J Mascis

In this video interview, J Mascis talks about his ’63 Fender Jazzmaster Guitar. At :47, he says, “I bought it right after my guitars got stolen a few years ago. It happened to be in a local shop, and they never have any old guitars and it was just kind of there and it actually was really nice. I just put different pick up covers on it and different knobs and a different bridge. I always put Jumbo Frets on guitars too.” J demonstrates the guitar at 20:44.

In this video interview, J Mascis discusses his signature Squier at 4:26. “This is the second prototype, but they sent me the first one I didn't like. Then they sent this one and I liked it.”

"J Mascis's New Fender Custom Shop Tele! This guitar sounds so good, it's all stock Fender parts and the weight is divine, it's been seeing a little bit of live action, Maybe more on the upcoming October tour of the USA. J has a soft spot for the small hollow F Hole Teles, Who doesn't? Dinosaur Jr. Chicago, Ill. ©2017 Photo B O. @dinosaurjr #dinosaurjr"

I have also seen him use it on their Fall 2017 tour.

GC: On your most recent release, what guitar do you play and with what pickups?

Mascis: I think it's a '58 Tele. I don't remember the pickup, but I think it was from another guitar from the '50s, maybe '54 through a tweed 310 Bandmaster.

"I had two main recording setups: a Gibson Les Paul Junior"

In the Reverb video "How to Stack Fuzz and Drive Pedals," J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. discusses using the Vox Phantom XII 12-String Guitar, mentioning he needed it for touring but found it challenging to keep in tune.

"I'm not much of a Jag person. I like the way they look, but I don't like the sound that much, an uh, shorter neck, but I liked the way this looked, but then I just, didn't like playin' it or anything, so... Doesn't have binding, so it must be '63 or 4."

Reverb.com specifies this to be a 1965 model.

GC: How many guitars do you have and do you have a preference for new or vintage?

Mascis: I'm more of a vintage kind of guy. I don't know how many guitars. Over 30. I like the new little Baby Taylor guitar. I've got three Jazzmasters and a Tele and two Esquires. I have a bunch of Gibsons with P90s. I've got a Les Paul and four Les Paul Jr.s. The P90 is my favorite pickup.

“I got this from Fender… it was a Squier thinline but they had some pre-made necks with jumbo frets, because I didn’t like the original neck.

“Then I put some Custom Shop Seymour Duncans in there and somehow it all came together. They’re somewhere in between a P-90 and a Filter’Tron.

“I use this guitar on Goin Down, Start Choppin and I Walk For Miles. If definitely sounds heavier than the Jazzmaster because of the pickups. It does feedback but I can control it.

“To be honest, everything is going to feedback once that Big Muff is on! It’s like it sounds different night after night. Sometimes I can’t sustain any notes over all the feedback, it actually makes me play faster and keep going.”

In this image you can see J Mascis playing Gibson Reverse Flying V

J Mascis uses several Fender Jazzmasters from various years in various finishes.

He talks about his ’58 Jazzmaster in this Rig Rundown from Premier Guitar. He says at 1:49:

“It's a '58 Jazzmaster that got refinished, I guess. I bought it refinished. I put some gold hardware on it. I had a gold whammy bar with a tremolo piece, but I haven't put it on, but I have it at home somewhere.”

At 3:30, J Mascis shows his blue Jazzmaster, saying:

“It had an Aneck and I think it had lace sensor pickups when I got it. I bought some other old pickups to put in it. I bought the pick guard and the bridge and then I ended up getting a ’59 neck to put on it. It's a ’63 body that's been refinished."

He also discusses his ’65 Sunburst Jazzmaster. At 7:32, he says:

“That’s ’65. That's the other main backup one. I had a friend who worked at Guitar Center in New Hampshire and he was like, "Oh we got a Jazz Master." and he sold it to me really cheap so I'd never even seen it, but it turned out to be pretty good.”

In a YouTube video by Fender, J Mascis discusses his use of the Fender J Mascis Jazzmaster guitar.

"I actually bought this playin' India 'cause I knew I'd have to carry around a guitar and I was playing at this festival and it had an acoustic setting and an electric setting and it's only, like, four pounds. So that way I didn't need to carry an acoustic and it was really light. Yeah, I like it actually, but I haven't used it since that much."

Reverb.com specifies this to be a "Parker '99 Fly Classic Deluxe".

J Mascis discussed using this in Guitar World interview (2021):

"What was your guitarsenal like for this record? Well speaking of Thin Lizzy, I got a ’72 Les Paul Deluxe, and I used that on the rhythm part for [“I Ain’t”]. I had this St. Vincent guitar that Ernie Ball gave me, too, and I found that really useful. A lot of the time, I’ll play songs with a capo on the ninth fret, and a lot of my old guitars can’t really stay in tune with a capo that far up on the fretboard. But the Ernie Ball guitar is somehow set up so that it will, so I’d use that guitar for the parts where I needed that advantage."

"J Mascis and his 1st Flying V, a Ron Asheton Model Made by @reverendguitars 3 P90 style Reverend Pickups, with a bass Rolloff knob, to get that Fender Strat sound Ron Loved so much. Nice Spice collection too in the background. Great color too! Photo By Kevin Sweeney. @jmascis #jmascis"

"Yeah, I got that from Fender and it has a Floyd Rose which I wanted to try, but I was like 'As soon as this- I break a string on this and then I have to throw it away. I don't know how to change the strings. So I thought I'd sell it before I broke a string."

He uses one in this video.

"This is a new Jazzmaster, American [?]. They gave me three of 'em and... I didn't need three of 'em. I asked if it was alright if I sold one and they gave me permission."

In 2017, Mascis was featured in the first episode of Fender's "Feedback" series, which concluded with an advert for the American Professional Jazzmaster.

This guitar can be seen at many times during the video for Is it Done from his 2011 solo album Several Shades of Why.

J mentions using a renecked blue flower strat to cover the Stooges song "TV eye" in this rig rundown

J Mascis talks about using this guitar on his album "Sweet It Into Space" - inspired by Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham (Guitar World interview, 2021).

In this performance of "Freak Scene", J Mascis uses a Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster.

On the website you will see a video of J Mascis's interview for Skullcandy. The item can best be seen 0:36 into the video. He used this guitar in the studio with producer John Agnello working on a song titled, "The Only Other Way".

On this photo you can see J Mascis playing Rickenbacker 620/12 during Dinosaur Jr. live performance at Live Music Hall, Cologne, Germany, November 3, 2016. Dinosaur Jr. Tour 2016

In Reverb studio J Mascis discussing his methodology when it comes to fuzz and drive pedals. On this video he is telling about his guitar Rickenbacker 620/12

"...i brought out this Rickenbacker i have. and that wasn't really working with all my stacks. It has hollow body and pickups seemed to loud and were feeding back all the time..."

Sold on Reverb.com in 2017.

This Gibson 1959 ES125T is part of the private collection of J Mascis.

The Gibson ES-125T was introduced in in 1956. It was presented as an alternate thinline version of the Gibson ES-125.

It was originally at the introductory Gibson price point. This guitar was largely considered a student or beginner guitar at the time. After 13 years of moderate success and popularity Gibson ultimately discontinued the ES-125T in 1969. With a 16 3/4" Laminated Maple Body topped with Gibson's classic Tobacco Sunburst this guitar bares a very familiar and vintage look. The classic vintage look of this instrument is only icing on the cake for this guitar. The Laminated Maple allows for an incredible tone before it is even plugged in. This body build creates a more accurate and controlled tone. It also allows the P90 pickup and vintage electronics and wiring to really shine.

Although considered a "Student" Model this guitar features fine appointments. These include a Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard, Pearl Dot Inlays, Mahogany Neck, Nickel Plated Tail Piece. It also had Kluson Deluxe tuners with white oval plastic buttons, height adjustable Brazilian Rosewood bridge. It's finished off with a Tortoise Pickguard, and a black plastic covered single coil, "dogear" P-90.

For a vintage instrument this 59 Gibson ES-125T is probably in the best condition of any guitar in J's shop. Excellent sound both plugged in and acoustic, this guitar will prove excellent on the stage, in the studio, on the couch or on the road. Some scuffing and rash on the top and bottom sides. There are several marks around the input jack. One small nick on the headstock. We have done our best to capture these in the photographs here on the listing. Pots are clean and date correct. Neck is straight as an arrow and a beautiful sunburst finish. Polish this badboy up and timewarp back to 1959.

Ships in an OHSC which (unfortunately) is missing the handle.

All items in J's Reverb Shop ship fully insured with a signed and embossed Certificate Of Authenticity by J Mascis.

Sold on Reverb.com in 2017.

This Gibson 1966 B25 Acoustic is part of the private collection of J Mascis.

Gibson's smaller-than-dreadnought offerings are totally off most players' radar, but once you get one in your hands you'll never forget. They are undoubtedly Gibson in tone and playability. They have a voice that is both woody and punchy and are just plain addictive. The B-25 has a the adjustable metal saddle that is a key to 60s Gibson tone.

We have left the strings on this noteworthy instrument the way it came to us from J. You may want to switch them out as they are absolutely used and rusted, but for a collector, leaving them as-is is totally understood!

There are a two noteworthy things here on the body, On the top of the body are two substantial cracks. One is leading from the top of the bridge to the base of the guitar. The other is on the lower bout on the front near the center of the guitar. While this may want to get looked at sooner than later, this is currently not effecting the sound or playability of the instrument. Some significant sound-hole wear from years of being played.

The bridge is at the beginning stages of separating from the body. This guitar could stand to have the neck reset in order to correct this issue. We have done our best to capture this in our photography of this guitar.

On the front lower bout is some denting and scuff marks. Pick rash on the front both on the sound-hole and near the lower portion of the bridge. Some denting on the front bouts. This is also on the rear of the guitar as well.

This instrument was absolutely played, well loved and tossed around. The best instruments often are and this one is no exception. Wonderful, full bodied sound. An excellent fingerpicker or campfire strummer.

Ships in an OHSC. This is a work of beauty from the heyday of Gibson acoustics and can be yours today.

All items in J's Reverb Shop ship fully insured with a signed and embossed Certificate Of Authenticity by J Mascis.

J Mascis had his Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster - Worn 3-Color Sunburst stolen on August 29, 2006, as noted by Merge Records.

at 2:21 in the video you can see J sitting next to a well P90'd non-reversed Firebird,it can be assumed that it's J's for two reasons

1. Lou is next to J playing a Jazzmaster,obviously J's Jazzmaster,why would Lou borrow J's guitar if he already had a Firebird with him?
2. I had a bud who told me J used to play Firebirds occasionally.

You can see this guitar from 00:01 to 00:09

"That Martin, it's really nice. I was debating whether to sell it. It's a D-28S. So I've been using the little slotted head Martins and then found out they made a, y'know, big one and I was excited when I got it and, I used it a lot live, solo shows and recordings and stuff."