As one gets older , certain universal truths begin to reveal themselves . Among the most important of these truths can be handily summarized up by the old adage , “ the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry .” Its meaning is no matter how meticulous and brilliant one ’ s planning , not even the most carefully contrived scheme will ever play out exactly as expected . Life throws us a lot of lemons , so we should be prepared to make lots of lemonade , lemon drops , lemon tarts , lemon meringue , and lemon pepper chicken . If he was still around , our patron saint Clarence Leonidas Fender could certainly expound endlessly on this bit of worldly wisdom . For example , his initial business objective for the Fender Jazzmaster is one of the most notorious examples of a plan gone awry in all of guitar industry history . Like many things in life , everything worked out well in the end , but the path Fender ’ s most ambitious and forward-thinking guitar design would take to get to its present state could not have been predicted by Leo or anyone else .
As implied by its name , Leo envisioned the Fender Jazzmaster as the ultimate solid-body jazz guitar . In the ‘ 50s , when it was originally designed , most serious jazz players preferred big hollowbody instruments , usually with the Gibson name on the headstock . Leo , however , felt that the solid-body jazz guitar ’ s day was about to come , and set about designing an instrument with some of the same DNA as his immensely popular Telecaster and Stratocaster , but with a variety of enhancements for jazzers . The Jazzmaster kept the 25.5- inch scale and bolt-on neck of its predecessors , but featured an offset body with contours intended to be most comfortable when the player was seated , as jazz guitarists often are . It also featured an unusual vibrato system , groundbreaking electronics , and singlecoil pickups that were unlike any other before or since . It was also the first Fender guitar to feature a rosewood slab fretboard . Leo was certain that the Jazzmaster ’ s market debut would launch a revolution in the jazz world , and subsequently take the wind out of Gibson ’ s sails ( and sales ).
This plan failed almost immediately . Joe Pass was the only jazz guitarist of the late ‘ 50s and early ‘ 60s to ever be seen publicly slinging a Jazzmaster , and he only did so during his 15-month stay at the drug rehab facility Synanon Center , when his personal
As one gets older , certain universal truths begin to reveal themselves . Among the most important of these truths can be handily summarized up by the old adage , “ the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry .” Its meaning is no matter how meticulous and brilliant one ’ s planning , not even the most carefully contrived scheme will ever play out exactly as expected . Life throws us a lot of lemons , so we should be prepared to make lots of lemonade , lemon drops , lemon tarts , lemon meringue , and lemon pepper chicken . If he was still around , our patron saint Clarence Leonidas Fender could certainly expound endlessly on this bit of worldly wisdom . For example , his initial business objective for the Fender Jazzmaster is one of the most notorious examples of a plan gone awry in all of guitar industry history . Like many things in life , everything worked out well in the end , but the path Fender ’ s most ambitious and forward-thinking guitar design would take to get to its present state could not have been predicted by Leo or anyone else .
As implied by its name , Leo envisioned the Fender Jazzmaster as the ultimate solid-body jazz guitar . In the ‘ 50s , when it was originally designed , most serious jazz players preferred big hollowbody instruments , usually with the Gibson name on the headstock . Leo , however , felt that the solid-body jazz guitar ’ s day was about to come , and set about designing an instrument with some of the same DNA as his immensely popular Telecaster and Stratocaster , but with a variety of enhancements for jazzers . The Jazzmaster kept the 25.5- inch scale and bolt-on neck of its predecessors , but featured an offset body with contours intended to be most comfortable when the player was seated , as jazz guitarists often are . It also featured an unusual vibrato system , groundbreaking electronics , and singlecoil pickups that were unlike any other before or since . It was also the first Fender guitar to feature a rosewood slab fretboard . Leo was certain that the Jazzmaster ’ s market debut would launch a revolution in the jazz world , and subsequently take the wind out of Gibson ’ s sails ( and sales ).
This plan failed almost immediately . Joe Pass was the only jazz guitarist of the late ‘ 50s and early ‘ 60s to ever be seen publicly slinging a Jazzmaster , and he only did so during his 15-month stay at the drug rehab facility Synanon Center , when his personal
36 TONE TALK // How To Master Your Jazzmaster