I've been pining for a Jazzmaster for a few years. For the longest time I was leaning toward selling a bunch of gear and getting a Suhr JM Pro (which looks and sounds killer, IMO). But, I honestly can't justify the price point of $2500. I started looking at other true Fender Jazzmasters and found a used 60th anniversary I liked a lot for a decent price. Still...quite expensive. In the end I went to Guitar Center and tried out a few (American, Mexican and Chinese versions) and decided the J Mascis was going to be good enough to satiate me. The one I demoed played quite well. I'm not a huge fan of cream colored guitars but it is growing on me. Anyway, I bought the shit from Sweetwater and it will be here soon. Pretty sure I made the right choice in terms of quality vs. price-point. I love to buy American guitars when I can but I don't expect this to be my #1 (that's my SG!)
The one I picked was the second lightest due to a slightly nicer figuring on the fretboard. Will update with my thoughts once I have it in hand. This will be my second Squier (other is a Bass vi).
Nice grab! I have heard nothing but great things about the mascis model, congratulations and look forward to reading a mini review.
I bought a classic player JM a few years back and kinda wish I had the Mascis instead. I've played a few and the necks both had a great feel to them. Plus J is just such a badass.
They are great guitars, and I think it speaks volumes that he plays them so much himself. I don't remember seeing him with his old fender signature much if ever, but since the white one came out I never see him playing anything else.
I had one of those a couple of summers back. I liked the sound a lot but I never got used to the jumbo frets so I sold it off and built a partscaster. The partscaster cost me over twice as much and I think is just marginally better.
Hope you like it!
Enjoy! I had one in my sweetwater cart a few times...maybe one day...
My cousin has a Mascis and is super happy with it. They few times I've played it, I've really liked it!
I've not played a J Mascis, but everybody I know how has really digs them, especially for the money. I'll look forward to hearing your impressions of it.
Nice. If it plays anything like the MIM one I have, it's simply amazing. Offset body takes a little getting used to.
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Well, this is rather disappointing, esp considering I like the guitar overall. Have a close look.
Is the nut slotted poorly or does the neck get oddly thicker after the first fret?
Quote from: sonnyboy27 on May 07, 2019, 01:50:40 PM
Is the nut slotted poorly or does the neck get oddly thicker after the first fret?
I'm going with incorrect slotting. Not only is the low E wrong the distance between the high E and B is incorrect.
Does the E maintain the same 'offness' all the way down to the bridge? In other words... is it a total wack job from nut to bridge??
Sorry. Can you return it?
Yeah, the E breaks back to the left after the nut.
Are you going to fix it or return it?
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I assume most offsets are poorly slotted from Fender these days. I own a Johnny Marr Jaguar (great guitar BTW, maybe the best under 2k guitar they make), and had to have the nut replaced due to spacing. The high E would fly off the fretboard with any amount of pressure applied to it because it was cut so close to the edge of the board. When I hard the guitar repainted by a local builder, I had the nut replaced.
Quote from: jimilee on May 07, 2019, 02:43:32 PM
Yeah, the E breaks back to the left after the nut.
Are you going to fix it or return it?
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I'm leaning towards returning it. I could make a new nut for it but would rather not have to do that on a brand new guitar. I guess I'll have a talk with Sweetwater and see what they say. Only time I've ever had a problem with something I purchased from them.
Quote from: Timko on May 07, 2019, 02:57:47 PM
I assume most offsets are poorly slotted from Fender these days. I own a Johnny Marr Jaguar (great guitar BTW, maybe the best under 2k guitar they make), and had to have the nut replaced due to spacing. The high E would fly off the fretboard with any amount of pressure applied to it because it was cut so close to the edge of the board. When I hard the guitar repainted by a local builder, I had the nut replaced.
Yeah Fender - the nut ain't supposed to be the offset part!
Quote from: madbean on May 07, 2019, 03:00:28 PM
Quote from: Timko on May 07, 2019, 02:57:47 PM
I assume most offsets are poorly slotted from Fender these days. I own a Johnny Marr Jaguar (great guitar BTW, maybe the best under 2k guitar they make), and had to have the nut replaced due to spacing. The high E would fly off the fretboard with any amount of pressure applied to it because it was cut so close to the edge of the board. When I hard the guitar repainted by a local builder, I had the nut replaced.
Yeah Fender - the nut ain't supposed to be the offset part!
I know the saddle width is supposed to be a little smaller on JMs and Jags than the rest of the Fender lineup (see the Staytrem page at http://staytrem.com/jag-jazz-bridge1), and would assume the nut width is as well. My guess is that they're cutting standard Tele/Strat nut slots and it's a bad deal.
Quote from: Timko on May 07, 2019, 03:05:36 PM
I know the saddle width is supposed to be a little smaller on JMs and Jags than the rest of the Fender lineup (see the Staytrem page at http://staytrem.com/jag-jazz-bridge1), and would assume the nut width is as well. My guess is that they're cutting standard Tele/Strat nut slots and it's a bad deal.
The pic on the Fender website shows a correctly spaced nut so I think this is a manufacturer issue, not design. Although it does look a little off on the E to E at the highest frets. I dunno.
https://shop.fender.com/en-US/squier-products/j-mascis-jazzmaster/0371060541.html (https://shop.fender.com/en-US/squier-products/j-mascis-jazzmaster/0371060541.html)
I have a friend that works at a store that stocks a lot of offsets, and has offsets custom built by the people who pained mine (Seuf Guitars if someone wants an amazing offset well below Fender Custom shop prices), so I've had a chance to play a lot of these. I've seen more poorly cut nuts on those particular instruments than correctly cut ones lately. I'm not sure if QC is out on sabbatical, but it seems likely.
Aside from the nut, those JMs are an amazing value. It would definitely be my suggestion for anyone looking to join the offset cult.
Quote from: madbean on May 07, 2019, 02:59:16 PM
Quote from: jimilee on May 07, 2019, 02:43:32 PM
Yeah, the E breaks back to the left after the nut.
Are you going to fix it or return it?
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I'm leaning towards returning it. I could make a new nut for it but would rather not have to do that on a brand new guitar. I guess I'll have a talk with Sweetwater and see what they say. Only time I've ever had a problem with something I purchased from them.
I had a problem with one from them, jack was shorting against the enclosure. They sent me money and I just fixed it myself. The guitar was discontinued and this was the last one. I believed him because they were the only place I could find it.
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great, now I'm second-guessing the classic vibe jag ...
Quote from: thesmokingman on May 07, 2019, 04:33:06 PM
great, now I'm second-guessing the classic vibe jag ...
Let me know what it looks like. My store hasn't gotten one of those in. Binding and blocks? Dead sexy. If you change out that pickguard to a black/white/black one and paint that headstock black, that would be a hell of a guitar for not a lot of cash.
Also, a protip to anyone who ends up with a Fender offset. SHIM THE NECK. StewMac sells awesome shims. My Johnny Marr has it's neck cut at an angle, but nearly every JM/Jag has a 90 degree neck pocket. The guitar was made to be shimmed to bring the break angle closer to that of an archtop. It adds an appropriate amount of tension an keeps the bridge in place.
https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/25516-diy-how-to-set-up-jazzmasters-jaguars
I shim all of my fender guitars.
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Quote from: Timko on May 07, 2019, 04:47:19 PM
Also, a protip to anyone who ends up with a Fender offset. SHIM THE NECK. StewMac sells awesome shims. My Johnny Marr has it's neck cut at an angle, but nearly every JM/Jag has a 90 degree neck pocket. The guitar was made to be shimmed to bring the break angle closer to that of an archtop. It adds an appropriate amount of tension an keeps the bridge in place.
https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/25516-diy-how-to-set-up-jazzmasters-jaguars
I have a MIM Jaguar I picked up new maybe five years ago. Would that have the same 90 degree neck pocket issue? I haven't really have any issues with the action on that guitar, but I did have the bridge/trem system overhauled right after I got it.
Literally every Jag/JM ever has that problem. CBS-era Fender tried to solve it on a myriad of guitars with the micro-tilt, which just warped the heel of the neck over time. The only reason I know the Marr has the angle cut into the body was after a phone call to Fender where they looked at the CNC specs. The guitar is certainly playable if you don't shim it. But if you want the neck angle to be as Leo intended, the shim helps immensely.
Quote from: Timko on May 07, 2019, 08:55:26 PM
Literally every Jag/JM ever has that problem. CBS-era Fender tried to solve it on a myriad of guitars with the micro-tilt, which just warped the heel of the neck over time. The only reason I know the Marr has the angle cut into the body was after a phone call to Fender where they looked at the CNC specs. The guitar is certainly playable if you don't shim it. But if you want the neck angle to be as Leo intended, the shim helps immensely.
Ah thanks. Yeah it's certainly playable, but it could be worth checking out. Good heads up.
Sweetwater is superb to deal with so returning it should be no problem at all.
Yeah I'm going to return it. I think what I will do is hold off a while longer for more funds then get a Mexican Classic Player. I really liked the one I played in Sam Ash a lot. It's almost twice the price, though, haha.
Quote from: madbean on May 08, 2019, 01:03:15 AM
Yeah I'm going to return it. I think what I will do is hold off a while longer for more funds then get a Mexican Classic Player. I really liked the one I played in Sam Ash a lot. It's almost twice the price, though, haha.
Glad to see that today's board has basically become an offset guitar forum. Those guitars deserve all the love.
I've been very happy with my MIM jaguar. Little to no problems really. Once I got the tension right with the bridge/vibrato, I haven't had to touch it (I've stayed with the same brand/gauge of strings though). I think that vibrato beats any other system. Smooth and very versatile.
Quote from: madbean on May 08, 2019, 01:03:15 AM
Yeah I'm going to return it. I think what I will do is hold off a while longer for more funds then get a Mexican Classic Player. I really liked the one I played in Sam Ash a lot. It's almost twice the price, though, haha.
Sorry to hear the Mascis didn't work out. Keep an eye out on Craigslist. A couple cp Jazzmasters have popped up used for about $500.
I really like mine but it does have some issues with the neck being less stable than anything else I've ever owned. It needs a slight adjustment every 5-6 months unless it's haning by it headstock. Gravity seems to keep it in check.
Quote from: madbean on May 07, 2019, 01:32:59 PM
Well, this is rather disappointing, esp considering I like the guitar overall. Have a close look.
I guess that would've been the 56th point of inspection.
Quote from: madbean on May 08, 2019, 01:03:15 AM
Yeah I'm going to return it. I think what I will do is hold off a while longer for more funds then get a Mexican Classic Player. I really liked the one I played in Sam Ash a lot. It's almost twice the price, though, haha.
If you don't mind the safari hunt of CL or FB Marketplace (I actually enjoy it more than buying new), you can find a good deal on a variety of JMs. I did a quick CL search and found some good stuff across the country, including some J Mascis models for $325 and $375. If you have the ability to try out the specific guitar you're buying instead of ordering it online for an offset, do it. You can find the ones with the good nuts. If you end up getting a Classic Player, you'll find too that there are some that are really light (like in the 7-7.5 lbs range), which you may or may not prefer.
Quote from: Timko on May 08, 2019, 01:37:34 PM
Quote from: madbean on May 08, 2019, 01:03:15 AM
Yeah I'm going to return it. I think what I will do is hold off a while longer for more funds then get a Mexican Classic Player. I really liked the one I played in Sam Ash a lot. It's almost twice the price, though, haha.
If you don't mind the safari hunt of CL or FB Marketplace (I actually enjoy it more than buying new), you can find a good deal on a variety of JMs. I did a quick CL search and found some good stuff across the country, including some J Mascis models for $325 and $375. If you have the ability to try out the specific guitar you're buying instead of ordering it online for an offset, do it. You can find the ones with the good nuts. If you end up getting a Classic Player, you'll find too that there are some that are really light (like in the 7-7.5 lbs range), which you may or may not prefer.
I could make a new nut for the one I got but I just don't want to bother, honestly, since I have several other guitar projects needing to get done. But yeah - I think looking locally might be the thing to do. The one at Sam Ash was pretty nice and most of their guitar are set up terribly and feel even worse, haha.