Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster (Candy Apple Red) Reviews

4.8/5.0 based on 5 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Edward Joseph Kujawa
from Rochester NY
February 7, 2013Music Background:
over 25 years as a player also am a Electronic Tech

Ventures Special LOL

Instrument is a fantastic guitar It had a problem but no doubt it can be fixed I had someafter thoughts on this Candy Apple Jazz master
I usualy like light gauge strings F-150 and this coupled with a low bridge
setting so it was a little high but anyway it is still a great guitar the finish surperb electronics dual circuitry right on the money she has two personalities sweet and snarly just like a good woman lol lol thanks Sweetwater for making it happen for me sincerely Ed Kujawa

James Holl
from Augusta Georgia
January 10, 2013Music Background:
Played evrything for the past 30 something years

Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster

First off no matter what your looking to buy, Buy it from SW. You will be getting not just a guitar out of the box from the Mfg'r but the also the service. I got the VMJ in just a few days after ordering. Ive been reading about these for awhile and that Squier nailed the Jazzmaster on the head without breaking the bank. I had to find out myself.
I am impressed, Ive had quite a few Fenders, American,Mexican whatever. This one ranks up there with them..at a lesser cost.
Quality is almost excellant. ( a slight blem ) in paint, who cares.
Pickups clean up nice, and it will growl if pushed.
The neck is fantastic..even the so called bridge it set low and no string buzz.
And lots of tone options with the neck pickup control.

Get it here..if they dont have one at the moment..be patient you wont regret it!!

Jon Wilson
from Albany, GA, USA
October 10, 2012Music Background:
varies

$299 for a high quality Jazzmaster guitar! STOKED...

It is absolutely absurd, ridiculous, even CRIMINAL, that you can buy a guitar of this level of quality for only $299. The guitar arrived INTONATED, there was 1 pickguard screw missing, all switches worked, and all of the rhythm and lead settings sound awesome. Even the fret ends are finished. The Indonesian factory must have the absolute best trained workers on Earth. This is my third guitar I've purchased in the Vintage Modified Series. Though impressed with my Jagmaster and Telecaster Special, of same brand and series, the Jazzmaster takes it to the next level. I'd happily pay $500 for another one if I knew it would be of the same quality.

Digimidi
from West Virginia panhandle
July 26, 2012Music Background:
Home/live recordist, semi-pro musician, most styles

Inexpensive Pleasure!

I was one of the first to buy this guitar from Sweetwater. At first, it didn't even appear in their inventory system, but my sales agent looked again, and behold, there it was. I wanted the candy apple red and since only the candy apple red was in stock, the choice was academic.
Having read some of the other reviews on other sites, I saw that a few purchasers were not as pleased as I am. Many reported broken toggle switches, finish pits, poor neck pocket sets, noisy pickups, etc.. However, in my case, either due to good fortune or the eagle eyes of Sweetwater putting it through their 55 point guitar inspection regimen, mine arrived perfect. No finish flaws, no noisy pickups, correct neck set; in fact, the finish is glossy perfection, a deep metallic red (candy apple). The pickups are Duncan designed and have a nice vintage sound, each pickup actually slightly different from each other in model (and sound). The sound is unlike a typical Strat or Tele, but more like, well, a Jazzmaster. Set your amp right and it can rock out! It will definitely get gnarly if you want it, or creamy nice if desired. Another feature I noticed was that the tremolo seemed to stay in tune fairly well if used judiciously - it might not if you are a tremolo twister or play like the Ramones - but it seems to stay in tune compared to a lot of guitars that I have.
Look at the tremolo arm and it will go much deeper into the hole than you might imagine - mine goes all the way down almost to the bend in it. If it needs some coaxing, put a little oil on it to assist it. The rhythm circuit works as expected - flip it up, and it has a deeper, less intense sound, but not overly bassy or unclear unless you roll off the highs with the tone control. This could be a cool feature when you want to solo by hitting down on the switch to put it into "lead mode". Some finer details included a vintage darkened maple tint, a logo-less tremolo plate, 25.5" scale (unlike some of the reported specs on the instrument.)
If you can't afford the Fender version, then this will do the job. Buy it from Sweetwater and they won't let any dogs pass through to you; the manufacturers know better than to send them to Sweetwater with their inspection plan. IF anything should go wrong, just call your sales agent and discuss it with him/her. All in all, this, for me, is a great instrument, especially for the money!

CJ Beuhler
from United States
November 21, 2012Music Background:
45 year hobbyist

Candy Apple Christmas present!

I must first complement Sweetwater for their excellent customer service. The guitar arrived in perfect condition, well packaged, and had been given a good basic set-up. I played it for a while to ensure everything was working properly, then decided to set the guitar up to my liking.
The frets were nice and level, so I took some relief out of the neck, and lowered the bridge a little...this guitar dialed in perfectly, with no adjustments needed to the nut, no high frets, no problems whatsoever!
I build guitars, and must admit that in this price range, I cannot compete! If you are looking for a good guitar for a starting player, or a gigging guitar that you don't have to fuss over...here it is!
Why not a "5"? Electronics...the switches are not top of the line, some scratchiness, and a tendency not to connect sometimes...I'll investigate during the first string change.
Tone and sonic versatility are adequate in this design...it takes premium wood, and high-quality electronics to go beyond what Fender has done with this guitar, which is an amazing value in this price range.