An authentically styled Jazzmaster now joins the Vintage Modified family, with present-day touches including full, clear Duncan Designed pickups and a modern fingerboard radius. Squiers new Vintage Modified Jazzmaster has the models most distinctive hallmarks, too - such as the dual-circuit switching and controls, floating-vibrato bridge and an assortment of finishes.
Players have done it for years. Whether installing hotter pickups, different pickguards or just plain personalizing their instruments with distinctive paint jobs, modified means adding new twists to familiar designs. Squier's Vintage Modified series excels at just that, imparting hot-output chop-shop sound, feel and value to traditional instrument designs.
Get style, sound and feel in one great guitar. Order today.
SPECIFICATIONSVintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar
Body: BasswoodBody Shape: Jazzmaster
Series: Vintage Modified
Neck: Maple, "C" Shape
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Finger Board Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Frets: 21, Medium Jumbo
Scale Length: 25" (63.5 cm)
Nut Width: 1.650 (42 mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Tuning Keys: Vintage-style chrome
Bridge: Vintage-style with non-locking floating vibrato
Pickups: Duncan Designed JM-101B Single-Coil Jazzmaster Pickup with AlNiCo 5 Magnets Duncan Designed JM-101N Single-Coil Jazzmaster Pickup with AlNiCo 5 Magnets
Pickup Switching: Neck pickup only (rhythm circuit); neck only, neck and bridge, bridge only (lead circuit)
Strings: NPS, Gauges: .009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .042
Unique Features: Duncan Designed pickups, vintage-style bridge and floating vibrato (non-locking), gold-and-black Squier logo, engraved neck plate, parchment dot position inlays
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidityOther plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
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The Jazzmaster isn't your normal Fender/Squier Stratocaster. Most people new to them do not know how to set them up, and some are ruined by the experience of a JM or Jag with a bad set up. So here's a quick tutorial to make the Jazzmaster into a real player.Most problems encountered by people who are new to these guitars is the strings will pop out of place constantly, it's simply because it's not set up right.
First, take those 9's off of the guitar, you'll want heavier strings, at least 11's. Remember this guitar was designed at a time when the lightest gauge string was 12's, but 11's work just fine, I wouldn't go any lower. I say this because light gauge strings don't have enough tension and combined with the low break angle of the bridge, the strings will pop out of the saddles, but with heavy strings, they'll stay in the saddles,
Second, take the neck off, and put a shim in the very back of the neck pocket, 2 or 3 pieces of a business card stacked on top of each other will suffice, then put the neck back on. What this does is provide more break angle to help keep the strings on the saddles.
You may notice that the bridge is right up against the pickguard, and the saddles are raised way up, with the intonation screws touching the playable part of the strings. This is completely wrong.
First, raise or lower the outer two saddles, so the intonation screws are level with the front edge of the bridge, then take the small allen wrench that comes with the guitar, and raise the bridge until the Low E and High E are about 2mm above the 12th fretwire, then set the radius of the other saddles (Hint: the front edge of the bridge is the radius.) Of course you might want the bridge a bit higher or lower.
When you set the intonation, it's extremely important to hold the bridge in the center of the thimbles, it was designed to rock back and forth when using the trem, and if you let the bridge go forward during intonation, everything will be off.
Now, with the neck shimmed and the bridge raised up, and using heavy strings, you won't have any problems with rattles, or the strings popping out of place. Of course going up to 11's will require a little adjusting to the truss rod, Intonation, and to the spring adjustment screw of the trem (it's the screw right next to the whammy bar)
That's all there is to it. But you might encounter another problem. New Jazzmaster/Jaguar bridges and saddles like to lower themselves while you play. If this happens, reset your action, then get some good clear nail polish. Brush the polish onto the saddle height adjustment screws, that will keep them locked in place, until you decide to make more adjustments. Due to the intonation, one or two of the screws might touch a string, if that happens, you can move the string over a little to keep them from touching, unless you like Sitar sounds.
Also, if your entire bridge lowers itself, readjust it, pull it out, and apply nail polish to the height adjustment screws. Be careful not to cover the entire screw with it, because it will prevent the guitar from being grounded, and you'll get some nasty hum.
This tutorial isn't just for Squiers, the things I've described have been done since the first Jazzmaster left the Fender plant in 1958.
Also, a few more tips, Lubricate the nut, I personally use a small dab of Lip Balm in the nut slots, it'll last for a good while, and it keeps the strings from hanging up in the nut.
If you can't raise the bridge pickup enough, you can uncrew the four screws that hold it on, the pickups are screwed directly to the body, and use a thick foam pad instead of springs. If you need to raise them higher, cut a couple pieces of cardboard from the box the guitar comes in, lay them in the pickup cavity, and screw the pickup(s) back down. Now you'll have a lot of extra height to play with.
Oh, also, the whammy bar will lock into place, instead of spinning around freely, push it in as far as possible. It'll be a bit difficult to get it in and out, but it won't fall out, and it'll stay where you want it.
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.For the many guitarists who have long hankered for a Jazzmaster this is a dream come true. In fact when, back in 2012 rumors and 'spy' photos of these started appearing on the web many thought that the story had to be bogus and the pix Photoshop creations. But no, they appeared on the market just as we dreamed about and more than lived up to -- no, make that *much* more than lived up to -- expectations.
Newbies and guitar novices have to know something about the Jazzmaster (and its stablemate, the Jaguar) before jumping into the pool however. These are not (and never were) just 'pick up and play' guitars like Leo Fender's early designs -- the Telecaster and the Stratocaster. They are sophisticated musical tools that take careful and knowledgeable setup so that they play right. I'll share some details...
The Jazzmaster is centered around what Leo Fender called a "floating Tremolo" system. Basically it balances the tension of the tuned-to-pitch strings against a spring and "floats" in this sea of tension. The guitar's bridge is a separate piece, but it too "floats" in the sense that it is not rigidly affixed to the instrument's body. When the trem arm is moved to raise or lower pitch the bridge rocks back and forth.
The above freaks some players out as you 'll see in some reviews -- they think their guitar is either broken and poorly made. Neither is the case. That is how it was designed to work, and work it does. Beautifully.
When the Jazzmaster was designed back in 1958 -- It was then viewed by Fender as the company's top of the line guitar -- guitarists used much heavier strings than they commonly do today. Playing styles were different then too. -String bending was not commonly done. And thus a Jazzmaster works best when heavier strings are put on it today. Indeed most all the complaints about "bridge buzzing" and strings popping out of the bridge's shallow grooves simply disappear with heavier strings. (I replaced the .9s that oddly came on the guitar with more appropriate .11s before I even played it!)
This guitar says "Squier" on the headstock, not Fender. Squier is the moniker for Fender's lesser priced imported guitars. The Vintage Modified series is actually made by Cort in Indonesia.
Cort's factory is fully modern, using computer-driven routing and shaping equipment. Their guitars are in this reviewer's opinion as good as any made anyplace, foreign or domestic. There was a time when Fender's "Squier" line meant "good for the price." No longer. Today better Cort-built Squiers are the equal to their "Fender" branded brothers and sisters.
The Jazzmaster has a sound and feel all its own. Though designed for "jazz" it became more popular among early rock, and then "surf", instrumentalists. Its heyday was the heyday of such music. Since then the Jazzmaster has gone on to fame in other styles of rock music but often those guitars have been highly modified with a different (although sometimes similar appearing) pickup design. Some even do without the things that made a "Jazzmaster" a Jazzmaster - the floating tremolo and the 2nd, "rhythm," circuit. There is nothing wrong with that, but Squier's Vintage Modified Jazzmaster is much closer to the "real" thing -- its modifications being basically an updated fingerboard shape (which allows for deeper string bending) and the eliminating of two feature -- the "mute" and the trem lock -- that players found not to their liking and often either ignored or removed from their guitars.
So, if having a REAL Jazzmaster is has long been YOUR dream, here is your dream come true. The Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster is truly deserving of the five stars I gave it. It is a total and absolute winner!
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.When I was just starting to play I saw my first Jazzmaster in a local music store. It was a sunburst model, it looked awesome and, played great. Well it was way out of my price range so I had to settle for some thing else. Through out my 40+ years of playing I caught up in the 335's, Tele's, Strat's and, LP's I was doing fine. For some reason, recently the Jazzmaster that I remembered form the 60's was on my mind. Well I'm not a fan of Squire guitars but, this one is definately a WINNER! I read reviews, watched video reviews and, I decided to go for it. GREAT decision!
I don't know if I got lucky or Squire has upped their quality but, when I recieved this instrument I had very little setup to do. Lowered the action (very little) checked the intonation and, I was playing this fine instrument with ease. I have always been a light not heavy handed player, I have always used light picks and, light guage strings. I have had no problems with buzzing,loose screws or strings coming off the saddles. I took this guitar to a New Years Eve gig and, played it for a whole set, performed perfectly!
Very happy and, satisfied with this guitar. The sunburst finish is beautiful, looks vintage all the way, just like I remembered when I was a kid. Different sounding than a Tele or a Strat just the way that it should.
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.Fender has done it again. Excellent playing and sounding guitar once you have it set up right. More on that later.
The fit and finish are flawless; fret ends nice and smooth; looks and feels like a much more expensive guitar.
The Duncan designed pups are really responsive and distinctive; very impressed with the pups. Really likes pedals; the guitar's voice does not get lost in a multi pedal set up. I use lots of pedals and I have a room full of guitars; this one really shine through.
The one issue on this guitar and Jazzmasters in general is the bridge; as designed it is not great for rock playing. You'll see a lot of moaning on the forums about how bad the Jazzmaster bridge is and there are many out there with opinions as to how to correct the problems. The bridges buzz like mad if you do not tweak them.
First in defense of the bridge design; the guitar is called a Jazzmaster for a reason. Leo Fender designed it to play jazz with heavy, flat wound strings and the trem bridge is supposed to move the way it does. The guitar never found a home in the jazz world and the bridges limitations for rock applications left it behind there as well.
The problems with the bridge are minor and easily fixed. You'll see people promoting replacemnt bridges, shimming the neck, using lock tight on the grubb screws and so on.
The biggest problem is the grubb screws in the saddle coming loose instantly as you play. Very simple fix; get some teflon plumbers tape and wrap the grub screws in that then reinstall; they'll stay put. Alternatively, you can use blue lock tight (NOT RED!!!!!) to keep the screws in place.
Some complain that the bridge itself moves; it is supposed to move! If you keep it from moving, it won't work as designed. The trem on the Jazzmaster is more like a Bigsby in performace; you just use it for a little wiggle; no dive bombing! If you want to dive bomb, you got the wrong guitar.
Just use Nut Sauce or graphite in the nut slot and on the saddles and the trem will work fine.
And lastly, there is a good deal of discussion about the break angle from the saddles to the trem. It is a very shallow angle making the strings hit the back of the bridge and intonation screws. The trick here is to raise the saddles enough to get the strings to clear the back of the bridge. Once you've done that, you can raise or lower the bridge to your liking.
All in all a great guitar, but be prepared to take the time to set it up right. And do not listen to anyone who tells you to change it to a Mustang bridge or a tune o matic; you'll ruin the essence the guitar.
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.I have wanted a Jazzmaster ever since I saw one. When I just started to play I had a chance to look at one and play it a little in a local music store. I really liked the way it looked an sounded but, at that time in my life it was too much dinero so I had to pass. Through out the 40+ years of playing I got into the Tele, Strat and, LP scene sorta forgot about it. Don't know why but, I guess it was just time to think about what I have missed and, BOOM! the Jazzmaster was on my mind. Started reading reviews, looking at videos and, checking out the instruments. I had a Squire Vintage Modified Tele with the 3 PUP's several years ago and, it was quite a nice guitar but, I sold it. Honestly I have not been a Squire fan but, this Jazzmaster has definately won me over. I don't know if I just got lucky or Squire has really upped their game but, this instrument required very little setup when I recieved it! Lowered the action (very little) tuned it, checked the intonation and, I was off to the races. I have always played with a light style never heavy handed, always have used a light pick and, light guage strings. Truly I have not experienced any of the things that some of the other reviewers have commented on ( buzzing strings, bridge or anything like that) I still have the same strings that came with the guitar, although I am planning to resting in the near future. The only problem that I had was when I was removing the thin plastic coating from the pickguard it removed some of the gloss part of the pickguard itself, I have never had that happen B4. I contacted MF and, they took care of the issue in fine fasion. I also contacted Fender and, htey sent me a new pickguard Free. I ordered the sunburst finish and, it is stunning! For the money spent this is really a fine, well built and, great playing guitar. I will say that if you're into metal or heavy rock this may not be the guitar for you. I am very satisfied and, happy with this instrument and, at reasonable price.
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.OK. I admit it. I was very excited to have my Squier VM Jazmmaster on order and couldn't wait to get it. I have owned a Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster and it was first class all the way.
When this guitar showed up, I was ready for a solid, well built instrument that would need a little tweaking, but be ready to play in short order. Instead, this guitar totally missed the quality and reliability I have come to expect in Squier guitars. The pickup buzz was totally loud and annoying, both neck and bridge pickups. The strings were way off the neck and uneven across the fretboard. The sound was brittle, harsh and really hurt my ears. I was surprised when I selected the Rhythym mode that the neck pickup was still very bright and the tone rolled off to an instant muddy sound when I tried the roller tone adjuster wheel. The finish was shockingly bad with pits and smears in the finish, especially on the back. The guitar had two noticeable scratches on the lower horn and on the pickguard, even through the protective plastic peel coat. The neck felt good, a little chunky but I could use it.
Again, I have owned several Squiers and know what to expect. I wasn't looking for Fender American or even MIM quality, but this guitar truly was an absolute shame. Also,the body was made up of 6, yes "6" pieces of laminated wood! Having ordered the 3 tone sunburst, it was painfully obvious and each plank showed up, especially one annoying knot hole. If you order one of these you may want to consider a solid color.
OK. I've given this guitar a harsh review and it deserved it, but I re-ordered another one and am betting on the quality I have become accustomed to from Squier. I am hoping this was just an odd ball.
Come on Squier. Let's see a better quality guitar next time, OK?
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.I have been wanting a Jazzmaster for years, so when I saw the Squier prices starting to increase, I took the plunge. Mine is Sonic Blue, but it appears slightly lighter in color than Fender's original color. It arrived with a decent setup, requiring only a slight truss rod adjustment and floating bridge adjustment. The intonation was good, and all the electronics functioned properly. I like the somewhat beefy neck profile, and the frets were level and smooth, with no sharp edges. I was happy to see that the strings were properly aligned on the neck, and centered over the pickup pole pieces.
There were a couple of cosmetic issues with the paint, such as a paint run resulting in a bubble, a couple of small spots near the neck pocket devoid of paint, and a small split in the paint on the edge of the body. I considered sending it back for a replacement, but I was afraid that the next one might have string alignment problems that are common on Squiers (high "E" string too close to the fretboard edge) or other issues.
This guitar just sounds good! It has a chimey ring when played clean, through my Fender Deluxe Reverb. I have had no problems with the bridge or saddles, but I use 11's for strings. The only other issue is that the tone and volume rollers on the rhythm circuit are barely accessable, being flush with the pickguard. I took a look under the hood, and there is no room for adjustment. The vibrato bar keeps falling out whenever it wants to, but the system works smoothly and sounds good. The floating bridge and threaded saddles take some getting used to, but they are true to the original design and are just fine by me, if used with heavy strings. These guitars are not for everybody, but they produce a sound that you just can't get with any other Fender. The bodies are made from basswood, which is not my first choice due to the soft nature of the wood and the weight. But these Jazzmasters are a lot of bang for your buck, and are a blast!
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.Finally, a Jazzmaster for the masses! In years past, I might have bought the Fender Player's version (around $800), but I didn't like the limited color selections (sunburst and black). And obviously, I couldn't afford the $1,700 version which did have a larger selection of color options. Then I saw this new Squier Vintage Modified version on the Fender website and immediately waited to see who was getting them first. When I received this axe, it was flawless and worked perfectly. The neck is 25-1/2" scale (I measured it) since some specs listed show it at 25". The neck also has a nice amber tint which is markedly darker than the usual models Fender/Squier put out. My model is a candy apple red, but I looked at the sonic blue version longingly, too! Looking on Youtube, there were a few folks who had to send theirs back due to a broken toggle switch, neck not set in the neck pocket correctly, etc.. However, my model appears to be flawless. All switches, electronics, and other parts work well, although I received no owner's manual. The one thing that I wondered about was the vibrato arm which has a particularly long insertion friction-type (not screw) stem. When first inserting it into the vibrato/tremolo socket, it did not want to go all the way down, and in fact, I didn't know how far it was supposed to go in. So, I stuck a wire in the socket measuring it and realized that it should go down almost to the bend in the arm. With a little bit of nut sauce, I was able to work it down to the bend area just fine. A remarkable thing I noticed was that this guitar, after stretching the new strings, etc., seems to stay in tune well after using the vibrato, better than many that I have played. The sound from the Duncan designed pickups is unlike any guitar that I have, but is still groovy just the same, perhaps like a Jazzmaster? I guess I dig it! I waited a long time for a Squier that was true to the colors and features of the real McCoy. There are a few slight differences, one thing is that the vibrato base plate does not have the Fender name impressed into it like the real deal, but they really can't since it is the Squier name. Also, the Fender version has a locking vibrato mode button to prevent the vibrato from operating if desired (sort like a trem-stop). Aside from a few minor differences, this is the REAL DEAL to me. Get this guitar fast!
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.Amazing just how good this inexpensive, Indonesian Jazzmaster really is. I have my original '63 that is the real deal. You can't compare anything with that not even Custom Shop Jazzmaster. The Vintage Modified Jazzmaster is very cool and feels just right. I had absolutely no issues that are negative with this guitar. Put a set of 10.5 or 11's on and your ready to go. In addition, I had very little set-up work to do. The neck was straight, fret end average--could use a minor end dressing, hardware seems okay, tuners hold pitch and as with any jazzmaster, you'll get some rocking on the bridge. I couldn't be happier for my investment. Time will tell how it holds up. A seemingly very good and well made Jazzmaster.
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
.I give 5 stars for what you get for the money. Out of the box I tuned it up and it was playable (did a little "Walk Don't Run" first thing!) but with any guitar it does need a setup. Jazzmasters are a different breed so if you don't understand how everything should work in harmony there is plenty of info on the Web. I will touch on a few points though. I worked as a guitar tech so can evaluate a guitar very quickly (most of the time!). The neck is done very well, I just did a setup on a 1960 Tele and the neck on this is very similar, profile, frets, slab rosewood board, feels very vintage. Neck adjusts at the headstock, nice mod as it's a pain to take the neck off to adjust relief. Relief on this example was pretty close. Frets are done nicely. Body is finished well, it's a sunburst so the wood is visible. There are a few small knots in the wood but to me gives it character. Weight and balance is really nice, mine is a comfy 7 1/2 lbs. The body is rather large, I'm 6'4" so fits me well, little bit more area than a Strat. Electronics all function as they should. The only tweak I may do is add a treble bleed (look it up). When you first turn the volume down it mainly rolls off the highs from 9-10 then volume after that. Some people may like that effect. NOW...as others have mentioned....the tremolo on these are very unique, meant only to give a bit of vibrato so you dive bombers are out of luck. These take a little work to get set up correctly. You need a bit of "break angle" over the bridge. On mine I shimmed the neck a bit to retain the needed break angle and to get the action down where I wanted it. Easy to do, you will have to remove the neck and place a shim in the pocket where the end of the neck sits. I use a guitar pick, that works well since picks come in wide variety of thicknesses to achieve the angle of tilt you desire. After it is close just raise or lower the bridge to fine tune using the included allen wrench, the two holes on either side of the bridge is where this is done. The bridge is Supposed to wobble, some folks think this is a defect but it move with tremolo use and helps with tuning stability. The nut may need a bit of adjustment, especially if you go to a higher string gauge. You might need a tech for this as cutting a nut is an art. The pickups aren't bad at all, tuners work fine, I love those split shaft tuners, they look cool and work almost as well as any locking tuner. I've babbled enough, like I mentioned do a little research on these guitars, they are finicky but when set up right are a pleasure. Fender did a good job at offering a guitar at this price with a nice vintage vibe and enough modern features to actually make an improvement on an old design. Cheers!
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard
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