Jazzmaster buying advice needed.

Cookiemonster

Hi, 

I am surprised by how few American Jazzmasters seem to be available used.

I have been looking at the professional 2 models, and seeing who has stock of them to buy new.

On a different note - Is the Marr Jaguar worth the 
 money.
 I can only see two colour options for these, is that right ? I had a Jaguar before but it really wasn't a great guitar, so although tempted by jags I would have to make sure the strings don't pop off the saddles for a start

At this point I've managed to completely confuse myself, had in mind to get a classic vibe Jazzmaster , but some reviews on YouTube have put me off, so now thinking of going for the American version and I have my Telecaster AVRI up for sale/trade and my Gibson Les Paul Tribute in order to cover the cost.(Both are I'm the Classifieds)

I figure there must be some Jazzmaster experts here, what would you recommend buying ? 

francer

Marr Jaguars are very good and seem to be loved by those who own them, I’m somewhat confused do you want a Jaguar or a Jazzmaster, or just an offset of either kind?

Jags and JMs are quite different to each other.

Cookiemonster

francer said:

Marr Jaguars are very good and seem to be loved by those who own them, I’m somewhat confused do you want a Jaguar or a Jazzmaster, or just an offset of either kind?

Jags and JMs are quite different to each other.

Ah sorry I literally was just editing my post to stop the confusion 

Jazzmaster is really what I am after, but maybe tempted by the Jaguar. I just don't want to buy another Jag and have the same issues as my other one.

thermionic

The Marr Jaguar has gone up a lot in price recently, and ebay chancers have been taking advantage of sporadic stock in shops by asking new prices for beat-up guitars (they have a notoriously fragile finish). They come in Olympic White and Metallic KO (orange) - the other colours were limited runs of a few hundred. I love mine but the pickups and switching are not for everybody. I also had a Classic Lacquer 60s which was a great guitar and would have been a considerable improvement over a Squier. The Marr is more refined though with rolled fretboard edges and slightly smoother hardware.

Cookiemonster

thermionic said:

The Marr Jaguar has gone up a lot in price recently, and ebay chancers have been taking advantage of sporadic stock in shops by asking new prices for beat-up guitars (they have a notoriously fragile finish). They come in Olympic White and Metallic KO (orange) - the other colours were limited runs of a few hundred. I love mine but the pickups and switching are not for everybody. I also had a Classic Lacquer 60s which was a great guitar and would have been a considerable improvement over a Squier. The Marr is more refined though with rolled fretboard edges and slightly smoother hardware.

I had pretty much sold myself on a jazzmaster but keep seeing videos on YouTube of the Marr Jaguar and it sounds great. 

For Jazzmasters - have you owned one at all.?

francer

francer said:

Marr Jaguars are very good and seem to be loved by those who own them, I’m somewhat confused do you want a Jaguar or a Jazzmaster, or just an offset of either kind?

Jags and JMs are quite different to each other.

Aah, ok. I think with that in mind, you really need to at least try and play a Jazzmaster before making a decision, a Marr Jag is a lot of money to drop on something that you’ve already owned a similar model to and had problems with - what were the problems with your first Jag btw?

edit. Doh! I somehow managed to quote myself instead of you! Gotta love using an ipad on tFB. Anyhow, i see you’ve also edited your original post. The strings falling off the bridge is fixed by simply upgrading the bridge to one of the after market models or shimming the neck for better break angle, you could have exactly the same problem on a JM with a vintage style bridge.

Cookiemonster

francer said:

francer said:

Marr Jaguars are very good and seem to be loved by those who own them, I’m somewhat confused do you want a Jaguar or a Jazzmaster, or just an offset of either kind?

Jags and JMs are quite different to each other.

Aah, ok. I think with that in mind, you really need to at least try and play a Jazzmaster before making a decision, a Marr Jag is a lot of money to drop on something that you’ve already owned a similar model to and had problems with - what were the problems with your first Jag btw?

Pinging noise, bridge issues mostly. Very very bright pick ups 

Fiftyshadesofjay

Marr Jag is an amazing guitar, they have a Staytrem style bridge so no problems there. 

Bright pickups and pinging noises are par for the course with a Jag though. 

Cookiemonster

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

Marr Jag is an amazing guitar, they have a Staytrem style bridge so no problems there. 

Bright pickups and pinging noises are par for the course with a Jag though. 

Is that the same with the Jazzmaster.

I do have a friend with a jazzmaster so Shall ask to borrow it. 

thermionic

The Marr Jaguars have a Staytrem-type bridge (not actually a Staytrem but it adresses the same issues - strings jumping out of grooves, string spacing, height adjustment screws dropping). The pickups are much mellower compared to the AV ‘65 pickups that were in my Classic Laquer. Never owned a Jazzmaster btw.

Cookiemonster

Found a buying a Jazzmaster guide, so just reading through now.

Also this one looks fantastic

oldhorsemurphy

I've had both at various stages and currently own an American Original Jazzmaster. 

It's got a full 25.5" scale vs. the Jag's shorter scale. It's also a lot mellower sounding to my ears and I prefer the switching. 

Both have had a few issues with the bridge saddles but that's easily remedied with an aftermarket bridge, although my Jazzmaster at the moment is fine. 

The Jags I've had all seem to be a bit heavier too for some reason. 

The Jazzmaster feels a bit more like other Fenders than the Jag does, probably due to scale length. Neither have great sustain and I'm not mad keen on the trems (not that I'm mad keen on trems in general).

The Marr Jag is a super guitar if you like the things it does and the mods it comes with. I think you need to be sure beforehand though, especially at that price.  

I've always wanted a Jazzmaster since I saw Robert Smith play one, so I may be a bit subjective but I'd have one over a Jag all day long. 

Seziertisch

The Marr Jag pickups are related to those of a Tele; if ordering from Bareknuckle and you want the Marr pickups you should put down “Telecaster” in the order notes

CFH

Upgrading the bridge on offsets (Mastery or Staytem) should help with some of the issues you're having with jags/JMs. 

meltedbuzzbox

As above I would recommend you try both. Despite having a very similar shape they are not the same guitar.
You can also get a lot of options now days with radius, frets and number of frets. 

Jags tend to be more plinky and have super treble laden bridge pickups by default. This is mainly down to the scale length (24").

Jazzmasters have more of a strat feel about them for want of a better comparison. Definitely down to the 25.5" scale.

I'd agree with the comment about Jags being heavier. I have had more than I care to count of both offsets and Jags are generally heavier.

Jags also have the strangle switch which is not on the jazzmaster.

The marrguar doesn't have a staytrem bridge, it has nylon bushings from staytrem that stop the bridge from dropping (traditional bridges can be known to drop their height and fall into their thimbles).
The string spacing and bridge barrels are all from a cheap mustang bridge. 

I personally don't like the string spacing on the stock mustang bridge, it places the e strings far too close to the edge of the fretboard for me. A proper staytrem doesn't do that.

11 gauge strings (or higher) help to keep the strings seated. Swapping the bridge to a staytrem or a mastery helps even more. 
Due to the Jags scale length 11s feel like 9.5s.

The mastery also transforms the sustain curve of the guitars and definitely sprinkles some magic over the sound.

If you want a jag I wouldn't personally get a marrguar. I personally think the pickups sound pony and they lack all the magic and punch that a proper jag pickup has.
They are a nicely made guitar though and the pickups can be swapped (highly recommend mojo for replacement pickups).

With all the offsets I have owned (its a lot) they have all been improved by replacing the bridge and changing the pickups.
They are definitely an acquired taste but for me there is no other guitar I'd rather own.

If you live near Northamptonshire op you are welcome to swing by and try 2 offsets (1 jm and 1 jag). 
You can try them with replacement bridges and pickups to give you an idea of what they can really be like.

thermionic

meltedbuzzbox said:

The marrguar doesn't have a staytrem bridge, it has nylon bushings from staytrem that stop the bridge from dropping (traditional bridges can be known to drop their height and fall into their thimbles).
The string spacing and bridge barrels are all from a cheap mustang bridge. 

I personally don't like the string spacing on the stock mustang bridge, it places the e strings far too close to the edge of the fretboard for me. A proper staytrem doesn't do that.

The Johnny Marr Jaguar bridges changed about 2015 to fix the string spacing issue. The Staytrem has stainless steel saddles compared to the Fender’s plated brass (I think). I actually prefer the Fender Mustang spring arrangement to set intonation to the Staytrem’s fiddly nylon washers.

meltedbuzzbox

thermionic said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

The marrguar doesn't have a staytrem bridge, it has nylon bushings from staytrem that stop the bridge from dropping (traditional bridges can be known to drop their height and fall into their thimbles).
The string spacing and bridge barrels are all from a cheap mustang bridge. 

I personally don't like the string spacing on the stock mustang bridge, it places the e strings far too close to the edge of the fretboard for me. A proper staytrem doesn't do that.

The Johnny Marr Jaguar bridges changed about 2015 to fix the string spacing issue. The Staytrem has stainless steel saddles compared to the Fender’s plated brass (I think). I actually prefer the Fender Mustang spring arrangement to set intonation to the Staytrem’s fiddly nylon washers.

Interesting. I haven't seen one for a while to be fair

I am surprised you can find fault with the staytrem intonation. The special Allen key that came with the bridges made things super easy

Cookiemonster

meltedbuzzbox said:

As above I would recommend you try both. Despite having a very similar shape they are not the same guitar.
You can also get a lot of options now days with radius, frets and number of frets. 

Jags tend to be more plinky and have super treble laden bridge pickups by default. This is mainly down to the scale length (24").

Jazzmasters have more of a strat feel about them for want of a better comparison. Definitely down to the 25.5" scale.

I'd agree with the comment about Jags being heavier. I have had more than I care to count of both offsets and Jags are generally heavier.

Jags also have the strangle switch which is not on the jazzmaster.

The marrguar doesn't have a staytrem bridge, it has nylon bushings from staytrem that stop the bridge from dropping (traditional bridges can be known to drop their height and fall into their thimbles).
The string spacing and bridge barrels are all from a cheap mustang bridge. 

I personally don't like the string spacing on the stock mustang bridge, it places the e strings far too close to the edge of the fretboard for me. A proper staytrem doesn't do that.

11 gauge strings (or higher) help to keep the strings seated. Swapping the bridge to a staytrem or a mastery helps even more. 
Due to the Jags scale length 11s feel like 9.5s.

The mastery also transforms the sustain curve of the guitars and definitely sprinkles some magic over the sound.

If you want a jag I wouldn't personally get a marrguar. I personally think the pickups sound pony and they lack all the magic and punch that a proper jag pickup has.
They are a nicely made guitar though and the pickups can be swapped (highly recommend mojo for replacement pickups).

With all the offsets I have owned (its a lot) they have all been improved by replacing the bridge and changing the pickups.
They are definitely an acquired taste but for me there is no other guitar I'd rather own.

If you live near Northamptonshire op you are welcome to swing by and try 2 offsets (1 jm and 1 jag). 
You can try them with replacement bridges and pickups to give you an idea of what they can really be like.

Thanks for the offer, I may well take you up on that. Shame Fender dont just start a collaboration with Staytrem really.

I think I do need to try some Jazzmasters out before buying, the longer scale length definitely appeals 

Cookiemonster

Out of interest what are the opinions of the Mascis ? Maybe I should start with a lower priced guitar. I know the pick ups are hotter and different from a standard Jazzmaster, from what I can see, they seem to be a step up from the normal classic vibe.

Anacharsis

I got a Squier Vintage Modified a few years ago. I upgraded the tuners (I hate slot tops), bridge (to a Warmoth adjustable Mustang bridge, which works a lot like the Staytrem), and pickups (to Fender Pure Vintage 65s). I've loved it ever since, I thought about getting a Jazzmaster with a solid rosewood neck once, but it just felt weird to get a fancy Jazzmaster, and the one I have nails the sound I need from that kind of guitar.

freakboy1610

I've had my J Mascis Jazzmaster for 7 or 8 years and it's probably my favourite guitar. It's a great guitar straight off but easily upgradeable too. It has P90s rather than Jazzmaster pickups, an adjust-o-matic bridge and the trem is a bit closer to the bridge than traditional Jazzmaster to give a better break angle. 
I've put decent Jazzmaster pickups in mine as well as a roller bridge. I changed the tremolo for a Hosco locking trem and added a Staytrem arm and collet. I put Gotoh tuners on it but the stock ones were fine really. 
I suspect the Fender Am Pro ii is in a different league and it should be as it's £1000 more than the Mascis. I'd love to try one when Peach guitars re opens.