my review of the fender thurston moore jazzmaster w/ SD antiquity II pickups

[esandes]

i just picked it up today right out of the box and is it ever amazing. the guitar itself is lighter than it looks and the action from the factory was nice and low without any buzzing up the fretboard. the tone is absolutely amazing. i've never heard such clear bell like tones ever before. when playing two or more notes simultaneously you can actually hear the interaction of the frequencies unlike i've ever heard before. i think they call it (de)constructive interference. the pickups are very neutral and super clear-which i really like. with both pickups activated there is no hum at all and it sounds beefier than i expected. the cutaway is the best i've ever experienced. you have unimpeded access to the higher frets. the craftsmanship and feel of the guitar is excellent, being US made. i had second thoughts before, thinking this would sound a lot like my strat but it has it's own unique tone. the jumbo frets are also easier to play complex chords too.

kudos to fender and SD!

 

[Inkstained]

Re: my review of the fender thurston moore jazzmaster w/ SD antiquity II pickups

That's the surprising thing about those Jazzmaster pickups. They are much meatier than you might think for a Fender designed in the late '50s.

Congrats on a very interesting, and very different, guitar. You're grooving to the beat of a different drummer.

 

[esandes]

Re: my review of the fender thurston moore jazzmaster w/ SD antiquity II pickups

the pickups are like single coils on steroids. when they're combined it's like a super humbucker. it's fantastic because i get the great bassy tones of the bridge pickup combined with the treble of the bridge pickup. the best of both worlds. i've always found in the past that the neck pickups tend to get muddy with some bassy chords. these antiquities don't get muddy at all.

the one thing i really like about this jazzmaster is it doesn't come with all of those switches that typical jazzmasters have. this guitar only has a volume knob and a pickup toggle. that's all i need. i like to keep it simple. in all of my years of playing i don't ever recall using the tone knobs of the guitar all that much.

the transparency and clarity of the pickups is astonishing. this is my new benchmark. it exceeds the tonal qualities of my old US strat plus deluxe.

 

[appar111]

Re: my review of the fender thurston moore jazzmaster w/ SD antiquity II pickups

I had a jazzmaster earlier this yr with the Ant I jazzmaster pickups and wondered how the II's sounded.... ive heard nothing but good things about them. I like the simplified control setup on that Thurston JM too--- congrats! Sounds like a killer guitar!