Nice post Andy. I use Thomastik flats 11s on my Jazzmaster in a Big Band and it works really well tonally. I think the biggest issue with Fender guitars and the jazz thing is often scale length. The complex chord shapes of jazz vocabulary are often an bit easier to negotiate on my 175. These days for convenience I’m using the JM more often as I can put it in a gig bag and if it falls of its stand no neck issues. They are great Jazz guitars Leo got it right again!
I think this is why Leo Fender refined the Jazzmaster design with the Jaguar - the shorter scale makes complex chords a lot easier to play. Stung with heavy(sit) flatwound strings the Jaguar is more than capable of jazz tones on the rhythm circuit.
Happy to have found this video. Thanks for the great playing, information, and tones. As a new JM player, I especially appreciated it. I think I'm going to give flatwounds a try on mine. Now I'm wanting two JMs-one strung with flats and one with roundwounds! :)
Further to my recent comments agree totally with you regarding the bridge. I have a 2013 AVRI and played it, including many gigs for almost a decade. I’ve never once had the string popping out of the string slots on the bridge. I play more with a light touch and the JM has 11s on it.
I agree not needing to change the bridge. I bought new a 2003 AVRI 1962 Jazzmaster and still have it. I never changed the bridge. Works fine. You need pure nickelThomastik or Pyramid roundcore flatwounds, much better than Chromes. Chromes are hex core nickle plated steel which don't feel or sound as good. Surf guitarist usually used about .12 roundwounds back in the 60s.
I use flatwound 11s tuned down to Eb. But I play on the jazzy clean side of things. If you play with lots of distortion, thinner strings are known to sound better.
I found a nice $250 Squier tele custom 72 and after several rounds of experimentation over a couple of years I ended up with 12-50 swing Thomastik flats and it could not sound sweeter. Actually, while experimenting with different strings finally I asked to my guitar tech to change the bronze saddles for individual ones to facilitate calibration/intonation (also before that I personally experimented with compensated saddles but intonation remained hard to nail quicker) and he got the action of the strings lowered for amazing speed, and clarity which also included a fine adjustment at the base of the bolt-on neck. The string tension got higher but you get used to that since the guitar transits from a rock machine to a jazzy box. I am totally satisfied with the sound coming from the humbucker pick-up at the neck position and anyone can immediately tell how rounded but full the sound is. Then just playing with the tone a bit will get you to the sweet spot where trebles get cut but without having a muddy sound. I bought this tele cause I wanted to experiment with the humbucker in the neck and I knew I wanted to try replacing parts and such. Luckily, my guitar tech is a magician and he knows exactly how to nail all my caprices to get the perfect (to me) instrument.
I have a basic MIM Fender Jazz Master. Made my own pickguard with just a single vintage rail strat pickup with volume and 500k tone pot with .22 uf cap. Strings are 0.12 flatwound. It has been my main jazz guitar. Thanks.
@@jazzguitarwithandy I absolutely love them. The JM sounds unbelievable now. I can’t even tell you. With the wound G, it’s such a great sound for like British Invasion and garage/indie. I love and play my JM every day but it never sounded right until now.
Chromes are not my favorite flats, they are hexcore which create higher tension, they are stainless steel wrapped which eats frets. Thomastik makes great Flatwounds ($9 more than Chromes) that are pure nickel and has a round core. So I'd suggest trying out Thomastik flats before abandoning Flatwounds. Especially on a Jazzmaster with that 25.5" scale length. If you are ever fortunate enough to own/try out a Jaguar, those take Flatwounds really well.
Yes, I agree re Thomastiks. I use them on my archtops. Might have to give them a go on the Jazzmaster too. Never had e chance to try out a Jag. Must rectify that.
I’m not sure if it’s an allergy or not but I’ve noticed that nickel bothers my fingers far more than stainless steel, I may be stuck with the chromes lol
I recently picked up a Jaguar. It came with 9-42 roundwounds! It actually didn't play as badly as I expected. I restrung it with 10-46 (rounds) which will have to do until I can get a new nut cut with wider/deeper slots for 11/12-50+ flats and have the neck shimmed slightly and the bridge raised more than I can lift it currently. Can't wait for that, but the guitar is surprisingly stable as is. Not a perfect guitar by any means though. The strangle switch isn't working, which annoys me, and the volume and tone completely dies away if you roll back the vol and tone knobs from 100% even slightly. All of this will be rectified when my guy gets a moment.
Andy: FYI The Surf Bands used alot of 9's and 10's ; I myself used Super Slinky 9's on my Strat; I could see them having the strings slide off the bridge on occasion. Informative videos...Be well
Yes, really great. I think that the name of this guitar reveals what was the plan with it :). With the « rythm » switch. And, a solid body to avoid feedback at higher volumes which was probably a problem with archtops. But archtops remain beautiful guitars, with their hollow body, giving them percussive properties and woody tone
Great video. This is a discussion I haven't seen online. I have a tele and a JM and the JM has flats on it since the day I got it. Indeed, it doesn't feel like a "Fender" but it sure sounds better with the flats.
I love Chromes, and use them in different gauges on most of my guitars. I’ve tried Tomastik several times, and end up removing them immediately. Sorry, they just don’t sound as lively as do Chromes. Eats frets?? Wait, they eat frets? With such a smooth finish, how is that even possible. All of my frets remain uneaten after using Chromes extensively. They are not stainless steel either. They are carbon steel, not the same.
I have bought several sets of flat/ground wound strings. I was never impressed with the tone of the lower strings. The Jazzmaster has a very interesting 50s tone on the lower strings. When you play the 1st string up the neck, it sounds a bit out of place.
@@jazzguitarwithandy well….aesthetics. I saw a Troy Van Leeuwen and fell in love. But I’m a country man. No other music moves me ( vintage Country). Yes, Teles are a Country staple …but they’re not that pretty. They don’t beckon me
😳 that sounds really good! If I was listening to this blind I would not have a clue this was a JM.. conclusion.. I need a JM 😁 though from what I’ve read they are a bit fiddly and need a lot of work, like sticking in the bridge so it doesn’t sink and strings falling off.. but good to know they you haven’t had any issues with thicker strings.
I used it instead of my archtop on a gig last night and it was great! Re the bridge - I haven't had a problem with it, but then I've only used 11s on it. People often encounter problems with lower gauges or maybe they just the guitar too hard!
Great vid again thanks Andy - love your work. Two questions though: Jazzmaster or Tele for jazz? That is would a jazzmaster be any different & provide a different/better sound/tone, in your opinion, than a Tele? Second question: would you put a humbucker or Charlie Christian pickup at the neck position or leave it as is?
Hi Malcom, thanks for the comment. I've only had the JM for a few months, I think I'd need it for longer to definitively answer that! My first impressions are that the JM has a fuller sound that is more suited to jazz. The rhythm circuit makes it easy to dial in jazz tones right away. When it comes to a Tele, they of course can make great jazz guitars, but I think a lot of people end up changing the neck pick up, using heavier gauge strings or having to work on dialling in a jazz tone. Re your second question, I'm guessing you mean for a Tele? For once I'm not going to change anything on the JM, the pickups work for what I need. Personally, I love the sound of a Tele with a humbucker or CC in the neck. I think it fattens the tone. I'm still very, very happy with my Creamery CC pickup on my green tele. It doesn't come with all the noise that CC style pickups often have!
@@jazzguitarwithandy just curious about your thoughts a few months later since i'm in a similar situation of getting a tele vs JM. I wasn't planning on getting a JM but a sweet deal for an ultra JM was thrown my way and i'm super tempted since i've never owned one.
Chromes don't really sound that great for flats. Try Thomastiks. And Jazzmasters/Jaguars were literally designed for flatwound strings. Even up until 2012, AVRI Jazzmasters and Jags came with them stock.
Great sounding guitar, especially with the flats. Disagree with those who say the jazzmaster ain't great for jazz
Me too. I think for some people it's too modern looking.
Nice post Andy. I use Thomastik flats 11s on my Jazzmaster in a Big Band and it works really well tonally. I think the biggest issue with Fender guitars and the jazz thing is often scale length. The complex chord shapes of jazz vocabulary are often an bit easier to negotiate on my 175. These days for convenience I’m using the JM more often as I can put it in a gig bag and if it falls of its stand no neck issues. They are great Jazz guitars Leo got it right again!
I think this is why Leo Fender refined the Jazzmaster design with the Jaguar - the shorter scale makes complex chords a lot easier to play. Stung with heavy(sit) flatwound strings the Jaguar is more than capable of jazz tones on the rhythm circuit.
I have a cij jag with USA 62 jag pups and they're alnico 3 which sounds mellow @@xcx8646
I put .012, pure nickel, round core, roundwounds on my Jazzmaster and it's a wonderful middle ground. Thanks for the demo! 😊
Nice, I might have to try that one day!
Happy to have found this video. Thanks for the great playing, information, and tones. As a new JM player, I especially appreciated it. I think I'm going to give flatwounds a try on mine. Now I'm wanting two JMs-one strung with flats and one with roundwounds! :)
Two is a good solution!
Further to my recent comments agree totally with you regarding the bridge. I have a 2013 AVRI and played it, including many gigs for almost a decade. I’ve never once had the string popping out of the string slots on the bridge. I play more with a light touch and the JM has 11s on it.
Yes, I just think it happens when people use them for heavy styles of music.
I agree not needing to change the bridge. I bought new a 2003 AVRI 1962 Jazzmaster and still have it. I never changed the bridge. Works fine.
You need pure nickelThomastik or Pyramid roundcore flatwounds, much better than Chromes. Chromes are hex core nickle plated steel which don't feel or sound as good.
Surf guitarist usually used about .12 roundwounds back in the 60s.
They are much better than chromes. I don't know why I persisted with chromes for so long. Thomastik all the way now!
Jazzmaster, Thomastik .012s here, flatwounds, of course. Perfect combination.
To answer your question, Andy, the surf guitarists of the early 1960s typically used nickel flatwounds in fairly heavy gauges (ie.012's or higher).
Thanks for the insight Glenn.
Spot on.
There's another comment down below saying they used .09's and .10's. Could you imagine Dick Dale using .09's?!
I have to say that guitar is gorgeous. I have a Jazzmaster but that one is stunning.
Thanks, which one do you have?
I use flatwound 11s tuned down to Eb. But I play on the jazzy clean side of things. If you play with lots of distortion, thinner strings are known to sound better.
Dick Dale used to play 16, 18, 20, 39, 49, 60 strings on his strat!
WOW! I've heard of people using 15s, but not 16s.
I found a nice $250 Squier tele custom 72 and after several rounds of experimentation over a couple of years I ended up with 12-50 swing Thomastik flats and it could not sound sweeter. Actually, while experimenting with different strings finally I asked to my guitar tech to change the bronze saddles for individual ones to facilitate calibration/intonation (also before that I personally experimented with compensated saddles but intonation remained hard to nail quicker) and he got the action of the strings lowered for amazing speed, and clarity which also included a fine adjustment at the base of the bolt-on neck. The string tension got higher but you get used to that since the guitar transits from a rock machine to a jazzy box. I am totally satisfied with the sound coming from the humbucker pick-up at the neck position and anyone can immediately tell how rounded but full the sound is. Then just playing with the tone a bit will get you to the sweet spot where trebles get cut but without having a muddy sound. I bought this tele cause I wanted to experiment with the humbucker in the neck and I knew I wanted to try replacing parts and such. Luckily, my guitar tech is a magician and he knows exactly how to nail all my caprices to get the perfect (to me) instrument.
Sounds like a killer tele. Sounds like a sensible move re the saddles.
I have a basic MIM Fender Jazz Master. Made my own pickguard with just a single vintage rail strat pickup with volume and 500k tone pot with .22 uf cap. Strings are 0.12 flatwound. It has been my main jazz guitar. Thanks.
Nice. I played a Squier one recently and preferred it to the American one. Not had a chance to play a MIM yet.
Say, I would love to hear your sound!!
I’m putting flat wound 10’s on my American Original Jazzmaster today. First time ever trying them and I’m very excited.
let me now how you like them!
@@jazzguitarwithandy I absolutely love them. The JM sounds unbelievable now. I can’t even tell you. With the wound G, it’s such a great sound for like British Invasion and garage/indie. I love and play my JM every day but it never sounded right until now.
@@starshineraiser6729 glad to hear it. You don’t have issues with bridge using 10s?
Chromes are not my favorite flats, they are hexcore which create higher tension, they are stainless steel wrapped which eats frets. Thomastik makes great Flatwounds ($9 more than Chromes) that are pure nickel and has a round core. So I'd suggest trying out Thomastik flats before abandoning Flatwounds. Especially on a Jazzmaster with that 25.5" scale length. If you are ever fortunate enough to own/try out a Jaguar, those take Flatwounds really well.
Yes, I agree re Thomastiks. I use them on my archtops. Might have to give them a go on the Jazzmaster too. Never had e chance to try out a Jag. Must rectify that.
I’m not sure if it’s an allergy or not but I’ve noticed that nickel bothers my fingers far more than stainless steel, I may be stuck with the chromes lol
I recently picked up a Jaguar. It came with 9-42 roundwounds! It actually didn't play as badly as I expected. I restrung it with 10-46 (rounds) which will have to do until I can get a new nut cut with wider/deeper slots for 11/12-50+ flats and have the neck shimmed slightly and the bridge raised more than I can lift it currently. Can't wait for that, but the guitar is surprisingly stable as is.
Not a perfect guitar by any means though. The strangle switch isn't working, which annoys me, and the volume and tone completely dies away if you roll back the vol and tone knobs from 100% even slightly. All of this will be rectified when my guy gets a moment.
I prefer the flat because I don’t like the noise when my fingers slide along the strings. Personal preference.
It's definitely a good reason to use flats. I really hate the noise on an acoustic guitar.
Don't know much about surf but I like Magic Slim's Chicago blues tones on his Jazzmaster.
I preferred the roundwounds. The flats sounded too dull to me. But I generally prefer jazz guitar tone that is a bit on the bright side.
I’m increasingly leaning towards that too
Andy: FYI The Surf Bands used alot of 9's and 10's ; I myself used Super Slinky 9's on my Strat; I could see them having the strings slide off the bridge on occasion. Informative videos...Be well
Thanks for that info. I was expecting to have loads of problems like that, but it's not happened once!
Yes, really great. I think that the name of this guitar reveals what was the plan with it :). With the « rythm » switch. And, a solid body to avoid feedback at higher volumes which was probably a problem with archtops.
But archtops remain beautiful guitars, with their hollow body, giving them percussive properties and woody tone
Great video. This is a discussion I haven't seen online. I have a tele and a JM and the JM has flats on it since the day I got it. Indeed, it doesn't feel like a "Fender" but it sure sounds better with the flats.
Hi Joe, I'm thinking I just can't get the feel for flats on a Fender, despite the tones!
I love Chromes, and use them in different gauges on most of my guitars. I’ve tried Tomastik several times, and end up removing them immediately. Sorry, they just don’t sound as lively as do Chromes. Eats frets?? Wait, they eat frets? With such a smooth finish, how is that even possible. All of my frets remain uneaten after using Chromes extensively. They are not stainless steel either. They are carbon steel, not the same.
My jm Antiquity 2 lead pickup isn't harsh or too bright.
I ended up selling this guitar but really want to get another JM.
I have bought several sets of flat/ground wound strings. I was never impressed with the tone of the lower strings.
The Jazzmaster has a very interesting 50s tone on the lower strings. When you play the 1st string up the neck, it sounds a bit out of place.
I've not got a guitar with flats on currently. I did like the Thomastik ones the best though.
It is a beautiful instrument
Joe Pass played one on the Synanon album
I'll have to check that out!
What’s your amp settings man? I have the same amp and guitar. I use Thomastik Infeld flats 12s but with a plain G.
Sadly, I can't remember. I typically used the first channel with the bright switch cut. How are you finding the guitar?
Man I so want to learn the piece you played to demonstrate the round wounds
Any chance?
Just slow down the video here on youtube and learn it by ear! Good luck.
Can it do Bakersfield Sound Country tones? Maybe after market pickups for jazzmaster?
I bet it could.
@@jazzguitarwithandy with or without aftermarket pickup ?
@@NothingNowhereNoOne I think the stock ones could do it. I'd imagine a Tele would be a better choice though. What attracts you to the JM?
@@jazzguitarwithandy well….aesthetics. I saw a Troy Van Leeuwen and fell in love. But I’m a country man. No other music moves me ( vintage Country).
Yes, Teles are a Country staple …but they’re not that pretty. They don’t beckon me
@@NothingNowhereNoOne Totally get it - gotta love the look of a guitar. I love this JM tone: ruclips.net/video/UXatz1B1Y7s/видео.html
With rhythm section i dont belive it would be any diference from holowbody.
That bridge position on the Jazz master sounds like a killer tone for surf guitar!
It's great for that!
😳 that sounds really good! If I was listening to this blind I would not have a clue this was a JM.. conclusion.. I need a JM 😁 though from what I’ve read they are a bit fiddly and need a lot of work, like sticking in the bridge so it doesn’t sink and strings falling off.. but good to know they you haven’t had any issues with thicker strings.
I used it instead of my archtop on a gig last night and it was great! Re the bridge - I haven't had a problem with it, but then I've only used 11s on it. People often encounter problems with lower gauges or maybe they just the guitar too hard!
@@jazzguitarwithandy thanks for answering 👍 I’d go with 11’a anyway 😊
Great vid again thanks Andy - love your work. Two questions though: Jazzmaster or Tele for jazz? That is would a jazzmaster be any different & provide a different/better sound/tone, in your opinion, than a Tele? Second question: would you put a humbucker or Charlie Christian pickup at the neck position or leave it as is?
Hi Malcom, thanks for the comment.
I've only had the JM for a few months, I think I'd need it for longer to definitively answer that! My first impressions are that the JM has a fuller sound that is more suited to jazz. The rhythm circuit makes it easy to dial in jazz tones right away. When it comes to a Tele, they of course can make great jazz guitars, but I think a lot of people end up changing the neck pick up, using heavier gauge strings or having to work on dialling in a jazz tone.
Re your second question, I'm guessing you mean for a Tele? For once I'm not going to change anything on the JM, the pickups work for what I need. Personally, I love the sound of a Tele with a humbucker or CC in the neck. I think it fattens the tone. I'm still very, very happy with my Creamery CC pickup on my green tele. It doesn't come with all the noise that CC style pickups often have!
@@jazzguitarwithandy just curious about your thoughts a few months later since i'm in a similar situation of getting a tele vs JM. I wasn't planning on getting a JM but a sweet deal for an ultra JM was thrown my way and i'm super tempted since i've never owned one.
I love flats on the jazzmaster but they dont bend so thats a dealbreaker
Agreed!
I’m considering putting chrome flats (11s) on my JM, but am concerned about tension and neck bowing. Is that a real concern?
No - these guitars are fine with those. The trem behaves really well with 11s. I'd always get a set up when changing gauge though.
Keep the flats!
They've gone already! I just can't into the feel of the flats on a Fender style guitar, don't know what it is.
Harmonic Overtones = Zing
Good description.
Chromes don't really sound that great for flats. Try Thomastiks. And Jazzmasters/Jaguars were literally designed for flatwound strings. Even up until 2012, AVRI Jazzmasters and Jags came with them stock.
I use Thomastiks on my archtop. Much prefer them to chromes.
@@jazzguitarwithandy Ah ok so you already know. They are awesome strings. I think they sound and especially feel great on Jazzmasters.