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After receiving a dud in Sonic Blue (and having the Sonic Blue JM's end up backordered everywhere), I finally received the replacement in Candy Apple Red yesterday.

I've now had the time to set it up and play it a bit, and I have to say - it was worth the wait and hassle of returning the first one.

Out of the box, the Jazzmaster was in great shape. No finish flaws, intonation is nearly on, and the setup was decent. As with all other VM's in this line, the stock strings were awful - though not as bad as the ones my Surf Green Jag had on them. They were promptly replaced with D'addario 11's.

In terms of sound, I'd say it's definitely in the classic Jazzmaster realm - though with a bit more heat to it, especially on the bridge. Tonally, the pickups still have a lot of depth though, which is great. I'll be keeping them stock, as they sound good to me.



After my first VM Jazzmaster that got returned, I was terrified when I pulled this one out of the box. The worry of major finish flaws, blems, and other issues was very much on my mind. However, on removing the packaging I was pleasantly surprised to see a flawless, vintage looking CAR finish. No dents, dings, chips, black marks, or other nonsense. Just a nice, smooth finish, over what looks like a three piece body.



Color-wise, it's what I'd call an aged CAR. It has a slightly yellowed tint to it, giving it a rust-like appearance in some lighting. In other lighting it looks like a deep red with a perfect shimmer to it. It looks to be a gold base coat with trans red over it. My guess is that they're using a slightly yellowed poly on these - giving the CAR a rust tint, the sonic blue a green tint, and the olympic white a slightly off-white tint. I've noticed the same slight yellowing on my surf green Jag as well, so it makes sense. It also would tie in with the "Vintage Modified" label.

Onto the neck, like with my Surf Green Jaguar, the frets are perfect, neck bow was spot on, and it plays great. Super comfy neck - not too thick, but still a nice C shape. Mine also has a good amount of flaming in the neck and on the headstock, which was surprising to see.





Tuners feel the same as on my Surf Green Jag - nice and solid, vintage style tuners. They seem to be holding up just fine, keeping in tune decently and all that. As with my Surf Green Jag and CAR Jag, they'll be staying.



Hardware wise, it's very solid. No buzzing from the bridge (even with the stock strings), and the tremolo is nice and smooth. If you're a hard player, the strings will hop the grooves on the stock bridge, so a Mustang bridge may be in order for some. For me, the stock bridge works fine and needs no change. I could only imagine anyone changing the stock tremolo if they absolutely need the mute. It's comfortable, works great, and feels fairly smooth.



The pickguard is cut pretty nicely as well. Clean edges, straight screws, all that. It's a bit stark, in my opinion, but I like it. I'll eventually put an anodized gold guard on it, but I'm in no real rush.



Knobs are on the cheap side, though they work fine. There's no dire need to change them, but some may want to. Potentiometers are Alpha 16mm's. Small, but functional. I'll keep the wiring stock until it needs changed.



All in all, I'm ecstatic with it. Great quality, and a keeper without a doubt. My only complaint, and a mild one at that, is with the knobs. Other than that? Just what I wanted.

Here's a demo of it, cycling through the pickup settings.

Demo: Bridge>Both>Neck>Rhythm circuit.

Hopefully this helps anyone considering picking one up. I'd suggest trying before you buy, but my ordering experience wasn't so bad, despite the return of the first JM.

thanks again, good review!

the JM neck is thinner than the jag neck? I read that the body is lighter too?

i can't wait to try the JM and jag, i think, like you, i'll buy both.


an aged pickguard with white witch hats would be so hot! or a tort pg too.

Gorgeous. What the trem/tailpiece like BTW? The CIJ/MIJ models seem to have weird spacing which means the strings don't run parallel to each other between the ball ends and the bridge. It niggled me for ages, but fortunately it's easy to fit an AVRI trem unit without any issues. I'd be curious as to whether the Squiers' hardware is compatible in the same way.

And yeah, the knobs don't look quite right somehow but replacing those would be the easiest thing in the world to do if you can find out the spec of the pot shafts.

Congrats on getting along with .11s too. I tried them on my JM once but had to go back to .10s soon afterwards!

Brilliant! Love the detailed pics. For once, CAR got me then, looks great.

Since the deal I had going on for a Supersonic has apparently fallen through (so close to getting it for £150!) my hand is hovering over the order button on an olympic white one.

Out of interest, what was wrong with the first one you recieved?

Very nice! Tho the fact that you've had 2 that you've had to return (you had to return a Jag with finish problems and a borked neck too didn't you?) has got me a touch concerned about the overall QC. Perhaps it was just bad luck but I've heard enough about the paint issues etc to know that if i got one it'd have to be bought in person.

You still can't argue with the bang for your buck tho.

Thomas wrote:if i got one it'd have to be bought in person.

that.

I'm actually in the market for a Jaguar body so I'm tempted to pick one up and then punt the parts...

Johnny Noir wrote:thanks again, good review!

the JM neck is thinner than the jag neck? I read that the body is lighter too?

i can't wait to try the JM and jag, i think, like you, i'll buy both.


an aged pickguard with white witch hats would be so hot! or a tort pg too.

They're close to the same thickness. Both are super comfortable. They remind me of Classic Player necks, but the finish on these isn't as tacky feeling - shockingly.

As soon as my bracket shows up this one is getting an anodized gold pickguard. Should look pretty cool and a bit different.

Concretebadger wrote:Gorgeous. What the trem/tailpiece like BTW? The CIJ/MIJ models seem to have weird spacing which means the strings don't run parallel to each other between the ball ends and the bridge. It niggled me for ages, but fortunately it's easy to fit an AVRI trem unit without any issues. I'd be curious as to whether the Squiers' hardware is compatible in the same way.

And yeah, the knobs don't look quite right somehow but replacing those would be the easiest thing in the world to do if you can find out the spec of the pot shafts.

Congrats on getting along with .11s too. I tried them on my JM once but had to go back to .10s soon afterwards!

The tail piece is surprisingly nice. Like I said in each of my reviews, I'd only change it if you absolutely need the trem lock. It's smooth and responsive - it easily matches my old CP's trem in terms of feel. As I never once used the trem lock on the CP, I'll be keeping the stock trems on my VMs.

On string spacing - they're fairly even. The strings angle in ever so slightly, but nowhere near as much as on a CIJ/MIJ trem.

The stock pots look like normal import split tops. They're Alpha pots though, which definitely surprised me.

louis wrote:Since the deal I had going on for a Supersonic has apparently fallen through (so close to getting it for £150!) my hand is hovering over the order button on an olympic white one.

Out of interest, what was wrong with the first one you recieved?

The first one I received was a sonic blue model. It was covered in black marks under the finish. I counted about four like the one pictured (each about the size of a pencil eraser). It also had half a dozen black fingerprints under the finish as well. Other than that it was perfect. Played and sounded great, but the finish issues were just too much to deal with. I'll get a sonic blue one down the road, but I'll probably buy in person.

Thomas wrote:Very nice! Tho the fact that you've had 2 that you've had to return (you had to return a Jag with finish problems and a borked neck too didn't you?) has got me a touch concerned about the overall QC. Perhaps it was just bad luck but I've heard enough about the paint issues etc to know that if i got one it'd have to be bought in person.

You still can't argue with the bang for your buck tho.

Yep - I got my first CAR Jag and the Sonic Blue JM together. That CAR Jag was an absolute mess, and I have no idea how it left the factory - let alone with two QC stickers slapped on it.

Both of my "issue" VMs came from Guitar Center, so I have to wonder if Fender is being less picky about what goes to bigger retailers, or just specifically GC/Musician's Friend because of how much they owe Fender in terms of debt.

I'd go for in person on these regardless. It just removes the worry of getting one with issues.

Just finished installing a new pickguard. I like it much more than the white.

Ooooo, that'd be lovely with black pup covers etc. Very cool!!

I cant decide whether that looks fucking awesome or just wrong. Love anodized guards but never considered it on CAR.

Thomas wrote:Ooooo, that'd be lovely with black pup covers etc. Very cool!!

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

& Fran what is wrong with you. It's looks great, yet understated.

Thomas wrote:Ooooo, that'd be lovely with black pup covers etc. Very cool!!

Black out the covers, knobs and the pickup selector.

Fran wrote:I cant decide whether that looks fucking awesome or just wrong. Love anodized guards but never considered it on CAR.

I'm really digging it. The tonal change is surprising as well. It's dead quiet, and has an added brightness and clarity. I'll be keeping it on. Plus it makes it unique - I can't say I've ever seen a CAR Jazzmaster with an anodized gold pick guard.

Can I add.... get scourer, rub out the Duncan Design logo off the p/ups. Get a Japanese / US trem, & some white which hats (or black if you change the colour of the p/up covers lol) and it'd be so extra nice it's untrue !!! And maybe a black switch tip too...again if you switch it out.... etc. Loving it !!!

taylornutt wrote:

Thomas wrote:Ooooo, that'd be lovely with black pup covers etc. Very cool!!

Black out the covers, knobs and the pickup selector.

And this may very well happen in the future. I like the aged white plastic, but black would look really good. And it'll need new knobs eventually anyway...

NoisemakerEffects wrote:

Fran wrote:I cant decide whether that looks fucking awesome or just wrong. Love anodized guards but never considered it on CAR.

I'm really digging it. The tonal change is surprising as well. It's dead quiet, and has an added brightness and clarity. I'll be keeping it on. Plus it makes it unique - I can't say I've ever seen a CAR Jazzmaster with an anodized gold pick guard.

Me neither which is why i am partly confused but i think i love it! Interesting point on the clarity and brightness, my JMJM is superb in these areas yet does not suffer with the inevitable microphonic feedback or RF noise.

Have to say this colour combination is the only time I've got super excited about a Jazzmaster (apart from the cobain project RIP). Looks superb! I will absolutely steal this idea one day.

Dave wrote:Have to say this colour combination is the only time I've got super excited about a Jazzmaster (apart from the cobain project RIP). Looks superb! I will absolutely steal this idea one day.

Go for it!

With how cheap you can get a Squier JMJM guard there's no reason to not slap one on a VM Jazzy. I got mine for around $20, which is less than I'd pay for even a mint pickguard, let alone tort or something. The fit is pretty good, though I need to widen the right bridge post hole a bit, as it's not quite dead on and is caught over the bridge thimble. It's a total non-issue and I'm the only one who will ever notice it, but it's bugging me.

And I totally know what you mean - I've been a Jaguar-only player for about five years. I've liked the Jazzmaster sound as well, but it's taken that amount of time to find one I really liked. Playability and sound-wise I got on with this CAR one right off the bat. Then adding the guard it made it a sort of "dream" Jazzmaster in looks.