ShortScale.org

Alright, so to do the quick backstory, I got a $1000 gift certificate from work to Musician's Friend. So I pondered what to get and decided on a '62 AVRI Jazzmaster in Sunburst (since they cut the colors down to 3 choices, otherwise I dug the Ice Blue Metallic). I was out of town and just got to opening the package yesterday, here are my first impressions:

I open the fender box, which contains a repro '62 G&G Case, that Jazzmasters of that time period came in. It's a nice case, although the fur on the inside seems to shed and stick to the guitar a little bit. I gaze upon the beauty that is this guitar, and one of the very first things that catches my eye is what almost looks like a flaw in the headstock. Theoretically, paying $1500 for this guitar makes me think it should be close to perfect (I know I'm only paying $1500 and not $3000 for a custom shop, but c'mon), but there is a odd figuring... maybe, that's not even the best word for it. It really looks like a strange vertical seam in the headstock, where the rest of the woodgrain is horizontal. Immediately I start contemplating whether or not to send it back.

I examine the rest of the guitar, the body is absolutely flawless. Originally, I was worried about possible wood grain problems with ordering the sunburst.

So I tune the beast up, and it sounds amazing. I had never even played a Jazzmaster before, a Jaguar was as close as I got. I really dig all the sounds, and the pots are smooth, and aren't scratchy at all.

The next thing I did was dig out the Tremolo arm from the box (My Bloody Valentine is one of my favorite bands), and went to start messing with it. Well, I could not get the Tremolo Arm to stay in the guitar to save my life. I put a thin slice of painter's tape around the part of the arm that goes into the collet, and that seemed to work, but I was pretty unhappy to start modifying a $1500 guitar that I just took out of the box. I heard this is mostly an AVRI problem compared to the Japanese ones, and particularly ones from 2002. I'll have to check my serial #.

Then I went to tune it back up again, and experienced the string jumping that everyone talks about when referring to the Jazzmaster/Jaguar bridges. I had read about this, but never experienced it on any of the vintage jaguars I had played, so I assumed that this would be something minor that people were just exaggerating. Nigh, this is a real problem, as I usually pull up on my strings when I am tuning them to help stretch the strings for tuning stability. I realize a Buzz Stop is an option, but I might just try living with this for a little bit, and seeing if I can deal with it. I've heard a Buzz Stop takes a lot of shimmer out of the Jazzmaster sound.

The neck is smooth, and other than the "figuring" on the headstock, the only other flaw I saw, which isn't that big of a deal, was that they didn't clean the extra vintage tint coating from the headstock off of the side of the nut. The tuner's seemed to keep decent hold, and any slip in tuning seemed to be tremolo/bridge related.


Now, I suppose the real question is, should I return this? For the money, I'd like to have something a little more perfect, at least as far as the headstock goes. I'll take pictures tonight and reply back to this thread (if I remember).

Figuring is to be expected. Push the trem arm in til it clicks. File the bridge slots deeper, or fit heavier strings, or get a mustang bridge.

Yay!

If you're already bothered by some of the quirks of the Jazzmaster, return it. You're only going to hate it more as time goes on.

That is a good point. I'll take a picture of the figuring though, it really looks more like a seam in the wood, and is rather ugly. I've read plenty on the quirks of the Jazzmaster, so I know what to expect. In part I just wanted to reconfirm that if you buy a new '62 RI nowadays that it still has those problems. I tried pushing the trem arm in rather hard, I thought it might break, but it would not click in any fashion, and it was down in there plenty. As far as the saddles/bridge go, I've considered replacing it with the mustang bridge, but didn't want to start messing with any of that until I decided whether I wanted to return it or not.

Was the arm sealed in a little bag along with the manual etc.? Otherwise, they may have given you a MIJ arm, which isn't quite the same fitment. If not, seems like your trem collet may need tightening slightly, or may already be broken (shake the guitar - can you hear something rattling round in there?). A JM really needs 11s or more to sort the bridge out, so bung some on - it'll make a man of you too.

I'd keep it, or go in and make a fuss 'til they give you a replacement JM.

The trem arm usually requires MASSIVE force to click in the first time! You won't break it. Try turning back and forth while pushing.

You don't need 11's to set up a Jazzmaster bridge. I run 10's on all of mine, and my Jag too. They play just fine. (No offense, Benecol)

I doubt there's too much truth to the "working better with bigger strings" thing, especially with the re-issues. I think it's a logic-based rumour based on the original guitars coming out when big strings were the norm. While the overall trem assembly will work better with more tension, light strings on a re-issue jag/jazzy are fine, and the heavier you go the more problems you'll experience with "jumping" if you're experiencing it at all in the first place, in my experience.

Tell me how to get a $1000 gift voucher please?

The av trem arm should have a little lip at the end.
You need to spend some time with the bridge setting it up. Take a look at frans bridge setup video on the shortscale youtube account. that should get you sorted.
you should get heavy strings though....not just for the jazzmaster, but because you suck if you play anything less than 11's. GOSPEL!!!!!

shove the trem in,
get it setup, factory setups are lame.
and if you don't like it, sell it to me

robroe wrote:

Hurb wrote: because you suck if you play anything less than 13's. GOSPEL!!!!!

I just bought some 12's to try...thats as big as I will ever go I think.

RumorsOFsurF wrote:You don't need 11's to set up a Jazzmaster bridge. I run 10's on all of mine, and my Jag too. They play just fine. (No offense, Benecol)

paul_ wrote:I doubt there's too much truth to the "working better with bigger strings" thing, especially with the re-issues. I think it's a logic-based rumour based on the original guitars coming out when big strings were the norm. While the overall trem assembly will work better with more tension, light strings on a re-issue jag/jazzy are fine, and the heavier you go the more problems you'll experience with "jumping" if you're experiencing it at all in the first place, in my experience.

No offence taken my old loves, but in my experience of Jags and Jazzmasters, 11s and up really do help; I'm not saying you have to put real big dick strings on them, but 12's on a Jag and 11's on a JM really help, in my experience. The bridge assembly hasn't changed since bigger strings were the norm, and they really help. And speaking as a clumsy fucker, the jumping is far less bad with heavier strings.

Oh, and give it a good setup yourself too - I've yet to see a decent shop setup on a Jag or JM.

thats cuz you have never been to my shop
(i know that was arrogant as fuck)

It's because I live in the UK where, and this is no word of a lie, my local guitar shop does not know how to set up a strat trem.

You heard me.

It's not that I didn't like how they'd done it, they just did not know how to do it.

thats pathetic, really pathetic.
sometimes it seems like if i moved to the uk i would be a millionaire just becuz you guys get screwed on guitars but you get a good deal on certain amps.
and while we are talking about a strat trem should have 3-4 mms of space in the zero position on the back of the trem.
basically this means that you should be able to pull up half a step from standard.

benecol wrote: Oh, and give it a good setup yourself too - I've yet to see a decent shop setup on a Jag or JM.

+1 Some shops won't even touch 'em. That's why I learned to setup my own stuff.

Hurb wrote:

robroe wrote:

Hurb wrote: because you suck if you play anything less than 13's. GOSPEL!!!!!

I just bought some 12's to try...thats as big as I will ever go I think.

I went up to 13s once. On my Strat. . I've only got tiny hands and I'm a wee person.