A Jazzmaster both at its most simple and its best, the American Professional Classic series provides us with a perfected rendition of the legendary Jazzmaster design.
Precisely engineered and lovingly crafted in Corona, California, the Fender American Professional Classic Jazzmaster is a simple and refined guitar that was obviously produced with immense attention to detail. Smooth playability, a classic vintage aesthetic and high-quality components come together here in perfect harmony to create a gorgeous instrument perfect for both the road and the studio.
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The American Professional Classic series aims to produce American-made instruments with vintage specs worthy of musicians working at a high level. With this beautiful sunburst Jazzmaster, they have certainly succeeded in that endeavour. Certainly a step up from the standard range, this guitar is clearly constructed with care, flawlessly smooth and rock solid in every way.
The Jazzmaster was first introduced in 1958, oddly missing the mark with its intended audience of jazz guitarists and instead finding its way into the hands of surf bands. Ultimately, it became most associated with alternative, indie and shoegaze groups who valued it for its unique circuitry, tremolo arm and noise-making abilities. Today it is known as the quintessential ‘left of the dial’ guitar, having been used by such beloved artists as Elvis Costello, Thurston Moore, J Mascis, Robert Smith and MJ Lenderman.
The basic specs of the Professional Classic Jazzmaster contain no big surprises. It has an alder body, a maple neck with the classic scale length of 25.5”, two soapbar style broad range single coil pickups and the Jazzmaster’s iconic adjustable “floating” tremolo tailpiece. The wood grain under the perfect 3 colour sunburst is beautiful, the three ply black pickguard looks just right, and the pickups and controls have a cool faded creamy hue to them. The fretboard is a luscious dark rosewood, and the headstock pays tribute to the ’60s with its vintage Kluson-style tuners and spaghetti-style logo. The maple neck has a lovely dark vintage tint that completes the look, giving this guitar a worn-in appearance without the need for artificial relicing.
Noticeably absent from this guitar, however, is the Jazzmaster’s elaborate and arguably convoluted rhythm circuit. Instead, it simply has a standard three-way pickup selector, a volume and a tone control, improving ease of use and cutting down on unnecessary circuitry. Whilst there are no doubt defenders of the Jazzmaster’s traditional and more involved setup, it’s fair to say that the majority of players find it overcomplicated and somewhat unnecessary, so its absence is welcome on a guitar designed to be played night after night.
Whilst the pups in this guitar may look standard, they are in fact specially designed Fender Coastline ‘65 Jazzmaster pickups. Based on Fender’s Pure Vintage designs, these pickups are slightly overwound for a vintage tone with a bit of extra output and bite. The result is a classic Jazzmaster sound with just enough edge to push your amp and take on heavier and more modern sounds when necessary.
Also featured in this guitar is a Fender Greasebucket tone circuit, which allows you to roll off treble frequencies without sacrificing gain or adding any bass, making for a more articulate sound. As the standard tone circuits in Fenders can be somewhat ineffective at times, this is a great addition that helps elevate this model above being just a vintage throwback.
In the bridge position, the Coastline ‘65 pickup sounds warm and dynamic with a muscular midrange and a nice bit of top-end bite. Brighter and janglier than a P90 but with a nice, even frequency response, the extra winds on this pickup help give it a bit more punch than a standard set. Certainly beefier than a Strat or a Tele pickup, but still very articulate and glassy, the bridge pickup in this Jazzmaster sounds absolutely phenomenal and is particularly lethal in conjunction with a fuzz pedal.
The neck pickup sounds thicker and warmer with a healthy dose of low-end frequencies. The Greasebucket circuit really comes into play in this position as it allows even further treble roll off when necessary without adding more bass to what is already a fairly low-end heavy sound. You can’t really get a better rhythm guitar sound than a Jazzmaster thanks to its incredibly wide-ranging and even frequency response, and the neck pickup in this Coastline set just nails that broad, chewy tone.
Overall, this model perfectly captures the distinct tone you expect from a Jazzmaster but just with a bit of extra power and edge. These pickups sound incredibly articulate, and thanks to the Greasebucket circuit, they stay that way even when rolling back the tone. I don’t think anyone will miss the traditional Jazzmaster rhythm circuit in this guitar; all the sounds you could want from it are as easily accessible as ever, and the simplicity of the design really lends itself to both its aesthetic and ease of use. These Professional Classic guitars are, after all, designed for professionals, and who has time to mess with all those dials in the middle of a performance?
The Professional Classic Jazzmaster is a gorgeous instrument that has the vintage charm and iconic look of a classic ’60s Fender but with the power and versatility of a more modern guitar. With a perfect sunburst finish that encapsulates what Fender’s golden era was all about, it would be a lovely addition to any professional player’s collection.
The Jazzmaster design really is a work of art, and it’s no wonder some of the most stylish, discerning artists of all time have chosen it as their companion. This rendition would have looked right at home in any of their collections, and amazingly, it also has an accessible enough price tag to be in yours. With everything a classic, American-made Jazzmaster needs and nothing that it doesn’t, this simple yet elegant guitar is a high-quality piece of gear that could excel in the studio or last a lifetime on the road.
