Pick two - Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster

alex1fly

alex1fly

Well-known member
Common issue going on here - I want more guitars than I can reasonably afford or store. Latest journey is in the Fender world, and I'm looking at Strats, Teles, and Jazzmasters. If you could pick TWO, what would they be and why?

Tele - borrowing one from a friend, love the clarity of the neck position (single coil) and the simplicity of the instrument. Sounds amazing with effects.
Strat - played one for 18 years, sold it earlier this year. Love/hate relationship. Now I miss it. Have a knockoff Strat that I hardtailed and threw overwound single coils in, but it's a subpar playing experience and I am curious to see what I can do with a fresh attitude and a classic well-made Strat.
Jazzmaster - never played one, probably should before considering a purchase. Intrigued by all the weirdness - how it rests when you sit, the behind-the-bridge string length, the rhythm circuit. Likely the fussiest of the three to setup and maintain.
 
easy strat, tele decision for me. although the vintage tele neck sound is not my favorite. ive had a firebird pup in the neck of my tele for a long time now and love it. the right strat is a magical instrument and im a huge fan in many ways. jazzmasters... love the look! they are fine and ive made some enjoyable music playing one but would never be my first, or sixth, choice.
 
While a Tele or Esquire is my go-to live guitar, and my "favorite" Fender guitar over all, I would pick Jazzmaster and Strat if I was limited to two guitars total in my collection. I wouldn't like making that choice, but if I had to, those are what I would pick. The criteria would be different in the situation in which I could have "only" a certain number of guitars. In that case, versatility rules. The Jazzmaster would be my choice if I could only have one. If you can't get the tone you need from a Jazzmaster, from super bright to super dark, the failing is yours, not the instrument's. The whole spectrum is there at your command, 90 percent of it with onboard controls. Add a Strat, and you're doubly covered. It can do what a Tele does, without much difficulty (but then again, so can a Jazzmaster).

There is definitely a learning curve to figuring out how to fully manipulate a Jazzmaster to best use. But they aren't "fussy" once you get them set up well. The main key to them is understanding how the 1M pots behave compared to the usual 250Ks used on Strats and Teles, i.e. you aren't going to be diming your pots as your go-to setting, like many (if not most) do on Strats and Teles. You're going to run them down a bit as your "normal," and only turn them up when you need maximum treble. The other key, IMO, is learning to set your amp up around doing most of your switching between the lead circuit and rhythm circuit – not setting it up so you do most of your switching between the neck pickup and the bridge pickup. Do the latter, and your rhythm circuit is much less usable. Do it the former way, and your rhythm to lead switch becomes like neck to bridge (or neck to middle) switching on most other guitars...and the bridge pickup is only used when you want lots of treble.
 
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The Jazzmaster feels very different to me than the other 2. I'd say, play one first before you make this decision.
 
If I get to keep those I already own, Tele and Jazzmaster because I currently don't own either.

If these are the only two I can own, Strat and Jazzmaster for maximum versatility.
 
One Strat + One Tele

You could think of various pickup and fretboard options : SSS Strat + HH Tele / HSS Strat + SS Tele (???)

In a way I like the Jazzmaster, cool vintage offwaist shape, nice sound... But its bridge was not designed for wide bends ! (So OK for The Cure, Nirvana, surf or shoe gaze but not for Hendrix and the like)
The Jazzmaster neck has a nice Fender feel but on mine the high E string would somtimes pop out the fretboard. This never happens to my knowledge with Strats or regular Telecasters.
 
Strat only

and maybe a strat with a tele neck, I have one and it's awesome (note: requires modification to fit) or a tele with rounded edges and a forearm cut


Jazzmaster? Junk
 
Just give me a Tele bridge pickup, Strat middle pickup and Strat neck pickup on a Jazzmaster body (hardtail or Strat-style Trem) and call it a day.
 
The telecaster body is effectively an old cutting board with a neck strapped to it. The traditional tele neck pickup also sucks . . . however, the tele in between sounds are nice and the bridge pickup is awesome. Way nicer than an old strat bridge pickup.

The jazzmaster body is awesome. Comfortable seated/standing, really good upper fret access, great contouring. Unfortunately the bridge sucks, the standard wiring is a little strange weird to use, and the pickups are an acquired taste.

Of the three, the strat is the best with default options. Comfortable body, decent upper fret access, bridge that works nicely. Awesome neck pickup tones, great 2 + 4 hum cancelling. Bridge can be too spikey unless you connect a tone pot to it.



That said, I'd take none of them the way they normally come though. Gimme two jazzmasters, one made of alder with a rosewood fretboard, strat bridge and three strat pickups . . . one that's an ash and maple fretboard hardtail with tele pickups. All awesome, no compromises.
 
Tele and a strat or two different strats.

Because I prefer the scale length, looks and they sound good. In the case of the tele I don't like a typical neck pickup though.
Currently having two teles and a strat I'd go for two strats with different woods or pickup layouts...but then Jazzmasters are just plain ugly to me.
 
Get the Jazzmaster. They’re weird, but there’s no reason you can’t play any style of music on one.

Strat and Tele are kind of must haves for me, though.
 
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