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J Mascis bought his Jazzmaster because it was cheap
Dinosaur Jr.'s frontman has said he picked the Jazzmaster over a Jaguar because it cost three hundred dollars, and Fender has since put his name on guitars.
On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: Jason Persse from Brooklyn, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0Watch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN After Hours at 4:22 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Verge's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The Verge: “J Mascis has nothing better to do”.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 4:22 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- The VergeJ Mascis has nothing better to do
What BBN said about it
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentJ Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. bought his Jazzmaster for three hundred dollars because he couldn't afford a Stratocaster, and that guitar became the sound of early nineties outsider grunge.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the whole look was a budget decision. That's the best origin story I've heard in months.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentHis own words: a Jaguar was two hundred, a Jazzmaster was three hundred, so he got the Jazzmaster.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentHe also remembers the price jumping to four-fifty, and he didn't have four-fifty.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA hundred and fifty dollars decided grunge.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentHe's had two signature models since, one of them a Squier.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentHe says he's never getting his head around Spotify. Which is free. Or nearly.
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Photo: NASA/W. Liller · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Anthony Quintano · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Coolcaesar · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Kalai Ramu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Photo by Max Morse for TechCrunch TechCrunch · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 19, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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