Verne Bunsen
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- 2,472
Hello all! So, recently I found myself really, really smitten with the new Ultra Series Jazzmaster after seeing it demonstronated by Isaiah Sharkey in this video:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f65CHLs9mhM[/youtube]
I was teetering on the edge of impulse-purchasing one on the spot, but I put some thought into it and came to some conclusions. Which I will share momentarily. First I feel the need to preface all of this by saying that I am a big fan of the traditional Jazzmaster configuration, and all the things that many despise about it are the things I love about it. I love the big single coils with the 1Meg pots. I love the Jazzmaster vibrato; it may in fact be my favorite vibrato of them all, it goes back and forth between that and a Bigsby (Although I do prefer the Mastery vibrato and bridge to the stock Fender offerings). I love the dark/rhythm circuit. And, I have a wonderful and beautiful Jazzmaster that gives me these things. So, I'm saying all that to say this: I don't personally view the Ultra options as a replacement for the traditional Jazzmaster, but I do see them as an exciting alternative that still fits in with the family.
Ok, enough of that. As I was saying: conclusions. There was one major hangup that became a deal breaker for me, and that is the neck. I haven't held a "Modern D" profile in my hand, but by most reports it is a pretty skinny neck. I like my necks closer to a baseball bat than a popsicle stick. All of my Warmoths are '59 Roundback profile, and I love it. I wouldn't want to throw down that kind of coin for a guitar with a neck that I don't like, and with the unique heel it would probably not be a simple thing to replace it anyway. So, having talked myself off the ledge, I made a bit of a list of stuff I like about the Ultra and stuff I don't. It went something like this:
Stuff I like:
1 - Series and Phase switching with Jazzmaster pickups is, evidently, awesome. I've been really digging the series/out-of-phase thing since experimenting with it on my Nashville so this kind of hits me right in the feels.
2 - New functionality without deviating too far from the traditional aesthetic.
3 - The change in component values to 250k pots. While I do love what the Jazzmaster does with the 1Megs, lower resistance pots are a common mod and for good reason: they sound good that way too! I wouldn't want to change my current Jazzmaster components, but for a second Jazzmaster? Definitely.
4 - The aesthetic itself. While I wouldn't necessarily have landed on it myself, the blue/white/maple-with-black-binding look has been haunting my dreams.
Stuff I don't like:
1 - The neck profile is not up my alley.
2 - Changing the control layout. I'm admittedly a traditionalist where such things are concerned, and moving to a side-hole jack to make room for a second tone knob is not a choice that I would make. I'm sure that it will have many fans, and I can understand the reasons, but I don't share the enthusiasm. Personally. IMHO.
3 - Dedicating the upper circuit controls to out-of-phase pickup level trimming? Not something that grabs me as a really valuable piece of functionality.
So, with that in mind, it seems a no-brainer that the correct answer is to build a Jazzmaster inspired by the Ultra, but tweaked to my personal preferences. Isn't that what this hobby is all about? After a few sleepless nights, I worked out a wiring that I like better. I will share it once I get it into a halfway readable/presentable drawing, the current version resembles a bowl of spaghetti, but the goal is this:
Lower circuit with 250k pots, standard 3-Way toggle. Upper slider reverses phase of the neck pickup. Lower circuit tone pot S1 Switch puts both pickups in series (in- or out-of-phase, depending on the slider position) and swaps to the upper controls with 1Meg volume and 250k tone. The 1Meg volume should keep the series sound out of the mud, and if desired it can be pre-set to its own volume and tone settings.
I have some gear that needs to be sold finance the project, but I have so far acquired these:
Hey, builds have begun on less.....
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f65CHLs9mhM[/youtube]
I was teetering on the edge of impulse-purchasing one on the spot, but I put some thought into it and came to some conclusions. Which I will share momentarily. First I feel the need to preface all of this by saying that I am a big fan of the traditional Jazzmaster configuration, and all the things that many despise about it are the things I love about it. I love the big single coils with the 1Meg pots. I love the Jazzmaster vibrato; it may in fact be my favorite vibrato of them all, it goes back and forth between that and a Bigsby (Although I do prefer the Mastery vibrato and bridge to the stock Fender offerings). I love the dark/rhythm circuit. And, I have a wonderful and beautiful Jazzmaster that gives me these things. So, I'm saying all that to say this: I don't personally view the Ultra options as a replacement for the traditional Jazzmaster, but I do see them as an exciting alternative that still fits in with the family.
Ok, enough of that. As I was saying: conclusions. There was one major hangup that became a deal breaker for me, and that is the neck. I haven't held a "Modern D" profile in my hand, but by most reports it is a pretty skinny neck. I like my necks closer to a baseball bat than a popsicle stick. All of my Warmoths are '59 Roundback profile, and I love it. I wouldn't want to throw down that kind of coin for a guitar with a neck that I don't like, and with the unique heel it would probably not be a simple thing to replace it anyway. So, having talked myself off the ledge, I made a bit of a list of stuff I like about the Ultra and stuff I don't. It went something like this:
Stuff I like:
1 - Series and Phase switching with Jazzmaster pickups is, evidently, awesome. I've been really digging the series/out-of-phase thing since experimenting with it on my Nashville so this kind of hits me right in the feels.
2 - New functionality without deviating too far from the traditional aesthetic.
3 - The change in component values to 250k pots. While I do love what the Jazzmaster does with the 1Megs, lower resistance pots are a common mod and for good reason: they sound good that way too! I wouldn't want to change my current Jazzmaster components, but for a second Jazzmaster? Definitely.
4 - The aesthetic itself. While I wouldn't necessarily have landed on it myself, the blue/white/maple-with-black-binding look has been haunting my dreams.
Stuff I don't like:
1 - The neck profile is not up my alley.
2 - Changing the control layout. I'm admittedly a traditionalist where such things are concerned, and moving to a side-hole jack to make room for a second tone knob is not a choice that I would make. I'm sure that it will have many fans, and I can understand the reasons, but I don't share the enthusiasm. Personally. IMHO.
3 - Dedicating the upper circuit controls to out-of-phase pickup level trimming? Not something that grabs me as a really valuable piece of functionality.
So, with that in mind, it seems a no-brainer that the correct answer is to build a Jazzmaster inspired by the Ultra, but tweaked to my personal preferences. Isn't that what this hobby is all about? After a few sleepless nights, I worked out a wiring that I like better. I will share it once I get it into a halfway readable/presentable drawing, the current version resembles a bowl of spaghetti, but the goal is this:
Lower circuit with 250k pots, standard 3-Way toggle. Upper slider reverses phase of the neck pickup. Lower circuit tone pot S1 Switch puts both pickups in series (in- or out-of-phase, depending on the slider position) and swaps to the upper controls with 1Meg volume and 250k tone. The 1Meg volume should keep the series sound out of the mud, and if desired it can be pre-set to its own volume and tone settings.
I have some gear that needs to be sold finance the project, but I have so far acquired these:
Hey, builds have begun on less.....
