Cheap vs. Expensive Jazzmaster | Does the Custom Shop Beat the Vintera?
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2024
- The Devil is in the details when it comes to the value of a guitar. The basic formula remains the same but when sets apart the same model from the same company but thousands of dollars apart in price? In this case we compare a Fender Vintera Jazzmaster - a great model made in Mexico that offers huge value for the price; against a Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster that promises the very best build quality and attention to detail. Is the Custom Shop worth it? Watch to find out.
SHOP CUSTOM: www.alamomusic.com/fender-cus...
SHOP VINTERA: www.alamomusic.com/fender-vin...
0:00 Intro/Specs
1:38 Vintera Specs
6:24 Custom Shop Specs
9:40 Vintera Demo
11:26 Custom Shop Demo
13:24 Comparison Thoughts
20:00 Final Thoughts
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I'd like to see a side by side comparison between the Vintera Jazzmaster and the Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster, please.
Absolutely true - the pickups are everything on a Jazzmaster. The other part I totally agree with is if it doesn't have the Rhythm section then it isn't a Jazzmaster. The Vintera was lovely (although pickups were too hot), custom shop outstanding...but unless you have money to spare the Vintera would be a smart choice.
That being said, I picked up a Squire 60's Classic Vibe Jazzmaster this year and if you are willing to put in a little effort to finish the guitar - fret dressing, set up, etc. - you end up with a really great instrument (Fender Alnico pickups and all). Funny this video came out today - I was jamming to Muddy Waters over the weekend on my Jazzmaster through my Blues Junior and it was creamy and wonderful. Great guitars.
I still use my blues Jr all the time. Great little amp.
if you want your instrument to sound different just swap pickups. u aren’t necessarily paying for the sound when you buy an expensive guitar realistically u are buying the quality of it according to my understanding of it
This is such a good video -- and not just as a comparison, but as a useful overview of Jazzmasters as a whole.
Man , that customshop sound incredible! . Bright &sweet but not harsh at all . Even the bridge pu sounds so good! Thanks for nice playing!
I wonder if the non-modified Vintera might match up better?
The Classic Vibe Jazzmaster is the best Squier I’ve owned. I haven’t played a Player or plus, but it punches FAR above its weight class. It’s outstanding.
Blue me away, has become one of my go-to guitars.
Lovin the hell out of my j mascis model.
Absolutely true.
Great video and good discussion of your thoughts.
Great video and nice playing, Cooper. Why did you choose a modified vintera and not the regular vintera jm?
How about the standard, non-modified vintera jazzmaster? I have that one and it sounds great.
You absolutely had to choose a non-modified Vintera 60s Jazzmaster for the comparison, those stick much closer to the original JM formula, including the pickups and the neck radius. Especially after you've mentioned the AmPro that has way more modern specs, with the Vmods (which I was really surprised to hear that they sound close to the vintage ones), Panorama and all other stuff. Even a Squier CV would be more vintage-correct in that regard. So, thanks for the review, it was very sweet and respectful, your playing is also fantastic! But I have to disagree on the idea that you have to go hi-end if you want a close approximation of a true JM experience. Vintera 60s is not a cheap option, but it it, IMO, as close as you can get to a vintage-spec JM without breaking the bank to pay for the American-made guitars. Also, I've heard that that Ensenada factory uses some of those same equipment that was used to buid the American ones some ten years ago, correct me if I'm wrong
You are correct, the Vintera 60s non-modified should had been used in this comparison, I absolutely enjoy mine, it's a fantastic feeling and sounding Jazzmaster. I thought I would not bond with the 72.5 radius as I mostly play 9.5 and 12s, but Fender got that one right.
Fender just announced the American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster, which seems to address many of your concerns. Now, people don’t have to get a Custom Shop JM to get all authentic features.
The non modified vintera has proper pickups and is all in all much better value for money than the modified in my opinion. The modified pickups aren't wide wound and felt waaay too hot when I compared my ice blue metallic to the modified. Closer to texas special strat pickups than jazzmaster tone. Also, the distance from the bridge to tremolo is wrong. I ended up hitting the lead circuit pickup selector when using the trem arm because it's too far forward. To me, the modified is a dud.
The non modified vintera would be a much better candidate to compare to the customshop in my opinion. The custom shop would probably "win" anyway, though :)
Great demo
The 62 custom just sparkled!
Man that Vintera sounds so vibey
The difference in cost of having two superior pickups should not force you to have to revert to paying custom shop prices. On top of that they beat up the finish. ?
That finish is beautiful, right?
Just get a squire and upgrade the pickups in that case
When I got my am pro I lucked out and found handwound custom shop '62 pups on reverb. A short time after my purchase I seen some more up for sale. They are out there 🤞🤞🤞
Cooper,
Always a deep delight to listen to you play. Delightful. Thank you.
Excellent review. Spot on about the Vintera.
If I had to have ONE, the sound of the light blue one sounds better to me. Thanks Cooper
I have the USA American professional II Jazzmaster and love it. For $1800, for me it is the way to go. Great neck, loving the rosewood over the Pau Ferro, which is brittle.
your custom shop demo got me lost in the sauce my guy amazing playing 🙏
I was considering getting the ventara then found the am pro on sale for 1,100. ended up finding some CS '62 pups on reverb for $400. Thank the gods it worked out that way for me. 🍀🍀🍀🍀
The Vintera modified is more modern because of the trem being closer to the bridge, the 9.5 radius, over wround hot pickups, and the tune o matic. The Vintera 60's would have been a better comparison due to all of the vintage specs.
Love to see Squier CV versus the Vintera modified
Squier J Mascis is an interesting option with Jazzmasterlike pick-ups.
They’re P90 pickups. Nice if you’re into rocking out, but they’re not as clear as true Jazzmaster pickups. Not knocking the J Mascis at all though. It’s a badass guitar… especially for the money.
@@jasonswitzer1748no, that is not accurate. They are closer to the custom shop pups. I worked on those pups. Listen to what coop says in the video. The warmth of proper jm pups is what we were going for in the j mascis . JM had to sign off on them
@@SB-ht6kf dude. Of what you say is true, you’ve just blown my mind. Are you saying you helped design the Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster pickups? If so, you can clarify what has been the prevailing thought that they’re just customized P90s that are to J Mascis’ liking. Is that incorrect? Also, given your experience with pickups, how different do you think the included Squier J Mascis JM pups are to Antiquity 1 pups? Or if you don’t know about non-Fender pups, maybe compared to Vinterra II JM pickups? Thanks, man!
@@jasonswitzer1748 so there is always a lot of things that run through forums or through pundits that aren't true. P90s are totally different in construction than the J Mas pups. Trad P90s use a slab magnet, where as the J Mas pups use rod magnets. They are warmer because they use Alnico 2 magnets opposed to 5. They are slightly hotter wound, but J doesn't like super high output, so they are more similar to traditional JM pups than what's been said. Fender sells them on their site, specs are up if you want to take a look. I think they sound excellent, but could be bias...I can't really do a comparison, but personally my favorite Pups are the D Gilmour active strat set...so there's that. Cheers.
So, regarding the pickups in the Vintera Modified... Is it so much that they're hot or is it that they're closer in spec to the '65 type Jazzmaster pickups? The set I have are wound around 7.3K, like the later Greybottoms, while earlier pickups were wound anywhere from low-mid 8K range all the way to high 9K, depending on how spicy the winder felt back in the '50s and '60s. Oh, and AlNiCo II vs AlNiCo V.
Thanks!! This video just stopped me from buying a JM vintera MOD, the pickups are just way too harsh. Consider the regular or even a Squier CV JM instead.
Well done review. I have the Ventera modified, and have found if you back off the volume to 7 or so, it really tames that biting sound. I also roll back the tone knob. It’s a great guitar.
Great point! Those are on guitars for a reason, people forget that.
Great comparison: What are the actual differences in pickups? Is it AlNiCO vs CuNiFe? or is it handwound ? I'm having a hard time finding which types of pickups each used for each model
For me, as someone who played a 61 Jazzy as a kid and later a 62 in grown up years, the Vintera sounds more like a 60s Jazzy than does the custom shop model. Also it seems the pick guard on the Vintera is more accurate with a red tone as opposed to the custom shop model having more of a brown tone. But then again, sound and visual are very personal.
?....you do know that there is a reguar 60's one, right? I don't know why you compared the modified one and complained about the pickups being too hot, because well you know, it's modified.
That custom shop is amazing!
One of the best breakdowns of a JM I've seen. No question the CS 62s were better - no surprise there. Nice work.
The American Vintage JM hits the sweet spot between these 2. Check them out! Love my 62 AVRI! Never letting it go. ❤
I agree on the rythym section and pups. What about getting a cheap 60s vibe - swap out the pups and neck for something better.
My CME exclusive Jazzmaster sounds awesome, but no rhythm circuit. You can add one easily though. On my squire jazzmaster I put 65' fender pickups in it with 500 pots and it doesn't sound too trebley anymore.
Do you mean the blue CME classic Vibe 70s jazzmaster? I’m looking at the specs rn and it definitely has a rhythm circuit
Why was there no pickup noise on custom shop one? This is so interesting...
Consider this. Buy the Vintera, take it to a Luthier, put whatever PUP's you want, have the fret edges and frets polished, fingerboard rolled, and you are still thousands ahead, with a brand new shinny finish. Or better yet do the same with a Squire CV Jazzmaster and then you are saving some serious money. Cheers.
I was wondering how one of the squire jazzmasters compared. Obviously not gonna beat a custom shop, but still curious about how they sound out of the box
@@emergerflyfishing They are all over UA-cam. Cheers.
@@emergerflyfishing They sound better than the Vintera in this video.
I have the CV Jazzmaster and it sounds great. Better than the Vintera here
I love way you play😚
im thinking of getting the vintera, but seems like i have to get the pure vintage 65 pickup set as well, that was way to shrill and trebly
Think you missed the point a bit (perhaps why others are saying you should have picked the non-modified Vintera). The clue is in the closer bridge AND the hotter pickups. That Vintera just like the J Mascis JM’s - they are definitely meant for the Indie/Shoegaze crowd. They are perfect for that.
The CS sounds great
Damb the custom shop sounds amazing
For $1,300 I would want an American made Fender. But who can afford 4K? Some lucky few but not me. So, what's a good Jazzmaster choice under 2K? It sounded like Cooper wasn't thrilled with the V-Mod PUs on the Professional Series.
Personally, I don't like the V mod PU`s on any fender model. A couple years ago The vintera line was a great guitar for the money when they were $900 to $950.
I bought the 70`s vintera deluxe tele that had fret ends top and bottom that were so sharp it was unplayable.
Seriously consider the Squire 60's Classic Vibe, pickups are outstanding and with a little set up and fret dressing you end up with a great instrument, Seriously...
@@BobPerrone Actually, the Squier classic vibes that are made in Indonesia now have no sharp frets ends and are playable out of the box. I bought a 21 strat and tele and all they needed was 5 minute minor tweaking.
The 40th anniversary Squier Jazzmaster is nice. It costs a little more than the Classic Vibe but between the gold anodized pickguard and the neck I think it’s worth it. The Anniversary has more of a D shaped neck.
super curious to know what guitar is used in the intro to this video? sounds unreal!
Do you mean the short acoustic lick?
@@AlamoMusic yes exactly 👍
@@keithclark486 hahaha
so, the way for anybody to get the authentic/original sound and not spend 5 Grand would be get a great playing cheapo even the Squier 40 anniversary, and put in the right PUs (and the right trem in case of the Squier)? Thanks for the cool vid!
haha.. "MAAASSSSSTER"...love it! I love em... but they are to heavy for me. OMG... tthe Custom is a Cosmic Download GEEZ... I levitated!!
Potmeters are 1meg for both?
Really great info - I know there is a 'cheap vs expensive' theme going on here, but I wonder how the CS would stack up against the American Original 60's, which is still half its price.
I've heard from various dealers (as far back as late 2021) that the original series has been unofficially discontinued to be replaced by a 'new' vintage series. Any of the American Originals that have shown up in stores this year are apparently Fender fulfilling old orders.
I do not know it for sure but some Jazzmasters have 1000kø Pots which will be very very trebly in sound. So it could help to put some 250 pots in the Noventa.
17:31, as an edgy teenager who has been playing for a while now, I can confirm it is indeed all Fender for some reason. In fact, I'm watching this as I hold my Squier Toronado, such a great guitar. Anyways, I think it comes down to the influence of artists accross different generations; for instance, I have an olympic white strat because of Hendrix and Albert Hammond Jr. From The Strokes.
Great playing and I appreciate your respect for the Jazzmaster formula, but as an owner of an AO w/Mastery bridge & trem, an Am Pro 1, and a CME Player Series JM w/a Panorama trem and an AO Jag, I've gotta say that part of what makes Jags and Jm's great is the ergonomics and the two-pickup sound with that great tremolo. People who would ordinarily default to buying a strat but don't want the 3 pickup sound should try any of the offset variants just for the playing experience - even the somewhat strange looking player series w/humbuckers. Jm's and Jags are a fantastic alternative for people who want a two-pickup sound but would like a tremolo. Plus you get those ergonomic contours that the venerable Telecaster does not have. Whether these non-traditional models are genuine or not is an interesting debate, but for a traditional bedroom rocker who may not use the rhythm circuit on a JM or might be a little put off by all the slider switches on a Jag, hey, that's ok - the mutant versions of those guitars still have a lot of good things to offer (even though the humbucker/single coil combo on the player Jaguar looks pretty odd).
AIN'T NO WAY YOU'RE CALLING A ONE THOUSAND EUROS GUITAR CHEEEEEEEAP
Lol MA-STER! Pretty funny last guitar you’d think of to pair with that song
Get rid of the adjustomatic bridge, change the pickups (if you want, I don't think you really need to), darken the fretboard, and the Vintera suddenly becomes a really, really nice guitar.
The Squier CV Jazzmaster sounds better than the Vintera imo. (The Vintera Custom 70s Tele, on the other hand, is pure 🔥)
That 62 is soooo sweet🥲
Don't know what they feel like but they sound very similar
expensive vs more expensive
A pickup swap would be mandatory with that Vintera; the stock pickups are unbearably thin and brittle. The other issue is the butt-ugly Pao Ferro fingerboard that looks like damp cardboard.
Fender is without excuse for using ugly wood in place of Indian Rosewood when decent-looking substitutes like Indian Laurel and Ovangkol are available.
I was going to buy a top of the Line fender Strat,, but aftr watching this video,,, Im going to get Jazzmaster.... I have been wanting something with a Warmer sound..... Thank you sir/////
And yet it never caught on with pure jazz players. It’s a shame.
I feel like the Tele on the neck pickup is way better for Jazz. Check out Julian Lage for example
@@voidtremors5814 Except that Julian Lage uses Ron Ellis pickups which cost around $1000 for a pair. And then he’s also Julian Lage!
The audio is like "day and night" in this case you get what you pay for. I wish you guys would tell us prices so we won't have to go looking for them. Love all your videos! God bless!
Yea…I was gonna say, $1300 ain’t cheap. Lol. For that you can buy a used AmPro or MIJ.
Erh itself custom shop is definitely more magic in the recording process to sound better
Just a couple years ago that vintera was 950 bucks new.
I have a squire affinty sweet axe
sometimes the cheaper is better, I got a Fender USA jazzmaster 60’s Original and I changed the pickups and got a mastery bridge and now it sounds authentic, I paid 600$ extra for Fender USA 60’s original, which is the top of the line in Fender apart from Fender custom shop. Fender is gonna fade away.
Just looking at the guitars I thought the blue one was the cheap ass one.
The custom shop is the sound. I would take the pick ups and the rosewood into the vintera and that is my guitar. I don’t need the extra relic the guitar will get old with time.
Vintera sounds fantastic in this video. Custom Shop really is mainly for the guitar snobs, and mid range is more for the players.
Yup, you could really hear the difference.
Portemanteau ?
Being completely honest, the minuscule difference in sound is not going to make one iota
to a performing musician, the audience damn sure won't know, nor will they care. The price difference is negligible for me, I'd go with the Ventura hands down.
Was that "MASTER!" a Metallica reference...? I think it was.
Swapping the Vintera pickups with some Custom Shop ones would make for a pretty awesome guitar.
Idk if its the lighting but those fretboards look dryer than texas
Hmmm bought a CUSTOM SHOP 60S TELE 7.5 RADIUS... DISAPPOINTED ...sold it. Neck too small.
I think you can get away with the vintera model if you change the pickups
if Fender want to sell more Jazzmasters and Jaguars they really should make them playable! like shim the neck or better, to make the right angle in the neck pocket so they dont have to be shim'd, if you buy anything less than a CS, you will have to shim, the first thing you'll have to do is to bring it to a guitar tech, a NEW guitar!? wtf Fender? awful!
Custom shop WINS.....by a LOT
the cheap ones are always heavy.
I've got the Vintera Jazz and it's the best guitar I've ever played. I've got a custom Les Paul, and have played a bunch of different guitars and the Vintera is top notch!
NOT a fan of rekicing. NOT gonna pay that kind of money for that.NO matter! They need to make one similar to the vintera in the USA factory.
They both sound great. NOT paying for the relicing.
I don’t get scratching up a new guitar. Totally stupid.
cmon Sky dog...gimme a break
Why do a poly finish on the Vintera !?😢 what were they thinking?why not nitro ?? Everything is perfect about this guitar, especially the price, except the finish. That’s a show stopper and I will never buy a poly finish guitar ever again.
@@keithclark486 I like a guitar finish to wear in after lots of playing like nitro does. Poly will look the same after 100 years of playing - anyway I just bought a nitro Customshop JM, so it doesn’t matter to me anymore
I don't get why Fender insists on putting a junk printed tort guard on a Custom Shop guitar. If you're gonna charge $5K contract with Spitfire for crying out loud.
As always, way to much talk and not enough sounds.
I was wondering if you had any custom JazzMasters that does not come in that nasty washed out dirty looking commode blue.
WILL A $ 5000 GUITAR BEAT A $ 1000 GUITAR ????? ...IM SCARED OF WATCHING THIS VIDEO....SO WATCH IT FOR ME AND TELL ME.
vintera cheap? cmon man.
I keep telling myself this whole relicing nonsense is just a bad dream. The people will wake from it soon and realize they've been had. Unfortunately videos like this legitimize the idiocy. And so it goes on.
Cheap. lol.