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I was just wondering, is there really THAT big of a difference between an original Jazz from the early 60’s to a new 2005-2007 re-issued Jazz? I’ve always wanted a Jazzmaster of my own and I was just making sure that I get my moneys worth. From what I’ve heard, the re-issues sound awesome.
yes there is. the vintage ones have more character, ofcourse and they have some small differences which arent hard to find on the internet, i had the site but i cant be bothered to search it up on google.
Thanks for the input, but overall, is the re-issue a good buy? Cuz vintage Jazzmasters are pretty darn pricey.
I have a ’66 and a 66 MIJ re-issue. In my opinion, the only thing the vintage one has is mojo.when it all comes down to it, they sound very similar. The wood is older, drier and a little lighter.
The edge goes to the vintage, by the slightest of margins on the slightly mellower pick-ups. Neck shape, playability, very, very close. I have not A/B’ed with an American vintage RI jazz. I wanted blocks and binding like my oldie so the only choice was MIJ. I think you can find a Jazzy for under $800 that you’ll be very happy with. Don’t forget the "j"!Careful, there is a huge differnce in the Japanese models (different wood, pickups, ect.) They sound more like Strats in my opinion than early Jazzmasters. If you’re looking into the American Vintage ReIssues they are spot on recreations of a 62 Jazzmaster, from materials, to electronics. They really are nice.
The J Mascis Jazzmaster is the only cool one coming out of Japan in my opinion. Those pickuos screem, but still you’re getting a basswood body, not alder.
The best way is to play them to figure out which one you’ll like, but I know thats sometimes not possible
Thanks Tonas. It is hard to find a Jazzmaster at guitar stores (at least where I’m from) so I really dont know the differences. Most likely, in the future, I’ll buy a re-issue.
I went through this same exercise a year ago and ended up purchasing a new USA Jazzmaster. It’s an awesome guitar. I needed some Frett work on the high end to make it more playable. I would like to have gotten the neck they use on the Jay model.
I was able to compare some Vintage models with the one I got. The vintage ones sounded different, perhaps warmer, but more different than anything else. What I mean is that mine has a great Jazzy sound too, just different than the vintage ones I played. Also, I think each vintage one may sound a little different too.
I just couldn’t justified with my guitar skill level paying three to four times as much for the same guitar!
Skater,
I got my J model at Huber & Breese in Fraser. They are a great store. My favorite in the metro detroit area. Elderly Instruments in Lansing had one as well. It’s well worth the trip to Lansing to go there. Both stores usually have an american reissue on site too.
Midland Music had a J model on ebay. I’ve never been there, but those are a few options of landing one in Michigan.
I love my J Jazzy. It blows away my MIJ reissue. I think the J model is actually cheaper then the American reisssues too.
A friend of mine that lives in Ann Arbor has two J models because of an ordering mix up. If your interetsed in purchasing one, pm me, and Ill get you in tocuh with him.
Good luck,
TomI have a 2002 CIJ Jazzmaster. The original owner hated this guitar for 1 reason only, the horribly shrill strat pups that are fitted to all Japanese jazzmasters. It was basically a stratocaster with a jazzmaster tremelo system. After doing much research, I fitted Curtis Novak pickups (vintage neck, p90 bridge). Now ive got a Jazzmaster that rivals any. Tone to die for. So imo, the Japs are worth buying if you prepared to swap pickups. There are loads of different ones to choose from but i’d highly recommend the Novaks…
KrisMedicine,
I just installed the exact same pick ups in my J Mascis Jazzmaster and the difference is amazing. For anyone looking to buy a Jazzmaster and keeping on the low end in the budget I would suggest buying a Japanese model and switching out the pick up to which ever manufacturer you heart desires.
Other mods I’ve done – Replaced the Nut to Tusq XL, String trees to Tusq, and Bridge to Resomax all of which have further improved the sound & tone of my guitar. If you’re mechanically inclined all of the upgrades are easily done in your home and you’ll learn a bunch of other neat stuff like how to set the intonation on your guitar.
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