1964 Fender Jazzmaster Custom Color Black - Authentication and Value
1964 Fender Jazzmaster Custom Color Black in New Hampshire
Have a 1960s Fender Jazzmaster in a custom color that you are interested in selling? Contact me
I was thrilled to have the chance to purchase this factory black Fender Jazzmaster in eastern New Hampshire a few days ago. I am always a New Hampshire vintage guitar buyer, and black has always been one of my favorite custom colors. This one reminds me why. I love vintage Fenders in any condition, but the amount of wear on this one is spectacular. It has enough finish wear to tell it has been lovingly played, but never abused. It was owned by the original owner for the majority of its life, and I’m thrilled to have it.
Fender Jazzmaster History
Fender introduced the Jazzmaster in 1958. They designed it to be popular among jazz players, with its offset contour body, since they often played sitting down. Jazz players preferred jazz boxes for the most part, so the Jazzmaster did not catch on much for its intended purpose. When the surf craze started in the 1960s they got more popular, but after it ended, almost no one bought Jazzmasters, and Fender discontinued them in the late 1970s. They remained wildly unpopular for a long time, and many were modified because no one wanted them. In the 90s, when grunge and shoegaze started to be popular, they caught back on, and they have become more popular since. They are incredible guitars when set up correctly, so it is nice to see them getting the love they deserve.
Jazzmaster Rhythm and Lead Circuits
The Jazzmaster has an interesting electronics configuration which can seem confusing at first, but is quite simple once you get used to it. It features a dual circuit design with separate volume and tone controls. The lead circuit has a three position pickup selector toggle switch, a volume control, and a tone control on the treble side of the guitar. The rhythm circuit is warmer and darker sounding, with its own separate volume and tone control wheels on the upper horn. The slide switch on the upper horn flips between the two circuits.
Pre-CBS Fender Custom Colors
Fender started officially offering custom colors in 1961. Custom colors before this are exceedingly rare, but do exist. The standard color for the Jazzmaster was sunburst, but for an extra 5% a custom color could be requested. The most popular colors were Candy Apple Red, Fiesta Red, Olympic White, and Lake Placid Blue, but there were other colors less often ordered, such as Black, Sonic Blue, Foam Green, and the exceedingly rare Shell Pink. Check out this 1964 Fender Jaguar in Candy Apple Red I had to see another pre-CBS custom color.
This one was ordered in Black. Black was not a very popular custom color for pre-CBS Fender guitars at the time, but it is one of my favorites. When I showed up to buy it, I was excited to find all the features I needed to authenticate the finish as an original late 1963 or early 1964 custom color.
1964 Custom Color Fender Jazzmaster Original Finish Authentication
The most important thing to check on a pre-1964 custom color Fender is the nail holes. Fender put nails in the body before painting it, so the body could be held while the paint set. After the finish was done they pulled out the nails, leaving a few small holes in the body with no paint in them. Although this can be replicated on a refinish, most refinishers did not take the care to do so.
When I inspected this Jazzmaster, I removed the pickguard and the tremolo plate, and found the two nail holes I was hoping for: one on the bass side of the neck pocket, and one on the bass side of the tremolo route. The original pickguard with the factory tape still intact was a huge bonus too.
Around 1963, Fender guitars started having a paint stick mark in the neck pocket instead of a fully painted neck pocket. Apart from nail holes, the neck pocket is one of the most important things to check when authenticating an original finish. Check out this 1966 Fender Stratocaster in Candy Apple Red to see a paint stick mark in a CBS era neck pocket.
Dating a 1964 Fender Jazzmaster by its Neck Date
When I took off the neck, I saw it was stamped 4AUG63B. On Fender necks from the 1960s, the first number is not actually the day of the month, but the model code. 4 was the Jazzmaster code before 1966, and 13 was the code after the beginning of 1966. Shown are two examples: on top is this late 1963 neck, and on the bottom is an early 1966 neck I am lucky enough to have in the shop right now as well. AUG 63 indicates the neck was dated in August of 1963, although this guitar did not leave the factory until early 1964. B is the neck width at the nut, 1 ⅝ inches. Fender offered 4 neck widths, A, B, C, and D. A was the narrowest and D was the widest.
Since Fender serial numbers can overlap by a year or so, I always check the neck date, pot codes, and pickups together to date a guitar. Wondering how to date your Fender from its serial number? Check out my Fender Serial Number Lookup.
Fender Jazzmaster Pickups and Electronics
Another thing I look at when determining the originality and value of a vintage Jazzmaster, or any vintage guitar, is the pickups and electronics. On this one I found all original electronics, and grey bottom pickups with yellow ink date stamps, which means the guitar likely left the factory in spring of 1964. Before 1964, Fender used black bottom pickups.
How Much Is a 1964 Fender Jazzmaster Worth?
While all 1964 Fender Jazzmasters are very valuable, the value of a pre-CBS Jazzmaster varies greatly depending on originality, finish color, and condition. Custom colors such as black are significantly more rare than sunburst, and worth much more. Refinishes, replaced pickups, and other modifications lower the value. Wondering what your vintage Jazzmaster is worth? Contact me for a free appraisal.
Sell Your Vintage Fender Jazzmaster
Wondering where to sell your vintage Fender guitar? My name is Charlie Spillane, and I am a passionate buyer and collector of all Fender guitars made before 1975, especially Fender Jazzmasters in custom colors. I am based in New Hampshire, but I serve sellers throughout New England and nationwide. Have one you are interested in selling, or just wondering what it’s worth? Contact me, or reach me at 603-921-7449 or rainydayvintageguitars@gmail.com.