NGD - A lonnnnnnnnng time comin'...

[Mr Bungle]

Excited to receive this last weekend. Have wanted one for 35 years having first seen Adam Franklin of Swervedriver play one in my teens.

This latest purchase has been about 18 months in the making. Had a ’65 lined up but issues with shipping meant that fell over.

Then a client from Montana who lives 6 weeks in Southland each year offered to bring a guitar over from the States with him next time he came. Settled on a '64 out of Retrofret in Brooklyn. Bought it May last year and shipped to client, Dave, in Montana. We both looked into CITES and the different paperwork available and required, it’s a real pain in the arse with conflicting information. After talking it out on both sides of the Pacific (thanks to Grant of this parish for his advice) we settled on him just bringing it as his own personal guitar.

David knows Ren Ferguson of Montana, former Master Luthier at Gibson and Guild, who gave him a travel case for the trip. Dave and his wife did a great job getting it here safe and sound.

Always a risk buying sight unseen, but the neck is as good as I was told. Worn in, low vintage frets and action, easy and comfortable to play. And as I've said to some on here, having never played 7.25" radius before, it felt natural and easy right off the bat.

Sounds amazing through my '66 PR. Looks ultra clean in the pics, but plenty of dings and scratches and marks in the flesh.

When you finally get one of these over the line, you feel your lust for old guitars might be sated. My wife, of course, knows better.

[robthemac]

Hi please could you post some close-up pictures of the finish, especially at transition between colours on the burst and bonus points for feet/toes in the background

[StrummersOfThunder]

Congrats Matt
She’s a thing of utter beauty

[vintage52]

That's gorgeous.

[AiRdAd]

WOW - that looks great!!!

...made in mexico?

[Mr Bungle]

WOW - that looks great!!!

...made in mexico?

Thanks!

I do have an old MIM sunburst JM. And to my wife's untrained eye it looks every bit the same...

[jeremyb]

Awesome!! Congrats!

[Bradman]

Time to rip out some Dinosaur Jr!

Amazing find mate. Congrats! Does look very clean from the pictures!

[jimi]

Stunner, very cool, congrats

[Mr Bungle]

Hi please could you post some close-up pictures of the finish, especially at transition between colours on the burst and bonus points for feet/toes in the background

Not perfect light, sorry. Taken in front of some doors.

[StrummersOfThunder]

Ah yes with those shots it does have a bit more in common with mine . Pick guard shrinking , fairly squared bevel on the body.
Mine is light too. Compared to my avri it’s a feather
They’re cool things aren’t they. So much mojo
The trem springs are great in these old fenders . I realised that early on after I got my old jag.
I reckon the biggest ‘feel’ thing about them is the neck . Thst silky smooth worn in neck where the finish is all but gone and you can feel the wood grain.
We should have a sword fight some time

[Mr Bungle]

Ah yes with those shots it does have a bit more in common with mine . Pick guard shrinking , fairly squared bevel on the body.
Mine is light too. Compared to my avri it’s a feather
They’re cool things aren’t they. So much mojo
The trem springs are great in these old fenders . I realised that early on after I got my old jag.
I reckon the biggest ‘feel’ thing about them is the neck . Thst silky smooth worn in neck where the finish is all but gone and you can feel the wood grain.
We should have a sword fight some time

Crossing swords, shame we’re at opposite ends of the country.

In terms of weight, mine’s a smidgeon over 8lb. And my AOJM is maybe 8.25lb but the 64 feels so much lighter and more nimble.

The neck really is incredible. Thin C, worn, super comfortable.

The bevels look similar between mine. I think the dark edges of the sunburst make it look squarer. The AO is IBM.

My trem on my AO feels smoother, but there’s not much in it. 64 feels a little tighter in the spring.

My AO is actually a really well put together guitar. But it won’t get much use now. Will likely sell it and my <cough>strat<cough>.

[robthemac]

Interesting comment about the slimmer neck. I commented on the relative chunk of Strummer's JM compared to the AVRI Jag and JMs we had lying around.

[Mr Bungle]

Interesting comment about the slimmer neck. I commented on the relative chunk of Strummer's JM compared to the AVRI Jag and JMs we had lying around.

It’s thin compared to my AO that has binding which gives it more of a bevelled chunkier feel. For example my AO Strat has the exact same neck shape without the binding and feels much thinner. It doesn’t take much of a difference to feel quite different. But this new old girl feels just right

And yes, seems guitars across the 60s came with variously shaped neck profiles even within the same years and batches. The guy that shipped it from Retrofret told me they had 4 JMs in the shop from 59 to 65 and this one had the nicest neck by far.

[StrummersOfThunder]

Yours definitely has seen a bit more of the inside of a case than mine.
The yellowing on the pickup covers/knobs etc

I haven't weighed it but its certainly is significantly lighter than my AVRI