The Jazzmaster, designed by Leo Fender in 1958, is a gorgeous guitar with a lot and history. But at some points along the way it was seen as the budget idea gone slightly awry, which made it available to starving artists who just needed something to play (Mascis and Costello both tell this story.) Its sleek, offset design and unique tone immediately set it apart from its contemporaries, capturing the hearts and minds of guitar enthusiasts everywhere.

The Jazzmaster’s sound has a sound that, once you know how to look for it, can be easy to pick out among some of your favorite record. With a clear and articulate tone that is truly mesmerizing. This is partly due to its unique “offset” design, which places the pickups and bridge closer to the center of the body, granting players easy access to higher frets and a comfortable playing experience, and its unique pickups that use a distinctive “pancake” wind. It is also the choice of the coolest players out there.

The Jazzmaster has undergone several changes and modifications over the years, but its core design has remained unchanged. This consistency in design has helped to create a cult-like following among guitar enthusiasts, many of whom appreciate the instrument’s unique tone and versatility.

The Jazzmaster’s allure has captivated many famous musicians, including Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, and The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. Its versatility also makes a favorite among alternative musicians like Kurt Vile and Mac DeMarco.

Fender has offered the Jazzmaster various colors, including sunburst, blonde, and natural. However, in the mid-70s, new colors, such as Shoreline Gold, Daphne Blue, Inca Silver, Foam Green, Metallic Sherwood Green, and the rare Shell Pink from Dupont, became available. These new colors added to the guitar’s aesthetic appeal and helped to attract a new generation of players.

The pickups used in the Jazzmaster are typically single-coil, which gives the guitar its characteristic bright and twangy tone. The Jazzmaster’s floating tremolo and roller bridge also contribute to the guitar’s unique tone and playing experience. The floating tremolo allows for expressive and subtle pitch bends. At the same time, the roller bridge provides improved tuning stability and smooth vibrato action. I have always been a Strat player. Well, the Frankestein’s monster strat player that I am – my Strat Plus has a vintage Gibson humbucker in the bridge slot. but be that as it may…it belies my interest in experimenting with upgrades and tone.

For my own project – I picked up a sonic blue Jazzmaster Squier 1960s reboot and am swapping out most of the parts. I ordered a gold anodized pickguard to resemble the original, and the Fender vintage gold tuners to match, plus and a Switchcraft 3-way switch with the original amber tip. I am putting on 11-49 strings, and changing out the OEM bridge with a Fender pro version pictured below.

I’ll add an 1.0 shim, and putting in the Fender Pure Vintage ’65 Jazzmaster Pickup Set, (offsetting their brightness with the 500K pot on the volume knob) and shielding the inside with copper tape.

Oh, and I am replacing the laurel neck with a Pau Ferro, which I’ll condition with some F-One to give it a bit of juice and possibly a slightly darker hue. I am also putting on some more modern locking gold tuners to match the pickguard. Have to make sure they’re the right kind – inline vintage style. Adding a gold backplate from Musiclily that is taking its sweet time to get to California from China. They are hard to come by, those gold anodized pickguards. And the vintage tone and volume tone knob design. I considered using a Buzzstop but decided against it because I know that I would want to strum those freaky strings above the bridge.

I did replace the standard tailpiece with the Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster/Jaguar Tailpiece assembly that also has the tremlock lock button. As a finishing touch, I am adding the chrome bridge cover, which I think restores the elegance of this beautiful instrument.

Hopefully, by the end, it’s a little more like this:

You may be asking – why buy a Squier 60s vintage Jazzmaster if you’re going to swap out every single part but the body? Well, the answer that I will have a super luxe, custom Jazzmaster that will still be cheaper than buying it assembled. Also, this way I am able to install and test the different of each component so I can better understand the impact it has, whether in terms of playability, reliability, sound, or even just aesthetic.

The Jazzmaster’s versatility is one of its defining characteristics. It can produce many tonal possibilities, from the bright and twangy sounds of surf and rockabilly to the warm and round tones of jazz and blues, or spatially ambient by strumming the string below the bridge. This versatility has made the Jazzmaster a favorite among musicians in various genres, from indie and alternative rock to jazz and blues.

In addition to its versatility, the Jazzmaster is also known for its unique and distinct sound. The combination of its pickups, bridge, and tremolo system create a sound that is immediately recognizable and sets it apart from other guitars. The Jazzmaster’s sound has been described as “quirky” and “experimental,” contributing to its cult-like status among guitar enthusiasts and musicians. It is mechanically temperamental too; the reasoning behind its design doesn’t necessarily align with the customers who ultimately gravitated towards it, so this is why it is often ripped apart and put back together again to suit their needs.

Typical mods include swapping out the rolling bridge for one with deeper grooves for the strings or adding a shim under the neck to create a better break angle for the strings coming off the bridge, which is at its best when raised high. The bridge tends to sink back down, though. This makes the Jazzmaster a perfect project for those who like to tinker. Meanwhile, others are quite purist about its value as originally designed, but they may be the minority.

J Mascis, the enigmatic frontman of Dinosaur Jr, is known for his raw and unrestrained approach to the Jazzmaster. He has customized his instrument with many pickups, custom wiring, and a Mastery bridge, all of which contribute to the guitar’s distinctive, overdriven roar. His playing style, characterized by heavy distortion and intricate finger-picking, perfectly complements the Jazzmaster’s bright and articulate tone.

Thom Yorke, the enigmatic frontman of Radiohead, is also a known user of the Jazzmaster. He has customized his instrument with various pickups and custom wiring, allowing him to sculpt a vast array of atmospheric sounds. Yorke’s experimental approach to music is ideally suited to the Jazzmaster’s unique tone, which is the perfect tool to create ambiance and texture in his compositions.

Elvis Costello, the British singer-songwriter, is a master Jazzmaster. He has modified his instrument with various pickups and custom wiring, allowing him to access many tonal possibilities. His playing style is characterized by its intricate finger-picking and creative use of open tunings, which are well suited to the Jazzmaster’s unique, versatile tone.

Another notable musician who has used the Jazzmaster is Tom Verlaine from the band Television. Verlaine is known for his unique and experimental approach to guitar playing. The Jazzmaster’s unique sound and versatility have been a perfect match for his style. He often uses the floating tremolo and rollers bridge to create dissonant and unconventional sounds that complement his avant-garde approach to music. He is also known to have modified his Jazzmaster with custom pickups, which add to the guitar’s already distinctive tone, making it a perfect fit for his experimental style.

Kevin Shields, the guitarist of My Bloody Valentine, is also known to use the Jazzmaster. He is known for using alternative tunings, heavy distortion, and feedback. The Jazzmaster’s unique sound and versatility have been a perfect match for his style. He has modified his Jazzmaster with high-output EMG pickups, allowing him to create the blistering white wall of of experimental and unconventional sounds that are unique to his style of music.

Thurston Moore, the frontman of Sonic Youth, has been a long-time user of the Jazzmaster. He has modified his Jazzmaster with wide range Humbuckers, allowing him to create a range of experimental and unconventional sounds that are unique to his style of music. He is also known for using alternative tunings, which helps him to create a unique and distinctive sound that complements his experimental approach to music.

Robert Smith, the frontman of The Cure, is also known to use the Jazzmaster. He has modified his Jazzmaster with a 1960s Teisco Pickup added in the middle position, allowing him to create a wide range of atmospheric and melodic sounds that are unique to his style of music. He’s also known to use the floating tremolo and rollers bridge, along with alternative tunings to create a unique and recognizable sound that characterizes The Cure’s music.

These musicians demonstrate how the Jazzmaster can be used in a wide range of musical styles and how it can be customized to suit the player’s needs and preferences, allowing them to create truly unique and distinctive sounds that are well suited to their style of music.

The Jazzmaster is an actual work of art and a pleasure to play and listen to. Once you go down the rabbit hole you might not come back.

The post The Fender Jazzmaster Guitar is Cool AF, Here’s Why appeared first on TheCulturepin.com.

Having grown up in the 1990’s I am all too familiar with the do-it-yourself, indie ethic: Without the internet that could support rich media, we were always at the mercy of the established Gatekeepers and had to devise our methods of self-promotion – whether this meant publishing zines with photocopies at the local Kinko’s or touring dive bars in our 3rd-hand van.

Jump straight to the list

But in 2020’s DIY and independent artists increasingly proliferated, then sort of plateaued. The rise of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) provided a new way for artists to sell and monetize their work, including the alleged ability to track provenance and track revenue in primary and secondary sales (which to an extent, and for a time it did, until wallets, coins, and marketplaces started failing.) The sustainability and long-term viability of the NFT market crashed and burned as copycat hordes oversaturated the market to the point of meaninglessness.

The explosion of creativity was witnessed when Hic et Nunc, the ecoNFT and Women of Crypto Art scenes converged, exposing a network of artists that encircled the globe ready to self-pilot into their autonomous future. It was a powerful and ultimately effective movement as major marketplaces scrambled to shift to a Proof of Stake framework. Alas, it eventually imploded when HEN’s single dev became disgusted with the dynamics of the incumbent aggregators looking for quick dividends and left the communities scrambling. The pitfalls of everything resting on a single developer. This was seen again when Twitter emigrated en masse to Mastodon, and 3rd party apps developed by single devs weren’t able to keep up. So it isn’t just about being free as in speech, but also distributing the load.

Separately the quiet expansion of ubiquitous online self-publishing platforms and tools, many of which grew out of the gig economy, and then were reinforced through the pandemic, have allowed virtually anyone with a smartphone, computer, or tablet to create and share their work with a global audience and maintain constant contact with their supporters. VR (and Zoom) had a hail mary renaissance as folks had to work remotely so were introduced to embodied virtual workspaces and conferences, and yet soon enough The Metaverse became a quantifiable, ownable, productization of an idea whose true developers wanted primarily to elude ensnarement. It was the indies moving the needle. In WebXR and game development.

But the tools are there for a new generation of artists, musicians, writers, game developers, and makers to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach a wider audience than ever before. Platforms like bandcamp, etsy, IndieGoGo, itch.io, and Patreon are but some of the powerful tools and frameworks in the hands of the indies. Nonetheless, they are still prone to central control schemes. (bandcamp was recently acquired by EPIC games).

Opportunities and Challenges

In an era where we are mercilessly summoned by dopamine pumps, many people are seeking out authentic and unique voices that reflect their own experiences and values. DIY and independent culture offers an alternative to the homogenized and commercialized content that is often prevalent in mainstream media. That is when DIY isn’t attempting to resemble the mainstream, to please the almighty Algorithm.

But the rise of DIY and independent culture has been accompanied by some challenges and concerns: least of which is that when everyone is talking, no one is listening. Add to this that the Content Creator economy is an appropriation of the movement, dulling the edge of the art, the way Walmart took out a line of Grunge clothing, effectively inoculating the powerful social counterculture by packaging it up and selling it back to them.

But even as a shift towards “the democratization” of the tools becomes more widespread, the public isn’t really primed for this redistribution of responsibility; many are still of the mindset that stuff should just work, free, because. However, with a little awareness and communication, we could turn the tide towards a more holistic, truly decentralized new paradigm where the participants help to maintain, support, and expand the framework for self-expression and enterprise.

The rise of AI-generated art, text, video, materials and 3D meshes and even code is also challenging indie artists and developers, as the ability of AI algorithms to create increasingly sophisticated and realistic content makes it difficult to stand out. One of the main challenges for AI-generated art is the lack of accountability and tools for tracking provenance and paying out royalties, though others argue that media is in a common trust and when resynthesized represents the creative manipulation of the prompt engineer in the way Warhol demonstrated. But that discussion is beyond the scope of this article.

Another issue is the impending collapse of centralized large-scale social media platforms, which have become sometimes essential lifelines for independent creators, and also wholesale appropriators of that content in exchange for free, advertiser-driven access.

Reasons for the potential collapse of these platforms are mismanagement – their handling of user data, privacy concerns, and lack of transparency, failure to connect with the zeitgeist – failure to adapt and keep pace with changing user preferences and expectations, and the right to ownership and control of their content.

Furthermore, the switch to subscription-based business models for most creative commercial software (I’m looking at you Adobe and Digidesign – and Pantone), and the tax for seemingly endless streaming platforms can make it difficult for independent creators to afford the tools they need to thrive and create freely.

From Kinko’s to the Fediverse

The fediverse is a network of interconnected servers that support a range of decentralized online services, that include social networking, blogging, and file sharing. Mastodon is an open-source social networking platform that is part of the fediverse. Unlike algorithm-driven platforms like Facebook and Twitter, Mastodon allows users to choose and follow other users to control the content that appears in their feeds.

Users can also add other users to their “boosts” list, which allows their posts to appear in their timelines. This allows users to curate the content they see and connect with others who share their interests.

Additionally, Mastodon is decentralized and community-run, which means that it is not controlled by a single company or entity. This allows for greater control and autonomy for users and provides an alternative to the centralized and commercialized nature of many mainstream platforms.

Some of the fediverse’s other online services include:

Mastodon: a decentralized and open-source social networking platform that is part of the fediverse
Diaspora: a decentralized social networking platform that allows users to own and control their data:
Pixelfed: an open-source platform for sharing and discovering photography
Peertube: a decentralized video platform that allows users to host their content.

While far from perfect, both technologically and culturally, the rise of these open-sourced public-operated alternatives, lights a path towards a different kind of future, one that is not weaponized to exploit your dopamine daze.

Open-source software solutions, like GIMP for graphics and illustration, Ardour for audio, and Blender for 3D modeling, provide accessible and affordable, extensible, customizable options for DIY and indie artists and meanwhile, their participation in these solutions help to make them a more diverse, robust, public trust.

So with all that said, let’s explore some of today’s open-source resources for DIY and independent creators:

Accessibility

NVDA – An open source screenreader

Graphics, Illustration, and Design:

GIMP: Image editing tool for manipulating color, cropping and resizing, and optimizing file size for the web
Inkscape: Vector graphics editor for creating SVG and PDF files
Krita: Drawing and painting tool for use with a tablet
Bulma: CSS framework for designing interfaces
LazPaint: Lightweight raster and vector graphics editor

Video Editors:

Shotcut: Non-linear video editor with support for hundreds of audio and video formats and codecs thanks to FFmpeg, 360° Video Filters, and 4k/ProRes.
Olive: Upcoming video editor that features flexible node-based compositing

Tooll3: An incredible node-based motion graphics editor

Panorama, 360 and Image Stitching

Hugin –panorama photo stitching and HDR merging program that enables the creation of wide-angle to 360-degree panoramic photographs.

Audio Tools:

Ardour: Music creation software with support for AudioUnit, LV2, LinuxVST and LADSPA formats
Audacity: Audio software for editing, mixing, and recording audio

3D Modeling and Design:

Blender3D: a comprehensive 3D modeling and animation, video production, 2D animation, archviz software suite
FreeCAD: parametric 3D modeling software for 3D print designers
Meshlab: a set of tools for editing, cleaning, healing, inspecting, rendering, texturing and converting meshes
Poly Haven: Public asset library for 3D assets.

Web Development:

WordPress: Content management system and website builder
Bootstrap: Front-end component library for building responsive websites and applications
React: JavaScript library for building user interfaces
Threejs: a JavaScript library that enables developers to create and display animated 3D graphics using WebGL in a web browser.

Software Development:

Eclipse: Integrated development environment (IDE) for Java and other languages
Visual Studio Code: Source code editor and IDE
Git: Version control system for tracking and managing changes to code.

Makers and 3D Printing:

OpenSCAD: Program for creating solid 3D CAD objects
FreeCAD: General-purpose 3D CAD modeling software
Slic3r: 3D printing slicing software
Repetier-Host: 3D printing host software for managing and controlling 3D printers.

Writing and Publishing:

LibreOffice Writer: Word processor with advanced layout and formatting options
Scribus: Desktop publishing software for creating books, brochures, and other printed materials
Calibre: E-book management and conversion tool
Pressbooks: Web-based platform for creating, publishing, and sharing books.
Sumatra PDF: Thank god. A free, working PDF reader. Better than most paid options
Free PDF: Thank god. A free, working PDF editor that also adds signatures. Better than most paid options

Game Development:

Godot: Game engine and development platform
LÖVE: 2D game engine and development framework
OpenRA: Open-source implementation of the classic Command & Conquer real-time strategy games.
ScummVM: Allows you to run classic adventure games on modern hardware and operating systems.

Other Tools

AutoHotkey: The ultimate automation scripting language for Windows.

The growth of online DIY and independent culture has also been accompanied by some challenges, like the potential collapse of widely used social media platforms and the rise of AI-generated content. To support independent creators, we need to foster the tools and platforms needed to succeed beyond the walled gardens, and exploitative business models that fail to nourish them.

The post How Open Source Tools are Challenging the Status Quo (with a List of Resources) appeared first on TheCulturepin.com.

1. Astral Weeks – Van Morrison
2. Laughing Stock – Talk Talk
3. Loveless – My Bloody Valentine
4. Grace – Jeff Buckley
5. Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
6. Blue Moods of Spain – Spain
7. Siamese Dream -Smashing Pumpkins
8. Blade Runner OST – Vangelis
9. Lifeforms – The Future Sound of London
10. And She Closed Her Eyes – Stina Nordenstam

Moods subject to change.

The post My Top Ten Favorite Albums of All Time appeared first on TheCulturepin.com.

For some The Magnetic Fields are icons, for most, they remain unknown. Strange Powers, the documentary about The Magnetic Fields directed by Kerthy Fix and Gail O’Hara provides an unprecedented, intimate look at the band’s difficult-to-interview, enigmatic and brilliant leader Stephin Merritt.

“Stephen does not suffer fools,” says Daniel Handler a friend of Merritt’s and author of the Lemony Snicket series of books.

Indeed until the arrival of Strange Powers, virtually any interview conducted with Merritt since the band’s beginnings over two decades ago, has afforded little more than wry quips and deflections. Seen in the context of Merritt’s surprisingly candid participation with these filmmakers however, the reputation for being difficult or impenetrable dissolves quickly and in fact reveals itself to be nothing more than an extension of his pop-cultural wariness, razor sharp wit and erudition.

Back in the early ’90’s, whilst night club staff blasted Nirvana’s Nevermind whilst sweeping cigarette butts and beer bottle caps off the floor from the night before, The Magnetic Fields would be loading their instruments, consisting primarily of a cello, an acoustic guitar, several ukuleles and perhaps a piano through the stage door.

Their show would consist of songs about love, sex, heartbreak, romance, college and plays on words delivered in an almost childlike, most certainly non-rock format, fronted by Merritt’s irreverent, baritone voice, occasionally singing in duet with pianist and band-manager Claudia Gonson. Sam Davol would meticulously execute Merritt’s cello arrangements and John Woo would add air and rhythm to Gonson’s piano lines on acoustic guitar. Between songs Gonson and Merritt would carry on the banter they forgot to leave at the car in which they traveled from city to city, betraying the unique nature of their maternal, fraternal, incestuous, Platonic relationship much to the delight of the crowds.

“[There were definitely shows] where the band felt bigger than the room,” recalls cellist Davol: “It felt like something momentous was happening – or maybe the audience was just drunk…”

With archival footage dating all the way back to their teen years, growing up in the punk scene in the 80’s, to interviews with Merritt’s former employers as a copy editor and later writer for SPIN and TimeOut, through Merritt’s recent migration from New York to Los Angeles and even interviews with his mother at his new Cali home as he sits writhing in embarrassment, Strange Powers legitimately affords an intimate walk through and alongside the history of its enigmatic subject – a brilliant lyricist, arrangist, composer and performer with all the class of Serge Gainsbourg, all the lyrical capabilities of Leonard Cohen, and all the humor of Lord Buckley.

Fortunately the film is not only engaging because of its subject, but also because it is well paced, sequenced and edited, with visual elements delicately smattered throughout, allowing the personas and songs within to be revealed without ever over-saturating with adulation.

If you are not yet hip to the Magnetic Field’s catalog, get there now. Once you do, see this film and let your love grow.

Despite the fact that band fills large venues and is a darling of the New York middle aged hipster crowd, mainstream attention continues to elude them. In fact for this Canadian premiere of the film, the theater was only a quarter filled. Outside, lines stretched out half a block in anticipation of Biutiful. So it is difficult to say what sort of distribution this may find, and when it does, whether you will know well enough to lend it your eyes and ears.

If you are in Vancouver, one screening remains:

Sun, Oct 10th 11:00am
Vancity Theatre
Tickets available through the official VIFF Website or at the door

69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields remains one of my favorite “albums” of all time (I use bunny ears only because it spans three discs. We discover, in the film that Merritt’s original intention was to create 100 love songs, each using a different set of instruments, drum sources whether acoustic or synthesized) and to this day, whenever I put this collection of songs on, I invariably want to run out onto a rooftop and proclaim how utterly overwhelmingly brilliant it all is. But instead, I typically end up keeping it to myself, like a small inexpressible wonder. After seeing footage from the recording of their eighth release, “Distortion,” I am not only ashamed of not yet having heard it, but more excited than ever to be exposed to their subsequent creative output.

Magnetic Fields Select Discography:
Distant Plastic Trees (1991)
The Wayward Bus (1992)
The House of Tomorrow (EP) (1992)
Holiday (1994)
The Charm of the Highway Strip (1994)
Get Lost (1995)
69 Love Songs (1999)
i (2004)
Distortion (2008)
Realism (2010)

The post VIFF 2010 Film Review – Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields appeared first on TheCulturepin.com.

NOTE: The following should be spoiler-free. It may not be recommended for devout followers who haven’t yet seen the episode, but I really have taken measures to avoid giving anything away.

I am going to be uncharacteristically emotive and offer little insight for the typical Culturepin post, but I really needed to capture and share the amazing feeling of buoyancy after watching tonight’s episode of Lost – “What They Died For.”

It is not only for the relief in having bold answers at last, or for the myriad connections and subtexts provided. I have debated, opined and otherwise pontificated at length on some of the social media platforms I frequent, only with friends, and never at any great length publicly, so I will not go into my take on what the mythology, story arcs or implications of ABC’s hugely successful epic series ultimately means. There are so many sites that have squeezed every last drop of possibility out of the material.

I just really wanted to take a moment, as the series comes to a close, to commend the people who made the show on what they have accomplished; to engage us in a fascinating, captivating, thrilling, mesmerizing story often quite literally around a campfire (albeit one we see on the television screen, an electronic campfire in itself) in a way that at least I haven’t felt since my grandfather used to put me to sleep with bedside tales culled from Greek mythology.

Tonight’s episode was beautifully acted (Terry O’Quinn was simply incredible, as were Mark Pellegrino, Michael Emerson, Henry Ian Cusick and even Evangeline Lilly – all completely adept at harlequin-type vacillations in motive and emotional structure) beautifully lit (Ben Linus’ hellfire orange glow in the secret room while talking with Flocke, or the ethereal tonality of the prisoners in the paddy wagon as Desmond makes his offer) and brilliantly scored by Michael Giacchino. The makeup was excellent, and the sound design as meticulous as ever.

Many shows take time, even seasons, to catch their stride, but Lost seemed to be quite well formed right out of the gate. Most of the characters already felt well rounded, and though admittedly the actors were getting to know the characters even as they were getting to know one another within the world of the play, it felt unusually present. But now, six years later, and on the eve of its death, the whole is reaching new heights.

Now don’t be fooled into thinking that I am uncritical or not skeptical about many points concerning the series let alone this last season. There have been stronger and weaker episodes, certainly. But every so often I would take a step back and simply marvel at the scope of what was being accomplished and presented within 47 minutes of television entertainment on a weekly basis. And then, there were times, like at the end of tonight’s show in particular, where I realized I hadn’t taken a breath in minutes. As the show ended I was completely in awe. I felt my body tingling, my heart thumping, and this strange sort of euphoria at the end of an incredible tale.

I am certain my buzz will dull considerably with time, and so again, I wanted simply to catalog this amazing feeling of excitement for posterity, because what I just witnessed was nothing short of a wonder, a gift.

Thanks guys.

Post your reaction to this episode or the ideas above in the comments section.

The post What Lost S6Ep16 “What They Died For” Did For Me appeared first on TheCulturepin.com.