OffsetGuitars.com

BuddyHollywood wrote:I decided to join this forum after reading all 52 pages of this thread!

Welcome to OSG!

eligit wrote:Random aside: These new JMs are making the show biz rounds. I saw *both* guitar players on Seth Meyers' show playing them the other night. So that's in addition to Conan's show, where Jimmy was playing em. Sounded just fine if not particularly "jazzmaster-y" imo.

Marnie Stern, who used to play a Tele, has been a Jazzmaster shredder for years. It's nice to see her with her signature instrument again. (There's no "Marnie Stern Signature Model," sadly.)

adamrobertt wrote:

eligit wrote:
interesting.
I also custom modded my own JM to have a flatter radius and taller frets than stock so I can relate. Neither has altered the tone and both have increased playability.
curious to hear if the tuners will change the stability or if it's more about bridge, setup, etc. Once I got my bridge sorted out the tuning got better, even with the vintage style slotted pegs. I find that tuning issues often have as much to do with the bridge design/set up, the strings being heavy enough, and the nut (the slots being well lubricated and properly fitted to the string gage) as they do with the tuners (assuming the strings are tightly wound on the peg natch).

enjoy it!

Yes, the locking tuners immediately solved my tuning issues. I had them on my last guitar and maybe I'm just used to having them. The stock tuners didn't seem shitty or anything but they went out of tune quite easily. I bought some Kluson Contemporary locking tuners and they work great. I don't get people who say that locking tuners don't improve tuning stability... they absolutely do.

good to hear! I've had both over the years. I've got locking ones on my non fender guitars and the vintage style ones on the JM w the hole in the top of the peg. I've been surprised at how stable they've been!

Maggieo wrote:

eligit wrote:Random aside: These new JMs are making the show biz rounds. I saw *both* guitar players on Seth Meyers' show playing them the other night. So that's in addition to Conan's show, where Jimmy was playing em. Sounded just fine if not particularly "jazzmaster-y" imo.

Marnie Stern, who used to play a Tele, has been a Jazzmaster shredder for years. It's nice to see her with her signature instrument again. (There's no "Marnie Stern Signature Model," sadly.)

looks like she plays a beat up old mustard yellow one. has she switched to one of the new ones?

I can't believe I read through 53 pages of a single thread.

Anyway, after a whole lot of research here and elsewhere, I decided to order an AmPro Jazzmaster in Sonic Gray: https://mmguitarbar.files.wordpress.com ... der_21.jpg

There was a 10% off coupon on Reverb which knocked off about $150. I know I'm in the minority but I've been waiting for a maple fretboard option FOREVER. That, combined with the Sonic Grey...oof...I'm in love.

I know the JM purists are shitting all over the AmPro, but I don't mind the changes. My position is that, if I really wanted vintage specs, I can get an AV/AVRI. They aren't going anywhere (and they're also way out of my price range).

I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and write up a review once I get it later this week.

So I made this happen...









Nothing wrong with the maple necks but I really wanted the rosewood fretboard/sonic gray body combination. I bought the body, neck/tuners, neck plate, loaded pickguard, and trem system/arm from Stratosphere. I put as much of it together as I could until I needed my guitar tech to wire up the pickups and setup for the guitar. Saved a couple of hundred bucks as compared to paying for the complete guitar at list price. Plays and sounds great!

They should just sell that combination in the first place.

eligit wrote:

Maggieo wrote:

eligit wrote:Random aside: These new JMs are making the show biz rounds. I saw *both* guitar players on Seth Meyers' show playing them the other night. So that's in addition to Conan's show, where Jimmy was playing em. Sounded just fine if not particularly "jazzmaster-y" imo.

Marnie Stern, who used to play a Tele, has been a Jazzmaster shredder for years. It's nice to see her with her signature instrument again. (There's no "Marnie Stern Signature Model," sadly.)

looks like she plays a beat up old mustard yellow one. has she switched to one of the new ones?

It sure looks like it.

Snorre wrote:So I made this happen...

That looks so much nicer than with the maple fretboard. Very dumb of Fender not to offer this combo on the Jags and JMs, especially since they do on some other models like the basses.

What the deuce?! When I read “I made this happen,” and then saw this image, I figured you’d done a refret with twenty-two half-inch-wide brass ingots. Fender’s new Ultra-Jumbo-Super-Mega frets? They look as wide as tongue depressors! Then saw the other photos and pulled myself up off the fainting couch. Talk about a crazy trick of the light.

Anyway, beautiful Jag! Love the blue and rosewood combo. Really want to try one of these, but none to be found in my neck of the woods.

Snorre wrote:So I made this happen...

Yes!!!!

Just received my brand new AmPro Jazzmaster in Sonic Gray! Here she is with my Classic Player:



And here's a full album: http://imgur.com/a/GnRZW/

Some way-too-early impressions (since my Hot Rod Deluxe is not here and therefore I have not been able to plug in yet):

* The first thing you notice when you pick it up is the satin neck which is absolute **sex**. Very similar to the JMJM. Buttery smooth, very quick. The CP has a glossy neck and while it's not consistently problematic, I've found myself getting stuck when I'm a few songs into a set and my palm is somewhat sweaty. The CP's neck is also slightly bulkier - not in a bad way but it definitely fills your hand out a bit more. The AmPro on the other hand is thinner as you go up the neck but definitely more comfortable.

* A couple of reviews that I've read, such as this one (https://mmguitarbar.com/2016/12/31/fend ... th-review/), have pointed out a possible issue with the low and high E strings being dangerously close to the edge of the fretboard. That was probably my biggest (only?) concern waiting for the guitar to arrive. As you can see, my photos more or less confirm that is the case. After handling it myself, it's still hard to determine how easy it would be to roll a string off the fretboard. Then again, my play-style doesn't usually involve too much bending. I gave it a few hard whacks and it seemed to hold up decently well. I can report back after a more extensive playing session.

* The front / maple fretboard has a glossy finish and is noticeably brighter than the CP when strummed acoustically.

* When the AmPro line was first announced and all of the colors were unveiled, the Sonic Gray was the clear standout for me. I'm happy to report that it looks even better in person (which I imagine is the case with the other color, Mystic Seafoam Green). It really depends on how the light hits it, but it's a very even blend of gray and actually a bit more blue than I was anticipating. It looks like an overcast sky right when it's about to rain. Again, it depends on the lighting. But the gray with the maple fretboard is a match made in heaven, IMO. I'm in love with it.

* The witch hat knobs / pots feel really nice. A bit more resistance than the CP. Nothing too drastic to report here.

Again, I'll be plugging it in either later today or later this week and I would be happy to update my impressions but, all in all, it's a gorgeous guitar and it feels amazing. I'm still a little worried about the E strings but I've heard (from the article linked above) that it can be a quick fix if you install a Mastery bridge. Until then, enjoy the pictures and feel free to ask any questions. I'll try to answer them as promptly as I can.

Hey, I found the secret list of alternate colors they were considering before deciding on smarmy gray

Speaking of the pots on the AmPros, do they suffer from the classic tone dropoff around "8" that most OEM Fender volume pots have? I just swapped out the OEM pots in my JM Jag for Di Marzios, which don't have that problem.

Maggieo wrote:Speaking of the pots on the AmPros, do they suffer from the classic tone dropoff around "8" that most OEM Fender volume pots have? I just swapped out the OEM pots in my JM Jag for Di Marzios, which don't have that problem.

Read Maggieo's post. Realizes that all my guitars do this... fantasizes about fun parts upgrades.. remembers that all tone and volume pots are set at 10 99% of the time.