#6072 – Fender American Performer Jazzmaster – used/2021 – satin lake placid blue

Is the Fender American Performer Jazzmaster really a Jazzmaster ? – If you look at the decal on the headstock facia, then the answer is yes – If you look at the offset body shape, then again you can say yes – Look at  the pick-ups and again you can say yes  – Yet the lack of the complex wiring loom, with a host of slider switches, the Jazzmaster trem package, including the appropriate bridge assembly, will lead you towards an unequivocal no – In my opinion it is a Strat, with a pair Jazzmaster pick-ups, that cool Jazzmaster body shape, along with a Jazzmaster decal on the headstock – Yet that is not a bad thing – In fact I think it is a great thing – It offers a different voice to a Strat, that retains the single coil clarity but ‘BIGGER’ – Equally it plays more like a Strat, so in my opinion more friendly and easier to handle than a Jazzmaster, especially if you are playing any complex licks and tricks – So read below to acquire more info with regards to this used example, from 2021, with a cool satin lake placid blue finish 

• A good place to start off with is a review of the Jazzmaster, courtesy of Guitarist Magazine – Click here for details
• Whole guitar weighs 7lbs and 15oz
• Modern C neck profile with silky smooth ‘played in’ satin finish – slightly wider top nut width that just about touches 43mm (equates to a Gibson-esq 1 11/16″)
• 25.5 scale length
• 9.5″ fingerboard radius
• 22 medium jumbo frets
• Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
• Alder body with a satin lake placid blue finish
• ‘Strat’ vintage style trem assembly
• 2 string trees
• Modern ‘slick’ machine heads
• 4 ply ‘shell’ pick guard
• Master vol + tone incorporating ‘grease bucket’ circuit (retains clarity + gain if you roll off the tone pot)
• Fender Yosemite Single coil  ‘Jazzmaster’ pick-ups
• Re-strung with 10-52 gauge strings and set-up with a sensible/fluid action
• Includes a deluxe Thomann padded gig bag
• Condition wise :- Essentially it is very clean – There is a very slight graze/scuff mark to the top surface of the satin finish – Near the lower strap button – Far more subtle than obvious – Otherwise only pick marks and buckle marks to the scratchplate and trem back plate represent any sign of previous usage

Playability and tonal character :-  The modern C neck profile, with 22 medium jumbo frets ensures this Jazzmaster plays and feels more like a modern instrument – Hence far more slick and easy to handle, so you can show off a few elaborate tricks if required – If you’ve played many of the current crop of ‘modern’ USA Strats, then you’ll be familiar with such a profile – The factory set-up on such a guitar is 9-42 gauge strings – Of course I can fine tune the set-up as required – However, I’ve re-strung and set it up with 10-52 gauge strings – So a touch thicker on the wound strings, so if you wish to delve into any drop tunings , or indeed give the low strings some ‘welly’ as you attack and drive a few power chords and riffs, then I feel the thicker 52 gauge low E suits such a guitar – Tone wise it sounds bigger and fatter than a Strat, but equally it is not a Jazzmaster sound for the purist – It shows how much influence the bridge and trem assembly have on the ‘offset’ voice – On clean amp settings it does capture some of the ‘big surf’ voice but with more ‘control’ and sustain – Neck pick-up is lush whilst the bridge pick-up possesses more of a bright spike, but not harsh – Add a more subtle level of gain and it kind of possesses a SRV Texas blues voice – Hence a big Strat voice, so a touch of SRV, without having to play 12 or 13 gauge strings – On more subtle overdriven amp settings it does remind you of Brit Pop tones that are popular with the Manchester boys  – Pile on more gain for grunge styles and the voice is big and clear – Maybe the tone is not pure Strat or indeed pure Jazzmaster – But it is big, clear and versatile – I can imagine playing in say a Blondie cover band and finding such a guitar feeling at home as it blends indie, pop, punk in one very useful package

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