Fender did NOT see this coming! | Friday Fretworks

Fender's unlikely heroes...the offsets!

Key points:

0:00 Intro
0:07 JAM!
2:16 Leo would have hated it...
3:20 Fender's decade
4:05 Jazzmaster specs
5:44 JAM!
7:05 The Fender Jaguar
8:01 Jaguar specs
9:45 How was it received?
10:25 JAM!
11:36 From outcast to offset
12:34 Conclusion
13:00 JAM!

[deronwitmer]

The playing on this video is just unbelievable.

[johnmac]

Realising people were confused by the number of controls on the Jazzmaster, Fender added 3 more switches to the Jaguar, ha ha

[valserrie]

I remember the first time I saw a Jazzmaster. I was 16 and my girlfriend's father had a country music TV show. He owned only 1 guitar and it was treasured and spoken about in reverent and hushed tones. I remember him opening the case and revealing a beautiful sunburst Jazzmaster. I was struck by the quality of it. That was 1973. Move forward 40 years to 2013. I was in a guitar store with my wife getting something quick.
Just out of curiosity, I wandered over to the vintage section, and they had just taken in a 1975 Jazzmaster in perfect condition for $3, 000. I told her about it and so she wanted to hear it. So I plugged it in and played a few minutes, and she said, "OMG, it sounds beautiful. Like bells ringing...". I was amazed by the neck. It was thinner side to side and front to back than any guitar neck I had ever played. Fantastic to play. Great to hear. It was a beautiful guitar.

I went back a week later and bought it. It hangs on my wall today and it has a name. "Kitzi's Bells", though I don't play it nearly as often as I should.
I have 62 guitars at this point, and most of them have a story behind them. This is the story of that Jazzmaster.

I do really appreciate and enjoy Chris's playing. After seeing this, Chris always inspires me. I think I'll use it on an upcoming recording.

[toolittle]

Great episode, I think honestly the very main point about Jaguars/Jazzmasters that everyone forgets are the 1meg pots - that's where a solid 90% of the tonal difference comes from IMO, and why many people have a hard time when they first pick one up. WAY brighter and volume/tone knobs that definitely work totally different than what most are used to

[VeniceKing]

Such a sucker for matching headstocks on Jaguars, love 'em

[WesleyLynch]

On the Jaguar, I love the "if you can play one of these, you will have no trouble flying small airliners" look of the controls

[cliftontorrence]

Always a Pleasure, Sir. Here's hoping your short sojourn in the US bears fruit after the prohibitive expenditures.🙂

[Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

I am 77 and I can remember in the pre Beatle days guys laughing at the Jag and the Jazz. What was even the most shocking is that they had a higher price tag. The Pro shops stocked a Strat or two but they literally had a spot within seconds reach for a salesman to get a Tele from about 10 left in their boxes near the counter. Players back then played Harmony semi's, Gibson's, Gretsch and Tele's. New guys started on a Silvertone from the Sears department stores. If a player had a rep as a hot player he had a Tele ....guaranteed. .

[LUKE_LINDGREN]

Killer episode! From the incredible playing, to researching, recording, video editing, touring, writing…
You’re putting in the work, that’s for damn sure! We see you, brother. 🫡

[skipcurtin]

Chris.. As a beginner guitar player in 1968 I had chance to play a 1964 Jazzmaster as my first real pro guitar.. (a friends uncle had one). The first guitar I ever played
that had low action and I instantly realized I had been playing a cheap crappy guitar!! I'll never forget that day and I didn't even play it through an amp!
Also around 1977 Elvis Costello rekindled the Jazzmaster to a younger generation and worldwide audience with his hugely successful first album My Aim Is True.
Awesome Playing and Video this week as always Chris! Cheers!

[natenobrakes]

Whenever I need a bit of inspiration to pick up my guitar a dose of Friday Fretworks does the trick every time.

[tonyleeglenn]

Monster playing as always. Great work Chris. I love my offsets. I seem to play my Jazzmaster twice as much as my strats recently. Such a fine instrument - and quite inspiring.

[SoCalRS]

That was really informative! Never cared for all the switches but always liked the body style on these. Beautiful playing!

[manuelsegoviano]

that last gnr jam with the jag was beautiful

[davidthompson]

Chris, your playing is so amazing and inspiring. Thanks for sharing your music with the world. I'm gonna head home after work tonight and not put my guitar down until I can play along with your outro clip. Fantastic. Can't wait to see you live in Omaha! Coming soon!

[Paul_Abbott_Landsraad_Project]

Mate, I wax lyrical about that 2nd jam at every chance I get, but every single one here and on each a guitar I seemingly adore more and more.

How does it feel to wake up in a different league Chris? Phenomenal playing mate

[camcurseuniverse]

I was mainly a Gibson player until a friend brought over a fender Jagmaster . Opened up a whole new vibe for me .

[sagittated]

The underlying secret to the Jaguar & Jazzmaster being used in punk, wall of noise, & grunge so successfully wasn't just that they were available cheap.

(And here's my most controversial guitar opinion. Clutch your pearls...) It's because low output single coils sound better through dirt than humbuckers do.

[gcvrsa]

The reason why the offsets are so popular today is because they became the guitars of choice for many Gen X alternative rock players, for the very simple reason that they were disfavored in the market and therefore cheap to buy in the 1980s and 1990s. Players like Johnny Marr, Robert Smith, J Mascis, Kevin Shields, Kurt Cobain, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, among many others of the 1980s and 1990s who went on to great critical acclaim playing Fender offsets, are the reason they have experienced a rebound.

[latheofheaven]

You get all your straight-up rock urges in this video, Chris! Yahoo! 😁