On the bench today is the Fender Made in Japan Traditional ‘60s Jazzmaster in Olympic White with Blue Competition Stripe.

I have never had such an impulse buy experience until I saw this guitar on Reverb. I could not buy it fast enough. I was actually worried someone else would buy it before me.

I think it took me a whole 5 minutes to decide to buy, look at financing, and pull the trigger.

Seriously! A white Jazzmaster guitar with blue competition stripes. I just hoped the guitar was as nice in person and also played well.

The prior owner purchased it from Japan. He is in Vancouver. He had the same impulse purchase experience as me but decided he was not a Jazzmaster player shortly after getting the guitar.

The first test I gave the guitar on the bench was can I properly set the string height (approximately) without having to install a neck shim. I am happy that the guitar passed.

The Rosewood fret board on this guitar is absolutely gorgeous. It has been treated with something and is not dry and has a sheen to it.

The next thing I notices was the bridge. The posts on the bridge when compared to a standard Jazzmaster bridge are larger in diameter. The bridge posts fit in the cups with less play. Also the cups seem to be more substantial with thicker walls.

The guitar weighs in at 7 lbs and 6 ounces or 3.348 kilos. Very nice weight for a guitar.

Measuring the pickups the neck pickup in the Rhythm circuit measures 6.87 k ohms.

In the lead circuit the neck pickup measures 6.89 ohms, both pickups measure 3.465 k ohms, and the bridge measures 6.99 k ohms.

The tremolo assembly was very loose, and I removed it because at first I thought the screw was no longer connected. It turns out it was, just loosened fully. I adjusted the screw tightness and reinstalled the bridge.

After what seems like several hours of unscrewing pickguard screws, I was finally able to lift up the pickguard and look at the wiring. I have notices on the Jazzmaster and Jags they do not give you any play in the wires, so it is difficult to show you on camera fully the underside of the pickguard.

The sides of the frets are as smooth as a baby’s behind. Very nice. I also did not find any fret rocking on the neck.

Playability and observations

Here are some specs on the guitar:

Body: Basswood with a Finish: Polyester
Neck Material: Maple Finish: Gloss Urethane
Neck Shape: "U" Shape
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5"
Number of Frets : 21 Vintage Style
String Nut: Bone Width : 1.615" (41.02 mm)
Pickups : Fender Vintage-style Single -Coil Jazzmaster pickups

This is the best out of the box Jazzmaster experience I have had so far. I have 4 Squier Jazzmasters, two MIM Signature Jazzmasters, 2 J Mascis Jazzmasters, 2 custom that I built, 2 US Made Fender.

First the neck did not need to be shimmed. Too be honest it is bullshit that Fender has not fixed this as a problem with production guitars – vintage specifications be damned.

The fret work on this guitar is phenomenal. This is on par with what I would expect out of a Fender Custom Shop guitar.

The pickups sound great. I mean this is a solid sounding guitar that I have no desire to alter the electronics or replace the pickups.

She is drop dead gorgeous. The white body, matching headstock, and blue racing stripe make for a stunning looking guitar.

You can probably tell I am so glad that my impulse purchase did not turn into something that I felt compelled to fix or unload. You will not be seeing this on the GCG Reverb store.