Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Vintage White

Most Liked Positive Review

Jazzmaster that fixes design issues, excellent at any price

Bottom-line up front: excellently made, beautiful guitar with all the vibe of a Jazzmaster, but with an upgraded bridge, better stability and playability, and more versatile pickups. This guitar is so underrated for the way it includes mods many Jazzmaster players have done for years right out of the box. I've always loved the look and vibe of the Jazzmaster. However, every time I've played one in this price range especially, I ran into some deal-breakers. 1. Tuning/playability. The stock Jazzmaster bridge/tremolo system is infamous for having myriad issues, e.g., strings popping out of saddles, tuning going all out of whack, etc.. The J. Mascis solves this by moving the tailpiece and bridge slightly closer together, and replacing the stock Jazzmaster bridge with a tune o matic style. These more secure saddles and the increased break angle combine to make a huge difference to the feel and stability of the guitar. Modding a stock Jazzmaster to these specs would be a pretty major project. Kudos to J. Mascis and squier for these design choices. 2. The pickups. Another issue I have often had with Jazzmasters I have played is their tendency to sound rather thin/too trebly. Some players love this as a trademark of the Jazzmaster, and I can definitely respect that; the sound of the classic Jazzmaster is iconic. The issue for me, however, is that the classic "plinky" sound of the Jazzmaster doesn't lend itself particularly well to styles outside of surf, country etc.. I find the bridge pickup on, say, the Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster way too bright and thin to be usable for all but the twangiest of riffs. Enter the J. Mascis. These pickups are apparently a hotter P90-esque pickup disguised as a Jazzmaster pickup. What this translates to is a much fuller sound. The neck pickup sounds punchy and warm, while the bridge is bright but also fat. The only negative here is that the warmer voicing makes the "rhythm circuit" that much more dark/muddy sounding. Other than that, though, these more powerful and relatively warmer/darker sounding pickups make this guitar really versatile, and can put out anything from twangy chicken pickin to high-gain punk/hard rock. I also have to mention the neck. The carve is so beautiful, a little fuller feeling than your average skinny c-shape. The satin finish feels phenomenal, and is not unlike the finish of the new Fender American Professional II series necks. I even love the "aged" stain. The one I bought was well set up and played beautifully. This guitar compares very favorably to those currently sold by fender USA at 3-4 times the price, and absolutely blows other Squier Jazzmasters out of the water. There is no reason not to own one is these.