VINTAGEVAULT
1959 Fender Jazzmaster #38876
In late 1958 the Fender Jazzmaster was
unveiled to the public. With a price tag of
$329, the Jazzmaster’s early ad copy read
like that era’s car commercials: “America’s
finest guitar... unequaled in performance
and design features.”
The Jazzmaster featured an offset body
shape designed for comfort and ease of
playing. The electronics’ unique design consisted of a switch on the upper horn which
when moved up offered independent
volume and tone control, intended to be
the “rhythm” position. When pushed down,
it would bypass the upper body controls
to provide a “lead” sound. The Fender
Jazzmaster was also the first Fender
model to offer a separate rosewood fingerboard glued to a maple neck. Additionally,
the vibrato unit was an all-new design,
offering a locking on/off switch. This switch
was intended to help the player stay in
tune in the event of a string break – a
great idea in theory that proved ultimately
impractical.
Fender envisioned the Jazzmaster appealing to jazz guitarists, hence the name,
but the era’s jazz musicians showed little
enthusiasm, and mainstream Fender fans
continued relying on their Strats and Teles
despite the Jazzmaster’s elaborate design.
The Fender Jazzmaster eventually found
a niche with instrumental bands like the
Ventures and the Fireballs, helping it to
become recognized as a legitimate member of Fender’s line-up.
One of the early design changes that took
place during the Jazzmaster’s production
was the addition of a nitrate celluloid pickguard, replacing the previous gold anodized
unit, featuring a crescent shaped notch at
the neck pocket area allowing for easier
truss rod access. Custom colors were also
