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1960 Fender Jazzmaster

Year: 1960
Brand: Fender
Model: Jazzmaster
Class: Guitar
Scale: 25.5
Owner: Colin Arnold

Colin's main issue with the guitar was a string buzz. He said it sounded like it was coming from the nut. The cause of the issue, lack of string tension due to a tuner swap. The replacement Sealed Schallers are taller than the stock Klusons.

If I can not re-string these tuners to provide the correct down force, the tuners will have to be changed.

Next on the list the electronics had become noisy due to age a dust. Colin told me the guitar was a 1967 model, but inside both of the CTS potentiometers were dated 1959. This seemed a bit early a part to be in a '67, so I took a closer look.

This guitar sports an aluminum-anodized pickguard laquored black held on by 9 screws. The body routing would indicate this guitar would have come with a celluloid pickguard. The change from aluminum to celluloid was made in mid 1959, later the number of pickguard screws was changed to 11 then to 13.

The serial number (51xxx) on the neck plate indicates 1960.
The bridge mounts are the tall crowned version, 1958-61.

The knobs are the old style, 1958-64.The body sports the early full brass shielding with the ground wire to the bridge mount, pre 1962.

The tremolo is marked with the original "Pat Pending" stamp, pre 1961.

The neck is a one piece maple neck with the a rosewood skunk stripe.

The date on the heel is written in pencil, 9-58.

The head stock decal shows 5 Patent numbers which indicates 1962-64.

I cant find any indication of Fender offering the Jazzmaster with a one piece maple neck, or even with with maple fret board in 1959. My best guess would be the neck is from a 1958 Stratocaster, and the decal was changed out to the early 60's Jazzmaster.

The body has no date markings. I would put as an early 1960. Everything fits that year except the aluminum pickguard, which could simply be a factory leftover or a even swap.

It was also evident that the pickups had been changed by the plastic coated leads.