That sizzling top-end definition coexists beautifully with dirt and delay. Start piling on the dirt and the Jazzmaster goes all alternative rock. Lest we forget, one of this model’s earliest supporters was much-loved Johnny Cash sideman Luther Perkins. Switch reverb for slapback echo and the Jazzmaster makes a credible rockabilly machine. The neck pup maintains much of that treble response, but there’s a bit more Duane Eddy-esque depth. The top-end from the Yosemite bridge single coil is spine-tingling, especially when you crank up the reverb.

Running clean, you can see why the Jazzmaster’s big single coils were so popular during the early 60s surf music craze. As previously stated, the American Performer does away with all that kerfuffle. The idea was you could switch between two preset tones. You could switch between a regular circuit with a volume, tone and three-way toggle for the bridge and neck pickups, and a ‘rhythm’ mode with roller volume and tone controls that only fed the neck pickup. Original Jazzmasters had a lead and rhythm circuit.

The ‘Sounds’ section of this review would be way longer if the American Performer Jazzmaster had the control layouts of its ancestor. Yes, we’ll always have a soft spot for the gloss nitro finish on old-school JMs, but there’s no denying the satin finish offers way less friction. Fender has been using this since the American Standard stuff landed back in the 80s. We like the satin polyurethane finish on the neck. It comes strung with 0.009 to 0.046-gauge strings. Most would never consider the Jazzmaster as a lead guitar, but the big frets and modern radius ’board make it as shreddable as any other guitar. It hits that magic sweet spot between fat and thin. The ‘Modern C’ profile is a great one-size-fits-all option. Not having the old-school floating unit taking up all that body space leaves a hell of a lot of naked real estate behind your picking hand. It’s not the first time Fender has put out a Jazzmaster in this format, but it still looks a little odd. Fender has opted for a vintage Strat-style vibrato for the American Performer. Looking more closely at the Jazzmaster you’ll discover that the big old floating vibrato and rocking bridge chiselled into vintage and reissue models ain’t there.

You get a master volume, ‘Greasebucket’ tone and a three-way pickup selector toggle switch. Other similarities include 22 jumbo frets (vintage and reissue models only have 21) and a simple wiring loom. The Jazzmaster is your classic 648mm (25.5- inch) scale the Mustang is short-scale at 610mm (24 inches). The maple necks are bolt-on, of course, and while they share a comfortable ‘Modern C’ profile, 241mm (9.5-inch) radius and satin polyurethane coating, their scale lengths differ. This American Performer model is built around an offset alder chassis with a hard-wearing gloss polyurethane finish.

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