titles Are Mostly Capitalized, So If You Treat A Forum Post Like An Article Or Essay, I Could See Why Some Do It. Usually Stands Out, Though. He Only Did It In The Title, Which Supports My Hypothesis.

To The OP, You Will Find Many JM Afficionados Here. As For JM Stories, I Invite You To Read Through The Forum...I'd Venture A Guess That There Are More JM Stories Here Than About Any Other Model Of Guitar. You Might Catch More Fish With A More Specific Question...

[N0_Camping4U]

My brain hurts.

Oh, but back on topic, to me the Fender XII is the best electric guitar (to me, maybe I should make that topic...). But I don't knock anyone for loving a Fender

[patski]

Why did you capitalize every word in the topic's title, out of curiosity?

A Common Practice By Some People Online, I Have Noticed. In Fairness, Most Titles Are Mostly Capitalized, So If You Treat A Forum Post Like An Article Or Essay, I Could See Why Some Do It. Usually Stands Out, Though. He Only Did It In The Title, Which Supports My Hypothesis.

To The OP, You Will Find Many JM Afficionados Here. As For JM Stories, I Invite You To Read Through The Forum...I'd Venture A Guess That There Are More JM Stories Here Than About Any Other Model Of Guitar. You Might Catch More Fish With A More Specific Question...

LOL!!!

[Kent]

It's a non-serious question to pose. Maybe 'best overall' for a specific person or for a specific circumstance of set of situations. I love JMs and have more of them than any other model of guitar. However, a properly set up Strat is my preferred instrument for nearly everything. I even find the vibrato to be better once set up. Yes, sacrilege.

[spacecadet]

I mean, different strokes for different folks, obviously. But the JM is the best for me too. I love everything about it, including the stuff other people don't. I think it's about the pinnacle of solid body electric guitar design. All the stuff Leo Fender thought were upgrades over the Strat, I consider upgrades too. I love the way they look, sound and play. I'm sure most of us do or we wouldn't be here. But I think I probably feel more strongly about them than even most other forumites. I have spent a lot of time here defending features like the floating bridge and tremolo that a lot of others dislike.

About the only thing I don't like is that the bridges tend to rattle. But that's about the easiest thing to remedy if you have that problem. (And not every JM does; of the 4 JM's I've owned, one had it and was easily quieted down, one had it bad and needed its bridge replaced, one just barely had it and wasn't worth worrying about, and one just doesn't have it at all.)

[sookwinder]

I think the sales figures over 5 decades of many other types/models/brands would tend to disagree with this hypothesis.

[scottT]

I think I read that Leo didn't even consider it his best electric guitar. His philosophy was to create a new model rather than change an existing one and have to keep track of different parts for different versions of the same guitar. I believe he thought that the Jaguar was an improvement over the Jazzmaster--certainly the pickup design. I have an interview where he felt the Jazzmaster's wide pickup/magnetic field distributed the sound and that the Jaguar pickup concentrated the magnetic field into a smaller area giving it more punch.

It makes sense that the Jazzmaster should have been the guitar equivalent of the Jazz Bass which shortly followed (as the Telecaster/ "Tele" P-bass and the Stratocaster/ redesigned P-bass were), but it is the Jaguar which is that guitar.

I'm glad they kept making Jazzmasters though.

[spacecadet]

I think the sales figures over 5 decades of many other types/models/brands would tend to disagree with this hypothesis.

I mean, I guess that means Fall Out Boy is making the best music in the world right now, if sales are the only measure of quality.

[sookwinder]

I mean, I guess that means Fall Out Boy is making the best music in the world right now, if sales are the only measure of quality.

I think you are being a little disingenuous ...

If product "A" has sold continuously for 5 decades in greater numbers than product "B" then the buying public through a number of generations has decided that product "A' is the better product. It doesn't mean that product "B" is bad or not worthy of consideration, all it means is that product "B" has a niche market. Maybe it is an indication of the utilitarian nature of the other models that sell more than the JM.

[sookwinder]

who is "Fall Out Boy " ?

[Grey]

I mean, I guess that means Fall Out Boy is making the best music in the world right now, if sales are the only measure of quality.

The name 'Jazzmaster' isn't ironic, it was designed and intended to be a solid-body alternative to the archtop for Jazz players. To say it never caught on is an understatement, as you won't find one in the hands of actual Jazz players any more today than you would have 50 years ago. In a way, the Jazzmaster became popular because it wasen't popular. It was one of the "other Fenders" along with the Jaguar and the Mustang.

I'm sure there are many players who simply have no time for the JM's quirks, as evidenced by the extensive world of aftermarket parts attempting to "fix" the various problems on the JM which aren't really "problems" at all when you consider its original intended purpose. Further evidenced still by Fenders various attempts to modernize the guitar with simpler bridge and tailpiece arrangements, hotter pickups, closer trem placement, and so forth.

I didn't buy one because I thought it was the best guitar in the world, I bought one because I thought it was unique. I will take unique over the "best" anything.

[sunburster]

I mean, I guess that means Fall Out Boy is making the best music in the world right now, if sales are the only measure of quality.

The name 'Jazzmaster' isn't ironic, it was designed and intended to be a solid-body alternative to the archtop for Jazz players. To say it never caught on is an understatement, as you won't find one in the hands of actual Jazz players any more today than you would have 50 years ago. In a way, the Jazzmaster became popular because it wasen't popular. It was one of the "other Fenders" along with the Jaguar and the Mustang.

Jazzmasters sold better than Strats or Teles until Leo left Fender in 1965. They were a very popular and successful guitar in their day. This point is always overlooked. Some Jazz guitarists did use them, but they were more popular for other genres at the time (surf, rockabilly, etc).

The same can be said for Jaguars, though they had only a few years of popularity (62-65) in which they outsold Strats and Teles.

[fuzzking]

definitely!