jazzmaster questions?

Hey guys i'm hoping to buy a new guitar in a few months and i was quite taken by the jazzmaster especially after seeing brand new use them at a gig. i love the looks and the tones, although i have only briefly played one unplugged in a shop. But i just have a few questions about them.
1. being how well do the p90 style pick ups handle distortion and overdrive? I play in a rock/alternative/post-hardcore style band so i do use my fair share of distorted tones.

2. i hear theres a known problem with the strings popping of the bridge, is this with all models? and is there a solution to this? i dont want them popping off at a gig!

3. How stable is the trem system? i took the trem off my strat and fixed the bridge down because strat trems in my opinion arent good.

I'm looking for something thats affordable was thinking of buying mexican, How are the mexi jazzers?

I think thats everything i need to ask, but if you feel theres anything i need to know please step in.

1.The pickups take distortion very well. The Mexican classic players and MIJ J Mascis are hotter than the traditional Jazzmaster pickup, closer to a P90. they're smooth overdriven but still have a bite to them. The regular MIA 62 RI have a mellower sounding pup, but they're just as good. The standard MIJ's are closer to a strat pup in a jazzmaster cover.

2.the string popping out of the bridge is a common problem. It's better on the MIM Classic Player and MIJ Jmascis since the increased the break angle over the string. I still had to file the saddle down a little though. Not a big enough deal to write off Jazzmasters.

3. The trem is my favorite part. It's so easy to use and stable you'll want it on all your guitars. I guess maybe not if you're a dive bomber. It has more range than a Bigsby though.

The Mexican Classic Players are great guitars on par with the quality of any MIA jazzmaster in the market.

1.The pickups take distortion very well. The Mexican classic players and MIJ J Mascis are hotter than the traditional Jazzmaster pickup, closer to a P90. they're smooth overdriven but still have a bite to them. The regular MIA 62 RI have a mellower sounding pup, but they're just as good. The standard MIJ's are closer to a strat pup in a jazzmaster cover.

2.the string popping out of the bridge is a common problem. It's better on the MIM Classic Player and MIJ Jmascis since the increased the break angle over the string. I still had to file the saddle down a little though. Not a big enough deal to write off Jazzmasters.

3. The trem is my favorite part. It's so easy to use and stable you'll want it on all your guitars. I guess maybe not if you're a dive bomber. It has more range than a Bigsby though.

The Mexican Classic Players are great guitars on par with the quality of any MIA jazzmaster in the market.

Hey thanks for the response! i'm not really a dive bomber so thats cool. this has deffinitly but my mind at rest about the pick-ups. I forgot to ask, wheres the best place to buy one of these beauties? bearing in mind i live in the UK

The Mexican Jazzmasters are not vintage spec'd. They have some "modern" appointments that are supposed to make the Jazzmaster more accessible to non-offset players. However, many Jazzmaster fans think that this takes away from the Jazzmaster's distinct tone.
Make of that as you will : p

Also, with a high enough string gauge, you shouldn't experience any strings popping out. I wouldn't put 9's on a Fender offset.

I played a new Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster and was very impressed. It was a very resonant, live guitar, the whammy worked very well, and it stayed in tune extremely well, despite all the punishment I gave it. If the strings popped out of the saddles, I'd install a Buzz Stop, and I would definitely get rid of that anodized gold pickguard for a tortoiseshell. I'd say it was a great deal for $399.

My only complaint was the tone control for the upper circuit. It didn't do much of anything in terms of changing the tone from bass to treble, so that would probably need to be changed. Otherwise, it was a very cool guitar.

I haven't played the Squire Mascis so I can't comment. I'd definitely like to try one though. For that price everyone should have one.

Anyway, this video of the MIM is a good representation of what they can do both clean and dirty.

U4SH_RIULTM

1. being how well do the p90 style pick ups handle distortion and overdrive? I play in a rock/alternative/post-hardcore style band so i do use my fair share of distorted tones.

Very well indeed, the best thing is that it feeds back quite easily, far more than every other guitar I've owned. To me that's a fantastic quality in a guitar

2. i hear theres a known problem with the strings popping of the bridge, is this with all models? and is there a solution to this? i dont want them popping off at a gig!

Not that I've noticed. I've got the Squier JMJM so there's a tune-o-matic instead of an ordinary JM bridge.

3. How stable is the trem system? i took the trem off my strat and fixed the bridge down because strat trems in my opinion arent good.

Best trem I've ever used. Don't like my strat trem either.

The Mexican Jazzmasters are not vintage spec'd. They have some "modern" appointments that are supposed to make the Jazzmaster more accessible to non-offset players. However, many Jazzmaster fans think that this takes away from the Jazzmaster's distinct tone.
Make of that as you will : p

Also, with a high enough string gauge, you shouldn't experience any strings popping out. I wouldn't put 9's on a Fender offset.

how would 11 gauge strings hold up on a jazz?

I'm not an offset expert, but you should really look at the Squier J Mascis. Not exactly 'period' correct, but a lot of the 'faults' are corrected (for want of a better word)
I got one, then went straight out and got another. Great guitar.

how would 11 gauge strings hold up on a jazz?

Just fine. Most people I've heard from via the internet (which is actually quite a lot) use 11s on Jazzmasters. You can probably get by with 10s, too, depending on your attack and how well your guitar is set up.

I use 11's on my JM. They work just fine and bend a lot easier than you might think.

11's flatwound on Jazzmasters are great for that jazzy tone stuff. I ran 11's for a while then 10's all good. I am running 9's as my finger pushups just aren't there yet. I have a 62' AVRI which is a great Jazzmaster. The only thing that I did to mine was put on a mastery bridge. I am a bit heavy handed on picking and pull the strings off the saddles a couple of time and moved them a couple of splines.

The term is also very very stable once set up properly.

Jazzies came from the factory with heavy gauge flatwound strings.

1) They don't come with P90s and the pickups in them don't even come close to sounding like P90s. They don't even look like P90s, so where people get the idea Jazzmasters have P90s I have no idea.

2) You'll only pop the strings out if you strum badly. Telecasters with Bigsbys use the same design and no one complains about their strings popping off. Adding fatter strings won't help this. People use larger strings on offset Fenders like Mustangs and Jaguars due to their neck scale and not because of their bridge design. Also most new Jazzmasters employ mustang bridges or tune-a-matics.

3) All vibratos designs can be unstable if set up incorrectly, but it isn't an issue if they aren't. Also the Jazzmaster has a locking vibrato anyway, so it's not an issue. Just push the button into the position you want it to stay in tune longer. All guitars go out of tune eventually.

It's threads like this that make me wonder if guitar forums are even worth consulting. Seems most of the time there is more wrong information then right information. How can someone know all the myths about a guitar and none of the facts?

youresilly

also the ones with a tun-a-matic you can upgrade to one with roller saddles.

1) They don't come with P90s and the pickups in them don't even come close to sounding like P90s. They don't even look like P90s, so where people get the idea Jazzmasters have P90s I have no idea.

2) You'll only pop the strings out if you strum badly. Telecasters with Bigsbys use the same design and no one complains about their strings popping off. Adding fatter strings won't help this. People use larger strings on offset Fenders like Mustangs and Jaguars due to their neck scale and not because of their bridge design. Also most new Jazzmasters employ mustang bridges or tune-a-matics.

3) All vibratos designs can be unstable if set up incorrectly, but it isn't an issue if they aren't. Also the Jazzmaster has a locking vibrato anyway, so it's not an issue. Just push the button into the position you want it to stay in tune longer. All guitars go out of tune eventually.

It's threads like this that make me wonder if guitar forums are even worth consulting. Seems most of the time there is more wrong information then right information. How can someone know all the myths about a guitar and none of the facts?

1. The jazzies pups superficially do kind of look like jazzmaster pups. I can see why some would think that.

2. Take a deep breath, no worries.

Well, I've been a Jazzmaster owner since 1994 or so. I have a made in Japan model since then, but I own an American Vintage reissue since recently. I rebuilt my Japanese made model, all new everything except the body and neck (and tremolo).

I can tell you that the Jazzmaster, in my opinion, is the best guitar ever made.

But they take some work and getting used to.

1) The pickups aren't P90s and don't sound anywhere near the same. P90s have a grind and a honk to them that Jazzmaster pickups don't have. That being said, most things that go by the name "Jazzmaster" don't have Jazzmaster pickups either... the MIJ model that I have came with what is basically considered Strat pickpups in a Jazzmaster body. I have since replaced them with handwound pickups.

2) My favorite thing about the Jazzmaster is that Fender old school neck, with the round 7.25" radius. American Vintage models have that also. Not everyone likes that as much as I do, so the newer models have the current 9.5" radius. That's up to you, really. No wrong or right either way, only opinion.

3) They only feed back if they aren't properly shielded. Chances are, yours won't be, or if at all, not very well. The feedback is actually very cool, as has been noted... but I still shielded mine properly. You can read about it here:

http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=44600

By the way, that is the best site to learn about Jazzmasters, no offense to this wonderful forum.

4) The string will pop out of the grooves, more so on Japanese made Jazzmasters than AVRI ones. Honestly, you get kind of used to it... as well as the other things you have to do with a Jazzmaster. I dealt with it for so long that it came as a surprise when I realized that most guitarists don't have to do any of that. There are a lot of alternatives, though, the easiest of which is the Mustang bridge, which I have on my AVRI. My Japanese made one has a Mastery bridge, which is in the Nels Cline video below, but is very expensive.

5) The tremolo is what it is... I can't comment much since I don't use it or any other tremolo. It is its own design, and it's not bad. But it's not like what a Strat has or what a Bigsby is or anything. You'll have to get to know it, and I bet you'll find some use for it. But there isn't anything else like it, so don't be expecting anything like what you've known.

6) It is the best guitar ever. I know folks are going to jump on me on this site... and I freely admit that the Telecaster is the second best guitar ever. But there is a lot of extra string on the Jazzmaster behind the bridge. It's not just sitting there, it's alive and resonant, and it makes the whole guitar both of those things as well. You can strum it, and get these ghostly sounds out of it. Your amp will react in unpredictable ways, and if you like feedback... you get it in a heartbeat with that. But even if you don't do that, those strings are vibrating and putting out harmonics like you wouldn't believe. The downside is, this design doesn't lead to much sustain... the Jazzmaster is rightfully criticized for not having much of that. You can get a Buzz Stop, which increased the break angle and is said to add sustain. I bet it does. But I would never want to give up the magic that a Jazzmaster has simply to get more sustain. I'd rather just buy a Les Paul if I really need sustain.

Now, I'm not knowledgeable about the Modern Players and the Blacktop ones are not really worth considering, in my opinion. The Classic Players look pretty cool, on the other hand, though... they all seem to be Jazzmasters for people that don't like what a Jazzmaster actually is. So take all my advice with a grain of salt.

Anyway, you either will or won't like the song, but this will show you what a Jazzmaster is capable of, anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I79m7_kAnA

I say jump in! But then, I guess I would, wouldn't I?

1) They don't come with P90s and the pickups in them don't even come close to sounding like P90s. They don't even look like P90s, so where people get the idea Jazzmasters have P90s I have no idea.


This came up in another thread concering the Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster pick-ups. It seems that they're essentially P90s in JM covers. http://www.tymguitars.com.au/?p=6029.

Some people have changed them to proper JM p-ups but I think they sound a lot like the real deal. There was a poll on some forum where the OP had recorded soundclips of the SQJMJM and a '62 AVRI at least to my ears it was hard to hear a major difference.