Fender Player II Jazzmaster review – one of the best offsets around – Yurika.R

$829/£759, fender.com

The original Fender Player series of guitars was a huge hit for the company, but when we talked about the best Jazzmasters you can buy, it was notable that amongst offset aficionados there were a fair few caveats.

In fact, in the eyes of some, it was barely even a Jazzmaster. Because while we all understood why Fender decided that the original Player JM was going to be more accessible if it stripped away some of the original design’s eccentricities, for many of us that’s where Jazzmaster magic comes from.

Clearly, Fender has heard us – because the Jazzmaster has had the most dramatic overhaul of all the returning instruments for the Player II series. Crucially, this revamp addresses some of those complaints – notably ditching the humbuckers of the Player I for authentic JM single-coils.

That said, even a cursory glance at the guitar will show it’s still not a traditional Jazzmaster (in the style of the superlative Vintera II ‘50s Jazzmaster model I reviewed last year). Has Fender gone far enough to make this a worthwhile entry in the offset canon?

What’s the difference between the Player I and Player II Jazmmasters?

As with all the guitars in the Player II range, the new Jazzmaster benefits from all the player-centric improvements that Josh outlined in his Player II Stratocaster review recently.

That means the controversial pau ferro fretboard is replaced with a much nicer slab of dark rosewood, and the board itself has had its edges nicely rolled. You’ll also notice that the generic die-cast tuners on the original guitars have been swapped for more vintage-vibed ClassicGear units.

As for the Jazzmaster-specific upgrades, the first place we should start is the most obvious – the pickups. Gone are the divisive Alnico II humbuckers, replaced with a brand new set of Player Series Jazzmaster pickups. These units are proper Alnico V Jazzmaster pickups, and should make it sound much more like a real JM.

The other major upgrade deals with what is perhaps the most hated part of the traditional Jazzmaster recipe – and something that, bizarrely, Fender didn’t change last time around – the bridge.

The Player I had the classic threaded barrel-style bridge saddles seen on vintage JMs, and while when set up right, they can be perfectly usable, I cannot tell you how many times those saddles have caused me problems in the heat of battle.

As a result, the majority of Jazzmaster owners will swap the bridge out for something a little more reliable – be it a Mustang or tune-o-matic bridge, or more high-end options from Mastery, StayTrem and Descendant.

Fender finally seems to have realised that most players – especially beginners – are not a fan of the original bridge, and here it’s been swapped for a JM bridge with Mustang saddles. It’s a sensible move that will save a lot of hassle.

One thing you won’t see, however, is the traditional Jazzmaster rhythm circuit. While the circuit has its fans, it’s very much an acquired taste – so it makes sense on an instrument of this type to strip things down to what most people will use. But you can probably forget about adding one yourself too – there’s no routing under the pickguard where the circuit would normally sit.

It would also be remiss not to mention the new finish options for the Player II guitars, paying homage to famous car colours of yesteryear. My Jazzmaster arrived in the stunning Coral Red, which sits somewhere between Dakota and Fiesta Red and is seemingly inspired by the same Coral Red from the 1977 Ford F-150.

Last but not least, an interesting thing to note – the back of the headstock says “Made In Ensenada” instead of “Made in Mexico”. It’s purely a semantic choice of course – these guitars are made in the same factory they always were – but worth noting nonetheless.

Does the Player II Jazzmaster sound good?

Let’s not split hairs here: plugged in, this Jazzmaster punches well above its price point. Through my Milkman One Watt Plus, I was immediately entranced by the neck pickup and how well it captures the 60s-era Jazzmaster jangle. It’s as articulate, clear, and bright-sounding akin to a set of overwound Seymour Duncan Antiquities II pickups. With a bit of reverb, this pickup is even more musical, enhancing the cleans while never coming across as boring or lifeless.

The bridge pickup on a Jazzmaster has always been a love-it-or-hate-it affair, and while I’m definitely team neck pickup, the bridge option on the Player II sounds incredibly pleasant to the ears and offers a lead tone that isn’t as shrill as a lot of Jazzmaster pickups can be, but more nuanced – like my favourite set of EP custom pickups.

The middle position is truly the best of both worlds, never pivoting too far into the realm of being overly trebly or lacking a serious amount of bass response. As Thanos said, “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.”

When adding a bit of drive via my 1981 Inventions DRV, this Jazzmaster brought in a tonal quality that could make Kevin Shields blush. This is a guitar that takes drive well and can sound as large and dirty as a guitar more than double its price, but it’s also more versatile than you’d think. Whisper it, but I think in some ways I actually prefer these pickups to the Pure Vintage units in Fender’s American Vintage II ’66 Jazzmaster.

In terms of playability, as with all the Player II guitars, the neck really is the star of the show. The fretboard feels amazingly comfortable, with those rolled edges really inviting you to dig in. It’s also noticeable that the rosewood board – as well as looking better – feels different to the first Player’s pau ferro one in practice. It doesn’t seem as malleable somehow, offering a more solid surface to work with.

Should I buy a Fender Player II Jazzmaster?

The original Player Jazzmaster was an easy guitar for offset purists to discount out of hand, but the Player II version offers a vast improvement on the original with many of the grievances and issues addressed.

Okay, you don’t get a rhythm circuit, but this is a far more successful attempt to bridge the gap between a vintage-faithful guitar and something that is more accessible to the modern player. And it does so without sacrificing the fundamental DNA of what a Jazzmaster should be.

There’s an argument to be made that, at the intersection of price, looks, feel and sound, this is now one of the best electric guitars in the Fender line-up, and possibly the best all-around Jazzmaster on the market.

If you’re even a little bit offset curious, the Player II offers a wonderful gateway to the world of Jazzmasters, and if you’re an enthusiast like myself, it offers a stripped-down and great-sounding option that won’t break the bank.

Fender Player II Jazzmaster alternatives

A welcome addition to the Player II offset family this time around is the new Jaguar ($829/£759), which brings short scale and a more angular tonality to the offset recipe. Perhaps the most direct competitor to the Player II Jazzmaster outside the Fender stable is Sire’s Larry Carlton J5 ($599/£499) – a similarly stripped-down offset with a unique trem. Another affordable JM-style guitar with a different vibrato and Leo Fender-approved credentials is the G&L Tribute Doheny ($649.99).