I fell victim to the cult of the jazzmaster with this guitar. The neck on this thing is killer and out of the box everything is very solid. It has quickly become one of my favorites.
The thing I love about this guitar (and the Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster, which is very similar) is that its basically a jazzmaster with the mods pre-installed. Everyone wants a vintage spec Jazzmaster but the first thing they do is change the bridge and the pickups lol.
Have a squire classic vibe. My go to now days. First thing I did was put CTS pots and a fender switch in it. Then I grounded the bridge, and wrapped tape around the bridge posts to disable the wobble. It stays in tune now, and plays like a dream. If you turn down the volume in the rhythm circuit that switch makes a decent kill switch. Tons of fun.
this guitar is weapons grade. bought mine late 2020, played it daily for 6 months and on the first restring i decided to lower the action a bit more and i had to resolder the output jack. factory setup was really great, just a bit high for my liking. it's still my go to for so much music, i have other guitars that cost way more and none of that matters when you're plugged in.
Bought one a couple of years ago and totally love it. I ended up having a Mastery bridge and vibrato installed and set up with 11's, it's even better now and is my no 1 guitar. The neck is sublime in my fretting hand to play and just feels right to me. Don't let the Squier logo fool you into thinking it's a crap guitar, because it isn't. It's built well and looks fucking brilliant. Buy one if you can. If it doesn't feel quite right then get it set up, it's that simple.
It’s like we have forgotten that guitars need love and care. It’s built well enough that if you treat it well it’ll be one of the best guitars you own. 11’s though??? You are crazy but I’m sure it sound HUGE
What makes this guitar special is the break angle of the strings is closer to the bridge. That eliminates some of of the obvious Jazzmaster issues such as strings popping off the saddles. Look how much closer the J Mascis jazzmaster tremolo is to the bridge. Steeper break angle.
I have one. I do not play distorted on my own, gigging and recording of course is something else... So, it's a real horse to ride. Very comfortable and is exceptionally stable. Worth the price and much more. 55+ years of work, two rooms of guitars and gear, this is equal to five other guitars that are perfect, if there is such a thing. If you want original sounds though, this isn't exactly that. The pickups, bridge and vibrato distance are different. Thanks!!
Kinda wish i got the J Mascis instead of a Classic Vibe 60s, but i did get a good deal on it and it's served me well. Squier is just blowing everyone else away in their price bracket.
I must say this is one of the finest reviews of this guitar I have seen. The only thing better would have been to put it in the hands of Nokia Edwards. You confirmed my belief that these were not stock P90 pickups and solidified my decision to add this instrument to my studio arsenal. Thanks much!
I wish this channel got more attention these videos are great, also I disagree about this being better then the fender cuz I actually bought one because of your video and I've played this before but definitely a great guitar
I bought one from Sweetwater and the guitar was great with 1 exception. HUMMMM!! No shielding in the electronics cavities. I used the Aluminum furnace tape to shield it and checked continuity from 1 end to the other. Now, no hum and the guitar sounds fantastic and is silent when not being played.
Awesome demo! I loved hearing all the different styles. Instant subscribe! I've been stuck deciding on either a Jazzmaster or a Reverend with P90s. This one sounds fantastic.
One guitar to rule them all... Especially the earlier versions with rosewood neck. I have it and it's the one I will never sell. Great guitar, love it with a good old orange amp.
Just discovered your channel, this is a great guitar, I just bought one not even knowing who's signature model it was. I went in to GC looking for an amp, and when I played this Jazzmaster, this felt awesome so I bought it too. Great Review!
I just got one today on craigslist. 2015 model. The set up is bad I can tell the guy I got it from never had it touched from the store for a set up. But even still the neck feels amazing and the pick ups are surprisingly super good. With a proper set up this thing is in fact will be a monster of a guitar. I’ve had the fender mim classic player and this blows it away by far
The J Mascus pickups were designed to be much hotter than traditional Jazzmaster pickups. They are hot and sound like p90’s but definitely has that characteristic of Jazzmaster pickups.
I’ve owned one one these for 12 months. It’s an excellent guitar but in my experience it does need some work to get it sounding great. But for the price it’s well worth it
Been wanting one of these for a while. Got a $400 gift card early for Xmas and it just so happens my local guitar center has one in stock. I know what I’m doing today!!
The only thing that could discourage me from buying one of these is the Squier logo on the headstock. I really need to get over that. That guitar really is a beast. I think it was Ron Wood that once said "You're not playing the name on the headstock". Probably going to call my Sweetwater sales rep today and pull the trigger on this one.
You totally should! And if you use the link in my bio it’s no extra cost and you support the channel!! PLUS your sales engineer gets credit! Let me know if you like it!
I was in the middle of a lesson and typed a quick answer. I agree that the stigma of a budget guitar kinda sucks some times. Ppl assume your broke and can’t afford the real thing or some crap like that. And we try and say “this is better for cheaper”. I have an epiphone as my back up guitar tonight and it’s not even a great epiphone. It totally has its place in my rig right now!
This Squier is built more like the old school 80's Squiers (actually really well made guitars) - for the price they're selling these at new, you're getting about as much as you can possibly get for the money and if you find a good deal on a used one, you have scored one hell of a steal
@@jimmyfranklin I think 2011 or 2012 was the first year of the white/gold Squier. The first two or three years of production were phenomenal instruments! It ran up to 2021 I think. After that they were made in Indonesia and those instruments are not the same at all.
I have the new version of this cool guitar. But how can I mitigate the grounding issue that causes buzz when I lift my fretting hand fingers off the strings between chord changes? I remove most of it with Izotope Rx, but I’d rather not have it in the first place.
only thing I want to change on mine is the trem! After owning the TVL one with the US trem, I can see how it's not very good but everything else is really good!
My only problem with this guitar is that the neck feels and looks cheap. Its a very yellow shade of maple that looks really unnatural to me. I tried it at my local guitar shop and it just felt cheap. Played great just but didn't feel right to me. Necks are the most important thing for me on a guitar so I'm very picky!
Finally got one last month after being Jazzy-less for years. It’s SO GOOD! Tune-o-matic + p90s? That was literally the dream when we were modding ours in the 90s. And the neck is just straight up one of the nicest out there. Mine came looking borderline flame maple. Also really cool that J did his second signature JM for Squier so us mere mortals can afford to cop one!
Every review of thus guitar is great. I tried one at GC but the set up was so bad I couldn’t get a sense of it. I should just do it? I want a jazz master!
I wonder if that was just because of the way guitar center sometimes treats their stuff.. not always.. but sometimes ive found some beat up stuff... what did you play through??? i think this would be a great place to start with a jazzmaster if you are looking for one! LINK IN DESCRIPTION!! lol!
@@jimmyfranklin It definitely was guitar centers fault. Even if it came in needing to have the action adjusted, it seems they could and should do that. I texted the guy who sets up my guitars and he said he would definitely buy this Jazzmaster. As soon as I sell one of my guitars on reverb, I’m ordering one. GC had me play through a Blues Jr. which is fine. Though the whole experience made me feel like the shop doesn’t card much.
Great review Jimmy! I'm glad I own one of these, they're almost nowhere to be found anymore. Absolutely love this guitar! It is so NOT your regular strat, tele or lp. That 'rythm selector switch' at the top is a strange thing though. It turns off the 'regular' pickup switch, tone/volume knobs, all you can do is set the volume/tone through the sliders next to the switch. It uses a different wirering I think to get that different sound. A lot of people don't use the rythm selector and put a piece of duck tape over it to not accidently switch it 🙂 Thanks again!
I got one of these ordered. I think a demonstrator should really b able to play. U pass w flying fingers. Many guys aren’t that good and yet do reviews but sometimes have some insight, I’ll give them that much.
@@devorieux9979 my bad i confused it with the noventa for some reason. That has 3 pickups. I havent played the vintera. The noventa is nice but idk if i could justify paying that much more for a guitar thats about the same quality as my j mascis. Especially after I had my fret ends worked on.
These need a bridge replacement if nothing else. Adjustomatics aren't reliable with the trem system at all. Pickups sound cool but aren't really jazzmaster pickups. All this stuff is replaceable though.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Let me know if you are a Jazzmaster player and what YOU think of these below! All links are in the description!
Just preordered the 40th anniversary Squire Jazzmaster, couldn't be more relatable haha
I fell victim to the cult of the jazzmaster with this guitar. The neck on this thing is killer and out of the box everything is very solid. It has quickly become one of my favorites.
The thing I love about this guitar (and the Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster, which is very similar) is that its basically a jazzmaster with the mods pre-installed. Everyone wants a vintage spec Jazzmaster but the first thing they do is change the bridge and the pickups lol.
Have a squire classic vibe. My go to now days. First thing I did was put CTS pots and a fender switch in it. Then I grounded the bridge, and wrapped tape around the bridge posts to disable the wobble. It stays in tune now, and plays like a dream. If you turn down the volume in the rhythm circuit that switch makes a decent kill switch. Tons of fun.
this guitar is weapons grade. bought mine late 2020, played it daily for 6 months and on the first restring i decided to lower the action a bit more and i had to resolder the output jack. factory setup was really great, just a bit high for my liking. it's still my go to for so much music, i have other guitars that cost way more and none of that matters when you're plugged in.
Bought one a couple of years ago and totally love it. I ended up having a Mastery bridge and vibrato installed and set up with 11's, it's even better now and is my no 1 guitar. The neck is sublime in my fretting hand to play and just feels right to me. Don't let the Squier logo fool you into thinking it's a crap guitar, because it isn't. It's built well and looks fucking brilliant. Buy one if you can. If it doesn't feel quite right then get it set up, it's that simple.
It’s like we have forgotten that guitars need love and care. It’s built well enough that if you treat it well it’ll be one of the best guitars you own. 11’s though??? You are crazy but I’m sure it sound HUGE
I have this guitar since 2016. The fact that it plays beautiful cleans and handles Metallica drive tones is crazy
What makes this guitar special is the break angle of the strings is closer to the bridge. That eliminates some of of the obvious Jazzmaster issues such as strings popping off the saddles. Look how much closer the J Mascis jazzmaster tremolo is to the bridge. Steeper break angle.
I have one. I do not play distorted on my own, gigging and recording of course is something else... So, it's a real horse to ride. Very comfortable and is exceptionally stable. Worth the price and much more. 55+ years of work, two rooms of guitars and gear, this is equal to five other guitars that are perfect, if there is such a thing. If you want original sounds though, this isn't exactly that. The pickups, bridge and vibrato distance are different. Thanks!!
Kinda wish i got the J Mascis instead of a Classic Vibe 60s, but i did get a good deal on it and it's served me well. Squier is just blowing everyone else away in their price bracket.
@Chris E. Not everyone can blow 3 grand on a gibson haha
Indeed . Even if i had three grand i wouldnt spend it on a guitar .
I've never played a jazzmaster before but I might actually try this one out after watching this video.
OMG, the tone on the power chords is AMAZING!!
The pickups on that thing sound great. Not noisy, but not weak either.
I must say this is one of the finest reviews of this guitar I have seen. The only thing better would have been to put it in the hands of Nokia Edwards. You confirmed my belief that these were not stock P90 pickups and solidified my decision to add this instrument to my studio arsenal. Thanks much!
I wish this channel got more attention these videos are great, also I disagree about this being better then the fender cuz I actually bought one because of your video and I've played this before but definitely a great guitar
Getting this guitar tomorrow. Can’t wait to try it out
I bought one from Sweetwater and the guitar was great with 1 exception. HUMMMM!! No shielding in the electronics cavities. I used the Aluminum furnace tape to shield it and checked continuity from 1 end to the other. Now, no hum and the guitar sounds fantastic and is silent when not being played.
trying to decide between this and EVH Wolfgang Standard and this video has helped - thank you!
Awesome demo! I loved hearing all the different styles. Instant subscribe! I've been stuck deciding on either a Jazzmaster or a Reverend with P90s. This one sounds fantastic.
One guitar to rule them all... Especially the earlier versions with rosewood neck. I have it and it's the one I will never sell. Great guitar, love it with a good old orange amp.
I got me one and love it. Plays great. Plus if you got small hands like me. No problem. Bar chords easy. Just a fine Guitar.
Just discovered your channel, this is a great guitar, I just bought one not even knowing who's signature model it was. I went in to GC looking for an amp, and when I played this Jazzmaster, this felt awesome so I bought it too. Great Review!
I just got one today on craigslist. 2015 model. The set up is bad I can tell the guy I got it from never had it touched from the store for a set up. But even still the neck feels amazing and the pick ups are surprisingly super good. With a proper set up this thing is in fact will be a monster of a guitar. I’ve had the fender mim classic player and this blows it away by far
I have a Squier Jazz Master. But is the J Mascis better than a Squier Jazz Master.
The J Mascus pickups were designed to be much hotter than traditional Jazzmaster pickups. They are hot and sound like p90’s but definitely has that characteristic of Jazzmaster pickups.
They actually are real p90's. Ive seen breakdowns of the pickups. Maybe the first factory Fender/Squire with p90's??
Sweetwater is out of stock. Scooped one up from Guitar Center today though. I’ve been eyeing this for a while, glad to get my hands on one finally.
Thank goodness I bought mine when I did. I got it maybe 3 weeks ago through Sweetwater.
Definitely gonna get this ASAP…
Did you get it??
It is the best guitar you can buy for under 500 bucks and it's the one I play the most.
I’ve owned one one these for 12 months. It’s an excellent guitar but in my experience it does need some work to get it sounding great. But for the price it’s well worth it
Been wanting one of these for a while. Got a $400 gift card early for Xmas and it just so happens my local guitar center has one in stock. I know what I’m doing today!!
Did you get it ?
The only thing that could discourage me from buying one of these is the Squier logo on the headstock. I really need to get over that. That guitar really is a beast. I think it was Ron Wood that once said "You're not playing the name on the headstock". Probably going to call my Sweetwater sales rep today and pull the trigger on this one.
You totally should! And if you use the link in my bio it’s no extra cost and you support the channel!! PLUS your sales engineer gets credit! Let me know if you like it!
I was in the middle of a lesson and typed a quick answer. I agree that the stigma of a budget guitar kinda sucks some times. Ppl assume your broke and can’t afford the real thing or some crap like that. And we try and say “this is better for cheaper”. I have an epiphone as my back up guitar tonight and it’s not even a great epiphone. It totally has its place in my rig right now!
This Squier is built more like the old school 80's Squiers (actually really well made guitars) - for the price they're selling these at new, you're getting about as much as you can possibly get for the money and if you find a good deal on a used one, you have scored one hell of a steal
One of my students has one, and now I'm about to as well lol
Is this guitar from the first run or later series? The first years of this instrument was freakishly good guitars!
What year was the first year?? I think this is the earlier one
@@jimmyfranklin I think 2011 or 2012 was the first year of the white/gold Squier. The first two or three years of production were phenomenal instruments! It ran up to 2021 I think. After that they were made in Indonesia and those instruments are not the same at all.
You can't play that bridge pickup without adding some heavy big muff style fuzz🤌
The pickups on the J Mascis are P90 type, not Jazzmaster pickups.
If I will be able to do tapping like you I'm gonna buy it!
I have the new version of this cool guitar. But how can I mitigate the grounding issue that causes buzz when I lift my fretting hand fingers off the strings between chord changes? I remove most of it with Izotope Rx, but I’d rather not have it in the first place.
Great video, very informative!
only thing I want to change on mine is the trem! After owning the TVL one with the US trem, I can see how it's not very good but everything else is really good!
I agree with you. a 10. All the way.
What does the fretboard feel like? In my experience, Indian Laurel is a bit inconsistent in terms of feel.
My only problem with this guitar is that the neck feels and looks cheap. Its a very yellow shade of maple that looks really unnatural to me. I tried it at my local guitar shop and it just felt cheap. Played great just but didn't feel right to me. Necks are the most important thing for me on a guitar so I'm very picky!
I feel the exact opposite. The neck on this guitar is exquisite. I can see what you mean about the color but I personally love it as well
Mine doesn't feel or look cheap .
Weird. Most reviewers seem to love the neck especially.
Can’t find it anymore 😢
What do you mean?? Did you check my link??
@@jimmyfranklin I mean in the UK. All shops say discontinued.
WHAT?!? Really???
@@jimmyfranklin unfortunately yes. Annoying because I saw one last year and passed. Now I want it, can’t get hold of one 😞
@@jimmyfranklin yes really. Some shops still have them but they were discontinued here in Canada back in September.
i actually got into dinosaur jr after buying this guitar lol
Dinosaur Jr. is the jam. I have one of these I converted into a baritone.
DUDE i had no idea!! ive been listening since they are sick!
@@jimmyfranklin J is a great song writer. One of the rudest bands I have ever seen live
cheers man
Finally got one last month after being Jazzy-less for years. It’s SO GOOD! Tune-o-matic + p90s? That was literally the dream when we were modding ours in the 90s. And the neck is just straight up one of the nicest out there. Mine came looking borderline flame maple.
Also really cool that J did his second signature JM for Squier so us mere mortals can afford to cop one!
@@GearStuffandThings The second loudest band I’ve ever seen, following My Bloody Valentine. Caught them right when Lou rejoined and. . .WOW.
@@mikeyvegas702 love it
I have the classic vibe jazz master and it is just as good as this one i played both. This sounds a little muddy because the pu are hotter.
Every review of thus guitar is great. I tried one at GC but the set up was so bad I couldn’t get a sense of it. I should just do it? I want a jazz master!
I wonder if that was just because of the way guitar center sometimes treats their stuff.. not always.. but sometimes ive found some beat up stuff... what did you play through??? i think this would be a great place to start with a jazzmaster if you are looking for one! LINK IN DESCRIPTION!! lol!
Guitar center will do an adjustment to anything that they still own. Have them fix it up and then play it
@@jimmyfranklin It definitely was guitar centers fault. Even if it came in needing to have the action adjusted, it seems they could and should do that. I texted the guy who sets up my guitars and he said he would definitely buy this Jazzmaster. As soon as I sell one of my guitars on reverb, I’m ordering one. GC had me play through a Blues Jr. which is fine. Though the whole experience made me feel like the shop doesn’t card much.
what gauge strings do you put on yours?
I usually use 9s. But this isn’t mine and I think it came with 10s
Best squire has come out with? Dude it’s the best Fender has put out!
Settle down
Great review Jimmy! I'm glad I own one of these, they're almost nowhere to be found anymore. Absolutely love this guitar! It is so NOT your regular strat, tele or lp.
That 'rythm selector switch' at the top is a strange thing though. It turns off the 'regular' pickup switch, tone/volume knobs, all you can do is set the volume/tone through the sliders next to the switch. It uses a different wirering I think to get that different sound. A lot of people don't use the rythm selector and put a piece of duck tape over it to not accidently switch it 🙂
Thanks again!
I got one of these ordered. I think a demonstrator should really b able to play. U pass w flying fingers. Many guys aren’t that good and yet do reviews but sometimes have some insight, I’ll give them that much.
It sounds like Dinosaur Jr
What are you talking about they all float
Bad Ass!
How is it compared to the vintera ? Is it worth putting the extra bucks ?
How do you feel about 3 pickups?
But built quality is pretty close.
@@pahwraith can you explain ? it seems to me that both have 2 pickups (also I'm referring to the non mod vintera)
@@devorieux9979 my bad i confused it with the noventa for some reason. That has 3 pickups.
I havent played the vintera.
The noventa is nice but idk if i could justify paying that much more for a guitar thats about the same quality as my j mascis. Especially after I had my fret ends worked on.
your speakers are pointing too low bro
These need a bridge replacement if nothing else. Adjustomatics aren't reliable with the trem system at all. Pickups sound cool but aren't really jazzmaster pickups. All this stuff is replaceable though.
Get one while you can because they are discontinued.
honestly playing sweeps and tapping noodles a j mascis guitar is offensive to me
Sounds like an Ibanez.