NGD

[EVOL!]

Sorry these are so late. I got the guitar on Saturday night and she was in rough shape so I have been spending the little free time I have fixing her up. This guitar was played hard and put away wet plus the previous owner had done a lot of duct tape mods that rookies do with Jazzmasters:

 

- put blue masking tape around the bridge posts to prevent the bridge from rocking

- tape under the bridge saddles to freeze them

- had 13s on this guitar without adjusting the neck. You could have driven a Mac truck between the bottom string and 12th fret.

- gunk on the guitar

- weird stains on the pickguard and pickup covers (cleaned them with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Great invention).

 

I basically took the guitar apart, cleaned it, removed all tape, took the neck off to adjust the truss rod, and strung her up with 11s. Now she plays like a well oiled machine.

 

 

 

[EVOL!]

One more

 

[rocketman]

She looks great! Nice job. I wish I could do these things.

[BigKahune]

.

Ah yes . . . red and white.

 

Cool look with the dark rosewood fretboard.

 

She's all you. Congrats. . B)

 

 

.

[daveinspain]

Very cool guitar, what year is it?

[EVOL!]

Very cool guitar, what year is it?

 

Thanks. It's a 2003 CIJ. She's one solid axe. And the pickups are pretty nice. Actually louder through my dirt boxes than my SG Classic.

[EVOL!]

She looks great! Nice job. I wish I could do these things.

 

Thanks. It's not that hard. For me, I had to get past the fear I'd brake something. YouTube videos helped a lot to guide me.

[Izzy]

Love the look. How does she sound?

[Bender 4 Life]

good save !!

on a really cool guitar!

[btoth76]

Congratulations! I always wondered how those fat single-coils might sound! Cheers... Bence

[Aster1]

Surfs up!!! What a beauty. HNGD to you.

 

Aster

[badbluesplayer]

Nice!!

[EVOL!]

How does she sound?

 

It's a very different sound than any other guitar I have owned. Please keep in mind that my ears have been bathed in Gibson 57s and P-90s the past decade. On the CIJ models, the pickups are wound high with thinner wire. My understanding is that it gives a mellower sound with pronounced highs. The cleans have a good twang and some jangle and they are quieter than the P-90s on my SG. Run it through a dirt box and this Jazzmaster comes to life. These pickups are louder than P-90s.

 

And like two alpha dogs, my Jazzmaster and Fuzz Factory are still getting comfortable with each other.

[pippy]

Candy Apple Red, white 'guard and Rosewood 'board....mmmmmmmmm!

 

One of my all-time favourite Fender combinations.

 

Great score!

 

 

P.

[Dub-T-123]

Maybe it's just a combination of your photography and the red paint, but that really looks like YOUR guitar.

 

Looks sweet man.

 

I think Jazzmasters use a 1M volume pot. That might be messing with the Fuzz Factory? I know a lot of fuzz lovers are Jazzmaster players though so I'm sure it will work out nicely

[Namvet]

Congrats and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

[kaleb]

I love it!

 

Jazzmasters are cool. Not really well suited for what I do (my basic needs are fulfilled with Gibsons, Strats, and Charvel-style Superstrats), as I'm not really into the Sonic Youth/Television kind of stuff (maybe I will be someday...I used to loathe hair metal, but I've warmed up to it. I still loathe Poison and Bon Jovi, but I love Ratt and Dokken, as well as the more underground acts of the scene that don't get any atttention), or Nirvana/alt rock, but I bet I could get a cool sound with one (experimenting Jimmy Page style...I bet that thing could do a good "Kashmir"), especially for that early-60s stuff I love so much (The Ventures, baby!). I'd love to see what Alex Lifeson could do with one.

 

For me, the vibrato system/bridge unit is a pain in the neck, and the controls are a little weird, but my favorite thing about them is the body style. It fits me real well.

 

It really does look like your guitar!

[EVOL!]

Maybe it's just a combination of your photography and the red paint, but that really looks like YOUR guitar.

 

Looks sweet man.

 

I think Jazzmasters use a 1M volume pot. That might be messing with the Fuzz Factory? I know a lot of fuzz lovers are Jazzmaster players though so I'm sure it will work out nicely

 

Thanks!

 

When I first turned on my FuzzFactory, I nearly got thrown across the room it was so much LOUDER than my SG Classic. And after some knob tweaking on the pedal, I had to start dialing in some gate and I normally hate gates on fuzzes. The noise and uncontrollable osculation are even too much for me. With my FuzzRite and Fuzz Face, it is nirvana. They bring out the best in each other.

[EVOL!]

For me, the vibrato system/bridge unit is a pain in the neck, and the controls are a little weird, but my favorite thing about them is the body style. It fits me real well.

 

Yeah, there is part of me that looks at this guitar with its floating tremolo, rocking bridge, lead/rhythm circuit, and adjustable string spacing and thinks Leo over engineered this beauty. But once you get the tremolo going and rest into the extremely comfortable body shape, it does not matter.

[Twiz]

Happy NGD. I like those pickups.

[kaleb]

Yeah, there is part of me that looks at this guitar with its floating tremolo, rocking bridge, lead/rhythm circuit, and adjustable string spacing and thinks Leo over engineered this beauty. But once you get the tremolo going and rest into the extremely comfortable body shape, it does not matter.

 

Do you dig the strings behind the bridge sounds? (ala Sonic Youth)

 

I like that sound, especially when they're droning. But it's really impractical for my kind of playing. There's a reason I stick with my Gibsons and Strat-style guitars: they can handle it...(even though all types of vibrato systems drive me nuts....But, as a guy who comes from the Van Halen school, a Floyd is really nice every now and then).

 

Bill Nash is making reliced Jazzmasters now alongside his Strats, Teles/Esquires and basses. He installs a roller bridge and buzz stop. Lollar pickups.

 

[EVOL!]

Do you dig the strings behind the bridge sounds? (ala Sonic Youth)

 

 

As much as pigs love rooting! That is one of the benefits of tremolo systems like the Jazzmaster has or a Bigsby. I found a guy on YouTube that uses Fender Bullet strings because they chime more behind the bridge. A set is next in order for my axe since all of this adjusting I've been doing has trashed the new set of Gibson Vintage Reissues I put on her.

 

 

I like that sound, especially when they're droning. But it's really impractical for my kind of playing. There's a reason I stick with my Gibsons and Strat-style guitars: they can handle it...(even though all types of vibrato systems drive me nuts....But, as a guy who comes from the Van Halen school, a Floyd is really nice every now and then).

 

Bill Nash is making reliced Jazzmasters now alongside his Strats, Teles/Esquires and basses. He installs a roller bridge and buzz stop. Lollar pickups.

 

I had a Floyd Rose equipped Carvin DC127 for a time and they are a fun tremolo system.

 

Outside of the color, not sure how much I'd dig that Jazzmaster. Relic'ing aggravates me and when you add a buzz stop it negates the cool chiming behind the bridge.

[kaleb]

As much as pigs love rooting! That is one of the benefits of tremolo systems like the Jazzmaster has or a Bigsby. I found a guy on YouTube that uses Fender Bullet strings because they chime more behind the bridge. A set is next in order for my axe since all of this adjusting I've been doing has trashed the new set of Gibson Vintage Reissues I put on her.

 

 

 

 

I had a Floyd Rose equipped Carvin DC127 for a time and they are a fun tremolo system.

 

Outside of the color, not sure how much I'd dig that Jazzmaster. Relic'ing aggravates me and when you add a buzz stop it negates the cool chiming behind the bridge.

 

I can't imagine you with a Carvin DC127....That just made my day.

 

I dig Floyds/Kahlers/Ibanez Edges because they dive to a lower pitch than regular trems (with the exception of the Wikeson units, Ernie Ball Music Man units, and the regular Strat trem if they're set up right).

 

And I prefer my trems to go down only. I hate floating units. They're just a pain in the *** to me. All I ask out of a trem is dive bombs, Hendrixy stuff, and Alex Lifeson/Allan Holdsworth type stuff.

[stein]

Gratz on this axe.

 

I dig it. Nice shot of the fretbaord showing the curved rosewwod slab. THAT'S a plus with these things, and I dig that.

 

I never owned one, but always wanted to. Played a bunch, and had a few freinds that had some. Sure, that bridge/trem is a pain. But, something about owning one and learning to DEAL with it is part of learning. Even dealing with archtop bridges, strat trems, even regular Gibsons all have their quirks, and playing them sort of "teaches" us. Same can be said for amps and pedals, PRACTICE time with them makes us better players.

 

For some reason, I was on the net looking at Jazzmaster pups, and noticed that many Jap ones are wound taller like a Strat pup, but never got mention of what wire was used. That makes a BIG difference. They call then "Stats" pups as a nickname, but if they are wound with a different gauge wire, they wouldn't be even close. I felt this way about Taxas Specails. In fact, I had a couple sets and some extras beyond that, hated them.

 

Which brings me to this: I never liked Jazzmaster pups either, or the sounds a Jazzmaster made plugged in. YOU are excited about it, and have already found good uses and reasons for them. Makes me think I am missing something, or have some cool stuff to learn. Like, had I still had the stuff I had, I might take the Taxas Specails off the fridge and try them through a fuzzbox.

 

I don't have much pedals left, but I had a dream last night that I had a collection of pedals and was going to set them up.

[JamGuy]

Well done... I'm guilty of posting plenty of fender related content on here, Gibson is a gracious host! That's a sweet looking guitar... I've never caught Jazzmaster fever but I've certainly been guilty of desiring just about every other iconic guitar ever made, I wouldn't be surprise it I fall ill with jazzmasteritis too. I've always liked them better than Jaguars for some reason but having never really played either I'm not sure why. Glad you got her cleaned up and ready to rock! Cheers.