The 1959 Fender Jazzmaster That Never Left the Cleveland Blues Scene

Edgewater Guitars (Valley City, Ohio, and we buy nationwide) recently bought a 1959 Fender Jazzmaster with its original gold anodized pickguard from Jimmy Ferrari, the longtime guitarist of Cleveland blues legend Crazy Marvin and the Blues Express. He played it for nearly 50 years. Call (440) 219-3607 if you have a story like this one.

The call about the only guitar he ever played

The call came into the shop from a local guitarist who had spent close to half a century playing the Cleveland blues scene. He said he was ready to sell the only guitar he'd ever used in his career: a well-worn 1959 Fender Jazzmaster with its gold anodized pickguard still on it.

Our co-owner Gavin drove out to his home in Northeast Ohio to meet him and look the guitar over. That's when he found out who he was talking to. The seller was Jimmy Ferrari, the longest-tenured guitarist of Crazy Marvin and the Blues Express, a Cleveland blues group that played for decades before its namesake, Marvin Braxton, passed away. Jimmy told Gavin directly that this was the exact guitar he used to record the band's debut album back in 1994. Every guitar part on that record came out of this one Jazzmaster.

A lifelong fan, meeting the guitar he'd been listening to for years

Gavin has been a Crazy Marvin fan since he was a 17-year-old high school senior, and got to share the stage with him several times in the years before Marvin passed. He'd been listening to the Blues Express record for years, with no idea he'd ever meet Jimmy or find out what guitar was on it.

Trading stories with Jimmy about their time playing with Crazy Marvin, decades apart, and realizing he'd been listening to this exact 1959 Jazzmaster without knowing it, felt like a passing of the torch from the old guard to the new. It's not every day you get to hold the instrument that's been quietly sitting underneath a record you already know by heart.

Why the gold anodized pickguard actually dates this guitar precisely

Jimmy's description checks out against real Fender history, and it's worth explaining why. Fender launched the Jazzmaster in late 1958 as its new top-of-the-line model, and the early examples shipped with a pickguard made of anodized aluminum rather than the plastic guards Fender used everywhere else. Fender switched over to a three-layer celluloid tortoiseshell pickguard partway through 1959, which means a Jazzmaster still wearing its factory gold guard was built in a fairly narrow window: late 1958 into the first half of 1959. The anodized finish is thin, just a few microns of gold over bare aluminum, so it wears through to silver at the edges with decades of playing. It's a detail that's hard to fake and easy to confirm at a glance if you know what you're looking at.

Past the pickguard, the rest of the spec sheet is standard for the year: a rosewood fretboard, the Jazzmaster's floating tremolo, the offset waist body shape that set it apart from the Stratocaster, and the preset rhythm circuit built into the upper bout for quick tone switching on stage. It's a guitar built to be a working musician's tool, which is exactly the life this one lived.

The stage it already knew

As Gavin was leaving Jimmy's house, he headed to Brothers Lounge on Cleveland's west side to play his new Jazzmaster that same night. Jimmy told him the guitar had already spent plenty of hours on that exact stage. Brothers Lounge has been a fixture of the Cleveland blues scene since it opened in 1959, the very same year this Jazzmaster was built, and it's hosted performers like B.B. King, Robert Lockwood Jr., and Buddy Guy over the decades. This Jazzmaster had played the same blues clubs Gavin has played for over a decade, years before he was even born.

As far as we can tell, this is likely the only 1959 Fender Jazzmaster that has spent its entire life on the Cleveland music scene since the year it left the factory. Under Edgewater's ownership, it's going to keep doing exactly that.

Sell your Jazzmaster

If you have a vintage Fender Jazzmaster, whether it has a story like this one or you just want to know what it's worth, we'd like to see it. Edgewater Guitars buys vintage Jazzmasters and other Fender instruments in any condition, nationwide, with a free appraisal and a same-day cash offer. Get a free estimate or call (440) 219-3607.

Jazzmaster questions we get asked

How can you tell a 1959 Fender Jazzmaster from a later model?

The clearest tell is the pickguard. Fender shipped the Jazzmaster with a gold anodized aluminum pickguard from its late-1958 launch until partway through 1959, then switched to a celluloid tortoiseshell guard. A guitar still wearing its original gold guard, with honest wear through to the aluminum underneath, was built in that early window. Serial number, neck date, and pickup and pot codes should all agree with a 1958-1959 build before you call it confirmed.

Where can I sell a vintage Fender Jazzmaster in Ohio?

Edgewater Guitars buys vintage Fender Jazzmasters and other guitars from sellers across Cleveland and the rest of Ohio, and nationwide. We come to you or arrange local pickup, explain exactly what we're seeing on your guitar, and make a fair cash offer. See our guide to selling a guitar in Cleveland or call (440) 219-3607 for a same-day answer.

Have a guitar with a story like this one?

If a guitar like this has turned up in your family, your old band gear, or a call from a longtime local player, we'd genuinely love to hear about it. Get a free appraisal at sell your Fender, date your own guitar with the Fender serial number lookup, or call (440) 219-3607.

By Stephen Pedone and Gavin Coe, co-owners of Edgewater Guitars. We've appraised and purchased hundreds of vintage Fender guitars across Ohio and nationwide, with over 30 years of combined experience in vintage guitar authentication.

Last updated: August 28, 2026