Vintage Fender Jazzmaster Refin - USA 1962

The elder statesman of Fender’s “offset” series became a major road warrior for alt rock players almost from its inception - the weapon of choice for surf guitarists, then punk, then alt-rock and beyond. It was conceived with a very different goal in mind, although its unexpected applications have rendered it yet another pre-CBS Fender classic.

Developed in 1957 and released for sale in 1958, the Jazzmaster was Fender’s first conscious effort to appeal to jazz guitarists. It’s often said that Leo Fender moved to the separate rosewood fingerboards from the original one-piece maple neck/fingerboard because he didn’t like the worn and tarnished look of the maple after use. This new fingerboard was first used on the Jazzmaster and it was considered something that might appeal to the tastes of jazz players.

Also pitched to the jazz guys was a new pickup design with wide flat coils surrounding six individual alnico rod-magnet polepieces that were shorter than the magnets in Telecaster and Stratocaster pickups. The result was a somewhat warmer, thicker tone ,but the Jazzmaster still twanged  albeit with a rounder ,meatier voice.

Although the Jazzmaster was launched as Fender’s top-tier model, it was never fully perceived as such by the broader guitar world. As a result, once the surf scene ebbed, Jazzmasters were generally more affordable on the used market than were Strats and Teles. This, in addition to the guitar’s appealingly original looks and sound, is likely a big reason behind its uptake in the punk, garage and alternative scenes from the mid ’70s onward.

Tom Verlaine ripped on a Jazzmaster in the USA with his band Television, while Elvis Costello used one in the UK to establish his own pop-punk stylings. In the coming years, Robert Smith of the Cure, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine and a steady stream of others continued to renew the Jazzmaster’s lease on life.

And this one is an absolute beauty -  it has had an exceptional refinish performed early in its lifetime, evident from the gorgeous checking in the finish. You can hardly tell that the finish isn't original, making this vintage beauty an excellent prospect. The other evidence of the refin is the replacement of the original decal on the headstock to a later Fender style. Other than this it appears to be unchanged in any way that we can see, and presents in remarkably clean condition. This Jazzer was owned by the same owner for over 40 years when the current owner bought the guitar 2 years ago. The current owner is an exceptional Sydney based muso, and is reluctantly moving this guitar on to fund a recording project.

This one was built in 1962 and carries the sought after features of early Jazzmasters including the fabulous tortoise shell pickguard (just after they switched from the anodized bronze guard) and dark Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The neck date is 4 Aug 1962.

The pickups are loud, punchy & full of character. The original frets are in good condition and all the metal parts and plastics are in great shape. Original tuners in place and working well.

A few expected dings and dents here and there, but nothing offensive. The early-refinished nitro lacquer sunburst is still bright and unfaded. There is some heavy buckle rash on the back where the wood is exposed – super cool!

We’ve sold a few nice vintage Jazzers here at PREMIER GUITARS, and this one is a real beauty. You could search the dark recesses of the vintage guitar world for years and not find one in this condition, that plays as well as it does, and delivers that unmistakeable sound that cannot be achieved with any other instrument – Fender or otherwise.

This guitar has been regularly serviced and setup by industry renowned luthier, Steve Cocking. This Jazzer comes in its original Stamford case in good condition.

Features:

Action at 1st fret: 0.25mm

Action at 12th fret: 2.0mm

Neck depth at 1st fret: 19.94mm

Neck depth at 12th fret: 24.38mm

Nut Width: 41.97mm

12 fret width: 51.38mm

Weight: 3.65kg / 8.05lb

Offset alder body with contours

One piece solid maple neck

Rosewood slab fingerboard

Clay dot inlays

25 1/2-inch scale length

2 wide single-coil pickups

3-way pickup selector

Treble and bass roller knobs

Floating tremolo system

Lead/rhythm circuit switch