Can you help me find a guitar?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nola
  • Start date Start date
Nola

Nola

Well-known member
I'm looking for a Fender Jazzmaster with a 9.5 radius, thinnish neck without any coating on it, and made in America.

Does this exist? I can't find it in their lineup. :(
 
Yes, it exists. What they're currently making is the American Vintage '65 Jazzmaster. It lists for $2300 new. Doubt it's cheap on the used market either. Beautiful guitar. There's a stripped down Mexican version that goes for $600 new. The Mexican models with all the switches and geegaws are the 60s Jazzmaster and the Roadworn, both $1000 new. I respect and understand your wanting to buy American.

There are a couple of Squier models too.
 
Robus said:
Yes, it exists. What they're currently making is the American Vintage '65 Jazzmaster. It lists for $2300 new. Doubt it's cheap on the used market either. Beautiful guitar. There's a stripped down Mexican version that goes for $600 new. The Mexican models with all the switches and geegaws are the 60s Jazzmaster and the Roadworn, both $1000 new. I respect and understand your wanting to buy American.

There are a couple of Squier models too.
Click to expand...

Thanks robus. On their website it says the 1965 has a 7.25 radius. Is that wrong?

http://www.fender.com/guitars/jazzmaster/american-vintage-65-jazzmaster/product-0112200800.html

Also, what is that mid 60s C neck like? Is it thick/vintage or more thin/modern?
 
That's the vintage radius. Don't know about the neck, never played one. I like the beefy ones, though. :cool:
 
Crap, I don't think they make an American one with the 9.5 radius. That's so frustrating
 
Check the used market. I'd be surprised if Fender never made a USA Jazzmaster with modern neck radius. You might ask on the Fender Discussion Page, great forum for all things Fender.

Is the radius really deal-breaker for you?
 
Robus said:
Check the used market. I'd be surprised if Fender never made a USA Jazzmaster with modern neck radius. You might ask on the Fender Discussion Page, great forum for all things Fender.

Is the radius really deal-breaker for you?
Click to expand...

Kinda because I already have a fender with a 7.25 so i wanted this one for lead guitar
i will ask on the fender forum thanks robus
 
Robus said:
Is the radius really deal-breaker for you?
Click to expand...

It would be for me...plus the shape of the neck.
I can't play 7.25" and ever feel comfortable with it...in fact, it hurts my hand playing barre chords (which is what I most often use). I always found it odd that people say the smaller radius fretboards make for easier chord playing....???
I have a '52 RI Tele with that vintage 7.25" radius...and I hardly ever play it, and when I do, it might be for some lead lines, but when I try to play chords on it, like when I'm after that twangy Tele sound...man it kills my left hand.

Anyway...I can understand the specific radius desire. I think 9.5" is about the lowest I would ever consider...though at the time I bought it, I was in love with the '52 RI Tele and its classic butterscotch look, and I never thought about the fretboard radius when I bought it. :)

I actually prefer a much wider radius...12" and up to even as much as 16"...which seems to fit my hand and fingers much better for both chords and single note leads.
 
Neck radius measurement stuff is deceptive and, to my mind, silly.
I understand about the difference in necks etc - it's the radius thing that bothers me. From the measurements quoted one would have trouble, abstractly, creating a mental image of the actual size.
I see & understand the mathematically basis but it isn't user friendly and relies on experience and memory of various guitar necks to make any real sense.
 
Differences may not be visible...but play one radius neck for a long time, then switch to something completely different, and you'll feel the difference even if you don't see it. It may not be noticeable for every type of playing...like I mainly notice it with barre chords...not so much leads...but even with leads, if you bend a lot, on a small radius neck the bends/strings will bottom out a lot sooner than on a wider neck.

It might be small stuff, but if you really get use to the small stuff, then changes are noticeable.
There wouldn't be such a variety of neck shapes and radius sizes if no one noticed any difference.
 
See I find it quite easy to imagine what differing fret radii mean. It's clear in my mind to me.

I wouldn't be able to play a 7.25" either. I'm so used to flat modern necks. I bend a lot of notes a fair distance too, this might get problematic on a 7.25"

OP, how flat are you willing to go? Fender go pretty flat on their necks, my last Femder was 14" in was a coated neck though
 
I believe the Jazzmaster J Mascis signature model has a 9,5" radius.

I also believe they're made in Japan though, but I've heard they are of really good quality comparable to the American ones.

Me, I love my Jazzmaster AVRI 62. My Les Paul hasn't been touched since I got the Jazzy about a year (?) ago. Not sure why the radius would be such a big deal, but maybe it's just because I've gotten used to it. Whatever you get, be sure to get the Mastery bridge or at least a Mustang bridge.

Jazzmasters are beyond cool :guitar:
 
I have a Japanese Fender Jag. The build quality is absolutely fantastic, the pickups are meh (but better now they've been wax-potted). It has a 7.25 radius and traditional narrow frets. You can play nice leads on it as it has a lovely tone, but extreme bending high up the neck, you can forget it. It just chokes at anything much more than a semitone unless you're prepared to put up with an abominably high action.
 
If you're on Facebook, I'd suggest joining the Jazzmasters & Jaguars group. There are a few thousand members, and they'd be able to answer your question in a heartbeat. Some of those guys are full of great info on Fender's offset guitars.

From what I hear, the Masics Squier is pretty good for the money, but it seems that a lot of people immediately start lusting for upgrades. Pickups, bridge, tremolo, tuners...hard to say how much of that is low quality parts, and how much is people having a "grass is greener" approach to what their guitars have on them.
 
Tadpui said:
If you're on Facebook, I'd suggest joining the Jazzmasters & Jaguars group. There are a few thousand members, and they'd be able to answer your question in a heartbeat. Some of those guys are full of great info on Fender's offset guitars.
Click to expand...

There's also the forum at offsetguitars.com. Don't know much about it other than the fact that it exists.
 
Bubba po said:
I have a Japanese Fender Jag. The build quality is absolutely fantastic, the pickups are meh (but better now they've been wax-potted).
Click to expand...
You ever considered giving it the Cobain treatment and sticking a Duncan in the bridge?
 
The point I was making was/is that radius is an odd way to refer to the dimension. With lots of experience & knowledge of the radius of guitars played and enjoyed one could make educated assumptions about play-ability.
To the lay guitarist, non obsessive player and all round amateur it's not an effective way to describe a guitar.
 
rayc said:
To the lay guitarist, non obsessive player and all round amateur it's not an effective way to describe a guitar.
Click to expand...
It makes perfect sense to me. The first time I heard the term "radius" I knew exactly what it meant.
 
JDOD said:
You ever considered giving it the Cobain treatment and sticking a Duncan in the bridge?
Click to expand...
LOL, you know what? My whole Jag GAS started with seeing teh Kurtz signature Jag in my local shop. I thought it looked superb and the aging was really well done. It had a nice bound neck, tune-o-matic bridge and the dual humbuckers. I really wanted it! But it was virtually a grand for a distressed Mexican Jag.

I liked it, but I couldn't chop up a guitar like mine to recreate it, though.
 
Bubba po said:
LOL, you know what? My whole Jag GAS started with seeing teh Kurtz signature Jag in my local shop. I thought it looked superb and the aging was really well done. It had a nice bound neck, tune-o-matic bridge and the dual humbuckers. I really wanted it! But it was virtually a grand for a distressed Mexican Jag.

I liked it, but I couldn't chop up a guitar like mine to recreate it, though.
Click to expand...

His sig model wasn't a Jaguar mind, it was a Jag-Stang. This is his original '65 jag.

http://www.kurtsequipment.com/pictures/weirdh.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top