1960 Fender Jazzmaster – Violet

1960 Fender Jazzmaster – Violet

We present an all original 1960 Fender Jazzmaster in its original and incredibly rare custom color Violet finish. Made in Fullerton, California.

History

This unique and truly incredible 1960 Jazzmaster has a fascinating history and is, without a doubt, one of the rarest Jazzmasters ever made. It was found and purchased from a man who received it as a gift from his godfather back in the 1980s.

What truly sets this guitar apart is, of course, the finish. It features an original Violet finish. There is no documentation indicating that any other Fender Jazzmaster was ever produced in this color, making it a genuine one-off instrument. First detail supporting the conclusion that this guitar is a unique, one-of-a-kind example is the presence of an order number ” #3712 ” handwritten by a Fender employee on a piece of Fender masking tape located on the underside of the pickguard. Fender rarely applied order numbers to individual guitars, even with other custom color examples, as those were often produced in batches.

Though the most important detail regarding the masking tape is the fact that it clearly states “Violet JM” which effectively seals the case and leaves no doubt that this is an original Fender finish. “JM” stands for Jazzmaster. Naturally, all the usual indicators used to verify a custom color Fender guitar are also present, such as evidence in the neck pocket, matching neck plate, correct nail holes etc, untouched solder joints and the Desert Sand undercoat.

Another interesting fact about this guitar is the routings in the body cavity clearly show that this body was made in 1959 and was originally made for a Jazzmaster fitted with a gold anodized pickguard, which uses a 9-hole screw pattern rather than the 13-hole pattern found on mint green pickguards. As a result, the two screws located near the knobs/potentiometers do not anchor into the body wood but instead screw into open space within the control cavity. That detail has also been seen before.

Fender discontinued the use of gold anodized pickguards in mid-1959 and instead used tortoiseshell pickguards as their primary pickguard material for the Jazzmaster. Consequently, very few Jazzmasters were produced with mint green pickguards in the early 1960s. Examples can be found in the book Fender: The Golden Age.

Regarding Fender Custom Colors:

Before the 1961 model year, the notion of “custom color” meant that Fender could potentially paint an instrument in any available color upon a customer’s request. This meant that any color other than the standard Sunburst was considered an option subject to a surcharge – even the most common option: “Blond”. Therefore, the earliest custom colors were mostly selected by the customer alone, and not from a selection of Fender-provided options.

Starting in 1956 – as stated in the Fender catalog for 1956/57 – getting a Fender instrument in a color other than Sunburst became an official option with the words: “The Fender guitars is available in custom colors at an additional 5% cost.”

At that time, Fender had no standardized color chart, so technically any color could be an option during this period, as long as the customer was willing to pay for it.

According to interviews with George Fullerton, it wasn’t until 1958 that the idea of a standardized custom color chart was conceived, but it was not fully implemented until the end of 1960 for the 1961 model year.

It is important to note that solid color finishes were not popular at the time and were therefore made in very limited quantities — sometimes even as probable “one-offs.” While still rare, the official custom color chart from 1961 onwards meant that solid color Fender instruments became relatively more common in the ’60s.

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In addition to our own expertise at Guitar Hunter, some of the world’s most respected vintage guitar experts have inspected and verified that this instrument is a 100% original 1960 Fender Jazzmaster, custom-ordered in a one-off Violet finish. The guitar leaves no doubt as to its authenticity and remains fully intact, with bulletproof provenance.

Condition

Overall, this insanely rare Violet Jazzmaster is in super clean condition with only minimal nicks, dings and other cosmetic wear.  No breaks or any repairs whatsoever. The original Violet finish looks absolutely stunning, though it has faded a bit over the years, which is visible when you remove the pickguard.

It features a light-weight alder body and a stunningly clean flame maple neck with a slab rosewood fingerboard and clay dot inlays. The maple neck has a comfortable C-shaped profile. The original frets and nut have plenty of life left.

Originality

This ’60 Fender Jazzmaster is 100% original throughout. It even comes with its original tremolo arm and bridge cover. All six original Single-line Kluson tuners are intact and turn smoothly. The two original single-coil pickups are well-balanced and sound incredible. It features the original amber switch-tip and original knobs. The original 3-ply mint green pickguard is very clean without any cracks, although it has shrunken a bit as they tend to do.

Pickups and electronics/wiring remain untouched and intact, with no broken solder joints and no rewound pickups. All original and correct.

Comes with its original brown Fender hardshell case. Latches and handle are in perfect working order.

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We are more than happy to provide further photos upon request. Simply contact us by email or phone for details, including close-up and internal photos of the instrument.