I knew this one would be a fun video... but I didn't expect to like it as much as I did! Vote in the Poll: ruclips.net/user/postUgwesL6dfvHU6ON50CB4AaABCQ 🔴Reverb: reverb.com/shop/troglys?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly ❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/ 👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211 🎸New Guitar Day Program: troglysguitarshow.com/ngd/
Oh boy. I hope you don't get dinged for the ding. As for the selector switch and the back plates, seems like an afterthought. Nothing like the mystical Stratguar. It does sound great though.
It may be you not seeing the connection but I was not around in the 50’s so I guess I’d not be a good judge but that being said I can think of a lot of a few off the TOP such as daddy-O , back seat bingo and ankle biter for a few I have way too much time on my hands
I really love it. I'm actually a fan of of jazzmaster shape, as I own a jagmaster which a hybrid jazzmaster Jaguar guitar. Mine has dual humbuckers ( I believe) as it's a guitar my brother gave me for Christmas. Only issue it faces really is its tuning stability, which got a lot better after graphiting the nut thoroughly.
@@justinguitarcia Mini humbuckers are underrated, I agree... but you just proved how underrated firebird pickups are and that people constantly get them confused with mini humbuckers. I have a Firebird 1 that has only a single bridge pickup, and though it can sound a little scooped, it does wonders just by using the Tone control (which I usually don't ever touch on my other guitars). That being said it also does amazing things with pedals by staying clear, rich, fat, and chimey without being to high output. I like guitars with plenty of options for "sonic sculpting", but these pickups have almost changed my mind about that as well making me second guess using p90s or Charlie Christians
Every time you pull the pickups out of a guitar and set them on the guitar top -- without using a cloth or something to protect the top from scratches -- I cringe.
That and putting stuff (guitars and cases) partly on top of box cutters and other crap, or stacking two cases and touching one's surface with the other's feet.
I actually like this thing. I love the looks of a Jazzmaster, but haven’t liked the standard pickups. I’ll be looking for one of these on the used market.
I start every morning with a cup of coffee and the latest Trogly video. Through this entire pandemic these videos are the only thing that has remained the same as before and I am thankful for that.
“Today, Fender’s Alternate Reality Series asks the question: What if guitar assembly was outsourced to 7th grade wood shop classes?” Actually, I love almost everything about this guitar but... Ugh! Those black bandaids on the back are really amateurish.
@@Rand_al_Thor372 firebird style humbuckers are constructed differently than standard mini humbuckers, so they sound really chimey. I was interested in this video because I wanted to see if Austin would be able to find out if they used standard mini hums, or firebird mini hums. The Seymour Duncan pickups fender chose are constructed in the firebird style. I have them in a couple of my guitars and they sound awesome. This guitar is a winner!
Shut up and take my money, Fender! Oh, wait. You totally dropped the ball on the back plates. Phoned it in, did ya? I'm still going to build a Tele-bird one of these days.
Yeah, I don't know if the body is so thin that the switch and pots would hit or if rebating the edge would be an issue because of the chambering making the wood too thin but they should have found a better way to do that on a $2000 guitar. They should have found a better way to do that on a $300 guitar. It kills me when it's 98% stunning and 2% disgusting.
@@5000rgb Seriously, that back looks like a home mod job on a Reverb guitar. If it was a choice between pickguard-mounted electronics or the back rout, they should have chosen to pickguard mount. Still, I can't get over the tones, especially OD'ed. It sounds amazing. The only thing I would change (besides the back routing) would be some push-pull coil splitting and an option for all three pickups. It's the closest they've come to G&L features and functionality.
@@jefferson4245 Go for neck and bridge along with the all three pickups option. I don't know how that would sound with this guitar but I find those options very important on a Strat.
R B Yeah, I agree with you in that there has to be a solution for those control cover plates. Maybe they will update how it's built if it becomes popular enough. Funny thing is, if they do fix how those covers are attached I'd then want one of the early ones with the ugly covers sitting on top of the back! I chalk it up to first year build details that change as the guitar's design matures.
@@5000rgb I wouldn't build a guitar with three pickups, HBs or single coils, without the selecting option for all 3. If a guitar is going to gave three pickups, you should have the option to use all three at the same time. Maybe throw in some mini toggles for coil splitting and phasing, too.
Sparkomatic was an independent low end car audio company directly competing with Clarion. Sparkomatic actually bought Altec Lansing in the early 1990's.
When set up correctly, the locking tremolo will be floating. Use the screw to set the tension so that the button will slide over to the lock position with only a little resistance (you shouldn't have to move the bar at all to lock it)
I picked up a hardtail streamliner 2622 a couple months ago. Rewired it and put a set of phat cats in it. Holy smokes it's a fantastic player and sounds killer.
@@craigtodd8297 pumpkin lids... Instead of raised covers, they should be flush with the back. So if they had the edges of the covers at 45° and the edge of the cavity at a corresponding 45°, the cover could easily rest flush. They could even place a threaded standoff internally to allow for a single countersink type screw to secure an entire cover at its center vs. multiple screws at the edges.
I hope fender wasn't too mad about the door ding you put on this. Ouch. Almost got one of these as an attempt at investing in a guitar (wasn't sure if this model was the best choice, but the price seemed low enough in case I was wrong), but the delivery time just kept moving back and I needed the money for a family emergency... Maybe someday I'll try again.
@@mubodude yeah, best to put something soft/cushioning on the body wings when working, so a dropped tool or pickup won't cause problems. Also a good idea to keep tools and parts between you and a guitar, so you aren't reaching over the guitar with things that can damage the finish.
I understand why they didn't recess the plates on the back flush with the body, but I think they should have at least put a 45 degree chamfer on the edges of them. It would probably look better than those hard 90 degree edges. Yuck.
They shouldn't have hollowed out as much of that wing, then it would have had more wood underneath to recess the plates. Makes me wonder if it was an afterthought, like they hadn't decided between using a top route with a pickguard or a back route until the last minute.
Meh, Fano and Deizel do it way better...along with a spattering if other brands these days. I see some badarse looking hotrodded Jazzmaster style guitars on Pinterest & Instagram. Edit: It does sound Boss, I give it that! I wish it had a contoured heel. Zero reason for there not to be...it's not a traditional line that needs preserving for the fuddy-duddy 'purists'... 🤷 It's almost as tho Fender deliberately add cons to models that were starting to look 'too good' - idk! 🤷♂️ It's just... frustrating!
It makes me so nervous when u hold the hardware over the guitar while filming! I have butterflies on the inside! I know, I know....u take great care of your guitars and are extra careful when it comes to those thing. But when u were holding the tailpiece over the Steve Howe les paul and filming 😱🤢🤒...one screw on the floor that u step on while barefooted or a trip on the carpet and u drop one of those metal parts on a $15,000 beauty and it's a bust! Maybe I'm just acting like a grandma but geez does it make me nervous!
I like the guitar..... but hate the switch and knobs location. They should have put them in the Gibson SG position. I would buy this guitar if they had done that. I would also rout a lip on those covers.... they are horrible. Maybe put the 5 way on the top horn. A telecaster control panel is the answer i think..... I would definitely buy it then.
Liked it! Yeah, I think I'd recess those back covers flush with the body, make a pickguard for it -- and that's about it. Looks and sounds great. Thanks for another good one, Trogly!
Great looking and sounding guitar, but you're totally right about the back - it's a disaster ! Still I'll look out for a used one, but I ain't paying 2 grand for that joke of a back plate arrangement lol. My cat could have come up with a better back than this, but I guess that's what happens when you recruit your designers from the hollywood upstairs clown college lol.
mordokch If this model becomes popular and they continue to make it those control plates will most likely be done differently. The whole idea of this series is the toss them out to the public and see what is popular. It may be that these plates will eventually just be looked at as new model growing pains. That may increase the value of the early guitars that used those horrible covers.
@@hkguitar1984 Yerha but this is basic stuff though. Fender have, as we know, been doing this for a long time - they really should be able to get the basic stuff right. As for the rest, well they don't seem to have any plans to make more of these parallel universe guitars - I have 2 from series 1 and I am 99.9% sure they'll never do a full run of them or any others, I mean for years like the standard line (now gone ! idiots !). So as for the back shenanigans, I doubt there will ever be a 'fixed' version - this is it and we can take it or leave it. I'll take it, but I want to pay 1200 tops. Ebay shall provide :)
Nice! So as history goes, Fender releases Jazzmaster in 1958. Gibson responds with the Firebird in 1963 with a noiseless pickup that sounds more “Fendery” than any attempt at noiseless pickups Fender has attempted, so now we get this!. Seriously, though, Firebird style pickups like they used here (not to be confused with the Les Paul style mini humbuckers) definitely don’t get enough love. No hum, more than enough juice to kick any amp into overdrive, full balanced tone, a sparkle and chime that sounds like a good single coil. The only place I think they really dropped the ball is the tuning machines- should have been locking tuners. I think I finally found a jazzmaster id actually like to own!
rebelcat420 I totally agree with you, the Mini-Humbucker Pickups found in a Les Paul Deluxe are a totally different construction as compared to a Firebird Mini-Humbucker. It is my understanding the Firebird Pickups use a bar magnet within the bobbin/coil windings where as the Les Paul Deluxe type Mini-Humbucker are basically a scaled down PAF style. Either way this Sparkomatic sounded great.
could be just me, but i love a completely solid back. i'd much rather have a pickguard than those dumb plastic band-aids. i know it's the part no one sees... but that's why i like it.
so many way can make that back cover plates look nice, but chose the worse way ,that cover plates looks like a sloppy guy did a sloppy job at home garage.
This makes me want a guitar with Firebird pickups like these so bad. They sound absolutely incredible I just wish this and Gibson Firebirds weren't so expensive. Maybe I'll just have to get an Epiphone one and put these pickups in
I think I am drawn to this bc you won’t get the crazy neck dive and “beside you” feeling of the neck that you get from firebirds. Although I hear that Firebirds without banjo tuners have less neck dive. The Jazzmaster shape is extremely comfortable and easy to play.
@@nosferatu7325 I agree with you. All the Firebirds I've ever played were very long and neck heavy. Not an issue if you really love the Firebird as a guitar its just that it can be a pain. This Jazzmaster on the other hand looks very comfortable to play. I've got Les Pauls, Tele, Strats and Jazzmasters in my office/studio, the Jazzmaster is by far the most comfortable guitar to play out of all of them.
@@nosferatu7325 that’s very true! Something good to think about! I sure love my sg but it necks dives worse than my old Gibson firebird did I had to robot firebird back in the day.
UGH- I was all set to order one of these, and watched this video because I noticed what seemed to be covers somehow sitting *above* the finish on the back.. sure enough, they actually did that crap! For 2 grand, that's a dealbreaker for me. SO Wonky. I get that the wood was thin, but they couldn't have made a cover with some tabs that slide under the wood, and you screw it down from the top so it's flush? I'm bummed because I really want a 3-mini humbucker guitar and would rather get this than, say a St. Vincent.. but geeez man, even like a First Act has flush covers... and these sit ON TOP for 2k ? I hate to say I gotta pass for that one reason.. the might "redesign" those covers in a future run- but then guess what? They'll put pinstriping and skulls all over it or some other stupid idea and ruin it again LOL
The PUp's sounds good, I like it. But I don't like the trem system, have bad experience about it. For my taste, maybe I'll use Tele body shape with that PUp's combination. And with Tele layout, we won't have to use that awfull back cover 😅
Will Cresson I agree with you about the Pelham Blue. Thinking about it, that guitar would look really great in a lot of colors, the sunburst finish is my least favorite on Fender guitars. Not to mention how sexy it will look once the top starts getting worn away from playing wear. No Pickguard+Nitro Lacquer Finish+Heavy Play Wear = Beautiful Relic
I actually like this one! Looks nice, I’m actually grateful for the lack of pickguard even if that means ugly plates on the back. Very grunge-y distorted sound, too, on top of the crisp clean sounds. A fun instrument to play around with. 👍 Always good to see a brand trying something other than the 42 billionth variation on the same old boring strat.
Beautiful guitar. I don't like the branding on the bridge. I would prefer the bridge to be blank or have a nice pattern carved into it but the branding on it just ruins the overall look for me. I'm fine with branding and all but it has a place and the neck should be where it goes... And maybe a little something on the neck plate as well but not on the bridge, just ugly that way imo... Edit: Also love the metal pickup rings. I put metal ones on all my guitars. And I'd rather see the Jazz style 3 selector switches. And I wonder if they could make a version with a Bigsby style vibrato system.
And definitely, those back plates need to be recessed. With those awful non-recessed backplates and the logo branding on the bridge it might as well be made by Budweiser... Edit: It looks like the thickness of the body means they couldn't recess the backplates. That seems like a design mistake to me. But maybe they could have done it if they used a smaller switch or maybe jazz style switches where there is one per pickup. But overall, very beautiful.
There is something really smart business wise for Fender to sponsor the guy who does Gibson reviews to get him to say good things about one of their “Gibson” style models
It sounds killer with distortion! Kinda wishing I bought a Firebird instead of an Explorer now. The mini humbuckers still have that jangliness similar to a single coil, something I'm struggling to get with the ProBuckers and was literally just complaining about to my wife when I got the notificationfor this video.
@@mubodude Every guitar should be offered with a P90 option. P90s are the best sounding pickup. The Gibson Explorer I played on back in the day had P90s that I swapped for SD Full Shreds, which, with age, wisdom, and experience, I know was a stupid mistake. There were many mistakes I made with that guitar.
@@mubodude I will probably swap out the ProBuckers for something SD or Mojotone, looking for that definition and clarity in attack across the spectrum and high end jangle. Seth Lover and/or Pearly Gates, or the Mojotone PAF clones. I spent so long playing Telecaster single coils. I got the Explorer out of nostalgia, love of the body style, and a desire for humbucking drive and push on the amp and pedals, but I still want the definition and attack of the single coils. Like I said, there should always be a P90 option, so I might get another Epi and mod it for true P90s, because that sound is killer. My Tele currently has G&L MFDs for the hotter output and growl, closer to a P90, but not quite there. I hope the upgraded pickups on the Explorer get me closer, or I may be looking at humbucker-sized replacements, even though they aren't TRUE P90s. The P90 really does solve all of the complaints about HBs and single coils excepting the hum.
@@mubodude I learned to deal with it for the Tele. I'm just trying to figure out how I could justify a P90 rout and swap, or a new guitar with the same to my wife. Thankfully, she has OF HER OWN FREE WILL admitted that the Explorer sounds significantly different and/or better than my Teles in some circumstances, which was my justification for the new guitar. She usually comes around when I make big purchases, admitting that the premium gear sounds better. I'm still trying to juggle her reservations with honing my sound(s) to the goal of recording (which means experimenting on and expanding my arsenal). Hell, even I agree with her that I sound/play better on acoustics after all these years than on electrics. Even though she doesn't like Dave Matthews, she likes the results of spending my youth emulating him at the expense of neglecting my electric gear/sound. Go figure
@@mubodude Haha! For all the flack he gets, he is no joke. A player's player, if ever there was one. Stretched positions, atypical key signatures, "groogrux" rhythms. I am a classically trained musician on non-stringed instruments, and a third generation music educator/band director. For all my love of rock, emo, and punk and everything in between, I love the musicianship of the Dave Matthews Band. They are all amazing musicians and always (appear to) have fun on stage. I know he's antithetical to most of the music I listen to and try to emulate, but I will NEVER disavow him/them. You learn the most from the people that challenge you, and he is always challenging.
@@mubodude I grew up in West Texas, but spent summers in the mountains of New Mexico. DMB was an occasional radio play at home, but my friends at music camp were totally sold. We were all students of what was actually happening in the music. It had an effect on me, and it continues to do so. For all the repudiation of musicality in place of emotional message and "power", nothing is as fun to someone who enjoys a challenge as an instrumentalist. More than a few of the people I went to camp with, who also schooled me on the "real" emo scene of the 1990s and early 2000s, went on to schools like Berkeley and Juilliard. But they could all play "What Would You Say" on acoustic.
hello. the pups are really good, Duncan did them right. I was hoping Gibson would make a 3 pup when you did the Deluxe forecast, this thing is really tempting. the rim burst is my thing and no guard keeps the visual focus since the trem makes it look busy, for me. this wins the Par. Univ. I think. come on Gibson, respond with something brilliant. Ü ♫
Thank You, Austin! Allways great, what You‘re doing to those guitars and for all of us on Your Channel! Please start again, to also write the width of the necks in metric! I can tell You, your videos will be watched all over the world. At least here in Switzerland...
One of the many myths is that Gibson changed from the (reverse) Firebird to the non-reverse Firebird because their lawyers had a phonecall from Fender's lawyers saying they were wondering why Gibson had started making a guitar that looked so much like Fender's flagship models. If that was the reason then it's a finger from Gibson, not submission, because the non-reverse is more Fender J* looking than the original Fbird. PS the non-reverse which this more closely resembles was set-neck, not neck-thru.
i think this is the first Jazzmaster i really like only without the mini buckers but it does sound good like thet way it is the only thing i don’t like is the control cavity plates that stick out other then that it’s really nice great sound
Trogly, Trogly, Trogly... ... by now you should know that ANY time you are working on an instrument you should have it covered, have it protected. Well, lesson learned, right? Another great piece of content, keep it up.
One thing that stands out superb is the coax wires from pickups. any un shielded wire length is vulnerable to receive RF noise. (Consider the guitar cord itself).
At 15:08 you kind of sound like Jan Akkerman ('Le Clochard' by Focus). I don't recall you ever mentioning him. Maybe, you could do a video on him, his guitars, and his style, someday ruclips.net/video/fc1KAtDjORc/видео.html
Love fender, but what’s they’re issue with recessing backplates and string ferrules on modern guitars? They were able to recess the ferrules on the old blackguard teles. Why can’t they do it now?
Hey man I was just watching a show on Stolen guitars and sell that Flying V that you had taken have you ever gotten any of those guitars back from that fellow man broke my heart when I saw that how s***** people are so rude sometimes wish you the best of luck on getting them back bro
I knew this one would be a fun video... but I didn't expect to like it as much as I did!
Vote in the Poll: ruclips.net/user/postUgwesL6dfvHU6ON50CB4AaABCQ
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👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211
🎸New Guitar Day Program: troglysguitarshow.com/ngd/
That looks sweet!
I'm going to definitely get me one of these
Oh boy. I hope you don't get dinged for the ding. As for the selector switch and the back plates, seems like an afterthought. Nothing like the mystical Stratguar. It does sound great though.
Peace sells, but who's buying?!!!! You are 16+ times a day lol.
Those mini-hums 😍😍... and allow triple hums NOT look ugly. Those backplates gotta go though. Horrible
Fender sponsored video
*immediately pulls a knob off*
"Guess I'll have to put that back on."
I laughed.
then chips the finish
@@vasectomyfail442 ......at that point he won "TOOL" of the week.
@@vasectomyfail442 Well I sure was nervous about that... Hope they spare Austin's soul.
Classic Trogly
Why do their knobs always fall off? The bottom knob of my jazz bass fell off as well. All the others are rock solid lol it's so funny.
Austin: this IS Not my guitar
also Austin: oops i drop the pickup ring and i ding it 🤭
Probably his guitar now lol
I'm here for that sort of honesty.
Is it me, or is Spark-o-Matic one of the most 50's names in history?
@@mubodude Spark-O-Matic made CB Radios back in the day too........ =D
It may be you not seeing the connection but I was not around in the 50’s so I guess I’d not be a good judge but that being said I can think of a lot of a few off the TOP such as daddy-O , back seat bingo and ankle biter for a few I have way too much time on my hands
I’ve had a few sparkomatics from Pep Boys
@@mubodude Sparkomatic was an independent company and not any ones house brand. They were sold everywhere just like Pioneer, Craig, Clarion, etc.
Sounds like what you'd use to get a propane grill lit.
genuinely surprised by how good those pickups sounded. the over-driven sound had a lot of clarity.
Mini hb's are great, underrated imo
I really love it. I'm actually a fan of of jazzmaster shape, as I own a jagmaster which a hybrid jazzmaster Jaguar guitar. Mine has dual humbuckers ( I believe) as it's a guitar my brother gave me for Christmas. Only issue it faces really is its tuning stability, which got a lot better after graphiting the nut thoroughly.
@@justinguitarcia Mini humbuckers are underrated, I agree... but you just proved how underrated firebird pickups are and that people constantly get them confused with mini humbuckers. I have a Firebird 1 that has only a single bridge pickup, and though it can sound a little scooped, it does wonders just by using the Tone control (which I usually don't ever touch on my other guitars). That being said it also does amazing things with pedals by staying clear, rich, fat, and chimey without being to high output. I like guitars with plenty of options for "sonic sculpting", but these pickups have almost changed my mind about that as well making me second guess using p90s or Charlie Christians
Every time you pull the pickups out of a guitar and set them on the guitar top -- without using a cloth or something to protect the top from scratches -- I cringe.
That and putting stuff (guitars and cases) partly on top of box cutters and other crap, or stacking two cases and touching one's surface with the other's feet.
These things have such a thick poly coating that those things don’t really matter.
@@VintageSlide This guitar and most of the guitars he reviews do not have a poly finish.
I actually like this thing. I love the looks of a Jazzmaster, but haven’t liked the standard pickups. I’ll be looking for one of these on the used market.
Ditto to that.
Used market for me also
Disappointed. To me this thing screams 60's custom car colours with matching headstock.
You always somehow time these uploads with me making a fresh cup of coffee, welcome back Troglodytes!
@@mubodude I mean I'm in Australia but sure
I start every morning with a cup of coffee and the latest Trogly video.
Through this entire pandemic these videos are the only thing that has remained the same as before and I am thankful for that.
It's official! Dave Mustaine is with Gibson (or one of their brands) I really hope it's a kramer. The brand needs to come back STRONG!
The teaser Cesar posted on IG shows a Kramer and 2 Gibsons. Looked like a pointy Kramer V, and traditionally shaped Gibson V, and a Les Paul.
Don’t we all Quim Eater
Those cover plates on the back look like an afterthought. Ugly. That fretboard was indeed parched.I like the overall look and the tones though.
Is so plain an basic. Shame.
“Today, Fender’s Alternate Reality Series asks the question: What if guitar assembly was outsourced to 7th grade wood shop classes?”
Actually, I love almost everything about this guitar but... Ugh! Those black bandaids on the back are really amateurish.
@@Rand_al_Thor372 firebird style humbuckers are constructed differently than standard mini humbuckers, so they sound really chimey. I was interested in this video because I wanted to see if Austin would be able to find out if they used standard mini hums, or firebird mini hums. The Seymour Duncan pickups fender chose are constructed in the firebird style. I have them in a couple of my guitars and they sound awesome. This guitar is a winner!
Fender: *Sends a Guitar to Trogly*
Trogly: *Pops off a Knob* Now let's check under the hood
Fender: 👁👄👁
Great video, but that is a far cry from a Firebird.
reverse headstock would've been cool and more Firebird-esque
heck maybe even a reverse body like those Boracha Jazzmasters!
A starcaster headstock would’ve been so cool
Oh fo sho
Best sounding guitar i've heard in a long time!
I love that Fender exactly knows what they‘re doing. They are searching for Trouble and i think they had a Firebird and a lots of fun designing this.
Shut up and take my money, Fender! Oh, wait. You totally dropped the ball on the back plates. Phoned it in, did ya? I'm still going to build a Tele-bird one of these days.
Yeah, I don't know if the body is so thin that the switch and pots would hit or if rebating the edge would be an issue because of the chambering making the wood too thin but they should have found a better way to do that on a $2000 guitar. They should have found a better way to do that on a $300 guitar. It kills me when it's 98% stunning and 2% disgusting.
@@5000rgb Seriously, that back looks like a home mod job on a Reverb guitar. If it was a choice between pickguard-mounted electronics or the back rout, they should have chosen to pickguard mount. Still, I can't get over the tones, especially OD'ed. It sounds amazing. The only thing I would change (besides the back routing) would be some push-pull coil splitting and an option for all three pickups. It's the closest they've come to G&L features and functionality.
@@jefferson4245 Go for neck and bridge along with the all three pickups option. I don't know how that would sound with this guitar but I find those options very important on a Strat.
R B Yeah, I agree with you in that there has to be a solution for those control cover plates.
Maybe they will update how it's built if it becomes popular enough.
Funny thing is, if they do fix how those covers are attached I'd then want one of the early ones with the ugly covers sitting on top of the back!
I chalk it up to first year build details that change as the guitar's design matures.
@@5000rgb I wouldn't build a guitar with three pickups, HBs or single coils, without the selecting option for all 3. If a guitar is going to gave three pickups, you should have the option to use all three at the same time. Maybe throw in some mini toggles for coil splitting and phasing, too.
SPARK-O-MATIC sounds like a car stereo I had in the 70`s. CLARION i BELIEVE WAS THE BRAND NAME.
Jensen
Spark-o-matic sounds like one of those Tokai Strats from the 70`s
@@aac7183 Marc wins, he knew the real maker.lol
Sparkomatic was an independent low end car audio company directly competing with Clarion. Sparkomatic actually bought Altec Lansing in the early 1990's.
Hugo Fuguselv I think we had them at Kmart back in the 80’s, worked in automotive. Along with Jensen.
What was with that hole on the bottom side of the case? He seems to even zoom in on it, but says nothing. Is it normal for these cases?
Would have been really cool if they reversed the body to make it look more like a firebird.
I love it. If I I bought it I would need to buy a muscle car too. It just screams 1970s to me .
When set up correctly, the locking tremolo will be floating. Use the screw to set the tension so that the button will slide over to the lock position with only a little resistance (you shouldn't have to move the bar at all to lock it)
Do some gretsch trogly! Would love to see some differences in japan and usa
I picked up a hardtail streamliner 2622 a couple months ago. Rewired it and put a set of phat cats in it. Holy smokes it's a fantastic player and sounds killer.
Those rear cavity covers are awful.
It's like they made the front all pretty and smooth and didn't care for the rest.
What do you guys suggest then?
@@craigtodd8297 pumpkin lids... Instead of raised covers, they should be flush with the back. So if they had the edges of the covers at 45° and the edge of the cavity at a corresponding 45°, the cover could easily rest flush. They could even place a threaded standoff internally to allow for a single countersink type screw to secure an entire cover at its center vs. multiple screws at the edges.
I hope fender wasn't too mad about the door ding you put on this. Ouch.
Almost got one of these as an attempt at investing in a guitar (wasn't sure if this model was the best choice, but the price seemed low enough in case I was wrong), but the delivery time just kept moving back and I needed the money for a family emergency... Maybe someday I'll try again.
@@mubodude yeah, best to put something soft/cushioning on the body wings when working, so a dropped tool or pickup won't cause problems. Also a good idea to keep tools and parts between you and a guitar, so you aren't reaching over the guitar with things that can damage the finish.
*Firstfretneckdepth*
Correct. Singleword. 😂😂
We need a tee shirt with #firstfretneckdepth
Hmm those mini humbuckers are very "Fender" LOL Kinda thin and trebley! It does a job, just not a job I would do ;-)
I understand why they didn't recess the plates on the back flush with the body, but I think they should have at least put a 45 degree chamfer on the edges of them. It would probably look better than those hard 90 degree edges. Yuck.
They shouldn't have hollowed out as much of that wing, then it would have had more wood underneath to recess the plates. Makes me wonder if it was an afterthought, like they hadn't decided between using a top route with a pickguard or a back route until the last minute.
One of the best sounding demos you’ve done. Guitar sounds awesome. Balances out the look of the back which was almost deal breaker.
Meh, Fano and Deizel do it way better...along with a spattering if other brands these days.
I see some badarse looking hotrodded Jazzmaster style guitars on Pinterest & Instagram.
Edit: It does sound Boss, I give it that! I wish it had a contoured heel. Zero reason for there not to be...it's not a traditional line that needs preserving for the fuddy-duddy 'purists'... 🤷 It's almost as tho Fender deliberately add cons to models that were starting to look 'too good' - idk! 🤷♂️ It's just... frustrating!
Holy shit, this is everything I want in a jazzmaster
I would dig that Fender Spark-o-matic if they had done a reverse (upside down) body.
Then Gibson would sue them
Could have skipped this one IMO.. Sure doesn't seem like two grand worth of guitar.
I really like this thing. Jazzmasters are my favorite Fenders too. Would love to have one of these.
Firebirds traditionally have blades rather than separate pole pieces like a mini humbucker. They only share the same profile as mini humbuckers. 🤷♂️
Thase do have blades, Duncan just uses the same base plate for both styles of mini humbucker, thats why it has the screw holes in it.
Fender... suggestion... don't chamber the body and recess the back plates... that looks like Chipson work...
Looks like they've been flicking through the Rivolta catalogue over at Fender, hehe :-)
Considering Rivolta were the ones doing the ripping off
I love my Rivolta!
@@gorlagOv great guitars - which one ?
Definitely has a Dennis Fano vibe.
@@autistichead8137 Mondata VII baritone.
FINALLY
Thank you MR TROGLY!!
I love the distorted Middle and Middle+Bridge tones. Wow. I was hoping this video would dissuade me from buying one of these, but...
Slacktory Records Yeah, no way to deny how good this guitar sounded.
I'd see this as a good gigging guitar , versatile tones. Great review.🤟👍😎😷🎵🎼
It makes me so nervous when u hold the hardware over the guitar while filming! I have butterflies on the inside! I know, I know....u take great care of your guitars and are extra careful when it comes to those thing. But when u were holding the tailpiece over the Steve Howe les paul and filming 😱🤢🤒...one screw on the floor that u step on while barefooted or a trip on the carpet and u drop one of those metal parts on a $15,000 beauty and it's a bust! Maybe I'm just acting like a grandma but geez does it make me nervous!
Oh man
I was looking forward to this one
Even if I'd never be able to buy this model
Those pickups rock!
Trogly's in the HOUSE!!!
I think it sounds great. Dunno if it’s my thing but it has a cool tone.
I like the guitar..... but hate the switch and knobs location. They should have put them in the Gibson SG position. I would buy this guitar if they had done that. I would also rout a lip on those covers.... they are horrible. Maybe put the 5 way on the top horn. A telecaster control panel is the answer i think..... I would definitely buy it then.
Oh man this thing is cool
It would be cooler if it had a pickguard with a little emblem like a real Firebird
Liked it! Yeah, I think I'd recess those back covers flush with the body, make a pickguard for it -- and that's about it. Looks and sounds great. Thanks for another good one, Trogly!
Great looking and sounding guitar, but you're totally right about the back - it's a disaster ! Still I'll look out for a used one, but I ain't paying 2 grand for that joke of a back plate arrangement lol. My cat could have come up with a better back than this, but I guess that's what happens when you recruit your designers from the hollywood upstairs clown college lol.
mordokch If this model becomes popular and they continue to make it those control plates will most likely be done differently.
The whole idea of this series is the toss them out to the public and see what is popular.
It may be that these plates will eventually just be looked at as new model growing pains. That may increase the value of the early guitars that used those horrible covers.
@@hkguitar1984 Yerha but this is basic stuff though. Fender have, as we know, been doing this for a long time - they really should be able to get the basic stuff right.
As for the rest, well they don't seem to have any plans to make more of these parallel universe guitars - I have 2 from series 1 and I am 99.9% sure they'll never do a full run of them or any others, I mean for years like the standard line (now gone ! idiots !). So as for the back shenanigans, I doubt there will ever be a 'fixed' version - this is it and we can take it or leave it. I'll take it, but I want to pay 1200 tops. Ebay shall provide :)
Nice! So as history goes, Fender releases Jazzmaster in 1958. Gibson responds with the Firebird in 1963 with a noiseless pickup that sounds more “Fendery” than any attempt at noiseless pickups Fender has attempted, so now we get this!.
Seriously, though, Firebird style pickups like they used here (not to be confused with the Les Paul style mini humbuckers) definitely don’t get enough love. No hum, more than enough juice to kick any amp into overdrive, full balanced tone, a sparkle and chime that sounds like a good single coil.
The only place I think they really dropped the ball is the tuning machines- should have been locking tuners.
I think I finally found a jazzmaster id actually like to own!
rebelcat420 I totally agree with you, the Mini-Humbucker Pickups found in a Les Paul Deluxe are a totally different construction as compared to a Firebird Mini-Humbucker. It is my understanding the Firebird Pickups use a bar magnet within the bobbin/coil windings where as the Les Paul Deluxe type Mini-Humbucker are basically a scaled down PAF style.
Either way this Sparkomatic sounded great.
could be just me, but i love a completely solid back. i'd much rather have a pickguard than those dumb plastic band-aids. i know it's the part no one sees... but that's why i like it.
so many way can make that back cover plates look nice, but chose the worse way ,that cover plates looks like a sloppy guy did a sloppy job at home garage.
Those pickups sound great. This might be my next guitar.
This makes me want a guitar with Firebird pickups like these so bad. They sound absolutely incredible I just wish this and Gibson Firebirds weren't so expensive. Maybe I'll just have to get an Epiphone one and put these pickups in
I thought the firebird was a design by a famous car designer. Not a copy of a fender product.
Kinda ugly
Definitely Gibson over this firebird
I think I am drawn to this bc you won’t get the crazy neck dive and “beside you” feeling of the neck that you get from firebirds. Although I hear that Firebirds without banjo tuners have less neck dive. The Jazzmaster shape is extremely comfortable and easy to play.
@@nosferatu7325 I agree with you. All the Firebirds I've ever played were very long and neck heavy. Not an issue if you really love the Firebird as a guitar its just that it can be a pain. This Jazzmaster on the other hand looks very comfortable to play.
I've got Les Pauls, Tele, Strats and Jazzmasters in my office/studio, the Jazzmaster is by far the most comfortable guitar to play out of all of them.
@@nosferatu7325 that’s very true! Something good to think about!
I sure love my sg but it necks dives worse than my old Gibson firebird did
I had to robot firebird back in the day.
@@RefRMart10 I hate it too bc I think both SGs and Firebirds look awesome
UGH- I was all set to order one of these, and watched this video because I noticed what seemed to be covers somehow sitting *above* the finish on the back.. sure enough, they actually did that crap! For 2 grand, that's a dealbreaker for me. SO Wonky. I get that the wood was thin, but they couldn't have made a cover with some tabs that slide under the wood, and you screw it down from the top so it's flush? I'm bummed because I really want a 3-mini humbucker guitar and would rather get this than, say a St. Vincent.. but geeez man, even like a First Act has flush covers... and these sit ON TOP for 2k ? I hate to say I gotta pass for that one reason.. the might "redesign" those covers in a future run- but then guess what? They'll put pinstriping and skulls all over it or some other stupid idea and ruin it again LOL
Yeah those covers look like shit
That thing is a beauty Wow. Thanks for sharing Austin 🤟
That case is cool as shit.
The PUp's sounds good, I like it.
But I don't like the trem system, have bad experience about it.
For my taste, maybe I'll use Tele body shape with that PUp's combination.
And with Tele layout, we won't have to use that awfull back cover 😅
Beautiful Sparko! I'm down!
Oh man do I want that in Pelham Blue
Will Cresson I agree with you about the Pelham Blue. Thinking about it, that guitar would look really great in a lot of colors, the sunburst finish is my least favorite on Fender guitars. Not to mention how sexy it will look once the top starts getting worn away from playing wear.
No Pickguard+Nitro Lacquer Finish+Heavy Play Wear = Beautiful Relic
I’d like to see it in Heather Poly.
Will Cresson... Pelham Blue indeed! And with a pickguard
I actually like this one!
Looks nice, I’m actually grateful for the lack of pickguard even if that means ugly plates on the back.
Very grunge-y distorted sound, too, on top of the crisp clean sounds. A fun instrument to play around with. 👍
Always good to see a brand trying something other than the 42 billionth variation on the same old boring strat.
I wanna see the Jazzmaster parallel universe in red with gold hardware.
The back is so ugly, those covers are just horrible
The access covers on the back should at the very least be recessed into the body on a $2K guitar!
100% those back covers are bush league
13:12 Somebody went to the funk guitar dojo.
Beautiful guitar. I don't like the branding on the bridge. I would prefer the bridge to be blank or have a nice pattern carved into it but the branding on it just ruins the overall look for me. I'm fine with branding and all but it has a place and the neck should be where it goes... And maybe a little something on the neck plate as well but not on the bridge, just ugly that way imo...
Edit: Also love the metal pickup rings. I put metal ones on all my guitars. And I'd rather see the Jazz style 3 selector switches. And I wonder if they could make a version with a Bigsby style vibrato system.
And definitely, those back plates need to be recessed. With those awful non-recessed backplates and the logo branding on the bridge it might as well be made by Budweiser...
Edit: It looks like the thickness of the body means they couldn't recess the backplates. That seems like a design mistake to me. But maybe they could have done it if they used a smaller switch or maybe jazz style switches where there is one per pickup. But overall, very beautiful.
@@mubodude The bridge says Fender in big letters... well, the trem does...
@@mubodude Yeah, I'm used to them being the same thing on Fender guitars. This guitar threw me off. ;)
There is something really smart business wise for Fender to sponsor the guy who does Gibson reviews to get him to say good things about one of their “Gibson” style models
Viper 6172 Totally agree with you.
Nice! I would love to get the Captain Ebony SG HHH. I wonder how much it would cost in Canadian funds.
That guitar sounds amazing.
2nd is the best
Yes yes you win the wallmart aword for the first comment yeah two are awesome wooohooo
@@rondobondo6600 SWEET!
@Ur So Gay I will check ... once more...
@Ur So Gay Rondo Bondo doesn't Lie!!!! Guess you should of Commented. It's a Contest of Action not Silence Buffalo Gay. 😬
It sounds killer with distortion! Kinda wishing I bought a Firebird instead of an Explorer now. The mini humbuckers still have that jangliness similar to a single coil, something I'm struggling to get with the ProBuckers and was literally just complaining about to my wife when I got the notificationfor this video.
@@mubodude Every guitar should be offered with a P90 option. P90s are the best sounding pickup. The Gibson Explorer I played on back in the day had P90s that I swapped for SD Full Shreds, which, with age, wisdom, and experience, I know was a stupid mistake. There were many mistakes I made with that guitar.
@@mubodude I will probably swap out the ProBuckers for something SD or Mojotone, looking for that definition and clarity in attack across the spectrum and high end jangle. Seth Lover and/or Pearly Gates, or the Mojotone PAF clones. I spent so long playing Telecaster single coils. I got the Explorer out of nostalgia, love of the body style, and a desire for humbucking drive and push on the amp and pedals, but I still want the definition and attack of the single coils. Like I said, there should always be a P90 option, so I might get another Epi and mod it for true P90s, because that sound is killer. My Tele currently has G&L MFDs for the hotter output and growl, closer to a P90, but not quite there. I hope the upgraded pickups on the Explorer get me closer, or I may be looking at humbucker-sized replacements, even though they aren't TRUE P90s. The P90 really does solve all of the complaints about HBs and single coils excepting the hum.
@@mubodude I learned to deal with it for the Tele. I'm just trying to figure out how I could justify a P90 rout and swap, or a new guitar with the same to my wife. Thankfully, she has OF HER OWN FREE WILL admitted that the Explorer sounds significantly different and/or better than my Teles in some circumstances, which was my justification for the new guitar. She usually comes around when I make big purchases, admitting that the premium gear sounds better. I'm still trying to juggle her reservations with honing my sound(s) to the goal of recording (which means experimenting on and expanding my arsenal). Hell, even I agree with her that I sound/play better on acoustics after all these years than on electrics. Even though she doesn't like Dave Matthews, she likes the results of spending my youth emulating him at the expense of neglecting my electric gear/sound. Go figure
@@mubodude Haha! For all the flack he gets, he is no joke. A player's player, if ever there was one. Stretched positions, atypical key signatures, "groogrux" rhythms. I am a classically trained musician on non-stringed instruments, and a third generation music educator/band director. For all my love of rock, emo, and punk and everything in between, I love the musicianship of the Dave Matthews Band. They are all amazing musicians and always (appear to) have fun on stage. I know he's antithetical to most of the music I listen to and try to emulate, but I will NEVER disavow him/them. You learn the most from the people that challenge you, and he is always challenging.
@@mubodude I grew up in West Texas, but spent summers in the mountains of New Mexico. DMB was an occasional radio play at home, but my friends at music camp were totally sold. We were all students of what was actually happening in the music. It had an effect on me, and it continues to do so. For all the repudiation of musicality in place of emotional message and "power", nothing is as fun to someone who enjoys a challenge as an instrumentalist. More than a few of the people I went to camp with, who also schooled me on the "real" emo scene of the 1990s and early 2000s, went on to schools like Berkeley and Juilliard. But they could all play "What Would You Say" on acoustic.
If i didn't already have a Non-Reverse Firebird, i'll be all over this.
Nice jumbo fret size.
Pickguard, with Jaguar style switches would make that unbelievable.
Amazing tones. Guess I’ll be wearing my “Troglys Guitar Show” shirt today 🤘🏻
Very sorely missed chance indeed
hello. the pups are really good, Duncan did them right. I was hoping Gibson would make a 3 pup when you did the Deluxe forecast, this thing is really tempting. the rim burst is my thing and no guard keeps the visual focus since the trem makes it look busy, for me. this wins the Par. Univ. I think. come on Gibson, respond with something brilliant. Ü ♫
I really love the sound of that fender clean and dirty! I might have to get one.
Tmw will be Dave Mustaine to Gibson probably
Nah, next time I talk about that subject again is when I have the guitar for review
@@Trog oh ok yeah that makes sense I’m just praying it’s a pointy guitar that I can afford without breaking the bank
@@DBcycling1 I really hope it's a kramer 🤞
@@sidiox7857 It may be both! I can see Gibson coming out with a Mustaine Signature model in both brandings.
@@hkguitar1984 that's an interesting idea!
Thank You, Austin! Allways great, what You‘re doing to those guitars and for all of us on Your Channel! Please start again, to also write the width of the necks in metric! I can tell You, your videos will be watched all over the world. At least here in Switzerland...
One of the many myths is that Gibson changed from the (reverse) Firebird to the non-reverse Firebird because their lawyers had a phonecall from Fender's lawyers saying they were wondering why Gibson had started making a guitar that looked so much like Fender's flagship models. If that was the reason then it's a finger from Gibson, not submission, because the non-reverse is more Fender J* looking than the original Fbird. PS the non-reverse which this more closely resembles was set-neck, not neck-thru.
Holy cow I woke up after 16 hours of sleep and my daily dose of guitar information was waiting for me
16 hrs? 1st day off rotation?
Yes me to working in the snow was hard work this week in Michigan just north of Austin I think he'll take a week off to move
i think this is the first Jazzmaster i really like only without the mini buckers but it does sound good like thet way it is the only thing i don’t like is the control cavity plates that stick out other then that it’s really nice great sound
The glowing effect really adds something.
If this were a hard tail I would buy it in an instant. I love the looks and the sound is great.
They make fixed tailpieces to replace jazzmaster vibratos, they drop in with no modifications
Trogly, Trogly, Trogly...
... by now you should know that ANY time you are working on an instrument you should have it covered, have it protected.
Well, lesson learned, right? Another great piece of content, keep it up.
Great vidios trog
the things I've seen in 2021 🤯
One thing that stands out superb is the coax wires from pickups. any un shielded wire length is vulnerable to receive RF noise. (Consider the guitar cord itself).
Looks sexier than the Firebird! If it had block inlays, I would even lose my mind
At 15:08 you kind of sound like Jan Akkerman ('Le Clochard' by Focus). I don't recall you ever mentioning him. Maybe, you could do a video on him, his guitars, and his style, someday ruclips.net/video/fc1KAtDjORc/видео.html
Wow! I love it! The back plates sticking out sucks but I could live with it for those tones.
I have never seen this. Very cool guitar.
The first time I saw one of these I thought "Oh, Teisco's back!"
That is a great sounding guitar!
My favorite sounding guitars you have reviewed; this one and the Japanese tele with the sustainer played on all 3 pickups. Thanks
Sounds amazing!⚡️⚡️⚡️
Love fender, but what’s they’re issue with recessing backplates and string ferrules on modern guitars? They were able to recess the ferrules on the old blackguard teles. Why can’t they do it now?
Hey man I was just watching a show on Stolen guitars and sell that Flying V that you had taken have you ever gotten any of those guitars back from that fellow man broke my heart when I saw that how s***** people are so rude sometimes wish you the best of luck on getting them back bro