Best Jazzmaster or jaguar for up to £1k?

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MLten80MLten80 Frets: 162
edited February 2021 in Guitar
Greetings fellow FB'ers!

Hope all is well with all

Our awesome mumsie unfortunately passed & left us a pound or 2 each, so I can buy myself something nice!
 I've decided I fancy a jazzmaster or jag after playing a few last year
 ( I wanted a prs soapy, but I have to face i don't enjoy prs's as much as I want to)

Soooo

Please school me on my options for upto £1k
 I've owned mex, Korean, jap & usa fenders.. I like them all...

I've narrowed it down to a few things, a bit of input from the fender experts here would be much appreciated! 

1****. Look for a nice 90s onwards jap jag or jazzmaster.... I had a few jap ones, excellent necks, excellent build quality 

2. New mex vintera jazzmaster or modified jag ... nice build quality but boring/standard? Maybe? The surf green one is lush .... I'd like a new guitar for once, ever (besides self built never had one)

3. Jim root jazzmaster... I am however 40 & not in the slightest into slipknot or metal lol

4. anyone got a lurvely one for sale? Surf green, c.a.red, lpb, sunburst like Kurt's... Cash/courier awaits

Or another thought 

5. Spend some more £ & buy a vintage one? ( Decent ones are dough now... she'd have wanted me to treat myself .. she had expensive tastes ha) not sure i could bring myself to fork out 2k+  :0

Cheers in advance, advice always appreciated   :beer: rip mum
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Comments

  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378
    Japanese ones cost way too much now IMO. For your budget I wouldn’t hesitate to go Mexican. That surf green one does indeed look incredible. Hunt down one with a dark-ish fretboard and you’d have a very very good guitar indeed. 
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  • MLten80MLten80 Frets: 162
    edited February 2021
    Cheers bud... i played a vintera one last yr & was pretty impressed tbh

    The jap ones are creeping up to the £1 mark on fleabay!!! Cheeky 
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  • JerkMoansJerkMoans Frets: 8775
    You should be able to pick up a used Troy Van Leeuwen jazzmaster within budget.  Bangs for buck I rate them about the best value out there.  With Staytrem type bridge and AVRI pups as standard they have had much of the stuff people rip out of them already sorted, and look the business too in oxblood with a sexy block neck.  I've had mine about 5 years now and it's become one of the very few constants...
    Inactivist Lefty Lawyer
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  • MLten80MLten80 Frets: 162
    edited February 2021
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  • MLten80MLten80 Frets: 162
    Thanks @JerkMoans that one caught my eye... ill check it out again later 
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  • JerkMoansJerkMoans Frets: 8775
    Here's mine FWIW, during and after being royally modded to within an inch of its life...



    Inactivist Lefty Lawyer
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    I have a classic lacquer mexican for sale in the classifieds, I would say so but they are really nice guitars especially in nitro.

    If you want brand new I would definitely consider the vintera equivants
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  • While the Jim Root is amazing, it's not going to sound like a more traditional jazzmaster - however, I'm with him that the jazzmaster is just one of those beautifully comfortable guitars that suits shred with different hardware. If you want the shape and a great looking guitar that's built for rock, it's ace. 
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  • MLten80MLten80 Frets: 162
    ^ yeah true, looks is one thing... I already own an emg'd up guitar

    That troy one looks slick jerkmoans Block inlays ftw 

    Trawling thru to find a discount at one shop .... i think the vintera might win after another beer or two... reverb & ebay taking the pish
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  • MLten80MLten80 Frets: 162
    edited February 2021
    munckee said:
    I have a classic lacquer mexican for sale in the classifieds, I would say so but they are really nice guitars especially in nitro.

    If you want brand new I would definitely consider the vintera equivants
    Tbh I spotted that.. lovely!! But I think the chips would drive me nuts.. not a fan of nitro. Im paranoid of it cracking 
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  • MLten80 said:
    munckee said:
    I have a classic lacquer mexican for sale in the classifieds, I would say so but they are really nice guitars especially in nitro.

    If you want brand new I would definitely consider the vintera equivants
    Tbh I spotted that.. lovely!! But I think the chips would drive me nuts.. not a fan of nitro. Im paranoid of it cracking 
    Isn’t that what it is supposed to do ?
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    MLten80 said:
    munckee said:
    I have a classic lacquer mexican for sale in the classifieds, I would say so but they are really nice guitars especially in nitro.

    If you want brand new I would definitely consider the vintera equivants
    Tbh I spotted that.. lovely!! But I think the chips would drive me nuts.. not a fan of nitro. Im paranoid of it cracking 
    Yep I would stick to poly, don't know about older nitro but the reissue nitro falls incredibly easy.
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  • I bought a second hand Vintera JM and actually moved it on pretty quickly. It was heavy and didn't have great pickups.

    The Squire J Mascis JM I foolishly sold was much nicer sounding unplugged and plugged in.

    I also had a 90's MIJ one ages ago. I think I was too young to really understand it (why is it never in tune?! Why do the strings keep popping off?!), but general thoughts are that the pickups are not 'proper' JM pickups. More like Strat pickups in a JM casing. Either way, I made it sound horrible.

    The TVL JM is a great shout though. The new one looks a bit funky, but the Ox Blood one looks ace. 


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  • munckee said:
    I have a classic lacquer mexican for sale in the classifieds, I would say so but they are really nice guitars especially in nitro.

    If you want brand new I would definitely consider the vintera equivants
    A vote here for @munckee ’s jag, I have its twin and apart from overly yellow nitro on the neck I can’t fault it. 
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  • PabcranePabcrane Frets: 489
    edited February 2021
    One thing which I discovered when trying out an amp in a shop with their Mexican Jazzmaster - the positioning of the trem is a bit off. At first I didn't know what was wrong but it felt off to me - then I saw that it seemed closer to the bridge.

    I don't know if this is all Mexican Jags and Jazzmasters, nor if it bothers most people at all. But something to bear in mind.
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  • I picked up a new Sherwood Green Hybrid 60s Jaguar direct from Japan last year. I don't see much about them but they are somewhat similar in style to the classic players mixing old and new specs. The one I chose is lovely, light for a Jaguar and sounds and plays great.
    It took about 7 days to arrive, I collected from my local Royal Mail office without any problem. With shipping and the duty/ taxes paid it wasn't much over your budget. 
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  • JerkMoansJerkMoans Frets: 8775
    Pabcrane said:
    One thing which I discovered when trying out an amp in a shop with their Mexican Jazzmaster - the positioning of the trem is a bit off. At first I didn't know what was wrong but it felt off to me - then I saw that it seemed closer to the bridge.

    I don't know if this is all Mexican Jags and Jazzmasters, nor if it bothers most people at all. But something to bear in mind.
    Yes: the Mexican ‘Classic Player’ models have the Trem unit moved about 1 cm closer to the bridge to improve the string break angle.
    Inactivist Lefty Lawyer
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  • I'd buy @Munckee's classic lacquer Jag. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • Another vote for the J mascis and save the extra 500 - neck feels lovely
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  • JerkMoans said:
    Pabcrane said:
    One thing which I discovered when trying out an amp in a shop with their Mexican Jazzmaster - the positioning of the trem is a bit off. At first I didn't know what was wrong but it felt off to me - then I saw that it seemed closer to the bridge.

    I don't know if this is all Mexican Jags and Jazzmasters, nor if it bothers most people at all. But something to bear in mind.
    Yes: the Mexican ‘Classic Player’ models have the Trem unit moved about 1 cm closer to the bridge to improve the string break angle.

    Yuk. Did not know this. 
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