An Exceptionally Fine Early Sixties Jazzmaster.

1963 Fender Jazzmaster.

This exceptionally fine, all original three-tone Sunburst Jazzmaster weighs just 7.90 lbs. and has a solid alder, three-tone sunburst contoured body. One-piece maple neck with a nut width of just over 1 5/8 inches, a nice medium profile and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. Veneer Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 21 frets and inlaid clay dot position markers. Headstock with 'Spaghetti' logo with "Fender" in gold with black trim, "Jazzmaster" and "Offset Contour Body Pat. Pending" in black, and "With Synchronized Floating Tremolo" in black below. Single "butterfly" string tree with 'short' metal spacer. Individual single-line Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons (stamped "D-169400/PATENT NO." on the inside). The neck is stamped in black "4 SEP 63B". Four-bolt neckplate with serial number "L09234" engraved between the top two screws. Two Jazzmaster pickups (large white rectangular six-polepiece pickups) with outputs of 6.82k and 7.53k. Four-layer (tortoiseshell over white and black) celluloid pickguard wth thirteen screws.  Two controls (master volume, master tone) with white plastic knobs, plus three-way selector switch and jack socket on the treble side of the pickguard, two roller knobs (volume, tone) plus two-way slide switch on the bass side of the pickguard. The potentiometers are stamped "3046336" (September 1963). Jazzmaster bridge with six individual  adjustable threaded saddles and integrated tailpiece and tremolo. The body is dated in pencil inside the tremolo cavity "10/63". Minimal belt buckle wear on back, a few tiny areas of surface loss on the back. There are also a few surface marks on the sides, some of which have been touched up. The original frets show some light wear, which is generally confined to the first three frets. There is some varnish wear to the back of the neck behind the first five frets - the previous owner of this guitar was obviously a rhythm guitarist. Overall, an exceptionally fine, and totally original example -- certainly one of the best we've ever seen! Complete with the original tremolo arm and black leather guitar strap. Housed in the original cream Tolex case with black leather ends and orange plush lining. (9.00).

"The Jazzmaster first appeared in Fender sales material during 1958, and at some $50 more than the Strat it became the new top-of-the-line model...Immediately striking to the electric guitarist of 1958 was the Jazzmaster's unusual offset-waist body shape...For the first time on a Fender, the Jazzmaster featured a separate rosewood fingerboard glued to the customary maple neck...The Jazzmaster's floating vibrato system was new, too, and had a tricky 'lock-off' facility aimed at preventing tuning problems if a string should break. The controls were certainly elaborate for the time…A small slide-switch selected between two individual circuits, offering player-preset rhythm and lead sounds. The idea was a good one: the ability to set up a rhythm sound and a lead sound, and switch between them. But the system seemed over-complicated to players brought up on straightforward volume and tone controls. The sound of the Jazzmaster was richer and warmer than players were used to from Fender. The name Jazzmaster had not been chosen at random, for Fender was aiming this different tone at jazz players, who at the time largely preferred hollowbody electrics, and principally those by Gibson. However, jazz guitarists found little appeal in this new, rather difficult solidbody guitar -- and mainstream Fender players largely stayed with their Stratocasters and Telecasters" (Tony Bacon, 50 Years of Fender, p. 26). Much to Fender's surprise, however, the Jazzmaster turned into the best surf guitar ever conceived.