Fender Jazzmaster

LEO FENDER WAS quite pleased with the success of Fender's Telecaster and Stratocaster electric guitars during the Fifties.

- CHRIS GILL

1958-1980/1985-present CATEGORY SOLIDBODY ELECTRIC GUITAR

However, he wasn't thrilled that his inventions were embraced more fervently by rock 'n' roll and blues players than they were by his favored country and western musicians. Furthermore, he was somewhat disgusted that he played an indirect role in the growing popularity of the newfangled radical and rambunctious sounds that were taking over radio airwaves.

In an attempt to appeal to a more “respectable” group of musicians, Leo and his designers developed a brand-new flagship model aimed at jazz guitarists. He even named it the “Jazzmaster” so everyone would know exactly who it was designed for. Unfortunately, jazz players felt somewhat lukewarm about the Jazzmaster upon its introduction in 1958, with Joe Pass being one of the few jazz guitarists of note who actually adopted the model during its early run. Instead, the Jazzmaster became a hit with the instrumental surf rock phenomenon that started to emerge around the same time.