Classic Vibe Jazzmaster

[ezpickins]

Hey all , I’ve been wanting a shell pink Jazzmaster , with the classic style electronics ... I’ve been hoping to find a used one in the 500-700 range with no luck

any way I found this one at Anderton’s , but it’s a Squier Classic Vibe ...

I know that the Classic Vibe won’t have the level of quality when it comes to pickups and, tuners, pots, etc.

For folks that have purchased Classic Vibe guitars how do you think they compare to the Mexican Fenders?

Should I just give up my hope for a shell pink and just go for a Vintera ?

or are the classic vibe models okay?
Thanks!

 

[Wildeman]

I had a CV JM for a while and it was very nice, had Duncan designed pups, sounded good, played good, looked good. It went in a trade deal but i still miss it.

 

[ezpickins]

I had a CV JM for a while and it was very nice, had Duncan designed pups, sounded good, played good, looked good. It went in a trade deal but i still miss it.

Cool. That’s encouraging to hear

 

[Martian]

Hey all , I’ve been wanting a shell pink Jazzmaster , with the classic style electronics ... I’ve been hoping to find a used one in the 500-700 range with no luck

any way I found this one at Anderton’s , but it’s a Squier Classic Vibe ...

I know that the Classic Vibe won’t have the level of quality when it comes to pickups and, tuners, pots, etc.

For folks that have purchased Classic Vibe guitars how do you think they compare to the Mexican Fenders?

Should I just give up my hope for a shell pink and just go for a Vintera ?

or are the classic vibe models okay?
Thanks!

I have 2 MIC cv teles and I love them; I think they’re much better than okay.

 

[WingedWords]

It could be worth dropping James Gascoigne at James Home of Tone an email for his view of CVs. He knows a lot about budget Jazzmasters. He did a number of blog posts about modifying a Vintage Modified JM, what's worth doing, what's not worth etc. This is the first episode

https://www.homeoftone.co.uk/blogs/...tage-modified-jazzmaster-goes-under-the-knife

Here's a sample of his super neat JM wiring that he did for me.

No connection with him, other than being a very happy customer.

PS - when you get that lovely Shell Pink JM, call in here

https://www.tdpri.com/threads/jazzmaster-owners-club.303048/

and tell us all about it!

 

[Fearnot]

I've been playing two VM Jazzmasters (basically the same as the new CVs) for 7-8 years now. They needed a good, knowlegable setup, I replaced the bridges and eventually swapped out the pickups. That's it. They play great, sound great and stay in tune.

The CVs are a great entry point into Jazzmaster-land. Buy it, play it, and decide what you need to change... if anything at all. The new CV bridges look like a distinct improvement over the VMs.

 

[Lefty Addams]

Check out this video, it seems very little Fender had to do with these, Andertons just limited colours, it put me off tbh:

 

[redchapterjubilee]

I'm a Jazzmaster guy (I have 6 of them) and I bought one of those pink CVJM's a couple of months ago. Guitar Center and Musicians Friend has the limited colors in the States, Andertons for the U.K.

Out of the box it was bad. The bridge was tightened flat to the body and I don't believe the finish had entirely cured as placing it on a typical guitar stand for about 30 minutes started to turn the finish where contact was made with the body (which is weird...these aren't nitro finished guitars). I was able to polish out the black marks and haven't placed it on a stand since. That said, a shim, heavier strings (mine shipped with 9's), and my amateur setup improved things immensely. It is playable now. The pickups are good (a little hotter than AVRI 62 and a lot hotter than AV65), the neck feels fine in that pre-CBS sort of profile, fret ends aren't too bad, and it is definitely a looker (I bought it specifically for the color). I had an extra U.S. trem unit so I tossed that on. The stock bridge is fine. At some point I will either have the neck truly attended to (the nut needs help and while the fret ends aren't awful they aren't as smooth as the U.S. and MIM JM's I have) or I may just replace the neck entirely. I also want to eventually put full-sized WRHB's in it.

 

[Mosstone]

Hey all , I’ve been wanting a shell pink Jazzmaster , with the classic style electronics ... I’ve been hoping to find a used one in the 500-700 range with no luck

any way I found this one at Anderton’s , but it’s a Squier Classic Vibe ...

I know that the Classic Vibe won’t have the level of quality when it comes to pickups and, tuners, pots, etc.

For folks that have purchased Classic Vibe guitars how do you think they compare to the Mexican Fenders?

Should I just give up my hope for a shell pink and just go for a Vintera ?

or are the classic vibe models okay?
Thanks!

CVs are awesome. At one time, I thought I wanted a '52RI and came home with a CV '50s Tele instead, and I don't want to ever part with it.

I'm a builder and compulsive modder, and the only change I made to that guitar was to install a 4-way switch. Every other Classic Vibe I've picked up (including basses) have been suprisingly good guitars (yes, even the stock pickups sound good). I don't think you can go wrong with a CV. They're better than Mexican Standards IMO.

 

[ezpickins]

I'm a Jazzmaster guy (I have 6 of them) and I bought one of those pink CVJM's a couple of months ago. Guitar Center and Musicians Friend has the limited colors in the States, Andertons for the U.K.

Out of the box it was bad. The bridge was tightened flat to the body and I don't believe the finish had entirely cured as placing it on a typical guitar stand for about 30 minutes started to turn the finish where contact was made with the body (which is weird...these aren't nitro finished guitars). I was able to polish out the black marks and haven't placed it on a stand since. That said, a shim, heavier strings (mine shipped with 9's), and my amateur setup improved things immensely. It is playable now. The pickups are good (a little hotter than AVRI 62 and a lot hotter than AV65), the neck feels fine in that pre-CBS sort of profile, fret ends aren't too bad, and it is definitely a looker (I bought it specifically for the color). I had an extra U.S. trem unit so I tossed that on. The stock bridge is fine. At some point I will either have the neck truly attended to (the nut needs help and while the fret ends aren't awful they aren't as smooth as the U.S. and MIM JM's I have) or I may just replace the neck entirely. I also want to eventually put full-sized WRHB's in it.

That’s good info / thanks - I don’t want too much of a project. I think I may go with the Shell Pink Classic Player at Chicago Music Exchange in light of what you say. It has a white guard instead of tort (I’d prefer the tort - and unfortunately it’s a non-standard control layout so I think I’d need to order a custom replacement guard ). Also the CME one doesn’t have the rhythm circuit (but is routed for one). The CME one has a 4 way switch for series pickup operation , so that’s kind of cool.
Aesthetically the Anderton’s CV is what I want , but from what you’re saying the CME MIM one may be the way to go. https://www.chicagomusicexchange.co...olympic-white-headcap-cme-exclusive-pre-order

 

[Fearnot]

This is Mike from the M&M Guitar Blog. He knows offsets.

 

[WingedWords]

This is Mike from the M&M Guitar Blog. He knows offsets.

He sure does. This is his Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/puisheen/?hl=en

And you won't go far in Offsetland before you come across this article:

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/25516-diy-how-to-set-up-jazzmasters-jaguars

 

[LoveHz]

I have the earlier Squier Vintage Modified JM. I fitted a Staytrem bridge -- they offer a choice of radius to match the neck -- and had my local luthier do a fret job on it, but apart from that I've left it stock. No troubles at all -- plays good and sounds OK to me. All in all, a lot of guitar for not a lot of money.

 

[beninma]

You can get a G&L Tribute Doheny for your budget brand new. $600 online but in person dealers should have lower prices IME, I want to say the local dealer near me has had them under $500.

You're getting a slight different guitar (different Trem, pickups, wiring setup) but they're exceptionally nice for the price.

 

[redchapterjubilee]

That’s good info / thanks - I don’t want too much of a project. I think I may go with the Shell Pink Classic Player at Chicago Music Exchange in light of what you say. It has a white guard instead of tort (I’d prefer the tort - and unfortunately it’s a non-standard control layout so I think I’d need to order a custom replacement guard ). Also the CME one doesn’t have the rhythm circuit (but is routed for one). The CME one has a 4 way switch for series pickup operation , so that’s kind of cool.
Aesthetically the Anderton’s CV is what I want , but from what you’re saying the CME MIM one may be the way to go. https://www.chicagomusicexchange.co...olympic-white-headcap-cme-exclusive-pre-order

I'd have gone that way myself but I couldn't abide by the white headstock. Were it plain maple or had it been finished to match the body I'd have bought one.

 

[loopfinding]

i didn't have the CV, but had the VMJM for a while. it was okay. it was a little balls-less. i had to replace the trem, bridge, pickups. still couldn't get it where i wanted. ultimately i am getting rid of it. when i fell in love with JM's, i had played a fender CP and i loved it, TOM bridge, p90 style pickups, sharper break angle, warts and all. looking back i should have just bought it instead.

i'm seconding the CME. the CME is the "player jazzmaster" that fender should have made. especially insulting is the fact that it's not even really CME exlcusive - they're being sold as FSRs in europe and japan...so what the hell, fender? maybe you can get a headstock refin if the white really bothers you. i think the black with the sunburst looks tight, but i'm not the biggest sunburst fan. the white with the shell pink is a travesty, such a damn shame as shell pink is one of my favorite JM colors, if not my favorite. but if i'm all out of options, i might just accept defeat and pick one up myself.

 

[JRapp]

I bought a VM JM a few years back. First thing that went were the Duncan pickups---one metered out at 13K. Replaced with Fender RI pickups. Got a Buzzstop and shimmed the neck as well. Swapped out the 1 meg pots for 250K and a .1 tone cap. I like it much better now.

 

[Wildeman]

Let me add that mine was one of the very first runs, years ago. No idea how the new ones are.

 

[FrostyMorn]

I took delivery of a new Classic Vibe Jazzmaster about two weeks ago. My first JM and my thought was to purchase from a Big Box store with a return policy if the guitar fell short in any way. Short story, I'm keeping the guitar.

Out of the box, string up with 11 half-rounds, turn the truss rod and fiddle with the bridge height. Within 30 minutes the guitar was ready to go. Excellent fretwork, good feel to the neck and a decent sound. Quite different sound from my CS 51 Nocaster.

A couple of days ago I visited the local Fender dealer to play other Jazzmaster variations by Squier and Fender and while they did not have a complete inventory, I can definitively say that the playing experience of the CV Jazzmaster is superior to the others I tried. If I can recall: Fender Performer, Fender Ultra and another Squier variation.

I love the vintage frets on my Nocaster and the Squier CV is closer to that feel than any of the other guitars mentioned above. In fact, I played a new Am Pro II Tele that day and the frets on that felt taller and more road-bumpish than the Squier.

I read about shimming the neck... but I don't feel a need for such. No issues, and the strings ring clearly.