PRODUCT REVIEW : Squier J. Mascis Signature Jazzmaster
(Believe - Mumford And Sons)
If you've been following my guitar review series, you'll know that I'm on a quest to acquire instruments that cover a spread of pick-ups. Specifically, I'm trying to get my arms around every major type of pick-up out there:
- Single Coil
- Humbucker
- Filertron
- P90
- Lipstick
I've got the first three on that list covered now, and I'm delighted with the noises that each instrument makes. My next quest was for an instrument with P90s in it.
Initially, I had my heart set on a G&L ASAT Tribute Junior II, a rare Telecaster-shaped bird with P90s in both the bridge and neck. I found one online for an amazing price, got a wonderful introduction for a review article written up...and then the shipping date kept getting pushed back.
What's an impatient music nerd to do?
On a whim, I wandered into one of my local guitar stores and started snouting around for instruments with P90s in them that fit into my price range. That's where I ran face-first into one of the great prejudices of life that translates painfully well into guitar playing:
We judge things with our eyes first.
I'm not saying that looks aren't important, but too many guitar players are guilty of dismissing an instrument because of how it looks, and not how it plays in their hands. Case in point: I've never been drawn to traditional brown or brown-burst guitars. I've always wanted something brighter, more colorful. Give me a vibrant blue, green, or purple!
...If you look at my guitar collection, you'll see that I predominantly own brown guitars. This is because I had the foresight to actually pick the instrument up and play it rather than simply dismissing it. The rewards for looking beyond the proverbial book's cover are many.
Anyway, on the list of guitars that, based on visuals, I told myself I would never play were Jazzmasters. Something about them just really didn't do it for me. Given that the word 'Jazzmaster' is in the title for this article, you can probably guess what happened when I walked into said local guitar store.
(Image Credit: Fender)
Even more amusing than the purchase itself is the circumstances surrounding said purchase. Remember, I said I was looking to pick up an instrument with P90s in it. Looking at the guitar, it sure LOOKED like it had P90s in it, and you can get Jazzmasters with P90s in them. I sat down in the store, played the crap out of it for 45 minutes, decided that I really liked the way it played and the way it looked, and took it home with me. Full disclosure, I never looked at -what- this was, just that it was kind of pretty and it had P90s in it. I didn't know precisely WHAT I'd purchased until later. I just knew I liked how it sounded and how it played.
It wasn't until I got home that I realized that there is absolutely a variant of single-coil pickup called a Jazzmaster Pickup, and it can sound quite different from a P90.
Damn.
Then I started doing some additional research into the guitar I'd brought home and learned that this J. Mascis Signature Jazzmaster had a custom variant of the Jazzmaster pickup that was specifically designed to sound like a P90, and comparison videos online bore that statement out.
So...Let's recap:
I wanted a guitar with P90s. I ordered one. I got impatient when it didn't get here soon enough, so I went into a store to buy one in person. I found a great guitar with a wonderful P90 sound, bought it, brought it home, and found out that it didn't have P90s in it. Then I found out that it's the only Jazzmaster of its kind to have special Non-P90s that were specifically wound to sound exactly LIKE P90s.
This is the part where you shake your head and mutter something about how much of a lucky moron I am, and I agree with you.
The Jazzmaster is a beefy beast, and you can read all about it here on Guitar Center's excellent fact slip. Here are the highlights:
- Basswood body
- C-Shaped maple neck with satin finish
- Indian Laurel Fingerboard with a 25.5" scale length and 21 frets
- 9.5" Fingerboard radius with a 1.675" width
- Two custom-wound Jazzmaster J. Mascis pickups
- Volume, Tone, Pickup selector, and a dedicated Lead Circuit switch with its own volume and tone
In the hands, this guitar feels like it weighs a ton. In actuality, it only weighs in at 8 pounds, a full third less than my PRS's meaty 12. I suspect that this comes down to overall balance and body size. The Jazzmaster is just a giant slab of wood, and most of its weight can clearly be felt thusly when you're holding it with a strap. The advantage here is that the neck itself feels absolutely weightless in your fretting hand as a result, making this the fastest guitar I own on an order of magnitude. That, combined with the wonderful satin finish of the neck, means I can move around the neck more comfortably without worrying about my skin catching. I'm not good enough at playing fast to worry seriously about a 'fast' neck on a guitar, but it's very nice to know that this guitar will fit the bill if that time ever comes.
This is also the first guitar that I've ever played that sounds pleasant when I'm playing clean tones through it. Part of that may have something to do with my own skills improving. Part of it absolutely has to do with the massively wide array of noises that you can get out of this guitar. Want sharp, clear, almost twangingly bright single coil sounds? The bridge pickup gives you that in spades. Want a wonderfully well-rounded tone? Split the difference between the bridge and the neck. Want a tone where the highs are backed away from but still not completely absent? Head to the neck.
Then you've got that Lead Circuit that some Jazzmasters have. It's one of the oddities that this type of guitar is known for, and it's a wonderful way to produce yet more interesting tones. It's a great way to really back off of the high end of your tone without having to roll off at the tone pot. Flick the switch and you get a completely different set of sounds that cater to those of you looking for a more customizable 'woman tone'.
No, I don't know why they still use that term.
Top all of that off with one of the easiest, most flexible Trem systems, and the J. Mascis Jazzmaster presents a compelling package. And hey, it ain't too hard to look at either.
...P.S. I had no idea who J. Mascis was before I bought this instrument. Turns out, he's the frontman for a group called Dinosaur Jr that I have...also never heard of. Great guitar though, J!
If you've been following my guitar review series, you'll know that I'm on a quest to acquire instruments that cover a spread of pick-ups. Specifically, I'm trying to get my arms around every major type of pick-up out there:
- Single Coil
- Humbucker
- Filertron
- P90
- Lipstick
I've got the first three on that list covered now, and I'm delighted with the noises that each instrument makes. My next quest was for an instrument with P90s in it.
Initially, I had my heart set on a G&L ASAT Tribute Junior II, a rare Telecaster-shaped bird with P90s in both the bridge and neck. I found one online for an amazing price, got a wonderful introduction for a review article written up...and then the shipping date kept getting pushed back.
What's an impatient music nerd to do?
On a whim, I wandered into one of my local guitar stores and started snouting around for instruments with P90s in them that fit into my price range. That's where I ran face-first into one of the great prejudices of life that translates painfully well into guitar playing:
We judge things with our eyes first.
I'm not saying that looks aren't important, but too many guitar players are guilty of dismissing an instrument because of how it looks, and not how it plays in their hands. Case in point: I've never been drawn to traditional brown or brown-burst guitars. I've always wanted something brighter, more colorful. Give me a vibrant blue, green, or purple!
...If you look at my guitar collection, you'll see that I predominantly own brown guitars. This is because I had the foresight to actually pick the instrument up and play it rather than simply dismissing it. The rewards for looking beyond the proverbial book's cover are many.
Anyway, on the list of guitars that, based on visuals, I told myself I would never play were Jazzmasters. Something about them just really didn't do it for me. Given that the word 'Jazzmaster' is in the title for this article, you can probably guess what happened when I walked into said local guitar store.
(Image Credit: Fender)
Even more amusing than the purchase itself is the circumstances surrounding said purchase. Remember, I said I was looking to pick up an instrument with P90s in it. Looking at the guitar, it sure LOOKED like it had P90s in it, and you can get Jazzmasters with P90s in them. I sat down in the store, played the crap out of it for 45 minutes, decided that I really liked the way it played and the way it looked, and took it home with me. Full disclosure, I never looked at -what- this was, just that it was kind of pretty and it had P90s in it. I didn't know precisely WHAT I'd purchased until later. I just knew I liked how it sounded and how it played.
It wasn't until I got home that I realized that there is absolutely a variant of single-coil pickup called a Jazzmaster Pickup, and it can sound quite different from a P90.
Damn.
Then I started doing some additional research into the guitar I'd brought home and learned that this J. Mascis Signature Jazzmaster had a custom variant of the Jazzmaster pickup that was specifically designed to sound like a P90, and comparison videos online bore that statement out.
So...Let's recap:
I wanted a guitar with P90s. I ordered one. I got impatient when it didn't get here soon enough, so I went into a store to buy one in person. I found a great guitar with a wonderful P90 sound, bought it, brought it home, and found out that it didn't have P90s in it. Then I found out that it's the only Jazzmaster of its kind to have special Non-P90s that were specifically wound to sound exactly LIKE P90s.
This is the part where you shake your head and mutter something about how much of a lucky moron I am, and I agree with you.
The Jazzmaster is a beefy beast, and you can read all about it here on Guitar Center's excellent fact slip. Here are the highlights:
- Basswood body
- C-Shaped maple neck with satin finish
- Indian Laurel Fingerboard with a 25.5" scale length and 21 frets
- 9.5" Fingerboard radius with a 1.675" width
- Two custom-wound Jazzmaster J. Mascis pickups
- Volume, Tone, Pickup selector, and a dedicated Lead Circuit switch with its own volume and tone
In the hands, this guitar feels like it weighs a ton. In actuality, it only weighs in at 8 pounds, a full third less than my PRS's meaty 12. I suspect that this comes down to overall balance and body size. The Jazzmaster is just a giant slab of wood, and most of its weight can clearly be felt thusly when you're holding it with a strap. The advantage here is that the neck itself feels absolutely weightless in your fretting hand as a result, making this the fastest guitar I own on an order of magnitude. That, combined with the wonderful satin finish of the neck, means I can move around the neck more comfortably without worrying about my skin catching. I'm not good enough at playing fast to worry seriously about a 'fast' neck on a guitar, but it's very nice to know that this guitar will fit the bill if that time ever comes.
This is also the first guitar that I've ever played that sounds pleasant when I'm playing clean tones through it. Part of that may have something to do with my own skills improving. Part of it absolutely has to do with the massively wide array of noises that you can get out of this guitar. Want sharp, clear, almost twangingly bright single coil sounds? The bridge pickup gives you that in spades. Want a wonderfully well-rounded tone? Split the difference between the bridge and the neck. Want a tone where the highs are backed away from but still not completely absent? Head to the neck.
Then you've got that Lead Circuit that some Jazzmasters have. It's one of the oddities that this type of guitar is known for, and it's a wonderful way to produce yet more interesting tones. It's a great way to really back off of the high end of your tone without having to roll off at the tone pot. Flick the switch and you get a completely different set of sounds that cater to those of you looking for a more customizable 'woman tone'.
No, I don't know why they still use that term.
Top all of that off with one of the easiest, most flexible Trem systems, and the J. Mascis Jazzmaster presents a compelling package. And hey, it ain't too hard to look at either.
...P.S. I had no idea who J. Mascis was before I bought this instrument. Turns out, he's the frontman for a group called Dinosaur Jr that I have...also never heard of. Great guitar though, J!
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