• High Style and High Maintenance

  
  As reviewed by A D on 4/27/2012

  I'm a long time player and a Fenderphile in my bones. After 13 years of playing exclusively on a Strat, it was time for an upgrade. I was drawn immediately to the '62 Vintage Jag and finally found a GC store with one on the wall in sunburst. After mulling it over and finally deciding on foregoing much needed dental work, (I hear you play blues better with no teeth anyway) I dropped the hefty fee for this gorgeous axe and went home to get acquainted. THIS YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE BUYING A VINTAGE JAGUAR!!! This guitar requires a very complicated set-up to work properly and it is not a plug and play, low maintenance instrument for the faint of heart. Firstly, the bridge complicated and is made of threaded saddles which can sometimes cause the string to offset into adjacent grooves during play. This dictates that a heavier gauge string is required for optimal sound and playability. (Anything thinner than 10-46, the Jaguar will chew them up and spit them out.) Also, the floating bridge assey sits atop two adjustable screws and the assembly is loose laid into two bushings. A heavier gauge string will create the greater tension necessary for a stable bridge during heavy play and palm muting. The chrome plated mute switch at the bridge also requires a trial and error set-up to work properly without throwing the guitar a 1/4 step out of tune while in place. The back angle of the strings returning to the tail is very obtuse and this results in less sustain on single notes and bends. (It is noticeable) The HH versions and the black-top sought to increase the sustain with sharper back angles and hard tails, etc. The neck radius is 7.25" which is standard on the vintage models, so there is a greater taper at the high and low edge of the fretboard. This results in high E string bends choking off a bit above the 15th fret when stretched a full step and more. While raising the action seems to help, the bridge and saddles become fussy when not low and tight, and subsequently, the incredibly rich popping of the notes is compromised slightly. So be aware that this is NOT A BLUES GUITAR. IT HAS LIMITATIONS. That being said I began to pour over online reviews about changing the bridge, buying a chrome buzz-stop and insulating the bridge posts. However, I am a purist and I decided against it and let the instrument be what it was designed to be; I surrendered to its infinite character. It has molded me in a way and it has made me a better player and I have come to really enjoy its personality and its quality of tone. I am glad I bought this guitar. It looks and sounds beautiful and unique. The sounds of its shielded single-coil pickups in clean tone are incredible, and the switching and tone controls allow for more versatility than any guitar I have ever played. In short, there are compromises to be made, but if you compromise for the Vintage Jag, that will love you forever!

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• Grindy Singlecoil Perfection

  
  As reviewed by Klisk on 10/12/2006

  I love this guitar for Alternative rock. The single coils are very stratish, but more trebly and grindy due to the bridge construction of this guitar. With fuzz, it's a dream come true. The singer from Placebo plays this, and I think it's the best example of the Jag sound. If you want to rock out, I think it's perfect. Like most Fender guitars it has character. An oddball bridge, tuners that you (might) want to replace, although I think the stock ones on this baby are amazing and hold well, and a functionable trem... Amazing tone. It clinks, it chime, it grinds. It's the Jaguar afterall. The Jaguar came before the Jazzmaster. It shows. In the neck position this is still a Jazzy lush beast. Roll with it, rock with it.

  29 of 43 people found this review helpful.
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• The Fender Jaguar

  
  As reviewed by JtMothy on 1/3/2007

  The Fender Jaguar is one of the greatest, yet most underrated guitars of all time. The single coil pickups sound similar to a Strat's, but are definitely a breed of their own. The tone switches make a huge amount of tonal shaping possible, and the short scale makes for a fast playing guitar, with great action. The offset body is comfortable and allows for hours of playing. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone who wants a range of different tones, and who loves playing great classic guitars.

  30 of 33 people found this review helpful.
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