I bought this guitar 5 years ago. I always wanted a Jazzmaster. I am very glad I bought it. I got a great price on it. I am a Tele guy, I use a Strat for an alternatve, The Jazzmaster replaced my Strat. I love the look and feel of this guitar. The neck is super comfortable, the finish is top notch. Hardware is great. Tuning stablitiy is excellent, I can do all sorts of surfy dives and it stays in tune. Out of the box the setup on the body was fantastic, The neck needed some serious adjustments. I have a certain setup i like and I have to do everyone of my guitars like that. Great guitar and I am really glad I bought it

guido owns this item

I will start off with a negative. The retail price, too expensive, esp compared to the great quality new Squier VM range. However, I got mine at a very good price, so I'm happy.
I spent about an hour when I first got it, understanding the trem and setting the neck up. I was ok anyway, but I wanted to take it apart and look at the build quality (as I build guitars). Everything was great. I set the action quite high (which is not what I usually do) as I found it so easy to play. The neck is fantastic (a bit like an SG neck) wide and flat but with a fairly medium profile. Frets are great (medium jumbo) and this made it so much nicer than the vintage or original jazzmasters that had 7in radius and tiny frets.
This is the first jazzmaster I've owned (had lots of strats and teles), but I am amazed at the tone. I guess the slightly hotter pickups help to give you a bit more range/variation, but it still has the lovely surfy, vintage twang and shimmering sustain. I've tried American JMs and this Mex is better; nicer to play, greater range of tone, tune omatic bridge (so no slipping strings), angled neck etc.
Purists will hate the modifications, but I genuinely think this has improvements and not faddy modern changes. Most touring players will have to swap their bridge for the mustang or tune omatic anyway. So if you are going to play (outside of the bedroom or studio) this is ideal and robust.
I have the black finish and I think it looks stunning. You can always change pickguards/pickup covers with the black and get lovely different looks if you wish.
The only slight thing I'd change would be to use a thinner vintage tint lacquer on the neck and not the thick gloss, it's nice to feel a bit more woodiness or matt in your hand. But I shall prob sand it back and respray in time.
As for now, I'm totally smitten and it is my fav guitar (out of six). If it cost £400 retail, it would be perfect.

tinyghost owns this item

Well, I have had my share of Teles and Strats. But the Classic Player Jazzmaster Special(my second one) was the first Fender to NOT be one of the big two. The first thing I noticed was how much longer it felt. Be aware, you will need to get a specially fitted case for this if you want to upgrade from the gigbag that it comes in. A very different feeling guitar. I like it set up with very low action and once that was done, I couldn't put it down. The variety of tones available with the rhythm/lead switch and all those tone knobs gave it some real charm. I haven't managed to pull it out of tune with the sort of unwieldy vibrato bar, but it feels fairly solid. For a little taste of retro new wave and surf, save your money and buy this version of a classic. It's very well put together and sounds great!

Spareparts owns this item

I give the Classic Player a 2 start rating. I like the features, playability, and sound of the guitar. The item that wasn't asked about was quality control. I ordered a Jazzmaster to try something different. I had never played one. When the guitar came I was disappointed that the rhythm circuit didn't work correctly. As you started to roll off the volume it would get quiet and then get loud again. It would never go off completely and the tone control did nothing. I took it back to the store and a new was sent. The new one arrived and it had the same problem. The guitars were only 7 numbers apart on the serial number.
Our local dealer is not an authorized service center, so both guitars have been sent to a repair center. It's been nearly 2 months since the first one arrived and I still don't have a Jazzmaster to play. The dealer recently got a Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster and when I tried it, it worked perfectly. This added to my disappointment; especially since the Classic Player is more expensive.
There is a lot to like about the Jazzmaster, but my first impression was not love at first sight. I expected a lot more from Fender; even a Mexican Fender and their quality control.
On an aesthetic note, and I may be splitting hairs, I thought the overall sunburst finish was too dark. I see Jazzmasters from the 60's with a very distinct color separation. I would think as a "Classic" Player would try to be more like the originals. Now with that said, the fit and finish was great. I just thought it to be too dark.

flecktonz owns this item