Fender's Jazzmaster signature line to be extended.

[Blazer]

With players like Elvis Costello and J Mascis both having Signature Jazzmasters it wasn't really a surprise that with the Jazzmaster's 50'th birthday that fender would expand the range a bit.


(L-R) Guitarists Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Jimmy Rip, Tom Verlaine of Television, Nels Cline of Wilco, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth attend the "Fender Jazzmaster 50th Anniversary Concert" at the Knitting Factory on September 12, 2008 in New York City. Ranaldo and Mascis are holding Fender's Anniversary Jazzmasters.

According to an article in this month's issue of the Birttisch mag "Guitarist" who were there are the party, the showcase of well known jazzmasters it also showed prototypes of the upcoming Lee Ranaldo and Thurston moore signature models making both Sonic Youth players the newest additions to Fender's ever expanding signature artists.

As for the guitars themselves, the magazine didn't reveal any details but if we look at the Jazzmasters that the Sonic Youth axemen are using it's fairly clear what the guitars will be like.


One of Lee Ranaldo's Jazzmasters, Ranaldo uses Fender Wide Range Humbuckers in all his guitars and wires them up to a master volume, usually taking out the rythm circuit completely. This particullar one also had a Kahler fitted at one time as evident from the hole behind the bridge.


One of Thurston Moore's Jazzmasters, like Ranaldo, Moore usually deletes the Rythm circuit, preferring to have everything wired to a master volume and a simple three way switch. Moore also replaces the bridges of his Jazzmasters for something a little more substancial.

It sure got me curious though, so much that I started searching for pictures and I found them...

Here they are and I was spot on with how they were gonna be: no rythm circuit, simple master volume and in Ranaldo's case fitted with Wide Range Humbuckers.

And from what I can tell by the finish, they are done like Highway One Fenders so that would mean they're affordable.

[Dave W]

There must be enough interest or Fender wouldn't be doing this.

I remember back when I was in high school, the Jazzmaster and Jag were top of the line at $325. I passed -- too many switches for me, and not enough in my bank account.