15 comments thus far...

Number seven here!
I found your review very useful, thanks a bunch!

I’m seriously thinking of buying one of these, but I hear there are lots of complaints about the rattling bridge.
Is it possible to put a Mustang bridge on this JM, and will it fix the problem? Also, would it be suggestable to put a buzz-stop on it?

Hope you can give me a little advice. Would appreciate it!
Cheers,
Jeroen (NL)

From: Jeroen on 08.01.2008

Hey thanks for stopping by! These JM’s are great and they don’t suffer from the same problems (rattling bridge, strings jumping out of saddles, etc.) that the stock JM’s do (however with a proper setup JM’s and Jag’s won’t rattle at all).

The tune-o-matic style bridge that comes stock on these is a similar aftermarket mod that many people do to their JM’s. It works really well and does not buzz but it does make the sound slightly less sparkly but nothing to be alarmed about.

I’m not sure how easy it would be to put a Mustang bridge on one of these as the tune-o-matic posts are different than the stock JM bridge, but where there’s a will there’s a way.

I’d highly recommend these if it’s your first foray into Fender offsets. They’re a great introduction and are a bit easier to maintain optimum playability. Good luck!

I’d be happy to answer any other JM related questions, so don’t hesitate to ask…

From: Stevie on 08.01.2008

Alright, awesome! I’m convinced ;)

I’ll probably get my JM in a week or so. I’ll let you know what I think of it.
Thanks again. Keep up the blogging! I’ll certainly check back.

From: Jeroen on 08.01.2008

Cool! You won’t be disappointed! The one I took for the test drive in my article was excellent and I came close to buying it… but I already have an AVRI. I still may buy one though just to have as a backup.

Check out http://www.offsetguitars.com for lots of great JM and Jag info. I’m very active over there…

From: Stevie on 08.01.2008

I just picked up one of these yesterday. Much punchier than my MIM Roadhouse Strat. Stayed up all night playing the beast. The overall sound is livelier than my Strat with the Texas Specials. It jumps out at you more. Sounded great through a Blues Jr.

From: john riley on 08.22.2008

Yeah they are great guitars! I think a lot of Tele and Strat players wil begin to “see the light” and take JM’s and Jag’s more seriously.

Congrats and enjoy your new JM!

From: Stevie on 08.22.2008

Got this baby for about a week now. What a guitar. Love it! The new bridge is excellent. No more strings jumping out of saddles.
Though I still hear some string-rattling when playing loud. Got any suggestions on how to fix that?

cheers

From: Jeroen on 08.23.2008

That’s fantastic! Glad you’re digging it!

There’s a couple things you can do to minimize the rattle. One thing I’d recommend is putting a bit of graphite lubricant on each of the saddles to lessen the friction. Another determining factor is what strings you use. I prefer flatwound strings… particularly Pyramid Gold nickel flats. They’re a perfect match with Jazzmasters. I’ve been using them exclusively for over 3 years now.

However if flats aren’t your thing, try nickel roundwound strings like DR Pure Blues or D’Addario Pure Nickels. Nickel strings in general just sound better to me. I think you’ll agree if you give them a shot. One more thing… put nothing less than 11’s on your JM. I swear these are the perfect gauge for Jazzmaster’s. You may be able to get away with 10’s on your Classic Player but I usually recommend 11’s to everyone.

You may want to get a pro setup and/or a fret dress to get your JM in optimal playing condition. The problem is finding a tech with experience in JM’s. I do most of the work on mine and I’d highly recommend learning some of the tricks in maintaining JM’s. Here are some links to get you started:

The Higher Evolution of Offset Waist Guitars

Offset Guitars Forum (I’m heavily active in this online community)

Jim Shine’s Jazzmaster Pages

Good luck and again congrats on your new Classic Player!

From: Stevie on 08.23.2008

I’m thinking of getting a Jazzmaster . I’m interested in the Classic player, especially afer reading your review, but over here in England I could get a CIJ and fit a buzzstop + mustang bridge and possibly replace the bridge pickup with an Antiquity seymour Duncan or Curtis Novak for the about the same price….any advice about which might be the better choice?

From: Tim on 08.27.2008

Hey. Yeah you may be able to get a CIJ cheaper in the UK. I’ve owned a few CIJ’s and I think the quality on the Classic Player is quite a bit better from the factory. Pretty much to have a decent playing and sounding CIJ you immediately have to upgrade the PUs, tailpiece, and bridge. That can get expensive right quick. The Duncan Antiquities and Novak’s are my favorite replacement PUs for JM’s. I’m also a big fan of the the stock AVRI’s.

I think if you were to come across a used AVRI, that’d be the first choice. Second would be Classic Player, third CIJ. I think you just get more for your initial investment in the Classic Player. The stock PUs are really great… they sound like P-90s and have a lot of presence and girth. Plus the hardware on Classic Player’s I’m fairly certain is AVRI (with the exception of the collet that has been adapted for a screw in trem arm).

Oh and stay away from a Buzz Stop. With the guitar properly setup the stock JM or Mustang bridge should have no trouble.

Whatever you end with you’ll be happy. Good luck…

From: Stevie on 08.27.2008

Thanks for the help. I appreciate it. I did have a Jazzmaster way back when, but I got rid of it a long time ago, consequently my experience of Jazzmasters is pretty small. Having somebody such as yourself with a lot more experience of these guitars is very helpful. It’s interesting that you should be so pro the Classic players as most of the responses I’ve read so far have been fairly down on them. It seems that the traditional Jazzmaster fans see them as ironing out the idiosyncracies that make the guitar what it is for them. I must admit , much as I love surf music, I’m probably looking more for a Tom Verlaine sort of sound…whatever I don’t want a Jazzmaster that sounds like a strat..(I’ve got 2 of them already!). AVRI are really expensive here…new you would have to pay the equivalent of about $2600!..They don’t come up often secondhand as they are quite a rare beast, and even then they would set you back a fair penny..a CIJ can be had for around $900+ and the classic player would be around $1100. All a bit more than what they cost in the USA. Anyway, thanks again.

From: Tim on 08.27.2008

I really do like the Classic Players. They’re not exactly the same animal as an AVRI or a vintage JM but they are you know “inspired” by them. Basically what it comes down to for me is I’m happy that Fender is finally doing something new with Jag’s and JM’s. I think Fender’s motivation is to appeal to more traditional Tele and Strat players, fixing some of the common “shortcomings” that people associate (mostly due to ignorance) with Jag’s and JM’s. I think they definitely succeeded.

Classic Player’s are a great introduction to the awesomeness of JM’s and Jag’s… close enough to the real thing but still appealing to the masses…

From: Stevie on 08.27.2008

iv got a few questions:

1. is it just MIMs that have screwhead tips on the PUs? is this to make the PUs hotter than AVRIs or CIJs?

2. are Duncan SJM-2 PUs hotter than the stock MIM PUs?

3. did you hear a hum when the volume of the guitar was full and the amp was at level 5 or 9?

im asking these cuz im planning to buy one.

tnx.

From: van on 10.17.2008

Just bought a sunburst classic player JM and am having some trouble with the tremolo arm. i understood that the new bridge accepts a screw in arm. it shipped with a pop in arm and like an idiot, i tried to put it in. it seems to fit but now it doesn’t seem to want to come out. i’m about to take it back to the store i purchased from and ask them what’s going on. i called fender and they didn’t have much comment on why it shipped with a snap in arm, but confirmed that it is supposed to be screw in.

Any suggestions??

thanks

From: Ross on 11.21.2008

Hey. I’ve heard reports from a number of people who’ve bought Classic Player’s that for some unexplained reason they had AVRI tailpieces… which explains the non-threaded trem arm. You should just be able to pop it out. It does take quite a bit of pressure to get it out of the collet but still try to be careful. As with most things your mileage may vary…

From: Stevie on 11.21.2008

Anything to add?


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