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VINTAGE BENCH TEST
hough they share a vibrato system, rhythm
circuit and offset-waist body shape, when
you consider their pickups, scale lengths
T and controls, the Jazzmaster and Jaguar are
arguably every bit as different as a Tele and a Strat.
As with Leo’s dynamic duo of the early-1950s,
there was a four-year gap between the introduction
of the Jazzmaster as Fender’s flagship model in 1958
and the Jaguar assuming the mantle in 1962. Both
offsets are proof of Leo Fender’s growing confidence
as an instrument designer, and provide insights into
his company’s strategy at the end of its first decade.
To see what this means for the player, we’re pitting
a 1961 Jazzmaster and a 1966 Jaguar head to head.
WHITE LINES
Olympic White is an iconic Jazzmaster finish but
there’s no certainty that our example looked like
this when it left the factory in 1961. The finish
is convincing enough to have deceived both the
previous owner and the dealer it was sold to but
the current custodians at ATB Guitars took a more
careful look and found evidence of grey primer and
brown wood stain in the neck cavity, confirming this
as a respray.
It was evidently refinished by a professional,
and was done so long ago that it has the genuine
appearance of age without any of the usual signifiers
of a modern relic job. ATB’s theory is that it was
refinished in an automotive body shop – potentially
as long ago as the 1970s. It certainly looks like the
correct white acrylic oversprayed with nitrocellulose.
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KEY FEATURES
1961 FENDER JAZZMASTER
PRICE £4,495
DESCRIPTION Solidbody electric guitar, made in the USA
BUILD Solid alder body, bolt-on maple neck with
Brazilian rosewood slab fingerboard, clay dot markers
HARDWARE Offset vibrato bridge, Kluson single-line tuners
ELECTRONICS 2x single-coil pickups, master volume and tone,
3-way pickup-selector switch, independent rhythm circuit with
volume and tone
SCALE LENGTH 648mm/25.5”
NECK WIDTH 41.7mm at nut, 51.2mm at 12th fret
NECK DEPTH 19.9mm at first fret, 24.3mm at 12th fret
STRING SPACING 33.6mm at nut, 56.5mm at bridge
WEIGHT 3.79kg/8.35lb
FINISH Olympic White (refinish)
CONTACT atbguitars.com
The nitro has yellowed over the years, giving it an
authentic early 1960s look, and while the yellowed
areas fluoresce under black light, the whites don’t.
The original tortoiseshell guard has a crack near the
jack socket, shows signs of shrinkage, and there is
some warping, but none of those things detract from
either its appearance or value.
This is one of those vintage guitars that has clearly
been well played but has no negative playability
issues. Most of the finish has worn off the back of
the neck, leaving that deliciously smooth vintage feel
that’s so hard to replicate. The nitro on the front of
the headstock appears thick and a bit uneven, leading
us to suspect the original decal was oversprayed.
The Jazzmaster’s dark Brazilian rosewood fretboard
is in superb condition, with no gouges or divots, and
the frets have years of life left. When this guitar was
refretted, somebody was perhaps a little overzealous
when cleaning out the slots, and most of the slot ends
have been over-sawn into the maple. It’s common
to see this on veneer ’boards, especially when the
fingerboard has been sanded, but far rarer when
it’s a slab ’board like this one.