#202307 :: Fetish JM guitar in Relic Fiesta Red :: SOLD

Hi guys!

This time I have something different than usual, a Thomann Jazzmaster DIY kit, at 88€. Why? Well, Nitorlack has been very kind to send me their Relic Gloss Lacquer new formula, which was produced in order to create nitro checking after a few days. I had tried their older formula about 2 years ago or so, but I wasn't that happy with it. So, not knowing what to expect, I preferred to buy a cheaper guitar kit that I knew it could result in a reasonable and playable guitar (in the past I had already bought 3 Stratocaster kits from them), and go from there.

Starting by the finish, YES, it's much better than it was before, that's for sure! I will surely buy this product again soon. The checking didn't appear in 3 or 4 days by it's own, but after a temperature treatment it appears instantly, much faster and better than with regular nitro lacquer with plasticizers which are there to prevent it after all. Either neck or body, both have a very nice pattern all-over.

As for the kit itself: all the parts used are from the kit, EXCEPT for a cover that works as tailpiece. I think it matches the vintage look. Also, instead of the original machine heads, which look very modern, I was going to buy Harley Benton vintage tuners, which are really good by the way, but I have a client who sent me a Fender vintage kind of set, which is meant for 10mm holes. Since the project he's doing with me includes an Allparts SRO-C, we decided to buy another Fender set of tuners, this time for 8mm holes, and I have used the first Fender tuners on this Jazzmaster kit. So, there you have it, an Harley Benton kit with genuine Fender tuners, how about that!? 

Let's go for the basics, pros and cons of this kit. The body is too light in my opinion, the whole guitar weighs 2.75kg, and the 2-pc mahogany piece isn't that beautiful I'm afraid. The electronic parts are basic, they work, but the Tone 250k pot works, but it already shows a deficiency when you turn it, something at the interior doesn't work right. The neck is really chunky, 20.5mm at the 1st fret and 22mm at the 12th fret, however the fret work is quite reasonable! Way better than the SRO-C I was talking about earlier! The fretboard level was really fast to do, and the action is surprisingly low. I have took it to play on church and it was quite fun, and I have been playing it almost every day since it was ready. I'm more confortable with Ibanez Wizard necks, but this neck isn't bad at all guys; it's a shame the body doesn't match the same quality.

Attention: If you buy it, you MUST know that this neck's heel is higher than usual and not directly interchangeable to a Fender dimensioned body, a neck joint would have to be about 2mm deeper. I would surely buy another kits just for the neck if the heel was standard! The body is a bit smaller and slimmer (40mm instead of 44,5mm) than the Jazzmaster bodies I usually use, and the pickguard wouldn't be usable neither.

Finally, the pickups; I found them neutral first, the neck PU measures 8k and the bridge 9k, but then I started to play with the knobs on my Zoom G3. After a comparison with several DiMarzio I own on my guitars, they're not that neutral. They can handle clean and distorted tones, and I find their tone vintage voiced after all. The neck tone is quite full, the middle position could be more "single-coil" sounding, but it's fine, and the bridge is usable too, but I prefer it distorted or at least on a Crunch basis. On my Blackstar ID Core 100w, it reacts very well to the 6 voiced presets I have built to play at home.

Sorry for the long text, but as always, I like you to know exactly what you're buying.