Your shopping bag is empty
Go to the shop
Up for sale, a 1965 Fender Jazzmaster, honestly played and in perfect working order. A transitional model from the first quarter of '65, this Jazzmaster features clay dot inlay on the Brazilian rosewood fretboard, a pair of early hand-dated gray bobbin pickups, and an L-prefix neck plate. Lightweight and lively at only 7lbs 7oz, this Jazzmaster will delight discerning collectors and seasoned professionals.
Powerful, resonant, and extremely versatile, this Jazzmaster is everything you'd expect from a guitar produced in Fender's golden age. Acoustically, the guitar has a very authoritative sound that translates well through the two original gray bobbin pickups. Indicative of Fender’s gray bobbin-era wind, the bridge pickup has accentuated sparkle and cut with plenty of upper midrange articulation and an underlying sweetness. The neck pickup has a thick woody cut and bark, and the Rhythm Circuit tempers things further with greater bass-register breadth and thickness. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, we've dialed in this Jazzmaster with 11-49 roundwound strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
The maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve at the nut, with rolled fretboard edges in every register and a gentle increase in overall shoulder and heft further up the fretboard, measuring .805" deep at the 1st fret and .980" at the 12th. The extremely dark 7 1/4" radius Brazilian rosewood fretboard sports clay dot inlay, freshly refretted with slender vintage-spec 6230-size fretwire. The guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2" scale and the neck is straight with a responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The new hand-carved bone nut measures a full 1.675" in width. On the headstock, the original transitional Jazzmaster waterslide decal is fully intact. The original double line Kluson Deluxe tuning machines still function as intended with a smooth, reliable response. On the heel of the neck, the original 4MAR65B stamp is very bold, translating to "4" (Jazzmaster model number), March 1965.
There is a perfectly mirrored finish exchange between the neck pocket and neck heel (indicative of a body and neck that were paired together originally), and the neck pocket is fully painted, quite unusual for this model year. The body has the nail holes for mounting the body during the finishing process seen on earlier Jazzmaster years, yet the burst gradient is consistent with 1964-65, with particularly dark and wide black edges, a prominent central ring of red, and more opacity of the yellow central to the burst.
All of the electronics function as intended, and both original gray bobbin pickups have their stock windings, with grease pencil dates on the bobbins from March of '65. The harness is all original save for one pot, and the Tone pot in the Lead Circuit (produced by Stackpole) dates to the 8th week of '65. Hardware includes the original L-prefix four-bolt neck plate, bridge, and vibrato tailpiece, complete with the original arm, all of which have clean chrome plating and only exhibit a couple isolated spots of surface patina. Plastics include the original knobs and pickup covers which show surprisingly little yellowing, and the pickguard is a genuine vintage nitrate tortoise Jazzmaster pickguard (not original to the guitar, but era-correct and substituted due to damage sustained to the original pickguard).
The nitro lacquer three-tone Sunburst finish is 100% original with no touchup or overspray, exhibiting heavy forearm and pick wear, with prominent lacquer checking (tighter on the face of the instrument, broader on the back) and various nicks and signs of honest use on the body as a whole. The neck profile is nigh-flawless and silky smooth, worn to the bare maple from decades of play.
A modern Fender G&G hardshell case is included.
Powerful, resonant, and extremely versatile, this Jazzmaster is everything you'd expect from a guitar produced in Fender's golden age. Acoustically, the guitar has a very authoritative sound that translates well through the two original gray bobbin pickups. Indicative of Fender’s gray bobbin-era wind, the bridge pickup has accentuated sparkle and cut with plenty of upper midrange articulation and an underlying sweetness. The neck pickup has a thick woody cut and bark, and the Rhythm Circuit tempers things further with greater bass-register breadth and thickness. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, we've dialed in this Jazzmaster with 11-49 roundwound strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
The maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve at the nut, with rolled fretboard edges in every register and a gentle increase in overall shoulder and heft further up the fretboard, measuring .805" deep at the 1st fret and .980" at the 12th. The extremely dark 7 1/4" radius Brazilian rosewood fretboard sports clay dot inlay, freshly refretted with slender vintage-spec 6230-size fretwire. The guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2" scale and the neck is straight with a responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The new hand-carved bone nut measures a full 1.675" in width. On the headstock, the original transitional Jazzmaster waterslide decal is fully intact. The original double line Kluson Deluxe tuning machines still function as intended with a smooth, reliable response. On the heel of the neck, the original 4MAR65B stamp is very bold, translating to "4" (Jazzmaster model number), March 1965.
There is a perfectly mirrored finish exchange between the neck pocket and neck heel (indicative of a body and neck that were paired together originally), and the neck pocket is fully painted, quite unusual for this model year. The body has the nail holes for mounting the body during the finishing process seen on earlier Jazzmaster years, yet the burst gradient is consistent with 1964-65, with particularly dark and wide black edges, a prominent central ring of red, and more opacity of the yellow central to the burst.
All of the electronics function as intended, and both original gray bobbin pickups have their stock windings, with grease pencil dates on the bobbins from March of '65. The harness is all original save for one pot, and the Tone pot in the Lead Circuit (produced by Stackpole) dates to the 8th week of '65. Hardware includes the original L-prefix four-bolt neck plate, bridge, and vibrato tailpiece, complete with the original arm, all of which have clean chrome plating and only exhibit a couple isolated spots of surface patina. Plastics include the original knobs and pickup covers which show surprisingly little yellowing, and the pickguard is a genuine vintage nitrate tortoise Jazzmaster pickguard (not original to the guitar, but era-correct and substituted due to damage sustained to the original pickguard).
The nitro lacquer three-tone Sunburst finish is 100% original with no touchup or overspray, exhibiting heavy forearm and pick wear, with prominent lacquer checking (tighter on the face of the instrument, broader on the back) and various nicks and signs of honest use on the body as a whole. The neck profile is nigh-flawless and silky smooth, worn to the bare maple from decades of play.
A modern Fender G&G hardshell case is included.
