Good to have Cooper talk about this, because he is so familiar with Jazzmasters and able to give that perspective on the differences between the vintage specced one and the much more modern-facing ultra.
Great review! I have an AO60's Jazzmaster and I have to agree that I was completely blown away by the range of tones you can get from it - from thin and airy to dark and murky, it's one of the things I really love about the guitar. Like it or hate it, it's very unapologetically what the Jazzmaster was made to be.
My car broke down on Route 66 and I spent the night at Boise City, OK. Nice people there I had a '60s Jag in '72 for a while. I was a kid and didn't appreciate it, but it looked cool in my band. I traded it for an acoustic when I quit the band and never looked back. Yes, I was born in '56.
I chose the Sunburst because it just looks amazing and the super amber headstock. I have an AO as well and they’re both incredible. The pickups are far superior on the 66, though.
Hey guys, when you do your ultimate Jazzmaster comparison, can you please do 1. Ultra 2. American professional and 3. The 66 reissue. I'm having a hell of a time pulling the trigger on one of these 3 models.
I second this, Cooper. I have wanted a JM since I first laid hands on one when I was 16 (about 40 years ago). I'm finally in a position to get one and will do so right after the New Year, but I'm having trouble deciding on whether to go for the AP2 in Mystic Surf Green or the AV2 '66 in Dakota Red. My concerns: Neck: I really want the rosewood fretboard w/block inlays, but don't know if the steeper radius (7.25 vs. 9.5) and neck profile on the AV2 are what I'm after. I think the Ultra's 10-14" compound radius is just too flat for me. Electronics: You mentioned the series/parallel switching for the rhythm circuit on the Ultra. I'd like to see a deeper dive on this as well as the push/push pot on the AP2. V-Mod 2 (AP2)vs. Pure Vintage '66 (AV2) vs. Ultra Noiseless Vintage (Ultra). Finishes: All three (AP2, AV2, and Ultra) are alder bodies. AV2 is nitro and the others are urethane. How much of a difference does this make to anyone other than a collector? I haven't seen the Ultra in a color I like (yet). I think I'm in love with the idea of the '66, but the AP2 seems like it's what I'm after. According to my calculations, you should be able to cover all of this in a 2-hour video. The three of them aren't wildly different in price. Help us out, Coop. I (we) want to make the "right" decision. Thanks!!!
@@richardnardone7580 Don’t just go by the radius when comparing the necks. The Ultra necks are much thinner, so the radius works for what it is. It’s a truly lovely neck to play on that line. The switching on the Ultra is often poorly explained on UA-cam, it’s only out of phase when in the middle position, in the bridge or neck you just get the roller for that pickup, so you can have a preset volume for both of those, nice for going from clean to dirty with consistency. However, the Ultra is more for someone who likes how a Jazzmaster looks, but doesn’t get on with the traditional switching, bridge and bright tone, or already has that and after something different. It’s actually softer and more between humbuckers and Strat/Tele single coils. It’s best to spend some time with a Jazzmaster or Jaguar that’s as close to original specs and see how you get on with it, because it’s idiosyncrasies might not gel with you and you might find either the Ultra or AmPro 2 solves your problems.
The noiseless pickups on the ultra are very sterile sounding. They don’t have a Jazzmaster tone at all. The rest of the guitar is awesome and unique down to the switching. The Am Pro II is decent, but also doesn’t really sound like a Jazzmaster. The AVII 66 sounds and feels like a proper Jazzmaster, but has the drawback of a 7.25” radius fretboard, which a lot of modern players don’t fancy. I like it and all the legends of the 60s-80s had Fenders with 7.25” and they did fine, so YMMV
LouAnn platter LOL When I was a child, I used to get the Luby's LouAnn platter. I would never have ever remembered that on my own, so thank you! lol I lost all train of thought about the guitar after that comment. lol
I have the pro II and the AVII66. Pickups in the 66 are slightly better in my opinion. More jangle and the cleans cant be beat. I personally prefer AVII66 with overdrive (tumnus) as well, but I play at 10/11 oclock gain. My son, prefers the 66 for cleans and the pro II with distortion (boss ds1) .
I went to your store to buy the dark green alamo tshirt and couldn't find it. Is it not in stock anymore? It's on the screen briefly when they're talking about buying stuff from the store.
Yeah, I've been listening to Magic Slim and the Teardrops all week (Black Tornado CD). Love his music. He almost aways played his Jazzmaster. I might have to get one of these bad boys to get my Magic Slim on.
I just saw a ‘66 Jazzmaster in Blue Ice Metallic w/matching headstock (now aged to green) with a white pickguard and knobs. Looked and sounded Beautiful. How about black pickup covers and knobs? On that one? Who else (like me) thinks it would look better?
I see where you're going with that - the Dark Night color in the APII line is blacked out and looks very cool - but for me the cream colored PUs and knobs give it a so-corny-it's-cool vibe that I don't think I could do without, LOL.
hey Guys I'm looking to get into one of these but don't want the small headstock that Fender first put out. Do you know when Fender came out w the large correct headstock? What month?
You should. It's simply the better choice. If it's your first or only one it's the easier to play and more versatile guitar for less money. I feel like the really Vintage accurate guitars are better off as an addition. I own the ultra, pro II and vintage II '51 tele and they're all great for their own reason but the best middleground is the pro II. Cheapest too.
I've experienced it with with Gibson's and Martins too.. You guys demo them...Great demos!!!! ...then I go to your website to purchase and no guitar is there to purchase. @@AlamoMusic
Curious... What's the nicest version of a JM that is a direct upgrade to the Vintera jazzmaster? It's my favorite guitar I've played, including my beloved Les Paul Custom 3 pu bb, so I'm curious what the "top of line" version of a Vintera Jazzmaster would be.
That's odd, I would have thought something different. Maybe you all just had an odd amp pairing, but that sounded very thin compared to the Vintera that I'm used to hearing. Mine is very fat and round, and only thin and bitey on the bridge pickup. Would love to hear another amp with that guitar. Mesa Mark series?
I almost bought it without trying it out. Glad I found one to try. Then I saw some Baum guitars from Denmark and everything changed. For about the same price I bought a Baum Leaper Tone with a real Bigsby. The fender tremolo bar is crap compared to a Bigsby. Fender is NOT putting out the quality they once did.
@@zeestrees2780 Puisheen has a great review of the AVII JM and it's eye-opening - I'm sure Cooper wouldn't sell you a bad one, though, so his seal of approval would be good enough for me!
I turned nine in 1966. I do not do any Q tip blue hair activities. I do not have time to play Bingo. Too busy teaching young health care professionals.
Cooper’s hair are so majestic
Looking forward to the next upload, "Fretboard and hair conditioners with Cooper"
Consider taking an English class
Good to have Cooper talk about this, because he is so familiar with Jazzmasters and able to give that perspective on the differences between the vintage specced one and the much more modern-facing ultra.
I bought apractically unplayed 19 ultra with case and candy for 1k last year. That's my only exposure to a JM
@@davedavid7061 thats a steal bro!
@@davedavid7061 sounds awesome, wht fo you think about it? do you still love it?
@@XxXHardcoreshredderxXXxxxxxxxx I play it less than my strat because of fretboard radius. But it is pretty and for a thousand bucks can't go wrong
@@davedavid7061 what's wrong with the radius? Too flat?
Great review! I have an AO60's Jazzmaster and I have to agree that I was completely blown away by the range of tones you can get from it - from thin and airy to dark and murky, it's one of the things I really love about the guitar. Like it or hate it, it's very unapologetically what the Jazzmaster was made to be.
The thumbnail got me laughing. Thanks for that!
My car broke down on Route 66 and I spent the night at Boise City, OK. Nice people there
I had a '60s Jag in '72 for a while. I was a kid and didn't appreciate it, but it looked cool in my band. I traded it for an acoustic when I quit the band and never looked back.
Yes, I was born in '56.
This thumbnail is everything.
Perfect R&B sound!
I have a real 1965 Jazzmaster (same color and pickguard) neck date 4AUG65. Doesn't have the bound fretboard. Got it for $70 at a piano store in 1974.
How fender overlooked the head stock shape blows my mind. It should be the large headstock.
I can’t even look. I’m so got over that shape...
Another great vid. Thanks gents.
*hot
Alamo should give Cooper that Jazzmaster as a bonus.
I chose the Sunburst because it just looks amazing and the super amber headstock. I have an AO as well and they’re both incredible. The pickups are far superior on the 66, though.
Ah; cool love the ageism. So RAD.
Can you imagine a 1966 unairconditioned Mustang with black interior in the Tyler TX area?
Love the pickups and the riff you played. Nice.
Could Cooper review the Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster?
Hey guys, when you do your ultimate Jazzmaster comparison, can you please do 1. Ultra 2. American professional and 3. The 66 reissue. I'm having a hell of a time pulling the trigger on one of these 3 models.
Good idea.
I second this, Cooper. I have wanted a JM since I first laid hands on one when I was 16 (about 40 years ago). I'm finally in a position to get one and will do so right after the New Year, but I'm having trouble deciding on whether to go for the AP2 in Mystic Surf Green or the AV2 '66 in Dakota Red.
My concerns:
Neck: I really want the rosewood fretboard w/block inlays, but don't know if the steeper radius (7.25 vs. 9.5) and neck profile on the AV2 are what I'm after. I think the Ultra's 10-14" compound radius is just too flat for me.
Electronics: You mentioned the series/parallel switching for the rhythm circuit on the Ultra. I'd like to see a deeper dive on this as well as the push/push pot on the AP2. V-Mod 2 (AP2)vs. Pure Vintage '66 (AV2) vs. Ultra Noiseless Vintage (Ultra).
Finishes: All three (AP2, AV2, and Ultra) are alder bodies. AV2 is nitro and the others are urethane. How much of a difference does this make to anyone other than a collector? I haven't seen the Ultra in a color I like (yet).
I think I'm in love with the idea of the '66, but the AP2 seems like it's what I'm after. According to my calculations, you should be able to cover all of this in a 2-hour video.
The three of them aren't wildly different in price. Help us out, Coop. I (we) want to make the "right" decision.
Thanks!!!
@@richardnardone7580 Don’t just go by the radius when comparing the necks. The Ultra necks are much thinner, so the radius works for what it is. It’s a truly lovely neck to play on that line.
The switching on the Ultra is often poorly explained on UA-cam, it’s only out of phase when in the middle position, in the bridge or neck you just get the roller for that pickup, so you can have a preset volume for both of those, nice for going from clean to dirty with consistency.
However, the Ultra is more for someone who likes how a Jazzmaster looks, but doesn’t get on with the traditional switching, bridge and bright tone, or already has that and after something different. It’s actually softer and more between humbuckers and Strat/Tele single coils.
It’s best to spend some time with a Jazzmaster or Jaguar that’s as close to original specs and see how you get on with it, because it’s idiosyncrasies might not gel with you and you might find either the Ultra or AmPro 2 solves your problems.
The noiseless pickups on the ultra are very sterile sounding. They don’t have a Jazzmaster tone at all. The rest of the guitar is awesome and unique down to the switching. The Am Pro II is decent, but also doesn’t really sound like a Jazzmaster. The AVII 66 sounds and feels like a proper Jazzmaster, but has the drawback of a 7.25” radius fretboard, which a lot of modern players don’t fancy. I like it and all the legends of the 60s-80s had Fenders with 7.25” and they did fine, so YMMV
I thought the Mustang analogy was spot on.
LouAnn platter LOL When I was a child, I used to get the Luby's LouAnn platter. I would never have ever remembered that on my own, so thank you! lol
I lost all train of thought about the guitar after that comment. lol
Really like the body shapes on the Jazzmasters and Mustangs.. never owned one though. I tend to default to the Tele.
Cooper, put a pair of the Ultra Pickups in the Vintage II and you get best of both worlds
Are the pick ups noisy. ?
Would noiseless in that guitar be better
I have the pro II and the AVII66. Pickups in the 66 are slightly better in my opinion. More jangle and the cleans cant be beat. I personally prefer AVII66 with overdrive (tumnus) as well, but I play at 10/11 oclock gain. My son, prefers the 66 for cleans and the pro II with distortion (boss ds1) .
Chris, I was born well before 1966!
Cooper Greenberg!!!
I went to your store to buy the dark green alamo tshirt and couldn't find it. Is it not in stock anymore? It's on the screen briefly when they're talking about buying stuff from the store.
We have a limited stock in store and more available for direct purchase here: alamo-music.creator-spring.com/
:)
Saw Magic Slim in Tallahassee Fla. Play blues on a Jazzmaster
Yeah, I've been listening to Magic Slim and the Teardrops all week (Black Tornado CD). Love his music. He almost aways played his Jazzmaster. I might have to get one of these bad boys to get my Magic Slim on.
As U2 said, "Is that all?"
I just saw a ‘66 Jazzmaster in Blue Ice Metallic w/matching headstock (now aged to green) with a white pickguard and knobs. Looked and sounded Beautiful. How about black pickup covers and knobs? On that one? Who else (like me) thinks it would look better?
I see where you're going with that - the Dark Night color in the APII line is blacked out and looks very cool - but for me the cream colored PUs and knobs give it a so-corny-it's-cool vibe that I don't think I could do without, LOL.
I was 16 in 1966 🙂
hey Guys I'm looking to get into one of these but don't want the small headstock that Fender first put out. Do you know when Fender came out w the large correct headstock? What month?
I’m currently saving up for the American Pro 2! Not sure now!
Think I’ll still go for the AP2 though
You should. It's simply the better choice. If it's your first or only one it's the easier to play and more versatile guitar for less money. I feel like the really Vintage accurate guitars are better off as an addition. I own the ultra, pro II and vintage II '51 tele and they're all great for their own reason but the best middleground is the pro II. Cheapest too.
I just got the pro 2 and I think it’s best current version of the JM. To be fair I haven’t touched this model tho.
How much does this guitar weigh?
Cooper looks like an evil villain in the thumbnail xD
these guys are GREAT... but then I go to their website and they don't have the guitar in stock....????
Currently just waiting to get restocked from Fender! Quite a long wait time on reorders of the American Vintage II guitars right now.
I've experienced it with with Gibson's and Martins too.. You guys demo them...Great demos!!!! ...then I go to your website to purchase and no guitar is there to purchase. @@AlamoMusic
Is there a lefty version ?
Curious... What's the nicest version of a JM that is a direct upgrade to the Vintera jazzmaster? It's my favorite guitar I've played, including my beloved Les Paul Custom 3 pu bb, so I'm curious what the "top of line" version of a Vintera Jazzmaster would be.
If you didn't want to go custom shop, the top of the line version would probably be the American Vintage II '66 Jazzmaster!
That's odd, I would have thought something different. Maybe you all just had an odd amp pairing, but that sounded very thin compared to the Vintera that I'm used to hearing. Mine is very fat and round, and only thin and bitey on the bridge pickup. Would love to hear another amp with that guitar. Mesa Mark series?
I almost bought it without trying it out. Glad I found one to try. Then I saw some Baum guitars from Denmark and everything changed. For about the same price I bought a Baum Leaper Tone with a real Bigsby. The fender tremolo bar is crap compared to a Bigsby. Fender is NOT putting out the quality they once did.
It’s why I play HSS strats, it just kinda covers everything more than anything else, by no means perfect or all powerful, but for me it’s Tits.
I really wish it came with a large headstock that is year specific to a ‘66. Also the quality control for this $2400 guitar is really awful.
What quality control issues?
@@zeestrees2780 Puisheen has a great review of the AVII JM and it's eye-opening - I'm sure Cooper wouldn't sell you a bad one, though, so his seal of approval would be good enough for me!
It does now
That RW fretboard looks very light….:/
I’d play a steering wheel if it had a neck with block inlays and binding.
If you had $1500 to $3000 to spend on a "true" Jazzmaster which model would you buy?
I turned nine in 1966. I do not do any Q tip blue hair activities. I do not have time to play Bingo. Too busy teaching young health care professionals.
OK
Hair.....
brother. you shared well content, wanna a pormo?! 😲
I like the guitar but the gloss neck is sticky and slow. I dont understand why a guitar at this price point would be made less comfortable to play??
You cats can play
This could be the greatest Jazzmaster ever made and I still wouldn’t buy it because of the neck binding and block inlays. Just looks wrong to me
No lefty’s .. again.
The inlays look so cheap
Nope
Cooper looks so damn happy!
Hello, good video. I have a question: its the headstock correct in vintage ii models? Thanks!