Fender Jaguar

I bought this 1966 Jaguar used with the original black hard shell case, no modifications made to the guitar. 3-color tobacco sunburst. Mute and bricge cover missing. A couple of spots where the paint has chipped off, but at least it still has its tremolo arm. It has the neck with the white edge around it. It has lead and rythm circuits, the lead circiuit with pickup selector and high/lowpass filter. (You all probably know this, so no reason to go on and on)

I play mostly punk/heavy rock, but also classic rock. This guitar i really needs thick strings. The sound is very bright. Almost a little too trebly, but only almost. I play it thru my `65 reissue Twin Reverb Amp with GHS boomers 11-50 strings. I originally had plans to replace the pickups with some humbuckers (junior sized) but i changed my mind once i first played the guitar. It was not as noisy as i had expected, and i was blown away by the sound this thing makes thru a distortion or sustain pedal (or both at once, which I like the best). I have a EHX Big Muff for that Mudhoney sound and also a Boss DS-2 to lighten things up a bit. Of course you can also use it to get that famous surf sound. Also, changing the pickups would be to ruin this guitar, it's been like it is for 37 years, why change it now? Besides I think I would regret it later if i was to modify it. Better to buy a newer Japanese made one and experiment on that. (I have 2 other Fender guitars that have had pickup changes, but I just don't feel right about touching this one)
It could use a little more sustain. The tones die a little too fast. All in all this is my idea of a perfect sounding guitar.

The bridge on this guitar is a strange bird. I can't understand why Fender didn't just use a Mustang bridge in the first place. During rough playing, the strings are easily knocked out of position leading to detuning and so on. The tailpiece is also a story on its own. I didn't want to use the tremolo system, as I don't love tuning guitars that much, so I decided to take the tremolo arm off. Easier said than done. It was stuck! I had to take the whole tailpiece off and use a pair of pliers to get it off this pincer-like system that holds it in place. The trem arm looked like it had never been taken off before, (layer of old dust/filth) so maybe that explains the tight fit. The bridge/tailpiece has a superb design though, the strings running almost the full length of the guitar. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
The vintage pickups are very magnetic. A lot of pulling from them on the strings here. The knobs and swithches are surprisingly quiet other than a slight noise on the pickup selector. But what can one expect from electronics that are about to hit its 40s. No rust on this one. One of the tuners is a little hard to turn, i think this has to do with that it was hanging from it in the store(!!) Other than this, and a few small chips in the paint, this baby is perfect.

Well it's held up for almost 40 years, it will probably hold for another 40 at least.

Never dealt with Fender directly, but I have heard customer support isn't their strong side.

I have been playing for 8 years soon. This is my 3rd guitar and my favourite so far. (the other two are also Fenders) I have dreamed about owning this guitar since i was 14. If it were stolen I would buy another one. The combination of sound, the shape and the colour on the guitar is my idea of a perfect guitar.

This is Japanese made Jaguar. It's a very nice sunburst with reddish shell pickguard. I don't really know about what woods were used specifically, but it looks to be a very good quality. It has three pickup switches (two selectors and some kind of phase switch), another switch and volume and tone control on the upper part of the body, and the same tremolo setup as the jazzmaster. I got it with a case.

I love playing garage rock, blues, alt-type country, and just about anything else. I have a nice Fender solid state (hey, it's loud) and a variety of effects with it. I mostly use Fenders and have some strats and a tele.

I've played with this guitar endlessly, and for what I do and the tones I like, I can't take it out of lead mode. Everything else is just too thin and wirey. This obviously limits the functionality of this guitar for me. The lead mode seems to have a slight volume jump and rounds the tone out a lot better. I find myself leashed to this setting especially when playing clean.

Distortion helps this guitar out a lot, and I can jump around with the settings a bit when I overdrive it. It maintains its trebly character pretty well, but seems to prefer heavier overdrive, rather than all out distortion. One reviewer mentioned how the guitar seemd to get sucked away when distorted, and this pretty much sums up my experience. But with an SD-1, you get a great thiuck bluesy wail.

Very well crafted. Switches and knobs feel substantial and solid. Doesn't seem like a guitar which would be easily messed up...though I wonder about the bridge, which rocks back and forth (this is part of the design I'm told).

I think this guitar will prove to mostly be reliable. A bridge is not supposed to move, but I don't that effects it too much, I just have to be careful changing strings.

I have been playing 14 years, and have settled on Fenders. They just do what I want them to do and feel great. In terms of feel, the Jaguar is definitely a Fender, but for me it just doesn't seem as versatile as it should. I'm not looking for a thousand different tones at the flip of a switch, I'm not even looking for ten. The Jaguar just seems "timid" compared to the rest of my stable. It doesn't seem to have any authority or grind like my favorite strat does when pushed.

It is a nice guitar though. I like it for general songwriting, and jamming, and it does great little surfy tremolo dips. I would not hesitate to bring it along to gig as a backup. I don't know that it would be my main guitar live though.

I can see why this guitar has appeal...it looks great and feels great. And though it's tones don't work for me in an overall sense, they are certainly not bad or unusable...this is guitar that's used by a lot of pros for a good reason - it has personality. Unless you got a real dog of a Jag, you can't go wrong.

I have a 2002 Candy Apple Red "Crafted In Japan" model, which looks good enough to eat. The Guitar has a LOT of controls, which are essentially 2 systems: a rhythm cicuit (top controls) which is a bit dull. The lower controls are where all the fun is to be had, switching the two pickups on and off, and cutting the low frequencies out. Everything on the guitar is standard, and I don't intend to change it... except the bridge. The bridge is the stupid crappy one that everyone here complains about. It is REALLY bad. I got a gig bag thrown in

The guitar isn't spot on for my style, but it is a very interesting play. I've not been using pedals with it, just my vox amp, although I have had it on a tremolo setting to get that 50's sound (Bo Diddley/whoever). The guitar sound itself makes you play stuff you wouldn't ordinarily. My other guitars tend to be more resonant than this, but of course I therefore get a sharper sound from my Jag. The Jag does make a lot of different sounds, but a really sonorous resonance isn't really one of them

Someone has meddled with the bridge, to try to stop it rattling. They failed. The bridge is just a design disaster as far as I can see, and so don't want to really consider it on what is otherwise a superb piece

This guitar is v solid. I can't imagine that it won't last forever. The Fender style of strap buttons don't get me excitd: they're designed to slip straps off them (not such a good idea, if you're accident prone)

N/A

I've played for 12 years and got 5 other stringed instruments. I prefer my Epiphone Dot, for its rich sound, but still appreciate this guitar, which is a bit iconic. Not sure if I would buy a telecaster instead if insurance paid out. Favourite feature: colour matched headstock. Least favourite: bridge. The guitar is a lot of fun, but some people on this page have gone overboard. Maybe they never played another guitar, but it just isn't that amazing. If all my guitars went, I'd much sooner get my Dot back than this

It's a 1968 bound fingerboard green w tortoise shell pickguard. I bought it in 1976 for $400 Canadian. It is original except I lost the mute.

It sounds like a garbage can full of rocks being thrown down a flight of concrete stairs during the battle of Berlin. Then I hit the Rat pedal. Soundmen openly weep at the sight of it. I play it through an old Caliphone record player (tube, of course) which sounds better than any Fenderamp of any vintage. It is the most microphonic guitar in the world. I love it with all my heart; nobody else can stand it or keep it in tune.

I bought it when it was 8 years old. I have put new frets on it a decade ago, and have had to replace a switch and the volume knob, the victims of relentless gigging in hot, wet, smoky clubs. The action is easy to set up as is the intonation.

It is indestructable. I have worn through the finish to the wood and all the chrome is but a memory, everything is now brown with rust. It doesn't matter. Not only can I depend on it, I'd be lost without it.

If it were stolen or lost I would be beside myself. I own about 8 other guitars but they areall so different from the J ag that it would be unlikely that I could use them as a replacement. I wish Fender still made them with the bound fingerboards ( the necks are a hiar flatter)

Made in Japan with all the traditional Jaguar trimmings. Sunburst finish looks very nice. It's got a shorter scale (24 and 3/4?) neck with a nice slab o' rosewood on it and lots of chrome. It seems like it has endless switching features, with an on and off for each pickup, some kind of phase/bass cut switch, and then the famous lead circuit on the top near the neck pickup. Has the whacky Jag/Jazzmaster bridge and tremolo too.

I had always heard that Jaguars and Jazzmasters sound kind of plunky with below average sustain. And that's the truth. But it's great plunk.

The guitar is very bright, and doesn't seem to warm up all that much unless you adjust the controls of your amp. I've fiddled with the tone knobs mercilessly, and the guitar just keeps pouring out treble frequencies. But they're not really harsh or thin. I think of it as a mellowed-out Telecaster with a bit of an acoustic flavor to it. You do get a variety of tones being able to blend the two pickups or turn on the lead circuit for the neck pickup, but they're basically all derivative of my above description. It seems like a guitar that would appeal to those who have a base tone that they really enjoy, but like to make slight tweaks and have exacting control without losing that foundation.

I don't particularly care for the lead circuit all that much, because it doesn't really seem to change anything...it's just a seperate set of controls for preseting a volume and tone level. If anything, I use it to set a slightly lower volume, but I find I don't switch it on that much.

The phase/bass cut switch is a fun little option. It basically makes the guitar sound thin and wirey, but it's great fed into a fuzz pedal for some cool garage blues jams. Switching it off puts you right back into "mellow twang" mode. A definite plus.

I pretty much use this guitar with Vox and Fender amps, and have played it through a Marshall. It seems to gel real well with the Fender clean. Putting it through the Vox seems to accentuate the more gritty qualities of it, but it just doesn't have that clank that a Tele has that sounds so good (to me anyway) through a Vox amp. It sounded pretty good through the Marshall too.

Whereas the Jag has a very lovely and versatile clean sound, it seems to loose a little bit of ground when you crank up the distortion. I have all the standards (SD-1, DS-1, TS-9, Big Muff) and many others, and it seems like the pedal simply takes over, as if to compensate in some way. It doesn't seem to want to exert its own tones the way my Teles and Strats do. The plunkiness of the guitar adds a great attack element though. It adds a little extra pop to rhythm lines and coupled with the brightness, makes single lines cut nicely. The subtleties of the the clean tones get flushed in distorto-mayhem, however...so unless you use the phase/bass cut switch the tones sound mostly similar from setting to setting.

Basically, I think it's a great guitar tonewise, and definitely a great way to go if you're sick of Teles and Strats and the like.

I bought this used, so I won't really rate it, just describe it.

This guitar looks like it was pretty well taken care of when I got it. The usual little knicks and dents, but nothing major. IT looks like it was played a fair amount, but certainly not thrown around or mistreated or anything like that.

I have yet to use this guitar live, and it seems like it hold up nicely. I do have some niggles about it though. The bridge shifts back and forth in its slots (which is what it was designed to do). This kind of troubles me a bit, as it seems like it moves fairly easily even under the tension of the strings. This could, at the very least, screw up your intonation and make you look kinda dumb if you don't watch it.

Everything about it otherwise feels very substantial though. The switches and knobs all feel very solidly and put together very well.

I've been playing a while, and love everything from blues to punk.

This guitar is a fine addition to my collection, but I'm not really all that attached to it. It doesn't exude that workhorse ethic my Telecaster and Strat have about them. To me, it's a guitar that I go to when I need something different and need to be inspired in a certain way. Just as its a quirky instrument, it brings out some of my more creative edges. It kind of seems to say "That line would sound ridiculous played on your Telecaster, but I gladly take up the cause."

I kind of wish it was the longer traditional scale (I guess I could've gotten a Jazzmaster). It certainly doesn't feel like a short-scale guitar, but sonically it drops hints all over the place.

I almost wish the lead circuit wasn't there...it just seems like too much. I feel like no matter where I put my hand, I'm going to end up knocking it on or something. I do love that phase switch though :)

Overall, I think this is a guitar that everybody will have a different opinion about. Everybody can somewhat agree in the most basic sense that Teles have great twang, Les Pauls have fabulous sustain, Rickenbackers have great jangle, and so on. I think there are some out there that would find this to be the worst guitar ever made, while others would wonder why anyone ever bothered making any other sort of guitar after this one. Even my buddies seem to be decidedly split on how much they like or hate this guitar.

It's definitely a killer rhythm instrument that seems to love complex chords (helped by the short scale). It's hard to say how guys who play primarily lead would react...it's a little too spongy for me to really go nuts on, but on the toher hand one of my buddies always grab its and does nothing but solo on it.

These Japanese ones seem to be had a pretty killer prices now. I'd say if it interests you in the slightest, and you can find one at a good price, go for it.

rating 10

Paid $400
Japanese reissue 1995
dual factory single coils triple sunburst blood red marble pick guard
all the factory bells and whistles and lots of chrome If I was another guitar I would make love to it. I've played many makes and models over the past twenty years, nothing comes close. Purchased from Chicago Music Exchange where the store boys bought it to strip parts to refurbish an original to get full price, can't blame them. All it was missing was the tremolo bar and string post nut. I custom made an oak bridge to accomodate heavier gauge strings which the guitar seems to enjoy. It never fails to amaze me the soul that seems trapped inside the instrument, I believe the two rails that run along the sides of the single coils, which have a magnetic pull like the center poles give the pick-ups a sort of triple-bucker effect, at first I thought it was just extra chrome decor but it has a strange secret, a wonderfully strange secret.

The limitations to the sound are endless if you know how to listen to the instrument's inner voices and modify and pull them out, it will outshine any other guitar at any style of music where an electric guitar is mandated

I own a white MIJ reissue jag. still have the orginal factory pickups. It's got all the switches and knobs mentioned in previous reviews. you know the deal. It could use a better nut and some locking tuners. It would help its little flaws. A bridge screw popped out on me too but thats a small problem. besides, what you really want to know is what it sounds like.

I used to run it straight into a solid state fender princeton chorus. don't make that mistake. you won't get the sound you want...no matter what your style is. Now, I run it through a mesa boogie v-twin. Good god. It sounds awsome! Like many have mentioned before, this is not a metal guitar. Youre not going to get the bottom end that you would get from an ibanez thats for sure. But you will be surprised by the tones you can squeeze out of this thing. I think it might be the size of the single coils that give some meat to it, Im not really sure. but whatever it is, its good. Clean, it sounds like a dream. Keep in mind that your choice of amp is going to make a huge difference in sound. The pickups are pretty squealy, but plugging it through the v-twin takes care of alot of that. I do wish it had a tighter bottom end though. I would have to say that would be the one thing I would change. In the future I may get a couple hot jag replacement. But as for the time being I'm content. You can get a nasty growl from it. and it doesnt sound like anything else.

I bought this guitar used from music-go-round (i know..crazy isnt it?) And surprisingly it had not one bit of fret buzz, played great. although it was set for 9's. Believe me, you want 11's or at least 10's on this monster. its not made for rubber bands. I figured that out pretty quick. White was not my first choice but it grew on me.

Ok, we all have heard about the bridge. it bites. Again I think i must have gotten a good one because I dont have much trouble keeping it in tune and Ive never had the strings jump out of the saddles when I play. Its always good to have a back up, no matter what youre playing. I dont care if you have a 3000 dollar custom PRS. have a backup. you never know what will go wrong. Far as I can tell this guitar holds up really well. No finish problems or major hardware problems. The frets kinda suck on mine though. It could use some more durable jumbo frets. WOuld definately use it play out though.

never dealt with fender. If something goes wrong Ill fix it, my friend will fix it, or a guitar tech will fix it.

I have been playing for 11 years, and I wouldn't trade this baby in for anything. It feels great, looks great, sounds great, and plays great. I used to have a mustang reissue. and compared to this, the mustang is a joke. they were student guitars for cryn out loud! For what I payed for this guitar, I doubt I could find anything that compares to the sound and look and feel. I hear mustang bridges are a cheap mod you can do to fix the problem of the faulty jag bridge. I might just do that. The MIJ jags (if you can find them for a reasonable price,) are a great guitar for the money. Ive never played the american reissues, but they are ALOT more expensive. So much more that I can't understand why you wouldn't just buy the real vintage model. All I can say is I love my jaguar. You might love yours too. If it was stolen I would hunt the SOB down and make him eat his own liver. Dont mess with my Jaguar!!

2002 Candy Apple Red Jaguar, Japanese but probably the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen (apart from the White Gibson Les Paul custom a la James Dean-Bradfield). Normal 2 single coils, floating trem blah blah blah blah blah. Full of stuff, I don't even know where to begin. I have a Squier Venus which has a volume knob and a selector and now I've got this, some fat red thing with umpteen-squillion rollers and shiny bits and switches and ARGH! Oh, the headstock is the same colour as the body, which rules! And the neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard. Pearly dots, rather than blocks and no binding.

I've used it with my Marshall Valvestate and have been thrasing out some barre chords with just the amp's distortion. I'm not really good at describing sounds but if you listen to "The Truth Is No Words" by the Music I've managed to get that tone out of it (geez I'm hopeless at this!). I like the way it plays though it buzzes sometimes and I've only just realised what this is - the saddles. They have little grooves so you can just push the strings over them. This is the main problem I have found with this guitar (oh, and the confusion with the controls but that doesn't matter because what other guitar has that sorta stuff? Go on, FIND ONE!! :D).

The action is good, seems nice and low and pretty good. I don't think there's been much done to it but it plays OK, not quite as well as my Gibson Les Paul Studio does but I think that was set-up bigtime before I bought it.
The finish is flawlessly applied and there are no problems with anything, no slightly loose screws, no nothing. There is buzzing but as I mentioned before, this is due to the saddles thing. You can move the strigs back easy enough anyway.

I would rely on this guitar with my life, probably, unless I was playing a ten hour gig, in which case I would probably break my collar bone. I've played strats and looking at the Jag you'd expect it to be the same weight, but it isn't. It ways an absolute ton, and I know, as I had to carry it round Music Live with me when I bought it. Still, it's good, it shall serve me well, I'm sure.

The guy I bought it off was nice, I bought it direct from Fender at their stand at Music Live and he gave me a free gig bag, so I was pleased.

I've been playing 5 years and as well as this Jag I have a mid 90's Gibson Les Paul Studio in Wine Red, which is good, a Squier Vista Venus is seafoam green which is the most fun I have ever had, a Takamine EG560C which sounds a bit crap plugged in (well, through my VS65R anyway), a Peavey Milestone bass, a 70's Fender Solid Top acoustic and an old Hohner Classical guitar. I have to say my Gibson is the best guitar, it just feels completely perfect. The jag is my second favourite though my venus is more comfortable. All in all, The jag is up there with the best, a very VERY close second to my Gibson. I think it's just the fact that the Jag seems to weigh more than the Les Paul! What's going on there?!

it was made in the grand ol' US of A.... i think its about 5 or 6 years old... i really cant remember. its got all the standard stuff everyone else has mentioned, and i cant be bothered repeating it when noone will read it anyway! put it this way.... no other geetar has as many features as a jag.... NO geetar at all!


i have just one problem.... the bridge, although a wonderful design and great sounding..... has crap saddles on it which have very shallow grooves in them. this means that sometimes when i'm playin, and this might just be me as i'm a very vicious player, well i knock the bottom E string out of its groove and this can be a real pain. i may file the saddles down a bit so the string fits better - BUT THATS THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THIS GUITAR

(its fitted with two seymour duncan 1/4 pounders, which increase its output whilst still keeping the original tone, although i still own the original single coil efforts)

the sound is gorgeous... at first i only really like the rhythm and neck pick-up sounds.... i hated the bridge pick-up so much i was considering putting in some sort of di-marzio or seymour duncan humbucker once i got the money.... since then i had a change of heart n i now actually LOVE the bridge pick-up! i guess it just takes a while to get used to it as its so unusual.... please dont hack up your jag with humbuckers.... i really think you'll regret it at a later time......

well its second hand so it was set-up pretty good..... personally i cant really see much wrong with it at all. i really like it!

its very reliable, no problems with it at all, even when i jump around like a goon...... like i said, the only problem is the saddles... thats it really

i dont have a clue seeing as i've never had a problem with my jaguarrrrrrrr

i've been playin six years now..... i also have a les paul studio which is crap compared to this motha!
if stolen i would contemplate suicide.
i lurve pretty much everything about this geetar.... its well sexy!
the best feature is its sound and variety of sounds, and its GORGEOUS look!

some people complain about its sound when combioned with distortion pedals.... all i can is that in a way i do agree with you and in a way i dont...... i have a DS-1 which is good for solo-ing but rubbish for rhythm.... doesnt really give u a bluesy or punky/grungey sound whatever you try with it, although it works fine with my jap strat and les paul. i then went out and bought a metal zone and its great with the jag! gives a fantastic crunchy sound (the lead player in elastica used one, so go check out their debut album to hear how it sounds) and its great for a variety of tones.... (maybe i should do a review for this pedal too?)

final note: this is just my life story basically...... a week after i bought this geetar i saw a music man axis sport come in for 700 quid. shit! still glad i bought this though - even though it was expensive!

My beauty is a '98 re-issue of the '68. It has dual controls for the two pickups (tone and volume for each), and a pickup selection switch.

I play all sorts of music from Neil Young to Nirvan, and everything in between. The sound of this guitar is just so damn versatile that it fits anything you could even try to play. It is the best sounding guitar I have ever heard played.

I bought this guitar in an auction. The only problem I came across was two of the knobs coming loose. I plan to replace the bridge with something I can get a little bit better use with the tremolo bar out of. There were no factory flaws, just common wear and tear from everyday use.

This guitar will bring down the house played live. I recomend running it through either a Marshall tube amp or, even better, an Egle. If I were to ever gig without a backup, this would be the guitar that I would choose. I have put no money into it, and it holds tune phenomenolly.

None so far!

I have been playing for about two years and this is by far the finest piece of equipment that I own. I used to play out of a suped-up strat-replica, and even stock parts blow that out of the water. I highly recomend this guitar to an music enthusiast, because it's a fricken Jaguar, the most versatile, unique and beautiful guitar ever designed.

1995 - Japanese-made - 22 frets - Rosewood fretboard - Lead circuit: volume, tone knobs, pickup selector, phase reversal. Rhythm circuit: volume, tone. 2 pickups. Very smooth fretboard!

All the features I need plus more. The guy at the shop had no idea what all the controls did. Believe me, they're not just for show! This thing is versatile. I just saw my cream Jag with turtoise shell pickguard hanging on the shop wall and I stopped breathing. I've had for 6 years and I still feel the same way.

I play clean. I play alone so it's mostly rhythm. This is a complete tone machine. Nothing else sounds like a jag. It's bright and smooth with rich lows and peppy highs. I play through a princeton chorus but I'll buy a tube amp someday.

You can play anything with a Jag, plus nothing else looks like it. I play seated and it's very comfortable. I never have to adjust it or try to get the right position. It just stays put.

I love the shape of the neck and the body as well. I bought it new and the bridge can drive you to drink unless you strap on some 10 guage strings and have the saddles adjusted. I had 30 dollars of work done and now the strings never pop out anymore. No real flaws on the axe at all. Vintage tuners aren't the best I've ever used but it does stay in tune all the time.

I don't use the tremolo very often. With a little bridge work and some heavier strings you're ready to roll.

I've never had any problems aside from the bridge, but that was because I used 9 guage strings for 5 years. Doh! I bought strap locks because there's no way this grrl's hittin' the ground. The finish is just fine. Sexy guitar.

The saddle screws rattle once in a while. Other than that it's a nice piece of lumber.

I'll never lose this guitar. I even put a lock on my gig bag when I travel just to slow down a would be thief. I'd never sell it. If I own 15 guitars before I die, I'll always keep this one. Best feauture: SOUND QUALITY. Worthy of a really nice tube amp.

I've been looking for a Jaguar since I started playing guitar. Here, in Argentina the Jaguar practically doesnt exist, its very rare. Fortunately I got one for 300 bucks. It's a Japanese Re-Issue special edition for Fender's 50th anniversary from 1995.

Its a very versatile guitar, I play from Incubus to BB King and it sounds awesome. I think its the best guitar ever made, if you've got one, dont you ever sell it, and if you dont own one, then you should.

I didn't modify it much since I bought it used and the original factory set up was already modifiyed. I took it to a local store to have the tremolo adjusted properly as well as the annoying bridge, I had it set up for 0.10's, it sounds very "Frusciante" like now.

think its the best guitar ever made, you can play whatever you want and use it live, to record or to play for fun. Definitely a fine instrument.

dint try to get support yet

Buy a Jag, you wont be dissapointed at all.

a japanese one bought & crafted in 2002
so many controls! i love it

i play some alternative/noise rock and it fits very well to this kinda music there are huge sound possibilities and i can have a jazzy sound , or a surf music kinda sound , and with the amp's distortion , i can get a fuzz-like sound or a very high and noisy sound and , of course everything between this.the vibrato is also fantastic.

allright but not great

it looks ok

i play for a few years and i've alaways dreamt of this jaguar now that i own it i m the happiest man in the world i can do everything i want with it i love everything in this guitar

I bought a reissue 1962 Fender Jaguar, no less than candy apple red, always my dream guitar. I used to drool over Jags I saw in stores, on TV, and on album covers. Other Fenders are alright, but The Jaguar is the Jaguar. Along with my reissue '62 Fender Twin Reverb amp, my 1980(ish) Tube Reverb, I can flat make some kinda surf music, my favorite being the Astronauts from Denver, Clorado. I don't need fuzztones, phasers, choruses, flangers, etc. Just gimme that tube reverb sound. Oh yeah, gotta kick the reverb (pronounce Reee-Verb)now and then.

Sounds like a Fender Jaguar

Never had to.....

Love my Jag, too bad we can't get married

My first ever baby was this '65 jag i found for half what it was worth. it has all the usual jag characteristics, two pickups, nice small frets, dot markers. all the hardware is stock, but the body has been refinished (not by me but looks fucking gorgeous, esp. under lights). also, one of the previous owners was obviously short sighted (or perhaps just stupid) and has had mega fret dots 'installed' (even i could do better woodwork than this...) in the side of the neck. they look real goofy. and for some reason the trem bar refuses to be removed from the body (i'd only lose it...). in general i reckon the jag is a great guitar, and cannot see why it has been so maligned. i really don't think that a strat is any comparison; it may be more slimlined that the jag but it is lacking in the personality dept. jags have the edge. (besides, who wants to play the same guitar as iron maiden or yngwie?)

plinkety plunk goes the jaguar. when i got it home and plugged it in the first thing i noted was how goddamned sharp the sound was. being such an old guitar, the attack was quicker and harder than anything i'd ever played before. What it lacks in sustain it more than makes up for in it's bright attack. sound wise it might help to think of a jag as the anti-les paul. pauls are warm n creamy, where a jag is an ice pick. that being said, the neck pickup is the sweetest damn thing i have ever heard. everything that is good about fender tones is concentrated right there, in the rhythym setting. the breadth of tones available with all the switches is impressive. from fat, sweet n bluesy to the thinnest chicken-funk twang imaginable. adding distortion can make things real interesting. clean is obviously it's bag, but run dirty the jag can offer some left of centre distorto-tones. i find the pickups to be fatter sounding than any other fender i have played (although i have never touched a jazzmaster). the neck pickup can do overdriven blues leads nicely (i don't move from this setting when playing in my blues band), and will even approach a kyuss-like sound (but with more definition) when put under extreme distorto-duress. the bridge pickup has some serious girth for a single coil. through a rat pedal it will cut like a knife, and through a big muff it sounds awesome, corpulent while retaining it's edge. i have used the jag to play every kind of music that i can think of, and it always has something interesting to offer, sonically. great for blues, funk, rock, jazz, punk, country, metal (yes, the jag can play metal, it just needs a little prompting. metal-style chunking and fast pickwork can be a little difficult on that bridge). great for just making noise, too. better through old amps, as it's edge can get a little surgical through those modern pre-master volume amps. the trem is too die for, think bigsby rather than strat.

old as it may be, the jag is in A1 condition, the exception being the saddles. with over thirty five years of playing, the strings have worn nasty little grooves into them. i was recently informed that these cost a princly Aus$25 EACH to replace, so i'm saving up for that little mod. apart from that it plays like a dream, although big benders will hate the jag. you'd be very lucky to bend a note over a step; because the neck profile is more rounded than modern guitars (including jag reissues) notes bent with bravado die a quiet death.

The jag is one solid motherfucker. It never goes out of tune, even with some creative tremming. so tuff, that if i were drafted, i'd take this little baby to war.

never had it looked at, but it was difficult to even find a quote on replacement saddles. bits for jags (well, anything that's not a strat or a tele) are hard to come by down under.

I bought this when i was sick of playing shitty sounding toy guitars and i just wanted a tone machine. it is certainly that. real nice guitar sounds, that's what you get with an old jag. if it were stolen i would violate the geneva code several times over. The thing i love most about it is the sound (OH THE SOUND!), and also how it's real comfy to play. it could always do with a little more sustain, though that's not a handicap. if you need sustain, buy a gibson. if you want real guitar tones, with a spiky immediacy to them, look no further than a vintage jag.

Year-Unknown, Made-in japan, 22 frets, I think solid top, Volume knob,2 other knobs and 4 swicthes, Two humbuckers, I think avtive, Maple, Transparent finish, Jaguar shape, Unknown brige.No tuner, thin i think,with gig bag

I suites my style I play from oldies, modern rock, and punk
I use chorus
It is louder on rythm setting
Rich cool clean sound when I have new strings
$ different sounds
I like

set up good
pickups are good
routed brige
no flaws

Withsand live playing
Everthing but maybe the brige
finsh a little thin
stap buttons are solid
dependable
yes

Never delt with company
no

the first owner unknown yrs me 2yrs. I also own an ovation
no
I would want it back
no
no

Ah.... My Jag of which i recently purchased in 3 colour sunburst. The pickguard is tortoise shell and a beutifully smooth neck with a rosewood fretboard. It came with a case coz my mum said "Its so expensive so it can't be broken". But i asked the person at the desk if it came with a mute and bridge cover but i was sadly disappointed. It has a cool rhythm/lead switch and a hell of a lot of buttons!

Oh, it produces grand mellow sounds in the rhythm circuit and in the lead circuit with the lead modifying swithch and the bridge pickup on you can really whip out those vintage beach boys tones. I love to play wipeout the '60s surf tune.

The whole guitar was a success from when i played it in the store! One bad point though was the was the way strings could skip saddles if you played it hard and how the bridge could vibrate. But that was fixed in 5 minutes and i was off playing again!

It should last on gig and i wouldn't back it up with an extra. But a bad point with all fenders is that the sraps can fly off inadvertantly with your instrument flying to the ground but ive cought it every time!!! I need some Fender-Schaller straplocks bbut #18!!

Oh yeah, recently went into the shop i bought it from and asked for the fender bridge and mute cover.. The called them up and said they could provide tem but for #48!!

I had always been keen on the fender guiters but was going to buy a super strat, that was until i found out 100 jap jag's were coming to the uk, the shop had two and a jazz master which is still here a month later!! I wish it had the mute and bridge cover and i'd get another one if it was stolen. If you can buy one it's great!!!! Its' the best guitar ive played!!! :)

The guitar in question is a contemporary (2002) re-issue Jaguar made in Japan. Most of the other features have been well described in the other reviews.. so no need to reiterate. I would like to say that this particular plank has an immaculate blonde finish and is of absolutely astounding build quality. Vastly superior to all but the Fender USA models I suspect. I'd also like to add that whilst "Blondie" is decidedly right handed, I'm not so lucky.

I never bother buying lefties though, so merely hours after buying my long-sought after Jag.. I tearfully wielded my toolbox in its general direction in order to turn the nut around, swap the bridge saddles over and, worst of all.. relocate the strap button to the lower bout. The result is that this 'unusual' guitar now looks even wierder.. like what a Jag-Stang *should* be.

Testing the guitar in the shop was hopeless; someone had put rusty fusewire on it for strings, and the testing amp was a tinny little transistor jobby. To make matters worse, I was feeling increasingly crowded by the flock of wallet chain wielding 18 year olds that had been drooling over the guitar before I came along as though it was some Di-Marzio toting metal machine.

As I mentioned earlier, I'd been looking for a Jag for ages, so I decided to lose the money and take my chances. The faces of several of the shopkeepers were very dark as I completed the purchase, I think I must have just bought their favourite guitar or something. My incompetent attempts to play a right handed instrument in the shop probably didn't help their opinion of me either.

After I'd got Blondie home and performed the necessary surgery, I strung her with my customary 10-52's and introduced her to the rest of the gang. Namely my Laney LC30 valve amp, and my ever growing array of chorus, tremolo, delay and wah pedals. She took some time to wiegh up the opposition whilst I sorted her out a strap and lead; Fernandez, my trusty Bitzer Strat and Blade, my hot-headed young Delta-T telecaster.

I play alternative music and I mean alternative, If it sounds odd and/or cheesy, the chances are I'll like it. Plugging Blondie in initially resulted in a splending tumult of wailing and clanging.. I particularly like the way she headed straight for feedback country. I also liked the excellent 'rattlesnake' sound you can get by wobbling the 'wang-bar' rapidly in its mounting.. the large amount of string behind the bridge really helping those eerie scratching noise outings as well as proving great for a-tonal high pitched stabs. The body seems very reasonant, which no-doubt helps the amount of liveliness on offer. In short.. I had the feeling I was attempting to ride a very frisky young filly indeed (ooh err).

Easing off the gain and effects a little, Blondie also showed her softer side. The 'rythm' circuit gives a very pleasent wooly tone, suitable for some light Jazz chords (greatly facilitated by a wonderful vibrato system). Switching to the lead circuit, the tone is toppy, but very tight. Sustain isn't great.. but clarity and definition are excellent. The guitar works very well clean with chorus, the 'transparent' tone suits modulation effects superbly. Although some might find the sound a little too bright, you can easily tone it down using the controls. I found some of the distortion sounds alarmingly reminiscent of a 'hot rodded' strat tone. Particularly, the bridge pickup gives out an icy blast of a sound under gain.. responding well to palm muted 'chugging'!

Above all, I'd say the Jaguar is a versatile guitar; it has a very wide range of tones, but never ever comes close to sounding quite like anything else. In this way it reminds me a lot of a Danelectro U2.

I can't really comment on the factory set-up, as the first thing I did was turn it all upside down for left handed use. The Build quality is simply outstanding though.. utterly brilliant.. flawless.

Fender really needs to stop shipping all of its guitars set up with 9 guage strings though. The Jaguar needs at least a 10 guage, preferably with a wound 3rd, or the strings will just pop out of the saddles.

The neck is very straight and properly finished (none of this bare wood nonsense) and the fretwork is brilliant. The guitar will actually take a much, *much* lower action than I've set it up with, at the usual cost of tone and sustain though of course.

Overally the durability seems excellent.. although I'm a little worried about the tremolo arm becoming 'floppy' with use.. I like it to stay where its put.

Don't know.

I've been playing 8 or 9 years (I think). I've gigged a fair bit too.. and I'm frequently complemented on my sound by others. I keep things relatively simple, and make sure there is never any duff gear to get in between my fingers and the punters ears.

I love the Jaguar for its individuality, I'd been looking out for one for a long time before buying this, so I guess I knew what I was getting myself into. The best thing about the Jag is that whatever it does, it seems to do it rather well.. it never sounds cheap or lifeless. Even with a wah pedal cutting out all the bass it sounds edgy and keen rather than thin. It works great upside down too; balancing unexpectedly well on a strap and feeling generally more comfortable to play than my leftie strat. The bridge/trem has come in for a lot of stick but, honestly, on a new or well maintained Jag its fine for light tremolo work and doesn't go out of tune unless you abuse it.

I dont really care what year a guitar is made so I didnt bother finding out, but this was obviously used and had been partially re-painted (dark navy blue). Other than that a typical Jaguar with all the switches (I think they are passifiers of some kind) and knobs. I'm not really up on terminology but the neck is kind of thin (nice). Whenever I buy a new guitar I replace the pick-ups. Stock pick-ups are always too bright (even for a single coil) on guitars higher up the range so I fit pick-ups from shitty cheap guitars to get a nice muddy sound.

I play mainly my own songs in a band, but we also play covers by Mudhoney and the smashing pumpkins and is perfect for both. I love noisy pick-ups and get a beautiful muddy sound on the neck, and a nice chug on the bridge (I fitted pick-ups from a damaged Squire Bullet [I wish you could buy shitty pick-ups somewhere]). With the new additions it is nice and warm on the neck which I use most of the time. The switches take a bit of getting used to and if you have had too many beers when you are performing on stage and you knock one it is very bewildering trying to focus on why your guitar has stopped making noise. I use a Marshall 100CDR head (I hate fucking valves what's the point of paying double for inconsistency?) and it sounds lovely

When I got this guitar it was beautifully worn. I dont give a shit whether you've got birds on your fucking fret-board, you are obviously a fucking mug for paying too much for a guitar (one man's trash..). I play in a dropped tuning and had to get my friend to set it up (it was terrible when I got it). Surprisingly the switches work perfectly. One machinehead needed adding (it was missing the high "e"). Satisfactory, good second hand if looks aren't important.

This has looked on its last legs since I first bought it but it manages to still work after a year. It looks like it has been dropped on the floor thousands of times but I havent yet dropped it (it would probably dematerialise if I did). I like the dark navy finish that was added buy the previous owner. You can see that it was red before.
I never gig with a back-up as it looks like you are saying "check-out how rich my parents are" (yes I mean you you fucking 15 year old american wankers with your gibsons).

Whenever I have a problem I just get in touch with my mate so this is a non applicable. Anyway I dont count a split gig-bag or chipped paint work as a problem. Fender would think I was joking if I handed them this anyway. What's a warranty?

To some middle aged, PRS weilding snob who plays 60's covers in the dead man's tuning of "e" whilst drowning his sorrows with pints of Gregor's dead olde Ferret ale this guitar would be left in the shop. But I love its character and originality, and I have managed to get a nice warm sound out of the thing. If it was stolen I would kill the cunt because this is 1 in a million. Lovely. Maybe a tad expensive for its condition but good for a Jaguar that works.

I believe mine was a '66, purchased used in 1986, white , Heavy!, probably an alder body, 4 bolt maple neck with rosewood board, MOP dot inlays. the previous owner put a middle pickup (Dimarzio stacked humbucker, made for a strat replacement) with an additional mini toggle to engage it, and Schaller mini tuners. no vibrato bar and a crappy aftermarket case, not bad for $300. I stuffed the case with foam and wedged a standard cheapo Fender bar in the tailpiece and off I went!

The guitar had one basic sound , though the three different pickups changed the tone a bit with regards to treble/bass. the filter cut switches did nothing in my opinion. The guitar is TWANGY, a nice twang, deep and throaty, and very satisfying for that type of 60s vibe. I recall really loving the heck out of playing "Wild Weekend", Duane Eddy tunes, and blues. A very authentic vintage vibe!!
HOWEVER; this guitar has no real sustain, and no chance of playing metal, fusion, etc. GREAT for garage punk/noise when cranked through a cheap amp a la Peavey, etc. I would not try to get a "Good" sound out of this or play it through a Marshall, etc. It is a one trick pony, period. The main things working against it are the crappy roller bridge, the lame pickups (Microphonic, lots of string pull magnetically, no matter how low you adjust them) and the short scale (24"). On the plus side, the bridge and pickups give it the twang, and the short scale is nice for much smaller hands.

This one was set up quite nicely, low action with little buzz, and the schallers kept it in tune very well, even when cranking the whammy bar. The BEST thing about this guitar for me was the body shape (same as a Jazzmaster, etc). I felt it was extremely well balanced and despite its considerable heft, one of the most comfortable guitars I've ever played, standing or sitting. Again, I felt the 24" scale, despite the ease in stetches, made the feel too mushy. You could put thicker strings (11-52) on as I did and get a nice rhythm tone but that kind of kills the twang factor - so what's the point?

Built like a tank overall, though the bridge was pretty cheesy and the electronics were too complicated for their own good. (too much crap for so few tone varieties); lots of crackling and fizzing, which I don't think a simple clean and lube would have fixed. Had I kept it back in 1987 I would have ripped the guts out and slapped a single DiMarzio super distortion in, nice and simple with one volume knob. I think Fender's stolen my idea and done that since then, though.......

never dealt with

If you want a specific vibe, you really can't go wrong with one of these - they have THAT sound - if you have to ask, make sure before buying! I think the reissues seem just as good as the old ones, maybe not quite as nice re: body wood (remember these were top of the line for Fender back then!).
I would NOT however recommend one as an only or main guitar, or for someone who wants versatility or a very rich sounding instrument. You could modify it but you'd probably be better off getting something else that gets the twang along with other sounds (Hence the greater popularity of the Strat, I gather!!) I would not buy one again only because of the scale length; I had thought for awhile about getting a Jazzmaster instead to get the 25 1/2" scale but there are other choices; long scale Mustangs, the newer imports (Jag-stang/etc hybrids from Fender and Squier) and even the same body shape from custom parts suppliers. I may just get me a nice light weight Jag body from Warmouth but slap a Super Distortion in the bridge, one vol. knob , better bridge and tuners - and off I go!

Other reviews have features listed, sunburst finish, oversized headstock, single coil...

The sound is very, very thin. It possesses very, very little bass, especially through a Vox Series 90 solid state and an AC30. It does sound better clean if you need a bright, poppy tone, but anything with depth it just won't kick out the mellow mids or any real bass. With the distortion on, it is just abnoxious, very sharp and lacking any real definition, sustain, or tone.

The guitar is a Fender. It was a new Custom Shop Jag, and the sunburst finish was beautiful. The whole guitar had a clean cut look with the natural oversized headstock, dot inlays were well apportioned with medium sized frets, off white pickguard and chrome plates were very clean and well constructed. The action was a hair high, but it had light strings on it, it played easy. The body shape gave it a funny feel when you had to stand up and play it, it was far from evenly weighted.

Being a solid body fender, this would double as stage guitar and self defense weapon. Though it was never used to fend off drunken hecklers, I knew that she would be there in a pinch. The guitar was used for live playing, my other guitars being a Coronado and a Sheraton, and I knew she wasn't going to fall apart.

I fix my own problems or take it to a good local shop in Quincy, Ill if any major work need to be done, mso I don't really deal much with the Actual Fender Company.

Other gear I had at the time I had it were the Jag, A 66 Fender Coronado II, and Epiphone Sheraton, and a Gibson Jumbo. I used two stage amps, one being a Vox Series 90 and a Fender Showman. At home, an AC30 was used to reherse. I have since sold it for two DeArmond M72's, and that was the best bet I ever made. The guitar was very limited to a bright, poppy, surf tone. It could do the surf tone, but really couldn't change it into much else. I also tried it through a friends Hartke bass amplifier, and it still just wouldn't produce any sound of depth. Very little midrange tone either. It is just a bright punky sounding guitar.

Japanese Jaguar , reissue of the 60s , as "good" as the american one.
Never saw such a poor hardware!!!
Nothing useful , effective.

If you want the sound of the smells like teen spirit's intro , it's your guitar , for the others go away!
The output level is so low that when I put it in my DS2 , it gives me a kind of crappy crunch (even in turbo mode).

BUT BUT BUT , he's not so bad , if you like clean sounds , and ONLY clean sound , she can be ok.

In a general way , think of a thine sound than a telecaster(you should choose the tele)

used guitar , no gig bag , nothing.

This is Fender , it can be ok for years and years.....

You can take the jag for gig , but as a complementary sound , not as your main guitar.

I started the guitare in 1997.
I bought it when i was a beginner just because i like nirvana.
But as you know nirvana is really easy to play , so I started playing Hendrix , or later Satriani , and I realised how this guitare sucks.
Now I have a strat , an ESP , and a JS1(ibanez) , and I'm an happy man.

Dont buy it , try the telecaster or the strat , with a good mutlieffect , you'll can make their sound thiner , just like the j'aguar's one!

July 1963 Jaguar: Bought the guitar beat up with knicks,dings and a bad baby blue refinish that had chipped half way off, one of the pickups had been replaced with an emg single coil. The reson I bought the guitar however was the fact that all that could be repaired. The main thing was besides that all the hardware was in great condition and all original. I have recently gotten the guitar profesionally refinished, and reffretted, the emg was removed and replaced bye a reissue pickup and a replacement tremelo arm has been put on. I am proud to say it's completely restored.

Some might disagree but for punk rock this guitar sounds great! Clean or distorted

The only problems whith my Jaguar is the bridge, the jaguar bridges were not leo fenders best idea, but It does not give me many problems when playing, the guitar is great for 38 years old

I got this guitar horribly beat up and it still sounded great, and way better after it was restored! The pre cbs fender is a guitar that will last!

Great guitar! although I would not recomend it for heavy metal. Grunge is as far in as it will go with the single coil pickups so if you want metal go for an esp or a jackson. This guitar has a wide veriety of tones and was fenders top of the line of pre cbs as they deserve to be one of the most classic guitars ive played

Not sure of the year,but, purchased used in 1965.

It sound unlike the other guitars that I own. Eg. strat, carvin.

The action on this guitar is very good. The neck need to be adjusted, it is slightly off. This guitar has been thought a lot with bumps and scrapes, but over all it is a pretty amazing guitar that get many good comments.

This guitar can be taken and played anywhere. the only thing with this guitar is I need to take into a shop to get the electronics worked on and also the neck. Once that is done I wouldn't have a problem playing without a backup.

I don't know at this time. Fender is in the area where I live, I'll check it out and get back to you.

Been playing 35 years. I also own a american standard strat, A185 carvin, ovation acoustic and classical guitar, fender p-bass. No. It would be very difficult to replace this (popular) blue guitar. The Metallic paint job and shape. I hate that I didn't give this guitar the care it deserves.

Totally nonmodified japenese made Jaguar bought recently used in mint condition.....and its great.

Im using a Marshall JMP late 70`s 2x12 combo and a fender Twin reverb
Sounds like it should, allthough Im thinking of replacing the bridge pu due to its a bit too-bright-for-me sound. A bit noisy but compared to my strat its acceptable. When I it my RAT od I know I`ll never sell her.

I did some adjustments. First of all I put on 011-049(3rd plain),lowered the action just a bit and then blocked the tremolo with a piece of wood. I bought it used so I dont know what the past owner(s) did or didi not. But now its great.

Live its a killer and for now it hasnt let me down-,and the attitude of this guitar is what its all about

I\ve been playing for 15 years, pro for the last 6. Ive always played modded strats`and the jaguars neck suits me perfect and the body is a major bonus.

I bought this used.It was made in 1997 in Japan.It is candy apple red and has 22 frets. It has alot of selections as far as tone goes. 2 single coil pickups,stock.Neck is maple with rosewood fretboard and the body is basswood.The Jaguar body is the best looking of all my guitars and I should know I have 15. The tremolo system is not the best but if you work with it,it will do fine. Mine came with a guitar center gig bag,but I bought a fender hardshell case made for the Jaguar/Jazzmaster.

I bought this guitar to play surf music like the Safaris,Challengers,Astronauts,Beach Boys,Chantays and it is perfect for that.I think the Jaguar was made only for this type of songs. At the present time I use a Fender Stage 100 for playing.I plan on getting a early 60's amp to get closer to the sound I want. The pickups are a little noisy but not that bad. The sound,what can I say no guitar sounds like the Jaguar. The tremolo system could be better.

I did not find any flaws in this Jaguar other than the tremolo needed a little adjustment.The finish was great and the color was beautiful.Everything seems to be working fine.I plan on taking it to a good guitar tech and have it set up properly just to get it perfect.

I believe this guitar would withstand live playing.Everything on the guitar seems like it is well made and would last.Finish is made to last,strap buttons seem very solid.I feel I could depend on this to play for a long time. I would not use any guitar without a backup.By that I mean anything is capable of malfunctioning.

Have never had to deal with Fender.Which might say alot for the quality or it could mean I have been luckier than some with the products I have bought from them.

I have been playing for 35 years and I own 5 Danelectro's,2 Rickenbacker's,Fender Telecaster,Yamaha AEX502,Strat copy,Les Paul.You get the picture.If this guitar were lost or stolen I would hunt down who ever took it nail him/her to a post and go buy another one to replace it.What I love about the Jaguar is the sound.I dont really hate anything except the tremolo system is a little annoying.The different sounds I get are my favorite feature and second it would be the looks of the Jaguar.The name is perfect for this guitar.I would rate it right up there with my Rickenbackers and the Gibsoin Les Paul.The only thing I wish it had would be a better tremolo system.If your trying to make the Jaguar play music it was not designed for then you will not be satisfied with it.I believe Fender knew what they were doing when the came out with the Jaguar.

ok kids, here's the deal, i was buying these when i could get them for $200, i've owned three. a '64(miss that one) a '62(ok) and a '72(not bad at all). the weaknesses are #1 the dumbest idea Mr. Leo came up with..."the floating bridge" shared with the jazzmaster, and mustang..."you are the weakest link", #2 the short scale is lame for skinny assed lanky no ass rock stars like me with long fingers, once you get past the 9th fret it's easy to "slur" a note because the frets get closely spaced. the bodies on the jags and jazzm's are sexy, satisfying and sensual. a big plus is you don't get the "beer commercial sound" as you would with a strat, way overplayed. these were the top of the line for fender when originally sold. previous flaws mentioned...these are still high quality instruments. unfortunately not the steal they used to be.

some fixes though are to get a "buzzstop" or machine your own equivalent, they require no extra holes and provide more "angle of attack" before the strings hit the bridge, greatly adding sustain, tone and tuning stability(unless you are into the whammy thing). the best improvement though is to replace the stock bridge with a mustang bridge(not as easy to knock the low E off it's saddle when played "hard") also wrap the posts of the bridge with electical tape so it doesn't "float". this is the one part of your guitar you don't want to be unstable, robs all the sustain, tone and tuning stability. my current guitar, a jazzmaster(luckily bought as is) has the original bridge thrown away the holes filled and a gibson tune-o-matic retrofitted. NEVER goes out of tune, sustains and has tone like you would not believe. if you love the guitar and never want to part with it...go for it. these are the height of Fender quality so please don't butcher a pristine one, the pickups are great and sound unique...you don't want to sound like every commercial on tv(maybe you do, your choice).

ok, single coils are noisy but i like the hum, remember you'll get much more high end and dynamic range from an alnico single coil live with it or buy a reissue and screw that up. humbuckers have more punch but not nearly the rsnge or dynamics of a classic fender pu. i mine with class A classic tube amps and some old ibanez "square button" pedals an overdrive II and compressor II, these help. all i really need though is a responsive amp a good guitar and the nuances of where to hit the string(by the neck, by the bridge) and which pickup setting to use. if you want to hear some of the virtuosos of this instrument think sonic youth, j. mascis(dinosaur jr.) john frusciante(chili pepper), eddie hazel(funkadelic). the jag can sound a bit "shrill" but just use it with a warm amp, many people find using a fender guitar with a fender amp(twin, bassman, any of the higher wattage 40 +) to be to bright, just use a class A amp or something darker sounding(many of the more powerful fender amps are too "bright" w/some fenders). dislikes...hmm, i can't afford them anymore because everyone else wants to be....

Caveat Emptor!

i wouldn't have nuttin to sweat.

my guitars are older than i am...so i am my own support network

yawn...

1965, made in the last week of pre-CBS, but has sort of transitional features seen on earlier Jags such as clay dot position markers. I think that looks much better than the Jag necks with block position markers and binding. This guitar was already brutalized when I traded a weird '68 Gretsch for it in 1982. I made it beautiful again but also took it further into the world of customization. It seems all Jags I saw in the early 80's were weirdly and stupidly modified in some way, did no one like them the way they were? At least I did not change the pickups! It has a mustang whammy on it, (a very cool improvement and I think I was about ten years ahead of my time; see: JagStang) the original hole for the old trem filled with a block of wood. Those knobs up top were destroyed so they're gone, and the hole now houses a battery for a booster type mini switch thing. One volume knob. No tone knob. New custom pickgard B-W-B, on black refinish. The neck had been refinished, logo gone. Now it says "Hot Wheels", a decal from 1970! My tuners are Schallers, but the originals are on this bizarre Jap guitar that all my vintage leftovers went onto, and they work just fine.

Kinda thin but totally Fender, my first Fender and I just laughed when I got it home and cranked it up, it sounded SO FENDER! I now play in a SURF band and also have a Strat, and a Mustang. I put the strato-blaster type battery thingie in it to make it louder but I was just a stupid teenager and it didn't really need it. If I could afford a Twin Reverb I would but it sounds awesome through my Sears Silvertone Twin Twelve I got for $10. What helps is my Fender Reverb unit that I nabbed for $50!

It needs a fret job. The action is really low. It came with a brass nut. It has a nice black finish and is quite a looker, a head-turner to most Fender freaks. The headstock is a little rough, not shiny at all, dull varnish which I painted over in black by hand with Testor's, careful not to mess up the HotWheels logo.

It never breaks strings, but it is a backup guitar and usually just sits on the stand looking pretty. It did alot of gigs in my early days before the Mustang, and then the Strat came along, and was just great. In those days I used a Peavey Classic amp which suited the Jag just fine.

If I had known about retro parts by Fender, this poor baby might have had a chance, but it is so far gone now there is no return. This is a one of a kind custom Jaguar. Call it the first Jag-Stang ever, sans humbuckers, which seem like a bad idea to me anyway, Fenders have to have single coils, at least if you're a surf-picker!

Overall a neato axe that you gotta have if you are a Fender freak, it is nothing like a Strat or even a Mustang. Never had a Tele, don't know why! There's still time left! I have a mirror image Squier Super Sonic in all white (like an upside down Jag) so it's like good guitar vs. evil guitar. If this Jag got ripped off I would not need to replace it, it would find it's way home, it's too unique!

This guitar has been making me drool for months now. I intend to buy it when I get the money. The Fine Foxy Axe is a vintage 62', sunburst finish,tortishell pickgaurd, 2 STOCK single coil pickups, 2 pickup selectors, strangle switch, rhythym and lead circut's, and all the chrome hardware includng the floating tremelo as well as the whole guitar itself is in excellent playing condition. Even without the bridge cover and string mute, this guitar is loaded.

I play metal and grunge and I have never seen a single-coil equipped guitar convince me it could sound fat, gain infested, and heavy, that is until I played this one. I first tried it out through a Mesa Boogie Heartbreaker. On the Heartbreaker, the clean brought out a nice bit of twang for soloing, not to mention with both pickups on it Emulates a Les Paul with the pickup selector in the middle position. Ditstorted through the Heartbreaker, this guitar turns into a savage beast worthy of the name JAGUAR, it sounds fat and heavy with that kind of punch that goes well with something like Metallica's "Master of Puppets". I think all of the Kurt heads should buy the Jaguar, save the money for the humbuckers you DON'T NEED, and buy a better amp. The key to Jaguars, and generally all single coil equipped guitars, is that if you want shred or metal, get something like a Mesa Triple Rectifier or a Peavy Bravo. The only bad thing on this guitar is the pickups hum, but I wonder if it might just be that I was too close to the speakers on the amp (I'm Probably Right).

For a 38+ year old guitar, it has held up well as a performer instrument. Everything was adjusted so the action was fast, the trem had more travel than many a Floyd Rose I have encountered. The strap buttons even grabbed the strap like the guitar was holding on for dear life. I'm only taking off a few points because the guitar looks a little beat up (but thats just for all the people who don't like character).

For being a 35+ year old guitar, and having its only problems being pickup hum and having to have some scratchy pots cleaned, I' still give it a ten, and with that tremelo I almost always forget it's not a Kramer or a Jackson. Forget surf, this thing shreds, talk about one ironic guitar.

It does the job for me, right. If it gets sold to someone else i might hunt down another vintage Jaguar, or, buy a reissue (one of the American made ones) and equip it with a pair of strap locks (Fender just does not make strap buttons like they used to). I am a major Jaguar fanatic and have been for years.

First off, I'm writing this review mainly to get straight the design and operation features, and the sound features of the Jaguar. There seems to be a lot of confusion and misunderstanding(probably first, due to the lure of some people to the jaguar just because Kurt Cobain played one[though modifiied], and second, due to the sarcasm, frustration, and hyperboly directed to those Kurt-heads by others who were/are sick of the Kurt-heads doing the following:
1. Cutting up vintage jaguars just so they could put humbuckers in,
2)always asking obvious/stupid questions on various quitar forums-ie: "I just bought a jaguar last week It was either this or a mustang. what i wanna know is howcome my jaguar doesnt have that full distorted nirvana sound?my pick ups must be busted pleas help me-Kurdtdt #128394",
and 3. Driving up the prices of Jaguars due to the " I have to have one cuz Kurt did" problem that has occured.
ANYWAY, I will try to give an informative and un-biased(or at least more intelligent than other ppl who have reviewed this guitar) opinion of the Jaguar. READY?! OH-KAY!!
The guitar in question was made in japan in the mid-90's. It has a body of Alder(not basswood, like the late 90's "crafted in Japan" Jaguars)and a slim, 24" scale rosewood-on-maple neck. The finish is the limited edition"foto-flame"(basically a burnt amber to very dark brown burst with faux flame figuring). There are 22 frets, and the body has an offset waist body design. The guitar has 2 separate circuits-The lead circuit controls are found near the bottom horn and include 3 slider switches, the first and second are the on/off switches for the neck and bridge pickups, and the third one is the "thin switch"-it cuts many of the bassier frequencies. The Rhythm circuit's controls are found near the upper horn, and includes one slider switch(selects either the rhythm, or the lead circuit)and two roller knobs, one for volume and one for tone. The Rhythm circuit is different because through it only the neck pickup is in operation, plus the some of the highs are taken out of the signal regardless of the tone knob setting. The pickups (2) are single coils with metal "toothed" shielding around the pickup covers. The bridge is unique because it was designed to rock slightly on it's two posts with the string's movment during tremolo use. This is to prevent de-tuning. There is about 6" of string length behind the bridge, before the strings anchor to the guitar via the unique tailpiece. This bridge system is what gives the jaguar(and jazzmaster for that matter) much of it's character-generally less sustain than most guitars. Probably because the angle of the strings doesn't change more than say about 20 degrees when it comes over the south side of the bridge.
In any event, the jaguar is packed with features. Most don't like that, but some, like me, love it.

This particular jaguar has been played through a Mesa Boogie Studio .22 combo and a Fender Hot Rod Deville 212. The Sounds range from very bright and spiny (bridge pickup/thin switch in lead mode of course)to vibrant and percussive(neck pickup on lead mode) to surfy, bouncy, and plunky(lead mode, both pickups)to dull and mellow(rhythm circuit). This guitar has been misunderstood and misconceived in that some people think it will give you are very gainy sound(the kurt-heads think this) and others think you can only can a lfeless, thin, sustainless tone(people who mainly play les pauls will more likely agree to this statement, as well as ppl who have only plugged a jag into a low volume, small amp, with .09 gauage strings on the guitar). The truth is that The equipment you are playing the jag through does have an effect on the sound you get. Don't me wrong; the jaguar is more trebly and clangy and less sustainy than most guitars, but it's not like there aren't any useable, even great tones available. In fact, I'd say the jaguar has *rich* tone. Oh, it may not be gobs of chunky bass-sustain for 3 minutes bluesy tone, but it bis rich in it's own characteristic way, and I find that characteristic way to be chimey, very percussive, smooth, soft, clanky and all around not lacking tone.

Many people agree that jaguars do better with heavy strings(11's and up)- stronger tone and more sustain, less buzzing. If you use heavy strings, you'll have to adjust the trem spring to make it stronger by turning the middle screw on the tailpiece. On Japanese guitars the string might not even be strong enough for some of the bigger gauges of strings.
Many Peopl hate the bridge becuz of the rattling of the barrels some ppl experience. The lightest formula of Lock-tite applied to all buzzing parts on the bridge will fix the buzzing.
For some ppl, the problems never seems to end concerning the set up and maintenance of their jag. This could be due to bad parts, or just the wrong approach to the set up. The guitar I am reviewing(11'sfor strings) has never had any serious problems at all.

So there. I hope I pushed away some ppl's misconceptions without creating new ones.

I have 4 pre-CBS Jaguars. All stock. All custom colors..

The jaguar has its own sound in a world of faceless tone. Most Fenders of the 1950's and 60's had their own voice. It is easy to appreciate them all.

The Jaguar has a thin tone, not too much low wned at all. There are a few switches to come up with some alternate sounds, but these are surf machines. So if you want a Strat or Tele tone, walk away from the Jaguar.

The scale length is not comfortable for my hands, its too small. Gibson players would like it though, its the same scale.

The tremolo tailpiece is outdated. It basically functions similarly to a Bigsby. You only can bend a few steps with it. It also is not the best in the tuning reliability area.

Pre-CBS perfection

They are great guitars. If you avoid a heavy hand with the tremolo arm, you will be all set. It will be there for ya.

Fender has just begun making the correct replacement parts for these. Made in Japan parts do not retrofit! If you have an old Jaguar, and need parts, Fender is doing them right once again! But warrenty repairs are out of the question.

I think anyone who plays a certain guitar consistantly would appreciate the Jaguar as a nice change of pace. It will have you playing differently!

I plan on owning more of these if possible. I may even try a Made in America reissue.
I love the feel of the body, and its the most comforatble guitar to sit and play. The looks are very nice too with the flashy chrome control panels and dial controls.

1999 jap re-issue,,great syncronized floating tremlo,22frets.

good for all styles,especialy for grunge.Good clean tones and heavily distorted fuzz.

exellent finnish,good low and high action.

exellent,you can slam it down and it wont break.

Best guitar i've ever had,it will last a life time

Its a cool gitar but it has gibson pickups on it my dad put them on He Had it New since he was a teen. I souds great but Who knows what it really sounds like.The Body is great. Its curvacious and cady apple red It has a plastic and metal pickgaurd. Tons off Switches Unlike a regular guitar especially one with humbuckers.
Its original. 1970or 60 something or other.

Read the other thing i wrote.

Its great kept up great for 30 some odd yeaars.

As Dependable as Richard Simons is Homo.

No warrenty.

I have a candy apple red re-issue jaguar. its was made in 1996 and is still pretty much all stock. I got it second hand with a hard case.

Ive got wide range of style i play metal to jazz and blues. The jag cannot and should not play metal or harder rock. All you grunge people out there hoping to get a Kurt Cobain guitar will be sadly miffed at its poor efforts for hard rock. get a double fat strat or something if you want humbukers. Anyway, it is perfect however to play mellow jazz and blues. Its high end tight sound give is great for anyone hoping to pay softer stuff. I play with a multi effect pedal and any big amp i can find, other than that, my crappy fender front man amp (it may be small but size doesnt matter). This guitar gets super noisy on high distortion and squeels like a girl (crap feed back). I like to make weird sounds from a guitar like sonic youth or nirvana but this guitar just cant do it. Its floating tremelo is cool but other than that its basic sounds.

When i got the guitar it wasnt the original set up, the one i got it in was good though. The pick ups are fine except the 6th string sometimes touches the neck pick up and buzzes. Every one says basswood is a crap wood for guitars, but i cant really tell the difference. Everything else was fine

Its now got a millon dings and stuff but nothing major as yet, ill probaly brake somehting though. Its plentey heavy so if you get into fight on stage you could brake a nose or two and not damage your guitar. finish is a bit weak but not as bad as some guitars. I play this guitar sometimes 4 hours a day and its never had a problem.

Never delt with fender but i'm sure they're nice people.

Ive been playing for about 5 years, its my favorite guitar. my freinds say it rubbish and cant understand why i like it so much, but hey.... if it was stolen i would probaby try and get a vintage one. i paticually love the shape, its such a good looking guitar, a real babe magnet (an extenable penis if you will). I hate the lack of a feed back sound and the fact it cant play grunge and hard rock. probably got a jag because kurt cobain had one and they looked good, then i got it because it play and sounded good. I wish it had humbukers, no i dont maybe i do, not sure. I used to be a blue person, now i'm a shade of yellow?

Back in 1975 (when I was 17...) I answered a "for sale" ad in the local paper and found a 1963 Fender Jaguar (and a 15 watt dynochamp practice amp) for eighty-five ($85.00) dollars. It was collecting dust bunnies under a bed, three strings left on it, and the original sunburst finish was wasted beyond repair. I now know I should have left it alone, but I stripped it to its natural wood grain (which matched the neck perfectly!) and just gave it multiple coats of deft varnish. I removed the mute at the bridge (still have it in a shoebox), and use all the rest of the original pick-ups, tremelo, switches. I'd go into all the details, but just refer to other reviews or original early 60's Jags.

I've been playing in Weekend bands for the last 25 years. All styles from Country Rock, 50's rock and roll, jazz, blues, old tyme polkas, and big band. The Jag has been my main guitar over Gibsons, Epiphones, Peaveys, and an assortment of other makes (a Gibson L6S with 24 frets and 5 position pick-ups was close, but didn't feel as natural in my hands. I've played this '63 Jaguar through many different amp set ups, and I use a minimum of stomp boxes for effects. (an Ibanez tube screamer for distortion, an MXR phase 90 cuz I'm a 70's kinda romantic, and a cry-baby wah just because...) Whether I'm playing clean or dirty, thin or full, its tones are clear and controlled. There is sometimes a little buzz, but that's part of playing live. Having shorter fingers, I really appreciate the smaller scale and the contours of the guitar itself make it the most comfortable electric I've worn for hour after hour. I agree with a lot of the likes and dislikes in other reviews. The strings sometimes slip out of the grooves in the bridge, It's hard to switch a lot of tones on the fly, that's why I set it for clean mostly and then use the stomp boxes, and then adjust for tone between songs.

Since this was very used back in 1975, I was pleasently surprized, by how few adjustments I had to make after I refinished it. I did have to shim the neck when I rebolted it to better line up with the bridge. ( I didn't want to try and re-sink the bridge for a small fraction of an inch off...). Some of the chrome was showing its age, but I just left it as it was. Some of those details won't affect the sound of the instrament. The tuning pegs are still tight after 37 years, but the on/off switches do get a little hard to move at times.
The neck is straight and I keep the action at a comfortable distance.

I've played this guitar in more smoky bars and beer-soaked wedding dances than I can even try to remember. Many times it's the only guitar I've taken and other than the occasional broken string, there have been no problems. Very reliable. It's due for a refinishing and I haven't decided if I'll put on multiple coats of poly or have professionals re-apply the sunburst finish. It still has the tortous shell pickguard and all original decals on the headstock. Of course, I'd hate to admit that I put a multi-hundred dollar un-original sunburst finish on a guitar that I paid $85.00 bucks for!

Never needed repairing. Bought used back in 1975....Warranty????Warranty?????.....we don't need no stinkin' warranty!!!!!!!!!

I've been playing both full and part time for the past 25 years. (Now, it's more of a hobby.) I double on Bass and Saxaphone. I usually keep the instruments I've collected over the years including a 1963 Epiphone Coronet (double cutaway with the batwing fender headstock), a late 1970's Rickenbacher 4001 bass, and I just purchased a Fender 41 accoustic/electric with the fishman pickup system. The Jag and the Epiphone (I paid $65.00 for that including a matching Epiphone amp) would be hard to be replaced if anything happened to them. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't try replacing any of them. So, the history and emotional value makes those two '63s very important to me.

"L" series neck plate, Oct. 1963 stamped on neck. Purchased in 1969 used (and abused) from a music store (trade-in). Bridge was shot (height adjustment screw threads were stripped; fore and aft barrel adjustment - phillips cross-pattern on screw-head gouged-out) - replacement w/mute ordered. Both single-coil pick-ups worked fine, but ground wire had to be reset to stop buzzing. Hard case included.

Bad re-paint job (coral pink) with plastic stick-on flower on lower body (those were the psychedelic "flower power" days). Maple body and neck, rosewood fret board. 24" scale. Half the decal was gone and there was a crack in the headstock where the guitar had been dropped.

We didn't know better back then, so the entire finish was removed, including the remnants of the decal. The neck cavity revealed the original color to be a darker reddish-pink. The body was finished with a clear polyurethane coat over the natural wood and remained that way for three decades.

I got a replacement decal and sent the guitar out for a professional re-finish in Burgundy Mist Metallic, with matching headstock. This should be completed within two weeks. Saw another Jaguar "re-finned" in Candy Apple Red by the same guy - MAGNIFICENT! If mine comes out anywhere close, I'll be afraid to play it!

Other than the bridge, re-fin, and decal, everything else is original: pickups, controls, pickguard, tuners, vibrato tail, hardware, chrome plates, knobs, switches. I'm tempted to replace the tarnished screws, but will refrain for now.

The case, in black Tolex, needs to have the latches replaced and the leather bindings re-stitched.

I'm a refugee from the '60s "garage band" era. The Jag has a bright sound suitable for my "surfing" instrumentals, yet the sound can be "shaped" because of the rhythm and lead circuits. I have a number of tube amplifiers: most are Fender models, black and silver face from the '60s and '70s (Twin Reverb; Bandmaster; Bassman; Quad Reverb; Dual Showman Reverb) and other manufacturers (Teisco; Silvertone).

I do not use "effects" devices or circuitry on any "modern" amps.

It was not the factory's fault, but I had to make adjustments and replacements because of the abuse heaped on by the prior owner.
Fender sent a technician to Hawaii in 1995 for a set-up session with guitar owners: a free re-string and set-up for a donation to our local Food Bank. I took in the only Jaguar done at the clinic and a '72 Telecaster Thinline. The tech noted that a good "re-fin" would be beneficial as everything else was in great shape, including the cracked headstock which was repairable.

I've had this guitar for over 30 years and can't wait to get it back.

The local authorized dealer was able to get me the replacement parts without difficulty. They do stock some replacement parts for guitars and amps. Other parts can be purchased over the internet.

Playing (sort-of) for 35 years. I also have a re-issue Japan-made Jazzmaster, which I find amazingly close in sound and play-ability to the "original" vintage Jazzmasters and Jaguars of the '60s. I also have a standard (Mexican) Strat, '72 Telecaster Thinline w/Humbuckers and Bigsby tail, '73 Fender Mustang (should have kept my '66), Mosrite Ventures "knock-off," and a Harmony-built Silvertone Jaguar-styled solid body electric.

I'd certainly buy another Jaguar, original '60s model if possible, though I doubt I'd get it for a "C-note." All told, my original cost was $100, plus $150 for various supplies, parts (bridge, mute, decal) and electronics work over the last 30 years, and $475 for the "re-fin" to be completed.

My jag is an original '65 Fender Jaguar. My dad got the guitar in the late 60's and eventually gave me the guitar as my first. The jag is a sunburst with a tortise pick guard, two single coils, rosewood fretboard, and tremelo.

Well, the guitar was made in the 60's so if you like twang then this guitar is for you. Don't get me wrong, the guitar has a vintage warm and mellow tone but if you want rock/punk/metal ect. then look elswhere. I do like the fact that it makes the cheapest guitar amp sound like a vintage tube amp. But however the sound doesn't fit my taste.

I guess 35 years ago the action, fit, and finish might have been a little better but now that is one of the reasons why I don't like to play it. There is a lot of buzz in the frets and severly frets out around the 12th fret when a bend is made. One of the things that I do not like is the bridge. The strings lay over the bridge so when I pluck the strings on some Chili Peppers the strings move out of position. Also the guitar has bad intonation problems which causes the guitar to sound out of tune when played.

WOW, after 35 years the guitar is still in great condition. The neck is not warped, no bad scratches, and nothing broken. When they built them back then they built 'em good. Very dependable!!!

N/A

I've been playing for about 8 years but not much to show for it (laughs) and I own a Peavey Ultra 2X12. This amp will make any guitar sound good, especially cheap twangy pick ups like a '65 Jag. If my Jag was to be stolen I would be very upset because of the guitar's sentimental value. I would really like to try out an ESP MX-3 but no stores carry this guitar or at least none that I can find. Keep on sharing and caring!!! Peace I'm outta hear, Got Jesus?

I do not know the year my Jaguar was built, but it was made in Japan. This is my third Jaguar. I have an original 1962 model purchased new, and a 1966 that I ran across a few years ago. All of them in Olympic white with tortise shell pickguards.
The only difference between the reissue and the originals is the deletion of the bogus string mute found on the originals. I always removed this anyway and replaced the rattle prone standard bridge with a Fender Mustang bridge. Any of you out there who play Jaguars or Jazzmasters and are unhappy with the bridge, I whole-heartedly recommend this change.
The Jaguar has a lot of tonal variation. It has two thin single coil pickups with some sort of sawtooth metal shielding device on both sides of each pickup. I presume this is done to cut back on any noise and it seems to wrk as the Jaguar records very cleanly for a guitar with single coil pickups.
Like a Jazzmaster, the Jaguar has a separate rhythm circuit complete with independent volume and tone controls. This circuit gives a nice fat, mellow tone not just for rhythm use but for lead work also. It is especially nice in playing jazz or standards.
The normal lead circuit features a separste on/off switch for each pickup and a bright switch that rolls off nearly all of the midrange and bass. In live playing, I seldom if ever can find a place where the bright tone can be used, but in recording, the bright switch used in the on position with both pickups turned on gives a great thin rhythm sound especailly good for R&B or funk.
The guitar features one volume and one tone control, an excellent tremolo that feels very much like a Bigsby, and lots of chrome trim.
The most endearing feature to me is the ultra short 24" scale with 22 frets. I love some of the olng reach chords that can be played with ease on such a short scale. Even though I have very large hands, a 25 1/2" scale gives me terrible thumb cramps.
I have heard some carping about the Japanese Jaguars and Jazzmasters not being as good as their vintage siblings. This is a bunch of bunk! I will admit that I like the neck on my '62 a little better than the one on my reissue, but my '62 has thirty-seven years of break in on it. The reissue across the board is a better guitar than my '66. I cannot tell much difference in the sound of the reissue as opposed to the vintage axes. I play through a mid-sixties Fender Deluxe Reverb amp.
The tuners are copies of the old deluxe tuners found on my '62 & '66 and they work just fine. I won't change them until I need to. The guitar stays in tune beautifully.
I didn't opt for the hardshell case. Instead the dealer tossed in a very nice Fender gig bag at no additional cost.
I have found over the years that the best sounding string for the Jaguar are Darco light guage (.010 -.042). The Darcos have a nice dark un-twanggy tone even when new and they seem to last forever.
My other Jaguars have all turned the typical yellow over the years. I hope Fender has solved this annoyance with my new one.

This guitar offers a very wide range of tonality from extremely bright to wonderfully dark and moody. I find it to be extremely versatile. I also play a big Epiphone jazz box and the contrast between the two guitars I find very enjoyable. As I said earlier, I use a mid-sixties Fender Deluxe Reverb and the only outboard effect I use is an Ibanez Echo Machine.
I really like the offset waist design of the body. I do a lot of recording and the guitar is very comfortable to play while seated.

The initial set-up of the guitar was typical (read: awful)! The action was off, as was the intonation and pickup settings. These of course are easily remedied. I have never played a guitar set up at the factory that plays or sounds the way I want it to. You need to adjust the guitar to fit you and the way you play.
I have found no flaws in the guitar and the finish work is beautiful, the chrome pit and scratch free.

I have no doubt that this guitar will hold up just as well as my '62 has. I feel that the overall quality is every bit as good as the "62 or '66, but the pricing is a lot more appealing. I think the vintage thing is dramatically over blown.
I never gig without a couple of guitars, but if I were forced to, I wouldn't worry a bit about the reissue Jaguar.

I must praise Fender Customer Service. The neck on my reissue developed a hump below the fifteent fret causing the strings to touch the upper frets and mute themselves out. I took it to the local Authorized Fender repair shop and within one week I had my guitar back with a brand new and perfect neck at absolutely no cost to me. Bravo and Thank you Fender!

I have been a player for over 40 years. In addition to the Jaguars, I also play an old Epiphone Emperor with a Benedetto floating pick-up, and an Alvarez classical with a piezo pick-up in the bridge. With these three guitars, I can accomplish about any sound I desire.
If ther was one feature I would add to the Jaguar, It would be a phase switch. I don't know how that would sound, but I'd love to try it and see.
If this guitar was stolen or lost would I replace it? Yes, I would. I think for the money it is a wonderful bargain and truly a different sound envelope than any other Fender guitar. Try one, you'll like it!

22 frets, vintage white, short scale, cool offset body shape, japanese made. Vintage-style(shudder) tuners, they are going to be replaced by something that actually works soon. Also, the best feature of all, all the cool switches and knobs- great looking guitar.

i play rock music, and it suits my style perfectly, aside from a string slipping from the bridge, which doesnt happen too often. In the 'lead' circuit with both pickups on, the sound can get a bit too bright, and with the treble boost switch on, even more so. With a bit of experimenting you can get interesting sounds out of the guitar with all the switches on. Ive had some good fun palm-muting away with those settings. The rhythm circuit i use for chunky rhythm parts and most everything else, i utilize the lead for 'different' types of sounds. I play through an old sunn sceptre and a tube king, so its not like a guitar would sound bad out of the amp i play. The sunn definately boosts the bass of this guitar up a little. All you Kurt Cobain wanna-bes stay away and leave the router in the garage, this thing wasnt really meant for really heavy stuff. It sounds like a dream clean, and can get dirty when you want it to.

When i bought this guitar, the set up was absolutely terrible. The strings buzzed very badly and the action was pretty strange. In the end, you sacrafice some height of the action to get rid of buzz. Pickups were adjusted well. I dont know why people think these things suck, they sounds really great to me. The finish looks absolutely great.

This guitar feels pretty solid, kinda heavy compared a strat, my other guitar. The finish on this guitar is really really thick, i think they went overboard. I gig with it, but not without a backup. never ever gig without a backup. I baby all the guitars i play, sometimes i baby them too much. Looks built to last.

not friendly at all. The guys at the store were pretty much jerks to everyone. Fender hasnt been too cordial either. I would avoid dealing with them.

ive been playing a bit over a year, playing and learning all the time. This guitar is great for me and the styles i play, it looks great, and the 7.25 radius feels really good with my fingers. I had my eyes on a few strats, but in the end i wanted something a bit different. it just felt good. im not too happy with fender about their customer service, but im glad they re-issed the jaguar, or else i wouldnt be playing one, id be staring at a vintage one at a guitar shop.

Well the neck date is 98 the body is dated 97 and the pickups were dated 96 and 95 this guitar took a long time to build. If you dont know its a jag body. 22 frets has all the jag switches that i dont need or use so they are tapped off i got rid of the shrill sounding pickups and put hummbuckers in seymore duncan PAF in the neck and seymore duncan JB in the bridge. I did the routing myself basswood is cool Ive dropped this guitar so many times and its still in one piece. Rosewood fretboard I wish it was slab but hey. Short neck wich I love. The bridge is a tune-o-matic that fender piece of shit was a joke i threw away the twang bar cuz im not hendrix and I havent met anyone who comes close stock tuners kluson? It had interesting controls already already on it two volume and one tone I think it kicks ass that way because the switches dont work so its hummbuckers all the time and i stuck a bunch of tape in the hole where the twang bar goes cuz it buzzed like hell but not anymore oh yeah I locked down the trem with washers this guitar wont come out of tune ever it was a ok guitar but with my mods it sounds alright now it works. if you dont know already this is a reisue so that means its made in japan

I love the sound of this thing now and it can give the most awsome feedback now and it has a nice growl to it I use this old ass peavey amp its like 60 some watts it sounds great but when i hooked it up to some marshall cabs I creamed my pants my style of music is from clean to distortion from slow to fast loud and heavy. this guitar needs heavy strings

the fender settings suck thats all i can say who ever set it up the way I got it was a dork

man Ive been piss drunk and all i can do is fall on my face with this guitar under me and all it needs it to be tuned after a fall the finish is good I guess this guitar will last a long time as long as I dont smash it even then i have a '66 jag neck I want to put on it. I never had problems with strap buttons yea I can depend on it and back up thats a joke

Iam on my own man

Ive been playing for about a year I own 2 mustangs (jap) a lefty jap strat strung righty i dont let people touch this guitar thisis the one I baby this guitar used to be a bitch now its just a brat. I think i dunno what i think if you like a jag buy one if you dont like it dont buy one simple as that

Made in 1962, Made in japan, 22 Frets, Left-handed!!! all those famous little knobs like tone and what not. Ash body with neck wood is maple with rosewood fretboard. Finish is three tone sunburst. Lot of sounds you can get out of it.

I play mostly grunge. I use a DS-1 Distortion and sovtek big muff with it. Its very noisey with distortion. Great clean sound to it. alot of variety in it. I wish it could handle distiortion. Love the contures.

It fits me very well it shapes me perfect. No finish flaws at all nothing wrong with this beast. Execpet there was a loose control. They used a pretty Good wood for it.

This I think will for sure with hold live playing. I would use this with out a back up but I am always prepared so I bring the back up. Strap buttons are solid replaced with scahller locking buttons.

I got this left handed 1962 jaguar for only $400 its worth $3,000. The guy thought it was a Reissue but no the serial number tells it all. I have been playing for a year know. I love the looks and the clean sound you can get out of it. I choose it because the cool shape the clean sound and it was lefthanded.

1998 or 99, Japanese, 22 frets. Basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard. Two single-coil Jaguar-style. Rhythm/lead switch on the upper part, three switches on the lower bout for modifying the lead sound. Candy apple red finish with matching headstock.

I play loud stuff, this guitar is not as loud as I would like. I run it through a Boss D-S1, a Big Muff (the second kind they made), ans some times a Boss Hyper Fuzz, and use a fender Rot Rod amp. The sound that comes out of this guitar is good but not loud enough, maybe I'll put some Humbuckers in it:)? any way I bought it because I play 2 Jagmasters and I think they are the greates guitars ever made, They don't make them any more so I bought this, and I am not very happy with it!

Ok this is where it realy SUCKS!!! The factory set up was a joke!!! the string action was so low that when you play it, it just made like a *thwak* sound, I was the first person to see this guitar and the first to play it so it wasn't the stores fault. The pickups aren't loud enough. This Jag is candy apple red but I wanted a 3-tone burst, if any one wants to trade a 3-tone burst let me know....

Every time I play it I have to rais the string action, the strings keep getting knocked off the bridg every time I play. I wouln't take this one to a gig let alone use it with out a back up.

never dealed with them.

over all I think it's ok but not even close to what I had hoped for.

Mine is a three-color burst, '64 (L-series) pre-CBS Jag with clay dots and transition logo. Other comments explain the features well, so I'll just try to add. I also have a suggestion as to how to beat bridge problems-see below.
'RHYTHM CIRCUIT': actually, I like this feature a lot. With one switch, you get a totally different sound (cut treble, off the neck pickup) with its own tone and volume. Makes the guitar more versatile live. This sound is actually nice-the pickups are bright to begin with, so the 'jazzy' (less treble) sound is still good and not muddy. A unique and useful sound for recording.
PICKUPS, PICKUP SELECTOR SWITCHES & CONTROLS: the pickups are quite bright, but not unbalanced. They sound very good if you use a wound G string (which is almost certainly what they were designed to pick up) and heavy strings, too. Pickups are not 'glassy' like Strats at all, and don't have that annoying lack of clear mids, but are well-defined over the whole range of strings and notes. Chords come out even and cut through. The pickups have more output than Strat or Tele ones, so you may get more bite out of your amp. Still, even with a fuzzbox or with the amp on ten, YOU CAN HEAR ALL THE NOTES. This guitar can not be made to sound muddy. It's the antithesis of the "Les Paul" sound. The switches let you turn on/off each PU, and cut bass. All the settings sound good, although switching from only one pickup to only the other is a bit tricky, and if you want to do this and also change the bass-cut setting you probably need an extra hand. One great thing about the volume and tone controls on the "lead" circuit: they are very smooth. The volume control is actually quite useful, unlike on many guitars where it seems to have three settings, "full-on," "quiet and muddy," and "off." Turning down the volume knob just a bit rolls off some of the brightness of the pickups, but they still sound great.
"FLOATING" TREMELO: simply the most awesome. Needs only a light touch, subtle; plus you just can't make it go out of tune. It doesn't go down very far, but if you want a guitar that does that you're looking in the wrong section entirely. If you play surf or rockabilly, you'll flip--it feels like a Bigsby that stopped eating pork rinds and limbered up with Tae Kwon Do lessons. If you like My Bloody Valentine, here it is!(actually, Kevin plays a Jazzmaster and Bilinda plays a Jag.)

You can get lots of different sounds out of it, but I'd describe it basically as a clear, slightly bright, very classy 'Fender' sound. It is clean without being thin; put new strings on it and it's somewhere between a piano, a harp, and a pickup truck full of something somebody grew in their backyard in Mendocino. Easy to distinguish notes , good if you like to play interesting chords. I play all kind of music, and it just sounds great for everything (although it won't distort an amp like a LP, so forget it if that's your thing). Slight buzz from the pickups, but less than a Strat. I play it though a Fender Dual Showman and an Ampeg SB-12 (which I highly recommend!) and it sounds awesome either way. Adding effects is a shame, it sounds so good.

The short scale makes it a breeze to play, although this can be a real problem if (unlike me) you have very big fingers. Above the 14th fret it can get a bit tight, but I generally don't get up there (I figure that's why mankind invented the violin). The action is so ridiculous it's hard to tell if you have strings on it or not. The neck is just wide and deep enough, and beautifully smooth and comfortable. (it also has great grain and looks pretty!) Tuning pegs never slip. The guitar betrays serious craftsmanship; I took the pickguard off to look inside, and it was clean and spiffy. Then I could barely get the pickguard back on because it was cut to fit so exactly! (note that there are three chome control panels and a nice tortoise-shell guard, and they all fit together, but snug.) The whole thing shouts "I was made by hand; please, Mr. CBS, buy my company and replace me with a machine!"
ABOUT THE BRIDGE: I've noticed that people complain about it. There are two solutions.
First, the bridge floats on two pointed screws which sit in little seats in the body. This lets it rock with the tremelo. However, the two screws must be adjusted to be even. They are adjustable with a very small hex key. If you hear major, odd-sounding buzzing from the bridge, tweak the screws and it will generally go away.
Second: I hereby plug the most brilliant piece of hardware I've ever seen. It's called the "Buzz-stop." It's a metal plate that fits over the tremelo plate, and has a roller on it. You pass the strings under the roller, and suddenly you have a set-up more like a Bigsby. The roller is closer to the bridge, so the string tension is increased over the bridge. You get much more sustain and harmonics this way, and no more buzzing at the bridge. (The thing goes on with two of the screws already there for the tremelo plate, so it does not alter the guitar; you can install it in about ten seconds.) This is well worth the $30 or so the thing costs. Ask your local guitar person or order it from Parts is Parts (with whom I am not affiliated).

It's a rock. It's like the mate of my dreams: takes no crap, sings like a bird, soft and smooth. Looks nice, too. Unfortunately can't cook or appreciate my cooking, or would be perfect.

Sure, if I could go back in time I'd have the warranty, but nothing has gone wrong for 35 years, so who cares?

This was definitely one of Fender's best designs. I have no idea why Strats cost so much when they generally sound weird and look so dorky. The Jag has chrome! It has a cooler shape! The pickups sound superb! Granted, it can't do everything; it doesn't sustain like a Les Paul or twang like a Rick.
If I lost this one I would get another in a second. Fairly soon I'll have a Jazzmaster to go along with it, and I figure then I'll be set for life. My only regret is that these are starting (have already started)to catch on, and are getting more expensive, especially the custom color ones. Fault of that Cobain fella, I guess.

My jag was made in 1965,In the USA, Has 22 frets,I have took my jaguar into a shop to have two dimarzio super distortion humbuckers put in,because i like the sound that comes from the distortion. I use a boss overdrive/distortion. My jaguar is a weird color,,I think it is just faded,but its like 4 or 5 colors.from black to bright yellow? Maybe a antique burst? Has a floating tremolo,the body is made of alder,the jaguar also has a white binding around the neck?

I like punk,surf,and blues. It fits perfectly. My guitar can make the weirdest feedback! It has alot of sound,from the ventures to SOnic youth,to Dead Kennedys. Likes-everything,Dislikes-None really.wish it was 3TONE suburst ,instead of like 4 or 5.

No flaws.Set up really well.

I can depend on it,the finish is still their,but just faded/

Ive never had to call and get help

Have been playin for 9 years. I own Fender Re-issue strat,69 mustang original,Squier Jagmaster,66 jazzmaster-nice! 69 to 72 strat have no clue, original.Combo acoustic

This is a pre-CBS 1965 L-series Jaguar. Short-scale 22-fret neck with no binding, rosewood "cap" board on maple. Alder body, two pickups, tone and volume controls, individual on/off switches for each pickup, a "thin" switch that cuts out bass frequencies, plus a "rhythm" circuit with on/off switch and seperate volume & tone controls. The rhythm circuit turns on the neck pickup only (regardless of where your pickup on/off switches are) and passes the sound through a circuit that rolls off high frequencies in a failed attempt to make it sound like a hollowbody. The pickups are stock Jaguar pickups, the only other guitar Fender used them in is the Bass VI. When I got this guitar, it was spray-painted red and orange and had "Serge + Danielle" written on it. I refinished it black. Jaguars have a bridge that rocks back and forth (like a Jazzmaster or Mustang) and a great tremolo that doesn't go very low but feels springy and smooth. The tuners are standard 60's Klusons. This guitar stays in tune perfectly. I tune it BEFORE I put it in its case, take it to a gig, plug in and play all night, put it away, bring it home, take it out of its case, and it's STILL IN TUNE! The Jaguar has a little metal "string mute" with black rubber foam on top that pops up and mutes your strings. It's like palm muting, but it sounds a little different. When it came out in the early 60's, the Jaguar was Fender's top-of-the-line guitar.

The Jaguar is my main guitar in my band The Treblemakers. I'm going for a Dick Dale-type surf sound, so when I plug it into my original '63 Fender reverb and my '62 brownface Super amp, I'm in bliss! The Jaguar can sound really thin, really full, or anything in between. With the seven basic pickup/tone circuit configurations (any or both pickups with or without the "thin" switch plus the "rhythm Circuit" setting) you get alot of different basic sounds to work with. I use the Jaguar for surf, garage, blues (real blues, not SRV/Clapton/Hendrix rock music) and rockabilly, and it sounds amazing. I've owned many different guitars but the Jaguar is the BEST for my needs.

I got this guitar from someone who spraypainted it and wrote "Serge+Danielle" on it, so let's leave the initial setup/action/feel out of the equation. I refinished this guitar and I'm not a pro, but it looks good from the audience when I'm on stage, even though there's little flaws. The frets are original from 1965, so they are pretty worn. All the finish on the back of the neck is worn off, and the bare wood feels amazing. Much nicer than getting stuck to laquer when you're sweatin' and slidin' under stage lights. I have the pickups pretty high up and the action fairly low (but everyone tells me it's really high) at least by my standards. My strings are a set of .13 to .56 flatwounds. This guitar likes big strings.

This is a guitar from 1965 that's still playing and sounding great. I use it onstage as my main guitar. I always bring a spare guitar to gigs, but only because I'm paranoid...I've never broken strings (hey, they're .13s) and nothing's ever gone wrong with the Jaguar.

Never needed it.

I've been playing for about 14 years now (I started in '84 when I was 13) and I've owned ALOT of guitars. I'd go so far as to say an "embarassing amount" of guitars. I've had junk guitars, great guitars, Kays, Teiscos, Harmonys, Nationals, Supros, vintage Fenders, a Gretsch, you name it...the Jaguar is my favorite. If it was stolen, the thief would live out the rest of their days in mortal terror, as I would stalk them to the ends of the earth with murder on my mind. I love this guitar and it loves me back. When I play it on stage, my tone kisses me and I feel like God. This is the guitar of kings, my friends, the best you can find! I love everything about it from the way it looks to the way it plays, and the sound is so amazing, it's hard not to get sentimental and teary about it! I used to have a re-issue Jaguar before I got this, and it's not even close. It's like comparing a Hershey bar to Swiss chocolate, just totally different worlds!

This is a vintage 1963 model, not a reissue. I haven't seen any postings regarding the original Jaguars, so I thought that I'd fill in the gap with some information.
This model is an Oly White, with offset waist body (alder), 21 fret neck, 24" scale, medium sized fretwire, clay dots, 4-bolt neck, rosewood fingerboard, 6-on-a-side Kluson tuners, "B" neck, with two shielded single-coil pickups that have grounded retainer claws soldered to the ground lead of each pickup. The pickguard is tortoise shell celluloid with w/b/w layers underneath. On either side of the tortoise shell pickguard are chrome-plated pickguard extensions, one of which points towards the upper cutaway, the other, towards the lower bout. On the lower bout metal pickguard extension, you will find 1 vol, 1 tone control wired to both pickups. On the upper pickguard extension, you'll find a slide switch, and, next to it, two roller wheel pots which control a different tone/volume circuitry for both pickups. There is a chrome insert on the lower cutaway portion of the tortoise pickguard, and mounted to this are 3 slide switches; the first acts as an "on/off" switch for the neck pickup, the second acts as an "on/off" switch for the bridge pickup, and the third is a filter cut capacitor "on/off" switch wired to both pickups. The bridge is a floating-style, which rests in metal thimble posts mounted in the alder body. The bridge contains threaded rods which act as string saddles; the heights of these saddles are adjusted by threaded screws, and each saddle can be moved towards the neck or away for intonation by a different set of screws. The bridge is covered by a chrome-plated mute/foam rubber gizmo, which can be pressed down by the heel of your hand to mute all strings simultaneously. Lastly, the Fender floating tremolo is standard, and has a lock button which can lock the tremolo and prevent movement. The tremolo has a spring tension screw which can adjust the force required to rock the spring.
Overall, the instrument is very lightweight, comfortable to hold and play, and is balanced extremely well.

The shielded single coils, due to the presence of the metal clips and extra coil windings, actually are pretty hot compared to a strat or tele pickup from this era. There's not a lot of hum coming from the pickups. The sound, depending on the settings you use, can really cover the surf to ska scene quite well, and take on pop rock and jazz with ease. It sounds really great with Fender amps, but I think that other Class "A" style amps, and Marshalls, can wring some additional tones from this axe. It's not metal, thrash, or speed; yes, it can punk out if you get the proper pedals/effects. No, it can't emulate humbucker sounds, unless you were to drop a pair in like Kurt did -- but that's in the past now. Let's just live with the instrument as it comes.
I have a lot of respect for this particular guitar model in terms of sound -- it may be that the alder + pickup combo is the reason behind this (have yet to see or play an ash Jaguar).

The action on the "B" neck is narrower than the standard Fender necks of the '60's -- almost like a Rickenbacker width at the nut. However, the action is incredibly fast and comfortable -- I have standard-sized hands and fingers, but with a 24" scale, creeping christ on a cross! You can leapfrog all over the neck like Hendrix! I suspect that the Mustangs and other short-scale Fenders must have similar playability. The body contours are really cool and comfortable, and you forget sometimes that the guitar is strapped to your body. Really good balance.
The downside of the jaguar is the need to slide the switches -- these are not so easy to get to while you're playing, and it takes too much time to figure out which ones you need to move next to get the sound you want. I suppose that if you played on the jaguar every day, then this would become second nature.
Another problem with the jaguar design is the bridge. The strings rest in the threaded grooves of the saddles -- just like the grooves on a screw. The strings can and do slide off the saddles, particularly the lighter gauge strings (G, B, E). Mostly true is you try to do string bends. If you move to heavier gauges, this problem more or less disappears, but so does the playability (unless you want to drop string bending from your playing). There's a device made for the Jaguar which bolts onto the tremolo and acts as a tensioning device to force the strings down on the saddles. I haven't tried it, but I have heard that it does the job (at the cost of increased string tension, of course).
The tremolo, considering its simple design, does return to tension very well -- I've not had to fool around too much with retuning after using the unit. Considering that we've go Kluson tuners here (the worst ever made), that's pretty amazing.

The maple neck/alder body could be used by Mark McGuire for an entire season of home runs and would probably still be playable in the off-season.

Being a vintage instrument, don't expect any support. They want you to buy NEW instruments.

With 20 years of playing experience, I have to rank this guitar among the best Fender instruments ever made. Yeah, the circuitry is weird, it's not as tonally "cool" as the Tele or Strat, and the bridge/saddles are imperfect, but once you get the tones you want (and memorize how you got them), the rest becomes easy. I know that there are many people out there who have modified these vintage instruments to correct many of the problems that I and others have pointed out, but mother of babbling god, let's leave some of these instruments alone and live with them on their own terms. Sometimes, in music, it's more rewarding to learn how to charm the instrument. You'd be surprised at what you can get from the axe.

i got my jag in 1994 when i was unfortunately hyped about getting cobains tones. well, my tastes have changed and my jag remake from japan has come in great handy the past 4 years. the two single coil pickups are as cold as ice in the lead setting but put on the rythem setting can carry enough low end to not require a bass guitar. my guitar has a vintage white finish and a basswood body. its not too heavy but at teh same time not too lite. it has a locking trem which has worked against it due to the fact that its hard to play aggressively and still keep a good tune. i got the jag with a hard shell case although i was told by my local music store owner (a butt in his own right) said i should have gotten a tweed case with it. oh well, im happy. with a pick up config with all those buttons how could you go wrong

if you cant get the sound you want from a jag, then you cant get it. im a rythem guitarist in a christian rock band and ive used the different settings from drop d progressions to high end ska rythems. the only problem is that with a stomp box it will pull quite a bit of feed back. the pickups are really hot. the sound is cold cold cold on the lead setting but attains tons of low end on teh rythem. it has proven to be extrememly versitle and useful for anything i need.

the action is ok, i constantly have to mess with my bridge due to the fact that my strings will get so close to the neck that when im on the 15th fret i practically have no sustain. the pickups were adjusted fine although ive never tried to mess with em. the saddles really dissapointed me. they are barrel saddles with notches cut in them and the pressure of the smaller gauge strings would rub groves in them makeing them practically touch the neck again eliminating sustain.

this guitar is a power house. its been dropped, thrashed, pounded, and beat and still only has 3 niks in it. the hardware is still in perfect condition and the finish is super strong. i had a bit of trouble with the strap buttons coming out but a wood dowel fixed that. its my #2 guitar next to my 61 gibson les paul but i wouldnt trade it for anything. i would and have used it for gigs without a backup.

nada

ive been playing for 5 years and this guitar has always been there... i have no major bones about this guitar.....if fender would make the jag with a stacked humbucker it would be THE guitar. (im to lazy to do it myself.) but over all its a great versatile guitar. i love the tones, feel, vibe, and sound of teh guitar but it definatly lacks in the fat department. an ivestment well made.