J&D JM40 The Essence of Jazzmaster Club

[fredgold52]

I feel like I've truly discovered something here. I now have my JM40. I have had it for a few days and have spent considerable time getting to know it. Actually, it has been like a reunion. I feel like I have an old friend back with me. This guitar has such a strong Jazzmaster vibe to it, it's amazing.

I had two Jazzmaster at various times. One in a R&R band and one in a country band. I loved the way they played and I loved how they sounded. The JM40 is my old Jazzmaster reincarnated.

The neck on the JM40 is spectacular. The fretwork is excellent. The neck is smooth, thin and fast, actually better than I recall the Fender being. The fretboard is rosewood and feels just super.

The finish is perfect as far as I can tell. Mine is the sun burst and is beautiful. The JM40 comes in several vintage colors that are very attractive. I've always been a SB guy and I am very pleased with this one.

Now, about the sound. As I recall how my old ones sounded, the JM40 is dead on. The middle position gives the classic 'bell' type tone. In the neck pu position it is perfect for blues or jazz or just mellow picking. In the bridge position it's strong and should cut through well without being shrill.

I play it through a Fender Super Champ XD so I can chose from a number of clean and crunchy sounds. Naturally, the guitar does well with either flavor, it's just a matter of taste.

No problems at all??? Well, not exactly. The floating tremolo worked very rough. There was a 'grating or rasping sound and feel to it moving away from and back to its home position. I spent some time going back and forth with Rob Forsyth, the President of Fret City who imports these. Between the two of us we got the problem solved. Rob is putting together a description of the fix for the problem should anyone else have it happen to them.

If you are wishing you could afford a 'real' Jazzmaster, I think the JM40 is well worth your consideration. I am super glad I did.

[fuzzferatu]

I have been aching to try one of these, having completed a JM build. Thanks for the post!