Squier J Mascis Signature Jazzmaster - Vintage White with Indian Laurel Fingerboard Reviews

My Jazzmaster arrived packed very securely and it was ready to play. I have barely touched my other guitars or bass since it arrived. I love everything about it, from the neck, to the tone to the way it stays in tune. Next time I have to buy gear it will again be from Sweetwater,

Picked one of these up to modify. Love the neck profile!

Looks great, feels great, easy to play.

Got this a couple years ago! Great neck-stays in tune, pick ups are killer! I tell ya, I have very high end guitars, and this is a total contender. I highly recommend this guitar, especially if you don't have much to spend on a guitar. These should be a lot more money. Even when I use the whammy bar a lot, it stays in tune. You won't be disappointed on this guitar!

I did a video review and unboxing on my YouTube channel
The video is over an hour long and is a virtual experience from opening the box to deciding to keep it. I liked this guitar and am keeping it! I bought this guitar from Sweetwater and my sales rep is Ryan Gregory who always does a good job for me. Thanks again. My YouTube channel is @royfella or SUPER BURL BOY ROY.

If you're reading this, then you're wondering if this J. Mascis Jazzmaster lives up to all the hype. Or, you're wondering who J. Mascis is. Well, if you're in the latter category, that just means you have more music to explore. "Feel the Pain" was on a loop at every alternative radio station during the 90s. Great song, but it's not representative of Dinosaur Jr.'s entire catalogue.

I've owned several guitars, from affordable to expensive and some in between. I've only owned two Jazzmasters: a Squire 40th Anniversary Vintage Jazzmaster, and this J. Mascis edition. Both are great in their own way. However, one required elbow grease and the other was good-to-go out of the box. One originated from Indonesia, the other China. It's not that country of origin matters; it's craftsmanship and attention to detail that count. Let me say this gently, the 40th Anniversary Squire is a fine guitar. I fixed it's shortcomings (mainly ratting bridge post screws and some other minor details). Now it plays like a champ. It has personality, quite a bit to be honest. Moving on to the J. Mascis. Same brand, different country of origin, different guitar. Yeah, it's not an authentic representation of Leo's design. It actually has some changes/improvements which help to make the guitar function better. On top of that, (IMO) it's closer than anything "Fender" currently offers bearing the Jazzmaster moniker.

This review isn't about the "sound" (subjective) or anything like that. It's about the construction of the guitar. "Is it cheap?" No. The guitar I received absolutely destroys a Mexican Telecaster I've owned for about 10 years. The build quality also surpasses that of my other Indonesian Jazzmaster because whomever installed the Phillips-Head screws didn't booger up every other one. I'm extremely impressed by the J. Mascis Jazzmaster. Like any guitar, each one is different. Mileage may vary. Yes, the electronics (knobs/switches) and tuners (the things your strings wrap around) are of lesser grade, but the pickups are sweet.

I'm done complementing this axe. Very happy with my serial number. Smooth jumbo frets. Polished frets. Oh! The neck… Yes it is nice. Tad bit wider fretboard. Basically, it's great. No regrets.

Sweetwater never disappoints! Ordered this guitar and was handled as if I had spent $5000. Incredible customer service and and quality control. Was kept updated as instrument made its way through the Sweetwater system from initial order to 55 point inspection at which point I was emailed pics of my guitar from all angles and on to shipping. Guitar arrived and was packaged very securely with Fender box inside a shipping box filled with foam padding and bubble wrap the packaging is a smart move on their part as it saves the hassle of shipping damage and subsequent returns and replacement. I recently had ordered a guitar from another prominent online instrument and what I received was basically shoved into a box with some bubble wrap no factory packaging, paper work and case candy it was full of finger prints and dust it was obviously a demo being passed off as new needless to say it went back. Nick my sales engineer kept me up to date and informed GREAT JOB! The guitar an absolute gem it plays well beyond its price point and the fit and finish was beyond excellent. The pickups have a nice bite when you want but can be subtle and expressive as well. I would highly recommend this "budget" guitar because the only thing budget about it is the price. Thanks to the team at Sweetwater for your care and commitment to excellence.

I've gotta say I've been eying this for years but never hopped on it because of price being so low. Let me just say there's no reason to buy fender MIM anymore unless you absolutely need to see fender on the headstock. These are miles ahead of other guitars in this price range (and even on par with some American models) It came perfectly set up AND INTONATED out of the box. If these were set up overseas and came here in this condition that alone is a statement to the quality of these guitars. Stable is a good word to describe the feeling of the neck. Just solid. Buy it.

I really wanted to get into a Jazzmaster and finally pulled the trigger on the JMJM after years of seeing hype built around it. There's no way it's that good right? It's a sub 500 dollar guitar made in China! I'm here to say folks that it lives up to the hype and then some. It came setup and in tune right out of the box. It plays and sounds amazing. I was skeptical about the TOM Bridge at first but after playing it I don't see a need to change it. It stays in tune and and the neck feels great with its satin finish. I'd recommend this guitar to anyone looking at getting into an offset whether your a beginner or a pro. The JMJM hold ups and punch far beyond its weight in price and value. Special thanks to Matt Subers for always helping me get what I need!

*Discretion- My J Mascis was upgraded by my buddy with a Fender Trem, Compton Bridge and MojoTone 59 Pickups prior to me owning it.

With that out of the way, I stand by my recommendation. I play Teles and SGs for the most part, but have always wanted a Jazzmaster. I like my secondary guitars to be different, while still feeling at home. That's what they nailed with this guitar.

It's effortless to play and has the same satin finish as my $2k Tele Ultra. The 9.5 inch radius with an offset body and some heavier .11s inspire me to play differently and that's what's most important to me at this point in my guitar purchasing journey.

If you're a beginner, you're not going to beat this as a first guitar. If you're experienced, you're not gonna find a better neck and base guitar to upgrade a few parts for live use.

Best buy for the money! Very versatile, super comfortable guitar. Actually a bit bothered at how much I like this thing. Neck and pickups are awesome! Feels and plays like a much more expensive piece. Get one before they're gone again. You won't be disappointed.

I bought this guitar recently, and I realized that this was my actual dream guitar. Everything came out perfectly out of the box. The finish is great - pickguard fits perfectly. Excellent fit of neck pocket, and the trem is set up just right. I do floats, dive-bombs, etc. and it always stays in tune. Couldn't be more impressed with this guitar. I would recommend this to starters, amateurs, and pros!

I bought this guitar recently, and I just will say, "IT's THE BEST!!!" Buy one now.

You can see all the other reviews posted. Mine won't tell you anything differently. This is an amazing guitar - not just because of its price, but in comparison to any other Jazzmaster Fender/Squier have ever mass-produced.
I am a certified Jazzmaster nerd. I own 4 Jazzmasters in addition to my J Mascis model: two that I built myself, an American Professional II, and a $ Custom Shop. A number of other Jazzmasters have come and gone through my collection. I wired up another 100+ while running a side business for a couple years. The fit and finish is as good as even the Custom Shop, and a touch better than the Am Pro II. The quality of the electronics is on par with any of them. The unique P90 pickups (versus standard Jazzmaster single coil pickups) give the Mascis its own unique aggressive, yet tame-able sound. The Adjusto-Matic bridge does wonders for sustain and tone, with its sharper break angle behind the bridge. The neck is sublime, with a perfect finish on the frets and silky smooth back.
In short: this is the Jazzmaster you want in your stable. The low cost of ownership is just icing on the cake.

The review title says all you may need to know, but let me expand on that a little bit.

First off, the Jazzmaster is an underappreciated design that has slowly grown in appreciation decades after it was written off as a quixotic failure. This guitar retains the "What were they thinking?" rhythm circuit that is part of the original Jazzmaster design. The idea then was "instant Jazz tone" with less high end. Jazz players weren't sold, and even today many more expensive Jazzmaster branded Fenders remove or modify that circuit. But then players discovered decades later was that it can give a very distinctive option when used with gain or other effects pedals, something that has made the Jazzmaster a favorite for several contemporary experimental guitarists.

Another misunderstood/problematic feature was the original design's rocking bridge saddles, the idea of which was that it would rock along with slight movement of the trem for vintage playing style wobbles. Alas, with modern light strings and more aggressive finger vibrato it didn't work well. This model comes with a common mod: a Gibson type Tune-o-matic bridge design that keeps the strings in place when folks bend strings at the fretboard. For modern players expectations this model is significant advantage over the exact vintage design.

Oh, did I just mention the Jazzmaster trem bridge? Leo Fender wanted to improve on his pioneering Strat vibrato system and in some ways he did with this design. This model does not have am exact duplicate of the original Jazzmaster bridge (closer to the saddles, no little-used locking feature). I find it works was well or better than a Bigsby or Strat vibrato for above-and-below modest pitch changes.

Many reviewers have already mentioned the pickups aren't exactly the classic Jazzmaster type. That's so, they have a little more gain and girth than vintage Jazzmaster pickups and have P90-style adjustable pole pieces -- but they are very good pickups and work well clean to crunch to even heavy gain. They are fully noise cancelling in the middle position, and less noisy than many P90s in single PU settings (the metal pickguard may be helping there).

Then neck carve feels middle of the road to me, with the welcome exception that it has a slightly wider nut than many Squier guitars. The jumbo frets are nice and again help this guitar work well with string vibrato technique. Yes, it's a Fender longer-scale instrument, but this guitar can get into that LP/SG Jr. area sound-wise.

I know this says Squier on the headstock, and has such a modest price that you may be thinking this a beginner guitar or a "sort of looks like a real one, but then you play it, and..." deal. No. It works well, has useful features, and I actually prefer it to some more expensive Fender-on-the-headstock Jazzmaster models.

I see this model on stage more than many other similar priced guitars. It's sort of a secret weapon, a little-known deal in a great working instrument at a lower than one would expect price.

This guitar and a modeling amp is all you need to get very close to any sound you can imagine. Surf and grunge seem to be its wheelhouse, but it handles country, jazz, and rock very well. Out of all of my other guitars it comes closest to the tone of my Gretsch which is impressive to me. Don't miss out on this guitar.

This guitar actually makes me feel dumb for spending 3 times as much for almost every other guitar in my arsenal. That's no BS! Tone nuts, take note; this is one of those Squires that was actually made better than most Fenders twice the price both regarding sound and playability. That said: neck is on the thicker side, not the thickest, but definitely not thin. Not too sticky, feels like satin. Fit and finish, pretty fair for a guitar under $500. Fret work was okay for me right out of the box, and it stays in tune better than my Gibsons, and my PRS. It sounds GREAT! Great for clean sparkling tones, and the neck pickup gets some of that "strat-like" quack, regardless of the difference in pickup type (P-90's). Obviously sounds great for distorted/overdriven tones as well! Good for the alt rock and hard rock style, blues, surf, country. I'm not a metal guy, so I can't attest to anything there, but the style is a little bit more classic and I'm guessing it's not what a metal guy goes for typically. The tremolo…. Not good. I hate to say it, but everythig you've ever heard about the poor tremolo design on a Jazz master is confirmed true with this guitar. The bar falls out constantly, nothing keeps it in; but it does stay in tune well even when playing with the trem, so there's that at least. I give it five stars because of the price. You really can't ask for more from some thing at this price point, it's just too rare that you get something that sells for less than $1,500-$2,500 that sounds the part, and plays and function so well. Back when I first started playing guitar(early 90's), most beginner guitars in the 2-$500 range were absolute garbage. It blows me away that beginner guitar players have an option like this today. I would've killed for this to be my first guitar, but proud to play it as an intermediate player as well!

I was a strat guy for 10 years. Played a tele 2 months ago. Now I'm a tele guy. Played a Jazzmaster 2 weeks ago. What was life before this. Buy it. The Jazzmaster is slept on, and squier outdid themselves with the tone and quality of this build. Buy it.

I have several American Fenders. This is my best sounding guitar, period. It's a pleasure to play, and feels like a much more expensive guitar. It's versatile-really the only axe I need right now. It's also a very pretty thing. I have owned a Indonesian made Squire before a deal eventually grew out of that. Great guitar, but needed new pick ups. This is an exceptional Squire. An exceptional guitar!

Mike Soper and team helped get this plek'd and restrung before it arrived with nice, super low action and a dream to play right out of the box. Whatever they did in the 55-point inspection, this thing came flawless. I am astounded by the quality - as the proud owner of 100+ guitars at all price points, this may be the best value for the money I have ever found, better than my American-made JM for a fraction of the cost. Worth the extra for the plek and setup - but can't add enough stars at this price point.

First I fell in love with the looks of this guitar then I plugged it into a Fender 30 watt Bass Breaker combo and was blown away by the variety of tones you get with or without pedals. Have since switched to a Marshall DSL 20 combo but still get fantastic tones from this guitar. No trouble with the Sweetwater setup, plays great right out of the box.

I consider myself a pragmatic guitarist in that i don't buy guitars often. And when i do its because they do a thing that my current selection cannot achieve. I have more expensive guitars, and i have guitars that are cheaper. Most of my stuff is modded, and the only things i found myself needing to do out of the box were lowering the action to taste and after about 6 months i had to resolder the output jack. As others have probably mentioned, the neck joint is a lil sloppy but otherwise seriously useable (mainable even) setup from squier i played it that way for 6 months before giving it some tlc. I have since switched out and reintonated for hybrid strings in some cockamamie Csus2 tuning i have been playing in as of late and i can't put this thing down. It does the jazzmaster thing brilliantly, looks swanky as all get out while doing so, in any colour light, plays like triple its price tag, stays in tune great, and feels really sturdy and solid with a good weight and overall balance. I have been using it for post rock, a film soundtrack, ambient, hip hop, ska, r&b, heavy riffing/occasional dj0nt, fingerstyle, math rock, pop punk, jazz, and funk and it finds its place in again every light. I think that this guitar is a future classic, plays like a dream and is worth every red cent to anyone clever enough to consider one.

Tl:dr it's a good get 11/10 highly recommend

Purchased from Sweetwater. For the money this guitar is hard to beat. Sounds and plays great. I don't use the trem much, but it seems to stay in tune as good as more expensive guitars I own. I won't ever sell it because, I haven't found a guitar at this price point that sounds and plays as good. Setup out of box was surprisingly good. I don't think I've made any adjustments. I was thinking of buying an American Jazzmaster, but glad I didn't. I don't write reviews much and felt compelled to on this one.

I've wanted an offset guitar like this for a really long time and out of all of the Jazzmasters, I kept coming back to the J Mascis because it's different than the standard models. I read a bunch of reviews and watched videos on YouTube, and when I read that they were discontinuing the model, I decided to pull the trigger. Now that I have it, I can say that I should have bought it sooner.

It's incredibly well built, feels great, and sounds fantastic. For clean tones, I love the middle position in the lead circuit. It sounds awesome with a fuzz pedal or overdrive.

Sweetwater did awesome shipping it out fast, and it arrived in perfect condition. The guitar was intonated all over which was surprising but welcomed (it's a really well built guitar for being Squier; it's not cheap).

So, I looked at the specifications for this Fender Squire Jazzmaster and the Fender American Jazzmaster and there was basically no difference or vital compromises by choosing the Fender Squire J Mascis Signature Jazzmaster over the American one. I have played both and they both play the same. I have been playing and repairing guitars as a hobby for 45 years. I consider myself to be a pretty fair guitar luthier and player. So I have seen thousands of guitars and owned hundreds. When I see and play a good guitar, I do not look at the headstock and make a decision based on the label or manufacturer, I look at the quality of the components they used, the build quality, and how well it plays right out of the box! So my decision to buy this Fender Squire Jazzmaster Signature Model was based on the build quality, components, and the playability. This guitar is more than I expected in all three of those categories!!! I would buy this guitar again without hesitation. My thanks to Sweetwater for getting the guitar to me so quickly, and for the outstanding packing the warehouse did. You are my number one source for instruments and gear from now on.

This is an amazing guitar Quality is great sounds amazing looks amazing It's hard to put it down

I have been looking at this model since I started back in the music scene about a year ago. I went with a Gretsch G5220 and and am happy with it. When the gigging and studio time became more frequent I looked for another "more expensive" and bought another Gretsch G5191 another awesome guitar by the way. Anyway I got a gift card and decided to finally pull the string and get the J Mascis Squire. And I am happy to say this guitar is incredible! Don't let the price fool you. This guitar is worth much more than the sticker price. First thing its a stunning guitar out of the box. The pick ups are a monster and blew me away, i was not excepting that. Playability was incredible as well. The neck feels just right for my hands and is smooth and fast. I'm not a big trem guy so i cant really give my opinion on that(I don't even have the arm on the guitar. The tuners fell pretty solid and are responsive. I love the different tones I can get from this guitar as well. There is still a lot to explore with this guitar and I cant wait to gig with it. The old saying goes don't judge a book by its cover, or in this case, the price couldn't be more true. If you even think you want this guitar get it!!! They wont be around forever. Great job Squire…
Thanks

***Full Disclosure - I only play neck pickups or neck/mid positions on JM's***
I own multiple jazzmasters, as they are personally my favorite sounding and playing guitars. I've owned strats, LP's and just about everything in between. I read reviews for the JMJM for at least two years, but waited to pick one up until I heard they were stopping production. I should not have waited so long!
As a tone junkie, I had to play the JMJM to hear the difference between these pickups and the antiquities. Hearing is believing! These pickups absolutely ROAR!
The pickups, as described by others are LOUD and much hotter than standard JM pickups. They provide feedback and effortlessly overdrive a tube amp, especially the neck or mid/neck positions.
The neck is the other major difference between the JMJM and other jazzmasters. The satin back is extremely comfortable, the tall frets play like butter and the setup from Sweetwater was just about perfect.
I was not crazy about the yellow/gold aluminum pickguard, and have a few waiting to replace it. But it honestly grows on you and likely has some electronic shielding/hum silencing qualities, so mine is still stock.
On clean settings - the JMJM sounds exactly like other jazzmasters. It's FAT, warm and... jazzy. When you throw some dirt or fuzz on it morphs into an absolute monster!
I generally run this through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Vox AC15 and rock a pretty minimalist board consisting of delay, comp, fuzz, blues driver and chorus. This guitar LOVES pedals! Try different fuzzes on it for a real fun time.
If you're on the fence and reading reviews to help you decide, like I was - go play one! It took a while, but one finally showed up at a local GC so I went and plugged in one day over my lunch break. I couldn't get back to my computer fast enough and ordered mine, brand new from Sweetwater that day! The only brand new guitar I have ever bought.
Overall the JMJM plays as well as an American JM, is a more versatile with the ability to go from a nice warm, fat tone to an angry beast with the click of a switch and surpasses the build quality of some MIM JM's.

What a (surprisingly) outstanding instrument. I like J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr, and just really liked the look of the guitar. At least that's what got me interested. I have been progressing in my guitar playing and buying … focused on mid-level USA made Fender and Gibson. I was feeling 'above' a Squier. That being said, I have not really been able to find an electric guitar that really felt comfortable to me. I have looked at the Jazzmaster and Jaguars, but none sounded or felt right. I finally got off my brand high horse after watching all the reviews on this guitar and bought it. WOW. Something about the gibson bridge, strat neck, and jazzmaster selector position really is feeling right! I can't put it down … really enjoy the fit and feel alongside the looks and sound. With a little distortion I can go from neck to bridge and create a clean/dirty mix without using a pedal. However, I do find middle position to sound best. I also like the top neck/jazz position. Trick I found for me is to increase the volume of the amp then lower the volume of the guitar. Frets feel different than anything I have played. I have had jumbo frets before, but these are almost crowned like a triangle. They don't look like they would be as comfortable as they are, the satin neck feels outstanding. My only criticism of the guitar would be the cut of the nut as it feels high in the first 3 fret positions. I have not adjusted it yet as I am not in love with anything I have played prior, so I figure I will give it a chance for a bit. Regardless, easy fix if necessary. Shout our to my Sweetwater rep Paul too. Almost immediate turnaround and set me up with fast shipping!

This wonderful guitar is much more than I expected. It has a range of versatility that I have barely began to explore. Ergonomically it's great. Not too heavy and the body shape is really cool. It's tone is very good both clean and distorted. I'm really glad that I made this purchase. A big shout out to Spencer and Jeff for their excellent customer service and follow up.

All I can I say is wow. I was looking for an American Pro II or Ultra Jazzmaster. I wasn't even considering a Squier, but picked up a display model while waiting for one of the others to come down from the top row. I played the other Jazzmasters but kept going back to the Squier and ended up buying it. I own a Clapton Strat, Vintera Tele Deluxe, PRS Custom and this Squier is easily on par with all of those. Absolutely love the neck and the pickups.

And I never thought I would ever say that, but you will too.

If you are reading these reviews there is one of two things happening right now. Either you are ready to push the Buy button or you are trying to be dissuaded from pushing the Buy button.

I was just like you. When this Jazzmaster first came out, I wanted it, but kept putting it off, because of the Squier label on the headstock. What a jerk! Really, think about it. This JM had everything right that Fender did wrong. No more crappy bridge, no more weak pickups, and an anodized pickguard to sweeten the deal?

And then getting photos from Sweetwater to choose the one you want. I picked a heavy 8lb 12oz, because of the tight straight grain of the maple neck and the tiger stripe of the fingerboard which was undeniably cool.

And guess what I got.

Without a doubt the most resonant Fender I have ever played and I have been playing Fenders since my first Mustang back in '64. It may be the weight, may be the neck, may be the fingerboard, may be the pickguard, but probably a combo of all of them.

I didn't even plug it in for the first day, just couldn't stop playing. And like a great guitar should, it made me play things I had never played before. You know what I mean, it has happened to you too.

And from a lowly Squier?? I'll tell you what, whoever is in charge of this line now has been given free rein to produce a fine axe in every way.

And it is BEAUTIFUL!! That aged white finish with matching pickup covers and knobs and the gold pickguard and everything was completely flawless.

And then I plugged it in. And those pickups shine. Whatever they have done to augment the Jazzmaster pickup works, yes it does.

And I waited a while before I chose the middle switch position, because that was one of the main reasons I sprung for this axe. And there it was, the purest Fender tone ever, sounded like being inside a wave. Baja by The Astronauts.

I am now in Fender heaven. And officially a Squier proponent. I threw away that chip on my shoulder and am a much better player and probably better person because of it.

What a dream it would have been if this was my first guitar, but it may be an even better dream now.

Looking to get an Esquire next. And yes it will be a Squier. Crazy? I would have thought so before this JM arrived.

And I will be proud to play it anywhere.

One more thing, this JM came perfectly set up in every way and securely packed and double packed and even arrived a day early. Follow ups from Joe and a set of photos for posterity. Gotta love Sweetwater!

And What a Deal! Pardon me!!!

My 1st "signature" guitar. I was of the opinion that sigs are cheesy and "relic" ing guitars is laughable, but this is changing. Successful musicians will most likely have access to a greater scope of instruments and components, and have created their own, like this one, as opposed to merely "endorsing" something. "Relic"ing is still a "Stupid Human Trick" to me. Faked "vintage," that will hopefully be a "What we're they thinking" kinda thing. I've wanted an offset for awhile and evidently did my research, because this one lives up to the hype, and I really like it. This is not the 1st batch of these, and it really shows what Squier can do for less than $. The neck feels like a fast acoustic, and is stained Fruitwood so it doesn't look anemic like The Am. Performers. The pickups have a distinctive bark, especially the bridge. TONE clean and through a Wampler Tumnus Deluxe and Boss DS -1X driven is SO nice. I did have "it" (no name yet) plek'd, as I knew the fretwork would be a little rough, and it is OH sO nice. I also received a Vox AC30 head the same day, to complete my stereo setup with a 5150iii Stealth 50, on 4x12 half stacks, on each side! blah blah blah brag but it DOES sound incredibly. To keep this guitar quality true, throughout the years and multiple batches, (for
-$) J. Mascis probably has naked pictures of the Squier CEO.

I've been playing guitar for about 20 years, and when I was young the quality of a Squier was flat out not good. You would be contending with very poor fretwork, there would be constant intonation issues due to poor installation of hardware and the electronics would absolutely have to be swapped.

This guitar is NOT the Squier's of old. Out of the box it sounds and plays like a guitar worth twice as much. I literally was playing it side by side with my Gibson SG Standard. Stunned. I truly cannot believe this is a Squier.

What makes it sound THIS good and play so well? I think it's the neck. This is not your typical thin guitar neck. This is a classic "baseball" neck and has jumbo frets. The combo works fabulously. The satin finish feels wonderful.

The tune-o-matic bridge means you won't be dealing with the typical Jazzmaster string pop that has a tendency to occur.

The only thing I would caution anyone that is unsure about this purchase is that the pickups are not traditional Jazzmaster pickups and sound closer to P-90's (though not quite the same). Though if you wanted to just swap in a pair of real Jazzmaster pickups that's easy enough to do.

I would 100% recommend this guitar to anyone that asks and I would 100% recommend using Sweetwater to purchase one.

I have had mine for 48 hours. Sweetwater's checklist is very impressive and it arrived perfectly playable. I have 4 other Fender guitars all of which are USA made. I never thought I would buy a Squier. I've read a ton of forums and watched a ton of videos about this guitar and knew I wanted one. People gig with this guitar with no upgrades and I now can see how. I expected the neck would be great since that what everybody touts but the surprise was how well it stays in tune when you use the trem. No regrets here.

I bought this guitar on 8/24/2021. I had reservations about the guitar staying in tune and was ready to buy locking tuners, etc. I didn't have to buy anything except a case! This guitar stays in tune like my locking terms, and my non trem guitars. It sounds awesome and very different than my other guitars. I'm so glad Cameron Ferguson was my sales engineer, he is always helpful, and helped me choose this guitar along with all my purchases with Sweetwater. Im very glad I purchased this guitar from Sweetwater!

This guitar is so good it's crazy. It's so easy to play with the neck shape and the wider nut. It has many useful sounds and the pickups sound great.

This is my least expensive guitar, but I was still hesitant. I shouldn't have been concerned. The fretwork was perfect and the ends nicely dressed. I haven't had to touch them. I've owned 3 Fender Player series and they all needed work on the fret ends. The finish is excellent. I haven't found a flaw. The colors look great, especially the neck and headstock. Looks like a fruitwood stain.

The minor quibbles? The neck was a little rough. A couple passes with 0000 steel wool took care of that. And the tone goes really dark when rolling back the volume - even just to 9. I'll install a treble bleed if I can put it down for a day.

Bottom line? This J Mascis Jazzmaster is probably my favorite guitar. If you're on the fence, get one before they are discontinued - they've has a long run.

I love this guitar!!! I've been looking for a guitar for years that has the bite of a Strat but the beefy tone of a Les Paul... this one hits my mark! The pickups are hotter so they have a meatier tone. Its a bit on the noisy side but I've also haven't played single coils in over a decade but I'm learning to play a bit different to cut down the hum. But, you won't regret the tone coming out of this guitar. Amazing guitar for the price!!!

I've used it live and in the studio and it's so solid. You won't regret!!

I was so close to buying $1000+ Fender Jazzmaster but this guitar is everything I was looking for. Comfortable, solid flawless build, excellent stock pickups. Stays in tune. I'm a bit of a guitar snob and had a hard time pulling the trigger on a Squire, but no regrets.

by far, the most intimate guitar-related purchase i've ever made. i live in North Pole, Alaska (not a joke, which i have to keep explaining to my mailman), so i listen to a lot of Dinosaur Jr., and/or J Mascis + the Fog, or him just solo, over his humanely-utilized looper at some weird festival, tearing up every guitar he ever touched. when i unboxed it, i was sort of overwhelmed, but ultimately determined to learn ammaring. this guitar provided every appropriate tone, action, etc., and looks beautiful, but i gotta say I snapped the high E learning Ammaring. The string kept sliding off the saddle, and i kept pulling it back in place. not angrily, but eagerly. until it snapped. definitely a guitar you can sing through, apologize to, or attack. so will you guys, or J, be willing to replace the string? it would make one hell of a photo op.

Being a guitar player for over 22 years, I've played different instruments but can't think of an electric that has brought me this much joy every time I play it. This thing just nails the sound, tone, feel and expression im looking for in an instrument. Really can't believe how stupidly cheap it is. Highly recommend.

This guitar plays as well as an American Fender. It's all been said before, but the neck is AMAZING and so fast and smooth. You can also get a tone of great tones from the normal circuits and some really cool stuff with the sometimes maligned rhythm circuit.

It came out of the box with perfect intonation and action. It also stays in tune even when using the tremolo. The build quality is outstanding and I have no issues with finish. Frets are smooth, neck is fast, and everything works as it should.

This is the first electric guitar I have owned in years and I am extremely happy with my purchase.

First my disclaimer: I bought a whole new rig: guitar, amp, tuner, cables, headphone, strap locks and more.
But I did not buy my Jassmaster from Sweetwater (it was not available at the time).
EVERYTHING else came from Sweetwater.

I write this review as an owner of a Squier J Mascis Signature Jazzmaster. I assure you that you will not
be disappointed with this instrument; plus you will get the best customer service!

Second disclaimer: I had a well known master guitar tech in Los Angeles (who works with professional musicians in
the recording industry) do a full setup and replace the factory nut with a bone nut.

You don't need to go to that extreme because it plays great out of the box! But this is the last guitar I
will ever own. At my death I plan to have my ashes put in a small box and placed inside my guitar case
next to the Jassmaster. My daughter has already laid claim to my guitar when I die. Knowing her she will probably
hang the guitar on a wall to display and flush my ashes down the toilet.

ENJOY YOUR GUITAR !!!

PS : don't ask for a cheap burial at sea.

This guitar sounds awesome! A good tone even not plugged in. High quality build, no faults or blemishes at all, and a fast and smooth satin neck. Strings were good quality with a bright sound. I will be switching to flat wound jazz strings to see how that works, I would gladly buy a Squier guitar again, and also gladly buy from Sweetwater.

This model compares/competes WAY above it's price point with models costing much more in my opinion (and others I've spoken to agree, including my tech).

These pickups are more like P90's than traditional Jazzmaster pickups. They have more output and gain, and a fuller, less Piercing sound. Their tone is quite good overall...especially for a Squire model.
The nut width on this model is a wider 1 & 11/16's, with a fairly deep neck carve. It also has Jumbo frets
(though not the giant ones you see on some metal focused instruments which I'm not wild about....but these are actually comfortable to me).

These factors combine to give it a very solid feel, and allows for harder playing/digging in more.
The bridge is a tunomatic style, which reduces buzzing and adds to the resonance and overall solid feel of the guitar.
The build quality on these is high for the price, and the overall vibe is really unique. I also own the previous Japanese J Mascis Jazzmaster in purple sparkle. That guitar cost me double the price of this Squire, but build quality and materials are actually pretty close (which for a Squire really surprised me). All Squires are not created equal I discovered.
I highly reccomend this instrument to ANYONE...beginners and pros alike. I own several high end electrics, and this guitar is right there in the same league in feel, sound, and aesthetics!
I added white button tuners to bring the cream color to the headstock. But wanted to mention that those are not stock in my photo. It was a cheap, easy change without modification.

I bought my Squire J Mascis from Sweetwater, and waited for just the right one. So COOL they let you choose your actual guitar. I got one that was the weight I wanted, and had a groovy fingerboard grain swoop on frets 1-4 (See pic).

Ive been a session recording musician and producer for over ten years. I've been playing Fender offset guitars my whole life and have dabbled with squier products over the years. For the last decade my main guitar has been a Fender Jaguar that cost way more than the J Mascis Jazzmaster. My grandmother's fiancé had this guitar in his collection and offered to sell it to me for only $60 after he picked up a brand new jazzmaster. Right away I fell in love with this thing. The neck, the pickups build quality...it's all what you would expect of a true fender jazzmaster. Seriously when put side by side with my high end jaguar, the J Mascis Jazzmaster has the same feel when playing, a nice smooth neck, better frets then most squier guitars and the vintage style tuning heads have slots that allow for extra string tension to keep that thing in tune all the time. Even my jaguar required The installation of locking tuners but this guitar looks like that won't be a necessary upgrade. The pickups are the real winner for me with this guitar. It sounds really beautiful and even jangly when playing clean. It also pairs really well with a big muff for those who may be wondering...yes this guitar does nail the Dinosaur Jr sound 100% Many guitarists who play Fender guitars refuse to touch squier instruments but in my experience with both fender and Squier products I'll say this...the low end bullet and affinity line of squier products are cheap and not made for professionals. They're beginner guitars. But if you pick up a squier mustang, duo sonic, jaguar, jazzmaster or something from their vintage modified/classic vibe lines of instruments then you're essentially buying a legit fender. The higher priced squier guitars have Fender build quality, they're just manufactured in places like China, Indonesia, etc that allow them to be manufactured and sold at a lower price range than the Mexican, Japanese and American made Fender guitars. Overall I'd say the J Mascis Jazzmaster is probably one of the highest quality Squiers you can find.

Usually I would be hesitant to purchase a squire, but this guitar never let me down. I have always loved Dinosaur Jr, so this guitar was the choice for me. I got it back in 2015 as my high school graduation gift, and I have had it ever since. First off, let me start by saying this squire has better quality than some guitars I've played that cost 4x as much. If you're thinking about it, just do it! Mine is currently out of commission, but thats because I haven't exactly been easy on it over the years. She's seen a lot of good times. Just need to get some soldering done so I can get it back In working order. Great tones come from this guitar, and it stays in tune perfectly. If I didn't see the squire logo on the headstock, I wouldn't even guess it was one.

Just got this in a few weeks ago and I couldn't be happier with the quality and sound this thing puts out. Big thank you to Larry who set me up with everything.

Completely blown away. Bought this with the expectation that I'd have to doctor it up a lot. Not so. Great balance, great neck, fret leveling and ends are perfect. Intonation is spot on. This is a really good value IMO.

I bought this guitar for my hubby, so he will write the review. thanks for the guitar T, well my j mascis was all I hoped for and more. I gave this model jazzmaster a lot of thought and compared it similar squire models,I also saw a lot of people started modding this model as soon as they got it and that bothered me a bit.

I admit I am a bit of a snob when it comes to my guitars and usually stay with the major Brand names, now to the review if you are thinking about buying this guitar, don't even hesitate it's effin amazing. I did replace the strings with 11s with a wound 3rd string D'Add's brand,because I believe they are more stable, i cleaned up the nut slots and addid nut sauce tuned to pitch and friends I have not put it down in 2 days, super neck love the aom bridgeI'm not a fan of whammy bars but it works great, i just love the sound of the pups/Beach Boys surf stuff/Beatles/Pettyand if you use a 12 string emulator pedal, I have the Mosaic sounds like a fender double 6 BRILLIANT GRAB ONE I am not even thinking about putting a sticker of the Squire name. 5 stars

If you want an awesome looking guitar that sounds and feels amazing right out of the box, this is the way to go. You won't find a better guitar out of the box for this price. The other benefit is there's always room for upgrades if you feel the need. Switching the cosmetic parts and electronics on this guitar is not very difficult and most parts are not very expensive. Great instrument! It also bears the name of one of my favorite songwriters and guitar players, who's name is clearly timeless.

I'm not a fan of the plastic tuners, or the pickups. I like everything else though.

It arrived mostly setup and in tune. It lacks any of the buzzes, rattles, etc, that my CME fender player jazzmaster suffers. However, the Pure Vintage 65 pickups on the CME sounds so much better. I'll probably throw a pair of those into this JMJM.

I ordered from Sweetwater so I wouldn't have to bother with a setup. This guitar was very playable out of the box.

I absolutely love this thing. It is worth every penny and then some. The neck feels so smooth and fast. The bridge provides excellent tuning stability. Just an all around amazing guitar and excellent service from sweetwater.

For the money, you're not going to find an offset that plays nicer. Im really not a fan of the Indian Laurel fingerboard - its very porous and feels kinda cheap. Aside from that, The guitar is awesome. These are P90's, not true jazzmaster pickups - I think they sound freaking awesome. Aside from the fretboard, this thing is an incredible buy. I'm very happy with mine.

This JM Jazzmaster is hands down the best Jazzmaster value on the market. It's been modified in all the right spots, including upgraded bridge, tailpiece placement (for better break angle of the strings), beefier pickups, and don't even get me started on that neck! Attention to detail on the neck makes it feel identical to my American Strat. Flawless fretwork, rolled fretboard edges, and substantial feel of neck profile. Very solid instrument at a very doable price.
If you're looking for a twangy vintage sounding Jazzmaster, you might want to check out other options. The J Mascis has very hot pickups (essentially P 90's), so it has much more low and low/mid output than a traditional JM. The jangle is still there if you turn down your amp gain though, and run your guitar controls wide open. I find it very versatile, and can cover just about any style with this guitar.
She's a keeper.
Special shout out to my long time sales engineer Scott A. Dude has always stepped up for me when it counts. No problem has ever been too big or too small. He just handles it, no matter what. He's earned my trust (which is not easy to do, considering I'm an old, cranky, retired touring professional from the dark ages, who is very picky about my gear). Scott's the man!
Lastly, a big thank you to the entire Sweetwater organization. Owner, management, staff, etc.... What a class act. You simply do it right. Consistency is key, and you folks nail it day in and day out. Thanks for the ride. Looking forward to many more years with the best in the biz!

Im not sure what i can add that most other reviewers havent allready, but ill try. Looking around you will find multiple articles about all the mods like neck shimming and TOM bridges that people usually do. This guitar has all of those mods allready in addition to moving the bridge further up to change the break angle on the strings. This allong with the neck being angled (usually shimmed) should put more tension on the strings to keep them on the brige from what ive read as well as cutting down on strings breaking. I use earnieball RPS strings so that the windings are covered and nothing pokes me in the arm. The pickups are in fact more like a P90 and not like a traditional Jazzmaster pickup as you can see by the adjustable poles. I think for the price this is an outstanding first or second guitar for somone new to playing or even someone looking for a Jazzmaster but isnt willing to pay a lot more. Its a lot of guitar for the money. The slightly "orange" color of the neck took me a minute to get used to visually but has grown on me for sure. Looks good with a purple strap. As for the feel of the neck ive read in other forums people were buying them just for the neck alone before. Ive read that after 2018 or 19 the neck is just a hair wider and wont fit other fender guitars now. The pickups are in fact more like a P90 and not like a traditional Jazzmaster pickup as you can see by the adjustable poles. You should probably just buy one.

Thanks to Keith for all his help.

If you're looking for a rock 'n' roll guitar with a BRIGHT sound to play your favorite 90s tunes, this is it. I know J Mascis keeps a piece of tape on the switch as to not accidentally flip it up into the 'rhythm' circuit, but I find the 'rhythm' circuit's warmness gives me a nice tone for my jazz band. It plays great, looks great, and sounds great. It will be a nice addition to your arsenal.

I still Love my guitar, The fit, finish, hardware and craftsmanship of this guitar for a low-end instrument is fabulous. I have purchased 2 Fender Squier guitars and 2 basses made in China and have a 4th on order, because the Chinese made guitars are comparable to far more expensive instruments
The only reason I am giving this Jazzmaster a 4.5 out of 5 stars is because it is a great guitar for the price if you are willing to put the work into it, however the work is a considerable effort. The high e string was constantly going out of tune and breaking at the ball end. I went online and found forums devoted to this apparently common problem caused by the engineering blunder of the offset bridge.
Thinking that there might be burrs causing the strings to break, I filed the inside of the hole of the high e-string with a low e-string, removed the screw below the high e, filed the head of the screw down and filed new crosshair into it so it can be unscrewed with eith a phillips or flathead screwdriver so the string is not getting snagged when dive-bombing with the tremolo. I changed the string tree, with a ripoff fender-aftermarket rounded string tree.
However, none of this seemed to be a complete solution, so I decided to try one of the recommendations I read on a JM forum, which was soldering the string windings at the ball end and the string seems to be holding up, neither going out of tune significantly or breaking even with strenuous tremolo use.
The bottom line is this: Sweetwater gave me a sweet deal on this guitar... I invested about another $200.00 in hardware, mostly Chinese made; a tunomatic (roller) bridge, a buzzkill, a Fender LSR roller nut, Fender string tree, Fender Locking tuners, black pick-up covers, black tremolo cap, abalone capped gold knobs and a couple days work and for my investment I have a guitar that looks better and plays as well with absolutely beautiful tone that sounds and plays as well as a top of the line vintage JazzMaster.

I wanted a JazzMaster from the first time I played a vintage JazzMaster over 30 years ago.

Although I prefer the body style of the Strat, I flat out Love this guitar. After adjusting the intonation, pick-up heights and changing the strings, the guitar played pretty well.

I did a considerable amount of work to make this guitar play as well as it does, but as a result, I own an instrument that is probably better than one costing 10 times as much. invested about $200.00 in upgrades, but at the Sweetwater price, I am more than happy with this guitar.
I remodeled the headstock with a rotary tool and thankfully removed the j macis name by sanding it off, because I hated the association with one of the worst guitar players who ever lived and made the clumsy looking Fender headstock look elegant. I changed the bridge with an inexpensive Chinese made rolling bridge, added a Chinese Made buzz kill which holds the strings against the rollers, preventing slipping, changed the nut with a Fender Lsr nut off another guitar, added a Chinese made rolling string tree and changed the tuners with some rather mediocre, overrated high-end graphtech locking tuners and replaced the knobs with abalone cover gold knobs. I am going to buy a sheet of brass to make a pick-guard to replace the somewhat cheesy looking anodized aluminum and will probably change the pots with Mojo Tones bought from the wonderful folks at Sweetwater
My Jazzmaster plays beautifully, has a great tone, like a strat with more balls because of the P-90 type pick-ups and stays in tune with extensive and savage use of the tremolo, which was exactly the point of most of the mods.

After going a few years without a 6 string guitar, and being a fan of both J Mascis and Jay Watson, I decided to purchase one of these. Overall, I'm happy with the guitar, but I would say that if you aren't able to do your own set-up and finishing work, you'll need to budget for a pro set-up. The tuners that came on my guitar rattled every time I strummed it, so I ended up replacing those with cosmetically-identical Gotoh tuners. The fretboard required quite a bit of fine sanding to level the surface with the dot inlays, and the frets were in desperate need of polishing. There was also quite a bit of over-spray on the back of the neck, which I was able to remove with 0000 steel wool. I ended up swapping the pickups for the Fender J Mascis signature set and replaced the electronics while I was at it, but that was due to personal preference (be aware that the pickups that come with this guitar are the same Jazzmaster-shaped P90's that come in the other Squier Jazzmasters).

For the money, I think these guitars offer a lot of potential, just be prepared to put some work into them. Now that mine is reassembled and set up properly, I'm very pleased with it. If you're looking for an inexpensive guitar that's finished and ready-to-play out of the box, I would look at a Sire or G&L Tribute series.

Ordered mine sight unseen other than the photos online. It got hear quickly and in good looking condition.
I like the feel of the neck but not 100% sold on the "Aged" color of the neck. Looks like a bad Presidential spray tan orange.
I did my inspection on the guitar and the 1 thing someone missed or was okay with was the Hummmmmmm.

The frets were level, the neck relief was good, intonation was good. But I knew either there was a grounding issue or the electronics cavities were not shielded. So I removed the pickguard, checked the continuity from part to part and everything seemed to be grounded correctly. I scratched back some of the paint in the pickup cavity and saw no shielding paint.

I check a couple of other places in the cavity and still found no traces of shielding paint.

So I removed the pickups and used the adhesive backed aluminum furnace tape and covered all of the cavities and once done did a continuity check with a multi meter from 1 end to the other. Re-assembled the guitar and it is dead silent now !!! No more Hummm. Squire needs to address this.

I saw that there were several Reddit posts about this very issue. Now the guitar is to the level that I expected upon arrival. So Happy Days from here on out. I might put out a Youtube Video on how to diagnose and fix this issue.