Well I got to take one for a test drive today down at Music 6000 in Olympia, WA… a very offset friendly and knowledgeable staff due in large part to my friends/bandmates Bill and Peter. I told Peter about them and they were able to get a black one. Fender said the others won’t be available till late June and the Jag HH won’t hit stores till mid July. Here are some of my impressions (playing thru a Twin Reverb RI and new Boss DD-7, which I’ll also do a review on)…
—The signature JM percussive attack is very subtle, likely due to the TOM.
—Quite a bit more sustain and roundness than a stock JM.
—Regardless of percieved issues about the trem plate being moved up, it’s not very noticeable in person. I compared it to an AVRI and of course it’s obvious then. But otherwise it was pretty negligible.
—Pickups have adjustable pole pieces similar to P-90′s.
—Screw in trem arm is a bit weird to get used to. The feel is more akin to a Strat trem. But it works. The tip was parchment while the volume and tone knobs and PU covers were aged white. Looked odd.
—Tuning was very stable. Lack of floating bridge was strange at first but I quickly got used to it.
—I’d bet $20 that the neck is stock AVRI. It had a similar profile to my AVRI. No skunk stripe either. Fret dressing on the ends was a bit lackluster but par for the course with MIM Fender’s.
—Tuners and trem plate could also very well be AVRI.
—Speaking of the neck, the 9.5″ radius felt really nice. I’m not a stickler about radii… never have been. It felt great for reals. What I usually dislike is the medium jumbo fret wire but it didn’t bother me at all on this JM.
—Even with the tweaks they did with the bridge area, it will still need shims. The action was great lower on the neck but any experienced offsetter will be able to tell immediately that shimming will have to be done.
—Tort guard looked halfway decent.
Some Pics:
Note the adjustable pole pieces…
A lovely piece of rosewood on this one…
Two shots of yours truly in all my offset glory…
And the sound? I loved it! Still distinctly JM just a little less so. It has more midrangey bite and much hotter PU’s. Both PU’s together sounded awesome… super punchy, great sustain, lots of output. I would say in all honesty for the $800 price point this is a solid guitar. Not the best deal on earth but certainly a strong contender. You got to play one. You just might like it. You could do some serious rocking on one of these. I think it would be an excellent back up for a “real” JM or even a main gigging axe. Now I’m very excited to get my hands on one of the Jag HH’s!
The classic player jazzmaster is a great guitar. IMO, the modifications fender did improved the guitar despite what purist think. This guitar, like most offsets, needs a good setup. Some things to be aware of is that the TOM’s radius does not match the 9.5″ radius of the neck. Like most TOM’s it’s 12″. This doesn’t bother some, but I could tell. This was easily remedied with a set of hobby files and an understring radius gauge. Many try and jam a mustang bridge or modified mustang bridge into the timbals and compensate the size difference with tape but those bridges have a different e to e spacing and will push the strings past the pickup poles. Those who worry about string breakage should substitute the saddles on the TOM with graphtech saddles. However, I don’t have a problem in this area. I also shimmed the neck with a piece of credit card to get the action just right higher up on the fretboard. Now it plays like a dream and is really a great guitar.
Hi, I just ran across this old review. I’ve been primarily a strat player for 20+ years, and last fall I was trading in some equipment at a local shop and they had a sunburst classic player JM. I’ve always liked the body style, but never had the chance to play one. Well, I ended up buying it, and I feel like I’ve found my guitar soulmate. I love the neck – it’s nice & chunky, which I love. Can anyone tell me about shimming the neck? I tried to add a very small tinfoil (a few folds) shim a few weeks ago and I’m not sure if I like it or not. I think it might need to be something thicker like a guitar pick, as I read somewhere. I’ve been thinking of trying it because I need to tighten the truss rod a touch anyway. Is there a guide to shimming jazzmaster necks online somewhere?
I went to the guitar shop 2 days ago just to buy some strings and few other essentials. I usually take a peak at the guitars and sometimes try one out.
Every since I was a kid I always loved the look of mustangs/jaguars/JM’s but never got to play one. I saw this baby hanging on the wall and asked to play it. I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. I played it thru a fender Deville and loved every second of it. I also tried out a few MIM tele’s that were in the same price range, and altho I did like them, there was something magical about this JM. I hadnt at all planned on buying a new guitar (I certainly couldn’t afford it haha) but after mulling for an hour I decided I’d regret giving this up.
I had an old squire strat many years ago, but since had striclty been playing thru Gibson LP’s for years. I don’t know anything about offset guitars or all the technical details of these guitars, but I couldn’t be happier that I got this bad boy! I haven’t put it down since! I’d highly recomend it to anyone looking for something other than just another Start/Tele
its not necessary to change the bridge. Fender has finally FIXED the buzzing problems with the audjustomatic bridge and other tweeks.
I bought one and loved it so much that i went ozt and purchased both jaguar models as well. I had to swap out the bridges on my AVRIs for a mustang(jazzmaster) and a masterybridge(jaguar) making the already ridiculous price even higher. i think the “classic player” series will become highly prized models in the future.
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…
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
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.
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…
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.
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…
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?
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!
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
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!
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.
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…
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.
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…
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)