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Some time early in college I started playing acoustic instruments almost exclusively. It was just simpler that way. It's easier to practice and perform if you have simpler needs. Rather than trying to organize a "show" and haul gear around, we took to just busking and playing in outdoor public spaces. I also began wandering the planet at that age. A little ukulele or short scale acoustic guitar makes a much better travel companion than an electric + amp + pedals etc. Anyway, in the summer of 2018 we went to the Pentaport Rock Festival in Incheon. It was the first time I had been to a rock show in years, and I fell in love with electric guitars all over again. I had forgotten what it felt like to plug in and wail, and I wanted back in! Eventually I got my hands on a used Jazzmaster and have been in love ever since. I'd like to talk about this guitar tonight after having done a little work on it this evening.
This particular Jazzmaster is a "Made in Japan" (or CIJ, I can't remember) 60s Reissue from the early 90s in a "Sherwood Green" color. It has a beautiful rosewood fretboard and painted peghead. I had never played a Jazzmaster before. I was always big on Stratocasters growing up, but I always thought Jaguars looked cool. I took a chance on this Jazzmaster only to discover how neat these guitars are. They are probably the most "complex" Fender electric guitar. When they were first introduced, they were meant to be the top-of-the-line model with all the bells and whistles.
They have two single coil pickups which run to two separate circuits---that is, in addition to your standard volume, tone, and pickup selection controls, there is a separate circuit with a toggle switch and two thumb wheels to control volume and tone. This separate "rhythm" circuit is much darker and mellow. I have heard of some people rewiring it to work as a kill switch, utilizing it for other effects, or just customizing it to have two separate tone profiles on one guitar! Another weird thing about these guitars is their bridge and tremolo system. It is hard to describe what is really happening without being able to demonstrate it, but in contrast to a Strat, where the tremolo is integrated with the bridge itself (so when you engage the "tremolo arm" AKA whammy bar, you are tilting the entire bridge forward or backward), the Jazzmaster tremolo is a separate mechanism that sits below the bridge inside the body. Instead of tilting the bridge back and forth, it increases or decreases the tension of the strings and the bridge rocks forward or backward in response. It's really cool! I have always loved holding the whammy bar in my palm while strumming or picking to get some nice inflected vibrato, and the Jazzmaster tremolo works really well for this. It feels so loose and easy. The bridge is just balanced in place---and it comes out when the strings are off. The feeling overall is very intimate. Another interesting thing about the tremolo system is that it has a discreet switch which "locks" it so that if you break a string, you can keep playing without all of your strings detuning from the change in tension. The idea is to have it calibrated ahead of time and use it in such situations. Kind of neat, and very "fancy!" One last thing that is peculiar about Jazzmasters is their tuning pegs. I don't know what the name of this style of tuner is, but in contrast to typical tuners where the string is threaded through the peg from one side to the other, the tip is inserted into a hole on the top then wound the ordinary way. This took some getting used to, because the string can pop out easily at first, but I favor this design because it eliminates the need to clip the strings so you don't have to keep razor sharp strings poking out of your tuners!
I absolutely adore this guitar. It is the best quality instrument I have ever owned, and I have learned to take proper care of it. When I first got it, I took it all apart because I was so curious about it and got it set up perfectly. It plays so well and sounds fantastic, even unplugged, which is important. I don't even have a proper amp! Which is why I have put off replacing some of the electronics in it for so long. But I am working on a demo now, so I figured it was time to do the deed.
I figured that I would replace the pickguard while undertaking this overhaul of the electronics. The guitar came with a plain white pickguard, which did not look bad, but it was kind of plain. I think the dark rosewood fretboard makes the white pickguard feel a little awkward. The knobs, pickup covers, and inlays are all white, but having the whole pickguard white gave it a kind of glare almost. The contrast didn't feel right and somehow reminded me of toothpaste. I decided on a classic Red Tortiseshell design, which is apparently what traditionally went on these Sherwood Green Jazzmasters. I like how it complements the green and is also just the right saturation and tone to harmonize with the rosewood fretboard. The white components stand out against it, but are now more like accents.
New red tortiseshell pickguard (39k)
Original white pickguard (35k)
The original pickguard on this guitar was shielded with basic aluminum foil. I never experienced noise issues except when trying to record on Macbooks that have magnetic power adapters. Those things make a lot of noise, apparently. There is a lot of debate online about shielding guitar electronics; about how to do it and whether or not it is even necessary. I am no expert, but I have some copper tape so I might as well shield the thing. It's a pretty straightforward process: just tape it up and ground it. The tape is pretty easy to work with actually. You can lay it against the pickguard and crease the edges where it extends past where you want to apply it. Cutting it to shape is pretty easy to do that way. My thumbs and forefingers are all scratched up now, though, so I probably should have worn gloves. After I covered the entire surface I smoothed it all down the best I could with the handle of my scissors. What's kind of funny is that online tutorials always make a point to tell you that all the pieces of tape need to be in contact with each other. I can't imagine how someone would be able to do this without them all touching---let alone by accident!
Aluminum shielding on original pickguard (29k)
New pickguard shielded with copper tape (31k)
This was pretty easy to do, and actually kind of relaxing. It's not as thorough or "pretty" as copper paint perhaps, but it seems like enough! Earlier in the evening we were listening to some songs we recorded with this guitar a few years ago and it made me eager to get these electronics replaced so I can jump in on this demo. But this is as much as I could accomplish in one night---in addition to this post!
More to come!
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