ShortScale.org

Hi,

I'm looking to buy a used Jazzmaster but I haven't been able to nail down what spec if might be.

It's Olympic white with red tort scratch guard. It's a 1992 model, it's Made In Japan (not crafted), it has dot's not blocks.

The seller thought it was a 66-reissue, but I think it might be a 62-reissue (cos of the dots). The guitar is all in stock condition, and has just been setup with 10's.

I still have no idea what the neck shape/profile might be like (can't seem to find anything on web). Would this guitar be better (in terms of pickups etc) than a more recent 're-issue'?

Can anybody help/advise? And what sort of price should I be looking to pay (it all works, and is in very good original condition - a few chips here and there but otherwise tip-top)?

Thank you,


Mike

Hello there - the number on the Japanese guitars doesn't actually correspond to any particular year's model, they're just numbers in the sixties. All of them were MIJ at that time, and all the same spec - yours sounds like quite an early one; it might be basswood though - it's worth having a look at the woodgrain (neck pocket, maybe?) and checking.

Hi,

Here's a link to some pictures of the guitar in question:

http://s629.photobucket.com/albums/uu15 ... azzmaster/

If it is basswood... is that a bad thing? You mention all the same spec... Is that good or bad - compared to the more recent re-issues (classic players) etc?

Thank you,


Mike

Difficult to know what the wood is without being able to look at the grain pattern; basswood's OK - I'm not a huge fan, but many others beg to differ. I've not played a CP, but as a rule I'd take Japanese over Mexican any day of the week.

Basswood is a good guitar wood. It sounds good, and is very lightweight but it's very very soft and damages extremely easy.

Hi,

So... I pulled the trigger on this beast, and she's now all mine mwah ha haaa!!!!

And... within a few hours of owning/playing I managed to destroy the trem... Or at least so I thought! The collar that the trem arm slots into literally dropped into the body of the guitar and was rattling about all over the shop.

I eventually discovered that this collar can be pulled back up and screwed back in. It took me somewhat longer to discover that the thread was left-handed lol!

Anyway... I'm loving this guitar. The neck is a flat profile and not too wide - a perfect combination of my tele 72 custom + my epi' riviera. And I'm also quite taken with the stock pickups too. The bridge has a similar spank/twang to my tele. The neck is also quite nice. Apparrently the middle position is noise-cancelling - but I can't say I've noticed (am playing thru a 2x12 hot rod deville). And as for the rythmn position. Grrrrroooowwwllll! Man it's loud and gnarly!

I will be changing the strings to 9's as my fingers just cant handle half tone/full tone bends on the G-string Will I notice any lack of tone/playability? The bridge currently only lightly buzzes on the low E. Will it be worse with 9's on? Should I fit a buzz-stop???

Cheers, for the help/advice guys


Mike

It will likely buzz worse with the lighter strings. That said, with a little playing around with the setup, you should be able to get rid of it. The bridge does work better with heavier strings though. The bridge is really flexible; lots of options when doing a set up... this mean that you can do a lot, but it also takes a little playing with to get into how it works well. This is part of why a lot of people swap out for a Mustang bridge, which isn't as flexible.

Glad you're loving the guitar, I'd love to get a Jazzmaster myself!

You will be able to put 9s on, it just takes A LOT of tinkering to get it right. I use Ernie ball hybrid Skinnys on all my Shortscales, and it takes some adjusting of the bridge, trek and truss rod, but once you know how to do it, it's a doddle. I really don't enjoying playing cables on guitars, I find it much more pleasing playing my guitar rather than wrestling with them haha

Jack

Nothing wrong with basswood. It's a lightweight tone wood with pronounced mids. I've heard it's prone to dents, but havent personally seen any examples of this. My les paul with mahogany body and maple top has numerous dings and dents all over it, even though those woods are supposedly more durable.

JJLipton wrote:Nothing wrong with basswood. It's a lightweight tone wood with pronounced mids. I've heard it's prone to dents, but havent personally seen any examples of this.

I've heard lots of complaints about basswood and its supposed lack of tonal character, etc... but, that's certainly not my experience. I have a basswood Telecaster and Jazz Bass. By my ears, and based on various comments I've received at shows over the years, both have fantastic tone, and both sustain for days.

As for denting, yeah, you do have to be careful. My Jazz Bass in particular has about a half dozen small dents in the upper bout where the strap adjustment bit on my strap has tapped the body when I've put the bass in a stand... and these weren't exactly hard hits. I've been more careful with the Tele, though and it's in great shape. It is a soft wood, but if you're a little careful, you'll be ok... or if you have a finish that looks good beat up a little, you're in luck (Mine are both gloss black, so dings and "relicing" don't really work with the finish, unfortunately)

Yea, my old 90's sonic blue mustang had a basswood body and it would dent if I looked at it wrong. I once dented it with my fingernail. It sounds great and is really really lightweight but you just have to be careful with it because it is VERY easily dented. And basswood doesn't really dent and ding in a cool way like other woods do, it's rather unsightly the way that basswood dents. At least on that guitar it was.