FYI the third switch on the bottom isn't phase, it's the "strangle switch" that adds an extra capacitor to bleed off some of the lower frequencies (for thinner tone). And the circuit on top is the jazz or rhythm circuit, which has a darker sound due to different pot impedances.
it still is weird to call the "upper" circuit rhythm circuit because you mostly use the neck pickup for soloing and the bridge pickup for rhythms. the guy here knew that the upper controls control the beck pickup and associated it like the common way but not like the producer named it. i always found it wrong to distinguish the pickups as rhythm/lead since you can play them how you want it. why not stick with "neck pu" and "bridge pu"? stupid guys at fender..
@@1.123 Rob is actually wrong on this. The upper controls are for the rhythm circuit. In that mode, only the neck pickup is active, and it's routed through a different capacitor for a growlier, bassier tone. The rhythm circuit just has volume and tone control wheels. This is true on both Jag and Jazzmaster. The lower controls are for the lead circuit, which gives the player the option of one or both pickups. In the case of the Jag, there are three slider switches. There's a switch to turn the neck pickup on or off, and the same with the bridge pickup. The slider nearest the knobs isn't a phase switch. It's a bass cut. The Jazzmaster has a three-way toggle instead of sliders. You can toggle neck, bridge, or both. The Jazzmaster doesn't have the bass cut. I own one of each and swapped the Duncan-Designed stock pickups with Fender Pure Vintage 65s, and they sound much better now. I'll switch the pots soon. The vintage style bridge isn't an issue if you use 11 gauge flatwound strings. The heavier gauge helps tuning stability and intonation. Shimming the neck also helps.
Riley Clanton its fucking painful isn't it. not only are these two completely unfunny, unknowledgeable hosts, but they can't play for shit. guitars horrendously out of tune by 13:15
I know this video clip is 7 years old, but I am seeing this for the 1st time today, I bought that exact Sonic Blue VM Squier Jazzmaster in Mint condition for $275 USD with shipping in 2018. It was copper shielded and had the Mustang Bridge revision. Previous owner had the bridge turned around incorrectly with the screws facing the pickups, so her or she probably got frustrated with trying to tune the guitar and it landed in my hands ( thank god ). I took the guitar in my local guitar center and did a side by side comparison with the $1100 MIM Jazzmaster running through a Fender Deluxe and was very happy that my Squire model sounded crisper and better in my hands that the MIM that had the Fender Vintage pickups, perhaps that's due to the stock Seymour Duncan P/Us in the Squire version. Long story short the Vintage Modified series is outstanding and if you can overcome the logo disparity, you will love the VM series. The only other other mod I did was upgrade to CTS pot and did a light sanding on the back of the neck as the glossy finish is not for me. Now looking for a VM Tele Version as we speak, thanks for the great video !!
These are the best demos on the internet. you're entertaining and not boring, you don't talk about it for too long, and you give an awesome representation about what the guitar actually sounds like. 10/10
Ive been watching your videos for the past couple years and yesterday I finally bought a guitar based on your videos. the squire jazzmaster. I got it for $295 brand new and that price included 3 packs of d'addario strings. Just wanted to say thanks for all the great information, the guitar is beyond fantastic. Also DORJE KICKS A WHOLE LOTTA ASS!!!!!
i get more amazed everytime i watch a video of lee playing. so much feel in his playing, its almost like he gets better and better with every video. but you guys keep on doing what your doing.
Bought a Jag. Cool guitar. I performed quite a few mods. Fitted a mustang bridge, wax potted the pickups, copper shielding in the cavalries, changed the pots to cts pots in the main circuit, modified the main circuit to get series parallel hum bucking, installed nickel kluson deluxe tuners, changed the trem to a genuine fender, after all this it became an amazing. Treated the fret board with some fret doctor too. Fecking love this thing
First rule of reviewing Jazzmasters and Jags- Never hand them to a shredder ever!!! plus I don't know abt these VM Squires but I've got one CP Jag and an MIJ Jazzmaster and in them the top circuit is the rythm circuit ( same goes to vintage ones too)and engages the neck pickup with a more darker sound and is not the lead circuit and it certainly isn't a boost circuit Rob hahahaha. anyways I'm quite amazes on how both of them are pretty much clueless on how these offset guitars work and when rob tried a divebomb on a that Jag trem I just had the biggest facepalm of the week moment... anyways these guitars are just great for any rock stuff especially punk, post-punk and shoegaze and all the genres that go with these three. You can go hard rock too but since they r single coiled, I'll rather add humbuckers or buy a kurt cobain signature one. For metal, Jaguar isn't compatable because of it's short scale but I'll buy a Jim Root sig Jazzmaster though but since I play Shoegaze I love my fender Jaguar and Jazzmasters and will never part my ways with them!
Harshivjot Singh I use a Strat for shoegaze because I hate that bridge and trem... Or a Les Paul with a B7 on it. At least that way I can play the lead parts without the strings going apeshit on me (which is strange since I play rather gently). I don't know, it seems like every alternative guitar player I meet is using some form of a Jazzmaster or Jaguar, and I honestly don't understand why anyone would use them. Then again, people like Kevin Shields did, so I guess it works for some people, and I have no problem with people using something that does what they want.
Well maybe the offsets u used were not setup properly... or u used lighter strings. Anyways Slowdive n Ride also used strata n les paul back in 90s but I like the electronics of Jaguars n Jazzmasters, once u get your head arnd it, they are actually a great concept. Plus I'm planning to mod by LP with an SG style long Maestro Vibrola just for playing Shoegaze. Also to mention both Slowdive N Rush after reuniting are using Jaguars n maybe if you find a great one u'll like it. Plus I bought my Jaguar just because I liked visually n didn't had any clue of what Shoegaze was. Now they are the part of my tone and without them I feel incomplete. I bought Jag just because it popped out of all the teles n strats tha happened to be in the shop that day n to be honest that decision changed my life.
Harshivjot Singh Yeah, I think it's the strings. I use .009~.46. Anything heavy is out of the question for me, since I like playing fast (which oddly makes me a weirdo among fellow alt. rock fans). I remember Slowdive using teles (which made sense since the tones in Rutti sounded exactly like one); never knew they used Strats and LPs. I'm a huge Les Paul fan because it's OBVIOUSLY the BEST GUITAR (JK), but I guess there's a reason why some people use Jags or Jazzmasters. But come on, you gotta admit the Les Paul is the best hands down and all the other guitars suck major ass compared to it (again, JK. I'll stop now haha). In all seriousness, it was nice to see things from a different point of view like this. Maybe I'll try one again if I get the chance.
well my friend Ride used les pauls n Slowdive's Christian Savill used strats coz he was lefty and in his own words was too broke to import a left handed japanese jaguar. Anyways my first love were Les Pauls and I still love them plus I used 9s too on my LP hahaha but I've got a Classic Player Jag n it's tremolo is nearer to the bridge compared to original Jaguars n Jazzmasters n has hotter pickups so with more bridge angle the trem is more stable n I use 10s on it but with my MIJ Jazzmaster I still use 12s and yes it's hard to bend sometimes coz for a long time I was used to 10s on my Jag n 9s on my LP. I might go 11 on it but anything less than that isn't great for Jags and JMs with trems way back. I advise u to try classic player Jaguars and Jazzmasters coz I found my Jaguar quite similar tonally to my LP, just missing that humbucker bite slightly and other than that the neck is more chunkier compared to the slimtaper on my LP. Once I mod my LP I'll be the most happiest person on earth hahaha
Harshivjot Singh An LP with the Vibrola trem sounds fucking amazing dude! I kinda wish they'd make black bigsbys so I can fit my ESP Eclipse with one (I'm probably the only guy who'd do such a thing, but yeah).
Guys I typically love your vids but do your homework. You both got the channels backwards and it hard to believe you couldn't tell by hearing how dark the top position is.
I think he has the controls backwards. The neck (rhythm) pickup is controlled by the top volume and tone controls. The switch neck to it selects which set of controls is activated. But yes, the bottom switches, when selected, are on and off switches for the pickups, with a phase switch.
I wish more guys would play lead like you do. Tasteful, not overstated, and not overly flashy. Us rhythm players love to sit back and hold down the groove while someone who actually has something to say takes the lead. Awesome review.
Congrats elmington! Back in the day(1980s) I had a million Guitars, Strats, Teles, Pauls, etc. I'd always be modding, and tweaking them. Except for my '63 Jaguar. All I ever did was play the heck out of it, that Jag was, and will always be my absolute favorite - and even tho it's not worth near as much money as the some of Strats I had, it's the only Guitar I owned that I'd truly Love to have back today.
Thank you so much for all that u guys do. Watching ur reviews is a huge part of and benefit to my musical journey. Way to go frettedamericana for introducing me to these fine folk. as an aside; i like how u edited the jams in this vid. Ur both capable as hell so no need to prove urself with a 4 min jam straight through. Edit that shit and give us the best!! Thanks!!!
Thanks for the tip about the Mustang bridge guys. I have had the problem constantly since i first got it back in November last year , Again thanks a bunch guys.
I own a 2012 white squier vintage modified Jaguar and a 1963 original (which was my only gigging guitar for 22 years. The squier is now my main gigging guitar as I find it that good. I have fitted a John moore bridge to both (as fitted to the Johnny Marr Jag) and have no problems with either of them in the tuning department. The squier is fitted with 9-42 light guage and is just perfect for me. have a few vids playing live on here under paul garrett (jag demo about 8 down) and also The Gents Band. all taken on mobile phones but gives a good idea how the sound live.
Got the mustang bridge for mine. Helps to wrap the posts with electrical tape for a tight fit. Uses a 1.5 mm hex wrench for height adjustment. Due to 24" I use 11s.
I recently bought one of each. My Jazzmaster Squier has a different configuration than the Anderton's demo, using a tune-o-matic style bridge instead of the traditional style bridge. I replaced the Jaquar bridge with a Mustang bridge, which was quite an improvement, and I highly recommend the change. I also swapped out the pickups on both. The Jazzmaster now has Seymour Duncan Antiquity II's and the Jaquar has SD Antiquities. The original pickups on both guitars were SD designed, and very nice, but I have a thing for Duncan Antiquities.
flatwound 11's or 12's fixes the string popping out of place issue. Also, ensure the bridge pieces are all 90 degrees and then place some clear nail polish on the screws once it's set to your liking, and you won't have any issues at all with the bridges.
Love your vids! You both make me laugh and give awesome info about guitars...have learned a lot since I just bought my first ever electric guitar. I own a Squire VM Jazzmaster. I am going to be doing the mod to a Mustang Bridge later this week. Hopefully getting rid of buzzing and slippage. Can't wait to hear it! Thanks for all the info. Next on my list to buy will be a Telle or Les Paul!
As far as I know the channels are opposite of what he says they are. The top position is the rhythm and the bottom position is the lead channel. At least that is how it is on the original American ones. Also what he calls a "phase switch" is actually a bass cut which is great for that jangley Jaguar sound on the lead channel.
+Taylor Coulter Of course - listening to them jam - it seems perhaps these Squier models have it wired differently than my Fender Players Jassmaster !!!
I love my VM Jazzmaster. I put the mustang bridge on it and I;ve had no problems with it at all. I also put a "buzz stop" on it which helps cut down the buzz you get from the guitar being so flat. It also helped with the sustain. I've played gigs with this guitar and it is a great weapon to have in your arsenal as it has a very unique sound. It even holds tune better than my american strat. The fret wire wears down very quickly though so you have to get it refretted or buy a new neck. Overall it is the best $300 I've ever spent.
Thanks Capt,,and Rob..I think Fender is doing a really great job putting out new products..I have purchased 2 in the last month..they are Mexican made and the quality of build is awsum!
hi how are you thats a typical thing you should be very used to by now. the fact of the matter is nobodys gonna hear the jazzmaster and say "that sounds like Sonic youth!!!". what they did to their instruments really transcended the thing away from its brand, model or style and sometimes even being a guitar at all. but those big ole noisy pickups probably had at least a little something to do with their sound,
Connor Downey I don't know why he's so associated with the Jaguar. He's only been playing it since 2005 with his sig coming out in 2012. I'd say Rickenbacker's and the Gibson ES335 is classic Marr
I too had issues with the bridge upon purchasing my Jazzy. I put a cheap copy Les Paul Tune-o-matic bridge on and after a pickup swap the tone is amazing from my amp. it's a Surf Machine. I recommend a compressor for more volume and sustain. Makes a big difference. The action feels great and the tremolo adds creamy subtle vibes without detuning. Love the vintage tuners.
The one I procured came from a cheap lp knockoff. Mine fit but the studs stick out and it's difficult to palm mute. But the tone is less buzzy which improves it's sustain but the buzzing kind of adds to that surfy tone its known for but I prefer the reliability and sustain.
The original jaguar manual is in this location. support.fender.com/manuals/instruments/Jaguar_(1965)_manual.pdf Gents, it says that the rhythm section is in the upper part and the lead section is in the lower part. Did Fender purposely reverse the location of the sections in the modified versions?
I got the Jaguar when they came out - I'd been waiting for Squier to get round to makin' 'em for ages - great guitar. Oh! I superglued the bridge so it don't move
I have done the Bridge Mod on my Jazzmaster! I bought Graphite (Graph-tech) saddles for it and just replaced the saddles instead of the whole bridge and it works and sounds amazing. I also replaced the Duncan Design pickups with real Seymore Duncan P90s. I have a 2000 dollar American Strat and I honestly like the Jazzmaster better.
I'm talking about keeping it completely stock, but if you play what j mascis does, you should probably upgrade the bridge. He still doesn't strum as hard as other artists do though.
Mastery bridge is a good rule for SQ or Fdr. Don't hand a jm to a shredder? Nels Cline... Anyone? Can you think of anyone else who sounds remotely close to him?
the comment at 8:20 about the locking mechanism on the tremolo missed the point. the locking mechanism was installed so that if a string broke, the tremolo could be locked and the guitar would be close to in tune even though it was missing a string. Anyone familiar with a stratocaster tremolo knows what happens when a string breaks. you either replace the string immediately or retune the guitar.
Just ordered the Jaguar in surf green :) i really look forward to get it, what i read about it makes it seem as the guitar who will offer me the excatly sound i am currently looking for
Absolutely man XD I was about too comment about that as well I own the Jaguar and its the perfect surf-guitar because of that high-pass filter and rhythm circuit(but you already knew that haha)
I have a Squier J Mascis Signature Jazzmaster, and I used to own a 62 original. The tailpiece, where the strings anchor, is screwed to the body and doesn't move. The trem arm mounts to a piece which protrudes THROUGH the tailpiece, and attached to a mechanism underneath. When you push on the trem arm, the tailpiece doesn't move, but a system of springs under the pickguard moves the bridge, which is, as you say, floating.
Or you can buy a Mastery Bridge if you want to fix up your Squier Jazzmaster or Jaguar and be able to take it as your main! I did that to my Jazzmaster and also added a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge leaving the jazzmaster DD single pickup stock in the neck and man this guitar is great!
Lol I don't even know how Rob got the info... Lead circuit? Boost? Phase? He seems like he showed up, was told by Lee he was reviewing some offsets and played them for 10 mins before the shoot and made up his own explanations of the switching. My god
Chapers is the man bought the Phill x c30 on the back of your reviews, luv it to bits so far! Doesn't forgive cheap guitars and pedals tho sonically very transparent I luv it
This has probably been said, but it's actually the rhythm circuit on the upper horn, which only uses the neck pickup. The controls on the lower half of the guitar are the lead circuit.
It would be nice to make a side by side review of the classic player jazzmaster VS the vintage, and also the special jazzmaster. There are two questions: Is the jazzmaster bridge the soul of the jazzmaster tone? And is the vintage worth the price?
I've got the VM Jaguar and I had this issue with the bridge. I took mine for a proper set up and instead of replacing the bridge the guy filled down the screw-like face part of the bridge and replaced the strings with 11's and I haven't had a problem since.
It doesn't have the string jumping problem, due to having a tune-o-matic (or adjust-o-matic or whatever Fender calls them) bridge. However, the bridge is mismatched to the neck radius, so the action is going to be a bit off in places, especially on the middle strings.
I've done the bridge mod on my jazzmaster classic player. I had to have a tech do it as the posts on the mustang bridge are a lot thinner than the holes in the guitar, So it rocked like crazy. He needed to put a thread inside the existing thread inside the guitar to narrow the holes to stop the rocking
I own the Surf Green Jaguar and it is an amazing guitar, for $300 you really can't buy a better guitar new. The only thing that I think could be a better deal would be finding a used fender strat at $300 but you can't find another guitar with more options in that price range. I use the Squier Jaguar, a Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang (Fiesta Red) and an Arctic White Strat (modern player I believe.) While my Mustang is my favorite, the Jaguar comes in at a close second. I own two Fenders and let me tell you, the difference between the Squier Jaguar and the actual Fender Jaguar lie only in the quality of materials used, as far as tones are concerned I really couldn't hear the difference. This is a great way to see what off-set guitars are all about without murdering your wallet.
They got the way the tremolo works all wrong. I don't know if anyone's said this yet but the tremolo is actually ingenious design. The bridge is on a plate that is held at a tension by the strings and if you move the arm the bridge goes down and up with the plate inside. The strings therefore stay intonated unlike on a strat where the string length is actually shortened or elongated. The trem makes it harder to lock into tune especially if you ever switch between something like standard and drop D, but the design has many high points including extra resonance, beautiful flutter with the trem bar, and better overall intonation while playing (assuming the guitar is set up well to begin with.)
Rob, is a session guitarist, An incredible writer/player and gets paid to do what he loves. He has the ability to run up and down the guitar like no ones business, He is having fun with ones of his best mates and gets to review great instruments everyday and shows us how the instruments play and sound with an honest opinion. He doesn't show off, which is amazing because with ability like his why not show off ? Rob is modest and a great guy, And his reviews are very helpful unlike your comments!
I believe the Squire Classic vibe 60's comes with the Mustang bridge for anyone watching this in 2021. Mastery makes great parts though. If I were to buy the Jazzmaster I would swap the trem and bridge with Mastery and put locking tuners on it and done. Super great guitar for 500 plus the 300 in upgrade. Also if you shim the neck a bit to get a tilt back and raise the bridge your string tension problem is eliminated.
Quite a staggering guitar the Jag. Unbelievable for the price. Did the bridge mod right off the bat so can't really speak for the original; if Johnny Marr does it I can't imagine it's a bad idea! Occasionally a heavy player when the mood takes me so I think it was worth it. Just go and buy one. Own 26 guitars (Fenders, Gibsons, Gretschs) and I play this little demon SO much.
I own the jaguar in olympic white. It's an absolutely beautiful guitar and sounds gorgeous. You do really need the bridge change if you are heavy handed like me, but it isn't a setback at all. Awesome guitar, awesome price. 'nuff said.
The Mustang bridge is for guitars with a 7.25" radius, these reissues are 9.5" so you'll need to use the more recent modified version with the adjustable height screws. Shimming the neck and raising the bridge is a better option. It improves the overall set up too. Also the upper circuit is the rhythm (or dark) circuit, the bottom one is the lead. You're using it in the exact opposite way it was intended. Seriously guys, 2 mins on Google and you could get this stuff right.
The thing that i love about the guitars, and really every fender guitar, is that the rhythm pickup always sounds incredible. The strat, the jazzmaster, the tele, the mustang, all of them just have really good rhythm. Where as with Gibson i find they have great lead guitars and great treble in the guitars. But yeah, that jazzmaster had way more than a 250 pound sound.
I just put a StayTrem on my Jazzmaster. It fixes all the problems associated with the Jazz/Jag bridge and it looks great too. It was $107 with shipping, but I think it's well worth it.
The Jaguar/Jazzmaster bridge is not perfect, but it can be remedied easily by replacing it with a Mustang bridge, and wrapping tape around the posts first to reduce movement, and increase tuning stability, a common modification. Heavier strings also help. Nothing to deter you from getting one if that's what you want.
Buzz Stop! It fixes the angle of the strings coming up to the saddles and you don't have to change the saddles. I had a buddy try the mustang and he said it was better but the buzz stop worked perfect on the stock bridge
Don't know if anyone's already mentioned this, but if you have a trem on your model, the bridge is supposed to rock, as you use the tremolo. That being said, I know of quite a few who've modded it in this way. Looking at a roller bridge, myself.
FYI the third switch on the bottom isn't phase, it's the "strangle switch" that adds an extra capacitor to bleed off some of the lower frequencies (for thinner tone). And the circuit on top is the jazz or rhythm circuit, which has a darker sound due to different pot impedances.
it still is weird to call the "upper" circuit rhythm circuit because you mostly use the neck pickup for soloing and the bridge pickup for rhythms. the guy here knew that the upper controls control the beck pickup and associated it like the common way but not like the producer named it. i always found it wrong to distinguish the pickups as rhythm/lead since you can play them how you want it. why not stick with "neck pu" and "bridge pu"? stupid guys at fender..
@@1.123 Rob is actually wrong on this. The upper controls are for the rhythm circuit. In that mode, only the neck pickup is active, and it's routed through a different capacitor for a growlier, bassier tone. The rhythm circuit just has volume and tone control wheels. This is true on both Jag and Jazzmaster.
The lower controls are for the lead circuit, which gives the player the option of one or both pickups.
In the case of the Jag, there are three slider switches. There's a switch to turn the neck pickup on or off, and the same with the bridge pickup. The slider nearest the knobs isn't a phase switch. It's a bass cut.
The Jazzmaster has a three-way toggle instead of sliders. You can toggle neck, bridge, or both. The Jazzmaster doesn't have the bass cut.
I own one of each and swapped the Duncan-Designed stock pickups with Fender Pure Vintage 65s, and they sound much better now. I'll switch the pots soon.
The vintage style bridge isn't an issue if you use 11 gauge flatwound strings. The heavier gauge helps tuning stability and intonation. Shimming the neck also helps.
I love how they go into a "sixties" jam and play some Nirvana.
Riley Clanton its fucking painful isn't it. not only are these two completely unfunny, unknowledgeable hosts, but they can't play for shit. guitars horrendously out of tune by 13:15
Coldacre And you are just sitting there not making a dime and getting schooled by guys you criticize- who is the smart one?
But.... They played Keep On Rocking In The Free World... Not exactly sixties, but definitely not Nirvana.
Riley Clanton they used polly's riff as a rhythm part... that seems disrespectful...
Also they played the actual riff on the jazz master instead of the actual jaguar thats right in the other guys hand
Squire guitars are honestly better options than a lot of if not most mid-high range guitars from other brands
I know this video clip is 7 years old, but I am seeing this for the 1st time today, I bought that exact Sonic Blue VM Squier Jazzmaster in Mint condition for $275 USD with shipping in 2018. It was copper shielded and had the Mustang Bridge revision. Previous owner had the bridge turned around incorrectly with the screws facing the pickups, so her or she probably got frustrated with trying to tune the guitar and it landed in my hands ( thank god ). I took the guitar in my local guitar center and did a side by side comparison with the $1100 MIM Jazzmaster running through a Fender Deluxe and was very happy that my Squire model sounded crisper and better in my hands that the MIM that had the Fender Vintage pickups, perhaps that's due to the stock Seymour Duncan P/Us in the Squire version. Long story short the Vintage Modified series is outstanding and if you can overcome the logo disparity, you will love the VM series. The only other other mod I did was upgrade to CTS pot and did a light sanding on the back of the neck as the glossy finish is not for me. Now looking for a VM Tele Version as we speak, thanks for the great video !!
These are the best demos on the internet. you're entertaining and not boring, you don't talk about it for too long, and you give an awesome representation about what the guitar actually sounds like. 10/10
The Polly jam was amazing, you guys play with an incredible amount of feel.
Ive been watching your videos for the past couple years and yesterday I finally bought a guitar based on your videos. the squire jazzmaster. I got it for $295 brand new and that price included 3 packs of d'addario strings. Just wanted to say thanks for all the great information, the guitar is beyond fantastic. Also DORJE KICKS A WHOLE LOTTA ASS!!!!!
i get more amazed everytime i watch a video of lee playing. so much feel in his playing, its almost like he gets better and better with every video. but you guys keep on doing what your doing.
Bought a Jag. Cool guitar. I performed quite a few mods. Fitted a mustang bridge, wax potted the pickups, copper shielding in the cavalries, changed the pots to cts pots in the main circuit, modified the main circuit to get series parallel hum bucking, installed nickel kluson deluxe tuners, changed the trem to a genuine fender, after all this it became an amazing. Treated the fret board with some fret doctor too. Fecking love this thing
Oouuaaaawwhhhh, the Jaguar sounds absolutely fantastic! What an amazing sound you guys recorded!
Playing polly cords, while rob does a slash kinda soloing
First rule of reviewing Jazzmasters and Jags- Never hand them to a shredder ever!!!
plus I don't know abt these VM Squires but I've got one CP Jag and an MIJ Jazzmaster and in them the top circuit is the rythm circuit ( same goes to vintage ones too)and engages the neck pickup with a more darker sound and is not the lead circuit and it certainly isn't a boost circuit Rob hahahaha.
anyways I'm quite amazes on how both of them are pretty much clueless on how these offset guitars work and when rob tried a divebomb on a that Jag trem I just had the biggest facepalm of the week moment...
anyways these guitars are just great for any rock stuff especially punk, post-punk and shoegaze and all the genres that go with these three. You can go hard rock too but since they r single coiled, I'll rather add humbuckers or buy a kurt cobain signature one. For metal, Jaguar isn't compatable because of it's short scale but I'll buy a Jim Root sig Jazzmaster though but since I play Shoegaze I love my fender Jaguar and Jazzmasters and will never part my ways with them!
Harshivjot Singh I use a Strat for shoegaze because I hate that bridge and trem... Or a Les Paul with a B7 on it. At least that way I can play the lead parts without the strings going apeshit on me (which is strange since I play rather gently). I don't know, it seems like every alternative guitar player I meet is using some form of a Jazzmaster or Jaguar, and I honestly don't understand why anyone would use them. Then again, people like Kevin Shields did, so I guess it works for some people, and I have no problem with people using something that does what they want.
Well maybe the offsets u used were not setup properly... or u used lighter strings. Anyways Slowdive n Ride also used strata n les paul back in 90s but I like the electronics of Jaguars n Jazzmasters, once u get your head arnd it, they are actually a great concept. Plus I'm planning to mod by LP with an SG style long Maestro Vibrola just for playing Shoegaze. Also to mention both Slowdive N Rush after reuniting are using Jaguars n maybe if you find a great one u'll like it. Plus I bought my Jaguar just because I liked visually n didn't had any clue of what Shoegaze was. Now they are the part of my tone and without them I feel incomplete. I bought Jag just because it popped out of all the teles n strats tha happened to be in the shop that day n to be honest that decision changed my life.
Harshivjot Singh Yeah, I think it's the strings. I use .009~.46. Anything heavy is out of the question for me, since I like playing fast (which oddly makes me a weirdo among fellow alt. rock fans). I remember Slowdive using teles (which made sense since the tones in Rutti sounded exactly like one); never knew they used Strats and LPs. I'm a huge Les Paul fan because it's OBVIOUSLY the BEST GUITAR (JK), but I guess there's a reason why some people use Jags or Jazzmasters.
But come on, you gotta admit the Les Paul is the best hands down and all the other guitars suck major ass compared to it (again, JK. I'll stop now haha).
In all seriousness, it was nice to see things from a different point of view like this. Maybe I'll try one again if I get the chance.
well my friend Ride used les pauls n Slowdive's Christian Savill used strats coz he was lefty and in his own words was too broke to import a left handed japanese jaguar. Anyways my first love were Les Pauls and I still love them plus I used 9s too on my LP hahaha but I've got a Classic Player Jag n it's tremolo is nearer to the bridge compared to original Jaguars n Jazzmasters n has hotter pickups so with more bridge angle the trem is more stable n I use 10s on it but with my MIJ Jazzmaster I still use 12s and yes it's hard to bend sometimes coz for a long time I was used to 10s on my Jag n 9s on my LP. I might go 11 on it but anything less than that isn't great for Jags and JMs with trems way back. I advise u to try classic player Jaguars and Jazzmasters coz I found my Jaguar quite similar tonally to my LP, just missing that humbucker bite slightly and other than that the neck is more chunkier compared to the slimtaper on my LP. Once I mod my LP I'll be the most happiest person on earth hahaha
Harshivjot Singh An LP with the Vibrola trem sounds fucking amazing dude! I kinda wish they'd make black bigsbys so I can fit my ESP Eclipse with one (I'm probably the only guy who'd do such a thing, but yeah).
Guys I typically love your vids but do your homework. You both got the channels backwards and it hard to believe you couldn't tell by hearing how dark the top position is.
In newer reviews they got them right
You have no idea how much I have wanted to see this review!
I think he has the controls backwards. The neck (rhythm) pickup is controlled by the top volume and tone controls. The switch neck to it selects which set of controls is activated. But yes, the bottom switches, when selected, are on and off switches for the pickups, with a phase switch.
You two would make any guitar sound good.
Just got my Jaguar, and with a total set up needed and done, it sounds great.
I must be color blind because that looks white to me XD
It appears to be a very pale blue
Lighting is key
Thought the same thing lol
Thats white
I wish more guys would play lead like you do. Tasteful, not overstated, and not overly flashy. Us rhythm players love to sit back and hold down the groove while someone who actually has something to say takes the lead. Awesome review.
that strat behind you has one of the most amazing finished i've ever seen.
With all that chrome that's on it it's the best looking fender guitar period.
Congrats elmington! Back in the day(1980s) I had a million Guitars, Strats, Teles, Pauls, etc. I'd always be modding, and tweaking them. Except for my '63 Jaguar. All I ever did was play the heck out of it, that Jag was, and will always be my absolute favorite - and even tho it's not worth near as much money as the some of Strats I had, it's the only Guitar I owned that I'd truly Love to have back today.
that walnut strat behind lee's head is beautiful
A buzz stop also helps ad string tension which adds sustain and helps the stings stay on about about 90% more often.
Thank you so much for all that u guys do. Watching ur reviews is a huge part of and benefit to my musical journey. Way to go frettedamericana for introducing me to these fine folk.
as an aside; i like how u edited the jams in this vid. Ur both capable as hell so no need to prove urself with a 4 min jam straight through. Edit that shit and give us the best!!
Thanks!!!
i swear lee's playing gets better every video :D i love his jamming
Thanks for the tip about the Mustang bridge guys. I have had the problem constantly since i first got it back in November last year , Again thanks a bunch guys.
It always makes me happier when I load up a Chappers and Lee video and the Cap'n has his guitar plugged in, because it means we get to hear him play.
tasty distortions, nice finishes and tones... i'm sold
I own a 2012 white squier vintage modified Jaguar and a 1963 original (which was my only gigging guitar for 22 years. The squier is now my main gigging guitar as I find it that good. I have fitted a John moore bridge to both (as fitted to the Johnny Marr Jag) and have no problems with either of them in the tuning department. The squier is fitted with 9-42 light guage and is just perfect for me. have a few vids playing live on here under paul garrett (jag demo about 8 down) and also The Gents Band. all taken on mobile phones but gives a good idea how the sound live.
So cool to see this and know that this model has been upgraded with the Mustang bridge
Got one of these today in surf green; my first electric! Love it
I'd buy that jazzmaster in a heartbeat..absolutely no hesitations
5:39 Nice strings moving at bridge. I have this guitar and I'm lovin' it
You've got your lead and rhythm circuit backwards
Not only was this extremely helpful but you two are really funny! So I laughed and learned, thankyou
Got the mustang bridge for mine. Helps to wrap the posts with electrical tape for a tight fit. Uses a 1.5 mm hex wrench for height adjustment. Due to 24" I use 11s.
I was just watching a ton of your NAMM 2011 videos then BAM! new upload. day made.
Can't wait for you guys to get your hands on the starcaster reissue. Greetings from New York City!!
Captain did some nice work at very end👍
I recently bought one of each. My Jazzmaster Squier has a different configuration than the Anderton's demo, using a tune-o-matic style bridge instead of the traditional style bridge. I replaced the Jaquar bridge with a Mustang bridge, which was quite an improvement, and I highly recommend the change. I also swapped out the pickups on both. The Jazzmaster now has Seymour Duncan Antiquity II's and the Jaquar has SD Antiquities. The original pickups on both guitars were SD designed, and very nice, but I have a thing for Duncan Antiquities.
flatwound 11's or 12's fixes the string popping out of place issue.
Also, ensure the bridge pieces are all 90 degrees and then place some clear nail polish on the screws
once it's set to your liking, and you won't have any issues at all with the bridges.
but flatwounds are so expensivveeee lol. Going to try clear nail polish though thanks for the tip!
Blake Wright I play Skinny top heavy bottoms, am I good?
Love your vids! You both make me laugh and give awesome info about guitars...have learned a lot since I just bought my first ever electric guitar. I own a Squire VM Jazzmaster. I am going to be doing the mod to a Mustang Bridge later this week. Hopefully getting rid of buzzing and slippage. Can't wait to hear it! Thanks for all the info. Next on my list to buy will be a Telle or Les Paul!
As far as I know the channels are opposite of what he says they are. The top position is the rhythm and the bottom position is the lead channel. At least that is how it is on the original American ones. Also what he calls a "phase switch" is actually a bass cut which is great for that jangley Jaguar sound on the lead channel.
+Taylor Coulter - yes, they're very ignorant about a lot of guitar stuff.
+Taylor Coulter Totally agreed Taylor. The top position on the Jassmaster is just the neck pickup - and is tuned for rhythm !!!
+Taylor Coulter Of course - listening to them jam - it seems perhaps these Squier models have it wired differently than my Fender Players Jassmaster !!!
Thanks for this video rob!! I bought my jaguar based on this and it was a very good investment :)
I love my VM Jazzmaster. I put the mustang bridge on it and I;ve had no problems with it at all. I also put a "buzz stop" on it which helps cut down the buzz you get from the guitar being so flat. It also helped with the sustain. I've played gigs with this guitar and it is a great weapon to have in your arsenal as it has a very unique sound. It even holds tune better than my american strat. The fret wire wears down very quickly though so you have to get it refretted or buy a new neck. Overall it is the best $300 I've ever spent.
Thanks Capt,,and Rob..I think Fender is doing a really great job putting out new products..I have purchased 2 in the last month..they are Mexican made and the quality of build is awsum!
Not one mention of Johnny Marr or any attempt at a Johnny Marr esque riff. Absolute travesty!
I'm ashamed they didn't mention Thurston Moore or sonic youth!
hi how are you thats a typical thing you should be very used to by now. the fact of the matter is nobodys gonna hear the jazzmaster and say "that sounds like Sonic youth!!!". what they did to their instruments really transcended the thing away from its brand, model or style and sometimes even being a guitar at all. but those big ole noisy pickups probably had at least a little something to do with their sound,
Connor Downey I don't know why he's so associated with the Jaguar. He's only been playing it since 2005 with his sig coming out in 2012. I'd say Rickenbacker's and the Gibson ES335 is classic Marr
Jesse Darty Yeah at their most experimental phase SY did pretty much everything to make their guitars not sound like guitar ha.
Connor Downey he spent a long time playing Gibson es-355s.... with the smiths
The jazzmaster has such a nice tone, would be a great cheap studio guitar!
I too had issues with the bridge upon purchasing my Jazzy. I put a cheap copy Les Paul Tune-o-matic bridge on and after a pickup swap the tone is amazing from my amp. it's a Surf Machine. I recommend a compressor for more volume and sustain. Makes a big difference. The action feels great and the tremolo adds creamy subtle vibes without detuning. Love the vintage tuners.
Does a standard tune o matic fit without any mods?
The one I procured came from a cheap lp knockoff. Mine fit but the studs stick out and it's difficult to palm mute. But the tone is less buzzy which improves it's sustain but the buzzing kind of adds to that surfy tone its known for but I prefer the reliability and sustain.
Thanks. I ordered one of these (Jazzmaster) in sonic blue. I`ll set it up with 11`s and we`ll se from there. :)
The original jaguar manual is in this location.
support.fender.com/manuals/instruments/Jaguar_(1965)_manual.pdf
Gents, it says that the rhythm section is in the upper part and the lead section is in the lower part. Did Fender purposely reverse the location of the sections in the modified versions?
Yes, it makes a huge difference in your playing.
I own the squier jaguar. The bridge is a bit screwed up but I still love the thing to death.
Greetings from the U.S. I enjoy the shows.
loving the captains playing
Nice 60's jam you guys have. I loved nirvana's show at woodstock ;)
@alerdino5 it's from my album Bare Bones and its called Mantra of the monkey lord - You can get it on iTunes :-)
been waiting for this one for ages
I got the Jaguar when they came out - I'd been waiting for Squier to get round to makin' 'em for ages - great guitar. Oh! I superglued the bridge so it don't move
I have done the Bridge Mod on my Jazzmaster! I bought Graphite (Graph-tech) saddles for it and just replaced the saddles instead of the whole bridge and it works and sounds amazing. I also replaced the Duncan Design pickups with real Seymore Duncan P90s. I have a 2000 dollar American Strat and I honestly like the Jazzmaster better.
I love the Jazzmaster, perfect indie rock guitar. The bridge doesn't bother me. Just don't be an idiot and expect to shred and sweep pick it.
+The Holy Father. That's why Mascis has a tune-o-matic on his signature Jazzmaster.
I'm talking about keeping it completely stock, but if you play what j mascis does, you should probably upgrade the bridge. He still doesn't strum as hard as other artists do though.
Read my other comment. J mascis does "shred" but he isn't doing anything to fuck up the strings and saddles.
Mastery bridge is a good rule for SQ or Fdr. Don't hand a jm to a shredder? Nels Cline... Anyone? Can you think of anyone else who sounds remotely close to him?
These guitars actually sound really really good.. For that price it really is a steal
the comment at 8:20 about the locking mechanism on the tremolo missed the point. the locking mechanism was installed so that if a string broke, the tremolo could be locked and the guitar would be close to in tune even though it was missing a string. Anyone familiar with a stratocaster tremolo knows what happens when a string breaks. you either replace the string immediately or retune the guitar.
Great job Capt and Chappers!!!
Just ordered the Jaguar in surf green :) i really look forward to get it, what i read about it makes it seem as the guitar who will offer me the excatly sound i am currently looking for
Absolutely man XD I was about too comment about that as well I own the Jaguar and its the perfect surf-guitar because of that high-pass filter and rhythm circuit(but you already knew that haha)
I have a Squier J Mascis Signature Jazzmaster, and I used to own a 62 original. The tailpiece, where the strings anchor, is screwed to the body and doesn't move. The trem arm mounts to a piece which protrudes THROUGH the tailpiece, and attached to a mechanism underneath. When you push on the trem arm, the tailpiece doesn't move, but a system of springs under the pickguard moves the bridge, which is, as you say, floating.
Or you can buy a Mastery Bridge if you want to fix up your Squier Jazzmaster or Jaguar and be able to take it as your main! I did that to my Jazzmaster and also added a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge leaving the jazzmaster DD single pickup stock in the neck and man this guitar is great!
+Tonskiislegit I looked at the price of Mastery Bridge and it's like 200 bucks!! that's...more expensive than i thought
They are expensive, but worth it.
I know but it may not worth it for Squire thing.
+TheZooropaBaby that makes it a lot better guitar imo. Idk just try what you can.
Lol I don't even know how Rob got the info... Lead circuit? Boost? Phase? He seems like he showed up, was told by Lee he was reviewing some offsets and played them for 10 mins before the shoot and made up his own explanations of the switching. My god
Oh my god that shape is nice
Such shape, much fender, very sound
Already orded mine, cant wait to blast some sweet nirvana riffs on this baby!
You need humbuckers on it to play nirvana
Chapers is the man bought the Phill x c30 on the back of your reviews, luv it to bits so far! Doesn't forgive cheap guitars and pedals tho sonically very transparent I luv it
This has probably been said, but it's actually the rhythm circuit on the upper horn, which only uses the neck pickup. The controls on the lower half of the guitar are the lead circuit.
Wow that jazzmaster sounds awesome.
It would be nice to make a side by side review of the classic player jazzmaster VS the vintage, and also the special jazzmaster. There are two questions: Is the jazzmaster bridge the soul of the jazzmaster tone? And is the vintage worth the price?
I've got the VM Jaguar and I had this issue with the bridge. I took mine for a proper set up and instead of replacing the bridge the guy filled down the screw-like face part of the bridge and replaced the strings with 11's and I haven't had a problem since.
It doesn't have the string jumping problem, due to having a tune-o-matic (or adjust-o-matic or whatever Fender calls them) bridge. However, the bridge is mismatched to the neck radius, so the action is going to be a bit off in places, especially on the middle strings.
I've done the bridge mod on my jazzmaster classic player. I had to have a tech do it as the posts on the mustang bridge are a lot thinner than the holes in the guitar, So it rocked like crazy. He needed to put a thread inside the existing thread inside the guitar to narrow the holes to stop the rocking
I own the Surf Green Jaguar and it is an amazing guitar, for $300 you really can't buy a better guitar new. The only thing that I think could be a better deal would be finding a used fender strat at $300 but you can't find another guitar with more options in that price range. I use the Squier Jaguar, a Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang (Fiesta Red) and an Arctic White Strat (modern player I believe.) While my Mustang is my favorite, the Jaguar comes in at a close second. I own two Fenders and let me tell you, the difference between the Squier Jaguar and the actual Fender Jaguar lie only in the quality of materials used, as far as tones are concerned I really couldn't hear the difference. This is a great way to see what off-set guitars are all about without murdering your wallet.
Yeah sorry about that, the weather was playing havoc with our tuning that day... super hot and moist ;-)
They got the way the tremolo works all wrong. I don't know if anyone's said this yet but the tremolo is actually ingenious design. The bridge is on a plate that is held at a tension by the strings and if you move the arm the bridge goes down and up with the plate inside. The strings therefore stay intonated unlike on a strat where the string length is actually shortened or elongated. The trem makes it harder to lock into tune especially if you ever switch between something like standard and drop D, but the design has many high points including extra resonance, beautiful flutter with the trem bar, and better overall intonation while playing (assuming the guitar is set up well to begin with.)
@pjjones306 I thought it sounded like Keep on Rocking in the free world by Neil Young - but we didn't do that intentionally.
Excellent idea with the optional bridge.
Rob, is a session guitarist, An incredible writer/player and gets paid to do what he loves. He has the ability to run up and down the guitar like no ones business, He is having fun with ones of his best mates and gets to review great instruments everyday and shows us how the instruments play and sound with an honest opinion. He doesn't show off, which is amazing because with ability like his why not show off ? Rob is modest and a great guy, And his reviews are very helpful unlike your comments!
The spring in the trem was thicker therefore makeing it stiffer and was more stable as well.
Finally ive been waiting for this one. You can also put a tune o matic or a mastery bridge as well.
its great to see how the captains playing has improved since these videos have progressed... miles better than me though haha
Great video. I'm sold! I think I will have a look into the mod too.
I believe the Squire Classic vibe 60's comes with the Mustang bridge for anyone watching this in 2021. Mastery makes great parts though. If I were to buy the Jazzmaster I would swap the trem and bridge with Mastery and put locking tuners on it and done. Super great guitar for 500 plus the 300 in upgrade. Also if you shim the neck a bit to get a tilt back and raise the bridge your string tension problem is eliminated.
Quite a staggering guitar the Jag. Unbelievable for the price. Did the bridge mod right off the bat so can't really speak for the original; if Johnny Marr does it I can't imagine it's a bad idea! Occasionally a heavy player when the mood takes me so I think it was worth it. Just go and buy one. Own 26 guitars (Fenders, Gibsons, Gretschs) and I play this little demon SO much.
Congrats Chappers on 25 MILLION VIEWS !!!!!!!
that polly jam at the end was tight
I own the jaguar in olympic white. It's an absolutely beautiful guitar and sounds gorgeous. You do really need the bridge change if you are heavy handed like me, but it isn't a setback at all. Awesome guitar, awesome price. 'nuff said.
The Mustang bridge is for guitars with a 7.25" radius, these reissues are 9.5" so you'll need to use the more recent modified version with the adjustable height screws. Shimming the neck and raising the bridge is a better option. It improves the overall set up too.
Also the upper circuit is the rhythm (or dark) circuit, the bottom one is the lead. You're using it in the exact opposite way it was intended.
Seriously guys, 2 mins on Google and you could get this stuff right.
The thing that i love about the guitars, and really every fender guitar, is that the rhythm pickup always sounds incredible. The strat, the jazzmaster, the tele, the mustang, all of them just have really good rhythm. Where as with Gibson i find they have great lead guitars and great treble in the guitars. But yeah, that jazzmaster had way more than a 250 pound sound.
I just put a StayTrem on my Jazzmaster. It fixes all the problems associated with the Jazz/Jag bridge and it looks great too. It was $107 with shipping, but I think it's well worth it.
The Jaguar/Jazzmaster bridge is not perfect, but it can be remedied easily by replacing it with a Mustang bridge, and wrapping tape around the posts first to reduce movement, and increase tuning stability, a common modification. Heavier strings also help. Nothing to deter you from getting one if that's what you want.
Buzz Stop! It fixes the angle of the strings coming up to the saddles and you don't have to change the saddles. I had a buddy try the mustang and he said it was better but the buzz stop worked perfect on the stock bridge
Very helpful...thanks for posting this one guys!
Don't know if anyone's already mentioned this, but if you have a trem on your model, the bridge is supposed to rock, as you use the tremolo. That being said, I know of quite a few who've modded it in this way. Looking at a roller bridge, myself.
I'm not sure if it's because of the different amps being used or the jazzmaster sounds very different. In fact, even better!!!