Fender American Performer Jazzmaster

first play
21
SEPTEMBER 2019 GUITARIST
FENDER AMERICAN PERFORMER JAZZMASTER & MUSTANG
Verdict
If this review was a double feature down at
your local classic picture house, the Fender
Jazzmaster would be Sir Sean Connery
and Sir Michael Caine’s 1975 ripping yarn,
The Man Who Would Be King. The Fender
Mustang is the 1959 Peter Sellers’ satire
The Mouse That Roared. Neither are all-
conquering blockbusters like the Telecaster
and Stratocaster, but they’re not B-movies
either. More like cult classics.
Fender has really shown its offset
throwbacks some love in the past few years
what with its Mexican-made hardtail
Mustangs, and the recently released Vintera
Jazzmasters, Jaguars and Mustangs. These
American Performer versions aren’t quite
as cute as the vintage-spec models, but
they are easier to play. After all, it’s the mad
design quirks that make the original JMs
and ’Stangs so adorable, but not everyone
wants that stuff.
In the end, there’s enough vintage DNA in
these models to make them cool, balanced
with a level of modern build quality and
playability to make them accessible to all
types of player. A guitar for everyone, if you
will. As it happens, that’s all Leo Fender set
out to achieve in the first place.
FENDER AMERICAN
PERFORMER
JAZZMASTER
PRICE: £1,049 (inc gigbag)
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Offset solidbody electric guitar
BODY: Alder
NECK: Maple with ‘Modern C’ profile,
bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Synthetic bone/43mm
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood with
white dot inlays, 241mm (9.5”) radius
FRETS: 22, jumbo
HARDWARE: Nickel/chrome
Vintage Strat Synchronized vibrato,
Fender Classic Gear tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
ELECTRICS: 2x Yosemite Jazzmaster
single coils, master volume,
‘Greasebucket’ tone, 3-way pickup
selector toggle switch
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.8/8.5
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: The American
Performer range kicks off with the
Telecaster and Stratocaster at £999.
The neck humbucking Telecaster
Hum and the HSS Stratocaster are
the same price
LEFT HANDERS: N/A
FINISHES: Penny (as reviewed),
3-Colour Sunburst, Satin Lake
Placid Blue, Vintage White – gloss
polyurethane body, satin neck
FENDER AMERICAN
PERFORMER
MUSTANG
PRICE: £999 (inc gigbag)
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Offset solidbody electric
guitar
BODY: Alder
NECK: Maple with ‘Modern C’ profile,
bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 610mm (24”)
NUT/WIDTH: Synthetic bone/43mm
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood with
white dot inlays, 241mm (9.5”) radius
FRETS: 22, jumbo
HARDWARE: Nickel/chrome
Mustang bridge and vibrato,
Fender Classic Gear tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
ELECTRICS: 2x Yosemite Mustang
single coils, master volume,
‘Greasebucket’ tone, 3-way pickup
selector toggle switch
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.4/7.6
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: See Jazzmaster
LEFT HANDERS: No
FINISHES: Vintage White
(as reviewed), Penny, Satin Sonic
Blue, 2-Colour Sunburst – gloss
polyurethane body, satin neck
Fender Musical Instruments EMEA
01342 331700
www.fender.com
PROS Modern playability; hi-fi vibe
of the big single-coil pickups; this
thing is easy on the eye, too
CONS The Synchronized vibrato
doesn’t have the curb appeal of the
classic Jazzmaster whammy
PROS It couldn’t look cuter if it was
wearing an Easter bonnet; the killer
playability and punchy pickups
mean it’s not just a pretty face
CONS Seriously. Nines on a
Mustang? Have a word
8
8
5. The Mustang has
regular Strat-esque
Yosemite single-coil
pickups. Unlike their
vintage ancestors,
these American
Performers come
spec’d with simple
control setups
5
GIT450.rev_fender.indd 21 8/8/19 5:09 PM