Well back into the 1990s and right up to this day, Troy Van Leeuwen has contributed deftly textural guitar work and atmospherics to some of alt-heavy rock's most acclaimed and forward-thinking bands. From the influential '90s alternative of Failure to A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Puscifer and others, Van Leeuwen's multi-instrumental expertise has given great color and power to a great deal of very creative rock music.
The Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster is as distinctive as the sounds he wrings from it. Its gloss Oxblood finish with a four-ply red tortoiseshell pickguard is darkly alluring, with the interestingly contrasting touch of two white "witch hat" control knobs. The dual tone circuits (lead, rhythm) use a two-way toggle switch on the upper horn rather than the customary slider switch, and the brass-saddle Mustang bridge is combined with a Jazzmaster tailpiece.
Other features include a maple neck with "C"-shaped profile and heel-end truss rod adjustment, 7.25"-radius bound rosewood fingerboard with 21 vintage-style frets and pearloid block inlays, two American Vintage '65 Jazzmaster single-coil pickups with three-way toggle switching, and vintage-style tuners.
Hardshell case included.
Alder Jazzmaster body
Maple neck with C shape
Rosewood fretboard with 7.25"radius
21 vinage-style frets
American Vintage '65 Jazzmaster pickups
Jazzmaster bridge with floating tremolo tailpiece
Troy Van Leeuwen Signature on Back of Headstock
2-Position Toggle Lead/Rhythm Switch in Upper Position
Metallic Oxblood Paint
Matching Painted Headstock Face
White Plastic Parts
"Witch Hat" Control Knobs
Single "Wing" String Tree
Vintage-Style Strap Buttons
Case/Gig Bag: Black hardshell case
If you're a fan of Van Leeuwen, this is a no-brainer. Order today.
SPECIFICATIONS
Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster Electric Guitar
Body Material: Alder
Body Finish: Gloss Polyester
Neck: Maple, "C" Shape
Neck Finish: Gloss Urethane
String Nut: Synthetic Bone, 1.650" (42mm)
Fingerboard: White Bound Rosewood, 7.25" (184.1mm) Radius
Frets: 21, Vintage-Style
Position Inlays: White Pearloid Block
Scale Length: 25.5" (648mm)
Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
Bridge: Jazzmaster Bridge with Nickel-Plated Brass Mustang Saddles and Vintage-Style "Floating" Tremolo Tailpiece
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style
Strings: Fender USA, NPS, (.010-.046 Gauges)
Pickups: American Vintage '65 Jazzmaster (Bridge and Neck)
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup; 2-Position Toggle: Up: Rhythm Tone Circuit, Down: Lead Tone Circuit
Controls: Lead Circuit: Volume, Tone. Rhythm Circuit: Volume, Tone
Series: Artist
Pickguard: 4-Ply Tortoiseshell
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I am writing this review to inform potential buyers that if they find the high E string too close to the edge of the fretboard(see enlarged photo above) it has nothing to do with fender craftsmanship, neck issues,etc.. but it is because of the Mustang saddles. They create a wider than ideal string spacing on a Jazzmaster and you can see the high E string is not even close to the pole piece of the bridge pickup. Some people like the Mustang saddles because they don't have height adjust grub screws to fall down but honestly the stock saddles are better(you can move the string spacing) and you can prevent them from "falling" by simply using clear nail polish on the screws.
I hope this will save some aggravation for some (as with the last reviewer) as Fender is making some mighty fine instruments and they deserve credit for giving us lots of choices. But in this case they should have left the mustang saddles for the aftermarket tweakers.
Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Oxblood
.This Jazzmaster caught my eye after I decided that I wanted to treat myself to a very nice instrument. The Oxblood, the block inlays, the vintage everything, and the chrome toggle switch for the rhythm circuit; it all looked fantastic. I was a little off-put by the reviews from those who weren't happy with the way the high E string sat due to the Mustang bridge, but after considering that it's a pretty common swap, I decided to just go for it. And I couldn't be happier with the decision.
This is an absolutely phenomenal guitar, and my first Jazzmaster. The tone is to die for, especially if you run it through an AC30 - it just responds so well to the EQ. The AV65 pickups run a little hot, which is great because the tone controls can roll it off like it's nothing. Coming from a Strat, everything about this guitar just feels better; the chunkier neck, the vintage frets and radius, the offset body. And the thing that worried me the most - the string spacing of the high E - is a complete non-issue. I can do lead work on it just as easily on any other guitar, but it's honestly more fun. The techs who set this up before shipping it did great work, because the strings feel like either 11s or 12s - the perfect gauges - and the thing has stayed in tune straight out of the box. The overall construction of the instrument is rock solid, and the grain of the fretboard on my particular one is just beautiful.
This instrument has totally exceeded my expectations in just about every way. I'm completely enamored. The most frustrating thing now is trying to choose a guitar strap that pairs with the finish
Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Oxblood
.First off, I love so much about this guitar. It looks and sounds great and is really fun to play. When I discovered it I was thrilled that I finally potentially found the Jazzmaster for me.
But I got the first one and noticed that the high E string was on the edge of the fretboard. The nut looked fine and I have someone who sets up all my guitars so I don't know much about those things but it certainly seemed weird out of the box.
Since I'd purchased an "open box" guitar I worked with MF support to get it replaced with a new one. I thought maybe a kid had played Kurt Cobain with it and effed up the neck or something.
My bad, as I paid for expedited shipping only to get a brand new one with exactly the same issue. Then I did some research and saw a lot of folks complaining about this.
I've thought about taking to my guitar guy and having him work on it, but between that and the tremelo (arm doesn't stay in) it just seemed like too much to deal with for how much I'd spent on principle alone.
So I'm bummed because I like many aspects but I'm returning mine in hopes Fender resolves this and future models don't have the same issues.
I hope this helps someone. It surely would have helped me to temper my expectations.
Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Oxblood
.I was on the fence a long time about this guitar. I am glad I finally pulled the trigger. The modifications on the TVL model have corrected each complaint there is about the jazzmaster. It sounds wonderful, feels great to play and looks incredible. The pictures do this thing absolutely no justice. The neck and vintage frets are amazing (it feels very strange now when I pick up my SG or Les Paul). Throw out what you assume when it says Made in Mexico, at least for this model. The components and craftmanship are high quality. The only reason this was assembled in Mexico was because TVL wanted to keep the cost down. I imagine it would have pushed $1800.00 like the Johnny Marr Jaguar that is made in the US.
Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Oxblood
.I've owned the classic player JM before and later I realized I hadn't given jazzmasters a real shot because that guitar just looks like a jazzmaster but is very different from the guitar Leo wanted me to be playing. In terms of the tradeoffs that are made to get to the classic player pricepoint and audience (for example p90's instead of real JM pickups , lack of shielding). I even thought the bridge changes on the classic player were but I really wanted to get more string tension. Then I finally discovered the real story. Leo wanted JMs guitar to have all the trade offs in the original, and if you play with heavy strings (11's or higher) you can see the original specs make the guitar come to life. The only problem is the original USA models are pricey. The TVL is made in Mexico with the same parts as the USA and the same decide. It has the right pickups and everything. It comes with 10's but trust me and put 11's on it and give it a few weeks. This guitar is yet another example of the genius of Leo Fender. It sounds and plays fantastic and it inspires me. I've owned so many guitars you wouldn't believe me if I told you the number. The original spec Jazzmaster is right up there with or even surpasses with the Tele, Strat, LP, SG, and Firebird designs. And this TVL gave me that all at a reasonable price. This the only non-usa guitar I have that I can honestly say is right up there in quality with my other USA guitars. I only made one small tweak to it. The frets were very good for a Mexican Fender guitar. I I made two adjustments to turn this guitar into a dream. First a little light filing to round out the corners of the frets (the corners that sit above the binding). A youtube video will show you how to do it. It took me 15 minutes to take my time and do it right. Second I took some ultra fine steel wool and took the gloss of the back of the neck. Now if I handed this guitar to you, you would not be able to tell the difference from the AVRI
Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Oxblood
.Mine came tuned down half a step. After a very quick tuning, all I had to do was set up the trem lock which took about 2 minutes and the guitar was fully set up. It's stunning visually, and I the design quickly grew on me. I use every pickup, and I switch between the lead and rhythm circuits constantly. The guitar is just as useful as the tones are beautiful, which is something I haven't seen in most guitars. I love telecasters, but most of the time I'm playing mine I'm either using both pickups or just the bridge. With the jazzmaster, it's cool to use every switch and knob it has. Cuts right through the mix in my band, and turned me from an almost always clean toned
guitarist to a totally 50/50 guitarist between experimental distortion stuff and cleans. It's so easy to let the creativity flow on this guitar and the fact that it has the couple unique touches make it stand out among all the other jazzmasters and jaguars that all the indie kids are playing nowadays.
Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Oxblood
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