Fender Jaguar

Brand New (probably made in '03) "Crafted in Japan" Jaguar as sold in Musicians Friend. Not really considered a "reissue" I don't believe- some difference from a true reissue such as no mute device on bridge. I believe that the wiring and switching is the same but this is my first Jaguar so I'm only guessing. Alder body is very lightweight with a beautiful Candy Apple Red finish. Smallish neck and short scale works well for someone like me with "tiny paws" as Angus would say. Typical Jaguar/Jazzmaster tremelo- kind of clanky but works well for the surf music/instrumental stuff that the guitar was bought for. I give it a 9 assuming that the person who buys a Jaguar pretty much knows what they're getting and isn't looking to play Slayer tunes on it.

Like I said, this is my first Jaguar and I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of tones available with the somewhat complex switching system. But again, I am playing surf/instrumental music- the tones range from trebly to somewhat less trebly which is perfect for me. It's fun to monkey with the all the switches and sliders, hook it up to a POD and you can tweak all day. It's very easy to get the kind of sound I am looking for, and it even sounds good distorted. I tend to like a more focused, crunchy type of distorted sound rather than sludgy, nu-metal grind. Should I replace the Japanese pickups with Americans? Who knows- I'm pretty happy with what is in there right now. Should I throw in a Dimarzio humbucker? No- buy a Jagstang or a Warlock if that's what you're looking for. It gets a little weird hearing people buy one kind of guitar and then try to turn it into another kind of guitar. It's not that hard to determine the best kind of guitar for metal, country, blues etc.

Beautiful finish, well executed. I can find no flaws in the fit or finish. There is some sharpness in the frets- I'm going to let it aclimate to it's new surroundings for a little while before I decide if I want to dress the fret ends or not. As far as action goes, right off the bat I removed the 10's (?) that came with it and, after tightening the truss rod a bit, put on on flatwound 11's. So far the action has stayed good (not too high or low) and as yet I haven't had any of the buzzing problems that I have read in other reviews. We'll see what happens in time and after some playing. I can see where people who really play hard would have trouble with strings moving on the saddles, so far it's not been a problem for me. Maybe the 11's help hold things down a little better. I rate this category an eight, my only slight gripe would be the fret ends.

For me reliability/durability is not really an issue. My surf band "The Double Naught Spies" broke up years ago so now my only audience is the occasional cricket in the basement. Overall, this guitar seems as sturdy as any of the many Fenders I have owned over the years. These things are built for playing and with reasonable care and maintenance they should last for many years. And if something breaks, I can usually fix it myself...and I ain't no genius!

I've never had to deal with Fender. I believe it comes with a limited one-year warranty.

I have been playing for about 7 years now and have had up to 13 guitars at any one time - Gibson, Rics, Gretsches. But I always come back to Fenders for the vibe, the sound and the value. To me Fenders are America's guitars- workman like, not too fussy, and they can get cranked up when the time is right. Wherever you are Leo, God bless ya. You gave a technically challenged screwball like me the opportunity to play and for that I thank you. And kudos to Bill Schultz for rescuing the company. If only Gibson could get the right management team ( $16K for a Jimmy Page Les Paul ???). My overall impression is that for this kind of money I got one heck of a fun guitar that does everything I would ever ask it to. What else can you ask for? Now go hit the waves!

My Jaguar is a 1962 vintage sunburst its American made. I bought it used but its in great condition i think their is like one small ding on the back of it, its body is made of alder, and it still has all its original parts and it also included a Fender gig bag.

This guitar is awesome! its not a great guitar for metal heads but it suits my style great, I have an all girl grunge band and it really sounds awesome, if you like to play modern rock and other stuff like that this guitar is great for you!

The setup on this guitar is pretty good but it gets out of tune pretty easily but i didnt change the bridge i want to keep all of its origianl parts, other than the bridge this guitars setup is great.

this guitar plays very good live, ive done a few small concerts with it and it played good, the hardware will last a life time! i deffinatley give this a 10!

I give the overall rating a 10, this guitar has it all!

Well, no need to explain this again, up to 6 different tone selections possible on the jag so its very versatile...

its a 63 sunburst jag, all stock exept for the brige pickup, i changed this to the Quarter pound for jag from seymour duncan because i needed a little bit more gain and punch for my band (modern rock cover band)
i know this is almost blasfemi butt i saved the orgininal pickup and im defenitly not selling it.
the neck is in good shape, lots of wear and tear butt no bumps or dents....

the body is also in good condition, some ugly places on the back like someone poked it with a screwdriver or something...

with the quarterpund pickup it sounds more like my style, a little bit more gain and response.. nive warm sounding overdrive and also better on the higer gain settings...

40 years old... what can i say, i dont want to adjust to much on it because im scared im going to damage something...

40 years of well use and its still in good shape... fender is defenitly the best !

never used them

cool nice guitar with a lott of emotional bagage... rocks like a bitch and sounds like a satisfied woman !

rock on !

1965 pre-CBS L Plate the neck is stamped 1 APR 65 B (the 1 is for Jaguar ..APR 65 is the neck date [duh! lol] and the letter B denotes the standard 1.675" nut width) solid alder body , 22 fret maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, sunburst finish with tortoise shell pick guard. klutson tuners .. everything on this guitar appears to be original with the exception of one pickguard screw and the bridge cover is missing if the guitar is supposed to have one... the guitar also came with the original case

I'm very impressed with the tone of this guitar. The pickups are relatively quiet for an old Fender guitar and the tone is a warm rich tone with a bit of brightness on the high strings but not too sharp such as the tone of the bridge pickup on a strat.. I'm playing this guitar through a Fender Blues Jr tube amp. Good guitar for early style rock and roll and some blues and rockabilly

this guitar is over 38 years old so I can't comment on the factory setup but the guitar has held up very well over the years...the finish is well worn in the proper places from many hours of playing time yet the hardware is still all fully functional... tuners work great ..the bridge saddles are still functional... the the 1/4 phone jack is a bit noisy however..wiggling the guitar cord at the jack creates some static and sometimes cuts out... I believe a little cleaning will help ... the action is light and personally I prefer a longer scale length or maybe a slightly wider neck width but my options are very limited when it comes to vintage equipment ... my opinion is that Fender never put the greatest finish on their guitar bodies and that is why so many of them were "refinished" over the years

Reliability and durability is excellent judging from the condition of this 38 year old guitar and the evidence of extensive playing time... the hardware has withstood the tests of time.. the finish is well worn in the proper places.. I haven't owned this guitar long enough to comment on live playing but I used the tremolo bar a few times and the guitar did not go out of tune... the bridge on the jaguar doesn't have the best reputation but I don't predict any problems in this area

the guitar is 38 years old so I supect that the warranty has long been expired

I've been playing on and off for 30+ years ..I also own a stratocaster, BC Rich Bich and a Les Paul ... what I like most about this guitar is it's tone... the tone is great yet completely different than any of my other guitars... my main dislike is the narrow nut width in combination with the very short scale length is more suitable to someone with a smaller hand than I have. I findit alittle difficult to play the faster riffs on this guitar but if I wnat to "shred", I have other guitars taht are designed for that style of playing. My main reason for purchasing this guitar is that I wanted an orginal pre-CBS Fender guitar and also a guitar that is different than the ones I allready own.

it was made in 1967 in the USA, 22 frets, the usual jaguar controls, the mute, original tuners, jag pickups, sunburst finish...basically the same thing as Graham Coxon's 67 Jaguar, but another one in better condition...

It gets a bit noisy at times, but overall the sound is great...so so awesome...

Everything is Superb on the guitar. The switches are functional, there are a couple of dings, but everything is out of sight...definitely killer for a 36 year old instrument...

the finish is IMMACULATE, as is the sound. It buzzes like nobodys business and has some feedback, but overall, the guitar stays true to its reknowned sonic perfection...

N/A as it is so old...however the factory did send me the applicable bridge cover for it...

At first it seemed a bit pricey, but man does it rock! So so so worth it!

1962 non-reissue, made in USA back in the days when Leo himself was makin sure everything was A-Ok
21 frets
switches for each pick up, plus "strangle" switch treble booster. Also seperate "rhythm" circuit with heavy bass capacitor and volume/ tone.
2 single coil pickups
Alder body, maple neck with BEAUTIFUL brazilian rosewood slab fretboard
Bridge replaced with unit out of Mustang (an essential upgrade)
original single-line Kluson tuners (its a shame how many old guitars have had the original holes drilled out for new tuners. Many people think the old tuners were bad when they simply need to be lubed.
With original brown case and Fender leather strap

The Jag is truly underrated compared to a Strat or Tele. The neck pickup is especially lusicous and glassy (very much like a Strat). The bridge and neck pickup together gives a nice growl, and one feature Fender goofed up on the reissues is that originals in this pickup combo become humbucking. The bridge pickup can be very trebley, but the same thing is true for a Strat! I use this with a silverface Fender Deluxe Reverb, Pro Reverb or Champ, also a Supro Super from the late '50's. Replace the original bridge with a Mustang bridge, and VOILA, much better sustain and playability. The only negative with mine is that it has an "A" size neck which is a bit small on the first 3 frets. Once I get used to it its no big deal. The Jag/Jazzmaster body shape is both sexy and very comfortable, to me much more comfy than a Strat, and the contours push the neck to a good place which makes playing the guitar a breeze.

Original setup unknown. The original frets are still in great shape and the quality on these pre-CBS Fenders is simply amazing! Everything is tight as a drum. Reduced to an "8" simply because of the fact that original bridges kinda suck...

Going strong for over 40 years. Save a few extra hundred bucks and buy an original instead of a reissue. It will continue to increase in value, and they are simply much better guitars. I am malicious with the whammy bar and this sucker stays in tune like Pavarotti.

I've been playing since I was 5, 23 years ago. I own quite a few other collectable guitars and amps. If it were stolen, I'd be sad and buy another for sure. I have loved the Jag/Jazzmaster since I was a kid and am extremely lucky that I own a kick ass example of each. BUY THEM WHILE YOU CAN!!!! PRICES WILL KEEP GOING UP!!!

My jaguar is a Japanese made re-issue mad in 2003. It has 22 frets on a rosewood fretboard. It has a volume and a tone controll, individual pick up on/off switches and a treble boost. In addition to this it has a rythem circuit, this is activated by a switch on the guitars upper bout, and it uses individual tone and volumer controlls. It has 2 single coil pick-ups, they are slightly over-wound and hot, they are standard Fender passive pick-ups. I think the body is made of alder. The body is finished in a good quality gloss finish. The body has a cool ofset waist desighn. The bridge is unique, its kind of like a tun-o-matic. The tuners are normal vintage Kluson style one, they look good and work effectively. The neck is a shorter 24" as compared to a strats 25.5". The neck is quite thick but not to thick.

This guitar suits my music style a lot, I mainly play punk, grunge and ska. But this guitar would also be good for surf. I use a marshall MG30DFX amp, a Electro Harmonix small clone chorus, a Boss DS-1 distortion and a Dunlop Cry baby wha wha for my effects. It sounds good trough this rig. The pick-ups can be a bit noisy but this is easily solved by turning off lights and electrical appliances, and the hum is no worse than most single coils. The sound is quite full when the rythem circuit is engaged but normaly it is bright. The guitar can make quite a good veriety of sounds. I like most of the settings on the guitar, but the guitar cna rattle and buzz a bit, but this could b solved by a good set up.

The factory set up was Ok, bu some things (such as intonation) require some furthure atention. The pick up asjustment was perfect. The only real flaw I can find is that the strings can skip the bridge sadlles when played hard. I fixed this by fitting it with Mustang bridge saddles, ($30 form allparts.com) this fixed most of the problems and was worth the money.

After the bridge modification (which was very easy to do, i didnt even need t unstring the guitar) the guitar would be great for live playing, theough the pick-ups can feed back quilte alot, but only at ver high gain settings. The hardware is very robust and seems as thouygh it is built to last, as does the finish. The strap buttons are very solid and robust. I would use it in a gig without back up.

The waranty lasts for 1 year (in England any why). I bought another guitar from fender and i ordered it in the past, I didnt think Fender's customer service was very good.

Ive been playing about 2 years. I love the profile of the neck and the sound of the pickups. The only thing I hate about it is the bridge (the strings can skip the saddles). But this was fixed easily by replaicng the saddles with ones From a Fender Mustang. I think this is a worthwhile upgrade as it makes it a very good guitar, but you might not play quite as aggresively as me.

i can't write english verry well so pleas excuse the little information obout my jag. but i'm just so happy that i got it! it's a japanese 1962 RI from 2002 in vintage white

sounds great.
my music style is like nirvana and so i got what i needed
i use it with a marshall avt 150 combo

the only thing i have ti nag on my jag is the bridge whitch is lodly snareing.
hopi i get a mustang bridge

a problem is the white color.
every scratch can be seen but....
looks faster vintage :)

nothing broken yet

this guitar is the best i have tried in ages, a 2002 japanese re-issue. i have a squire jagmaster, which comes close but no cigar. The pick up swithch is useful, for those who like kill switches, two tone and two volume controlls. And the equiliser switches at the bottom are a gold mine of sounds giving you a very warm sound to a very hard and sharp sound. a short scale neck for comfortability and the body sits very well. and the trem bar just slips in and out, useful for not havin to waste time unscrewing the damn thing. it alos has a nice finish to the body and neck givin it a really raw but scrumdidliumptious look to it. the only complaint, as i have seen a lot on here, is the bridge, but callin it a re-issue means it is a copy of an older guitar so the bridge isn.t to standard. the strings kinda jump about givin it a very nasty de-tune prob.neck is a nice size, not to thick or thin. good hold on it.

I play mostly grunge and metal so this guitar can make some wicked sounds, driving lots of distortion through it can make it come alive and the sound gets well hot. I use a lainey half stack and a ibinez smashbox dist pedal, very useful for that big sound. wit the different selections of sounds you can give a really fat rythum sound or a nice crunchy lead sound, which ever suits you best, bein clean is the same.

as a whole the guitar is generally fine, a pain in the arse of a bridge though, that being my only complaint. i mucked around with the action a bit but the buzzing wont go away, but apart from that its perfect.

well im giging with it soon, so i'll have to see how it will sound, my bet is as log as the bridge stays put it should be ok. but i tend to thrash so we will have to see. it looks like this guitar may be in for a long time of use, i got it and hardly put it down. the finish is another problem, its nice but easilly chipped or dented, i got mine with a dent in the paint. nothin major though. i always use strap locks so i dont trust strap buttons anyway.i would keep a back up just in case anyway but i think this should just do the trick.

N/A

i have been playin about 6-7 years and this guitar has been my favourite for all of them. i own a squire jagmaster and a copy rickenbacker, both have eventually failed me, the rickenbacker fallin apart and the jagmasters pickups blew twice costin me alotta money. if it were stolen i would definately replace it, but i would only hope i had the money. i love the whole thing (accept the bridg) very nice to play and feels good too. I only wish they would replace the bridge with a mustang bridge so that the strings would sit better, which i may acctually do.

I got an American '62 Reissue. It came with a "vintage" style case and 1/4" cable. This guitar is very versitile. With two circuits, you have a lot of options when it comes to tweaking that perfect sound. You can get a wide range of tones out of this thing. The neck is smaller than most guitars, 24" as opposed to 25.5" which doesn't seem like much, but believe me, when you play it for a while and then play another guitar, you'll feel the difference. The tremelo arm was loose when I got it, but a little teflon tape around the base fixed it. The string mute is a little cheesy, and just doesn't sound as good as muting the strings with your palm. Overall, anyone who likes to play around with different sounds will like this axe.

I mainly play punk and surf, and the Jaguar does a pretty nice job in both of these genres. I play through a Marshall Valvestate series, and it sounds great, both distorted and clean. The only effect I use is reverb, which, of course goes great with this guitar. It's got a very trebely, thin sound, but it's very crisp. I mainly use the lead circuit through the bridge pickup, but the rhythm circuit with a gainy distortion gives it a very fuzzy sound.

The guitar has very low action, and as stated earlier, the shortened neck is very comfortable to play. The guitar was in pretty good shape when I got it, but like I said, the tremelo arm was loose. I consulted a very knowlegable person on the issue who suggested plumbers teflon tape, which corrected the problem without me having to give the guitar some surgery. The pickups were a little hot, but with a little tweaking, everything sounded fine.

The Jaguar uses very heavy strings, so breaking one is quite a challenge. I came from playing a Strat with ultra lights which I broke constantly, so that was a nice change. It's very depenedable, though I haven't used it at a gig yet, but the way I play I know it would do fine. My only complaint is the bridge. I hear a lot of other people complain about the same thing. When I'm playing, the strings have a tendancy to jump around on the saddles,which can take it out of tune as well as give you a lot of fret buzz. I've had to play with it quite a bit to get it to work right. Using the mute screws it up, so I don't use it. The finish is "vintage," I think its called celliouse or something. As long as your bridge doesn't give you trouble, this is a very realiable and durable guitar.

I haven't had any severe problems with it, so I don't have anything to say in this department (I guess thats a good thing!!).

I've been playing for 5 years, all with a Fender Stratocaster. Owning a Fender Jaguar had been a dream of mine for like 3 years before I got it. I've been into instrumental surf and this guitar is THE guitar for that genre. If it were stolen, I would definitely buy a new one (provided my current one was gone for good). I love this guitars tonal range, I love the neck, and most of all, the thing that made me want this guitar originally was it's look. It's a very sexy guitar (if that's possible). The only thing I wish I could change about it is the weight. It's heavy like a Les Paul, for anyone familiar with those guitars, but other than that, I love it. If you're looking for a solid-built guitar with lots of buttons to push (or in this case switches to turn on and off), and a nice warm sound, check out the Jag, for it is as Bill and Ted would say, most triumphent.