Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

T

these_go211

New member
Hey everybody. My first post here (actually after about a 6 or 7 year absence which saw my account lapsing into oblivion). I really missed this place by the way. Well, back to guitars.....anyone else playing the J Mascis Jazz? I read so many reviews about this since it was a Squire, and they were overwhelmingly positive. The reviews were true as the guitar plays and feels great. This is my first foray into the offset whammy bar world. Been a tried and true Gibson guy my whole life but since I've been obsessing over shoegazey stuff like my bloody valentine especially I figured I'd take a dive into a new world. It's been fun learning what seems to me to be a totally new beast. This is a nice shot in the arm to get my juices flowing and get creative.
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

They have AWESOME necks.

I have a regular Vintage Modified Squier, I like the gold guard but wanted the more traditional bridge/pickup combination (even though now I have a Wide Range copy in it.) I really do feel the Jaguar/Jazzmaster is the perfect non-locking trem; good range, good feel, good float, stable.
 
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Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

The Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster offers tremendous bang for the buck. I like the fact that it doesn't have the typical dodgy Jazzmaster bridge, but a TOM instead. The ideal choice would have been a roller bridge, which wouldn't be really necessary without heavy trem use. Also, it might be hard to find to match the 9.5" fretboard radius.

Be aware that the J Mascis pickups are voiced more like P90s than traditional Jazzmaster pickups.

If you want a more traditional Jazzmaster sound, the Squier Vintage Modified one offers tremendous bang for the buck as well.
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

Ehh, I wouldn't write off the Jazzmaster bridge. I trem the hell out of my Jaguars/Jazzmasters, have never had any stability, string slip or tuning issue with the stock bridges. I also appreciate the adjustability for radius vs. a Mustang bridge, as I have three Jaguar/Jazzmasters at present, none with the same radius. I also agree a roller bridge would be fine, but in reality I've never found any need to drop money on any of the other available bridges or use a Mustang bridge etc.

On the other hand, one of my Jazzmasters was a project husk of a Classic Player; I ditched the tune-o-matic, drilled for a stock Jazzmaster bridge I had on hand, and replaced the P90-alikes with Duncan Jazzmaster Hots... Perfect :)
 
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Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

I love those ****ing guitars! Does it compare to my main les Paul standard? Well no

But every time I pick one up I think "squier? Really?"

A tusq nut and awesome setup and you're good to go!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

My SG Classic has P90s so I'm used to those and really love them. Interestingly enough I saw a video of J Mascis doing a rundown of his rig and he said that he uses that guitar stock except that he swapped out the pickups. The P 90s still sound brighter on this guitar for sure which is fine for me as now I have a different sound from that of my SG.
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

Yeah those guitars rule. Necks are beauties and I've seen a few with some nice flaming going on. Pickups are OK, but the guitar is solid. If I had $$ at the time (or now) it would probably have been my one and only Jazzmaster. We had a highER end Fender one at the same time once and the difference was not as he price tag suggested.
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

I'm looking down at my Squier Jazzmaster remembering that TWO trems were faulty (the stock one and an MIJ) before I settled on an AVRI trem; both the cheap trems clicked and were unstable. I can see how the bad reputation can develop, never had that issue with a US trem.
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

Is Mastery the bridge a lot of people use?

Regardless, I am continually kicking myself for not buying the first gen Fender JMascis Jazzmaster (CIJ I think?) in purple sparkle. I almost did it, and now they are going for 2x's on the used market!

I'll have to check out the Squier, it sounds like a cool guitar.
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

I put a Mastery Bridge on once for a guy....in all honesty, nice hardware, but not worth all the hype it gets though.
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

Agree, people use Mastery and Staytrem but usually would benefit more from a proper setup. Then again, stock Jazzmaster bridges (US, vintage, Japan, Squier) are not created equal. A Mustang bridge works fine for most people who have any complaint.
 
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Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

The Squier JM's are awesome instruments. My cheapest guitar is a Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster CAR with a few upgrades (Duncan Vintage for JM set, locking tuners, Graphtech nut, revised electronic and a custom white pearl scratchplate, still waiting on a new bridge), and it's my second favorite out of the 10 guitars I own.
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

Squier has really done good with new offerings. I have a vintage Mod tele that is great! Just needed better pups. (the stockers were Duncan designed, so they werent dogs) Im not a Jazzmaster type ,but I looked long and hard at the J Mascis that was that purple color
 
Re: Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster

The purples were Fender Japan, to be honest I prefer the Squier Mascis' feel (although the sparkle/gold looks amazing.)

VM Squiers are amazing... My Jazz Bass is even better and almost faultless to me. There are a few more little niggles with the Jazzmaster compared to that (quality of neck fit isn't quite as nice, nor is there as consistent routing of the body edges, and as mentioned, the faulty trem, but a lot of those 'issues' actually carry over to the MIJ Jazzmasters too, so.)

The pickups on a regular VM are great; not quite a one-to-one correspondence with the 'real' Duncans they're modeled on, but still good quality and great sounding. Also better than the Fender Japan Jazzmaster pickups...
 
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