Jet AND/or Fender - What have you tried? 🫳⌨⬇ Keen to hear good and bad stories about either! 😁👍 Did anyone notice I actually did 10 different "licks" for this one? - Just sayin 😜
Have you seen the new soloking guitars? Bone nut, roller string tree, roasted maple neck, sculpted heel joint stainless steel frets, wilkinson 2pt trem/locking tuners and entwistle pickups - all for £300! This would rival the JET JS450 and Fender maybe a shootout in the near future...?😂
@@pankajmarwaha9815 I have seen the previous run. Definitely on the Radar for checking out. From what I remember... They were D shaped necks. Will have a look 2morra - got a gig now
@@thestratman7903 Good shout Re Musicman - Cheers! 😀👍 I've had 3 Eart's 🙈 Agreed - Great guitars 👌 I never fell in love with the neck though - but probably the best fretwork I've ever seen 👍
Hi, thank you for the honest opinion, we will continue to work hard and provide best possible instruments. Short spoiler - 2024 will bring two new series, which will tick all the boxes for players who now use/buy 300/400 series and feel the need to upgrade some parts ;)
I hope a JS-500 with the same colors as the JS-400 and not the sparkling colors they have now is coming in 2024. I absolutely love The JS-500 but do not like a sparkling finish. I would have purchased the JS-500 but will not purchase a sparkling finish on a guitar. I absolutely love the HH pickup configuration . Jet please better non sparkling colors for the JS-500. The JS-400 is an awesome guitar but I would definitely prefer a JS-500 in the same colors as the JS-400. The seafoam green(SFG) and the yellow (VYW) are my favorite colors.🎸🤘🏻
@@DarylT64 It could happen! 😃 Hopefully you get your wish 😁🤞 In the meantime... I'd suggest keeping an eye out for a used Fazley Phynica FSST 920. It's the exact same guitar as the Jet JS500. Same spec, same factory, same team making then - non sparkled 😎👍 Used is your only option as the were discontinued earlier this year :( Going rate should be around £150 I reckon 😃 Good luck 🤞
I bought this exact same guitar, it has just arrived about an hour ago. I'm seriously in love. Thank you for your videos, they've been really helpful for me, lad!
Still making my way through your back catalog. Well done comparison. I haven't been the biggest fan of the Player series... especially at the cost. Gonna have to get my hands on a Jet some day. Never see them sold around here.
Thanks for watching the older ones mate 😃👍 I've actually got a Player 2 Strat Vs Jet JS300 filmed, but just can't keep up with the editing just now 🤯 But yeah the Player 2 had a poorly cut nut, which seems to be the norm for Fender these days 😬
I have a JS400 in Lake Placid Blue (like yours) and it's a fantastic instrument. I'm a decent rhythm player but, I'm really a bass player and I bought a Jet JJB300 bass online, sight unseen, on the strength of the strat. I had the pick ups replaced with Fender Gen 4 noiseless and it is far and away the best bass I have ever owned. It's so good that I put my Fender P bass away and haven't played it since I bought the Jet. The workmanship and quality just blow the Fender out of the water. The neck is beautiful with that rosewood fretboard. I also have a Fender Meteora bass, a Thunderbird and an Epiphone JC bass and I play all of these but the Jet has become my "go to" bass over the precision. It's just a fantastic instrument. Edit: And it's a beautiful, striking gold colour. Glorious!
Wow! Great to hear the quality is still there with the basses too 😃👍 I seen that one in store last year. Looks classy 😎👌 If they come out with a 5 string I'll probably grab one 😁👍
Great video Steve! Your attention to style details (matching clothes and spectacles to the guitar), are second to none!👌My first strat, Fender Roadhouse Deluxe 2017, i got for 600.- second hand. Since then i got 3 Jet strats, which i all modded. I cut a bigger hole in the pickguard of the JS-300 to accomodate a humbucker. This was taken from a HB SC-550, in which it sounded 'muffled'. I took off the cover and now the JS-300 is my favorite and most played guitar. I'm messing around with string gauges and will try 9's on the JS-400 (same colour as yours here), that might make it as supple as the JS-300.....it worked for the Gretsch G-2420. They are all good guitars, now gassing for a JS-700 with Wilkinson Floyd....😜🎸🤘🎸
Thank ya kindly mate! It warms my heart when someone notices the matching glasses & guitars details 😀🙏 You've got it nailed mate - 3 Jets all modded - that's the way to do it 😁👍 Get em specced out exactly how you like em 😎👌 I use 9's on 25.5" scale guitars - but i'm a proper weakling 🙈
Great Stuff! I have a js400 on the way I couldn't be more excited about and your content was a big factor in my decision . I plan on modding mine similar but not exactly like yours. Please do modded jet against the player Strat comparison. I'd love to see how it comes out!
Thank you mate - I'm on the case! 😀👍 Indeed- I'd totally expect people to do their own mods to preference! 😀👌 As you're expecting a Jet - a wee bit of advice - Bin the stock strings immediately, polish the frets, and put on your string gauge/brand of choice - you'll be over the moon! 😁
Thanks for the advice. To pick your brain for one more second , do you know of any other locking tuners that will be drop in on the Jets? Also, how did you make your humbucker choice ? I'm looking for something versatile , but leaning towards punk rock sounds. Any thoughts? Thanks again and keep up the great work!
I bought first the JS 650, and after a great impression about this one I went to a JS300 , and I continued adding a JS 450 Bicolor & finally a JS 450 QTB. They are awesome guitars, very well constructed and balanced. Finally I decided to upgrade them with tuners Gotoh Lock and installed Gotoh 510 series bridges. With these improves they put in the shadows my Suhr and Fender American Ultra, no doubts about that, and when you think in the whole value of all the work in every guitar, finally you must to think if you are maintaining the expensive guitars only by the logo on the headstock.....
Nice one mate! 😎👍 I'm not familiar with the 650, but I have had a JT300, JS300, JS400 and JS450. The JS400 is my favourite 😁I also upgraded to a Gotoh 510 bridge, upgraded pickups & Locking tuners. I'm not surprised it can hold it's own against a Fender - but I'm really surprised you rate it so closely to your Suhr! 🤯 That's awesome! 😀
I bought myself a Jet JT300, the tele one. I'm blown away, I seriously love it. The neck is so great. I've modified it a fair bit, graphtec string trees (the break angle is really bad), brass saddles, 4 way selector switch and some really nice pickups. All the frets were level, it has near to perfect intonation, the neck is arguably better than my Fenders too
Nice one mate! 😀👍 I think Fender are only just catching up now, with their new player 2 series getting rolled fretboard edges - like we already get on the Jets! 😂🙈👌
Hi Steve I really enjoyed this comparison video.. I enjoy your approach to the videos you put out, I am now a subscriber.. I am very interested in the 300 or 400 Strat models I just can’t make up my mind between a SSS or a HSS model???? I realize having a Humbucker opens up a fun can of worms… and I can’t even get my hands on one since no retailer sells Jet guitars and any way I just had shoulder surgery on the 25th of March so it gives me time to make up my mind since it will be awhile before I can play guitar again😩which is very hard to do… I hope all is well. God bless Craig
Hey Craig - Welcome and cheers for the sub 😀🙏 I'd say the Js400 is well worth the extra £10-£20 for the 2 point trem and the more sculpted neck heel. You can still revert it back to SSS if you get a custom pickguard (Cheaper than a new trem upgrade 😜) If you're in the US - Jets are coming to the US very soon! If you check my community post from earlier this week I shared a link to a US store that is now stocking them 😀👍
Thanks for your response Steve.. I will check that link out for sure… Take care. Craig A-Z Music Haven ( my small RUclips channel where I talk about Vinyl, CD’s and cassettes and I have some of me singing and playing guitar or instruments)
Thank ya mate! - That's a good upgrade, I'm still not sure on the stock Fender noiseless pups on the player plus. Love the finish options on that series though 😎👌
I have around 30 guitars and have been.playing for over 50 years. I have a USA standard Fender strat brought new in the 1980's as well as many other S style guitars. I also have a Jet ST 400 which I modded with a loaded Gilmour pickguard I had hanging around. It now sounds great and the neck is superb. I wish guitars half as good as this were around when I was a kid. I would like also to throw burns guitars into the debate which play and sound great for little money. I have a king cobra and a short scale jazz. Both have great sounding pickups. I got the short scale jazz for around £200 new with trisonic pickups and wow what a great guitar in looks, build quality, feel and sound. It's the one I play the most and choose for recording.
I'm much the same mate - Also at around 30 Guitars atm (embarrassingly 🙈 ) I don't think I've ever tried a Burns - Good shout 😎👍 I'll keep an eye out once I've thinned the herd a bit again 😜
Like that comparison, Steve! I think dishing out an extra $800CAD for the Fender brand name-made in Mexico- is quite a lot. The Jet JS400 is $350CAD right now for the HSS set up. Investing in new pickups and tuners- another $250CAD and you're still ahead by loads!
That's the stock pickups. I had a bit of a nightmare with the audio on all of the playing clips. I recorded the signal from my interface too hot and was getting a lot of audio clipping, especially with the distorted tones. Totally my bad - lessons learned. Apologies it's not the best example of how either guitar sounds, I should have did better. 😬
Have been watching reviews on the JS 400 for about a week and have ordered one. Had a Fender Mexican Strat in '09 and was never that impressed with it. The best Squier I had was the '50's Classic Vibe Tele. Looking forward to my Jet being delivered👍😎
Awesome mate! You've picked the best Jet model they do too (imo) 😎👍 Just a wee tip - When you get it... chuck the nasty stock strings and polish the frets - then enjoy strat heaven 😁👌
My band did a gig last night and the guitarist in the support band was playing one of these Jets. He was raving about how good he’s found it and it sounded great. Might have to look into one.
Excellent video, I've had a Mexican strat, an Ultra and a Custom Shop Master built. They've all been sold and I now have a Jet, I can't say I miss the Fenders. Just a home player so don't need top quality sounds. Am considering buying a loaded Custom shop pickguard and putting the pots and pickups into the Jet, minimal wiring and they can swap back if I needed to sell. Can't afford to be a brand snob these days.
Word! I can't say I have the same experience as you with these high end Fenders. The most expensive one I've ever owned is a USA standard. BUt... Your comment feels like pure satisfaction & validation for me and this vid - cheers mate! 😀🙏
Great video, I had a player series years ago, thinking about buying another but.... Going for the Jet JS400, When you played the guitars the jet was only let down by the Humbucker which could be changed out and better locking tuners, no brainer in my opinion,,,,,
Cheers mate! It was a no brainer for me too. I changed the Humbucker and added locking tuners and waaaaay more here: ruclips.net/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/видео.html Now it's an un-killable beast!
Bumped into this video by pure chance and stayed for the lovely Scottish accent. Not a surprise for me as a former student in beautiful Edinburgh!!! Now back to the video. I am going to buy the Jet! You finished to convince me. Cheers 👏
I have both the Jet and Fender Player Strat models. I appreciate your unbiased and thorough comparison of the two guitars, which I completely agree with. The edge definitely goes to Fender in the pickup category but as you said the pickups in the Jet aren't bad at all. The Player pickups do compare to the earlier American Standard pickups. So many reviewers of the Player Strat concur that it is where the point of diminishing returns begins in that features you get from more expensive models in the Fender line are not commensurate with the price increase, thus stating that the Players are the best bang for buck guitars from Fender. Ten or even five years ago Fender and other brands didn't have the competition from lower priced guitars with the quality and features that they have today. I'm not a label snob and my curiosity about the Fender competitors like Jet has proven that they come very close for a much more affordable price.
Thank ya very much mate. 😀🙏 I'm aware that we could be in an echo-chamber here... but the majority of the comments on this video from people who have or have tried both - are singing from the same hymn sheet. Crazy yet awesome times to be a Guitarist! 😀👌
I have an S type , yep , pickguards are diff Found out after doing a bunch of custom work Stuck with the 3 ply white I scalloped the neck and weight relieved the body behind guard And also opposing areas from the back Love It
Nice mate 😃👍 What did you do under the pickguard to reduce the weight? I only ask as I currently have one disassembled after refinishing. Anything else I can do to reduce the weight I'd be up for trying 😁👍
@@stevecassidyguitar a router and a cut blade And hogged out all under And flip it and routed from the back where I could I believe I have a short of it in my ...
Luckily I bought 2 Squier strats 1 60’s vibe one 50’s vibe 5 years ago both were 329 dollars now they are 429 dollars last check. They both awesome. Also my American strats are the bomb. Thanks for your awesome channel 🎸
Like you, I am a long term Fender man and have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with your conclusions. I also feel that Fender run the risk of pricing themselves out of this area of the market in view of the features and quality of the Jet JS300 and JS400 series. I put Irongear 6TS single coils and a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in my JS400 and it is now my go to guitar, eclipsing some some very nice Fenders and a boutique made vintage Strat clone! Well done on another excellent video and I hope to join you for the live stream.
Thank you very much mate! 🙏 I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one thinking this way 😅👍 We've been able to get the affordable yet much higher specced guitars than the big boys for a good few years now. But imo Jet are really nailing with the build quality, better than most other younger brands. Great bare bones for mods - as you know 😁👍 Thank you for the live stream RSVP too - hopefully see ya there! If I can get it working 🙈
I bought into the considerable hype and got a JS300 in Seafoam Green. I was very pleasantly surprised; the neck, especially, is a gem (flame and birdseyes on my example). My only gripe was the rough frets which were dealt with by vigorous applications of fret erasers and microfibre cloths of various grades. Fit and finish is otherwise exemplary. I'm not a vibrato user so the guitar is hard-tailed and the string trees don't cause any tuning stability issues. I agree with you about the sub-par tuners, but the stability is so good that I barely need to touch them.
Oooft! Sounds like you got lucky with the figuring on the neck mate - congrats 😃👍 Shame about having to do the fretwork. I've had the same on Fazleys, Jets and Fenders - all with roasted maple necks too. Apparently fret sprout is less likely to happen with roasted maple, but that's not been my experience so far 🤔
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks for that Steve, I did get lucky. About the dodgy frets; back in the '80s early '90s I had owned a few MIM Fenders, and I honestly don't recall having to do anything but sort the action out. Fender are definitely cutting corners on the most important bit of the guitar, given what I've seen with a few of the Player series I played. One Tele I bought had such a poorly cut nut it needed replacing on warranty-never mind dealing with the fret sprout. I 'needed' a Tele and recently and bought an FGN Iliad on a Black Friday deal from Andertons (MIJ, £450), and the workmanship is stunning-absolutely flawless. Fender should take note-especially given what they're asking now. Cheers.
The JS400 was my son's first "serious" grown up guitar as a beginner. He still has it - plus many more instruments now, both budget and more expensive. Know which one he still plays the most? Yep, his stock JS400 in Seafoam Green. I remember the first time his teacher, absolutely a Fender man through and through, who owns many thousands of pounds worth of mostly Strats, picked it up and played it. He was genuinely astonished when told him how much I paid for it at the time (I think it cost me £167). He he has since done regular maintenance and set up work on it so has got to know it quite well and is still impressed with its quality and playability for its price point. They are very good guitars - at least the one we bought is.
This has been my experience too mate 😎👍 I sound just like your sons teacher. That's my day job too, and i (was) a Fender man too. I gig my (modded) JS400 most weekends. My USA Fender strat hasn't been touched in over a year now 😐
Cheers mate! 😃👍 I seen a load of Eart's the other day in GuitarGuitar Edinburgh. I've had 3 Earts and didn't love them 😬 but I reckon the Eart would beat the Fender spec sheet (on paper of course). I'm pretty sure I'd prefer the Fender pickups though.
Great review , really like the format. Fender guitars have started to suffer from quality control issues these days which is a shame , especially for people like me who live miles away from any Fender dealers ( it also saddens me that so many guitar shops are closing these days. Kid's just aren't seeing bands to be inspired by , not much guitar in Drill music..lol ) , so I would have to order one online. Throughout the review I thought the Fender sounded better , but as far as spec goes the Jet is amazing value for money. Now you have changed the pickups in the Jet it seems like a hell of a guitar and so much cheaper than the Fender , who are maybe living of their name a little too much when you see what can be done for the money.
I kinda dropped the ball when recording the audio for this one. I had both Guitars signals too hot and got audio clipping on all the tone examples. My bad - lessons learned 🙈 But even with that - I agree the Fender sounded better 👍 But now I have the same pickups (Single coils) in the Jet, I can't see a valid reason for choosing Fender in 2024. Except for Name/Brand value and maybe if someone wants to keep things stock 🤷♂️
Nice one .I'm a Tele guy and I own a £900 Fender Vintera 60s modified in Lake Placid blue and a £300Jet JT 350 BLK .and I love them both but have to say the Jet has the most comfortable neck ever and smoother rounder frets and after the first month of playing the Fender all the time I've now gone back to my Jet as my every day player .It's crazy but the £300 guitar feels like the expensive one.Mine has locking tuners too btw
Thanks for sharing mate 😃👍 I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one 😅👍 My number 1 since 2004 was my Fender USA standard strat (with locking tuners too) but since I started playing and nodding the Jets... My Fender USA has been gathering dust 😬 The jet is my no 1 and main gigging axe. The majority of the comments here who have both are the same as yours and mine. Interesting times 😁👌
Thorough comparison Steve, I’d probably have called it even as the Fender sounds quite a lot better and only got the one point for pickups for it. That said I’d put my (albeit modded) Sire S7 up against both and be fairly confident it would come out on top.
I'd have to agree - the Fender does sound miles better to my ears (Agreed - The points system is not perfect 🙈). I'm very keen to try out a Sire strat, I've had a Marcus Millar Sire Bass for a few years now - excellent build quality. But the gloss fretboards put me off a wee bit (that's on me). Will hopefully get one on the channel soon! Cheers mate! 😀👍
@@stevecassidyguitar I concur, the gloss fingerboard is probably the only bit I’d have different on it, I’m having to stop myself buying one of the new batch with rosewood boards which is my preference! I have just bought a Strymon Cloudburst to sate my GAS!
@@antonyedwardson9900 Well... as long as you bought something... 🙈 I'm here to support GAS! 😜 I've been keen to try out a Sire v& Strat, but I'd have to instantly devalue it by taking the high gloss off of the fretboard 😬🙈
I can't say this wasn't thorough, Mr. Cassidy. Since I'm not in the market for anything like this (no more instruments coming into the house, only going out), I'll rely on your opinion. To be honest, I wasn't even aware of the Jet brand until I started following you. Good on ya!
Thank ya mate! 😀🙏 Once you've made a bit of space... 😁 I'd highly recommend checking one out if you've got access to them. and I'm not just saying that because they pay me zero for saying that 🤣 - No joke
I just finished upgrading my fazley/jet400 with seymour duncan ssl1 neck and middle and now I am not sure the stock ceramics are that worse 😅 great comparison, editing and delivery
Thank ya very much mate! Where are you at with the paint job now? Yeah the single coil ceramics on the Fazley are admittedly quite impressive. I would have expected SSL 1's to be an improvement. I hope there's a before and after in the works? 😜 Cheers mate! 👍
Nice work, Steve! I’d prefer the Fender, for its looks, sound and weight but there’s no doubting the Jet’s vfm. Just a thought on the specs (specifications - not your eye-wear!) - imho, it’s good to know what the electronics are: either full-size or mini pots, 250k or 500k, cap values and switch type - spring or box - I hesitate to say that and hope this doesn’t sound like “Must try harder”, as you compared so many aspects! Taking the guitars apart is more work and making such a great video is already very involved, so you might have discounted doing that. Anyway, you’re doing great - keep it up! 👍
Thank you very much for this mate 😎👌🙏 Excellent points raised sir - you're spot on Re the electronics - it's most definitely an important factor in the tone that should be considered. But you're also correct Re the extra effort required 🙈 I was mindful this video was already gonna be quite long (my longest yet), the longer duration, can often equate less views. But my intentions were - with it coming up to the season of "BUY BUY BUY!!!" I might be able to save someone who doesn't know any better a few hundred quid with the headline specs 🤞 Thanks again though mate - this is hugely appreciated 🍻
@@stevecassidyguitar Cheers, Steve - your score chart approach is a real winner and when you give a subjective opinion it’s clear why you think that, leaving the viewer to make up their own mind about what’s most important to them. And bonus points for you not just saying they’re “a good weight”! 👍🙂🏆
First of all, great playing and great tones, Sir. With maybe a tuner upgrade for the Jet, that's them pretty much the same. Both sound sweet to my ears.
Great to hear about modding the jet, as for that price I'd imagine a lot of folks (not just me) are considering it as an option to fender player for a base to mod into a more premium guitar for a cheaper price. Would love to see a comparison with the mod and fender. Even a comparison with say 57/62 pickups, better electronics, 510 bridge, locking tuners, roller string tree etc compared to let's say an American professional ii .... Now that would be interesting
Thanks mate 👍 Here's all the mods I did to the Jet: ruclips.net/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/видео.html (510 bridge is on it 😎👍) I have just completed the modded Jet Vs Fender vid it should be uploaded Friday 1st march 😀 Apologies for the wait 😬
Those ceramic pickups on the Jet don't really sound like the classic Strat tone but they cut through nicely, entirely suitable for a lot of music I play.
I love the Fender player pickups - they're some of my favourite single coils ever. The Jet pick ups are still punching well above thier weight for the price. There's no excuse to not have very decent sounding pickups in a guitar for under £200 these days. The Squier Sonic series strat pickups are nowhere near as good as the Jets. C'mon Squier! 💪🧐
Well spotted mate! I actually completely failed on the recording of this one 🙈 I recorded both the guitar signals too hot and got loads of clipping - especially noticeable on the distorted tones. 😬 Unfortunately I'd already returned the Fender by the time I got round to editing the video and noticed. Lessons learned 😞. But you're right the Jet pickups are hotter too. The single coils on the Jet are actually very good (for ceramics) but the humbucker isn't very "inspiring" at all. The Fender stock player pickups are some of my favourites ever - I'm always buying used sets cheap and throwing them in other guitars. I even put them in another Jet JS400 😂🙈 Then did another comparison: ruclips.net/video/eVwVK0rPPlY/видео.html I can't remember if I got clipping ion this one too - hopefully not. 😬 Then I went a bit mental and got Stainless Steel frets installed in the Jet too 😂🙈 ruclips.net/video/Z7B5nk0Gnw8/видео.html It's a keeper though 😜
I learned to partially unnerston your lot's patter from the lads over at Burnistoun. Have you ever had a wee bit o' trouble in a voice-activated lift, like they did? Cheers!
Ha! Nice one 😁👌 I think you might be the first one to catch the reference 👍😀 But no... The boys taught us all a very important lesson that day. We all just take the stairs now. Helps to work off the Mars Bar Suppers 😋
Hi Steve. I've owned 2 Fender player series strats. A couple of squire strats but for me the Jet JS guitars have better necks. And for the money you are saving you could spend it on effect pedals or a new amp. or Beer!! Great. Great comparison on both guitars. I guess it's personal choice. But for me it's the Jet JS. I have the Jet JS300 which is amazing. All the best Steve. Top man 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Thanks very much mate! 😀🙏 You know the majority of people here who have experience with both are saying the same as us. There's even a guy om here with Fender Custom shop who prefers his Jet. They're certainly doing something right 👍 BEER! Thanks for the reminder 😁👍 Cheers mate 🍻
Yes mate! It's very very easy - IF... you make sure you get drop in replacements 👍 Make sure you get the right post hole size, and the screw holes line up (check online if anyone else has had success, with your guitar/tuner combo of choice). I did a wee install and review of these £25 locking tuners here: ruclips.net/video/8k9-Q0ARP5Y/видео.html You'll definitely be able to find better tutorial vids on this though 🙈👍 You just need a screw driver and some sort of spanner/wrench device to loosen/tighten the nuts
It's possible, but they're not drop in replacements..Fender tuners have the "2pin" fastening, where the Jet just has the single offset screw. You'd have to drill 12 wee shallow holes for the Fender 2pins (2holes for each tuner) then once you've got them on, you'll be left with the holes from the Jet tuners still visible. It wouldn't bother me. But I prefer less work. Drop in replacements is what I'd go for - check out Vanson 👍
I have a terrific USA Highway One Strat but as soon as I slung on the jet JS 400 I took an internet punt on, I was smitten. Very comfortable on a strap, and the neck, frets and rounded heel are suberb. The tuners on mine simply had to go, I also put Planet Waves locking on my Fender, and I swapped out the humbucker for the reasons mentioned here. I love the single coils on the Jet. Trem is locked down on both the Fender and the Jet. What can I say - nearly a year down the line the Fender is still resting in its case.
Nice one mate - I've had pretty much the exact same experience. I don't have a highway one. I've got a Fender US standard from 2004 which I've upgraded a bit too. Same as you... I've not touched it in almost a year since getting the Jet. I've got another vid on the channel documenting all the mods I did to mine - I went a bit OTT 🙈 Gotoh trem, fender pickups, locking tuners, and more ...
Yes, as you've realised there's a whole bunch of very decent newbies out there that make owning a playable and good looking guitar far more affordable. Thinking back to my first six string, an Audition from Woolworth's, it's amazing I persevered. My Highway One must have been made very closely to the one that Chris Buck used extensively - could be its twin. The last time I played it though I remember thinking to myself that the heel design feels agricultural compared to the Jet - sacrilage, but true. Enjoying your videos - good blend of techy stuff and just the right amount of humour. @@stevecassidyguitar
@@TheStratpicker aww thanks mate - you've made my day - glad you're enjoying the vids 😃🙏 I've heard of the Fabled Audition Woolworths guitars. It was a few years later I started on a Jim Deacon strat -might have been quite good in hindsight - I don't remember having too many complaints 😜
The Audition at least served as a learning tool - next up was a Kay Strat which was a Rolls Royce in comparison. I hadn’t really connected the two, but I also relegated my Fender Jazz bass to its case after taking another online punt - this time on a 1977 Greco P bass, an affordable vintage guitar. Not a direct comparison clearly, but again there was just something that clicked - incredible neck, weight, balance, playability and sound all came together, and it continues to be my mainstay bass. @@stevecassidyguitar
A proper question for JET, how much would cost that guitar if they put alder body instead basswood? Why don't they do one serie like that? Thanks man for great review.
Cheers mate! 😃🙏 But yeah - an Alder body would definitely cost more. They already do some models with Alder bodies, but not traditional strat styles. and They do cost more. The body wood personally isn't a factor for me. I don't care what it's made of, as long as the Guitar is lightweight (around 7 - 7.5lbs is ideal 😁👍)
Great video. Would a Strat pickguard fit the jet apart from the screw holes? I’d be quite happy to put a few holes in a £169 guitar and the variety of upgrades opens right up.
Thank you mate 😅🙏 In my experience... I only tried to line them up - didn't go as far as attempting an install (but it didn't line up perfect for me with the neck heel and trem) Worst case scenario you have to do a little bit of filing. But... Someone else commented here the other day saying they had success with a "Vanson" pickguard (around £10 eBay). They only had to drill 3 holes and the rest lined up fine. If you have success (or failure 🙈) please do report back and let us know what fits and what doesn't for you 😃🙏👍
No matter where you fall in the electric guitar tonewood debate (& there are several places to land), the wood used for the body also impacts weight & durability- and can impact things if like to mod guitars.
Couldn't agree more mate 👍👍 Went through a couple of MDF bodies over the years 🙈 The Bassist my band has a Warwick, no idea what it's made of, it doesn't look like a lot of wood but it weighs a ton! 😅 He plays it on a cradle stand live now as it was too backbreaking on a strap 😬
So I was thinking about getting a Strat and saw the JS400, very impressive to me! Wilkinson locking tuners and Irongear pickups here we come 😁, rather a lot of change methinks 🤘🏻 Great review, maybe new 5 way and pots/caps at a later date!
Nice one mate! A modded Jet would smash a Fender Player imo 😎👍 I don't know if you've seen it - but I modded the $h1t out my JS400 here - ruclips.net/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/видео.html I wouldn't rush to change the single coils, but the Humbucker I found very uninspiring. Have fun with the project! 😀👍 Thank you!
@@stevecassidyguitar I’ve just watched the modded one, that’s seriously good! Good tip about the Pups and Vanson tuners! Maybe the hardware can get done right away - I’m gonna look around for a used one first, if no luck get a new one - it’s got me really interested! I’ve just finished a HB kit Telecaster that I’ve put body contours in and given a bit better neck access, I used Irongear Vintage Pups and Switchtec hardware with Wilkinson locking tuners, graphtec nut and a heavy top loading bridge, like Jimmy Page’s Dragon, just started on the graphics!
@@DarrellW_UK Thank ya mate! I'm addicted to them 🙈 I Picked up the sunburst JS400 used for £100. I've got another great tip for you... I'd recommend extending your search to include the Fazley Phynica FSST 720. It IS a Jet JS400 with different branding. Same factory, same specs, same team, different headstock shape. You can find these cheaper (I've got 3 of em too 🙈) ruclips.net/video/ylmKtiPgRpI/видео.html I promise that's the last one 🙈 Tele build sounds cool too 😎👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Just put a Fazley in my basket, B stock £118; it’s HSS, Ash body hand rubbed stain, roasted maple neck and fretboard, not the sculptured heel but that’s not a problem for me. Gonna try it out as is before I spend anything on it. Looking at the actual photos of it there’s no sign of damage, it looks like the box got damaged in transit and it got sent straight back!
@@DarrellW_UK Nice! If that's the Outlaw Sheriff, I've never tried one, but heard good things. Of the Fazleys I have tried it's onlt been the Phynicas (unfortunatley now discontinued) that are on par with the quality of the Jets. Keep us posted mate 😎👍
Hey mate! 👋😀 Yes.. they both have a satin finish on the back of the neck. But the Jet also has the same on the fretboard (which I much prefer), whereas the Fender has gloss on the fretboard. As for the body poly finish - I didn't notice the Jet finish to be inferior, but I wasn't really looking for that. I suppose the fact that I didn't notice maybe suggests they're the same 🤷♂️
@@stevecassidyguitar So basically fender is just selling you the brand, since the jet seems to be similar quality only the pickups and tuners are less quality what about electronics does that need change on jet or just changing pickups?
@@BladeRunnerJP11 It's really just down to your own personal taste and ears. I never upgraded the electronics on my Jet, except for (push/push) pots. I might upgrade the wiring in future. Upgrading the wiring and electronics is one of the cheapest areas of any Guitar to upgrade. Jet have got the most important stuff right (imo) the necks 👌 and the bodies (particularly on the JS400 imo). With Fender - yes you are paying a premium for the brand name, and the quality isn't even that great (imo)
I have a jet Js400 strat and 2 fender Mexican strats. Ever since buying the Jet the starts have been collecting dust…It is just a joy to play and has the most comfortable and playable neck i have ever played.
This seems to be the general consensus across the board mate 😀👍 The comments from this vid are massively in agreeance with you and I 👍 A couple of people even prefer thier Jets over US strats and Custom Shops! 🤯
Yes you can modify them to an extent, it depends on your skills/confidence, how much you want to spend etc... Not sure if a PRS neck would be compatible though, you'd have to do some more research on that. You might be able to pick up a used PRS Silver Sky SE, for around the same price as a Jet and a new neck 🤷♂️. Or maybe you could try a Harley Benton Strat, they do a 12" radius with a D shaped neck if you prefer that.
@@stevecassidyguitar Ty buy I'm more into replicating a poor man's silver sky lol, Ty for the advice but the cheapest PRS which is the new Satin SE series is about 560 dollars here in Mexico
@@Headbutter-Lettuce90 Great guitars mate 😎👍 I always recommend them, but to be honest if you don't like the Fender C shape, you probably won't like the Jet neck either - It's almost the exact same profile 😬😬
I have a Fender MIJ Traditional 60s Strat which is made from basswood and that's one of the nicest guitars I've ever played, I think a lot of of their MIJ guitars are made from it so nothing wrong with it at all 👍
Excellent video! Being a Tele guy I don't own a Strat. But, I would chime in with, while I think the Jet is a better buy except the Fender does sound better! Brighter, chimey-er. Yes please do the head to head between the Player and the modded Jet! And could you do it with less gain /over drive please? Thanks!
Thanks mate! Unfortunately I recorded the playing clips for all 3 at the same time (Just in case the follow up was merited 🙈) I know I've got too much saturation on the gain settings and there was also a bit of clipping too which didn't help 😬. Lessons learned for next time though 😀 Well.. "next" next time 😂 Cheers! 🍻
hello Mr steve quick question if I want to add lets say fender pickups to my jet will I have to change the electronics, mics to take full advantage of the pickups?? or I should be good only by changing the pickups?
Good question mate! I did change the pickups (used a Fender Player set) and pots (to push/push). You don't "have to" change the electronics, changing the pickups will make a big difference to the sound, but upgrading the wiring etc could also improve the tone. I think I might have that done on mine in future.
Hey mate - I had my tech install the Gotoh. He used all the Gotoh parts replacing the posts etc (Which lined up the same as the Jet as far as I know). You might need to do a minimal bit of filing in the block cavity, just where the trem barrel is. It just needs an extra 1mm of clearance. Had to do the same thing on my Fender strat, it's quite common with the Gotoh on a strat. That's a very easy 1min job though 👍
you are definitely right because ı have both of them and ı can compare them fairly Just to the point ı would like to add ı have fender American Series made in usa and jet mini for my child. jet coils a little bit noisy when you do not play however jet single coils is a little bit higher volume than ı expected
I'd have to look into it mate. I know there's 2 different camps on this.. The worn stuff has never appealed to me too much. And I could be wrong, but I thought the worn ones only came with the rosewood board option? I'm not so big on rosewood either 🙈 I noticed they're more expensive though... Would need to re-check the specs to see where the extra cost is. Let us know how you get on trying it out today 😃👍
@@stevecassidyguitar hi! Thanks for the reply! So I tried several different guitars but came back to the JS400 RELIC! I tried a JET JS300, JET - 350 In sunburst (looked awesome but not the sound I'm going for) Jet JJ-350, Magneto UT-WAVE CLASSIC and a Magneto Sonnet modern us 2300. Out of all of them I just liked the feel of the JS400 RELIC better than the rest it was more comfortable on the fretboard and the moulded heal joint was a big plus compared with the others, although saying that I think the jS300 had that too. Anyway, I used to be a purely maple neck dude but I've been converted to rosewood on this one ! Love the worn look. My mate who knows nothing about guitar though it was a really old one (that's the point I guess) he thinks I'm crazy.
Hello Steve so after looking at multiple guitars, I was about to buy the fender player but after having the jet in my hands the neck felt quite good and the roasted maple looked badass then I said why pay 3 times the price for a fender when I have this quality and feel, I had previously a second hand squier but the squier felt really heavy compared to the jet also for some reason with the jet I feel I can play easier, maybe due to the maple finish ,it would be good to analyze how jet can put out this quality at this price, big brands need to step up their game definitely thanks again
Cheers mate! 😀🙏 I'd say that's a wise move - I'm fairly confident you wont regret it 😁👍 Just a wee tip... Bin the stock strings immediately, give the frets a quick wee polish, put on your string brand/gauge of choice, then enjoy the awesomeness of the Jet 😁👌
Really enjoyed the video! Wanted to subscribe since the beginning but I always forget. The subboteo reference made me so nostalgic I remembered to subscribe!!!!
Aww mate thank you! 😀🙏 I think you're the first person ever to mention the Subbuteo reference! 😀 I've been using it for several months - Now it's all been worth it 🥳👍 #Validation
Ha! I've got a 1983 He-Man still in it's box... the bubble is cracked and it's got a price sticker on it so apparently not very desirable to collectors but I still want to sell it to buy a guitar! What a coincidence! Looking at a used PRS Zach Myers that is very pretty.
I like the sound of the Fender more (clean), it sounds clearer to me (the ceramic pickups on the Jet have more output), but Jet are making pretty good guitars overall. I have a T-style deluxe (humbucker in the neck position, locking tuners) and after changing all electrics, including the pickups, it's an amazing guitar! Great playability, comfortable, ergonomic. I'm waiting for the Jet JS-300 right now. We'll see how the quality on that guitar will turn out to be.
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks! If I'm lucky, it will arrive tomorrow. But most likely next week. I'll think about modding it, prioritize the tuners and pickups. But I'm not in a hurry.
What about testing cheap Alnico 5 pickups from Ali or ebay vs your Tex Mex for example? i mean why pay a 100 bucks for a fender magnet that is basicly the same in every Alnico 5 pickup
@@stevecassidyguitar yeah i know i saw it! but i was just thinking of something as cool video-content. I'm not gonna buy fender PU's but maybe i wanna change ceramic for Alnico 5 magnets though
@@TheTerracide Ah I see. Soz -got ya 🙈👍 Cheers for watching the other vid too 😀🙏 I've got quite a few sets of (all used) pickups kicking around here I'm dying to try out. Couple of sets of tone riders, a set of Kinmans, and a couple of other misc sets 🙈 Cheers again - Good shout 😎👍
I've had a few of these in my hands mate - Lowest was 7.4lbs (3.35kg) and heaviest is this Sunburst one at 8.2lbs(3.7kg). They do vary. Also mentioned this @11:20 in the vid 😜👍
i wish that jet and fazley would do some more unique models. I get that scale is a huge factor in how they are able to be priced so low but i wonder if theres a market for a competitor to the squier paranormal and classic vibe series with slightly more modern and premium features. Harley benton seems to do an okay job but most of their more wacky models just kind of lack that wow factor for me.
I hear ya 👍 Great idea, sounds like something one of these brands should jump on! Jet do a single cut and have an HH offset, but I've never really looked into either of these. Gear4music have some more interesting looking models (to me), with similar appointments, Roasted necks etc. I'm yet to try one out. I don't consider myself a brand name snob, but there's something about "Gear4music" that just doesn't sit right with me 🙈
@@stevecassidyguitar I totally get that. the g4m guitars look a bit toyish to me but the 12 string tele for 119 is intriguing. might be good, more likely needs a lot of help. I'll have to keep an eye on that one
@@clairbeeguitar Would love to hear if it's any good if you go for one 😀👍 12 strings are hard to get right, would be amazing if they've managed to nail it at that price! 🤯🤞
Thank ya very much mate! 😀🙏 I mean - admittedly, my points system isn't perfect 🙈 The Jet having a slightly better string tree, which you can upgrade on either for about £1 - probably shouldn't be worth the same 1 point for Fender's miles better pickups 🙈 but... it's just guitars n giggles innit 🤷♂️
@@stevecassidyguitar yeah but it looked like a fair comparison, especially as it was done by someone who can actually play , if I did it it wouldn’t be worth watching, I know next to nothing 😂👍👍🤠🎸
Nice comparison video, and it's good to see the Jet doing well. I actually bought a JS-400 this week in the Sunburst colour but never really got to play it properly as the wife took it and said you can have that for a Christmas present since you can't think of anything you want. I just managed to check it over in case there was any damage. It was, therefore, nice to actually hear what it sounded like. I thought it sounded quite well apart from the bridge and middle pick-up together I think it was. With the Fender guitar, you seem to be paying a lot of money for the brand name. Would be nice to hear what the modded JS-400 sounds like against the Fender.
Thank ya very much Richard - Sounds like your Mrs Knows what's up with the Jets 😜👍 The follow up vid is in the works - but the best thing about these guitars is - you really can have it however you like - pickup-wise. At that point it makes it tricker to justify the Fender price tag (imo) 👍
It's just you. Nah 😜 You're actually spot on. I made a massive error with the audio and ended up with some clipping - especially on the dirty tones 🙈 Lessons learned - I've fixed it for the newer recordings - apologies 😬 At least both Guitars are clipping so it's still a fair comparison 😜😂🙈
hey man! i actually managed to pickup a Fender Plus Top at an INSANE price, however when i play my JS400 (which i bought thanks to your videos "COUGH") i really cant say which one I prefer honestly... any opinions on the new Harley benton ST modern plus going around ever since that convention? Bound to arrive Q1 2024. Keep it up!
Thanks mate! 😀👍 You gotta spill on the price you go the Fender for though...? 😜 Re - The new HB moderns.... I'd be curious to check one out, but the neck spec/profile isn't really to my taste. I think it's 12" - 16" compound radius and possibly a D shape. We'll have to wait and see though 🤔
@@stevecassidyguitar Believe it or not i got it for 300 euros! And it was mint! I just had my JS400 arrive a week prior but I could not pass on that deal
How is the neck back shape on higher parts of the fretboard? Someone told me it transitions to a D shape even if its fairly similar to fender player series down below. "C to D" is how they described it. I suppose they were probably mistaken. Really not a fan of D shape necks personally.
Great - cheers 🤓👍 I was just about to say to check @ 5:55 😜 Although it's not the best indicator of how it feels in the hand. I have a Fazley Phynica with me now - it's the exact same neck as the Jet. I suppose it does widen a bit as it gets higher... But Fenders do that too. If it's any help... I also don't like D necks but love the Fender and Jet necks 😃👍
@@stevecassidyguitar thanks for the reply :) I just got a jet (pink with rosewood fretboard). Have to shave off part of the trem post to get intonation saddle closer to 12th fret (yes you read right), and also take care of high nut. But I'm surprised at how much "soul" the guitar seems to have. Just has something special to it. I believe I'll bond with it.
@@stevecassidyguitar also I must say, very surprised at how level the frets are. I can get the action down to 1mm or so and get away with it (basically at the border of what 9.5 radius allows for my bends anyway). I don't think this is achieved by any levelling (no way they level and crown frets at this price). But the way the frets are pressed in seems dang fine, resulting in a rather consistent fret height. There ARE some high fret spots if you go looking for them, but it's minor enough to where you could easily find such spots after a good fret level also.
My "Strat type" of choice is a Harley Benton ST62 DLX...😊 Its as good as most things out there in the same price range, and everything works well on it. Plus...it has the weirdo anodized gold scratchplate.
The HB ST62's look great! I've not tried one out yet, but on paper the neck profile and fretboard radius isn't to my taste... but! never say never I'd be keen to try one out at some point - they do look ace! 😎👌
Thank ya Rich! Agreed! - and I LOVE(d) Fender, but I've got a pile of Fender Mustang amps here too, with discontinued software support 😖 but that's potentially another video for another day 😁
Well I'm certainly never gonna argue with Guthrie - he knows a thing or 2 about guitars 😁👌 Didn't know Fender Japan used it - wish I knew that before making the vid! 🙈 Thanks for sharing mate! 😀🍻
Steve I love the way the color of your glasses coincidently 😂 match the guitars! I will be ordering...CORRECTION: I have ordered a Jet Js400 in Olympic white, though I must say the one you have in this video matches well with the neck/fretboard color. Jet with the roasted maple and much lower price in my opinion is the way to go. MIM guitars are overpriced when compared to Jet or Eart, Fazley & Harley Benton just to name a few. Cheers mate!
Thank ya mate! 🙏 I'm over the moon you noticed the extra detail with the glasses and Guitars 🤓🎸 Wait a minute! ..... "Glasses and Guitars" - I've been looking for a name for my livestreams or podcast - that could work! Cheers! 🍻 Congrats on the incoming Jet 👍 Once it lands... I'd highly recommend binning the stock strings, go for your brand of choice and polish the frets while the strings are off - You'll be in strat heaven 😎👌
@@stevecassidyguitarI keep wondering how you found these glasses that are so similar in a variety of colors. Are they prescription?! You need an eyeglasses sponsor, Steve! You should try reaching out to some glasses brands!
@stevecassidyguitar Overall the build quality of the JS400 looks pretty good. 1. Does the JS 400 have a gloss or a satin neck? By that - I mean on the back of the neck. I love satin necks. Dislike gloss necks. 2. Also I think the pickups on the JS 400 don't sound too good. What HSS replacements would you recommend? Big thanks!
I also don't like glossy necks mate. It's a satin finish on the back and fretboard (The earlier runs had gloss on the fretboard, but they changed it - it's way better now imo) Here's all the mods I did to my JS400 inc Pickups ruclips.net/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/видео.html I'm not a fan of hot (or really expensive) pickups so I went for a used Fender player set 😎👌 (Way better than people think 😁) But maybe you like hotter? 🤷♂️ There's loads to chose from either way. I quite like Iron Gear and Tone Riders
@@stevecassidyguitar Big thanks for this! I don't like pickups too hot. They lose clarity and dynamics and the mid-range takes over too much. Thanks for the link to the video. I'll watch it.
@@mikenorman6697 No worries mate - Sounds like we have similar pickup tastes. If you don't want to spend too much, youcould maybe try the Tone Riders Pure Vintage or Surfari single coils. I have both sets here, I'm yet to try out, but the marketing blurb sounds like what I'm after 😜 As for the Humbucker - endless options - maybe something with Alnico II magnets? 🤷♂
@@stevecassidyguitar Looked at your modding video. Did the Player series pickups sound different in the JS400 compared to how they sounded in the Fender Player guitar? Perhaps was there more mid range and less dynamic range? I know the Fender Player strat has body wood of Alder and the Jet JS400 has body wood of basswood. I think that perhaps basswood will produce a warmer more mid-range tone compared to alder with the same set of pickups. What do you think?
@@mikenorman6697 Good question mate 👍 There's 2 camps on this one. Personally, I'm a bit of a Tone Wood Denier 🙈 There is a subtle difference in the tone between the 2, I could never tell in a blind test. But they they don't even have the same pots and wiring. The pot tolerance would make a more noticeable difference than the wood (imo) then there's the pickup height - it was close, but not exactly the same. The strings on the Fender were a bit older, The Gotoh trem block is a different shape and material. I think all of the above would make more of a difference than the wood. I'm not saying I'm right, the pro tone wood camp would suggest the opposite. I think tonewood is only a factor on acoustics. 😬
I think a modded Jet is the way to go. Although it's a pain the scratch plate screw holes aren't fender standard as I want to change mine to one push pul volume and 2 tone control so I got a new scratch plate. Ah well I'm sure I'll make it work without having to carve any wood off the body.
Unfortunately, you can't get a direct fit pickguard for any of the Jet models. The 2 ways I have got round it is, swapping pickguards with other Jet models with different colored guards. Another option is to get a custom pickguard made. Depending on where you are located, there are companies that you can send your pickguard to, they'll make a copy of it in any colour/material you like. This would cost £40 - 50 though. There is a seller on ebay based in Glasgow who sells under Harley Benton pickguard listings, worth checking out, if you don't want to joey too much 😁 I've did this before too (on other guitars) and was happy with the results. Hope that helps 😃👍
for my Jet Tele I just used a Fender sized pickguard, cut a bit out with a bread knife, smoothed the edges with a cutter and polished it with a disposable very fine nail file stolen from my ex. I had to drill some new holes, but to be honest who cares? The guitar costs nothing. It's not like drilling into a vintage instrument.
@@tostrmofo6686 Yep I agree. Hopefully it'll just be a few extra screw holes and some moding of the pickguard. I'll just say it's relic'd if anyone notices
good, honest stuff, thank you. i guess this has been asked a thousand times but: what accent is this (scotland i assume?!, no offense) ... it sounds massive to my german ears ... ❤
Cheers mate! 😀🙏 Yes indeed 👍 I'm Scottish - from Dundee. So the accent is "Dundonian" to be more specific 🤓👍 Zero offense taken mate - and barely anyone asks either 😜 Cheers 🍻
Good question mate - I'm yet to try an S3, so i'm no the guy to ask unfortunately. I'm not very likely to pick one up either as I'm not a big fan of rosewood boards on F type guitars 😬 Also, purely aesthetic, but there's something about the Sire body shape that puts me off too. I do have a Sire V7 Bass though and I love it - Quality is really top notch 😎👌
@stevecassidyguitar I don't know how I feel about rosewood fingerboard a Strat, but I think I'd be okay with it. The body shape is a bit different. I hadn't noticed before. I mostly just think about all this stuff, really reluctant to spend $$ on gear. For now I'm quite satisfied with the guitar that I have.... Ibanez amv10a I subscribed to your channel. Cheers
Great video. Personally, I could never spend £600 on a guitar unless it was a signature series related to one of my idols. Jet wins in this instance, but I am a Fazley guy.
Cheers Johnny! 😀🍻 I hear ya mate, I'm happier these days to go near £500 but not all at once, would do it incrementally, with mods etc... 😁 Also starting to get a strong itch to try out the Fazley Sunset Dawn HSS strat 🙈 They're just a few quid over £100 atm 🤯
I have seen the same the js400 but in aged version costs almost double not sure why costs double the only difference is they use rosewood and the color of body
Agreed 👍 If you subscribe to the tonewood thing (Personally - I'm not that convinced 😬), Like if you go down to the Eric Johnson minutia, pickguard screws and the paint they use to number the tone/vol pots 😜 - Then a lot of people will argue that Alder is an intrinsic part of the Colonels original recipe
@@stevecassidyguitar Fender used ash for electric guitar and bass bodies more or less exclusively from 1950 to mid-1956..so the original fender "tonewood" was ash. Switched to cheaper, local alder. Tone woods is b.s.
@@RickMcCargar spot on mate 👍 - I shouldn't have said "original" recipe. I knew this but was too keen to fit in a KFC reference 🙈 So yes you're correct, but personally, I always associate Alder with being the definitive strat choice as they've used this more than ash on their models over the years. But you still win this point 😁👌 and I agree with your sentiments Re tonewood too 👍
Another awesome vid. Thank you and please do the modded Jet v player comparison 😁 I have a js300, a squire 40th vintage strat and a player Tele. The Jet 6screw bridge was awful so I swapped it for a Wilkinson and it's now better than the squire. I'd say the jet has the best neck (finish, frets, etc) and the Tele the worst 😭 I'd say the player Tele has really put me off and I won't be buying another American or mexican fender.
Thanks mate! 😀🙏 I have to say.. your experience isn't too surprising - for me, the difference between the Jet JS300 & JS400 trems are night and day. Great shout to upgrade to a Wilkinson unit 👍👍 and... I'm in the same boat - I can't see my buying anymore "new" Fenders - but... never say never 😜
Jet AND/or Fender - What have you tried? 🫳⌨⬇
Keen to hear good and bad stories about either! 😁👍
Did anyone notice I actually did 10 different "licks" for this one? - Just sayin 😜
Have you seen the new soloking guitars? Bone nut, roller string tree, roasted maple neck, sculpted heel joint stainless steel frets, wilkinson 2pt trem/locking tuners and entwistle pickups - all for £300! This would rival the JET JS450 and Fender maybe a shootout in the near future...?😂
@@pankajmarwaha9815 I have seen the previous run. Definitely on the Radar for checking out. From what I remember... They were D shaped necks.
Will have a look 2morra - got a gig now
Music man uses Basswood also!
And I have an EART strat from Amazon that has roasted maple neck/board SS frets...GREAT guitar except for the pickups.
@@thestratman7903 Good shout Re Musicman - Cheers! 😀👍
I've had 3 Eart's 🙈 Agreed - Great guitars 👌 I never fell in love with the neck though - but probably the best fretwork I've ever seen 👍
Hi, thank you for the honest opinion, we will continue to work hard and provide best possible instruments. Short spoiler - 2024 will bring two new series, which will tick all the boxes for players who now use/buy 300/400 series and feel the need to upgrade some parts ;)
Nice one! That's great news 😀👍
Please do get in touch if you'd like any product testing 😁👍
That's a wise business move. May Jet enjoy a profitable 2024 for listening to customers.
@@jamesdeananderson1411 Hear hear! 👍👍
I hope a JS-500 with the same colors as the JS-400 and not the sparkling colors they have now is coming in 2024. I absolutely love The JS-500 but do not like a sparkling finish. I would have purchased the JS-500 but will not purchase a sparkling finish on a guitar. I absolutely love the HH pickup configuration . Jet please better non sparkling colors for the JS-500. The JS-400 is an awesome guitar but I would definitely prefer a JS-500 in the same colors as the JS-400. The seafoam green(SFG) and the yellow (VYW) are my favorite colors.🎸🤘🏻
@@DarylT64 It could happen! 😃
Hopefully you get your wish 😁🤞
In the meantime... I'd suggest keeping an eye out for a used Fazley Phynica FSST 920. It's the exact same guitar as the Jet JS500. Same spec, same factory, same team making then - non sparkled 😎👍
Used is your only option as the were discontinued earlier this year :(
Going rate should be around £150 I reckon 😃
Good luck 🤞
I bought this exact same guitar, it has just arrived about an hour ago. I'm seriously in love. Thank you for your videos, they've been really helpful for me, lad!
Ah nice one! HNGD! 🥳
Hope you love the guitar 😀👍
Thank you! 🙏
Still making my way through your back catalog. Well done comparison. I haven't been the biggest fan of the Player series... especially at the cost.
Gonna have to get my hands on a Jet some day. Never see them sold around here.
Thanks for watching the older ones mate 😃👍
I've actually got a Player 2 Strat Vs Jet JS300 filmed, but just can't keep up with the editing just now 🤯
But yeah the Player 2 had a poorly cut nut, which seems to be the norm for Fender these days 😬
I have a JS400 in Lake Placid Blue (like yours) and it's a fantastic instrument. I'm a decent rhythm player but, I'm really a bass player and I bought a Jet JJB300 bass online, sight unseen, on the strength of the strat. I had the pick ups replaced with Fender Gen 4 noiseless and it is far and away the best bass I have ever owned. It's so good that I put my Fender P bass away and haven't played it since I bought the Jet. The workmanship and quality just blow the Fender out of the water. The neck is beautiful with that rosewood fretboard. I also have a Fender Meteora bass, a Thunderbird and an Epiphone JC bass and I play all of these but the Jet has become my "go to" bass over the precision. It's just a fantastic instrument.
Edit: And it's a beautiful, striking gold colour. Glorious!
Wow! Great to hear the quality is still there with the basses too 😃👍
I seen that one in store last year. Looks classy 😎👌
If they come out with a 5 string I'll probably grab one 😁👍
great video and I love the spectacle you made there with your glasses, color coordinated and all..
Ha! Thank ya mate! 🥸👍
Great video Steve! Your attention to style details (matching clothes and spectacles to the guitar), are second to none!👌My first strat, Fender Roadhouse Deluxe 2017, i got for 600.- second hand. Since then i got 3 Jet strats, which i all modded. I cut a bigger hole in the pickguard of the JS-300 to accomodate a humbucker. This was taken from a HB SC-550, in which it sounded 'muffled'. I took off the cover and now the JS-300 is my favorite and most played guitar. I'm messing around with string gauges and will try 9's on the JS-400 (same colour as yours here), that might make it as supple as the JS-300.....it worked for the Gretsch G-2420. They are all good guitars, now gassing for a JS-700 with Wilkinson Floyd....😜🎸🤘🎸
Thank ya kindly mate! It warms my heart when someone notices the matching glasses & guitars details 😀🙏
You've got it nailed mate - 3 Jets all modded - that's the way to do it 😁👍
Get em specced out exactly how you like em 😎👌
I use 9's on 25.5" scale guitars - but i'm a proper weakling 🙈
Great Stuff! I have a js400 on the way I couldn't be more excited about and your content was a big factor in my decision . I plan on modding mine similar but not exactly like yours. Please do modded jet against the player Strat comparison. I'd love to see how it comes out!
Thank you mate - I'm on the case! 😀👍
Indeed- I'd totally expect people to do their own mods to preference! 😀👌
As you're expecting a Jet - a wee bit of advice - Bin the stock strings immediately, polish the frets, and put on your string gauge/brand of choice - you'll be over the moon! 😁
Thanks for the advice. To pick your brain for one more second , do you know of any other locking tuners that will be drop in on the Jets? Also, how did you make your humbucker choice ? I'm looking for something versatile , but leaning towards punk rock sounds. Any thoughts? Thanks again and keep up the great work!
@@stevecassidyguitarsee prior
I bought first the JS 650, and after a great impression about this one I went to a JS300 , and I continued adding a JS 450 Bicolor & finally a JS 450 QTB. They are awesome guitars, very well constructed and balanced. Finally I decided to upgrade them with tuners Gotoh Lock and installed Gotoh 510 series bridges. With these improves they put in the shadows my Suhr and Fender American Ultra, no doubts about that, and when you think in the whole value of all the work in every guitar, finally you must to think if you are maintaining the expensive guitars only by the logo on the headstock.....
Nice one mate! 😎👍 I'm not familiar with the 650, but I have had a JT300, JS300, JS400 and JS450. The JS400 is my favourite 😁I also upgraded to a Gotoh 510 bridge, upgraded pickups & Locking tuners. I'm not surprised it can hold it's own against a Fender - but I'm really surprised you rate it so closely to your Suhr! 🤯 That's awesome! 😀
I bought myself a Jet JT300, the tele one. I'm blown away, I seriously love it. The neck is so great. I've modified it a fair bit, graphtec string trees (the break angle is really bad), brass saddles, 4 way selector switch and some really nice pickups. All the frets were level, it has near to perfect intonation, the neck is arguably better than my Fenders too
Nice one mate! 😀👍 I think Fender are only just catching up now, with their new player 2 series getting rolled fretboard edges - like we already get on the Jets! 😂🙈👌
Okay...props for matching your glasses with the colours of the guitars 😋
Ha! Thank you mate! These details are important to me - makes it all worth it when ya notice 😀🙏
Hi Steve I really enjoyed this comparison video.. I enjoy your approach to the videos you put out, I am now a subscriber.. I am very interested in the 300 or 400 Strat models I just can’t make up my mind between a SSS or a HSS model???? I realize having a Humbucker opens up a fun can of worms… and I can’t even get my hands on one since no retailer sells Jet guitars and any way I just had shoulder surgery on the 25th of March so it gives me time to make up my mind since it will be awhile before I can play guitar again😩which is very hard to do… I hope all is well.
God bless
Craig
Hey Craig - Welcome and cheers for the sub 😀🙏
I'd say the Js400 is well worth the extra £10-£20 for the 2 point trem and the more sculpted neck heel. You can still revert it back to SSS if you get a custom pickguard (Cheaper than a new trem upgrade 😜)
If you're in the US - Jets are coming to the US very soon! If you check my community post from earlier this week I shared a link to a US store that is now stocking them 😀👍
Thanks for your response Steve.. I will check that link out for sure… Take care.
Craig
A-Z Music Haven ( my small RUclips channel where I talk about Vinyl, CD’s and cassettes and I have some of me singing and playing guitar or instruments)
Nice playing. I’m happy with my Fender Player Plus. It was the neck that sold me. With an up graded Seymour Duncan loaded pick guard, it’s great.
Thank ya mate! - That's a good upgrade, I'm still not sure on the stock Fender noiseless pups on the player plus. Love the finish options on that series though 😎👌
I have around 30 guitars and have been.playing for over 50 years. I have a USA standard Fender strat brought new in the 1980's as well as many other S style guitars. I also have a Jet ST 400 which I modded with a loaded Gilmour pickguard I had hanging around. It now sounds great and the neck is superb. I wish guitars half as good as this were around when I was a kid. I would like also to throw burns guitars into the debate which play and sound great for little money. I have a king cobra and a short scale jazz. Both have great sounding pickups. I got the short scale jazz for around £200 new with trisonic pickups and wow what a great guitar in looks, build quality, feel and sound. It's the one I play the most and choose for recording.
I'm much the same mate - Also at around 30 Guitars atm (embarrassingly 🙈 )
I don't think I've ever tried a Burns - Good shout 😎👍 I'll keep an eye out once I've thinned the herd a bit again 😜
Like that comparison, Steve! I think dishing out an extra $800CAD for the Fender brand name-made in Mexico- is quite a lot. The Jet JS400 is $350CAD right now for the HSS set up. Investing in new pickups and tuners- another $250CAD and you're still ahead by loads!
Thanks mate! 100% 👍
Apologies - I didn't do my research - I don't know If lefties are accommodated for 😬 I hope so! 😀
19:46 when you played the jet, this one has the original pickups or the new ones?
That's the stock pickups. I had a bit of a nightmare with the audio on all of the playing clips. I recorded the signal from my interface too hot and was getting a lot of audio clipping, especially with the distorted tones. Totally my bad - lessons learned. Apologies it's not the best example of how either guitar sounds, I should have did better. 😬
Have been watching reviews on the JS 400 for about a week and have ordered one. Had a Fender Mexican Strat in '09 and was never that impressed with it. The best Squier I had was the '50's Classic Vibe Tele. Looking forward to my Jet being delivered👍😎
Awesome mate! You've picked the best Jet model they do too (imo) 😎👍
Just a wee tip - When you get it... chuck the nasty stock strings and polish the frets - then enjoy strat heaven 😁👌
Great Vid Steve and a big 'yes' from me for the Fender v JS400 (modded) comparison.
Thanks mate! 😀🙏 The follow up vid is currently in the works - can't be avoided 😜👍
Great video, yes let’s see a comparison with the mod Jet guitar. 😀
Thank ya mate! 😀🙏
Your wish is my command... Here ya go!
ruclips.net/video/eVwVK0rPPlY/видео.html
😀👍
My band did a gig last night and the guitarist in the support band was playing one of these Jets. He was raving about how good he’s found it and it sounded great. Might have to look into one.
Same here! I was gigging my Jet last night too - Love it! 😎👌
Would highly recommend checking em out 👍👍
Excellent video, I've had a Mexican strat, an Ultra and a Custom Shop Master built. They've all been sold and I now have a Jet, I can't say I miss the Fenders. Just a home player so don't need top quality sounds. Am considering buying a loaded Custom shop pickguard and putting the pots and pickups into the Jet, minimal wiring and they can swap back if I needed to sell. Can't afford to be a brand snob these days.
Word! I can't say I have the same experience as you with these high end Fenders. The most expensive one I've ever owned is a USA standard. BUt... Your comment feels like pure satisfaction & validation for me and this vid - cheers mate! 😀🙏
Great video, I had a player series years ago, thinking about buying another but.... Going for the Jet JS400, When you played the guitars the jet was only let down by the Humbucker which could be changed out and better locking tuners, no brainer in my opinion,,,,,
Cheers mate! It was a no brainer for me too. I changed the Humbucker and added locking tuners and waaaaay more here:
ruclips.net/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/видео.html
Now it's an un-killable beast!
Bumped into this video by pure chance and stayed for the lovely Scottish accent. Not a surprise for me as a former student in beautiful Edinburgh!!!
Now back to the video. I am going to buy the Jet! You finished to convince me. Cheers 👏
Nice one thanks for watching and commenting mate! 😃🙏
The JS400 is an awesome guitar - you'll be surprised (in a good way!) 😃👍
An excellent and honest review.
Congrats!
Thank ya kindly mate 😃🙏
I love that your glasses match the guitars haha !
Thank ya mate! So glad someone noticed the wee details I try to include 🤓🙏
I have both the Jet and Fender Player Strat models. I appreciate your unbiased and thorough comparison of the two guitars, which I completely agree with. The edge definitely goes to Fender in the pickup category but as you said the pickups in the Jet aren't bad at all. The Player pickups do compare to the earlier American Standard pickups. So many reviewers of the Player Strat concur that it is where the point of diminishing returns begins in that features you get from more expensive models in the Fender line are not commensurate with the price increase, thus stating that the Players are the best bang for buck guitars from Fender. Ten or even five years ago Fender and other brands didn't have the competition from lower priced guitars with the quality and features that they have today. I'm not a label snob and my curiosity about the Fender competitors like Jet has proven that they come very close for a much more affordable price.
Thank ya very much mate. 😀🙏
I'm aware that we could be in an echo-chamber here... but the majority of the comments on this video from people who have or have tried both - are singing from the same hymn sheet.
Crazy yet awesome times to be a Guitarist! 😀👌
I have an S type , yep , pickguards are diff
Found out after doing a bunch of custom work
Stuck with the 3 ply white
I scalloped the neck and weight relieved the body behind guard
And also opposing areas from the back
Love It
Nice mate 😃👍
What did you do under the pickguard to reduce the weight?
I only ask as I currently have one disassembled after refinishing. Anything else I can do to reduce the weight I'd be up for trying 😁👍
@@stevecassidyguitar a router and a cut blade
And hogged out all under
And flip it and routed from the back where I could
I believe I have a short of it in my ...
You can build your own pickguard. I saw so many tutorial on ytube they copy the original pickguard and holes
Luckily I bought 2 Squier strats 1 60’s vibe one 50’s vibe 5 years ago both were 329 dollars now they are 429 dollars last check. They both awesome. Also my American strats are the bomb. Thanks for your awesome channel 🎸
Thank ya kindly mate! 😃🙏
THe Squier CV's have a great rep - Nice scores mate 😃👍
Like you, I am a long term Fender man and have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with your conclusions.
I also feel that Fender run the risk of pricing themselves out of this area of the market in view of the features and quality of the Jet JS300 and JS400 series.
I put Irongear 6TS single coils and a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in my JS400 and it is now my go to guitar, eclipsing some some very nice Fenders and a boutique made vintage Strat clone!
Well done on another excellent video and I hope to join you for the live stream.
Thank you very much mate! 🙏 I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one thinking this way 😅👍
We've been able to get the affordable yet much higher specced guitars than the big boys for a good few years now. But imo Jet are really nailing with the build quality, better than most other younger brands. Great bare bones for mods - as you know 😁👍
Thank you for the live stream RSVP too - hopefully see ya there! If I can get it working 🙈
Excellent review, Steve, cheers!
Thank ya kindly mate 😀🙏
I bought into the considerable hype and got a JS300 in Seafoam Green. I was very pleasantly surprised; the neck, especially, is a gem (flame and birdseyes on my example). My only gripe was the rough frets which were dealt with by vigorous applications of fret erasers and microfibre cloths of various grades. Fit and finish is otherwise exemplary. I'm not a vibrato user so the guitar is hard-tailed and the string trees don't cause any tuning stability issues. I agree with you about the sub-par tuners, but the stability is so good that I barely need to touch them.
Oooft! Sounds like you got lucky with the figuring on the neck mate - congrats 😃👍
Shame about having to do the fretwork. I've had the same on Fazleys, Jets and Fenders - all with roasted maple necks too.
Apparently fret sprout is less likely to happen with roasted maple, but that's not been my experience so far 🤔
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks for that Steve, I did get lucky. About the dodgy frets; back in the '80s early '90s I had owned a few MIM Fenders, and I honestly don't recall having to do anything but sort the action out. Fender are definitely cutting corners on the most important bit of the guitar, given what I've seen with a few of the Player series I played. One Tele I bought had such a poorly cut nut it needed replacing on warranty-never mind dealing with the fret sprout. I 'needed' a Tele and recently and bought an FGN Iliad on a Black Friday deal from Andertons (MIJ, £450), and the workmanship is stunning-absolutely flawless. Fender should take note-especially given what they're asking now. Cheers.
@@andrewguttry6886 I hear ya mate. Got to try out a couple of FGN's today at the Birmingham guitar show - impressive specs 😎👌 You got a bargain there!
The JS400 was my son's first "serious" grown up guitar as a beginner. He still has it - plus many more instruments now, both budget and more expensive. Know which one he still plays the most? Yep, his stock JS400 in Seafoam Green. I remember the first time his teacher, absolutely a Fender man through and through, who owns many thousands of pounds worth of mostly Strats, picked it up and played it. He was genuinely astonished when told him how much I paid for it at the time (I think it cost me £167). He he has since done regular maintenance and set up work on it so has got to know it quite well and is still impressed with its quality and playability for its price point.
They are very good guitars - at least the one we bought is.
This has been my experience too mate 😎👍 I sound just like your sons teacher. That's my day job too, and i (was) a Fender man too. I gig my (modded) JS400 most weekends. My USA Fender strat hasn't been touched in over a year now 😐
would love to see you compare Fender player tele vs Eart Tele.
Cheers mate! 😃👍 I seen a load of Eart's the other day in GuitarGuitar Edinburgh. I've had 3 Earts and didn't love them 😬 but I reckon the Eart would beat the Fender spec sheet (on paper of course). I'm pretty sure I'd prefer the Fender pickups though.
Great review , really like the format. Fender guitars have started to suffer from quality control issues these days which is a shame , especially for people like me who live miles away from any Fender dealers ( it also saddens me that so many guitar shops are closing these days. Kid's just aren't seeing bands to be inspired by , not much guitar in Drill music..lol ) , so I would have to order one online. Throughout the review I thought the Fender sounded better , but as far as spec goes the Jet is amazing value for money. Now you have changed the pickups in the Jet it seems like a hell of a guitar and so much cheaper than the Fender , who are maybe living of their name a little too much when you see what can be done for the money.
I kinda dropped the ball when recording the audio for this one. I had both Guitars signals too hot and got audio clipping on all the tone examples. My bad - lessons learned 🙈
But even with that - I agree the Fender sounded better 👍 But now I have the same pickups (Single coils) in the Jet, I can't see a valid reason for choosing Fender in 2024. Except for Name/Brand value and maybe if someone wants to keep things stock 🤷♂️
Nice one .I'm a Tele guy and I own a £900 Fender Vintera 60s modified in Lake Placid blue and a £300Jet JT 350 BLK .and I love them both but have to say the Jet has the most comfortable neck ever and smoother rounder frets and after the first month of playing the Fender all the time I've now gone back to my Jet as my every day player .It's crazy but the £300 guitar feels like the expensive one.Mine has locking tuners too btw
Thanks for sharing mate 😃👍
I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one 😅👍
My number 1 since 2004 was my Fender USA standard strat (with locking tuners too) but since I started playing and nodding the Jets... My Fender USA has been gathering dust 😬
The jet is my no 1 and main gigging axe.
The majority of the comments here who have both are the same as yours and mine. Interesting times 😁👌
Thorough comparison Steve, I’d probably have called it even as the Fender sounds quite a lot better and only got the one point for pickups for it. That said I’d put my (albeit modded) Sire S7 up against both and be fairly confident it would come out on top.
I'd have to agree - the Fender does sound miles better to my ears (Agreed - The points system is not perfect 🙈). I'm very keen to try out a Sire strat, I've had a Marcus Millar Sire Bass for a few years now - excellent build quality. But the gloss fretboards put me off a wee bit (that's on me). Will hopefully get one on the channel soon!
Cheers mate! 😀👍
@@stevecassidyguitar I concur, the gloss fingerboard is probably the only bit I’d have different on it, I’m having to stop myself buying one of the new batch with rosewood boards which is my preference! I have just bought a Strymon Cloudburst to sate my GAS!
@@antonyedwardson9900 Well... as long as you bought something... 🙈
I'm here to support GAS! 😜
I've been keen to try out a Sire v& Strat, but I'd have to instantly devalue it by taking the high gloss off of the fretboard 😬🙈
I can't say this wasn't thorough, Mr. Cassidy. Since I'm not in the market for anything like this (no more instruments coming into the house, only going out), I'll rely on your opinion. To be honest, I wasn't even aware of the Jet brand until I started following you. Good on ya!
Thank ya mate! 😀🙏 Once you've made a bit of space... 😁 I'd highly recommend checking one out if you've got access to them. and I'm not just saying that because they pay me zero for saying that 🤣 - No joke
Oh how I’ve waited for this 🙌
I hope it doesn't disappoint! 😬👍
@@stevecassidyguitar great video mate. You’ve just confirmed what I’ve been saying (having 2 Js400’s). Well done 👏
Extra point for no Fazley 🤭
@@thelolguy007 Ha! Cheers mate! 😜👍
2 Jet's!?! why... that's not nearly enough! 😜
@@stevecassidyguitar 🤣🤣🤣. I’ve decided I gotta learn how to solder and upgrade the pickups before getting any more haha.
@@thelolguy007 I should 100% follow your lead here 🙈👍
I just finished upgrading my fazley/jet400 with seymour duncan ssl1 neck and middle and now I am not sure the stock ceramics are that worse 😅 great comparison, editing and delivery
Thank ya very much mate! Where are you at with the paint job now?
Yeah the single coil ceramics on the Fazley are admittedly quite impressive.
I would have expected SSL 1's to be an improvement. I hope there's a before and after in the works? 😜
Cheers mate! 👍
Nice work, Steve! I’d prefer the Fender, for its looks, sound and weight but there’s no doubting the Jet’s vfm. Just a thought on the specs (specifications - not your eye-wear!) - imho, it’s good to know what the electronics are: either full-size or mini pots, 250k or 500k, cap values and switch type - spring or box - I hesitate to say that and hope this doesn’t sound like “Must try harder”, as you compared so many aspects! Taking the guitars apart is more work and making such a great video is already very involved, so you might have discounted doing that. Anyway, you’re doing great - keep it up! 👍
Thank you very much for this mate 😎👌🙏
Excellent points raised sir - you're spot on Re the electronics - it's most definitely an important factor in the tone that should be considered. But you're also correct Re the extra effort required 🙈 I was mindful this video was already gonna be quite long (my longest yet), the longer duration, can often equate less views. But my intentions were - with it coming up to the season of "BUY BUY BUY!!!" I might be able to save someone who doesn't know any better a few hundred quid with the headline specs 🤞
Thanks again though mate - this is hugely appreciated 🍻
@@stevecassidyguitar Cheers, Steve - your score chart approach is a real winner and when you give a subjective opinion it’s clear why you think that, leaving the viewer to make up their own mind about what’s most important to them. And bonus points for you not just saying they’re “a good weight”! 👍🙂🏆
@@derekclacton Thank you mate 😀🙏
These days you are defo better buying a Jet, Harley, Sire etc and moding it. Much better bang for your buck. Another fab video pal 😎😎
100% agreed here ! Cheers mate! 😀🍻🙏
First of all, great playing and great tones, Sir. With maybe a tuner upgrade for the Jet, that's them pretty much the same. Both sound sweet to my ears.
Thank ya very much Dunsy! 😀🙏 But yeah that's basically the long and short of it 😁👍
Great to hear about modding the jet, as for that price I'd imagine a lot of folks (not just me) are considering it as an option to fender player for a base to mod into a more premium guitar for a cheaper price.
Would love to see a comparison with the mod and fender. Even a comparison with say 57/62 pickups, better electronics, 510 bridge, locking tuners, roller string tree etc compared to let's say an American professional ii .... Now that would be interesting
Thanks mate 👍
Here's all the mods I did to the Jet:
ruclips.net/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/видео.html
(510 bridge is on it 😎👍)
I have just completed the modded Jet Vs Fender vid it should be uploaded Friday 1st march 😀
Apologies for the wait 😬
@@stevecassidyguitarOh awesome, looking forward to seeing that comparison! Got me seriously considering buying and modding this guitar again 😃
@@ekisoderqvist Great stuff 👍😁👍
Those ceramic pickups on the Jet don't really sound like the classic Strat tone but they cut through nicely, entirely suitable for a lot of music I play.
I love the Fender player pickups - they're some of my favourite single coils ever. The Jet pick ups are still punching well above thier weight for the price. There's no excuse to not have very decent sounding pickups in a guitar for under £200 these days. The Squier Sonic series strat pickups are nowhere near as good as the Jets. C'mon Squier! 💪🧐
I don’t know if you have a compressor on, but it sounds like the jet pick ups are a little hotter and they’re hitting the compressor harder.
Well spotted mate! I actually completely failed on the recording of this one 🙈
I recorded both the guitar signals too hot and got loads of clipping - especially noticeable on the distorted tones. 😬
Unfortunately I'd already returned the Fender by the time I got round to editing the video and noticed.
Lessons learned 😞.
But you're right the Jet pickups are hotter too.
The single coils on the Jet are actually very good (for ceramics) but the humbucker isn't very "inspiring" at all.
The Fender stock player pickups are some of my favourites ever - I'm always buying used sets cheap and throwing them in other guitars. I even put them in another Jet JS400 😂🙈 Then did another comparison:
ruclips.net/video/eVwVK0rPPlY/видео.html
I can't remember if I got clipping ion this one too - hopefully not. 😬
Then I went a bit mental and got Stainless Steel frets installed in the Jet too 😂🙈
ruclips.net/video/Z7B5nk0Gnw8/видео.html
It's a keeper though 😜
I learned to partially unnerston your lot's patter from the lads over at Burnistoun. Have you ever had a wee bit o' trouble in a voice-activated lift, like they did? Cheers!
Ha! Nice one 😁👌
I think you might be the first one to catch the reference 👍😀
But no... The boys taught us all a very important lesson that day. We all just take the stairs now.
Helps to work off the Mars Bar Suppers 😋
Hi Steve. I've owned 2 Fender player series strats. A couple of squire strats but for me the Jet JS guitars have better necks. And for the money you are saving you could spend it on effect pedals or a new amp. or Beer!! Great. Great comparison on both guitars. I guess it's personal choice. But for me it's the Jet JS. I have the Jet JS300 which is amazing. All the best Steve. Top man 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Thanks very much mate! 😀🙏 You know the majority of people here who have experience with both are saying the same as us. There's even a guy om here with Fender Custom shop who prefers his Jet. They're certainly doing something right 👍
BEER! Thanks for the reminder 😁👍
Cheers mate 🍻
Can't decide which is better, that Swedish accent, or the sense of humor. It's a tie ladies and gentlemen, it's a tie!!!!! Great videos!!!
Ha! Thanks mate 🤣👌
It's a Scottish accent tho 😁
Unless you were just flexing your sense of humour? 😜
Then Touche 😂👌
It was a joke, of course Iknow accents and it's clear you're from down under. Love your style Steve, you've gained a s a new sub.@@stevecassidyguitar
@@Mr4Strings Ha! I'm very glad to hear you've subbed and you've got banter 😁👌
Is it really that easy to replace tuning machines?
I've never done it.
I'm pretty sure I could mess it up.
Yes mate! It's very very easy - IF... you make sure you get drop in replacements 👍 Make sure you get the right post hole size, and the screw holes line up (check online if anyone else has had success, with your guitar/tuner combo of choice). I did a wee install and review of these £25 locking tuners here:
ruclips.net/video/8k9-Q0ARP5Y/видео.html
You'll definitely be able to find better tutorial vids on this though 🙈👍
You just need a screw driver and some sort of spanner/wrench device to loosen/tighten the nuts
I bought a white jet JS400. So impressed I bought another one.. Sunburst this time...
I don't blame ya mate - They're addictive 👹
I've kinda got 4 🙈
is it possible to put fender locking tuners to the jet?
It's possible, but they're not drop in replacements..Fender tuners have the "2pin" fastening, where the Jet just has the single offset screw.
You'd have to drill 12 wee shallow holes for the Fender 2pins (2holes for each tuner) then once you've got them on, you'll be left with the holes from the Jet tuners still visible.
It wouldn't bother me. But I prefer less work. Drop in replacements is what I'd go for - check out Vanson 👍
I have a terrific USA Highway One Strat but as soon as I slung on the jet JS 400 I took an internet punt on, I was smitten. Very comfortable on a strap, and the neck, frets and rounded heel are suberb. The tuners on mine simply had to go, I also put Planet Waves locking on my Fender, and I swapped out the humbucker for the reasons mentioned here. I love the single coils on the Jet. Trem is locked down on both the Fender and the Jet. What can I say - nearly a year down the line the Fender is still resting in its case.
Nice one mate - I've had pretty much the exact same experience. I don't have a highway one. I've got a Fender US standard from 2004 which I've upgraded a bit too. Same as you... I've not touched it in almost a year since getting the Jet.
I've got another vid on the channel documenting all the mods I did to mine - I went a bit OTT 🙈 Gotoh trem, fender pickups, locking tuners, and more ...
Yes, as you've realised there's a whole bunch of very decent newbies out there that make owning a playable and good looking guitar far more affordable. Thinking back to my first six string, an Audition from Woolworth's, it's amazing I persevered. My Highway One must have been made very closely to the one that Chris Buck used extensively - could be its twin. The last time I played it though I remember thinking to myself that the heel design feels agricultural compared to the Jet - sacrilage, but true. Enjoying your videos - good blend of techy stuff and just the right amount of humour. @@stevecassidyguitar
@@TheStratpicker aww thanks mate - you've made my day - glad you're enjoying the vids 😃🙏
I've heard of the Fabled Audition Woolworths guitars. It was a few years later I started on a Jim Deacon strat -might have been quite good in hindsight - I don't remember having too many complaints 😜
The Audition at least served as a learning tool - next up was a Kay Strat which was a Rolls Royce in comparison. I hadn’t really connected the two, but I also relegated my Fender Jazz bass to its case after taking another online punt - this time on a 1977 Greco P bass, an affordable vintage guitar. Not a direct comparison clearly, but again there was just something that clicked - incredible neck, weight, balance, playability and sound all came together, and it continues to be my mainstay bass. @@stevecassidyguitar
A proper question for JET, how much would cost that guitar if they put alder body instead basswood?
Why don't they do one serie like that?
Thanks man for great review.
Cheers mate! 😃🙏
But yeah - an Alder body would definitely cost more. They already do some models with Alder bodies, but not traditional strat styles. and They do cost more.
The body wood personally isn't a factor for me. I don't care what it's made of, as long as the Guitar is lightweight (around 7 - 7.5lbs is ideal 😁👍)
Great video. Would a Strat pickguard fit the jet apart from the screw holes? I’d be quite happy to put a few holes in a £169 guitar and the variety of upgrades opens right up.
Thank you mate 😅🙏
In my experience... I only tried to line them up - didn't go as far as attempting an install (but it didn't line up perfect for me with the neck heel and trem) Worst case scenario you have to do a little bit of filing.
But... Someone else commented here the other day saying they had success with a "Vanson" pickguard (around £10 eBay). They only had to drill 3 holes and the rest lined up fine.
If you have success (or failure 🙈) please do report back and let us know what fits and what doesn't for you 😃🙏👍
No matter where you fall in the electric guitar tonewood debate (& there are several places to land), the wood used for the body also impacts weight & durability- and can impact things if like to mod guitars.
Couldn't agree more mate 👍👍
Went through a couple of MDF bodies over the years 🙈
The Bassist my band has a Warwick, no idea what it's made of, it doesn't look like a lot of wood but it weighs a ton! 😅
He plays it on a cradle stand live now as it was too backbreaking on a strap 😬
So I was thinking about getting a Strat and saw the JS400, very impressive to me! Wilkinson locking tuners and Irongear pickups here we come 😁, rather a lot of change methinks 🤘🏻
Great review, maybe new 5 way and pots/caps at a later date!
Nice one mate! A modded Jet would smash a Fender Player imo 😎👍
I don't know if you've seen it - but I modded the $h1t out my JS400 here -
ruclips.net/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/видео.html
I wouldn't rush to change the single coils, but the Humbucker I found very uninspiring.
Have fun with the project! 😀👍
Thank you!
@@stevecassidyguitar I’ve just watched the modded one, that’s seriously good! Good tip about the Pups and Vanson tuners! Maybe the hardware can get done right away - I’m gonna look around for a used one first, if no luck get a new one - it’s got me really interested!
I’ve just finished a HB kit Telecaster that I’ve put body contours in and given a bit better neck access, I used Irongear Vintage Pups and Switchtec hardware with Wilkinson locking tuners, graphtec nut and a heavy top loading bridge, like Jimmy Page’s Dragon, just started on the graphics!
@@DarrellW_UK Thank ya mate! I'm addicted to them 🙈 I Picked up the sunburst JS400 used for £100. I've got another great tip for you... I'd recommend extending your search to include the Fazley Phynica FSST 720. It IS a Jet JS400 with different branding. Same factory, same specs, same team, different headstock shape. You can find these cheaper (I've got 3 of em too 🙈)
ruclips.net/video/ylmKtiPgRpI/видео.html
I promise that's the last one 🙈
Tele build sounds cool too 😎👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Just put a Fazley in my basket, B stock £118; it’s HSS, Ash body hand rubbed stain, roasted maple neck and fretboard, not the sculptured heel but that’s not a problem for me. Gonna try it out as is before I spend anything on it. Looking at the actual photos of it there’s no sign of damage, it looks like the box got damaged in transit and it got sent straight back!
@@DarrellW_UK Nice! If that's the Outlaw Sheriff, I've never tried one, but heard good things. Of the Fazleys I have tried it's onlt been the Phynicas (unfortunatley now discontinued) that are on par with the quality of the Jets. Keep us posted mate 😎👍
Hello my friend does the finish on the back of neck of the jet feel equally good/soft as the fender and the body polish finish also looks as good?
Hey mate! 👋😀
Yes.. they both have a satin finish on the back of the neck. But the Jet also has the same on the fretboard (which I much prefer), whereas the Fender has gloss on the fretboard.
As for the body poly finish - I didn't notice the Jet finish to be inferior, but I wasn't really looking for that. I suppose the fact that I didn't notice maybe suggests they're the same 🤷♂️
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks really helpful
@@BladeRunnerJP11 🙏
@@stevecassidyguitar So basically fender is just selling you the brand, since the jet seems to be similar quality only the pickups and tuners are less quality what about electronics does that need change on jet or just changing pickups?
@@BladeRunnerJP11 It's really just down to your own personal taste and ears. I never upgraded the electronics on my Jet, except for (push/push) pots. I might upgrade the wiring in future.
Upgrading the wiring and electronics is one of the cheapest areas of any Guitar to upgrade. Jet have got the most important stuff right (imo) the necks 👌 and the bodies (particularly on the JS400 imo).
With Fender - yes you are paying a premium for the brand name, and the quality isn't even that great (imo)
I have a jet Js400 strat and 2 fender Mexican strats. Ever since buying the Jet the starts have been collecting dust…It is just a joy to play and has the most comfortable and playable neck i have ever played.
This seems to be the general consensus across the board mate 😀👍
The comments from this vid are massively in agreeance with you and I 👍
A couple of people even prefer thier Jets over US strats and Custom Shops! 🤯
You should compare an affinity squier to the jet that would be. A great comparison
Great shout mate - I'll keep an eye out for a deal on one.
How about an HSS Squier Sonic start in the meantime?
Got one ready to go 😀👍
I appreciate your videos. Another great one for the books.
Thank you.
Thank ya very much mate 🙏
This one appears to be the top performing vid so far 😀
Do you think these JET guitars are very modificable? Im thinking on buying a PRS neck style because i can't get comfortable with the C shape
Yes you can modify them to an extent, it depends on your skills/confidence, how much you want to spend etc... Not sure if a PRS neck would be compatible though, you'd have to do some more research on that.
You might be able to pick up a used PRS Silver Sky SE, for around the same price as a Jet and a new neck 🤷♂️.
Or maybe you could try a Harley Benton Strat, they do a 12" radius with a D shaped neck if you prefer that.
@@stevecassidyguitar Ty buy I'm more into replicating a poor man's silver sky lol, Ty for the advice but the cheapest PRS which is the new Satin SE series is about 560 dollars here in Mexico
@@stevecassidyguitar also I'm planning to get the cheapest JET which is the JS300
@@Headbutter-Lettuce90 Great guitars mate 😎👍 I always recommend them, but to be honest if you don't like the Fender C shape, you probably won't like the Jet neck either - It's almost the exact same profile 😬😬
@@Headbutter-Lettuce90 No worries mate - all the best with your project mate - Enjoy the journey 😀👍
I have a Fender MIJ Traditional 60s Strat which is made from basswood and that's one of the nicest guitars I've ever played, I think a lot of of their MIJ guitars are made from it so nothing wrong with it at all 👍
I've never had a MIJ Fender - I think i'll need to fix that. Cheers for the reminder mate 😃👍
Excellent video!
Being a Tele guy I don't own a Strat.
But, I would chime in with, while I think the Jet is a better buy except the Fender does sound better!
Brighter, chimey-er.
Yes please do the head to head between the Player and the modded Jet!
And could you do it with less gain /over drive please?
Thanks!
Thanks mate!
Unfortunately I recorded the playing clips for all 3 at the same time (Just in case the follow up was merited 🙈) I know I've got too much saturation on the gain settings and there was also a bit of clipping too which didn't help 😬.
Lessons learned for next time though 😀
Well.. "next" next time 😂
Cheers! 🍻
hello Mr steve quick question if I want to add lets say fender pickups to my jet will I have to change the electronics, mics to take full advantage of the pickups?? or I should be good only by changing the pickups?
Good question mate! I did change the pickups (used a Fender Player set) and pots (to push/push). You don't "have to" change the electronics, changing the pickups will make a big difference to the sound, but upgrading the wiring etc could also improve the tone. I think I might have that done on mine in future.
@@stevecassidyguitar thanks
Hi! Is the Gotoh-trem a perfect fit for the JS400, or do you have to change anything for it to fit?
Hey mate - I had my tech install the Gotoh. He used all the Gotoh parts replacing the posts etc (Which lined up the same as the Jet as far as I know).
You might need to do a minimal bit of filing in the block cavity, just where the trem barrel is. It just needs an extra 1mm of clearance. Had to do the same thing on my Fender strat, it's quite common with the Gotoh on a strat. That's a very easy 1min job though 👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Thank you! Take care!🙏🏻
you are definitely right because ı have both of them and ı can compare them fairly Just to the point ı would like to add ı have fender American Series made in usa and jet mini for my child. jet coils a little bit noisy when you do not play however jet single coils is a little bit higher volume than ı expected
Totally agree 😃👍I have a USA Fender strat too. I never play it now 🙈
Too cool. I dig the HSS and the Jet is nailing it.
Thank ya mate! 😀🙏
and... I agree 😁👍
Thanks for this video, I'm gonna try the Jet today, the worn one! Dead excited! However is it worth the extra £££s for it liking worn ??? Video ????
I'd have to look into it mate. I know there's 2 different camps on this.. The worn stuff has never appealed to me too much. And I could be wrong, but I thought the worn ones only came with the rosewood board option? I'm not so big on rosewood either 🙈
I noticed they're more expensive though... Would need to re-check the specs to see where the extra cost is.
Let us know how you get on trying it out today 😃👍
@@stevecassidyguitar hi! Thanks for the reply! So I tried several different guitars but came back to the JS400 RELIC!
I tried a JET JS300, JET - 350 In sunburst (looked awesome but not the sound I'm going for) Jet JJ-350, Magneto UT-WAVE CLASSIC and a Magneto Sonnet modern us 2300.
Out of all of them I just liked the feel of the JS400 RELIC better than the rest it was more comfortable on the fretboard and the moulded heal joint was a big plus compared with the others, although saying that I think the jS300 had that too. Anyway, I used to be a purely maple neck dude but I've been converted to rosewood on this one ! Love the worn look. My mate who knows nothing about guitar though it was a really old one (that's the point I guess) he thinks I'm crazy.
@@AugustMaclean-l2c Nice one mate! That's the way to do it - try em all! 😃👍
Those Magneto's look nifty too 😎👍
So did you bring home the Jet Relic? 😃😃
Hello Steve so after looking at multiple guitars, I was about to buy the fender player but after having the jet in my hands the neck felt quite good and the roasted maple looked badass then I said why pay 3 times the price for a fender when I have this quality and feel, I had previously a second hand squier but the squier felt really heavy compared to the jet also for some reason with the jet I feel I can play easier, maybe due to the maple finish ,it would be good to analyze how jet can put out this quality at this price, big brands need to step up their game definitely thanks again
Nice one mate 😃👍
Glad you liked it 😃👍
But yeah totally - why pay more? 🤷♂️
Yay first! ..... Great timing Steve ... works great after the JR stream ... good call
Possibly - also the first person EVER (i think) to say "First" on this channel!
I'm honoured 😀🙏
Nice review. I'm buying a Jet...never thought I'd say that 😁
Cheers mate! 😀🙏
I'd say that's a wise move - I'm fairly confident you wont regret it 😁👍
Just a wee tip... Bin the stock strings immediately, give the frets a quick wee polish, put on your string brand/gauge of choice, then enjoy the awesomeness of the Jet 😁👌
I have a jet js 300. 3 of them acually. I love them.
Really enjoyed the video! Wanted to subscribe since the beginning but I always forget. The subboteo reference made me so nostalgic I remembered to subscribe!!!!
Aww mate thank you! 😀🙏
I think you're the first person ever to mention the Subbuteo reference! 😀
I've been using it for several months - Now it's all been worth it 🥳👍
#Validation
@@stevecassidyguitar I haven't seen anyone reference it since I was like 10 so it actually made my day!! Cheers
@@leoleoleonor Glad to hear that mate - thanks for the sub & thanks to subbuteo 😂👍
Ha! I've got a 1983 He-Man still in it's box... the bubble is cracked and it's got a price sticker on it so apparently not very desirable to collectors but I still want to sell it to buy a guitar! What a coincidence! Looking at a used PRS Zach Myers that is very pretty.
Seems like a fair trade to me 😜👌
I like the sound of the Fender more (clean), it sounds clearer to me (the ceramic pickups on the Jet have more output), but Jet are making pretty good guitars overall. I have a T-style deluxe (humbucker in the neck position, locking tuners) and after changing all electrics, including the pickups, it's an amazing guitar! Great playability, comfortable, ergonomic. I'm waiting for the Jet JS-300 right now. We'll see how the quality on that guitar will turn out to be.
Agreed mate - I much prefer the sound of the fender too - HNGD when it arrives! 😀🤘
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks! If I'm lucky, it will arrive tomorrow. But most likely next week. I'll think about modding it, prioritize the tuners and pickups. But I'm not in a hurry.
@@nedim_guitar Nice one mate - Have fun! 😀👍
What about testing cheap Alnico 5 pickups from Ali or ebay vs your Tex Mex for example? i mean why pay a 100 bucks for a fender magnet that is basicly the same in every Alnico 5 pickup
Good shout! 😎👍
In my modded Jet I put the same pickups in (a Fender player set) but bought them used - think it worked out £20 per single coil 😀
@@stevecassidyguitar yeah i know i saw it! but i was just thinking of something as cool video-content. I'm not gonna buy fender PU's but maybe i wanna change ceramic for Alnico 5 magnets though
@@TheTerracide Ah I see. Soz -got ya 🙈👍 Cheers for watching the other vid too 😀🙏
I've got quite a few sets of (all used) pickups kicking around here I'm dying to try out. Couple of sets of tone riders, a set of Kinmans, and a couple of other misc sets 🙈
Cheers again - Good shout 😎👍
Hallo, how much does the Jet JS 400 weigh ?
I've had a few of these in my hands mate - Lowest was 7.4lbs (3.35kg) and heaviest is this Sunburst one at 8.2lbs(3.7kg). They do vary.
Also mentioned this @11:20 in the vid 😜👍
i wish that jet and fazley would do some more unique models. I get that scale is a huge factor in how they are able to be priced so low but i wonder if theres a market for a competitor to the squier paranormal and classic vibe series with slightly more modern and premium features. Harley benton seems to do an okay job but most of their more wacky models just kind of lack that wow factor for me.
I hear ya 👍 Great idea, sounds like something one of these brands should jump on!
Jet do a single cut and have an HH offset, but I've never really looked into either of these. Gear4music have some more interesting looking models (to me), with similar appointments, Roasted necks etc. I'm yet to try one out. I don't consider myself a brand name snob, but there's something about "Gear4music" that just doesn't sit right with me 🙈
@@stevecassidyguitar I totally get that. the g4m guitars look a bit toyish to me but the 12 string tele for 119 is intriguing. might be good, more likely needs a lot of help. I'll have to keep an eye on that one
@@clairbeeguitar Would love to hear if it's any good if you go for one 😀👍 12 strings are hard to get right, would be amazing if they've managed to nail it at that price! 🤯🤞
Nice one ,, that jet guitar did very well in the comparison, I expected the fender to be the clear winner and by a big margin, surprising results 👍👍🤠🎸
Thank ya very much mate! 😀🙏
I mean - admittedly, my points system isn't perfect 🙈 The Jet having a slightly better string tree, which you can upgrade on either for about £1 - probably shouldn't be worth the same 1 point for Fender's miles better pickups 🙈 but... it's just guitars n giggles innit 🤷♂️
@@stevecassidyguitar yeah but it looked like a fair comparison, especially as it was done by someone who can actually play , if I did it it wouldn’t be worth watching, I know next to nothing 😂👍👍🤠🎸
@@c.h.fieldsports9876 Very kind of ya mate, thank ya 🙏 If you did it - I'd still watch! 😀👍
@@stevecassidyguitar 😂😂😂
Nice comparison video, and it's good to see the Jet doing well. I actually bought a JS-400 this week in the Sunburst colour but never really got to play it properly as the wife took it and said you can have that for a Christmas present since you can't think of anything you want. I just managed to check it over in case there was any damage. It was, therefore, nice to actually hear what it sounded like. I thought it sounded quite well apart from the bridge and middle pick-up together I think it was. With the Fender guitar, you seem to be paying a lot of money for the brand name. Would be nice to hear what the modded JS-400 sounds like against the Fender.
Thank ya very much Richard - Sounds like your Mrs Knows what's up with the Jets 😜👍 The follow up vid is in the works - but the best thing about these guitars is - you really can have it however you like - pickup-wise. At that point it makes it tricker to justify the Fender price tag (imo) 👍
Is it just me or are all the playing parts highly distorted and you can hear break up like when you turn your speakers up way too high?
It's just you.
Nah 😜 You're actually spot on. I made a massive error with the audio and ended up with some clipping - especially on the dirty tones 🙈 Lessons learned - I've fixed it for the newer recordings - apologies 😬
At least both Guitars are clipping so it's still a fair comparison 😜😂🙈
@@stevecassidyguitar It's all good! Stuff happens. You got me to recheck my sound system lol
@@mikey-dubs Good news is your gear is working fine 😂👍
hey man! i actually managed to pickup a Fender Plus Top at an INSANE price, however when i play my JS400 (which i bought thanks to your videos "COUGH") i really cant say which one I prefer honestly... any opinions on the new Harley benton ST modern plus going around ever since that convention? Bound to arrive Q1 2024. Keep it up!
Thanks mate! 😀👍 You gotta spill on the price you go the Fender for though...? 😜
Re - The new HB moderns.... I'd be curious to check one out, but the neck spec/profile isn't really to my taste. I think it's 12" - 16" compound radius and possibly a D shape. We'll have to wait and see though 🤔
@@stevecassidyguitar Believe it or not i got it for 300 euros! And it was mint! I just had my JS400 arrive a week prior but I could not pass on that deal
@@panosv7258 Ooooft!!! Brilliant deal indeed! Congrats mate! 😀👌
How is the neck back shape on higher parts of the fretboard? Someone told me it transitions to a D shape even if its fairly similar to fender player series down below. "C to D" is how they described it. I suppose they were probably mistaken. Really not a fan of D shape necks personally.
Nevermind, you also showed the neck on 12th fret. Don't know how I missed that 😅
Great - cheers 🤓👍
I was just about to say to check @ 5:55 😜
Although it's not the best indicator of how it feels in the hand. I have a Fazley Phynica with me now - it's the exact same neck as the Jet. I suppose it does widen a bit as it gets higher... But Fenders do that too.
If it's any help... I also don't like D necks but love the Fender and Jet necks 😃👍
@@stevecassidyguitar thanks for the reply :) I just got a jet (pink with rosewood fretboard). Have to shave off part of the trem post to get intonation saddle closer to 12th fret (yes you read right), and also take care of high nut. But I'm surprised at how much "soul" the guitar seems to have. Just has something special to it. I believe I'll bond with it.
@@stevecassidyguitar I got bad carpal tunnel from a shredder D shaped neck before. Ever since, I've been super scared of truly D shaped necks.
@@stevecassidyguitar also I must say, very surprised at how level the frets are. I can get the action down to 1mm or so and get away with it (basically at the border of what 9.5 radius allows for my bends anyway). I don't think this is achieved by any levelling (no way they level and crown frets at this price). But the way the frets are pressed in seems dang fine, resulting in a rather consistent fret height. There ARE some high fret spots if you go looking for them, but it's minor enough to where you could easily find such spots after a good fret level also.
Hi Steve, that was my intention mate! All the best👍😎🍻
My "Strat type" of choice is a Harley Benton ST62 DLX...😊
Its as good as most things out there in the same price range, and everything works well on it.
Plus...it has the weirdo anodized gold scratchplate.
The HB ST62's look great! I've not tried one out yet, but on paper the neck profile and fretboard radius isn't to my taste... but! never say never I'd be keen to try one out at some point - they do look ace! 😎👌
Brilliant video Steve, well done sir and interesting too. Fenders’ price these days is ridiculous and just not worth it sadly.
Thank ya Rich! Agreed! - and I LOVE(d) Fender, but I've got a pile of Fender Mustang amps here too, with discontinued software support 😖 but that's potentially another video for another day 😁
Guthrie Govan's Charvel's basswood...I think MusicMan have a lot of basswood guitars and Fender Japan...Its widely used these days
Well I'm certainly never gonna argue with Guthrie - he knows a thing or 2 about guitars 😁👌
Didn't know Fender Japan used it - wish I knew that before making the vid! 🙈
Thanks for sharing mate! 😀🍻
Steve I love the way the color of your glasses coincidently 😂 match the guitars! I will be ordering...CORRECTION: I have ordered a Jet Js400 in Olympic white, though I must say the one you have in this video matches well with the neck/fretboard color. Jet with the roasted maple and much lower price in my opinion is the way to go. MIM guitars are overpriced when compared to Jet or Eart, Fazley & Harley Benton just to name a few. Cheers mate!
Thank ya mate! 🙏
I'm over the moon you noticed the extra detail with the glasses and Guitars 🤓🎸
Wait a minute! ..... "Glasses and Guitars" - I've been looking for a name for my livestreams or podcast - that could work! Cheers! 🍻
Congrats on the incoming Jet 👍 Once it lands... I'd highly recommend binning the stock strings, go for your brand of choice and polish the frets while the strings are off - You'll be in strat heaven 😎👌
@@stevecassidyguitarI keep wondering how you found these glasses that are so similar in a variety of colors. Are they prescription?! You need an eyeglasses sponsor, Steve! You should try reaching out to some glasses brands!
I would love the Fender Player vs Modded Jet!
Great stuff mate - I'm currently working on that one as we speak 😃👍
@stevecassidyguitar Overall the build quality of the JS400 looks pretty good. 1. Does the JS 400 have a gloss or a satin neck? By that - I mean on the back of the neck. I love satin necks. Dislike gloss necks. 2. Also I think the pickups on the JS 400 don't sound too good. What HSS replacements would you recommend? Big thanks!
I also don't like glossy necks mate.
It's a satin finish on the back and fretboard (The earlier runs had gloss on the fretboard, but they changed it - it's way better now imo)
Here's all the mods I did to my JS400 inc Pickups
ruclips.net/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/видео.html
I'm not a fan of hot (or really expensive) pickups so I went for a used Fender player set 😎👌 (Way better than people think 😁)
But maybe you like hotter? 🤷♂️ There's loads to chose from either way.
I quite like Iron Gear and Tone Riders
@@stevecassidyguitar Big thanks for this! I don't like pickups too hot. They lose clarity and dynamics and the mid-range takes over too much. Thanks for the link to the video. I'll watch it.
@@mikenorman6697 No worries mate - Sounds like we have similar pickup tastes. If you don't want to spend too much, youcould maybe try the Tone Riders Pure Vintage or Surfari single coils. I have both sets here, I'm yet to try out, but the marketing blurb sounds like what I'm after 😜 As for the Humbucker - endless options - maybe something with Alnico II magnets? 🤷♂
@@stevecassidyguitar Looked at your modding video. Did the Player series pickups sound different in the JS400 compared to how they sounded in the Fender Player guitar? Perhaps was there more mid range and less dynamic range? I know the Fender Player strat has body wood of Alder and the Jet JS400 has body wood of basswood. I think that perhaps basswood will produce a warmer more mid-range tone compared to alder with the same set of pickups. What do you think?
@@mikenorman6697 Good question mate 👍 There's 2 camps on this one. Personally, I'm a bit of a Tone Wood Denier 🙈
There is a subtle difference in the tone between the 2, I could never tell in a blind test. But they they don't even have the same pots and wiring. The pot tolerance would make a more noticeable difference than the wood (imo) then there's the pickup height - it was close, but not exactly the same. The strings on the Fender were a bit older, The Gotoh trem block is a different shape and material. I think all of the above would make more of a difference than the wood.
I'm not saying I'm right, the pro tone wood camp would suggest the opposite.
I think tonewood is only a factor on acoustics. 😬
I think a modded Jet is the way to go. Although it's a pain the scratch plate screw holes aren't fender standard as I want to change mine to one push pul volume and 2 tone control so I got a new scratch plate. Ah well I'm sure I'll make it work without having to carve any wood off the body.
Unfortunately, you can't get a direct fit pickguard for any of the Jet models. The 2 ways I have got round it is, swapping pickguards with other Jet models with different colored guards.
Another option is to get a custom pickguard made. Depending on where you are located, there are companies that you can send your pickguard to, they'll make a copy of it in any colour/material you like.
This would cost £40 - 50 though.
There is a seller on ebay based in Glasgow who sells under Harley Benton pickguard listings, worth checking out, if you don't want to joey too much 😁
I've did this before too (on other guitars) and was happy with the results.
Hope that helps 😃👍
for my Jet Tele I just used a Fender sized pickguard, cut a bit out with a bread knife, smoothed the edges with a cutter and polished it with a disposable very fine nail file stolen from my ex. I had to drill some new holes, but to be honest who cares? The guitar costs nothing. It's not like drilling into a vintage instrument.
@@tostrmofo6686 Yep I agree. Hopefully it'll just be a few extra screw holes and some moding of the pickguard. I'll just say it's relic'd if anyone notices
good, honest stuff, thank you.
i guess this has been asked a thousand times but: what accent is this (scotland i assume?!, no offense) ... it sounds massive to my german ears ... ❤
Cheers mate! 😀🙏
Yes indeed 👍 I'm Scottish - from Dundee. So the accent is "Dundonian" to be more specific 🤓👍
Zero offense taken mate - and barely anyone asks either 😜
Cheers 🍻
highly appreciate your kind words -- thank you very much indeed.
keep up the excellent work.
all the best, mate
@@marck7270 🙏
What's better
Jet JS 400 or Sire S 3 ?
Good question mate - I'm yet to try an S3, so i'm no the guy to ask unfortunately.
I'm not very likely to pick one up either as I'm not a big fan of rosewood boards on F type guitars 😬
Also, purely aesthetic, but there's something about the Sire body shape that puts me off too.
I do have a Sire V7 Bass though and I love it - Quality is really top notch 😎👌
@stevecassidyguitar I don't know how I feel about rosewood fingerboard a Strat, but I think I'd be okay with it.
The body shape is a bit different.
I hadn't noticed before.
I mostly just think about all this stuff, really reluctant to spend $$ on gear.
For now I'm quite satisfied with the guitar that I have....
Ibanez amv10a
I subscribed to your channel.
Cheers
@@mikec6733 ah nice one - that's like the semi-hollow artist type one is it? Very cool mate - great guitars😎👍
Thank you for the sub 😃🙏
@@stevecassidyguitar
Thank you !!!
Peace ✌️
Great video. Personally, I could never spend £600 on a guitar unless it was a signature series related to one of my idols. Jet wins in this instance, but I am a Fazley guy.
Cheers Johnny! 😀🍻 I hear ya mate, I'm happier these days to go near £500 but not all at once, would do it incrementally, with mods etc... 😁
Also starting to get a strong itch to try out the Fazley Sunset Dawn HSS strat 🙈 They're just a few quid over £100 atm 🤯
I have seen the same the js400 but in aged version costs almost double not sure why costs double the only difference is they use rosewood and the color of body
Yeah mate - the pink one? I can't get my head round the pricing on that one either 🤔
I'm not a big fan of rosewood anyway 😜
EVH uses Basswood on even their 'High End' Wolfgang models.
Nice one! I knew a lot of brands use Basswood, but I'm not too familar with the EVH stuff - Cheers mate 😀👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Suhr also use basswood on many of their models.
@@henryteardrop492 Can't argue with mr Suhr - He knows how to make braw guitars 😁👌
I think Mr. EVH preferred Bass wood?
Can't argue with EVH! .....unless your DLR 😜
But yeah - thanks for the info - actually did not know this 😎👍
Alder was chosen because Leo could buy it locally...it had nothing to do with tone and everything to do with convenience and cost.
Agreed 👍 If you subscribe to the tonewood thing (Personally - I'm not that convinced 😬), Like if you go down to the Eric Johnson minutia, pickguard screws and the paint they use to number the tone/vol pots 😜 - Then a lot of people will argue that Alder is an intrinsic part of the Colonels original recipe
@@stevecassidyguitar Fender used ash for electric guitar and bass bodies more or less exclusively from 1950 to mid-1956..so the original fender "tonewood" was ash. Switched to cheaper, local alder. Tone woods is b.s.
@@RickMcCargar spot on mate 👍 - I shouldn't have said "original" recipe. I knew this but was too keen to fit in a KFC reference 🙈
So yes you're correct, but personally, I always associate Alder with being the definitive strat choice as they've used this more than ash on their models over the years.
But you still win this point 😁👌 and I agree with your sentiments Re tonewood too 👍
You can play mate, I hope your channel grows.
Aww thank ya very much mate! 😀🙏
Great review man.
Thank ya very much mate! 😀🙏
Another awesome vid. Thank you and please do the modded Jet v player comparison 😁
I have a js300, a squire 40th vintage strat and a player Tele. The Jet 6screw bridge was awful so I swapped it for a Wilkinson and it's now better than the squire. I'd say the jet has the best neck (finish, frets, etc) and the Tele the worst 😭
I'd say the player Tele has really put me off and I won't be buying another American or mexican fender.
Thanks mate! 😀🙏 I have to say.. your experience isn't too surprising - for me, the difference between the Jet JS300 & JS400 trems are night and day. Great shout to upgrade to a Wilkinson unit 👍👍 and... I'm in the same boat - I can't see my buying anymore "new" Fenders - but... never say never 😜