“Fender sent me a Jazzmaster and I didn’t play it. I thought it was awkward-looking”: Jim Root helped Fender create the most radical Jazzmaster ever – but he didn’t like the offset design at first

Jim Root’s Fender Jazzmaster signature guitar is one of the most popular offsets of recent years, having served to radical reconfigured the popular indie stalwart design for heavy metal purposes.

Indeed, the Slipknot riffsmith’s brutally minimalist Jazzmaster has fans from all corners of the guitar world, and has been a key component in Root's guitar rig ever since it arrived well over 10 years ago.

However, despite masterminding the no-nonsense heavy metal Jazzmaster – and staying faithful to it after all these years – it turns out Root wasn’t originally a fan of Fender’s offset design because he thought it was rather “awkward” to look at.

In fact, it was only when he decided to play a Jazzmaster while standing up that he came to realize the full comfort and playability of the model.

“Fender sent me a Jazzmaster years before we talked about doing a signature model, and I really didn’t play it that often,” he says in the new issue of Total Guitar. “I thought it was kind of awkward-looking.

“It sounded really good, but I didn’t think about it much,” Root goes on. “And then we were doing pre-production on something and I put one of my straps on it so I could stand up and play, and I was like, ‘Holy shit! This guitar is just so well-balanced.’

“It felt so comfortable and easy to play because it was right in the pocket. So I hit Fender back up and was like, ‘I know you sent me this Jazzmaster a while ago, and I haven’t given you any input or talked about it, but I’m using it at rehearsal, and I’m loving it. It’s kind of awesome’. He said, ‘Cool. Do you want to do a signature model?’ And I was like, ‘Yes!’”

And just like that, Root began work on what was destined to become one of the most notable offsets Fender has ever produced, which followed Root’s equally radical Telecaster.

To many, Root’s choice of playing a Telecaster and Jazzmaster for his Slipknot duties came as something of a surprise, especially given the fact both designs aren’t widely associated with heavy music.

Jim Root on his Fender Signature Jazzmaster | Fender - YouTube

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Root himself, though, doesn’t care what people think. To him, the shape of a guitar is completely irrelevant when searching for a model that can deliver all your tonal needs.

“You know, I’m always looking for things to piss off metalheads! And apparently, also piss off Jazzmaster and Tele players!” he says. “But, I mean, it’s a slab of wood with pickups and strings, you know? Who gives a shit about the shape of the guitar?”

Visit Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Total Guitar, which features the full interview with Jim Root.