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VINTAGE BENCH TEST
The main point of variation is the Jaguar’s ‘strangle’ In real-world playing situations, this means you’re less THIS SPREAD The Firemist
switch on the bridge end of the small chrome plate. likely to get the urge to mess with your amp settings Gold Jaguar features a
matching peghead with its
The Jazzmaster’s unplugged tone is much in line every time you switch pickups.
with our expectations of an early 1960s pre-CBS Continuing this evolutionary theme, the Jaguar logo intact and F-stamped
tuners, which Jaguars
Fender. It’s warm and balanced, and it has reasonable seems like an attempt to retain that balance between ƤĈŸĈ Ýŋŕōġ ƇĩĈ ƣĈŸƪ ƼŸžƇ
sustain and ample bass depth. In contrast, the Jaguar the neck and bridge, but shoot for even greater fidelity, Fenders to sport
is naturally brighter and has more chime, as well as a as there’s a clarity here that’s perhaps a cut above the
quicker and more percussive attack but more rapid guitars that came before. That’s not necessarily to say
decay and less bass. that the treble is excessive or shrill but simply that
Through our Rift Princeton Reverb-style amp, the the tone is wide open, airy and precise. The bridge
Jazzmaster delivers a wide range of warm, bold and pickup is agreeable and full in the midrange too,
twangy tones. It’s a big sound but it’s not overblown, which is something that certainly can’t be said for
and there’s something about the attack and decay many Stratocasters.
characteristics that’s reminiscent of the wooden Since vintage Strat and Jaguar pickups appear so
bridges on archtops. similar – especially Jaguar pickups with staggered
Following on from the Telecaster and Strat, the slugs such as these – what accounts for the disparities
Jazzmaster was essentially the next rung on Fender’s in tone? It’s a much-debated topic. It’s been suggested
evolutionary ladder, so it’s interesting to compare its that the metal claws on Jaguar pickups were Leo’s
pickups with those of its predecessors. Fender seems attempt to balance the response by altering the
to have been shooting for fidelity and balance, and magnetic field to bolster the plain strings.
the neck/bridge tonal contrast is significantly less Look closely and you’ll see that the ‘teeth’ are not
pronounced than on Teles and Strats. all equal in height. The taller teeth were intended to
The Jazzmaster bridge isn’t naturally disposed to correspond with the plain strings, so it would appear
bite and quack, and the neck likely got closer than ever that both claws on this Jaguar may actually be fitted
to the jazz flavours Leo intended when he designed it. the wrong way around.
GUITAR MAGAZINE 63
