Fender 2021 Player Jazzmaster Polar White Pau Ferro Fingerboard (Pre-Owned)

What we say:

The Jazzmaster is the first choice for many Indie and Alternative guitarists. Since the days of Grunge, players who want that Fender vibe and sound but find Strats and Teles to be a little too mainstream have found the perfect partner in the Jazzmaster. With its larger pickups and idiosyncratic tremolo system, the Jazzmaster finds itself in a unique sonic place that’s halfway Fender and halfway its own thing. This may well be the key to its popularity…

So, what does this new Player Series Jazzmaster bring, other than an extra fret and some appealing new colours? The most obvious change is in the pickups. Gone are those distinctive P90-style single coils in favour of a pair of humbuckers. These are both coil tap-able and designed specially for the Player range using alnico magnets for an agreeable vintage-hot set of tones. We presume this to be a Kurt-influenced touch (Cobain’s ghost looms large through Fender’s Offset models) since the Nirvana frontman was well known for his double humbucker modded Fenders.

The famous dual lead/rhythm circuit has been taken away too, in favour of a more straightforward three way toggle and a push/pull coil split. This seems to be part of the design brief with the Fender Player range at large, since the Jaguar has received similar treatment.

This pickup choice brings a lot of punch and sustain to the sound, with those coil tap options available to get back into more familiar Jazzmaster territory. Again, this versatility is part of the Fender Player ethos.

Aside from these changes, the Player Jazzmaster features a player friendly C shaped neck with a 9.5” radius fingerboard. Players of all styles will get on with this configuration.