Here’s a great little article on the southeast asian Jaguar and Jazzmaster forgeries of the 60s.

A View from the Back of the Rack
Of Forgeries and War!
By Michael Wright, The Different Strummer
One of my favorite ‘student anecdotes’ involves a young lady who dated World War I to around 5 Million BC on a test because ‘it was, like, the first one, right?!’ I hope she got an A for effort! Anyhow, as wars recede their meanings change with each succeeding generation. Ask a young person today about the Viet Nam War and you might be lucky if he’d ever heard of it. For some older folks among us it seems to have happened only yesterday, transforming their lives so much that they live with it every day. For others of us, it has just become a murky bad dream that we’re only reminded of when a guitar like this ca. 1965 ‘Pinoy Jazzmaster’ forgery comes around! …

Even today some people try to sell them as Fenders on eBay, but I am sure they must have their own place being made of very different woods.

…if I could have it my way.

I created this picture in the dressing room at offset-guitars.com.

Structure
I would have a Jazzmaster body made from mahagony with maple-top.
A Mosrite/Gretsch scale, set neck, maple with ebony fretboard (Mosrite radius).
The neck-profile copied from my e-sitar.
Neck-binding, zero-fret and the smallest frets available (Framus NOS?)
I probably would have a Bigsby instead of the jm-vibrato, but the jm-bridge.
These appointments are based mostly on one of my all-time favorite guitars, the 1975 Gretsch Country Rok, which I sold long ago.

Electronics
For pick-ups I would have three Novak Fender XII replicas.
Jaguar style three on/off switches (rather than the Stratocaster switch in the pic)
The rhythm circuit to give additional pu-combinations, since the 3 pups have two coils each. Maybe like this: upper-bout switch turns on north of bridge, south of neck, but not breaking the main selector circuit. The outside coils should be humcancelling and hollow like a Jazzmaster.
I just love the sound of the Fender XII, which I used on Wild Action (Modern Sounds of The Looney Tunes Band). The pick-ups are not as thin as DeArmond single coils, and not as fat as Supertrons. More like Jaguar ones, but hum-cancelling.

Cosmetics
Color: ocean turquoise with matching headstock and gold hardware, Kluson-style tuners. Pickguard either gold-aluminium or vintage white. I wanted a gold guard guitar ever since I got The Wildest Guitar by Mickey Baker.
I never had a blue-ish guitar before. It looks so green because I chose the aged look in the dressing room. The finish is bluer when new.
It looks fancy, I see that. But it’s supposed to be a custom, they have to look fancy!

What I like about this is the spirit and performance. They obviously got the hang of surf instrumentals – great sound, especially the Fender Jazzmaster guitar. The songwriting is focused and quite enjoyable (maybe even more so on this track). They are young and play pretty tight and avoid approaching any sloppy pseudo guitar/drum/bass hero antics. The purity really comes across well. This music is meant to be played in a cool way, with a good punch. And let me tell you, three piece instrumental bands act under a big magnifying glass. You can really hear all the details – I can only second the comment somebody else made about them: Good Job!

As you probably already knew The Ventures are going to be inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame this year. Yes, it could have happened earlier. But anyway… This is also the year Madonna joins the club.

March 10, 2008: The Ventures are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 23rd annual induction dinner. tk is their presenter.

Read more here: The Ventures

Fender Jaguar/Jazzmaster authority and accomplished surf guitarist Mel Waldorf writes at Surf Guitar 101 about an american tv-show (HGTV) they (himself and Jessica Lindsay) participated in and got their home office re-designed.

This is when the action takes place
Air times:
.January 26, 2008 5:30 PM ET/PT
from the HGTV website:

‘Tropical Tiki Office
As avid collectors, homeowners Mel Waldorf and Jessica Lindsey have a jackpot of fun finds to use, so creating a very personalized space is easy. While incorporating bright and fun elements, host Karen McAloon and the Design Remix team give the room purpose, clear up clutter and form functioning workspaces. The result is a home office that’s practical, yet playful and as tempting as a tropical tiki island.’

Disclaimer: The show’s director strongly encouraged us to behave like imbeciles… we were acting…really.

I really would love to see this.

Surfguitar 101 made me aware of an article in Vintage Guitar Magazine. I don’t have it but it’s said to be really good, with big full color photos of his gear. Now, you don’t know who Dave Wronski is? He has this band called Slacktone. He’s working for Fender and plays with John Blair in Jon & The Nightriders, who were the most influential second wave surf band in the 80s, from an international view that is all I can say. Slacktone is Dave Wronski’s take on the modern Surf with strong historical references. They are one of the best, possible the best modern Surf band. He has great knowledge to get the tone he wants – and it’s amazing. He’s mainly a Jaguar player, even though he got famous with a Mosrite on the cover of Jon & The Nightriders Live At The Whiskey A Go-Go, a record any live performing surf band is hereby strongly advised to call their own.