

The contoured "offset-waist" body was designed for comfort while playing the guitar in a seated position, as many jazz and blues artists prefer to do.
For instance, many of the MIJ/CIJ Telecasters have the serial number on the bridge and they start with an "A".
Yet if you take the neck off they can be 1994-1997!
A full 25½" scale length, lead and rhythm circuit switching with independent volume and tone controls, and a floating tremolo with tremolo lock, were other keys to the Jazzmaster's character.
The tremolo lock can be manually activated to keep the entire guitar from going out of tune if one string breaks. The bridge and tremolo construction is very different from that of the Stratocaster and gives the Jazzmaster a different resonance and generally less sustain.
The early series are the most popular for collectors.
Also, some The Japanese serial number can be confusing too.
They were designed to help identify the approximate manufacturing date of the guitar.
For example: a guitar whose serial number begins with the letter and number "E8", would have "theoretically" been manufactured in 1988 (E = in the Eighties, 8 = the 8th year...
The neck date simply refers to the date that the neck was produced.
Given the modular nature of Fender's production techniques, a neck may have been produced in one year, placed in a warehouse and remained in stock for a period of time, and then subsequently paired with a body to create a complete guitar in the following year.