Jazzmaster or Jaguar

[Jazzmasterfan]

As an earlier poster said, it's best to try them both out. I have a MIJ Jazzmaster which has Seymour Duncan pickups and it is an amazing guitar sound wise. The new Classics have dealt with some of the old Jazzmaster problems...the bridge has been changed to an adjusto-matic (to reduce noise and the strings moving around when played hard) with the tremolo closer to the bridge/ pickups to increase sustain plus the tremolo is now screw in. If I was buying a Jazzmaster I would be going for the Classic (and maybe changing the pickups).

[Josh]

Get yourself a good old fashioned Les Paul.

ugh cant stand the paul ive been trying to get rid of my epi les paul been having nothing but bad luck with it

always did like the jaguar though big fan of those any mods i should do to it?

[Thomas]

Wait and see how you feel about it after you've played it. You might not need any, or you might want to change a few things.

[Josh]

Wait and see how you feel about it after you've played it. You might not need any, or you might want to change a few things.

well i meant like common mods worth doing like pots buzz stop add a mute any of those good

and also what about that buzz stop is it good?

[Reece]

It's good if you have buzz.
But you haven't even played it yet.

I find the mute pointless. The pots are personal preference really.

Play it.

[paul_]

Not a big buzz stop fan, I don't find the tension a huge problem and I like the ring you get without one. I'd try the guitar and then if you have problems with it on a personal level that can be remedied with a buzz stop, go ahead.

The mutes are dated as fuck, they were ripping off a Gretsch design feature of the time, and Fender's version is way more intrusive too, you don't have as much immediate adjustability and it nudges the strings up in pitch slightly. The only thing it really enables you to do that you can't do without one is get a palm-muted sound while picking up towards the neck for what I call "chokey 'n' throaty" timbre. Otherwise just palm-mute, it's easier mid-song for one.

Having a mute on your Jaguar when it wasn't initially set-up for one = MOJO.

[benecol]

[youtube][/youtube]

[blacktaxi]

right, get the jag. smaller -> lighter -> better imho.

[Thomas]

Wait and see how you feel about it after you've played it. You might not need any, or you might want to change a few things.

well i meant like common mods worth doing like pots buzz stop add a mute any of those good

and also what about that buzz stop is it good?

I changed the PUPs in my first one for a bit of a difference to the sound (still Jag pickups), I've never needed a buzz stop. I have 2 mutes sitting in a parts box, they're more for looks than anything else.

I would recommend that if you get one with the regular brigde find someone who has a Jag already that can set it up for you, that can make all the difference.

[timhulio]

Although I got a ton of Hagstroms, I don't like mashing at switches to change pickup. Jazzmaster control layout always made more sense to me.

[MMPicker]

Although I got a ton of Hagstroms, I don't like mashing at switches to change pickup. Jazzmaster control layout always made more sense to me.

I agree with this, that's why I changed my Jaguar lead circuit to work like a Jazzmaster, with a 3-way toggle. This change was not particularly difficult or expensive. I'm reading that the guy who has the toggle switch plates is out of them just now, but that's just temporary no doubt.

Since the most idiosyncratic aspect of the Jaguar switching scheme can be so easily addressed, some of the other differences between the instruments, esp. scale length and pickups, more fundamentally distinguish them in my evaluation.