Vintage Fender Jaguar Guitars

The Fender Jaguar arrived on the scene in 1962 and was a direct follow-up to the Fender Jazzmaster. It featured a 22 fret neck, a shorter than usual 24 inch scale and pickups incorporating metal screening as protection against electrical interference.

The Jaguar gained popularity as a favorite of surf-band guitarists in the sixties and then again in the nineties as the guitar of choice for Indie Rock Band guitarists. This is because it has a unique tone, very clean sounding and not really suited to distortion or the heavy sounds of rock.

The tremolo arm device on the Jaguar allowed the bridge to move backwards and forwards along with the strings during tremolo use, helping to prevent the strings from binding. In theory this was a great invention, but many guitarists didn’t have the technical know-how to implement it properly and therefore it could often cause problems, which is considered to be the main cause of the Jaguar not gaining the same popularity as the Stratocaster.

The Jaguar was only in production for 13 years and during this time it went through various upgrades and custom finishes. It was discontinued in 1975 but reproductions from Japan started appearing in the late eighties. Fender themselves started a reproduction line of Jaguars in 1999 as part of their American Vintage Series.

The elite name, goes well with its elite nature and the Jaguar is situated at the high-end of Fender electric guitar models. The Fender Jaguar has a unique style and sound, which is suited to a certain group of experienced musicians. Students and people who think they might quite like to learn the guitar someday would not be advised to start with a Fender Jaguar. Being so sleek and selected also means it has a pretty impressive price tag to match, so it is definitely not for the poor aspiring musician. The reason the Jaguar is highly priced, is really due to the fact that it is so rare. The hardware on the vintage Jaguar is very high spec usually featuring gold and expensive metals. The spare parts for these older models are also very expensive and rare.

Nowadays, the only real difference between the Japanese Fender Jaguar and the American Fender Jaguar is the quality of the electronics. The American electronics are superior but the Japanese offer custom colors and finishes not found in the States, so this maintains their popularity.

Johnny Marr, guitarist with the Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis and Radiohead has always been a huge fan of the Fender Jaguar and the guitar of choice for Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain was the “Jag-Stang”, which was half inspired by the Fender Jaguar.

Used Vintage Guitars » Fender Jaguar Electric

Vintage Fender Jaguar Guitars

Vintage Fender Jaguar Electric Guitar