[fuzzman]

This question might have been answered before but does sonic youth use american or japanese made jazzmaster's, or a combination of both.Also I wonder if they made any modifications on their jazzmasters like changing the bridge to a mustang bridge to prevent the low e string from popping out cause everytime i see them live they never really have any dilemas and that's interesting because those jazzmasters are temperental little beasts especially playing them in a live setting.

[ZEROpumpkins]

I'm pretty sure it's american. Given the choice, most bands prefer made in USA products simply because they can afford them and are better quality.

[fuzzman]

Yeah you might be right I wish there was a video on you tube where lee and thurston talk about there guitars and amps and why they continue to use jazzmasters after all this time. I mean for a usa 62 reissue it's about $4000 in Australia and thuston has got to have about 15 at least.

[ZEROpumpkins]

Yeah, CIJ/MIJ are very good quality anyway. I just grab em off ebay for $700 with postage and they sound great!

[fuzzman]

I have a cij jazz and I get a pretty good tone out of it although my low e string keeps poppin out even with a mustang bridge.I really don't know the difference between a usa and cij jazz because I have only ever played cij.From what I hear you even get those same kinda problems on the usa jazzmasters.

[ZEROpumpkins]

Nice. I'd trade my Jag for a Jazz. Haha yeah Jag/JM bridges are annoying.

[scott v]

check out the mustang section of the site (gearography)

they use both american and japanese jazzmasters, new and vintage...

the bridges appear to be changed, i have an article from AP back when Murray Street was released where Thurston and Lee talk about some of their guitars... Thurston I believe made the statement that they change the bridges on their jazzmasters to mustang type ones. also they disect the wiring and bypass all those rhythm and lead knobs, remove the tone pots out and wire the volume pot directly to the jack (you'll see that from the pics on the gearography site), there is probably some other minor wiring thing (either different pot resistance used, capacitor value change...etc) that is done to hot rod their guitars and really boost the output (actually there are alot of DIY projects on how to improve the tone/volume output on electric guitars on the web).

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

Sonic Youth uses Jazzmasters because they have a lot of money and they can. You can play Sonic Youth stuff on a 20 dollar guitar and it will sound awesome.

One thing that SY has taught me is to value the sounds that every guitar makes, expensive or cheap.

[spirale]

Originally Posted by SpectralJulianIsNotDead

One thing that SY has taught me is to value the sounds that every guitar makes, expensive or cheap.

you're right, dude

[raging_nelly]

most of their guitars are copies tho right?

[GrungeMonkey]

Originally Posted by SpectralJulianIsNotDead

Sonic Youth uses Jazzmasters because they have a lot of money and they can. You can play Sonic Youth stuff on a 20 dollar guitar and it will sound awesome.

One thing that SY has taught me is to value the sounds that every guitar makes, expensive or cheap.

how much money DO they have?

a little off topic, but i've always found it hard to guess how much money SY make. surely its not that much?

[barnaclelapse]

They seem to be doing okay.

Heh.

[fuzzman]

Yeah that's true they probably do have the money for them but back in the day they bought them because they were cheap I think around $300 but now they could play anything they want but they still choose to play jazzmasters.

[ZEROpumpkins]

Originally Posted by raging_nelly

most of their guitars are copies tho right?

Not most of them, but they still use copies. The other night, Lee had a Fernandes Strat and Jazz.

[tasteinmen]

my japanese jazzmaster's low e string never pops off and i do tend to go wild on it.

[Danny Himself]

Originally Posted by tasteinmen

my japanese jazzmaster's low e string never pops off and i do tend to go wild on it.

Same..

However I have accidentally broken the tone switches and since I bumped into something whilst walking around soloing on my day off the volume knob has been all wobbly.

[sonicl]

Originally Posted by SpectralJulianIsNotDead

Sonic Youth uses Jazzmasters because they have a lot of money and they can.

The band probably doesn't need to have lots of money to have expensive guitars though, they're probably given them as freebies.

[scott v]

Originally Posted by sonicl

The band probably doesn't need to have lots of money to have expensive guitars though, they're probably given them as freebies.

yes and no... and most of their guitars are probably not copies, if you like at the headstock they are clearly Fenders or a brand name (Lee and his Fernandes, Gibson etc etc...) and i doubt its not headstock decals to make them look real, if you look at the stolen guitar page those are real deal Fender guitars w/ serial #s

[Torn Curtain]

I think nearly all the Jazzmaster are US and they place Tune-o-matics on them.

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

Originally Posted by GrungeMonkey

how much money DO they have?

a little off topic, but i've always found it hard to guess how much money SY make. surely its not that much?

I don't know. I'm sure they make enough.