I recently picked up this:
Its a Blacktop Jazzmaster, I got the shop to give me a Duncan Distortion ‘bucker to replace the Fender/BHK Anico ‘Bucker that came in it. Swapped it over myself.
I was toying with the idea of a Mustang or a Jag (both Kurt Cobain models were very tempting) but I wanted to get my own sound rather than buy a tribute guitar. Also tempting was a strange pink strat in the window of GAK in Brighton, apparently it bellongs to the owner and whilst a good price has some rather strange but fun modifications to it.
Personally when looking for a guitar, its all about the sound, I’d been hankering after something that could give me that growl of a humbucker but also the bell like tones of a singlecoil. I found the original Fender PUP to be too quiet given the high output of the Duncan Soapbar hence the swap, with this thing I’ve got the sound I wanted.
It’s a very high output guitar, it’s easy to get the amp to break up just by opening up the volume and when the amp is at a proper volume I swear this thing could knock down churches.
If in doubt try millions of guitars, piss off every guitar shop in a 200 mile radius. Eventually there will be one (or three) that you keep going back to or think about. Your looking for the one that makes you want to keep playing, one that suits you.
Oh and one more thing, the bridge on my Jazzmaster is a pain in the balls and the tremlo doesn’t have a lock on it (if a string breaks the whole thing goes out of tune) I’m swapping them out shortly.
good luck. Welcome to yet another mental arms race with yourself.