Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar, with Rosewood Fingerboard
With two soapbar pickups and a floating tremolo system, this Squier includes everything collectors love about '60s Jazzmasters -- for an affordable price.
Overall User Ratings (based on 7 ratings)
Submitted May 18, 2014 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Have 2 Squires Jazzmasters!!!"
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Have 2.. one set up for blues slide the other for whatever.I also have 2 Jaguars. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.... I have had the American version.. sold it off and got a real fine hollowbody. Happened to play Squire at a music shop thru a small tube Vox. Couldn't believe the feel and sound of it. When I got this guitar only the left hand switches would go to the pups. I took the plate off the other side and a wire popped right up. Easy fix.. solder. I can say the electronics look a little "thin" compared to the electronics in the American version.. no surprise.. was going to get replacement parts (pots etc) but afraid it will alter the sound to something that is much different from what it is now... I'm more then happy with all aspects of this guitar.. but does take some set up.. not rocked science.. Truss rod (turn nice and slow) had to cut down on the nut to make the channels a little deeper for lower action at the nut. just little mods.. didn't like the wire cold soldered but I have had high end guitars that had similar situations The sound is real good for my purposes . For 299$ play one at your music store or purchase one from zZOUNDS and if you don't like send it back.. its worth the hassell.. ps All the mods were small potatoes. Trust rod needed about 1/4 turn. cutting into the nut, I used a knife which wasn't to sharp and only took out a little from the nut. I'm talking about an hour for the complete set up.. The longest part was letting the soldering gun heat up. I f you need to do any of the aforementioned, just be a bit "delicate" I also really dig the Jazzmaster.. You can dial in a nice "scooped" sound which is great for blues I play.. I'm just sayin' -
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Submitted November 2, 2013 by ed v
"Best guitar for the value !!! "
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I have owned a lot of guitars. for under 400$ you cant beat this thing. the tone is amazing it even can handle distortion ! a lot of people say the bridge is junk and strings pop off, well they do a little. but not as bad as you think. just don't pluck them and its fine. you can play anything with this guitar. I play a lot of blues and when you bend the strings there still on the bridge ! so :) the quality is amazing it looks nicer then my $1200 American strat sounds just as good too. the finish on the neck looks custom sop worthy . I got sonic blue and must say I rather buy this guitar and save 300-700$ and put it toward a amp and a few pedals then just go out buy a med - high end fender that probably wont be as nice. don't let the name fool you, squire now has a few models that can top big name brands
Musical Background:
guitar- play at home
Musical Style:
rock, blues, metal
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Submitted October 20, 2018 by Mark Garner in Metairie, LA
"Why Did I Wait So Long?"
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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I have to echo what the other reviewers are saying about this guitar. This is a really nice guitar - its sounds great and plays/handles really smooth. I've wanted an "offset" Fender for a while but couldn't decide between the Jaguar and The Jazzmaster. After much research, I opted for the "JM". (The Jag basically appears to be a Strat with extra tonal options.)
Sound
I've had Teles and Strats for years, decades really. I wanted to expand my single-coiled horizons so the "JM" seemed a logical choice. This guitar can be "in-yer-face" bright or dark, brooding and mysterious. Once you explore the many tonal variations it offers, you'll see this is a fabulous guitar. I usually play it through my Fender 'Rumble 25' bass amp. This allows the deeper sounds of the 'rhythm circuit' to breathe more fully. One thing about these pickups... They are very responsive to picking dynamics. I sometimes wield my pick like a pirate's cutlass and this style of attack can produce a harsh barking tone. Ease up on the attack and this guitar's tonal pallette offers up a variety of colors like when Dorothy opens her front door after landing in Oz. After playing the guitar for a few hours I lowered the pickups and found this softened the sharper edges, especially on the bridge pickup.
Features
This guitar differs from your standard Tele and Strat models as it has two different and distinct "modes". It has a 'lead circuit' that runs through the pickup selector into the master volume and master tone, and a 'rhythm circuit' which utilizes the neck pickup and bypasses the primary controls switching control instead to two thumb wheels on the upper part of the pickguard. It has a "floating" vibrato which is great for slight "flutters" but is wholly unsuitable for "dive bombing". I learned the hard way that using the vibrato like Jimi or EVH on a Strat will generally break the high E in record time. (The ball end can't handle the stress.)
Ease of Use
I found this guitar to be very comfortable to play and once I got the hang of the various tonal options, it was a breeze to dial in some great sounds. Like many others I did have a problem during moments of, uh, aggressive play with the strings jumping around on the bridge's threaded saddle pieces. I switched to a heavier gauge strings and the problem was instantly cured. I don't really use the vibrato very much so I leave the arm in the case. I find simply pressing down on the barrel/shaft (where arm mounts to the guitar) with my palm creates enough of an effect.
Quality
The guitar appears to be very well made. The rosewood fretboard has a nice tight grain and feels really smooth. The guitar did have a problem when it arrived. There was some sort of grounding issue that wasn't solved by touching the strings and grounding the guitar through my body. This was something else entirely. I sent it back and the replacement has performed flawlessly.
Value
For the price, this guitar, like all of the 'Vintage Modified' series, represents great value.
Manufacturer Support
I've never had to contact Fender/Squier. Zzounds was able to handle any problems encountered.
The Wow Factor
Wow Factor... I bought the Olympic White model and it looks like something straight of an early 60's beach blanket movie. It has that look about it. It doesn't look modern, it's too cool to be "modern". And yes, the fact that Jimi Hendrix played a white Jazzmaster during his time with Curtis Knight DID influence my choosing this color. (Also, the uneven and sometimes unattractive grain patterns of basswood did steer me towards a solid color.)
Musical Background:
Former semi-pro now a stay-at-home jammer.
Musical Style:
Rick, rock and more rock.
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Submitted January 24, 2014 by Nathan Pitts in Pensacola, FL
"Get one"
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For the price, this is the best you will find. I have a classic player jazzmaster that is amazing, but this thing keeps up with it (and may even be better). I love mine and I'm thinking of buying another in white to put some tele humbuckers in. The build and finish is very solid. It's on par with Mexican Fenders in my opinion.
Musical Background:
Lots of musical background
Musical Style:
I like to play every instrument I can get my hand on and I like to experiment with sounds a lot.
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Submitted February 1, 2015 by Derek Ivy in Martin, TN
"Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster®"
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Beautiful guitar for a beautiful price. I highly recommend it -especially to those who are on a budget but who still desire a legit Jazzmaster. This guitar sounds & looks wonderful. You cannot go wrong here : )
Musical Background:
guitar (25 years), bass (20+ years), drums (20 years)
Musical Style:
experimental, punk, heartnoise, lo-fi, diy, etc. etc.
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Submitted January 31, 2016 by Don Newman in Judsonia, AR
"GREAT GUITAR !"
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I GOT THE SONIC BLUE COLOR IN THIS SQUIER VINTAGE MODIFIED JAZZMASTER ELECTRIC GUITAR. AND AM THOUROUGHLY THRILLED WITH IT. YOU CAN'T BEAT IT. IT PLAYS AND SOUNDS GREAT ! WHAT A GREAT GUITAR ! JUST HAD TO ADJUST THE SADDLES AT THE BRIDGE. IT GIVES A GREAT SOUND NO MATTER WHAT POSITION IT'S IN.
Musical Background:
Been Playing For Over 50 Years,
Musical Style:
Classic Rock, Smooth Jazz, Some Contemporary Christian Music Like Phil Keaggy
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Submitted January 17, 2016 by Doug K in Oakley, CA
"Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster"
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The Squier Jazzmaster is a great guitar for 299. The trick to getting this guitar to reach its potential is the setup: a very small shim maybe .3 to .5 millimeter in front of the neck, getting the intonation and string height correct (maybe a fender bridge). The tuning is good - not sensitive at all, and the long scale is easy to play for the large hands folk. Tone is really good, I use the tone switch in the up position to get the really smooth tones with the larger single coil pickups. I also used some teflon tape to keep the tremolo bar where I like it.
Musical Background:
40+ professional
Musical Style:
you name it.
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