This guitar is NOT for a Jazzmaster purist.

[@jameslord1]

Thanks for the detailed review - perfect timing! I’ve recently bought one of these, and have found no decent reviews - and it’s my first foray into offsets, so it’s interesting to hear what someone who knows what they are talking about thinks - I’m loving mine:)

[@AudiomoMusic]

That was also part of the reason I decided to give it a try, I couldn't believe nobody had done a full review of this model since it's been available for over a year. It's a great straight to the point Jazzmaster and I'm happy you love yours!

[@ineedstuff8286]

Please tell me this is your music 0:45 to finally find a music channel that has music im into... kinda a sadcore vibe. Love it!

[@IanNorsworthy]

Wonderful guitar - looks amazing! loved the tones around 7-8 mins too, as an addition to the more 'expected' tonal palette - really seemed to pair well with the amp too. And I love the toggle switch there too on my AM Pro - just so familiar and such a simple change. Obviously nothing wrong at all with the standard setup but I love the simplistic approach and gives a different option that suits me in the offset shape. Looks a great guitar!

[@Thebandrocketscience]

Thanks like the video Before I saw the video I ordered a Japanese hybrid 2 on eBay I am now really excited to get the guitar

[@AudiomoMusic]

That's awesome I'm sure you'll love it! The hybrid ii series is great what color did you go with?

[@Thebandrocketscience]

Ocean Blue with matching headstock I got today It plays amazing I just changed the strings to tens and the locking tuners are a new twist that threw me through a loop at first But I got it Lol !

[@Thebandrocketscience]

Cool I am happy it sounds great

[@markpickardlife]

It's such a beautiful blue. Pickups sounds good. Thanks for sharing.

[@AudiomoMusic]

Thank you Mark and I agree, the color is one of my favorites subtle but just beautiful.

[@genghizchen]

@@AudiomoMusic I've just bought one in Indigo trans which is beautiful as well. The color reminds me a bit of Tidepool of the Player series, but a little darker and bluer. Killer guitar for sure!

[@geoffreyhdavey]

Watching this review while I’m waiting for my MIJ Hybrid II FSR Burgundy Mist to arrive!

[@Jeremya74]

Greàt looking guitar..what did you pay and how did it play?

[@thesurfjunkies]

Not expecting to like the tones with the incorrect 250k pots but you got plenty of sparkle out of it so we approve. Your funky rhythm playing probably had something to do with it too. The dirty tones were really good as well.

[@cc-jg6ec]

Thank you for your review! I have exactly a same one, can the pot be replaced to 500k or 1meg without changing the pickups? I'm very new to these things, but I think maybe I'd prefer a higher pot's tone for this guitar

[@jdsimz8147]

I was thinking about grabbing one of these and putting a humbucker in the bridge.

[@AudiomoMusic]

it'd be a demon if you did that, fun idea for gain with the vibrato

[@FilmFlam]

That color with the white pickguard is awesome.

[@AudiomoMusic]

It's an absolute beaut indeed!

[@JDKingStratslinger]

Great demo, Jim! I've got the AmPro1, very similar, but Mystic Seafoam, maple 'board. Love it!

[@colemadden5147]

Really awesome playing! Also a great review, there aren't many about this guitar. I just got one and am loving it! I am having to fiddle with the vintage style locking tuners though

[@AudiomoMusic]

You made a great choice! The locking tuners are awkward at first, I recommend just using a string winding peg, when you loosen them enough the string will just pop out. When putting in the new string just make sure the gap is big enough for the string to get through and tighten until it locks.

[@genghizchen]

I'm also new to this guitar and found the locking tuners very fiddly when changing strings for the first time. Had to look for a tutorial on YT, lol. I come back to this review again and again because it's what convinced me to buy this guitar. I like it a lot despite it being not a traditional JM. I've uploaded a few videos meant as simple sound demos.

[@ubellubo]

Interesting that it has 250k pots. I just bought this guitar and the sound is very bright. So I'll keep mine as it is. I won't replace the pots.

[@Jaundice__]

I've been eyeing one of these, the gun metal looks nice. I haven't decided on it or the azurite color yet. Sounds pretty good in your demo, looking forward to hearing the P-90's.

[@AudiomoMusic]

I would 100% get the azurite, wouldn't think twice of it. Only reason I got this one was because it popped up for sale for quite a bit less than buying one new from japan would have been used at Dave's Guitar Shop so I bought it. The Azurite is stunning in person.

[@Jaundice__]

@@AudiomoMusic Thanks for the tip. They both look awesome in videos, but the azurite is begging for a pearl guard and not black!

[@Bliggick]

Nice review and nice colour on that Jazzmaster. You know, seeing that you are going to load it with P-90s you could get a little high gain crazy and install the Eric Clapton Strat boost circuit...?

[@AudiomoMusic]

im going to replace the volume pot anyways from 250k to 500k so its a possibility for sure

[@JBM_71]

Looks and sounds great. How would you describe the effect of the 250k pot as opposed to a traditional 1meg pot? I really did like the sound, interesting that you would substitute the pickups for P90s - the comparison will be interesting indeed. Always enjoy the deep dives. 🙂🙂🎸🎸

[@AudiomoMusic]

It really mellowed it out, I actually liked it much more than I thought. I want the P90s because I want it to have much more full sound than a jazzmaster pickup, the only thing I dislike about the model is the bridge pickup. This allows me to have a very unique kind of guitar in that sense while still feeling at home on the instrument

[@lazvt8469]

great tone...great playing....

[@AudiomoMusic]

Thanks Laz I appreciate it!

[@Snare9]

Is this bridge good for "Drop D"?? I consider buying HYBRID II JAZZMASTER NOIR, tho people say different things... ;p

[@Ganchan_]

What about the tremolo? Does it ticks? The handle has a fix deep position?

[@karoltarasiuk8939]

Great review, really good playing, intriguing guitar for sure! I'm eying the red one with maple fingerboard at the moment to replace my American Performer Jazzmaster. Very similar simple design with a different (better) trem... and this is my main concern, I'm playing with 9s, and wouldn't like to go up the gauge, do you think tuning stability would be fine with 9s? Is the neck shimmed btw?

[@AudiomoMusic]

Works fine with 9s, they actually designed both the hybrid and am pros to be optimal with 9s. I use Ernie ball hybrid slinkys and have no issues

[@karoltarasiuk8939]

Thank you for your confirmation! You've added one more reason for me to go and try it myself 😃

[@ubellubo]

Did you end up buying the Hybrid ii? How does it compare with your American Performer?

[@karoltarasiuk8939]

​@@ubellubo I actually bought it. My Hybrid II has sweeter sounding pups which I really like, although Performer sounds brighter. The feel is ofc subjective but I find Hybrid II neck more comfortable (I got small hands and it just feels right). Also trem is really smooth, and "delicate" to operate. Performer had to go...

[@ubellubo]

@@karoltarasiuk8939 Nice. I bought the same guitar myself in Modena Red. Just got it this week. I am really impressed by it. Its beautiful to look at and well-finished. I think the pickups are very good. Sweet and bright. This is my first Jazzmaster so I'll need to a listen to a more traditional model sometime to see how they compare. I don't know if I would want it any brighter. It's bright enough as it is.

[@marrzipan]

Hi Jim, thanks so much for making this very informative video. I've just bought one of these after watching your video and I really like the way the guitar plays and sounds. Only issue I have is the tremolo system which doesn't nearly work as well as I was expecting (coming from a Johnny Marr Jaguar). Besides some rattling noise when using the tremolo arm, when fully pushed in, it sits much too low and almost parallel to the body, making it rather impractical to use (it will also touch the volume pot if directly above it). I didn't see this problem in your video, so maybe my tremolo is defective. Do you have any suggestion how this can be fixed? Perhaps the easiest way is to bend the tremolo arm so that the angle of it gets steeper, but m afraid of breaking it. Or do you know of aftermarket tremolo arms that either have a longer stem or steeper angle? I reckon this might work as well. Thanks a lot!

[@marrzipan]

Update: I've tried gently bending the trem arm using a vise and the angle is perfect now. All good. 😃

[@AudiomoMusic]

Hey sorry I missed this one, it's kind of funny timing because next weeks repair video actually compares the Japanese, USA, and Mastery Vibratos and talks about that a bit - looks like you solved that problem with the Japanese unit on your own again sorry i didnt see this

[@marrzipan]

@@AudiomoMusic Hey Jim, no worries. It was actually an easy fix and now I can't be happier with this guitar. I found it second-hand here in Taiwan and am so glad I got it thanks to your great review. Looking forward to your upcoming videos.

[@paressehylton]

Man, can i ask what kind of picks do you use?

[@AudiomoMusic]

Dava controls ( the original green ones ), it’s all I’ve ever used since I started playing.

[@crigonalgaming1258]

What people miss is that Fender Japan designs and specs their guitars based on the Japanese market. They almost always have the final say. They don't care what the purists think.

[@AudiomoMusic]

Nobody “missed” anything, and they don’t have the final say anymore since they work with Fender USA these days…

[@romichjordan]

what is song name on background

[@andreasjohnson4502]

How does this jazzmaster sound stock compared to your golden avri Jazzmaster? I am considering buying one and then mod it with new pickups and pots..

[@AudiomoMusic]

Really, really different to the gold one and it's mainly because of the 250k pots. You'll get right in the ballpark with just the stock pickups provided you go the 1meg option. It's was a very noticeable difference.

[@andreasjohnson4502]

@@AudiomoMusic thanks for answering, Jim. I might order one and then mod it. Thanks for an interesting channel. You deserve more viewers. One advice: try the Sennheiser E906 for micing the cab. I have both the SM57 and the E906 which I find to sound more natural if that is the sound you want.

[@rebelandthehearts]

Do you think it still sounds like a jazzmaster with 250 pots? Also did you get any buzz from the high fret you found?

[@AudiomoMusic]

Not really, it totally changes the character of the guitar. All of the high end missing is very obvious in person, it's a cool guitar and it by no means sounds bad but it absolutely doesn't sound like a traditional jazzmaster

[@genghizchen]

Hi, I've recorded a demo with this guitar playing some surf music (which is what Jazzmasters are known for) and I put it on my channel recently. You can get some idea how the guitar sounds in that setting. I personally find the guitar sounds great with the 250 pots, but I've never played a regular Jazzmaster, so I can't compare.

[@deeperblueofficial]

That's some wicked playing.

[@AudiomoMusic]

Thanks as always amigo, I appreciate it!

[@changestrangers]

Such a nice surprise, Jim. Sounds like a very decent guitar, if not a conventional Jazzmaster.

[@AudiomoMusic]

Sometimes unconventional is a good thing!

[@gusorangetree]

This is so weird to my ears. A jazzmaster without the typical jazzmaster sound. It's indeed a good guitar, but something is off here imo. Would you have some info o. These 2 hybrid pickups?what are they for?

[@AudiomoMusic]

You have a good ear, it's not the pickups that make it sound so different - it's the pots. This guitar has 250k pots compared to a typical Jazzmaster that uses the 1megs. Goes to show how insane of a difference the pots can make in a guitar.

[@gusorangetree]

@@AudiomoMusic this is crazy. Thanks for the answer, this jazzy instantly reminded me of a telecaster. Hybrid jazzys are very bright guitars, but they lost all the ice picky harshness. Some bands such as fleshwater and loathe use that same guitar. It has definitely something going on.

[@mralgebro]

Can’t wait to hear the P90s

[@AudiomoMusic]

completely different guitar with the p90s, but I think i'm going to swap the 250k volume pot for a 500k. I absolutely love it.

[@nosferatu2]

Just got this guitar recently. I hate to say it, but I’m very disappointed with the tone. I think the 250k pots take away from what I really liked with my old Squier CV JM. The Hybrid II is just too muddy and dark.

[@AudiomoMusic]

Yep, I can see that. Shows how important potentiometer values are, luckily it’s an extremely easy and cheap swap.

[@nosferatu2]

@ word. Just ordered some. Hoping the 1meg pots work with the hybrid ii custom voiced pickups.

[@thecappy]

I know this is an older video. But can the newer Japanese fenders use the US vibrato and bridge?

[@AudiomoMusic]

Yes they can, done it several times no issues

[@thecappy]

@@AudiomoMusic awesome. I picked up a black Inoran model (‘59 neck, av65 pickups) was going to put the fender version of the staytrem bridge on. (From the Johnny Marr jag).

[@AudiomoMusic]

Neck score! Those are great guitars indeed