2005 Case J3 Semi-Hollow, ex-Maxi Jazz - Faithless

A stunning Case J3 previously owned by the late Maxi Jazz of Faithless - one of the most distinctive voices in British music.

A high-end British-built semi-hollow instrument constructed to Case’s flagship specification, and made particularly significant by its documented association with Maxi Jazz, who can be seen playing this guitar on the Case Guitars website.

The body is a laminated maple construction with a spruce centre block and carved spruce fillets, giving the guitar a controlled, focused response while retaining the resonance and air of a semi-hollow design. Top, back and sides are formed from carefully selected maple veneers and finished in a rich, dark sunburst, with twin f-holes completing the classic outline. Body depth measures approximately 1¾", keeping the instrument comfortable and well balanced whether seated or standing.

The neck is crafted from quarter-sawn mahogany, chosen for its strength and long-term stability, and carved to a comfortable C profile. A dark rosewood fingerboard is fitted, inlaid with mother-of-pearl markers including Case’s distinctive wave motif at the 12th fret, and paired with a 43mm bone nut and a 24.75" scale length. An ebony headstock overlay carries the inlaid Case logo in mother of pearl, while white body and neck binding frame the instrument cleanly.

Hardware is chrome plated throughout and includes a Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge with a lightweight Gotoh stop bar tailpiece. Sperzel tuners are fitted, providing smooth, accurate tuning and excellent stability. Electronics are equally high-spec, with 500k CTS pots wired in a traditional 1950s-style circuit to retain clarity when rolling back the volume, a Switchcraft three-way pickup selector, and a Sprague Orange Drop capacitor.

Pickups are a pair of hand-wound Bare Knuckle unpotted ‘Mule’ humbuckers, chosen for their clarity, dynamic response and authentic vintage character. The bridge pickup measures approximately 8.4kΩ and the neck 7.3kΩ, both using Alnico IV magnets, delivering a warm, articulate voice with plenty of nuance and touch sensitivity.

A superb example of boutique luthiery, built to a very high standard with a direct connection/ownership to one of the UK's most legendary voices in electronic music.