Fender's electric guitar that lingered in the shadow of the Strat and the Telecaster, the Jazzmaster, turns 50 this year.
Thurston Moore, J Mascis, Nels Cline, Tom Verlaine  and others will fete the Fender's Jazzmaster guitar with a concert on Sept. 12 at New York’s Knitting Factory. The anniversary will also be celebrated with new and historic Fender guitar displays as well as a Jazzmaster guitar giveaway.
"Under the radar, it became an underground icon in its own right and more than worthy of its own time in the spotlight," Justin Norvell, Fender marketing director for electric guitars, said in a statement."The artists who played it then and play it now are some of the musical prime movers who’ve kept the guitar relevant and have pushed it forward sonically.” 
The Jazzmaster has had roles in the birth of surf, punk, new wave, goth and grunge. Fender recently introduced three new models: the J Mascis Jazzmaster, the Elvis Costello Jazzmaster and the Classic Player Jazzmaster Special.
Fender introduced the Jazzmaster guitar in 1958 as a high-end alternative to the Telecaster and Stratocaster. With an abundance of controls and chrome, the Jazzmaster became an unexpected hit with young players.