Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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Gswearengin
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Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by Gswearengin » Sun Jun 12, 2022 9:42 pm

Hey y’all,

My favorite uncle died two years ago, and this evening I had the sad pleasure of going through his parts stash. One of the things I got was this jazzmaster body. I had originally expected Squier, based on a neck he had lying around, but I think it might actually be vintage.

Having a hard time posting direct links to photos, but they’re all here (hopefully this link works):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/n5iFgLya9cYzURYb9

It has obviously been stripped and heavily sanded. No obvious neck dates or anything, and my real life experience with vintage parts is pretty much zero. But it looks like old sunburst in the cavities, and has a few traits that seem to match other things I’ve seen online:
  • Circular filed area in bottom of trem cavity
  • Two small filled dowels(?) on back side
  • Two Glazier points left in rhythm circuit cavity
  • Strip of tape still in tact across the neck pickup cavity. I picked at it lightly and it didn’t budge.
  • Neck pocket is mostly stripped, but does have traces of black paint with a handwritten 3 (maybe original, maybe not)
  • I also found a vintage tort pickguard (unfortunately probably too warped and shrunken to use) and shielding plate, and a pretty rusty looking pickup without lead wires.
Can you guys access the link? Any thoughts on whether it’s genuine, and any tips on determining how old it might be?

I’m not in a financial position to take on a major project right now, but this potentially just got a lot more serious than I expected. I would at least like to get it useable as soon as possible, and upgrade slowly as time goes by. I will probably cave and order some Curtis Novak pickups for it tonight…

Any input appreciated. Thanks, Uncle Pete! :'(

Gary

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by PJazzmaster » Sun Jun 12, 2022 10:10 pm

Vintage, no doubt 😎

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by JSett » Sun Jun 12, 2022 10:37 pm

Yep. Looks to be vintage to me and originally sunburst. There's a smidge of the red left in the neck pickup rout and I think the '3' in the neck pocket is code for 3TSB (3 Tone Sunburst).
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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by Gswearengin » Sun Jun 12, 2022 10:41 pm

Wow. Thanks y’all!

Anyone happen to know where the rhythm circuit shielding plate is in stock? Can’t find it anywhere, and can’t bear to use tape on this.

Thanks,

Gary

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by JSett » Sun Jun 12, 2022 10:47 pm

The tort might be able to be flattened (between two sheets of glass in the sun). I would offer it up to the body and see how well/badly the holes line up. If it's close then screw it to a piece of wood for now just in case.

If you can't find a shielding plate then there's always the option of buying a small piece of brass sheet and cutting your own with some tinsnips.
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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by terminalvertigo » Mon Jun 13, 2022 3:32 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Sun Jun 12, 2022 10:37 pm
I think the '3' in the neck pocket is code for 3TSB (3 Tone Sunburst).
Is this a thing? If so, cool!
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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:51 am

yeah. it's vintage. bit difficult to tell what year it is though. body looks like alder though. so not a 75-80
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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by gishuk » Mon Jun 13, 2022 6:13 am

I can't find the site with all the info on vintage Jazzmasters but if I remember right the dowel plugs on the back mean its a pre CBS body.

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by Highnumbers » Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:29 pm

Based on the fully painted neck pocket and evidence of original nail holes on the front of the body, I would guess the production date of this body as pre-1963.

JM forensic experts - when did the control cavity route change? Was it coinciding with the switch to an 11-hole tort guard in '59?

If so, this body could be late 59-62

Nice come up!

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by Gswearengin » Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:39 pm

Very interesting…man, I’m excited!

What are you seeing as evidence of nail holes on the top? I looked a bit but didn’t find anything. I assumed if it was that early, the pencilled date would also still be there.

Man, I would be absolutely thrilled if it was that early!

Thanks,

Gary

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by bulrich » Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:03 pm

Highnumbers wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:29 pm
Based on the fully painted neck pocket and evidence of original nail holes on the front of the body, I would guess the production date of this body as pre-1963.

JM forensic experts - when did the control cavity route change? Was it coinciding with the switch to an 11-hole tort guard in '59?

If so, this body could be late 59-62

Nice come up!
9 Hole 58 to mid 59 had Aluminum Guards. If I recall correctly there were a few 9 hole tortoise guards but they quickly changed to 11 hole and the routing went along with that.
Body shape changed a bit too.
Details here:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010100800 ... jazzma.htm

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by Highnumbers » Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:24 pm

Gswearengin wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:39 pm
Very interesting…man, I’m excited!

What are you seeing as evidence of nail holes on the top? I looked a bit but didn’t find anything. I assumed if it was that early, the pencilled date would also still be there.

Man, I would be absolutely thrilled if it was that early!

Thanks,

Gary
I had a closer look at the photos, and I stand corrected. Thought I saw evidence of a filled nail hole between the bass side neck pocket and the pickup cavity, but perhaps that's not what it is.

There would also be a nail hole next to the lowest pickguard hole (near the tone pot) and also one at the treble cutaway, near the switch cavity. I don't see any there.

But the fully painted neck pocket is throwing me off, I would assume to see the nail holes if the neck pocket is painted like that.

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by Gswearengin » Mon Jun 13, 2022 9:54 pm

Perhaps I should also mention that there is a grounding hole to the trem cavity. Does that help at all? Don’t know when that was added, but I don’t believe the older ones had it. Don’t have the body available to look more closely at the moment.

For the second time in recent memory, I paid WAY too much for a rhythm circuit grounding plate from Allparts UK…like 6x as much for shipping as for the item itself, but I was glad to find it. I ordered Novaks (JM-V/JM-FAT) last night and a few other things…I think I now have everything I need to get it setup soon.

I’ll be using the Squier neck at first. Can’t afford vintage, unfortunately, but I’d like to eventually replace it with a Musikraft and have the body refinished in black, possibly with a matching headstock. I have a pretty good Spitfire tort guard I can use. I think the old one is just too battered/warped/shrunken, but I’ll see what I can do (I’m so excited to have it, either way). It will definitely be interesting to see them next to each other.

Would very much appreciate any more guesses on the age.

Thanks!

Gary

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by Gswearengin » Mon Jun 13, 2022 10:05 pm

bulrich wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:03 pm
Details here:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010100800 ... jazzma.htm
Fascinating! Thanks for that. A little more than I can handle tonight, but this makes it sound like the hole to the trem cavity was added ca. ‘62 with the introduction of the Jag and Bass VI.

Thanks so much to everyone for your assistance and expertise!

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Re: Just inherited a jazzmaster body…could it be vintage?

Post by Highnumbers » Wed Jun 15, 2022 3:59 pm

Gswearengin wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 9:54 pm
For the second time in recent memory, I paid WAY too much for a rhythm circuit grounding plate from Allparts UK…like 6x as much for shipping as for the item itself, but I was glad to find it. I ordered Novaks (JM-V/JM-FAT) last night and a few other things…I think I now have everything I need to get it setup soon.
Yeah, what's up with that?

All the other grounding plates are easy to get, and the simplest of them all is difficult to find. If I recall, I had to get one overseas as well, for a recent build.

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