Fender Jazzmaster 3-Color Sunburst 1965 Vintage Electric Guitar

Mainland UK buyers ONLY.

MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

This is a stunning vintage 1965 Fender Jazzmaster in 3-Color Sunburst finish. Fender’s Jazzmaster was introduced in 1958, and at the time was the most expensive guitar available from the manufacturer. It was intended for jazz players, and as such had several features intended to ingratiate itself with them. This included the offset waist, which made the guitar sit more comfortably on the leg when playing in a seated position as jazz guitarists often do. The Jazzmaster was the first Fender instrument to feature a Rosewood fingerboard, emulating the more traditional jazz guitars. The new ‘rhythm circuit’ produced a dark, mellow tone that Leo Fender thought would be perfect for smooth jazz lines. The instrument even had a completely new floating ‘tremolo’ design- which of course produces a vibrato effect- that had a locking mechanism to improve tuning stability when the tremolo wasn’t in use. The Jazzmaster was ultimately discontinued in 1980 after years of dwindling sales. The instrument never caught on with its target market of Jazz players, but was very successful amongst surf rockers. In later years the instruments gained popularity in alternative scenes such as new wave, shoegaze & grunge.

The serial number & specification of this guitar indicate that it was manufactured in 1965, with several indicating factors that point towards its completion in early/mid 1965. These include the neck stamp ‘4FEB65B’ which indicates the neck was style 4 (Jazzmaster), stamped in Feb ‘65 & was of standard profile (B). It’s widely accepted that ‘L’ serial numbers left the factory between ‘63 & ‘65. The lack of nail or clamping holes indicates the guitar was finished after 1964 when the holes were no longer required due to the use of a drying tree. The pot codes are easily legible, and read the 50th week of ‘63 & 08th week of ‘65. Fender kept their parts in large batches so it’s quite reasonable for a guitar to have pots from different years. The headstock logo is the transitional logo rather than the ‘Spaghetti Logo’ that was in use until around ‘64. The fingerboard is inlaid with clay dots, rather than the pearloid dots which were introduced around late ‘64. There were always crossovers with some of these features, and this, amongst the other factors outlined above are strong signs that this instrument was produced right around the transition to the commonly accepted ‘65 spec.

The Maple neck plays fantastically well, with a profile that feels somewhat like an even ‘C’ shape. This encourages ergonomic thumb positioning in all registers & ensures comfortable playability across the neck. The Gloss finish to the rear assists with smooth navigation of the 25.5” scale. The wear to the rear of the neck, as well as the light fingerboard wear and gentle battle scarring to the body add to the vintage feel & vibe of the instrument, and make it very inspiring in the hands. The offset body with generous cutaways enhances access to the upper frets, whilst also feeling very comfortable in the arms and balanced on a strap. Ergonomic control placement provides easy access to the rhythm circuit whilst playing, with the usual 3-way toggle switch, master volume and tone controls also comfortably within reach.

The pair of Jazzmaster single-coil pickups installed in this guitar work in conjunction with the switch and controls to deliver a very versatile set of tones. When the lead circuit is engaged the tone is bright and glistening, providing the kind of jangly, sparkly tone that the Jazzmaster is well known for. The neck pickup is full-bodied and round for solo tones, whilst the bridge pickup provides the brightness and clarity required to catapult you to the front of the mix. When switching to the rhythm circuit, a much darker and warmer tone is heard, well suited to Jazz styles, shoegaze and even grunge genres. An incredibly well preserved & outstandingly original example of one of Fender’s most celebrated models, with its very own story to tell. This is your opportunity to be the next chapter.

Mainland UK buyers ONLY.