2020 Waterslide Jazzmaster-style Electric Guitar

Update 2023: this was bought by my buddy Kerry who's gone wild with his collection upgrades lately and so this is now back on the market to offset some of that... wildness! I've updated the photos but the description still remains accurate...

I remember when Waterslide was just getting its legs going as a brand with Coodercasters and the like and I'm impressed by the output I see now. This guitar can certainly play ball with any of the fancy boutique F-style electrics I've played -- and it's a beaut while doing it. It's pretty hard not to like the look of tortoise like that slathered over an antiqued nitro turquoise metallic finish, no?

Spiffy appointments abound -- it has a perfectly-functioning Descendant whammy (this unit is smooth and feels like a well-loved old unit), a set of Mojo "Dual Foil" humbucker pickups, simple controls (volume, tone, and 3-way), and two switches that allow single/humbucking operation for either pickup. Everything works as it should, is fit precisely, cut precisely, and done tastefully. I mean -- radio knobs with dial backings? Heck yes.

It's hard to overestimate how good it feels to play a JM-style guitar with a good-quality, well-thought-out whammy, by the way. The general Fender US and Japans units are perfectly good stuff, but when you have access to a Mastery or Descendant unit like this guy, it puts that extra 10% of performance into the spotlight. If you use it all the time, it's definitely nice to have. 

The neck on this is roasted maple and it has a retro, '60s cut to it that feels right at home. I'm very glad to see a retro (10") radius on the board, too, and a traditional 1 5/8" nut width. These inclusions, again, make it feel like the many old Fender necks I'm used to.

To recap: it's a tastefully-made guitar, unapologetic in its medium "relic" finish checking on the body, not too heavy (for a Jazzmaster, that is), has gorgeous-sounding pickups that have kept players entertained long enough for their spouses to rouse them out of the store, and has a high build quality with all of the high-end parts you'd like to see in a regular gigging machine. It's built to play.

Repairs included: a setup.

Body wood: unsure, probably alder?

Bridge: StayTrem Mustang-style

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: maple, roasted

Pickups: 2x Mojo Dual Foil humbuckers

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast)
String gauges: 46w-10 lights or similar

Neck shape: slim-medium C

Board radius: 10"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium modern

Scale length: 25 1/2"

Nut width: 1 5/8"

Body width: 13 1/2"

Body depth: 1 5/8"

Weight: 7 lbs 13 oz

Condition notes: it's been played a little bit but is basically new-ish, with clean frets and everything good to go. The body has weather-check/finish crackle and little nicks and dings here and there throughout and there have been a few more added as it's been living in the world but that's how it was when it was new, so I mention just for clarity...!

It comes with: an excellent G&G hard case but two of the latches are broken. The "lock" hold is closed, though.