Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
User avatar
BoringPostcards
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7045
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
Location: Newfoundland

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by BoringPostcards » Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:44 pm

bessieboporbach wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:36 pm
BoringPostcards wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:27 pm
Yeah, all I got is anecdotal evidence too.
I’ve only personally owned one guitar with a Bigsby, and I couldn’t stand it. It was the type that is tricky to restring. I probably should have given it more time.
Anyhow, I had a Jazzmaster there at the time to compare, and always felt the system on there was better for my uses. Also, way less finicky to set up and maintain.
I guess, I don’t understand using an off brand part on a variation of a guitar that usually comes with a great vibrato system already.
I should have been less lazy with my original post. It was early in the day.
Fair enough! To be fair, though, Bigsby is hardly an "off brand" since Fender owns them.
Oh yeah, I had totally forgotten that factoid! Hard to keep track of who owns what anymore, lol.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

User avatar
bessieboporbach
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:40 am

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by bessieboporbach » Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:50 pm

johnnysomersett wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:39 pm
I just googled Average salary USA and it came back with $54'000. I just kept it simple.

Everything is relative, I know that, but generalisations are a necessity in pricing products. When a 2 bed condo in LA is over a million dollars, $1400 isn't all that much. I had breakfast in a back street diner in Chicago in 2019 and it cost me $65 for two of us. In 2008, in NYC, that same breakfast cost about $28.
Comparing guitar prices to housing prices is kind of stacking the deck, isn't it? ... Considering that US major city housing prices have risen so drastically out of step with general inflation as to constitute a widely-acknowledged crisis.

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by JSett » Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:54 pm

bessieboporbach wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:50 pm
johnnysomersett wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:39 pm
I just googled Average salary USA and it came back with $54'000. I just kept it simple.

Everything is relative, I know that, but generalisations are a necessity in pricing products. When a 2 bed condo in LA is over a million dollars, $1400 isn't all that much. I had breakfast in a back street diner in Chicago in 2019 and it cost me $65 for two of us. In 2008, in NYC, that same breakfast cost about $28.
Comparing guitar prices to housing prices is kind of stacking the deck, isn't it? ... Considering that US major city housing prices have risen so drastically out of step with general inflation as to constitute a widely-acknowledged crisis.
That's why I also used the breakfast example to balance the scales. Regardless, it's still never been comparatively cheaper to buy a guitar than it is today.
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
bessieboporbach
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:40 am

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by bessieboporbach » Mon Jan 16, 2023 2:05 pm

johnnysomersett wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:54 pm
That's why I also used the breakfast example to balance the scales. Regardless, it's still never been comparatively cheaper to buy a guitar than it is today.
I don't want to worry this point excessively, but I think this is what the guy who brought up prices was getting at. Even taking inflation into account, and adjusting for it relative to wages and prices, it was absolutely cheaper to buy a Fender guitar 10, 5, even 3 years ago than it is today.

Those who want value can go to Yamaha or Schecter or what have you, it's for sure easy enough to get a giggable guitar for cheap nowadays, but not a Fender.

User avatar
del
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1585
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:57 am
Location: rusted jack-knife

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by del » Mon Jan 16, 2023 2:27 pm

median weekly income for full time wage and salary workers in third quarter 2022 was $1070. Taking into account unemployment and part-time workers would lower that number, but that precise data is more difficult to calculate.

here's a time series chart, divided by gender, with absolute and inflation adjust scales, since Q1 of the year 2000.
https://www.bls.gov/charts/usual-weekly ... -women.htm#

And here's a full report with details and race, gender, and age breakdowns of full-time earnings.
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archiv ... 182022.htm

Guitars are priced all over the board! That these are priced as they are is just part of the process of valuation for luxury goods. As we so often see with guitars, there may well be fire sales within weeks or months that drop the prices notably - or they might catch on and sell well and the prices will stay firm. Shrug.

I'm judging these on looks alone:
Jazz Bass is cool!
Jazmmaster is ok (I like the bigsby, but not the look of the pickups)
Telecaster doesn't look quite right to me and is not my style.
The Kinks - The Fall – The Bad Seeds - Spacemen 3 - The Gories - Royal Trux
"The idea is to put a pick in one hand and a guitar in the other and with a tiny movement rule the world." - David Fair

User avatar
tequila_in_teacups
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 315
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 1:23 am
Location: Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu New Zealand

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Mon Jan 16, 2023 8:46 pm

johnnysomersett wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:39 pm
I just googled Average salary USA and it came back with $54'000. I just kept it simple.

Everything is relative, I know that, but generalisations are a necessity in pricing products. When a 2 bed condo in LA is over a million dollars, $1400 isn't all that much. I had breakfast in a back street diner in Chicago in 2019 and it cost me $65 for two of us. In 2008, in NYC, that same breakfast cost about $28.
johnnysomersett wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:54 pm

That's why I also used the breakfast example to balance the scales. Regardless, it's still never been comparatively cheaper to buy a guitar than it is today.
Maybe it would be more accurate simply to say that $1400 doesn't buy you as much as it used to? I think what some are taking issue with here is that it's a bit flippant to say that $1400, or any amount of money really, 'isn't all that much'. There are plenty of folks living in precarity for whom $1400 is a lot of money. Granted, they're probably not considering buying a guitar, but I think that only reinforces the point that they don't have the luxury of thinking that $1400 isn't all that much to spend on something.

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by JSett » Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:28 pm

tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Mon Jan 16, 2023 8:46 pm
Maybe it would be more accurate simply to say that $1400 doesn't buy you as much as it used to?
In a roundabout way, that's the point I assumed I had made. Maybe I should have been clearer, apologies.
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
CROSS_guitars
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3112
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:52 am
Location: Thornbury Melbourne

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by CROSS_guitars » Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:50 pm

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.

Image
Now we're talkin!

The guitars look boring but this bass is awesome!

User avatar
Floorboardinit
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 11:19 am
Location: Seattle, Wa

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by Floorboardinit » Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:13 am

Man...if stratosphere gets a pile of these I would definitely try and snag a neck off of the jazzmaster and even the jazz bass. The concept is just too goofy for me but some of the parts being used are pretty rad. The lollipop tuners on the jazz bass are a rarity...usually they keep those stashed away for CS basses.

User avatar
andare
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 91
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2022 12:55 am

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by andare » Tue Jan 17, 2023 2:18 am

Lots of hot takes here. Offset vibratos being better or easier to set up? Modern features being better? I think we all have different needs and tastes and different experiences.

The Stratocaster vibrato is amazing for me. It has a ton of range and I can choose how many springs to use plus I can adjust the claw so I can fine tune the tension and how much it floats. It does require teflon tape on the arm or a Callaham block with a plastic bushing but only if it starts to swing too much. I use a Classic Player Jazzmaster arm, which is too long for a Strat but it works for me because my natural picking spot is over the neck pickup. It allows me to be very precise and musical with the flutters and I can dive bomb it if I need to. The bridge doesn't rock and it is rock solid. A Strat works with all kinds of string gauges too.

My only experience with the offset vibrato is with the one in my 40th Anniversary Squier JM. I hammered the arm and it works fine. No clicking or scraping. However it's very hard to operate the lever and it has very little range. The bridge doesn't sink and it barely rocks with the vibrato. Maybe they fixed these issues this time around. This model has an angled neck pocket so it already has a good break angle over the saddles. With 9s it still buzzed a lot behind the bridge. I play 11s anyway and they are much better for the guitar and they suit my style but I can see how this would put off light gauge players.
It sounds amazing and it's refreshing after years with a Strat.

But no wonder most people play a Strat.

Apparently the Mustang vibrato is the best of both worlds but it's also hard to set up. Would love to try it.

There's room for everything!

User avatar
BoringPostcards
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7045
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:50 am
Location: Newfoundland

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by BoringPostcards » Tue Jan 17, 2023 3:17 am

andare wrote:
Tue Jan 17, 2023 2:18 am
Lots of hot takes here. Offset vibratos being better or easier to set up? Modern features being better? I think we all have different needs and tastes and different experiences.

The Stratocaster vibrato is amazing for me. It has a ton of range and I can choose how many springs to use plus I can adjust the claw so I can fine tune the tension and how much it floats. It does require teflon tape on the arm or a Callaham block with a plastic bushing but only if it starts to swing too much. I use a Classic Player Jazzmaster arm, which is too long for a Strat but it works for me because my natural picking spot is over the neck pickup. It allows me to be very precise and musical with the flutters and I can dive bomb it if I need to. The bridge doesn't rock and it is rock solid. A Strat works with all kinds of string gauges too.

My only experience with the offset vibrato is with the one in my 40th Anniversary Squier JM. I hammered the arm and it works fine. No clicking or scraping. However it's very hard to operate the lever and it has very little range. The bridge doesn't sink and it barely rocks with the vibrato. Maybe they fixed these issues this time around. This model has an angled neck pocket so it already has a good break angle over the saddles. With 9s it still buzzed a lot behind the bridge. I play 11s anyway and they are much better for the guitar and they suit my style but I can see how this would put off light gauge players.
It sounds amazing and it's refreshing after years with a Strat.

But no wonder most people play a Strat.

Apparently the Mustang vibrato is the best of both worlds but it's also hard to set up. Would love to try it.

There's room for everything!
We were talking about Bigsby vs offset Vibrato, not Stratocaster vibratos. I like Strats. I also like the Vibrato. Not sure why Strats are being brought into the discussion here though.
The offset vibrato on the Squier is a cheaply made mess in comparison to the US or MIM CP variants.

As for modern features? I don’t mind them on Strats at all. I like Jazzmasters just how they are though (Mastery hardware is nice though, and I don’t care about radius. I’ll play on any radius).

Lots of variety of opinion and experience here. It’s a good thing.
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

User avatar
bessieboporbach
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:40 am

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by bessieboporbach » Tue Jan 17, 2023 3:46 am

andare wrote:
Tue Jan 17, 2023 2:18 am
Lots of hot takes here. Offset vibratos being better or easier to set up? Modern features being better? I think we all have different needs and tastes and different experiences.

The Stratocaster vibrato is amazing for me. It has a ton of range and I can choose how many springs to use plus I can adjust the claw so I can fine tune the tension and how much it floats. It does require teflon tape on the arm or a Callaham block with a plastic bushing but only if it starts to swing too much. I use a Classic Player Jazzmaster arm, which is too long for a Strat but it works for me because my natural picking spot is over the neck pickup. It allows me to be very precise and musical with the flutters and I can dive bomb it if I need to. The bridge doesn't rock and it is rock solid. A Strat works with all kinds of string gauges too.

My only experience with the offset vibrato is with the one in my 40th Anniversary Squier JM. I hammered the arm and it works fine. No clicking or scraping. However it's very hard to operate the lever and it has very little range. The bridge doesn't sink and it barely rocks with the vibrato. Maybe they fixed these issues this time around. This model has an angled neck pocket so it already has a good break angle over the saddles. With 9s it still buzzed a lot behind the bridge. I play 11s anyway and they are much better for the guitar and they suit my style but I can see how this would put off light gauge players.
It sounds amazing and it's refreshing after years with a Strat.

But no wonder most people play a Strat.

Apparently the Mustang vibrato is the best of both worlds but it's also hard to set up. Would love to try it.

There's room for everything!
Maybe I'm misunderstanding you when you say "it's very hard to operate the lever and it has very little range," but you can adjust both of those things with the spring tension screw, even on the unbranded version used on a Squier. They will never have as much upward travel as a Bigsby or as much downward travel as a Floyd but you can get roughly the range of a floating Strat, and with smoother, subtler articulation.

User avatar
Jan Deal
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 422
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:19 pm
Location: Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by Jan Deal » Tue Jan 17, 2023 4:21 am

I see that GuitarGuitar has a similar offering from a boutique builder:

https://www.kitharaguitars.com/56-custom
Seas, Starry : Fuzz / Pop / Noises

"Gorgeous, soaring waves of guitars which feedback and squall deliriously with fluid and organic rhythms”

www.seasstarry.bandcamp.com

User avatar
blacktiger
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4125
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2006 7:05 pm
Location: banned in DC

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by blacktiger » Tue Jan 17, 2023 8:05 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Sun Jan 15, 2023 2:14 am
I was hyped as I scrolled down until I saw the Bigsby

:fp:
We really need a “like” option on the forum. I love the gold one, except the stupid Bigsby.
Thread killer

User avatar
Beyer160
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 477
Joined: Wed Jun 17, 2009 6:34 am

Re: Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster 2023

Post by Beyer160 » Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:21 am

$1400? Pass.

I'm with whoever said they'd be into snagging a neck from Stratosphere, though.
johnnysomersett wrote:
Sun Jan 15, 2023 2:14 am
I was hyped as I scrolled down until I saw the Bigsby

:fp:
#buttertrem

Post Reply