Thinking of a Jazzmaster - Please Help Me

[Square Daddio]

Hi folks. Joined your forum because I have entered uncharted territory and need your knowledge. A week ago, I never even considered a Jazzmaster and now I think I want one after stumbling on a JM thread on TDPRI. The model in question is the AO because I'm drawn to the Ocean Turquoise and I seem to be able find a better deal on than and say the AV 65s.

As way of background, I am primarily a Tele player, who also has a Strat, playing mostly rock and blues at home. All of my guitars have a 7.25 radius and my current favorite is a AV 52 with the chunky U neck. I was thinking of another Tele in the next year, but I'm captivated by the JM and think a change might be nice.

Due to COVID-19, I'm staying close to home and am not sure I want to venture to a store to try one, even if I could find this model in stock. This means I would be taking a chance and buying blind. Being quite familiar with Fender's AV line, I don't think it's a huge risk buying an AO, as I know the build quality will be solid. I've located one for a very favorable price and am very tempted. With this in mind, a have a few questions.

1. What is a reasonable weight? I'm used to Teles weighing 7lbs 6oz and under. The one I found is 8lbs 3oz.

2. Can anyone compare this JM's 9.5" radius neck to the AV 64 Tele's 7.25" neck. I'm probably more interested in the width/chunkiness than radius. Not a fan of Modern C. As I wrote above I love the neck on the AV 52, but I know the JM will be different.

3. Are the bridges really as finicky as I've read about here and elsewhere? I can do basic setup work on Strats and Teles, but a JM is a different beast. Would also prefer not to have to buy an aftermarket bridge. Lastly, the whammy is not of much interest to me.

4. Other than the neck radius and painted headstock, what if any, are the differences between the AV 65 and the AO 60s?

Apologies for the long first post. I look forward to your answers and insights.

SD

[seawalker]

1. Offsets are usually heavier than strats or teles. For me, they balance better and I don't really notice it.

2. It's always hard to describe a neck shape. My AO 60s JM has a C shaped neck that is just a nice moderate C shape. It is not the same as the modern C. That being said, the AVRI 52 tele has a distinctive neck and you aren't going to find something like that on anything else.

3. The bridge is fine, although a Mastery is a worthwhile improvement.

4. The differences between the AV65 and the AO are the 9.5" radius, 'vintage tall' frets, and some slight difference in the nitro finish. They are basically the same.

[Square Daddio]

Thanks seawalker.

[Singlebladepickup]

8 lbs isn't that bad, you won't notice that much of a difference if you're used to ~7.

I have been playing a 9.5 radius neck exclusively for like 2 years and it still feels weirdly flat to me. You might not notice the difference that much, but if you only play 7.25 I think you might.

Have you checked out the offset telecaster or telemaster or whatever? Could be a nice transition for you. If you were willing to assemble a parts guitar, your could make it to your specifications for neck, pickups, weight, color, etc.

[Mechanical Birds]

If you don’t use the trem save a bunch of money and get one of those hardtail deals that were like $1300 new a while back

[Larry Mal]

Yeah, but you'd hate for the original poster to miss out on the experience of the Jazzmaster tremolo.

I love the 7.25" radius a lot, but I also really like the 9.5" like on one of my Telecasters. I wouldn't be too weirded out about that.

The American Original is a very good guitar, no reason to think about it much more.

You can live with the stock bridge for now, you may never feel a need to change it. Setup is simpler on a Jazzmaster than on a Stratocaster, and about the same as it is on a Telecaster. No fear.

[jvin248]

.

Many get a Mustang bridge to put on the JMs as a fix.

The bodies are larger but thinner than Teles and Strats, so the weight is fairly close. In general, players think a guitar is a toy if it's below 7 pounds and are willing to play up through eight and a half pounds but beyond that they are considered boat anchors, however many players equate premium price with weight up there and expect their Gibson LP to be heavy but just not too heavy. Back pain complaints happen when getting too far into high eight pounds and beyond. There must be a hundred forum threads about guitar weight surveys and the most common acceptable range is 7-8lbs with variations allowable just under or over without complaints.

I find I tolerate a skinnier neck on a JM body because the ergonomics of the body positions your hands differently. Thigh cut, position of the bridge, position of the strap pins.

.

[seawalker]

For me, if you don't like or want a vibrato then a Jazzmaster probably isn't the guitar for you because it's such an essential part of it.

You can find oddball models that have a tune-o-matic and a stoptail or a strat tremolo, but... the string length behind the bridge and the vibrato feel ARE the Jazzmaster.

I grew up on Strats and have spent most of my playing hours over my life on strats, but the Jazzmaster is a better guitar because of the vibrato and the whole... thing. If you want a Jazzmaster then go whole-hog. One of those compromise instruments isn't probably going to satisfy you, and you won't get to know the real experience. Getting to know a Jazzmaster is a longer process where you learn how to love each other. It's not like a friendly old tele where you bang the guitar however you like and the same thing comes out. JMO of course

[Square Daddio]

Thanks for all of your thoughtful replies. I don't think that the 9.5" radius will be a problem. I've had both Strats and Teles with them in the past. Ended up will all 7.25" simply because those were on the models I liked. A little over 8lbs should be OK and I know that finding a sub 8 pounder in a model I like will be hard to find.

Not really interested in and mashups like the Parallel Universe. What drew me to the JM was the look, especially the color and binding. Same with hardtail. I tend to be a traditionalist so would want the whammy bar even if I would rarely use it.

Glad to hear confirmation of what I've read regarding the way the guitar balances, especially when seated.

Not familiar with vintage tall frets. Mostly have played medium jumbo and vintage frets. I'm sure I could acclimate to them pretty fast.

Looking forward to any other comments you may have.

[Beyer160]

The original bridge gets a bad rap, but it's perfectly serviceable if you do a little homework and learn how to set it up-

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/ ... rs-jaguars

Mustang bridges are a popular replacement, but be careful- a vintage spec Mustang bridge is 7.25" radius, which will feel funky on a 9.5" radius neck. Also, the cheap import mustang bridges are junk- the saddles have gaps between them that cause problems. The Fender American Professional Jazzmaster/Jaguar bridge appears to be a proper 9.5" radius Mustang saddle bridge, but beware of used ones- the string spacing was too wide on the original run. The Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar bridge is a proper 7.25" vintage spec Mustang style bridge, but it had the same problem with string spacing in the original run.

The elephant in the room that no one has mentioned yet is this- Jazzmasters are bright guitars. If you're the kind of player who dimes his volume and tone and never looks back, you will need to adjust your thinking.

[Larsongs]

Welcome!

I have 2 AV65's. A JM & a Jag..

I can't speak for the AO but I'm sure it's an excellent quality Guitar. Slightly different Specs..

IMO a Trem is essential.. Both of mine have Stock. When Set up as recommended by Fender I've had no problems & I use it frequently.. Tuning isn't an issue in my experience..

I did swap out the Bridge on my JM to a Fender Mustang. Inexpensive, readily available & easy drop in mod..

If you're buying new most online retailers have a no hassle exchange return policy.. Most pay Shipping both ways.. I've bought a few of my Guitars that way.. If there's a problem I just returned or did an exchange & it worked out great..

Good luck!

Larson

[Square Daddio]

The elephant in the room that no one has mentioned yet is this- Jazzmasters are bright guitars. If you're the kind of player who dimes his volume and tone and never looks back, you will need to adjust your thinking.

Good to know. I often dial back the tone and volt knobs.

[Square Daddio]

If you're buying new most online retailers have a no hassle exchange return policy.. Most pay Shipping both ways.. I've bought a few of my Guitars that way.. If there's a problem I just returned or did an exchange & it worked out great..

Because of the large discount offered this is not an option and will factor into my decision.

[marqueemoon]

The AOs are great. On the brighter side tonally, but in a good way.

I don’t find radius differences that hard to adapt to as a player.

8 pounds and change isn’t bad for a Jazzmaster.

Tons of info here about bridge stuff. I’m not a heavy handed player and run 11-49 strings. Strings shifting in the saddles is generally not an issue for me. If you think it will be for you factor a bridge swap into your overall budget.

[Square Daddio]

Tons of info here about bridge stuff. I’m not a heavy handed player and run 11-49 strings. Strings shifting in the saddles is generally not an issue for me. If you think it will be for you factor a bridge swap into your overall budget.

Due to finger issues, I'm currently play Hybrid sets. Light (9s) on top and heavier (10s) on bottom. It comes with 10s so I'd start there.

Since my original post I've done more research and have realized that a JM would involve new ways of playing from my current style. This isn't necessarily bad, though. Lot of what I heard in demos is a bit ethereal for me. Then I watched Nels Cline's 5 riff video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYGDAvk3nmc and he had me at Marqee Moon.