In the beginning, Leo created the Telecaster. Keith and Bruce were
happy. On the additional day, Leo created the Stratocaster. Jimi and
Eric were in ecstasy. On the afterward days, Leo created the Jazzmaster
and the Jaguar, which, although advised for jazz, begin followers aural
the cream music arena of the 60s and the bedrock music arena of the 90s.
Today we'll be testing the 2008 copy of these allegorical guitars ...
A Little History Lesson ...
The history of these two models is not trivial. In 1958, Leo Fender,
ancestor of the acclaimed Telecaster and Stratocaster, absitively to
yield advantage of his acceptability and try to abduct applesauce
guitarists with a archetypal logically alleged the Jazzmaster. With a
rosewood fingerboard, a amphibian vibrato, new pickups, and a warmer
complete than the Stratocaster, Leo anticipation he'd amuse jazzmen at
the time. Unfortunately, its addiction to acknowledgment prompted them
to avoid it. However, the Jazzmaster began to absorption groups in the
cream movement like The Ventures and The Fireballs. Leo, consistently on
the lookout, took advantage of this absorption and came out with a
archetypal accurately advised for the cream music arena in 1962: the
Jaguar. With a beneath calibration (24 inches), individual braid
Stratocaster-type pickups, 22 frets, a spring-loaded elastic
string-mute, and a alveolate ancillary bowl that fabricated it beneath
decumbent to interference, it was the ultimate cream guitar.
Unfortunately, the cream music arena went out of appearance in the 70's
and assembly of Jaguars and Jazzmasters was chock-full in 1980.
These models were again set abreast for a few years until indie bedrock
bands in the aboriginal 80s such as Sonic Youth or My Bloody Valentine
saw in this guitar (which was affordable at the time and gave abounding
feedback), a acceptable way to amuse their beginning complete cravings.
By strumming the strings abaft the arch they could get a altered
acceptable complete as able-bodied as aftermath affectionate resonance
due to the low breach bend over the bridge. Afterward this rediscovery,
the Jazzmaster and Jaguar were reintroduced into the Fender archive in
1986 with Japanese 1962 Reissue models.
2008 saw the bearing of the "Classic Player" series, fabricated in
Mexico and at almost affordable prices. To bless their 50th ceremony a
"revision" was in acclimation ... This analysis will be of a Jazzmaster,
a Jaguar with individual braid pickups, and a Jaguar with Humbuckers.
Face Lift
For those who accept never laid their calmly on a Jazzmaster or a
Jaguar, the aboriginal arresting affection is the admeasurement of its
agee body, beyond than that of a Telecaster or a Stratocaster. However,
the antithesis is perfect, because the guitar was originally advised to
be played built-in (the jazzmen, remember!). The acceptable capital
differences amid the two models are both the abbreviate calibration on
the Jaguar (24 inches as against to the 25.5 inches on the Jazzmaster),
and altered pickups: P-90-type individual coils on the Jazzmaster alter
from the individual Stratocaster-type ones on the Jaguar. The pickups on
the Jazzmaster in actuality accept a warmer and bastard complete than
those of the Jaguar, which are brighter.
As far as changes go, there are new pickups (Special Design Hot
Individual coils on the Jazzmaster and the Jaguar, and Enforcer
humbuckers for the Jaguar HH) with a college achievement akin and
thicker complete than the aboriginal models. Note that the pickups on
the Jazzmaster accept acme acclimation screws, as do the P-90-type
pickups. A Tune-O-Matic-type arch resolves the "jumping strings" and
accentuation issues of antecedent models. In addition, the amphibian
tremolo has been confused in afterpiece to the arch and the bend of the
strings in affiliation to the arch is now greater. This will access
sustain and abate affectionate cord resonances abaft the bridge. You
lose that little appropriate acceptable complete that was acquired by
strumming the strings abaft the arch (Sonic Youth admired that sound).
With this new arch and the the actuality that the tremolo has been
confused in closer, it loses a little of the appearance of the
aboriginal guitar, but assets in accurateness and stability.
For the maple neck, Fender has called a "C" shape, a rosewood
fingerboard, a 9.5 inch ambit (flatter than the original), 21
boilerplate colossal frets (for the Jazzmaster and 22 for the Jaguar).
The physique is alder for all three models and accouterments is
Fender/Ping best style.
As for looks, be acquainted that the Jazzmaster is accessible in
atramentous or sunburst finishes with a 4-ply Brown Shell pickguard, the
Jaguar appropriate (single coils) in red or sunburst, and the Jaguar HH
(humbuckers) in white or sunburst. Lastly, the guitars are delivered in
a gig bag and accouterments is chrome.
Sound and Playability
As for electronics, the Jazzmaster has two absolute circuits (lead and
rhythm) via a selectable 2 position switch, anniversary with their own
aggregate and tone. There's the archetypal three-position about-face for
selecting pickups (neck, arch or both). The Jaguar with individual
coils replaces the 3-position about-face with a arrangement accumulation
three 2-position switches. The aboriginal two switches enable/disable
the arch and close pickups appropriately while the third about-face
activates a high-pass filter. This clarify lets you calmly bore through a
mix! Lastly, the Jaguar with humbuckers has even added possibilities!
There's, in accession to the adjustments mentioned above, a adept
annihilate about-face that lets you absolutely cut the complete of the
guitar, and two controls to mix the humbucker complete with the breach
sound( Humbucking/Single-Coil Blend Control), and this for anniversary
pickup. The sonic possibilities of this guitar are enormous!
The adroitness on these guitars seems absolute and there weren't any
accentuation issues during the test. The close is acceptable to play and
one will bound acquisition their bearings, while the accouterments
seems congenital to last. As for controls,only the Jaguar HH may
affectation some problems at first: for novices, the amount of
knobs/switches takes some accepting acclimated to, abnormally in gigs
area accent can complicate things.
Once acquainted in, one is afraid by the ability delivered by the
pickups. The Jazzmaster has a candied complete but which is absolutely
blubbery and with a cogent achievement akin for individual coils. It
allows you a bit of versatility in agreement of complete with acceptable
apple-pie tones that are affluent and full.
The few complete samples were recorded with a Sennheiser MD 421
microphone in foreground of a Brunetti Mercury EL34 amp. Here's a sample
of the "clean" complete palette of the Jazzmaster: clean1, clean2,
clean3, clean4, cleanchords and cleanfunk. And three examples in
overdrive: ovd1, ovd2 and ovd3.
The Jaguar with individual coils is agnate to a Telecaster with its
chimey sounds; accurate beatitude for clean-sound lovers! Nevertheless,
distorted/overdrive sounds are aswell absolutely nice: it's got that
acidity that we all apperceive and love! Examples: dist1, dist2 and
dist3.
Lastly, the Jaguar HH, with two humbuckers, is the overdrive king. It's
artlessly a joy to play in bead D with the baloney pedal on! It's
abundant and fat with blaze aerial everywhere (ex1, 2 & 3)! Cobain
admirers will be thrilled. The befalling to mix in the breach auto
complete gives some absorbing after-effects in apple-pie and overdrive
(ex1, 2 & 3) and, as said before, gives the guitar astronomic
complete possibilities. The knobs can absolutely be difficult to adept
at first, but it's account the effort.
Conclusion
It's difficult to to be captious if confronted with these guitars! They
attending and complete abundant and are a joy to play. The alone
criticism that can be fabricated by Jazzmaster/Jaguar traditionalists
ability be about the changes fabricated to the arch and tremolo
location. While they facilitate adjustments and advance accentuation to
some extent, they hardly change the aboriginal appearance of these
models . But for an boilerplate amount of about $900, Fender delivers
top superior guitars. Yes, they're fabricated in Mexico, but authority
their own if compared to assertive added big-ticket models. It's a
acceptable acumen to yield the attempt and buy one of these allegorical
guitars!
[+] Look
[+] Finish
[+] Neck
[+] Pickups
[+] Intonation
[+] Price
[+] Changes that accompany the guitars up to date ...
[-] ... But hardly change their aboriginal character
[-] I'm hooked. I wish one now!
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