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If you really want an accurate Jazzmaster neck, that warmoth one is WAY off.....

- smaller headstock (aka, Strat)
- there's a block at the 21st fret, most Jazzmasters don't have one there if they have blocks and binding
- The binding seems too thick
- the blocks look more like Les Paul stock than what was used on nthe Jazzmaster
- the neck has 22 frets instead of 21, a normal Jazzmaster neck has 21 frets regardless of age

So whats the deal between binding & no bindings? I (as you may have noticed from my over-frequent & novice-like questions) am looking to add a tasty neck to a tasty body. I love the MOP inlay business but I want that old pre-CBS neck look without the bindings. I've got a bag of MOP from ebay for next to nothing. There's a guy who's quoted me £300-400 (not dollars!) to make it! Is that a rip off? Is there an established company out there that'll do it for less??

As Mezcalhead says though, you can't have a Jazzmaster without a BIG fuckin' head!!

  This is what my ideal Jazzmaster would look like (with a little help from Photoshop...)

  As you can see, I'm definitely not a purist so I wouldn't mind the historical inaccuracies of a Warmoth neck.  It's definitely better than what I have on it now which is a stratacoustic neck.
  Personally, I think that Warmoth neck back on page one is pretty slick, so who knows.  I just might get it so I can (as my dad used to say) "have rest in my ass!"

berlinbetty wrote:   This is what my ideal Jazzmaster would look like (with a little help from Photoshop...)

  As you can see, I'm definitely not a purist so I wouldn't mind the historical inaccuracies of a Warmoth neck.  It's definitely better than what I have on it now which is a stratacoustic neck.
  Personally, I think that Warmoth neck back on page one is pretty slick, so who knows.  I just might get it so I can (as my dad used to say) "have rest in my ass!"

Lee from Sonic Youth has this one....

I'm fretting about re-fretting my 1967 neck or not... block/bound... keep it as is for (whatever) collectors-value and putting an aftermarket neck on the JM for playing... or go the re-fret-route.... hmmmmm

this issue seems to come up once in a while and I understand the desire to keep a guitar original but I've never been able to get what's so collectable about a poorly playing guitar?

I'd much rather play the original 39 year old neck with a quality fret job than stick it in a box in favor of a new repro neck.. that just doesn't make sense to me 

95% agreed.
the last 5% is like, maybe one time in future i need to sell the guitar and could need all the money i could get out from it... gnargh.

I can appreciate that, I've been there but between unplayable or new frets... which wins?

are the unplayable frets really worth more because they're original?

I've re-fretted the '67 Jazzmaster that I used to own...played really well afterwards.


of course, it was a refin.

in all fairness, the way I see it is that if it's a killer guitar, I'll always re-fret...I only live once and I wanna play the guitar first and foremost

I think as years pass, good re-frets will become widely acceptable...some of these guitars are 50 years old...the only guitars I could think of that might not need an refret after all these years are once kept in their case without being played

my 2p

Frets are consumables. To me, it's kind of like tires. I have new radials on my '68 Firebird, because I like to actually drive it now and again. I'd hate to be riding around on old, bald bias-ply maypops.

Of course, who wouldn't want a mint 100% example... but if you plan to play it, I vote for the refret.

good analogy Doug!

Every fret job I've had, the guy at most replaced the first four or five frets and leveled everything, rather than replacing all of them.  Depending on how low they've gone, that can be the best for both the guitar and your wallet.
-J

fullerplast wrote: Frets are consumables. To me, it's kind of like tires. I have new radials on my '68 Firebird, because I like to actually drive it now and again. I'd hate to be riding around on old, bald bias-ply maypops.

Of course, who wouldn't want a mint 100% example... but if you plan to play it, I vote for the refret.

Great analogy, and plus guitars are meant to BE played, they weren't designed to sit around and just look at em. Play it (don't abuse though) and if it needs a refret to be played and enjoyed, go for it

If you wanna be picky the dressing room blocks aren't that accurate either

fullerplast wrote: Frets are consumables. To me, it's kind of like tires.

Yep, great analogy. :-)
Matter resolved. It's my favorite playing and gigging guitar, and to keep it this way it needs to have new frets.
Thanks for all your input!