A previous version of this story featured information that J Mascis didn’t like Johnny Marr’s signature Jaguar, including the quote, “It doesn't work at all for me, really. Nothing about it works for me.” Although the editing of the video above implies this is the guitar Mascis is talking about, he is in fact discussing the Lake Placid Blue Jaguar he is holding, which is cropped out of the interview footage when the comments are made.
J Mascis has given a comprehensive tour of his extensive guitar collection in a new YouTube video for Reverb, including a bevy of lustrous Jaguars and Jazzmasters.
Yet despite the Dinosaur Jr. man’s association with offsets – he has previously worked with Fender to develop his own signature Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster – he reveals that “there’s hardly ever a Jazzmaster or a Big Muff on any studio recording” – which is also surprising given the recent launch of the J Mascis Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi.
Mascis also reels out a stunning array of sparkle-finished vintage instruments, including a selection of Jazzmasters and his ’58 Tele – which was recently recreated as a signature model – alongside the Strat he favored on recent Heavy Blanket recordings, a ’60s Gibson ES-330 (a purchase inspired by Jesus and Mary Chain guitarist Jim Reid), a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and the SG he used to write the opening riff of Out There.
We also particularly enjoy Mascis’ typically off-hand recounting of how he came to acquire his pair of ’59 Jazzmasters.
“I played drums in this band Witch and we got a royalty check for $12,000 that I didn’t know was coming. And I’m like, ‘Oh, I have twelve-thousand dollars!’ And then I [went right out and] bought two ’59 Jazzes for twelve-thousand dollars with the check. And now they’re worth more. Which is good.”
It certainly is. For context, recent Reverb listings of ’59 Jazzmasters have carried individual prices in the region of $16,000.
“Yeah, I’m surprised,” comments Mascis. “Because I’m usually not very good at that sort of thing. I’m always like: ‘Buy high, sell low!’”
You can watch Reverb’s full interview with Mascis above.
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