Wildwood Guitars • Fender Custom Shop NAMM Masterbuilt '60s Jazzmaster by Carlos Lopez • SN R101857

This beautiful one-off guitar from the 2020 NAMM show is the first guitar built by Fender Masterbuilder Carlos Lopez that I've had the pleasure of playing, and it is a stunning monument to his incredible talents as a luthier. Cosmetically, it's a stunner thanks to his intricate relic work, vintage-accurate tortoiseshell guard, and little details like the yellowed Fender logo on the matching headstock (the rustic roasted neck is a nice touch, too!). So, I was already weak in the knees when I plugged it in, but I was still wholly unprepared for how good it sounded.

For a Jazzmaster aficionado weaned on the music of Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, and Television like me, playing this guitar is a revelatory experience. It showcases all of the sonic characteristics that made me fall in love with Jazzmasters in the first place to the nth degree: a supremely articulate, percussive attack, a glorious clanging bell-like high-end that jangles like nobody's business, and focused, punchy midrange.

Chords sound so lively and lush that you'll want to bang away through your favorite amp all day long, and single-notes are vocal and chewy with enough presence and bite to cut through a mix. The bridge pickup is quite tight in the lows, while the neck pickup adds roundness and depth to the lows and broadness to the midrange. However, both pickups exhibit that exceptional high-end chime.

Pretty much anyone who enjoys the sweet sound of a Jazzmaster would do well to add this Carlos Lopez creation to their quiver!