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2012 might be the year I purchase a second guitar.
I'm interested in a white Jazzmaster like this one:

I'm not good at doing mods, like changing bridge or pickups, etc...
What should I look for for a good JM... mex, american, japan?

I also would like this!

Jazzmasters attract a particularly snobby crowd, so if you think you may be that kind of guy, or if you dont want to have any doubts, I say shell out the cash for an avri

If you shopping for one used, no matter what, try before you buy.

As for models, each has it's pros and cons:

Mex:
+cheapest new
+/- hotter pickups (may or may not be what you want)
+/- TOM bridge (a whacky knock off one that requires a pickguard routing)
+/- closer trem plate (more stable tuning with minimal effort but, trem sweep can be wonky)
+/- Flatter neck radius
- I hope you like sunburst cuz that's all your getting.
- Trem is (in my experience) a piece of ass if you want to use it for more than the occasional flutter

Verdict: Great if you don't want to use the trem all that much and like higher output pickups but, if you don't like sunburst with tort or black with tort, you have to refinish it; also that bridge requires you to cut a groove in any replacement pickguard you would want to retrofit

Jap:
+ Vintage similar
+ More colour options
+ Vintage style bridge that can easily be swapped out
- some (particularly early 90's models) have bad pickups
- the colour you want is probably rare
- Only available used if you don't want to pay out the ass for shipping

Verdict: Greatest variety in colour and closest you can get to vintage without buy the USA but, be prepared to wait for one to come up at a good price. There is also a possibility that you will need to change some hardware pretty early on.

USA:
+ Vintage Accurate
+ Best trem
- Holy fuck it's expensive

Verdict: "Best" Jazzmaster at the worst price. White is available but, doesn't have the matching head cap.


Bridge note: on the vintage style, swapping it is stupid simple: if you want to change it for a mustang or a mastery, all you have to do is lift the old one out and put the new one in the existing bridge holes.

I think I covered everything.

If I fucked something up fellow offset nerds, please tell me.

Had a Jap one and loved it, but I had to change the bridge out and it was a generally problematic guitar. It sounded like a Jazzmaster should though. I now have a Mexican CP and it is a guitar that doesn't have any of the issues that my Jap had, the bridge and tuning is great but the hotter pups to my ears don't sound as 'Jazzmastery' as the Jap. I personally preferred the sound of the Jap. I can still play behind the bridge and I love the screw in trem. Never had any issues with tuning from the trem and to me it sounds just as smooth and creamy as the Jap and i use it for Kevin Shields 'gliding' all the time so it gets pretty heavily used and I love it It is Sunburst though, which I like.

i just bought a thurston moore jazzmaster--it has an adjustomatic bridge, a single volume control, and a 3-way pickup toggle switch. it comes with seymour duncan antiquity II pickups. i like the simplicity and don't have to modify anything-it's been done. i love the guitar, even the strange finish. it's a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the avri, and they can still be found new.

maz91379 wrote:Jmascis squiers

This. And then with the money you save you can get Novaks or something installed, too.

Add to Mexi list:

- Closer trem + TOM bridge means you can mount a Roland synth pickup without drilling or doing anything permanent or dealing with goddamn 2 sided tape.

wsas3 wrote:Jazzmasters attract a particularly snobby crowd, so if you think you may be that kind of guy, or if you dont want to have any doubts, I say shell out the cash for an avri

What? Snobby? How?

That Thurston Jazzmaster is awesome looking. I actually love the rhythm circuit though

Get an SG instead!

wsas3 wrote:Jazzmasters attract a particularly snobby crowd...

VINTAGE OR BUST!!!

Fuzz_Pi wrote:

wsas3 wrote:Jazzmasters attract a particularly snobby crowd, so if you think you may be that kind of guy, or if you dont want to have any doubts, I say shell out the cash for an avri

What? Snobby? How?

not all jazzmaster users, of course not.but the friendly folks ovet at offset help live up to that reputation

The AVRI bridges are the biggest pieces of shit ever created. They unscrew themselves all the time. You have to either dip the whole thing in wax or glue it all together for it to be usefull. If you know nothing about setting up guitars stay far away from the AVRI bridges unless your going to swap it out which is very easy. When your paying $1600 for a new guitar though you shouldnt have to buy a new bridge though. They could easily fix this too by using screws that require more rotations to move them.

Lemyisgod wrote:The AVRI bridges are the biggest pieces of shit ever created. They unscrew themselves all the time. You have to either dip the whole thing in wax or glue it all together for it to be usefull. If you know nothing about setting up guitars stay far away from the AVRI bridges unless your going to swap it out which is very easy. When your paying $1600 for a new guitar though you shouldnt have to buy a new bridge though. They could easily fix this too by using screws that require more rotations to move them.

Sounds like they're exactly the same as the Black Top ones.

You can always swap out the bridge for a new one. It's a quick and easy fix.