Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster Oxblood Solid-Body Electric Guitar (0140070793)

I have had zero issues with this baby and I have been playing guitar since I was 12 so I feel confident in being able to notice when something is off about the neck, strings, frets, wiring, etc. It has a very unique sound and all my band mates and friends have noticed the difference right away. I mean it also looks good enough to make my wife jealous. Sheeesh

Plays well but fret wires do needAttention.

it was good. i enjoyed it. i smashed it all up when i was done with it.

I've been on the fence about getting a Jazzmaster for 3 or 4 years, and I'm so happy I waited until the Troy Van Leeuwen signature model came out! This is an absolutely stunning instrument - the build quality is definitely as good as MIJ Fenders, and is pretty stinkin' close to American. Given that these come from the Mexican factory, I anticipated that a good setup would be needed but it arrived ready to play. It's always hilarious to let other guitarist buddies mess around with this for a few minutes before revealing that it's Mexican made - their eyes almost pop out!I'm delighted to say that it plays like a dream - this is my first Jazzmaster and I'm in love with the body shape. The pickups sound fantastic - before this came out I was thinking about saving up for a '65 AVRI and the TVL has the exact same pickups. They break up beautifully with gain and immediately hop over to smooth without getting too muddy on the rhythm circuit. So far I've played this through a Fender Blues Deluxe and Orange AD30, and it sounds killer through both. I also really dig the toggle they put in to switch up to the rhythm circuit - I plan on hopping back and forth a lot, and that makes the transition a lot smoother and quicker.The biggest hurdle for most buyers will be the price - I imagine that you're as surprised as I was to find out that Fender is asking #1300 for a made in Mexico model, especially since they now offer a barebones American Jazzmaster for just under a grand. Apparently Troy really wanted to make sure his model came out with the amazing components and features, but figured that on an American-made model the guitar would be way too expensive. So what you're getting for your money is mostly in the electronics and cosmetics. As I mentioned earlier, the electronics are identical to the '65 AVRI, and as you've probably noticed it's got that really sexy oxblood finish with a matching headstock, as well as a bound fretboard with big blocky pearloid inlays. You also get a really sharp hardshell case. For me, those gorgeous features kept luring me back to the TVL whenever I was weighing it against some of the more expensive options available.A small list of complaints/issues (minor enough to still allow my 5 star rating):-The volume rolling knob on the rhythm circuit has some resistance compared to the tone knob. When I change the strings I'll pop the pickguard off and see if I can fix that.-Arrived set up well, but the fretboard was a bit dry. Easy fix.-The high E string sits unusually close to the edge of the fretboard. It isn't really an issue while playing, but I did find that odd... when checking images of other TVL Jazzmasters it seems like that's the case with all of them?-$1300 may be a bit steep for a MIM. I scored a good deal on mine, and I do believe that this is the best built Mexican Fender I've ever laid eyes upon, but if you're concerned about the price you may wish to check out some of the following:-J Mascis Jazzmaster (the purple sparkle discontinued made-in-Japan model, should run about $900 used)-American Special Jazzmaster (if you don't care about the tremolo or rhythm circuit)-American Vintage Reissue '65 Jazzmaster (if you have the $$ and REALLY want American made)

I have dreamed of this guitar since it was released. It is the most beautiful guitar ever IMO. It has been on my Christmas list at least 4 years now.I finally got one this Christmas. Open the case, it’s beautiful. Go to tune it up and the A string tuner gearing is stripped. No problem, mistakes happen.Send it back, get the refund on that one and reorder. Got the new one today … A AND D tuners won’t work. And the action/setup on this one sucks.VERY, VERY, VERY disappointed with quality control for a guitar that costs as much as American made.I will probably try one more time but not expecting much.

I've been eyeing this guitar for years, and finally decided I needed to have one before they discontinue it.It's drop-dead gorgeous; Fender doesn't really offer blocks, binding, and a matching head-stock on other regular-production guitars, so if that's your thing -- and it definitely is mine -- then this is one of the only options, if not the only option in its price range. (I don't even think you can get those options on a custom shop unless you go with a Master Built guitar!)The Oxblood finish is excellent; it looks burgundy in some light, deep purple at other times, and can appear almost black with no direct lighting.The alder body on mine is nice and light too, which is a good change compared to previous Jazzmasters I've owned.I had my doubts about Troy's replacement rhythm circuit switch, but it's a really satisfying switch to throw, and it makes changing between circuits much faster/easier.Finally, the pickups sound great. I can't really elaborate any more; I just remember that when I plugged it in for the first time the tones were heavenly, and there are a lot of tonal options available with the various switching combinations.The bad parts are related to quality-control, so here are the issues I had:1) Fender supplied me the wrong vibrato arm; the tailpiece on this guitar is for a screw-in arm, but the included arm was push-in. Fortunately my local tech had a correct (threaded) arm and just swapped me out.2) The neck was crooked in the pocket. The fix was to loosen the bolts, force the neck into the correct position, and tighten the bolts. This works fine, but at this point Fender really shouldn't be producing any instruments at any of their factories with this kind of problem. The only downside of this -- other than having to correct it -- is that the pick-guard doesn't look like it's cut properly, as there are gaps. Hopefully the neck doesn't try to shift back over time. (Update: It did, so I'll have to dowel the neck and drill new screw holes to keep it from shifting.)3) Fret ends were a little sharp on the treble side. I understand this is pretty normal for cheaper import guitars, but for a $1,600 factory-produced guitar the fretwork should be near perfect. (Could have been a storage/humidity issue, too before I bought it.)4) Nut wasn't cut great, and some strings bind. Again, this is to be expected on cheap guitars, but for a guitar this price it's ridiculous.5) The case was kind of cheesy. Included with this guitar is a Chinese, Fender-branded, G&G-inspired case. (I have several G&G cases for comparison.) Mine came with the storage fastening strap completely disconnected from the case; I could see where the screw almost pierced the leather, but didn't. The case is also a little fatter than a G&G, the plywood feels thinner, the edges aren't as round, and the instrument doesn't fit as tightly. It's great that a hard case is included at all, but I don't think it will last long on the road for any serious musician. I would have honestly preferred to pick my own case and save the $200 which Fender charges for these.Overall I feel this should be an $800 guitar at most. If you go play something like a Yamaha Revstar -- which is under $800 -- you'll really feel like $800 is a steal; it has so many great features, a near-perfect setup, and such immaculate craftsmanship you'll wonder how they can sell it for that price. I've played so many instruments in the $600-$1200 range, and just about every single one of them (Schecter, Reverend, Ibanez, of course G&L, and even Epiphone) was better off-the-shelf than this thing.The extra $800 for this TVL is pretty much for the Fender name, with $200 of that being for the case. There are so many companies doing similar designs with much better quality control that I personally think the $1600 price of this instrument is unjustifiable. If you've got to have the Fender name though: probably none of that matters to you, but then again you probably don't need to read this review.If I didn't want this specific instrument as a piece of art as much as I did an instrument to play, but I still wanted a Jazzmaster: the new Squier Jazzmasters are almost as good (they also need work) for 30% the cost.I have no doubts I'll be able to continue to work on this instrument to get it playing great, but the amount of effort I've had to put into it is not consistent with its price point.(Yes, I realize some of these issues are covered by Fender's warranty, and I did reach out, but ultimately my Fender-licensed tech said it wasn't worth the paperwork for him.)

Got mine recently and it was advertised as “Rosewood Fretboard”.This is not a RW fretboard. It is a Pau Ferro fretboard and that fact should be disclosed in neon.Fender are offering real RW on a less expensive Vintera II model, but not on a $1,700 guitar?It’s a principal matter. It may not matter to some, but to me it’s a big deal. Pau Ferro looks terrible and is not a true rosewood species.Do better Fender