Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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LVC
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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by LVC » Wed Jan 18, 2023 1:01 pm

Steadyriot. wrote:
Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:50 am
I would not be the least bit surprised if the pickups in these are the Roswell Gold Foil Mini Humbuckers.
Good eye!

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Image

Steadyriot. wrote:
Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:50 am
If they are, that’d make them Firebird pickups.
That would explain the same pickup being used on the JB.
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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by Steadyriot. » Wed Jan 18, 2023 11:08 pm

johnnysomersett wrote:
Wed Jan 18, 2023 12:04 pm
Embenny wrote:
Wed Jan 18, 2023 11:29 am
johnnysomersett wrote:
Wed Jan 18, 2023 10:52 am


Are the Roswell ones even real Firebirds?
The diagram on their web site shows two bar magnets within the bobbins, so that would be true firebird construction.
Ahh, that's good to know. I didn't actually click the link, truth be told :D
The diagram is correct, this is what they look like naked:
Image

Only thing they miss is the coupling plate on top that “real” FB pickups have.

Had one on the workbench a while back, bought it for the pickup cover actually, after looking for one without the pickup attached for ages. Don’t know why gold foil mini humbucker covers are so hard to find in the EU. Shoved a JB Jr. inside.
Pickup guts sit in a junk drawer somewhere..

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by JSett » Thu Jan 19, 2023 12:10 am

Steadyriot. wrote:
Wed Jan 18, 2023 11:08 pm
The diagram is correct, this is what they look like naked:

Only thing they miss is the coupling plate on top that “real” FB pickups have.
That's probably a good thing..those little plates are the source of a lot of microphonic feedback in these usually
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by EmilyFromGetOffset » Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:25 am

I haven't opened it up yet (was hoping to yesterday but it got away form me), but I was able to get a demo up: Gold Foil Jazzmaster Demo

I think the build quality is decent—flat frets are my biggest gripe but they also didn't scrape the neck binding particularly well. It came extremely poorly intonated, especially the low E which was registering so sharp that my tuner thought I was going for an F. Easy enough to fix.

I really wish they'd gone for single coils in at least the neck and middle. I'll probably switch them out for some Novaks eventually. But I generally like the guitar. I think it's really beautiful and covers plenty of sonic ground.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by IrishBread69 » Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:47 am

bessieboporbach wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:31 pm
johnnysomersett wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:13 pm
With inflation etc these days $1399 isn't a lot of money. It's about the weekly average pay for a US citizen.
"$1400 isn't a lot of money" sure is a hot take but OK.

The median weekly wage in the US in Q3 2022 was $1070. For 25-34 it's $1003. For below 25 it's $690.

https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/media ... r-2022.htm
He's right though. We live in a world where millions of people drop over £1k on a new iPhone every year.

£1350 isn't a lot of money for a guitar.

The value proposition with a guitar than can literally last a lifetime can't be understated.

There's the classic guitarist mindset where they want quality but don't want to pay for it.

Mexican Fenders are excellent value for money and the up charge to US just isn't worth it in many situations.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by BoringPostcards » Mon Jan 30, 2023 12:57 pm

EmilyFromGetOffset wrote:
Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:25 am
I haven't opened it up yet (was hoping to yesterday but it got away form me), but I was able to get a demo up: Gold Foil Jazzmaster Demo

I think the build quality is decent—flat frets are my biggest gripe but they also didn't scrape the neck binding particularly well. It came extremely poorly intonated, especially the low E which was registering so sharp that my tuner thought I was going for an F. Easy enough to fix.

I really wish they'd gone for single coils in at least the neck and middle. I'll probably switch them out for some Novaks eventually. But I generally like the guitar. I think it's really beautiful and covers plenty of sonic ground.
Hello Emily, thanks for posting your review. I enjoy your channel. Keep up the good work!!
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by Tritone » Mon Jan 30, 2023 7:12 pm

sholkham wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 11:01 am
del wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:58 am
The single pickup Gold Foil Jazz Bass, however, looks FABULOUS!
Kind of ike a spacey Cabronita.
10/10, hopefully it sounds better than that telecater though.

I picked up one a few days ago and I really like it. To me it sounds like a low output P bass with a little less mids than I'm used to. Pretty flat tonally and surprisingly subdued treble for a single coil (yes, it's a single coil). I goosed the mids and treble on my amp a bit and it all came together. I had a blast putting it through its paces. For those of us who love the sound of a P bass but the playability of a J (like me!), this is a great option.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by bessieboporbach » Tue Jan 31, 2023 10:05 am

IrishBread69 wrote:
Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:47 am
bessieboporbach wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:31 pm
johnnysomersett wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:13 pm
With inflation etc these days $1399 isn't a lot of money. It's about the weekly average pay for a US citizen.
"$1400 isn't a lot of money" sure is a hot take but OK.

The median weekly wage in the US in Q3 2022 was $1070. For 25-34 it's $1003. For below 25 it's $690.

https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/media ... r-2022.htm
He's right though. We live in a world where millions of people drop over £1k on a new iPhone every year.

£1350 isn't a lot of money for a guitar.

The value proposition with a guitar than can literally last a lifetime can't be understated.

There's the classic guitarist mindset where they want quality but don't want to pay for it.

Mexican Fenders are excellent value for money and the up charge to US just isn't worth it in many situations.
I realize I was the one who started the argument and I regret that since it's tedious, but the iPhone comparison is so tired. People appeal to it for pretty much everything in guitars, from price to country of origin to branding, etc.

For what it's worth, I think the comparison is usually irrelevant since cell phones are pretty much a necessity of life in much of the world. And I don't know anyone who buys a new phone every year, whereas I know plenty of people who buy a new guitar every year.

I agree that MIM Fenders are fine instruments, but not necessarily that their pricing is reasonable.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by Embenny » Tue Jan 31, 2023 11:16 am

bessieboporbach wrote:
Tue Jan 31, 2023 10:05 am
I don't know anyone who buys a new phone every year, whereas I know plenty of people who buy a new guitar every year.
It would be an insane expectation for a company to price guitars such that the average can afford to buy new ones annually. That's not how musicians should be expected to consume instruments.

I come from a classical guitar background, and in the classical world, guitarists have it easy compared to most. Do you know what a "decent" oboe costs? Or cello? Even classical guitars make electric guitar prices blush. You can buy a premium PRS or a vintage Offset for the kind of money that gets you a barebones "not a student model" concert classical guitar. You could have an entire jaw-dropping vintage guitar collection for the price of a "professional" level oboe. Don't even get me started on pianos!

Having said that, I've got an electric guitar collection because it's fun, but as prices have climbed, I've stopped buying new instruments. It's not Fender's responsibility to cater to a multiple guitar habit, though. It's their responsibility to make instruments at whatever price points that keep enough people buying them. Selling fewer guitars for more money might work out better for them than selling more guitars for cheaper. I'm not privy to their market research.

I just think it's helpful to maintain some perspective. Obviously, I'd prefer for their prices to be cheaper, but they seem to be doing well enough like this, so it is what it is. When Johnny says a MIM still isn't a lot of money, I take that statement within the context of musical instruments, and it's true. Almost no musicians of any type at any point in history have had access to a high quality instrument that could last them a lifetime for the price of 1-2 weeks of an average person's wages.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by bessieboporbach » Tue Jan 31, 2023 3:44 pm

Embenny wrote:
Tue Jan 31, 2023 11:16 am
bessieboporbach wrote:
Tue Jan 31, 2023 10:05 am
I don't know anyone who buys a new phone every year, whereas I know plenty of people who buy a new guitar every year.
It would be an insane expectation for a company to price guitars such that the average can afford to buy new ones annually. That's not how musicians should be expected to consume instruments.

I come from a classical guitar background, and in the classical world, guitarists have it easy compared to most. Do you know what a "decent" oboe costs? Or cello? Even classical guitars make electric guitar prices blush. You can buy a premium PRS or a vintage Offset for the kind of money that gets you a barebones "not a student model" concert classical guitar. You could have an entire jaw-dropping vintage guitar collection for the price of a "professional" level oboe. Don't even get me started on pianos!

Having said that, I've got an electric guitar collection because it's fun, but as prices have climbed, I've stopped buying new instruments. It's not Fender's responsibility to cater to a multiple guitar habit, though. It's their responsibility to make instruments at whatever price points that keep enough people buying them. Selling fewer guitars for more money might work out better for them than selling more guitars for cheaper. I'm not privy to their market research.

I just think it's helpful to maintain some perspective. Obviously, I'd prefer for their prices to be cheaper, but they seem to be doing well enough like this, so it is what it is. When Johnny says a MIM still isn't a lot of money, I take that statement within the context of musical instruments, and it's true. Almost no musicians of any type at any point in history have had access to a high quality instrument that could last them a lifetime for the price of 1-2 weeks of an average person's wages.
You're absolutely right that guitarists have it very easy, in terms of price, compared to virtually all other musicians. The price of (electric) bass strings alone is proof of that.

Those of us who are sore about the price of MIM Fenders are sore in the very limited context of 2019 prices vs 2023 prices, and perhaps 2019 quality vs 2023 quality (reports differ).

There's also the additional element of comparing Fender to their competitors. While MIM Fenders remain relatively affordable compared to Gibson or PRS, and affordable in absolute terms compared to other musical instruments of professional quality, when you compare what you get from Fender for $1000 to what you get from (for example) Yamaha, Schecter, and the like, the comparison is not very favorable to Fender.

This could suggest that whatever price pressure we are feeling has nothing to do with the value that Fender themselves are providing. But again, when I handle a MIM (or even USA) Fender and compare it to what the same money gets you from Yamaha, it's hard not to feel shortchanged. That being said, Yamaha instruments aren't as "cool."

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by Arthon » Tue Jan 31, 2023 7:40 pm

I like the Jazzy and the JBass. I think tbe JBass is really well executed; the JM is interesting. I like the red burst. Dont like the Tele.

I could see myself buying and playng the JM. I prefer the JM trem, but I dont hate the Bigsby on it. I dont find them overpriced either. If I was hunting a traditionnal JM, I wouldnt consider it, but I already have two, so for a third kind-of-jazzmaster, yeah I like it.
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(sorry for the spelling, I speak french)

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by bluemonday » Wed Feb 01, 2023 1:20 pm

I wonder if it gets into Firebird VII territory? Mahogany body, three mini humbuckers. The red burst with gold foil looking pickups really does remind me of a Silvertone or Japanese off-brand something from the '60s.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by Dr. Ooh » Thu Feb 09, 2023 1:17 pm

I dig the aesthetics of the whole line. I think the bigsby is a good look. Like a few others have stated, the guitar is targeted to people who already have traditional jazzmasters, and want something unique and different.

From the demos i have heard/seen so far, it sounds great, for my style.

It's disappointing they are marketed as gold foils, if they are, indeed, not true gold foils.

I like it enough that I pre-ordered one from Sweetwater. We shall see how it is.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by timtam » Fri Feb 24, 2023 6:15 pm

At least one with QC issues ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML-CUlyynH8
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by bluemonday » Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:58 pm

timtam wrote:
Fri Feb 24, 2023 6:15 pm
At least one with QC issues ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML-CUlyynH8
I've heard of QC issues regarding the Jazz Bass too. It's a cool looking instrument. Just something to be aware of.

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