Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster | Gear Review
The Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster is a guitar a didn’t expect to own, but I’m so happy I do.
Shortly after picking up the J Mascis signature Jazzmaster, I stumbled across a used listing on Guitar Center I couldn’t take my mind off of. Although I was so happy with my mods to the Mascis, making it my perfect metalcore guitar, I couldn’t help but miss the actual sound of a Jazzmaster…
This is how I justified getting another Squier Jazzmaster… That and the fact that it was listed for around $150. Under half the MSRP!
What was wrong with it? Only a couple things that could be a deal breaker to some if you don’t work on guitars. The nut had a chip on the high E string, making it unplayable, and there was a small, but deep finish crack on the buttom.
The nut was a simple fix. Just needed an under $20 drop-in Graph Tech replacement. As for the finish crack… Well let's just say I embraced it and picked at it a bit. 🙂
If you take anything away from this article (and Youtube video), it’s to not shy away from the “fair condition” section of Guitar Center. You can always return it if comes in as a project in over your head!
Sound:
The reason I picked this Jazzmaster up was to obtain a classic and wide single coil Jazzmaster sound! This DOES and DOESN’t give you that classic sound. It DOES because It is a traditionally wound JM style pickup, and not a P90 like the J Mascis. However where it differs is in the ceramic magnets Squier/Fender chose to include.
Don’t interpret that as a knock at all! These pickups are actually fantastic in their own unique way. They almost feel like a mashup between a high-ish Jazzmaster pickup and a twangy telecaster.
In my case, That makes for a Metalcore sound that cuts directly though a mix, without being a muddy mess of low end. As you can hear in the video above, it punches well above its class. Pair this with a good bass tone, and you’ll be quickly cooking up a balanced Rock or Metal mix !
Neck:
Here’s one mention that’s exclusive to the blog:
The neck feels FANTASTIC… If you aren’t put off by the gloss finish. It’s only slightly rounder than my smoother J Mascis neck, but for under half the price, I’ll absolutely take it! Personally, I think that the amber neck look they’re going for is work the gloss finish. it looks so slick to my eye, but I get isn’t for everyone.
The fretwork is solid, featuring no high frets and only moderate fret ends that resolved itself over a couple months in my climate controlled home.
All of this is great, but one thing I haven’t mentioned is that I may have won the flamed maple neck lottery here. It was the first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box. I was truly speechless that guitar center didn't try to juice this price even to $200. I don’t have a photo at this point, but when I get the chance, I’ll update this blog entry with a photo of the flamed maple neck.
Conclusion:
People have been saying it since the beginning, but Squier is continuing to kill it with this Classic Vibe series! I feel more confident than ever advising people to buy used from companies with return policies like Guitar Center. If you have one near by you, it should give you the push you need to order something you’re eying in, even if it’s listed as “fair condition“ like my Jazzmaster. The worst case scenario is you bring it back to return it if it looks like too crazy of a project.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more content like this.