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Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:39 am
by rze99
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 8:15 am
by greens
yeah, a very helpful little summary and well illustrated to boot.
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 9:59 am
by Axolotl
From the article:
"Speaking of the vibrato… Leo designed the unit for use with the heavy-gauge strings that were more popular in the ’50s. It was best manipulated by a player who didn’t lean too heavily into the vibrato arm – the lighter the touch, the better."
Utter bullshit. I use and abuse the trem in all my offsets (staytrem arm, granted) and I can dive and pull as much as I want without going out of tune.
"Plus, when compared to the Strat’s smoother, more mechanically functional vibrato, the Jazzmaster’s had a limited range of pitch adjustment."
Give me a break! More mechanically functional? With springs and claws going into the wood? I haven't played a strat trem (or any trem) that comes even close to the slickness, range and expressiveness of the JM/Jag one.
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:37 am
by greens
Axolotl wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 9:59 am
From the article:
"Speaking of the vibrato… Leo designed the unit for use with the heavy-gauge strings that were more popular in the ’50s. It was best manipulated by a player who didn’t lean too heavily into the vibrato arm – the lighter the touch, the better."
Utter bullshit. I use and abuse the trem in all my offsets (staytrem arm, granted) and I can dive and pull as much as I want without going out of tune.
"Plus, when compared to the Strat’s smoother, more mechanically functional vibrato, the Jazzmaster’s had a limited range of pitch adjustment."
Give me a break! More mechanically functional? With springs and claws going into the wood? I haven't played a strat trem (or any trem) that comes even close to the slickness, range and expressiveness of the JM/Jag one.
What kind of strings do you use?
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:38 am
by Axolotl
^^^^ Elixirs 11 - 49
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 7:02 am
by Jaguar018
Axolotl wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 9:59 am
From the article:
"Speaking of the vibrato… Leo designed the unit for use with the heavy-gauge strings that were more popular in the ’50s. It was best manipulated by a player who didn’t lean too heavily into the vibrato arm – the lighter the touch, the better."
Utter bullshit. I use and abuse the trem in all my offsets (staytrem arm, granted) and I can dive and pull as much as I want without going out of tune.
"Plus, when compared to the Strat’s smoother, more mechanically functional vibrato, the Jazzmaster’s had a limited range of pitch adjustment."
Give me a break! More mechanically functional? With springs and claws going into the wood? I haven't played a strat trem (or any trem) that comes even close to the slickness, range and expressiveness of the JM/Jag one.
That's all well and good, but I think what the article was trying to convey was that there weren't really too many whammy basher Van Halens, Thurston Moores, Steve Vais, Lee Ronaldos, J Mascis and anyone else you'd care to mention types back in the late 50s. The general style at the time that was popular was a little wobble and not much else.
I know that some one will happily pull up a youtube clip of some vintage person doing dives and pulls, but again: it was more of a fringe technique.
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 1:12 pm
by greens
Axolotl wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:38 am
^^^^ Elixirs 11 - 49
So about what it sounds like the system was designed for then
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 3:22 am
by Axolotl
Sorry if my comment came across a bit strong. I know that back then vibrato was used very subtly if at all. FWIW I don't abuse the vibrato as much as Van Halen or SY, but when I do, I haven't had any problems.
But so many times I've read how the Jazzmaster tremolo system is poorly designed, how Fender went from the supposedly brilliant strat trem to an inferior one. They say it won't stay in tune, it break strings and so on. It appeared to me that this article reinforced those ideas.
The article is pretty good otherwise. We all heard and love the history of the JM's initial rejection and later popularity, which today is probably bigger than ever was. What a wonderful guitar!
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 11:35 am
by zip73
Carl Wilson played Jaguars.
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 5:25 pm
by timtam
Looks like the article was written in 2004. A lot of things/misconceptions more widely understood now.
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 6:22 am
by Paul-T
I think the story was run up by an intern. Misunderstands the trem lock, vague on information, and repeats one paragraph.
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:32 am
by marqueemoon
Paul-T wrote: ↑Sun Feb 16, 2020 6:22 am
I think the story was run up by an intern. Misunderstands the trem lock, vague on information, and repeats one paragraph.
Yep. I expected more considering the source.
Re: Vintage Guitar Jazzmaster article
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:24 pm
by whitewatersky