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Jazz Blues Progression, FGN Masterfield

The newsletter for guitar players.

by Vivid Guitar

May 27, 2025

4 min read

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Learning to play the guitar is a combination of mental and motor skill acquisition. And to develop motor skill, repetition is essential... Whenever musicians have trouble executing a passage, they generally tend to blame themselves for not having enough talent. Actually, all that's wrong is they don't know where their fingers are supposed to go...you should learn the piece in your head before you play it. And when you do play it, play it so slow that there's no possibility of making a mistake.” - Howard Roberts

Guitar Practice

Jazz Blues Progression

Let's take a look at a jazzed-out version of 12-bar blues progression in Bb.

While traditional blues often sticks to Dominant 7 chords, jazz expands it by using secondary chords.

The below progression uses a few ii-V chord changes. For example, heading into the Eb7 chord, we use Fm7>Bb7>Eb7.

Dm7>G7 is ii-V motion heading into the Cm7 chord. The Cm7 in bar 9 adds to the usual ii-V-I progression at the end as we head back to Bb7.

Showcase

FGN Masterfield Semi-Hollow Guitar

The FGN Masterfield MSA-HP and MSA-HP-C are high-end semi-hollow electric guitars made by Fujigen (FGN), a well-known Japanese guitar maker. FGN has been crafting instruments since 1960 and is known for its excellent quality and attention to detail.

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FGN is the brand of Fujigen - the Japanese guitar company known for building oustanding-quality guitars. You might not know their name, but they have built a lot of guitars for various other guitar companies - including Ibanez's top-end Prestige models, several Fender Japan models, Greco, some Jackson and Charvel models, and more.

These two guitars are part of FGN’s Masterfield series, which focuses on combining traditional design with modern innovation. Both the MSA-HP and MSA-HP-C are semi-hollow body guitars, meaning they have a solid center block with hollow wings. This design gives them a warm, rich sound with reduced feedback—perfect for jazz, blues, and rock.

What sets them apart

15" Body Size: Most ES-Style guitars (such as the Gibson ES-335) feature a large 16" body, which some players find too large. Smaller options - like the Gibson ES-339, typically a have a 14" body, which some player feel is too small for this style of guitar. With a 15" body width, the the FGN Masterfield is a great middle ground, that a lot of players seem to love. Aside from a few options (including the Collings I-35 and Eastman T185mx) there aren't many other guitars in this body size.
Great value for the price: FGN Guitars offer the exceptional quality seen on guitars like the Ibanez Prestige models, but at a lower price.

Differences between the MSA-HP and MSA-HP-C

The MSA-HP has a curly maple top and back and mahogany sides, a rosewood fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets, and nickel hardware. Inside, it features a unique carved mahogany center block that improves sustain and tone. It comes with FGN Alnico 3 humbuckers, known for their smooth, vintage-style sound. Currently offered in Cherry red.
The MSA-HP-C is a variation with similar features but has an ebony fretboard, a maple top & back with mahogany sides, and gold hardware. Currently offered in black.

Both models also include FGN’s signature Circle Fretting System, where the frets are slightly curved to improve tuning accuracy and clarity.

The MSA-HP and MSA-HP-C are praised for their beautiful craftsmanship, great playability, and versatile tone, making them favorites among serious guitar players around the world.

News & Notes

Gretsch Limited Edition Flame Okoume Electromatic Broadkaster Jr.

Gretsch released the Limited Edition Flame Okoume Electromatic Broadkaster and Broadkaster Jr. This guitar was announced earlier this year, but is now making it's way to retailers. Offered in Roundup Orange Stain, it features a beautiful flame okoume single-cutaway body, a rosewood fingerboard, USA Full’Tron™ pickups, jeweled G-Arrow control knobs, and gold hardware. It retails at $1,499.
As reported in the Akron Beacon Journal, EarthQuaker Devices co-founder and CEO, Julie Robbins, cautioned the company is at risk of going bankrupt by the end of the year due to tariffs.
Fender released some new bright web-exclusive limited edition custom colors for several models (mostly Squier models).
Taylor released a The Last of Us Replica 314c acoustic guitar. The model is Identical to the guitar played by Ellie and Joel in the HBO Original show The Last of Us.

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