H357 and Fender Jazzmaster

[heritagefan7]

For any who have played both---I believe that Brentrocks has a 357?---are they similar guitars? I just played a Fano JM6 which seems to be a 2011 Jazzmaster (jazzed up!) and immediately thought abt the 357. I know the 357 and the firebird are kissing cousins, but is the jazzmaster a close relative as well?.....BTW, the Fano has Fralin p90s. THOSE PUP's ARE AWESOME!!!! (My first run in w/ the Fralin noise cancelling p90)

[DetroitBlues]

To simply put it. No, they are not the same. Fano's are an improved versions of a Fender guitar. The H-357 is a perfected version of the Firebird. That's about as close as a Fano and Heritage will get. Perfected guitars of classic design.

[H]

The H-357 has a mahogany through-neck to a mahogany body with humbuckers. The Fano presumably follows Fender's maple (perhaps with rosewood fretboard) bolt-on neck to an ash/alder body with single coils (P90s in this case).

 

Tonally, I don't see how these could be close even if they had the same pickup type. I do like the Jazzmaster shape though, ever since I saw Elvis Costello playing one in the late 70s

[brentrocks]

i have never played a Jazzmaster....they are pretty cool guitars though

[heritagefan7]

Anyone know if Heritage has ever ventured into the jazzmaster arena? I guess it wouldn't seem likely since "we" (Heritage) have so many wonderful jazz options. I don't think the jazzmaster is actually a very good jazz guitar according to the reviews, however, the Fralins on the Fano version have a great tone in that solid alder body. BTW, the borad is rosewood on both the Fano and the JAzzmaster according to specs. This stuff always makes me want to experiment and go custom. H150 w/ Fralins? anybody want to fund an experiment???????

[eljay]

jazzers are neat guitars! in socal in the early '60s, jags, jazzmasters, and strats, always sunburst with tort, were plentiful in every music store . . . and music stores were plentiful!

 

the jazzmaster is my favorite fender; tone is pure fender single coil, yet like no other. nice ergonomics, too.

 

later in life, i'm able to recapture my childhood "music store experience" :

 

strat is fender custom shop, jag and jazzy are avri

 

something i didn't know until recently: jazzmasters were never intended to be loud, consistent with their original purpose, so they don't sound all that good under high gain conditions. at living room volume, delightful if you like the fender sound.

[Gitfiddler]

FENDER PERFECTION!!

 

 

[111518]

FENDER PERFECTION!!

 

 

 

Yup. I love that look --sb, rb, tortoise pickguard. The Jazzmaster was one of the old Fenders that use to float through the shops where I worked; not much demand (this was mid70s-early 80s), but really sweat playing, good sounding guitars. Sure wish I had snagged one.

[blueox]

No doubt there is a story behind the name and why it was called the Jazzmaster. Has anyone ever seen one used by a jazz musician? It has been used mainly by rock and blues guitarists such as Magic Slim. From seeing him on stage, Magic Slim gets a loud, piercing tone out of his Jazzmaster's single coils. I liked the body shape but didn't want the wang bar nor the single coils, so I had a version made with mini-humbuckers and stop tailpiece, along with a semi-hollow body.

 

[JackBaruth]

My childhood guitar teacher, who is my guitar teacher again after a 25-year hiatus, always played his original Olympic White 62 Jazzmaster. Still has it. I've played that, plus the Blacktops, plus the Costello, plus the Fano.

 

They are all wonderful guitars, but size and weight wise they feel like toys compared to a 357.

 

Trust me, there is zero similarity. A non-reverse Firebird might feel similar if it's made from light weight but they will never sound anything alike.