Up for sale, a 1965 Fender Jazzmaster in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. A transitional model hailing from the first quarter of '65, this Jazzmaster has a bevy of Pre-CBS features including clay dot inlays on the unbound Brazilian rosewood fretboard, a pair of early hand-dated gray bobbin pickups, and an L-prefix neck plate.

Particularly lightweight for a Jazzmaster at 7lbs 6oz, this guitar has a clear, lively natural acoustic quality, and the pair of gray bobbin single coils both retain their original windings. The bridge pickup has a sparkling snap and rich, midrange-forward cut, while the neck pickup is woody and clear, offering more warmth and low end heft. The Rhythm Circuit on the upper body horn has a sound that's thick and sweet, well suited to a heavily overdriven tube amp or a vintage fuzz pedal. Here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar we specialize in Fender Offset instruments, and this Jazzmaster benefits from a professional setup with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Maple
• Shape: Slender C, measuring .790” 1st fret, .965” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood (unbound), 7 ¼” radius, clay dot inlay
• Frets: Medium, moderate wear favoring the plain strings on frets 1-9
• Scale Length: 25 ½”
• Nut: 1.675", bone (replacement)
• Tuners: Kluson Deluxe double-line
• Serialization: L-prefix on neck plate
• Factory Markings: 4JAN65B neck heel stamp (January, 1965 production)

Body Specs:

• Wood: Alder
• Pickups: Gray bobbin single coil x2 (neck pickup bobbin pencil dated 3-15-65)
• Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2 (Rhythm and Lead circuits), three-way pickup selector
• Harness: CTS and Stackpole pots date to the 50th week of ‘63 and ‘64
• Hardware: Bridge with threaded saddles, vibrato
• Plastics: Four-ply nitrate tortoise pickguard, Strat-style knobs (replacement knobs)

All of the hardware and plastics are original, save for the knobs, and the dark nitrate tortoise pickguard has the swirling reds and yellows of Fender’s Pre-CBS guards, with one small repair on the forward edge of the bridge pickup route (body route is unaltered). The original vibrato has been modified to be compatible with a screw-in tremolo arm, and the original arm has been threaded to fit.

There is light Olympic White overspray in the neck pocket and in the body and vibrato routes, yet the Sunburst gloss finish is otherwise original and presents cleanly with some finish loss and various dings on the body perimeter. There is modest wear along the belly carve on the back and dings and scuffs from use. The nitro gloss on the neck carve has been worn to the bare maple, fast and smooth in the palm.

The original hardshell case is included.