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brianXXX

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Whats the difference between a 60's Fender Jazzmaster and a 90's Fender Jazzmaster. And which costs more and by how much? I can understand that with amps you have tube and tristate differences, but why does my favorite band have a huge pile of 60's fenders. Also, can anyone tell me anything about the soapbars that the old jazzmasters had? whats different about them, and are they noisier or cleaner than the metal type pickups, I see on other Jazzmasters.
 
I think old guitars and basses sound better. But, the only real reason I've been able to come up with is that wood has had time to fully dry.
 
The difference is price. You'll pay through the ass for a sixities Jazzmaster and get a worthless old piece of wood.

Buy a new Jazzmaster at a fraction of the cost.















R
 
Whats different about the soapbox pickups. Are the soapboxs a mod. or do some jazzmasters come with them. Do new guitars have them???
 
the "soapbar" pickups are Fenders answer to the Gibson "P90's" ..they are a large single coil..I don't know about the other type of PU"s you are refereing to.Are you talking about the PU's on the Jaguar{looks alittle like a Jazzmaster}?Might be a humbucker{dual coil}But if they sound cool then they are cool..Go to a store and try them out see if you like them..Good luck

Don
 
There is a difference - some people can hear the difference and some can't.

Go play a few old guitars and then play some new ones of the same model.

Then buy the one that sounds and plays the best to you - nobody else's opinion counts for anything.

I have a 1964 Strat - it is the best sounding/playing Strat I've ever had my hands on and I ran the guitar department in a large store for years, and bought and sold vintage guitars for five years and had literally thousands of guitars go through my hands.

But that's just my opinion - and shouldn't influence your decision in any way.

:cool:

foo
 
The quality of the 60's American-made guitars are just sooo much better than the ones being made today. The people who made them had more pride in their work and the materials used (woods, hardware, wiring) were just better and stronger.

Not only that, but old guitars just get better and better with age, if they are properly cared for. Older guitars have a better sound because of the aging wood and having the chance to get "worn in".

To put it another way... when a new guitar is built, it's a melding of different pieces of wood from diferent trees, along with different pieces of metal slapped on and attached to it.
It takes awhile for all of these things to settle in and "wear" together. A "new" guitar doesn't know it's supposed to be a guitar yet... so it's stiff and rigid and hasn't gotten a chance to realize it's purpose.
Older guitars, on the other hand, KNOW that they're a guitar.

This may sound strange, but it's the best way that I can explain it. ;)
 
buck...you explained it great, I understand completely, and agree 100%. However, I won't dismiss the quality of some guitars you get nowadays. The bang for the buck is still VERY there if you pick up a couple and play and then make your own decision.
 
Guitars are alot more consistant than they used to be..Older guits are cool if you can find one that speakes to you..I missed the days when you could get a nice old Paul or a Strat for cheap..just too expensive now:( ..The new guits are good enough! The thing is now you've got so much gain in amps now who can tell anyways..I grew up before master vols, I think that the sound of a guit was more important then...Now if it plays well enough and doesn't make to much hum/noise your good to go..Ok now kik me in the nuts ..LOL



Don
 
don...you explained it great, I understand completely, and agree 100%. However, I won't dismiss the quality of some guitars you get nowadays. The bang for the buck is still VERY there if you pick up a couple and play and then make your own decision.
 
I agree .. the value guits are better than they used to be when I was startin out!


Don
 
Whats the difference between a 60's Fender Jazzmaster and a 90's Fender Jazzmaster?
Click to expand...

In a word?

Wood!

The best tonewood available today is inferior to what was thrown away back in the '60's.:(

Pickups and hardware can always be upgraded. Manufacturing processes are more consistant today thanks to CNC machines. But the high quality wood available back then just is no more.

I agree that there are great guitars available today though. You just have to play as many as possible until you find the "right one". If you don't fall in love with a guitar right away put it down and try another.
 
I would bypass both and look for a Japanese made re-issue from the 80's. I have one that sounds great. They show up on e-bay from time to time.
 
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