2019 Fender Custom Shop 1959 Jazzmaster Journeyman Relic, Faded 3-Colour Sunburst
Superb, nearly new Fender Custom Shop 1959 Jazzmaster from 2019. Part of the Fender Time Machine Series it is finished in an eye-catching faded 3-tone-sunburst with a light gold anodised pickguard with a AAA graded Rosewood fingerboard with authentic looking clay dot markers. The ageing is Fenders popular Journeyman Relic level giving the guitar the appearance of an instrument that has been well taken care of over the years but has finish checking, some “friendly” down-to-the-wood nicks and dings, flattened hardware, and moderate playing wear.
Introduced in mid-1958 the Jazzmaster was full of innovations and with a price tag of $329 it was more expensive than both the Telecaster and Stratocaster. Ultimately the model would not find favour with the Jazz guitarists for which it was designed but much to Fenders surprise it became popular with the new generation of Surf guitarists of the time.
Based upon a '59 Model year Jazzmaster this guitar conforms to the traditional spec with a few modern, player friendly features. The guitar has an offset, lightweight, two-piece body with traditional Jazzmaster Pickup and tremolo routes. The Maple neck is rift sawn with a AAA Slab Rosewood fingerboard with vintage, wide spaced clay dot markers and a 9.5” radius. The neck is finished with a medium tint Nitrocellulose lacquer. Frets are Medium Jumbo 6105 wire. The bone nut measures 42.26 with 1st and 12th fret depth measurements of 21.11mm and 23.32mm. The electronics are mounted to a subtly aged, faded gold anodised pickguard; pickups are traditional hand-wound Jazzmaster pickups wired in the traditional manner with its dual circuit design. The pickups measure at the output 7.35K and 7.25K in the neck and bridge positions. The bridge is Fenders RSD unit designed to alleviate some of the inherent issues of the original bridge and saddles when used with light strings. The Tremolo is Fenders ever plush feeling original Jazzmaster unit and tuners are period correct Kluson style Fender units.
Just in from the original owner it has seen minimal use and is in fantastic condition. The RSD bridge with its Brass saddle is quite a departure from the traditional Jaguar/Jazzmaster unit and possibly plays a big part in how the guitar sounds, it is loud both acoustically and amplified with slightly fewer of the overtones that can some time dominate with Jazzmasters. The flatter fingerboard radius and 6105 frets allow for an easy playing choke free and low set up. Weighing in at 7.9lbs it comes with its original Brown Tolex Fender Case with Certificate, floor traveller and other assorted accessories.