2012 Fender USA American Vintage '62 Jazzmaster (Black)

Traded in at our Gladesville store, these "American Vintage" series guitars were made from 2000 - 2012 and are considered some of the best reissue models on the market. Weighing 3.9kg's, this one appears all original and received a full professional setup prior to listing. The black nitro finish is shiny and clean, the neck is straight and the frets have plenty of life left with light pitting. 

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Despite the success of its popular Stratocaster and Telecaster models, like most companies, Fender was always looking for the "next big thing." And so the Jazzmaster made its first appearance on Fender price lists in 1958 at $329 - or $50 more than a Strat at the time! And at that price, the company couldn't resist the temptation to add a bit of hype by dubbing the Jazzmaster, "America's finest electric guitar... unequal in performance and design features."

The most striking aspect of this new guitar was its offset-waist body (which it would continue with the release of the Jaguar a few years later). Other "firsts" included a standard rosewood fingerboard glued to the traditional maple neck (Strats got rosewood in about 1959), a new floating vibrato with a locking button and redesigned pickups. In truth, the Jazzmaster was richer and warmer than most Fenders up to that point, and the company hoped that would extend its appeal to (as you'd expect) jazz players. The controls were also elaborate for the time, and players could actually dial in "preset" lead and rhythm tones.

This Jazzmaster reissue is a prime example of what Fender was producing in 1962. True, it wasn't the resounding success that the company had with their Strat and Tele, but even today, some players appreciate its vintage vibe and distinctive tone. On a historical note, the Jazzmaster was the first Fender to feature the larger headstock, later adapted across all the models during the "CBS era."

Fender American Vintage '62 Jazzmaster At a Glance:
Distinctive offset-waist body shape with separate bridge and floating vibrato
Two special design single coil pickups with preset tone circuitry
Rosewood fingerboard over the traditional maple neck and larger headstock
Nitro-cellulose lacquer finish in sunburst and original custom colors
That Unique Fender Style
Fender guitars of the late '50s and early '60s borrowed a lot from the "futuristic" automobile designs of the times - think Chevy Impala or Cadillac El Dorado! The original Jazzmaster was designed with a somewhat radical offset-waist body shape (later adopted in the 1962 Jaguar) along with additional contours and bevels that allowed the guitar to be perfectly balanced when played sitting down (keep in mind that in the 1950s, most guitar players worked sitting, usually up on a bandstand). Another "upgrade" was the separate bridge and "floating" vibrato system.

New Pickups for a More "Sophisticated" Sound
The Jazzmaster offered up newly designed, wider single coil pickups and special new circuitry that produced a richer, broader tonal palette, but without the brighter tone - or "bite" - of the Tele or the Strat. The idea was to appeal to a more "sophisticated" player, hence the more traditional dual pickup design. As it turned out, this new sound would eventually appeal to a much wider audience, as the guitar found its way into the fabric of "teen music" and became the pre-eminent musical instrument of the 1960s - and beyond!

Rosewood Returns
Fender guitars initially turned heads with their unique "blonde" maple necks. Again, as the Jazzmaster was built from the ground up to appeal to more traditional tastes, Fender decided to adopt the tried and true approach of a rosewood fingerboard, but overlaid this onto their trademark maple necks, though the company would eventually offer rosewood fingerboards across the entire product line. A final touch was the larger headstock which eventually became the standard for all Fender guitars during the 1960s.

Vintage Vibe
This particular reissue is a dead-on replica of what is considered the quintessential Jazzmaster built in 1962, and in keeping with its vintage, features a nitro-cellulose lacquer finish.

American Vintage '62 Jazzmaster Features:
Color: Black
Body Type: Solidbody electric
Finish: Gloss Nitro-cellulose lacquer
Neck: Maple
Neck Shape: "C" shape with 7.25-inch radius
Body Wood: Solid alder
Machine Heads: Fender/Gotoh vintage style tuners
Fingerboard: Rosewood
No. of Frets: 21
Position Markers: Dot inlays
Pickups: Two special design vintage single coils
Controls: Master volume and tone controls plus preset circuitry with additional tone and volume controls
Bridge/Tailpiece: Separate bridge / floating vibrato system with lock
Pickup Switching: Three position toggle, two-position slide (up for lead / down for rhythm)
Hardware: Chrome
Case: Deluxe brown hardshell case included
Scale Length: 25.5 inches