Firebird meets Jazzmaster with Fender’s new Spark-O-Matic model mashup
The Spark-O-Matic Jazzmaster features a trio of Seymour Duncan mini-humbuckers
Fender is no stranger to injecting a little Les Paul DNA into its Parallel Universe Volume II models – just take a look at the Troublemaker Tele Deluxe and Uptown Strat – but its latest release looks to another Gibson model, the Firebird VII, for inspiration.
The Spark-O-Matic Jazzmaster teams classic Jazz appointments with a number of features derived from Gibson’s iconic ’bird.
For starters, it’s built using a three-piece body, composed of a mahogany core and chambered ash wings, rather than the one-piece alder body you’d usually find on a Jazzmaster. Here, it’s decked out in a 3-Color Sunburst – with no pickguard.
But it’s the pickups that really draw deep from the Gibson well: three chrome-covered Seymour Duncan SM-1N and SM-3B mini-humbuckers are onboard, adjusted via a five-way switch. Fender promises everything from “smooth growl to full-throttle roar” from the arrangement.
More typical Fender appointments come in the form of an American Pro Jazzmaster bridge and tailpiece, 18:1-ratio ClassicGear tuners, and a 9.5”-radius, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard on 25.5”-scale Deep C maple neck.
The Parallel Universe Volume II Spark-O-Matic Jazzmaster is available now for $1,999. Check out Fender.com for more info.
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Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.
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