Leo Fender introduces the Jazzmaster at the 1958 NAMM Convention.
While designed and intended for the jazz players market it became instead the muse for the surf rock movement in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Groups like the Ventures and the Shadows among others made them synonomous with the surf sound.
The pickups, although often confused for p90s, are actually a wide wound single coil design giving a warmer thicker tone whilst retaining single coil clarity.
Another new feature was the rythm circuit with a seperate set of controls.
When engaged the rythm circuit uses only the neck pickup with the brightness rolled off due to different valued potentiometers as compared to the lead circuit.
This is the first Fender model to have a rosewood fingerboard. Some early models did have a maple fingerboard.
In 1980 the Jazzmaster was discontinued due to poor sales performance. In 1986 Fender Japan released a 1962 reissue model.
1999 saw the AVRI ( American Vintage Reissue ) from the Fender USA factory.
After years of being the red headed stepchild, ( or Royal Ginger Spare )
the Jazzmaster found a new audience in the indie rock world thanks to the likes of Elvis Costello, J Mascis and Tom Verlaine among others.
Bringing us to today which could ostensibly be the best of times, the worst of times for those of us so afflicted by Jazzmaster fever.
Although most of us like it being our own little niche, the uptick is the variety and abundence of all things Jazzmaster available. A modders paradise!