They both work well for rhythm guitar. There are subtle differences but to really get a sense of them you have to play both for a period of time. Plus there are now so many versions of the guitars it's hard to compare.

If I recall you already own a strat and a mosrite clone. what is it that you don't like about those guitars for rhythm playing?

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

I get it, I had similar issues. Here was my solutions. I keep the pickups low, which I like anyway. I removed the upper pot and put a switch in the lower pot that allows me to use neck/bridge.

I personally play my jazzmaster more, but the strat is preferred by more people I'd say.

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

Dodger wrote:

As a rythm guitar player, what would my choice be? And can someone tell me the difference between the two in sound and playability.

There are some nice topics here that discuss this difference in full. However opinions differ sometimes) As for me
Jaguar: hotter, punchier, more dynamic range, raw sound, thinner on clean sound but takes overdrive better. Due to less sustain and more attack takes a lot of reverb better without washing the sound away.
Jazzmaster: rounder, fuller, more sustain, more “polished” sound, great on leads and rhythm as well.
However it really depends on specific guitars. My Thin Skin 62 Jazzmaster is brighter and punchier than my 50s anniversary Jaguar, but other Jazzmasters I had before were not, for example.
Concerning the short scale/long scale, I really do not feel any difference besides the level of heavy gauge comfort usage that is slightly better in Jaguar.

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Last edited: May 22, 2022 13:14:21

Well, the truth is you're going to end up wanting one of each so I say buy the first one that comes along for a good price!

I tried a friend's Jag when he bought one. Tried it, disliked it.

three years later he's sold the Jag and now bought a Jazzmaster, like everyone else at the moment, it seems.

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

Don't presently own a Jag or a JM (do my surfin' these days on a Hallmark 65 Custom) but for me it's pretty easy.....I'm vertically challenged and have hands to match so I prefer the short scale of the Jag; I can reach chords on that 24" scale neck that are very, very difficult to impossible for me on a 25.5" scale.

I have always wanted a Fender Jag. So a few years ago, I made a 5-hour round trip to Dallas and bought a nice red one. I LOVE the Jag tone...and it is THE surf guitar tone. However, I ended up trading that guitar in for a something else...I forget what. Here's why.

The Jaguar is the most uncomfortable guitar to play standing up. Reason being, if you are right handed, which I am, your right elbow and right shoulder have to reach way over to the left side to strum and do solos. This is of course due to the short 24" scale. I have been playing 25 1/2" scale guitars all my life and playing a Jaguar sitting down is utterly WONDERFUL! However, the few gigs that my band managed to do in 2021 proved to me it's not the best guitar to strum or solo while standing up for 60+ minutes. My right wrist's bottom joint felt strained. My right elbow was always forced to "move over" to the left unnaturally just to strum the guitar in its sweet spot between the two pickups.

I don't regret getting rid of my Jag. If you can't perform comfortably on stage with a guitar, it's not worth having. I have a wonderful Jazzmaster (which I have listed on here for sale but am having second thoughts). Along with that, I have several Strats and they all feel much more ergonomic than a Jaguar.

Maybe it's a height thing with a Jag. I am 5'8" and it's just plain uncomfortable. I am guessing that a shorter person would not feel the way I do. If they made a Jag in 25 1/2", would it still sound like a Jag? Maybe close, but not exactly.

All I can think of...is if they would make a Jag with an extremely long headstock to offset the short neck length...it may be less painful to play

I wonder if anyone feels the same way?

_

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TL;DR: The perfect guitar 'on paper' may not be the right one for you. You need to try them out and - if possible - different versions/setups of each of those guitars in order to make a sound decision.

Longer story:
For me, I currently own a couple of Strats and a Jag (60s Lacquer) I have owned the Classic Player versions of both the JM and the Jag and those went out the door within a couple of years. I then owned a 60th Anniversary MIM Jazzmaster but I somehow did not gel with it.
Of my 2 Strats, both are wired with Master Vol, Master Tone, and then blender pot. My surf Strat has 11-47 TI flats. The flatwounds, the Neck+Bridge pickup combination, and the playability is really my go-to for the most part. The Jag tone is incredible but I find the playability not measuring up to the Strat. I have not found a JM yet that I am 'home' with and after owing 2, it bums me out a bit. On paper, it seems like the perfect guitar for me...I am a tall guy (the scale is comfortable), the middle position pickup selector is magic, but the bridge pickup alone for me is lacking so much...I want it to have a bit more oomph (mids?) and with less sizzle on the top end(not supercharged!). So, rather than make it something it is not, I traded it in and I am JM-less now.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

Last edited: May 24, 2022 03:14:36

Had three Jags in 10 years, the first one I bought I still have. Love them for rhythm and their 'spanky' sound.
Jazzmaster I owned for 2 years. Never liked it. It's still used in the band but not by me.

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My advice would be to play one of each and see which suits you. I love Jaguars, love the sound, love the pickups and love the controls, but I find the 24” scale a bit tight. I would love to have a Jaguar, with the control plates, etc, but a 25.5” scale.

That having been said, the Jazzmaster is a great instrument, in its own right. The sound is a little different than the Jaguar, but a great sound for Surf. (I’ve all but talked myself into buying one, just from this post.)

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When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.