'78 Jazzmaster
- Carbohydrates
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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- Joined: Wed May 14, 2008 4:41 pm
- Location: Texas
'78 Jazzmaster
So I was at Guitar Center a few days ago looking for a first guitar for a friend of mine. After picking up a couple likely Epiphones, we headed into the sound room (where they keep the vintage/vintage reissue/"display case" guitars at this one) to plug 'em in. On the right wall was this baby.
I asked the GC rep at the counter some questions. He says the original owner clearcoated over the original finish. Ouch. Still, it FEELS great, it SOUNDS great, and I don't intend to stick it on a wall or in a display case, so who cares if its collector value just plummeted?
The GC guy also tells me the thumbwheels don't work and the tuners aren't original.
Okay, didn't take long to figure out that the thumbwheels work fine (guy had no idea how the circuit on a Jazzmaster works) and the tuners are, in fact, original, but the strap buttons aren't. I conveniently fail to mention this to him and walk out with my new '78 Jazz for $1800.
Kind of an odd one, I guess, being a '78 with block inlays and a bound fretboard- I heard they stopped doing that in '77. Maybe it is a '77? Who knows.
Okay, so I went to pull the bridge out to swap the saddles and it didn't come out. Original owner filled the thimbles with rubber tubing. Luckily, it was no match for the careful application of a claw hammer and a wood block.
I also popped on a spare volume knob I had. Since I didn't want to mess with the original pot, I cut a piece of wood to fit inside the knob to hold it against the remaining half of the shaft. It worked, but the knob doesn't match. Ah well, one more thing to buy.
Wow, the finish is still glossy under the pickguard! Much more vibrant, too, especially at the edges where the red shows through.
Electronics look original to me, though I admittedly don't know my way around Jazz/Jag electronics very well.
I bought a shiny new Allparts Mustang bridge and popped the saddles off to stick 'em on the plate from the original bridge. As soon as I screwed the first one on, the spring launched the saddle against the bridge wall with a clack. I pulled it off to see that the screw had stripped the saddle. Total piece of shit. I went to the hardware store and got a half dozen tiny nuts to hold the saddles in place. Then I went to drop the bridge back in and... the set screws in the posts were stripped and unadjustable. Mr. Previous Owner had used the rubber to float the bridge where he wanted it- he missed, by the way, the action was way high.
I didn't want to use the crappy Mustang bridge I had or these awful chrome-plated brass saddles anymore, so I headed to the local vintage guitar shop to grab a nice steel set since eBay looked a little... expensive. Got a nice old one for $50, but it was missing some screws and springs. After taking apart the original bridge and the POS Mustang bridge, I pieced together this.
It works! I can adjust the height and everything! I'll deal with the intonation once these strings are stretched. So now all that's left are the '78 strap buttons and the whammy bar, which are being shipped as I type, and a knob, which honestly isn't a top priority right now.
In conclusion, this guitar is AMAZING, I love it to death, and it's been totally worth dealing with the bridge crap. It nails the tone I love so much perfectly- a distorted, chimey surf tone ala Man or Astro-Man?, a great 90's sci-surf rock band that's a big influence for me. I couldn't be happier with this massive, heavy, ancient piece of wood. Also, Tonepros Mustang bridges can screw off.
Leftovers!
I asked the GC rep at the counter some questions. He says the original owner clearcoated over the original finish. Ouch. Still, it FEELS great, it SOUNDS great, and I don't intend to stick it on a wall or in a display case, so who cares if its collector value just plummeted?
The GC guy also tells me the thumbwheels don't work and the tuners aren't original.
Okay, didn't take long to figure out that the thumbwheels work fine (guy had no idea how the circuit on a Jazzmaster works) and the tuners are, in fact, original, but the strap buttons aren't. I conveniently fail to mention this to him and walk out with my new '78 Jazz for $1800.
Kind of an odd one, I guess, being a '78 with block inlays and a bound fretboard- I heard they stopped doing that in '77. Maybe it is a '77? Who knows.
Okay, so I went to pull the bridge out to swap the saddles and it didn't come out. Original owner filled the thimbles with rubber tubing. Luckily, it was no match for the careful application of a claw hammer and a wood block.
I also popped on a spare volume knob I had. Since I didn't want to mess with the original pot, I cut a piece of wood to fit inside the knob to hold it against the remaining half of the shaft. It worked, but the knob doesn't match. Ah well, one more thing to buy.
Wow, the finish is still glossy under the pickguard! Much more vibrant, too, especially at the edges where the red shows through.
Electronics look original to me, though I admittedly don't know my way around Jazz/Jag electronics very well.
I bought a shiny new Allparts Mustang bridge and popped the saddles off to stick 'em on the plate from the original bridge. As soon as I screwed the first one on, the spring launched the saddle against the bridge wall with a clack. I pulled it off to see that the screw had stripped the saddle. Total piece of shit. I went to the hardware store and got a half dozen tiny nuts to hold the saddles in place. Then I went to drop the bridge back in and... the set screws in the posts were stripped and unadjustable. Mr. Previous Owner had used the rubber to float the bridge where he wanted it- he missed, by the way, the action was way high.
I didn't want to use the crappy Mustang bridge I had or these awful chrome-plated brass saddles anymore, so I headed to the local vintage guitar shop to grab a nice steel set since eBay looked a little... expensive. Got a nice old one for $50, but it was missing some screws and springs. After taking apart the original bridge and the POS Mustang bridge, I pieced together this.
It works! I can adjust the height and everything! I'll deal with the intonation once these strings are stretched. So now all that's left are the '78 strap buttons and the whammy bar, which are being shipped as I type, and a knob, which honestly isn't a top priority right now.
In conclusion, this guitar is AMAZING, I love it to death, and it's been totally worth dealing with the bridge crap. It nails the tone I love so much perfectly- a distorted, chimey surf tone ala Man or Astro-Man?, a great 90's sci-surf rock band that's a big influence for me. I couldn't be happier with this massive, heavy, ancient piece of wood. Also, Tonepros Mustang bridges can screw off.
Leftovers!
-
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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- Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:21 am
- Location: Austin, TX
Re: '78 Jazzmaster
Nice score - I would say you lucked out there with the way vintage JM prices have been recently - especially from a retail shop.
Last $1800 JM I saw in a store was a 63 refin/refret with non original pickups(Sd Antiquities), a repro tort guard, and one replaced tuner.
Last $1800 JM I saw in a store was a 63 refin/refret with non original pickups(Sd Antiquities), a repro tort guard, and one replaced tuner.
"I enjoy the current state of offsetguitars hostility."
- Offshat
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
elecs look legit to me
- Sir Frog
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
Truly impressive Carb!
I am shocked you got away with a vintage for that price from GC. I would have taken that
over an AVRI/thin-skin.. just for sheer authenticity.
Glad you got the bridge issue worked out. How does she play?
I am shocked you got away with a vintage for that price from GC. I would have taken that
over an AVRI/thin-skin.. just for sheer authenticity.
Glad you got the bridge issue worked out. How does she play?
Sir Frog is/was formerly known as 'RouletteDares'
- Carbohydrates
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- Joined: Wed May 14, 2008 4:41 pm
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
Now that I've spent the night coaxing the action down, intonating her, and all that fun stuff, she plays beautifully. I did find I can knock the high E string off the saddle if I'm playing high enough on the fretboard and upstroke it too hard, but I can work around that. That's a pretty minor contention.RouletteDares wrote: Truly impressive Carb!
I am shocked you got away with a vintage for that price from GC. I would have taken that
over an AVRI/thin-skin.. just for sheer authenticity.
Glad you got the bridge issue worked out. How does she play?
And yeah, either I got a good deal or reissues are way overpriced.
- RumorsOFsurF
- Mods
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- Location: Oregon
Re: '78 Jazzmaster
Looks like a great guitar. The probable reason your original intonation screws wouldn't work with the Allparts saddles, is the threads on the saddles are likely metric.
That thing needs the correct witch hat knobs, I'm tellin' ya!
Like these knobs:
That thing needs the correct witch hat knobs, I'm tellin' ya!
Like these knobs:
Damn kids, get off my lawn!
- Carbohydrates
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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- Location: Texas
Re: '78 Jazzmaster
I used the screws, springs, and saddles from the Allparts on the original bridge plate. They were just of disappointing quality. I dunno, maybe I just got a bad batch or something, but these old steel ones I got are much nicer.RumorsOFsurF wrote: Looks like a great guitar. The probable reason your original intonation screws wouldn't work with the Allparts saddles, is the threads on the saddles are likely metric.
- fuzzking
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
RumorsOFsurF wrote: Looks like a great guitar. The probable reason your original intonation screws wouldn't work with the Allparts saddles, is the threads on the saddles are likely metric.
That thing needs the correct witch hat knobs, I'm tellin' ya!
Like these knobs:
you just won't get over these witch hats, northern_dirt, erh?
(edit:)
oh fuck, it's you, nolan! sorry. this avatar swapping's too confusing.
Nobody exists on purpose.
- Libtoem
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
Your 78 jazzmaster is awesome,I especially love the neck.Great find you got there.
- eupat
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
really nice
i love those 70s black pickguard'ed JM
I'd go for the witch hats too...
i love those 70s black pickguard'ed JM
I'd go for the witch hats too...
si t'as mal aux cervicales, arrête le métal!
- RumorsOFsurF
- Mods
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
Muahahahahahaha!!FUZZ_KING wrote: you just won't get over these witch hats, northern_dirt, erh?
(edit:)
oh fuck, it's you, nolan! sorry. this avatar swapping's too confusing.
I'm trying to make a sale for Doug.
Damn kids, get off my lawn!
- fuzzking
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
Aged witch hats are absolutely awesome!
Dirk
Christophe
Michael
Dirk
Christophe
Michael
Nobody exists on purpose.
- Kawentzmann
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
So you have a JM that sounds like a Mosrite or Gretsch. That’s cool, interesting - a good way to pay homage aurally without copying the look of their guitars. Is it a heavy 70s ash body? Usually they’re not as favored, but you found their purpose!!Carbohydrates wrote: …
In conclusion, this guitar is AMAZING, I love it to death, and it's been totally worth dealing with the bridge crap. It nails the tone I love so much perfectly- a distorted, chimey surf tone ala Man or Astro-Man?, a great 90's sci-surf rock band that's a big influence for me. I couldn't be happier with this massive, heavy, ancient piece of wood. Also, Tonepros Mustang bridges can screw off.
…
1965 dots and binding fiesta red matching headstock Jaguar
- berlinbetty
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
Dude, you just found my dream Jazzmaster!!! My mouth is still hanging open!
One more guitar, then I'll practice!
- scottme
- Expat
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Re: '78 Jazzmaster
My 78 JM serial is S800433 Mind if I ask what yours is? I bet it's not too far away from that.