The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar that was first introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show and was designed as a more upmarket instrument than the Fender Stratocaster, which was originally to replace the Telecaster model.

Features

The Jazzmaster also had an extra-long tremolo arm. The body is larger than that of other Fender guitars, necessitating a more spacious guitar case. The Jazzmaster had unique wide, white “soapbar” pickups that were unlike any other single coil.
The Ventures and The Fireballs were prominent Jazzmaster users. The Jazzmaster also played a part in the Indorock scene, with guitarist Andy Tielman creating a 10-string Jazzmaster using a red-hot nail to burn holes for the extra tuning pegs in his Jazzmaster’s headstock. Fender recognized the need for a purpose-designed surf-guitar, and introduced the 24″ scale Fender Jaguar, with a shorter scale, built-in mute, chrome decorations and more Strat-like pickups.

The Jazzmaster was officially discontinued in 1980, although some reports suggest no guitars were actually made after 1977 and guitars sold from 1978-1980 were old stock. The Jazzmaster was re-introduced in 1986 as a 1962 reissue model from Fender’s Japanese factory. In 2007 Fender announced plans for a ‘thin skin’ Jazzmaster reissue with vintage nitrocellulose finish.

Influence

Fender intended the Jazzmaster to represent a solid body alternative to the hollow body archtop guitars that were then ubiquitous among Jazz guitarists. The Jazzmaster’s short sustain and warm piano-like tone was not favored. Just as Fender discontinued the Jazzmaster, Tom Verlaine of Television and Elvis Costello started giving the guitar a cult following. J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr is a noted Jazzmaster devotee, and as of 2007 Fender produces a signature J Mascis Jazzmaster model. Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo favors a Jazzmaster as well as other vintage Fender guitars, often playing behind-the-back solos in concert. Nels Cline, solo artist and current (2007) lead guitarist of Wilco, uses the Jazzmaster as his main guitar.

Imitations and Reissues

Fender’s Japanese facility is noted for the high quality of its offset-waist guitars. Jazzmasters are often criticized for essentially having narrow Stratocaster pickups inside the wide soapbar Jazzmaster housings, thus giving the guitar a Strat/Jaguar “honk” rather than the classic, mellow Jazzmaster sound. This signature Jazzmaster guitar features a solid walnut-stain finished alder body and a modified tremolo bridge for Costello’s trademark “spy movie” sound.

Colors

The Jazzmaster was produced in the following colors :
• 3-Color Sunburst
• Olympic White
• Black
• Ocean Turquoise
• Surf Green
• Ice Blue Metallic

Their pickguards come in Mint Green or Brown Shell colors.

In July 2007, Fender released the J Mascis signature Jazzmaster, in honour of the Dinosaur Jr frontman. This model is much the same as previous Jazzmaster models aside from its Adjust-o-matic bridge (the Fender equivalent of the Gibson Tune-o-matic bridge), and its unusual purple sparkle finish. It is currently the only model of Jazzmaster in production with a matching headstock.