Fender Jazzmaster/Jaguar

THIS ^^

They're great rock and funk instruments because of the top end, but they're fairly impolite guitars in comparison to Strats and Teles. But people like Hendrix and Elvis Costello were big into Jazzmasters - as well as the big rock heads from the 90's like Dinosaur Jr., Nirvana, Sonic Youth etc. etc. Dick Dale and other surf heads were using Jazzmasters too - maybe the Beach Boys? Seen some pics of them with them.

Hendrix in a backing band doing some good funk/rnb on a JM. Upstaging the band really!



John Frusciante and Jonny Marr are probably the big Jaguar players. Kurt Cobain used them on all his stuff, and so did the dudes from Television. For hits with Mr. Marr, you can take your pick - but John Frusciante it's notably the pre By The Way stuff that he used a lot. Under The Bridge is pure Jag gold.

Good article - the trem is a great reason too, such a beauty of a thing.

I think the reason Strat/Tele and even the Les Paul thing is ubiquitous is because there's such a tradition of how to record and how to shape these guitars to what people want. The Strat trem can be blocked off and so they're tuning stable and very modular - you know what a Tele into a Tubescreamer into a JCM800 will sound like, you know what a Strat into a Fuzz Face into an AC30 will sound like. Also as I said before the guitars are bigger and, in particular with the JM, the extension in the bottom and top is crazy in comparison to a Strat.

JM's and Jag's are different beasts and a musician who can't manage or use the sustaining/feedback nature of the beast is doomed to hate it or at least be kind of confused by it. The necks aren't good for shredding, the necks are longer, the rear side of the bridge rings a lot unless you dampen it, the bridges usually require some customization or very heavy strings (I only use 11's, so I've had to modify my bridge).

I love playing them, wouldn't send the world out to buy them. Even the other guitarist in my band loves that I plays them, but doesn't particularly like borrowing them.

Wow I was surprised how similar the Jaguar and Jazzmaster sounded. The Jazzmaster with more jangle on the top though like you said. Very different from the strat. I think the bridge / tailpiece of those guitars gives them sort of a compressed sound and feel, compared to the usual stop tail or tunomatic type guitars most people use. Can be weird to adjust to if it's not what you're after, indeed. But they ring out in such a cool way. The closest I have at home is an old Supro Lexington from the '60s. I feel like these things love overdrive and distortion.

Is that yours?

I have a '64 Jaguar and an early 2000's American Jazzmaster. At least with mine, the Jaguar is biter, a little sharper sounding. I recently had Carter Vintage rebuild my original pots because they were freezing up and I think they wired it back up wrong because both volume and tone are both acting like tone. I guess I should have to plugged it up and tested it before I left...just figured for how long ago/how much they charged it wasn't necessary...

Yeah, the Strat is much more narrow sound. The Jazz for some things is just too bright, so I tend to default to my Jag. For drop tuned stuff, I actually thought I'd prefer the Jazzmaster but actually the Jag sounds better in lower tunings. So for stuff in CGDGAD or variations I use my Jaguar, and for DADABE, reg Drop D or standard I use my Jazz.

They do indeed love distortion, the feedback you can get is ridiculous. Really a beautiful instrument for the harsher, noisier stuff.