School me on Jazzmasters

[KaosCill8r]

Squier has entered a bit of a golden age as far I'm concerned. I have a VM Jag HH guitar and a VM Jag bass special and they are both awesome. Great instruments for the bucks. I would recommend Squier to anyone looking for something good and affordable.

[Sparrow]

i have to agree with you. i own two Squier tele's. both were $400 after taxes new.
the classic vibe. and my new long & mcquade deal.
they play Great! have Great necks!
i'm a fan.

oh. and .. Mascis. duh.

[backwardsvoyager]

Squier has been killing it lately. I haven't really seen any reason to buy a mexican fender considering the price difference nor an american one seeing as they're almost up there with custom guitar prices.
They also don't get jacked up in price too much whenever our dollar sinks and a US standard fender suddenly costs over 2 grand.

[KaosCill8r]

Yeah the big boys (Fender and Gibsons etc.) have become way too expensive and unobtainable for us on the bottom of the rock. Unless you are a working musician who has just signed a record deal and have been given an advance. Or a blooze lawyer or doctor going through a midlife crisis.

[Sparrow]

when i go to music/guitar stores. i try and pickup and play as many as i can ..
Honestly. the number of times i've held and played a Gibson that is 3 - 7 Thousand !!! dollars.
i don't get it
and. i notice little details that shouldn't be .. on a guitar for those prices.
Gibson is really bad for the shock and aww. imo.

[The_Active_Conundrum]

The Squier Mascis is dead stable with lots of abuse with the stock TOM bridge.

Don't assume you have to put a roller bridge on it, or swap anything.

I've had mine since they first came out three or so years ago and I have had no reason to change anything. It's a magical guitar (and I could care less about the dude or his music, but I know a good guitar when I see it). Not sure I'd put them as P90s after comparing them for the last few months to my Casino...but they're hotter, meaner JM-type pickups and sound damn good clean or otherwise.

Big plus (outside the terrible "one size fits all" color scheme which I abhor but again, not messing with the magic) is no skunk stripe on the neck. I know, I know. It's petty but it's a huge thing for me on the other Squiers.

And compared to the MIJ/CIJ stuff I've played (and I still have my '69RI domestic market Mustang), I'd take the current Squier stuff any day of the week. I really would. Sure the fit and finish is a little nicer on the '69RI, but everything glorious about the Mustang is more there in spades on the half-price Squier version. I keep the '69RI just because...that and I don't care enough to sell gear - but it isn't worth to me what the Squier Mustang is, let alone 2x or more.

Modern MIM stuff that's not bottom-line (Blacktop) I'd take over a MIJ any day of the week as well to be honest. If nothing else, you won't be compelled to change the electronics and they have the feel right now that the factory is mature in a good way.

Also, before changing any bridge etc. - play with it a while. Prior to the offset revival, it wasn't something anybody ever complained about. They were what they were - you loved them, warts and all, and learned to set them up.

My only real issue with the Mascis is that trem (and almost all of them up until the AVRI) don't have the slide button. That and my straplocks is all I can compain about until I play it. I was saying they're p90s because some places, specificaly some of the sites that turned me on to JM floating bridge said they're p90 under JM pickups, which has also been echoed by Mascis saying p90s are his favorite pickup.

And, I'll be damned! That really is a tune-o-matic on that J Mascis. May have to boost that guitar's priority. Aside from my Kramer strat knock off, all my stuff tune-o-matic. I know tune-o-matics.

when i go to music/guitar stores. i try and pickup and play as many as i can ..
Honestly. the number of times i've held and played a Gibson that is 3 - 7 Thousand !!! dollars.
i don't get it
and. i notice little details that shouldn't be .. on a guitar for those prices.
Gibson is really bad for the shock and aww. imo.

I like Gibsons, myself. But its like many brands, really. You have to find the one that "fits". I hated Gibsons for years and years. My only real problem with Gibson is a lack of real upgrades. They instead have robot tuning. At least they're adding coil taps to some of their instruments now. How long did that take? 20 years?

[HorseyBoy]

^ Listen to rfurtkamp and get a Mascis JM. They're not just damn good guitars "for the money", they're just damn good guitars, full stop. The necks are amazingly comfortable to play and they sound great, which is all you can really ask of a guitar. And you won't need to swap out anything - the pickups are good, the TOM bridge is solid, as is the trem. The switches can go a little funky after a while, but it's nothing to worry about. Seriously, spend a little time with one and you'll be sold.

[Sparrow]

I like Gibsons, myself. But its like many brands, really. You have to find the one that "fits". I hated Gibsons for years and years. My only real problem with Gibson is a lack of real upgrades. They instead have robot tuning. At least they're adding coil taps to some of their instruments now. How long did that take? 20 years?

don't get me wrong. i'm not a Gibson hater. and. i totally believe finding the one/s that "fit".
but. i just mean > a few times i'm playing a Gibson. it's nice. but .. the nut and some other setup stuff. loose tuners or jacks.
and. then i look at the price tag.

i was playing a robot tuner guitar last time.



on the plus side. i did kinda feel like robocop when the robot thing was on! ha.

[Gone Fission]

Squier Mascis neck vs VM Squier neck--much difference?

[backwardsvoyager]

Squier Mascis neck vs VM Squier neck--much difference?

mascis is satin finished, no skunk stripe, feels a liiittle bit heftier than the VM, it's a C but doesn't feel that thin. VM necks are gloss finished (not sticky like lower end squiers though - smooth) and feel a little thinner.
the mascis also has jumbo frets. in general i think the VM necks are 'very comfy' and the mascis necks are 'incredibly comfy'.

[rfurtkamp]

Squier Mascis neck vs VM Squier neck--much difference?

If I could get the Mascis-profile neck on other Squiers...I'd buy five tomorrow.

The others are correct and feel right, but the Mascis is proper "This feels like something I had 20 years ago and never should have sold."

[rfurtkamp]

[quote="The_Active_Conundrum"]

My only real issue with the Mascis is that trem (and almost all of them up until the AVRI) don't have the slide button. That and my straplocks is all I can compain about until I play it. I was saying they're p90s because some places, specificaly some of the sites that turned me on to JM floating bridge said they're p90 under JM pickups, which has also been echoed by Mascis saying p90s are his favorite pickup.

Straplocks you have to add to basically anything, and if they're a dealbreaker, they're a $15 part to add tops.

I wasn't sure about the lock button on the bridge myself when I first got it. Figured if I needed it, a proper trem was $28 with one.

I haven't needed one, and the ONLY time I use the one on my CP Jag is in "this instrument can't bend" mode when using it as a fauxauthentic guitar synth.

Also big plus for me on the Mascis is the relocated trem - it does honestly make a difference with the TOM especially. It also means that I can add a synth pickup to it without funky mounting (normal Jag/JM spacing doesn't allow for it).

And it's possible that Mascis is referencing a particular P90 in his preferred whatever, but it honestly sounds nothing like the Gibson USA P90s in the Casino.

[The_Active_Conundrum]

Straplocks you have to add to basically anything, and if they're a dealbreaker, they're a $15 part to add tops.

I wasn't sure about the lock button on the bridge myself when I first got it. Figured if I needed it, a proper trem was $28 with one.

I haven't needed one, and the ONLY time I use the one on my CP Jag is in "this instrument can't bend" mode when using it as a fauxauthentic guitar synth.

Also big plus for me on the Mascis is the relocated trem - it does honestly make a difference with the TOM especially. It also means that I can add a synth pickup to it without funky mounting (normal Jag/JM spacing doesn't allow for it).

And it's possible that Mascis is referencing a particular P90 in his preferred whatever, but it honestly sounds nothing like the Gibson USA P90s in the Casino.

Yeah I have a coulple pairs of straplocks just sitting around, some chrome, some gold, some black. Haven't put any on an instrument in 5 years or so. It became mandatory early on when I found out that straps will let you down.

Also, I'm an idiot who can't set up guitars. So anything that could help me do it "right", as an offset site has instructions for a balaced float, is probably for the better. But yeah, I wont just go all out modding on the mascis out of the box. Except for locks.

[frigid midget]

I'm personally not into the tom bridges or other stuff that set the CP/VM/JM jazzmasters apart from the more classic jazzmaster design. My weapon of choice: mij, tuned down a whole step and strung with '10s, mustang bridge, SD pups.



Shitty pic, doesn't do the colors justice. I'm not a big tremelo user btw. Used to have a giourgious black AVR Jazzmaster, but for some unknown reason, the mij one just feels better to me. I'm sure the AVR was a superioir instrument, but the mij one just sounds/feels...Right

[rfurtkamp]

Sometimes individual instruments have *it* whatever *it* is.

I have a perfectly glorious and serviceable '69RI (domestic market) MIJ Mustang. It screams with octave fuzz in some ways like nothing else I've ever played (previous owner replaced everything with real Duncans) - but that's it. It stays in tune, it sounds good.

My MII Squier Mustang smokes it in every way except cosmetically (like I care). I still used to have occasional dreams of finding my beloved '64 L plate Mustang I toured with again (had to sell it to keep a roof over my head after the move out here) after buying the MIJ.

They went away within a week of getting the MII Squier.

It just feels like my old one.

So it's not about money or country of origin sometimes.