J Mascis or 60th Anniversary

[snootles]

Hi

I'm in the market for a Jazzmaster. Been a long term Road Worn Jaguar player but have never owned a JM.

I have my eyes on either a J Mascis or 60th Anniversary. Unfortunately I can't get anywhere to try them out before buying.

Obviously the J Mascis is half the price of the 60th Anni.

Is the 60th Anni worth the extra?

Thanks

[higgsblossom]

The obvious differences are:

- The pickups. The JMJM has "hotter" pickups, more like P90s. If you're after the classic tone, these are not the real thing. But they sound great.
- The trem placement. The JMJM has modern placement, the trem is closer to the bridge.
- The bridge itself. The JMJM has a TOM style bridge.

That said, I love my JMJM. It is definitely a very good guitar, not only for the price.

[leokula]

Is the 60th Anni worth the extra?

If you like the specs on the JMJM better, then no

Quality wise, the 60th anni is very likely to be superior. But then it comes down to specs otherwise.

[NateD81]

I've owned a JMJM and can say I really enjoyed it. As you'll hear all over, the neck is really nice. The pickups sound great, but certainly not your traditional JM.

I currently own a 60th anniversary and love it. The quality is improved IMO, though perhaps not dramatically. The like the finishes and color palette much more. I don't like the bridge but will be swapping that for a Jag. American Pro soon. On the JMJM I didn't particularly love the 9.5 radius with the TOM bridge, but wasn't a deal breaker.

Ultimately, I really liked the JMJM but if it were up to me I prefer the more classic sound of the 60th anniv. I wish it had a rosewood fretboard but alas, the pau ferro isn't that big of a deal to me and feels / sounds great.

My two cents is that I don't think you'll go wrong with whatever choice you make. I just decided eventually that I'd rather have the traditional sound after playing the JMJM for awhile so if that's what you want you might find yourself on the search again eventually.

[higgsblossom]

Ultimately, I really liked the JMJM but if it were up to me I prefer the more classic sound of the 60th anniv.

That's basically what I meant with what I stated above: the pickups on the JMJM are great but they don't sound like a classic Jazzmaster. I don't mind since in my setup, what I call "clean" sound already went through a TubeScreamer and I play offsets mostly for the comfort of the body shape, but I know that most people on this board beg to differ.

[NateD81]

Ultimately, I really liked the JMJM but if it were up to me I prefer the more classic sound of the 60th anniv.

That's basically what I meant with what I stated above: the pickups on the JMJM are great but they don't sound like a classic Jazzmaster. I don't mind since in my setup, what I call "clean" sound already went through a TubeScreamer and I play offsets mostly for the comfort of the body shape, but I know that most people on this board beg to differ.

Totally get what you’re saying, wasn’t trying to quibble with you at all. Just thought I’d give me experience since I’ve owned both. I do miss that neck on the JMJM though!

[higgsblossom]

Oh yes, the neck and the frets are also not the „real thing“ but are also great if you like your action a little higher.

[timiscott]

Hi. Just to mess it all up... I've got an AV65 and a Squier JMJM but, recently, I bought a CIJ Jazzmaster and I think the Mascis is closer to the CIJ than the AV in terms of neck, acoustic sound and overall feel. To be more 'trad' I put AV65 pups in the Mascis and it sounds great . Pricewise, a Japanese JM sits right in the middle and the stock pups are instant Sonic Youth. However, I would be hard pressed to say which guitar I prefer out of the three! Basically, you can't really go wrong! (I would buy a Wampler Tumnus though as they sound incredible through it.)