Fender Jaguar

American Vintage 1962 Jaguar Reissue made in USA. Olympic White with tortoise-shell pickguard, nitrocellulose lacquer finish on body and neck. Features include 22-fret short scale neck, twin circuit pickup wiring, floating tremolo that can lock and become a stop tailpiece if you so desire. The pickups are single-coil with RF-shielded metal "claws." Small-waisted body style.

The Jaguar has several sounds, but two distinctive sounds. The first is the engaged "lead" circuit with the "strangle switch" engaged, which unleashes a mega-treble aggressive tone that can cut through ANY accompaniment. This strangle tone is unique to the Jaguar and is the main reason for owning one, as it is a somewhat niche guitar. The strangle tone is pleasantly enhanced by coloring it with pedals or amp settings such as tremolo or reverb. The second distinctive Jaguar sound is the dark and mellow tone you get when the "rhythm" circuit is engaged with both pickups. This tone can be used as a base for any sort of atmospheric guitar sound that you made want to create through pedal or amp setting coloring. There are other sounds in there, but you shouldn't get too carried away trying to make the guitar do things it's not really good at or designed to do -- i.e. metal or sludgy-rock. Becuase Cobain used this guitar in a heavily modded form, people think it is a grunge guitar -- think again, unless you want to do extensive modding to it and essentially eliminate the Jaguar character in every way except aesthetics.

The floating tremolo system is fantastic and the long arm allows you to easily strum chords while adding shimmer. It is unbeatable as a surf guitar -- which is, of course, what it was designed for.

I bought this guitar from a family-owned music store which takes pride in its new instrument set-ups, hence it was well dressed and fitted when I took it home.

The only complaint I have about the guitar is that a small strip of the lacquer near the tremolo plate bubbled and cracked off, leaving a tiny staple-sized strip of exposed body wood. I can live with that, however, as it makes no difference in playability.

Thus far, the guitar has proved very reliable during live playing. I anticipate the lacquer will show more wear as the years go by with the paces I put the guitar through, but that's fine.

It's really built like a tank and I have no worries about its durability.

Standard warranty. Haven't had to deal with Fender about this guitar.

I know many people here complain about the Jaguar bridge, but the American-made models have deeper saddle grooves which hold the strings in place better. Plus, you really should use a minimum of 11s or 12s for this guitar and a flatwound G string -- that's what the bridge was designed to service. The problems people have are, in my opinion, based more upon their trying to use the Jaguar with too-small roundwound strings or the fact that they bought the inferior CIJ or MIJ model. I haven't had any trouble with strings popping off saddles and I get pretty aggressive with my strumming.

I did A-B this Jag with a CIJ Jag and there was a noticible difference -- specifically string-buzzing on the CIJ Jaguar.

I do have a problem with whacking some of the switches while strumming, but if I just concentrate a bit, I minimize that.

I use this guitar as my frontline instrument, playing atmospheric glammy rock -- somewhere between Joy Division and The New York Dolls. I also break out a wild Nels Cline-esque solo pretty regularly and the guitar does that quite well.

If it were lost or stolen I would replace it with another of the same type.

the switches were kinda confusing. it took me a second to realize how to even turn it on but oncei did it was nice. when figured out the switches are awsome. it gives a good bit of possibilities for sound.

the sound was great! i used a trainer 50 blue amp with a ts9dx, big muff, and regular cry baby. i loved it. sounded great clean and with some crunchier stuff. (not to heavy tho) i also have a sg standard which is even better but the jag was close behind for the money.

it was set up pretty well. fret wire was fine, finish was nice, but i thought the pickups were a little to high. i had to try not to allow the picking sound to go through the amp. thats incredibly annoying to me

i bought the guitar 4 days ago. my friend told me the buckers were weak but i argued and told him to play it and see. he quickly shut up. i was in love but 2 days ago i was always out so i barely played it, it maybe got a full 45 minutes o f playing before the bridge pickup gave out. i traded it in for a baja tele and it is sooo much better

its guitar center. switched it out no worries

when i first had it id say 8 because it was a little confusing. now i say 4. im sooo disappointed with it. i saw the same type sitting on gc's wall that had been repaired, same year color and everything but it wasnt mine

1965 sunburst

I really like Jaguars, and I don't like to bring negative vibes, but I do think they have a kind of thin and scratchy tone - certainly not as beefy and solid top to bottom as a Telecaster. Playing lead on mine sounds a bit weedy unless you turn up the drive or put some other effect on it. Playing rhythm the notes mush together in a nice way, but I find that if I play it hard it is hard to keep definition in the chords. Generally I think the guitar sounds better if played gently. This may be to do with the bridge, the cradles which the strings rest on are pretty worn and not as steady as they might be.

I think heavier strings do a lot to mitigate the thinness of tone.

Also I think it only really has two good settings:
1: the selector switch up (warm but a bit bland)
2: selector switch down, both pickups on (nice bite, still has some body with it). In or out of phase according to taste

With just the bridge pickup on the sound really is too thin.

I suspect few of my fellow Jaguar-lovers is going to agree with me on this, but I have been playing this guitar for about 15 years, and had it fixed up by a good guitar tech halfway through, so I think I know its characteristics. I mention these reservations because I know how much these old Jaguars cost now so may as well bear these thoughts in mind if you are considering buying. I would still buy one of course if I had the money.

you have to like playing a short scale with strings close together

This guitar is all original, so the other reviews describe its features accurately.

Neck stamp indicates May 63. L series serial number. Sunburst finish (although heavily worn). It is lacking a mute bar. I don't think it ever had one because there are no wear marks or other signs.

I bought this guitar for $300 in the mid 1980's - those dark years when new Fenders were crap and old Jags were a dime a dozen. The shop owner told me it was all original. With a resale value in the thousands, it's one of the few good investments I've ever made.

I have the original black hardshell case, which is frayed badly on the corners but otherwise intact.

I didn't know s**t about guitars when I bought it. I expected all electric guitars to sound pretty much the same (naive kid). I just liked the small neck for my short fingers.

I'm not crazy about the twangy Jag tone when played clean, but it distorts reasonably well through our low end Fender Frontman 15G amp.

It's hummy on the rhythm circuit, but that's typical from what I'm reading in other reviews.

There's plenty of fret buzz when you use lighter strings. Attack is generally a bit dull. The frets are 40+ years old so what should I expect?

The neck is worn ultra smooth and it fits my relatively small hands like a glove. The bridge cover can easily be pushed down too far, which can mute one or more strings in the middle of a song. Otherwise, this is is a very comfortable guitar to play.

Even at its age, all joints are tight. It was well made.

Everything still works. I never gigged with it but I know nothing about its 18 years of life before we met. It certainly shows much wear on the finish.

Looks aside, everything still works. I am able to set it up to my satisfaction, although I agree with others who say the bridge and floating tremolo are unnecessarily complex.

Never used Fender support. Web site is decent. Lots of useful info available via external links from the Jaguar topic on wikipedia.

8.0
It's got more character than any other guitar I know. A sound that isn't ideal for hard rock in my opinion, but very versatile and when properly set up. This guitar is extremely good at what it was designed to do.

I've played purely as a hobbyist for about 30 years. I have a couple other low end acoustics. My kids have an Epi LP Special II and Squire Strat. Of course it isn't faitr to compare those cheap copies to my vintage Jag.

If it were stolen, I couldn't justify the thousands to replace it. I'd likely use some of the insurance money for a used Gibson LP or SG. No ill will to the Jag, but I've come to realize I prefer the Gibson sound.

I have no intention of parting with this old friend. I hope my grandchildren will still be rocking with it!

This is the HH special addition. Same features as a standard jag, only with humbuckers and a tunomatic bridge. Read other reviews for all that jazz. I have played alot of guitars in my day, in this order, fender, ibanez, epiphone, jackson, gibson, esp, back to ibanez, prs, now back to fender. My original strat had alot of problems, but ill link that to being a "noob." I saw this jag at the musicians friend retail center and pulled it off the wall. The ease of switching from totally opposite sounds with a few simple moves sold me in all of 10 minutes.
Taking off 1 point because I would still like the original jag tremelo on this baby. Theres nothing like end of the world feedback/ noise AND a whammy bar!!!!

I have owned many guitars, about 15 in all, my current collection features an ibanez artcore, gibson les paul studio, pre fender jackson soloist, prs se, an esp viper, and now the jaguar hh. This guitar smokes them all in terms of versatility. where the viper and artcore have their niche sounds, they are one trick ponies. The jaguar was stunning to begin with, but I play on a 5150 with a roland jazz chorus for cleans. The super distorted sounds were a bit too "twangy?" for my taste at first, So I tore the bridge burstbucker out of my les paul and swaped it with the jags bridge hb. Instant gratification. The way everything is wired up helps to keep my tone when I roll the volume down to kill the gain, but in 1-8th of a second I can pull total death metal out of this "surf" guitar. I can get everything from sonic youth , chili peppers, industrial, country, jazz, and metal. The bridge really helps for sludgy death metal chugging. Im not counting off anything because I had to change a pickup, this thing is not designed for "metal" but I am taking off a point simply because for something to deserve a 10, it must be better than any guitar ive ever
"played." not owned, but played. The best sounding guitar Ive ever laid my grimey mits on was a heavily modified 70's les paul that will forever haunt my dreams.

Came setup mighty crappily, it was sitting on the wall for a bit, strings were dead, but there was just something about it that grabbed me despite the funk growing on the strings. I spent an hour or two at home and its good as new. In my hurry to buy the damn thing, I didnt notice that the neck joint was not so tight. About a 1/16th gap halfway down the joint. No bother though, it still plays and sounds good to me. Finish is black, yay. Looks good. Im gonna knock off 4 points for this obvious lack of pride concerning the neck joint. Looks like someone wanted to go party on a friday night instead of spending a few extra minutes with my neck. Since this was a display model, the crappy setup should not be fender's fault.

well, as usual, I figured I would have to replace the tuners. Good tuners/ tuning is my biggest pet peeve, and I have to say that Im happy with the stock vintage tuners. I have yet to have any knobs go loose or any other indication of shady workmanship. As for durability, the second night I had this baby was a party night, and in all of my drunken glory, I was distracted before I zipped up my soft case. well, I hoisted it up on my shoulder and felt all the weight jump off my shoulder. The thing hit the ground HARD!!!!!! Not even a ding anywhere. The thing even stayed in tune!!!! I lost an older epi les paul due to a dog knocking it over one time, so for the jag to take this like a champ.... tears of joy!!

The hell with fender customer support. I went through hell trying to get my old strat fixed when it was still under warranty.... the neck repeatedly bowed, and it was a problem with their badly crafted truss rod, not me being an idiot. Funnily enough, I have hopped on the fender saddle again, and I've yet to have to deal with them on the jaguar. I think they got it right this time, so Im giving a big fat no opinion!!!

kick ass guitar for anyone looking to getaway from conventional overpriced crap.

This is a followup review from the one below. Since I submitted that one I've come to learn what all the switches ACTUALLY do, and felt like a bit of a fool leaving it as is. Also I've since made mods to the guitar, and gigged it, so I have more input to give.
I still give the features a ten, it's still as versatile as always.
I also found out that despite it having what is definitely a '93 serial number according to Fender's site, the "Crafted In Japan" means it was made in '97 at the earliest. Wierd that.

Turns out that the switch up on the top arm is, as you would know if unlike me you did your research first, to switch between volume/ tone circuits, not pickups. On the rhythm setting you can only use the neck pickup anyway.
The other switches apply to the lead circuit, and are, in order from left to right looking down on the guitar, on/ off for the neck pickup, on/ off for the bridge pickup, and a bass cut/ boost.
Now, I know I said I loved the pickups, but the bridge pickup needs sorting. Gigging the Jaguar meant having to roll ALL the tone off for it to be used at volume. So I've booked in to have the bridge rewound fatter by Tim at Bare Knuckle to get rid of the harsh highs on it. Half the problem is also in the fact that the pickups aren't wax potted, but Tim'll sort that for me. Still adore the neck pickup too.

The crap stock bridge has been replaced with a Gotoh ABR TOM bridge. By some happy accident the Gibson bridge fits this guitar, and fixes all the problems the stock one caused. The neck radius doesn't match, but are you really going to notice, or care?
For that modification, the setup goes right up to a ten.

Don't need to cover this again. I've already gigged it, once you find the right volume to tone ratio on the bridge pickup you can keep going on this guitar all day.

Nope.

It's still not perfect, but it will be. If you want a very, very versatile guitar, get one of these, and kit it out. Kick ass.

Mine is a '93 CIJ Jaguar, I've been playtesting it for the past week, bought it today. Candyapple Red finish, matching headstock. Looks great, although there are a couple of knocks in the finish, nothing you wouldn't expect from a guitar with an albeit short history. I'm sure that if you're looking at the reviews you already know your stuff about the Jaguar, so I won't bore you. Anyway, I love it, I love the sheer variety of sounds you can get out of it with a mere flick of a few switches.

Pickups are a little noisy, but if you can pull your head out your arse and get over that, these are fantastic pickups. Your closest comparison is a strat pickup, but these are a little different. For one, your neck pickup isn't as bass heavy, and generally sounds more like the neck/ middle blend of a strat, it retains that jangle. Similarly, the bridge pickup is nowhere near as harsh as that of a strat, but can still get kind of tinny and skratchy at high gain, but you can just turn the tone control down a bit a bit and you'll be safe. I wouldn't change them.
As I mentioned earlier, the massive range of tones is astounding thanks to the rhythm/ lead circuit. As far as I can tell, one switch cuts/ adds mids, one cuts/ adds treble, and the third cuts/ adds bass. So as you can imagine, you'll have to play about a bit to get a sound you like. I know famous Jaguar users like Kurt Cobain tended to set the guitar to their favourite sound setting and then tape over the switches and forget they were there. I wouldn't want to do that though. I like being able to tweak my sound between songs, and using different tones for recording.
I think this is a guitar where it's very important to play around with it to find the sound that suits you, and that's probably what puts a lot of players off them, because they're not immediately playable to some. With this in mind, it loses marks, but have a tinker with it and you'll make a good friend with this guitar. There are no real boundaries to how you can make it sound as far as I can see, although it would definitely be unsuitable for you metalheads out there. If that's your thing, go and get yourself some spiky Dean heap of crap with flame graphics.

Now this is where the Jaguar falls a bit short. The saddles on the bridge are, well, shit. They buzz (although you won't hear it through the amp), de-tune, don't hold onto the string very well, and generally make a mess of things. But don't write the Jaguar off for this, you can spend like ??20 on some Mustang saddles (the Mustang bridge is otherwise identical). Much better saddles, very simple to replace. This is something I plan on doing first chance I get. But out the factory, this does make the guitar suffer a bit. I will point out though that this particular Jaguar does seem to be all to badly affected by these problems compared to others I've played, but that's just luck really.
On a plus, the floating is trem is brilliant for subtle wobbles, and manages to stay in tune quite well despite the saddles.

Solid as they come as far as I can see. I would gig this, in fact I intend to. Finish isn't bullet-proof as on some Fenders, but has held up nicely over the past 14 years. Hardware is nice and solid. Might want to get the bridge sorted out before getting on stage though, but not too worried.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing now for 4 years, and will play pretty much anything except death metal. This is my 5th guitar. I currently own this, a 1983 Washburn HB35, a 2002 Gibson SG Special Faded, and have been through 2 American strats. This definitely beats both the strats and the Washburn, though my favourite is still the SG. I play these guitars through a Marshall AVT50 combo outfitted with a Celestion Classic Lead 80 speaker, with a Crybaby and a Vox Big Ben tube overdrive in between. This is a simple enough setup for me given that the tones I can get from the guitar itself are so varied. I love it. Other people may not, but that'd be their loss as far as I can see.

Got this almost a year ago, I was needing a 'proper' guitar, as all I had at the time was a terrible Westfield Strat Copy. I made the mistake of buying this as a relative beginner, which you shouldn't do: you'll need to basically set it up yourself.

Sunburst finish, with a lovely tortoise shell pickguard. The regular Jaguar set up as far as electrics are concerned: 2 single coil pickups, volume and tone knob for one, and another 2 dials for the other, up by the selector switch. There's also the bass switch, and 2 on/off switches for the pickups. it looks very, very pretty.

The bridge is awful however, i'll come to that later.

Jaguars have perhaps the most gorgeous tone in the Fender camp. It's quite thin, but it has a fantastic amount of bite and aggression. Very colourful. It suits all my styles (i.e. crunchy rock, post rock, blues). Probably not great for metal and heavy rock, unless you were to install humbuckers. The stock pickups are better than expected. Not bad at all, albeit not as exciting as i'd like. when I change them it'll bring out the full potential of the Jag sound. Which is totally unique amongst the other Fender guitars.

There was a bit of hum, but it remains to be seen if this was down to the pickups or the bridge.

This is the bad bit. The bridge. Horribly tacky, after a couple of months the saddles had started rattling, and turning on their sides (=/), knocking my strings out of place. My high e string was caught on the edge, and has little/no sustain because of it. Until now I'd been too afraid to make adjustments and risk screwing the guitar. Now I think I'll definitely install a Mustang bridge. The tailpiece too seems quite screwed: or at least the saddle for the trem arm. For some reason thing the thing just won't lock, but rather than replace it I'll just try and fix it myself.
The action is actually perfect, which I was pleasantly surprised by. I probably won't need to adjust anything.
The strings are getting a bit worn, I'll change them. The stock strings, like the pickups, were sufficient but not mindblowing. I'll maybe get some new ones that are slightly heavier.
Tuning pegs seem fine, not too loose, easy to reach around and operate.
The finish is lovely, theres no real problems that I can be bothered with sorting: it all looks very good.

As it was from the factory, I would definitely not gig with it, it felt horribly fragile, down to the bridge. But once I've set it up right I can imagine it being a lot sturdier and I'd be a lot more relaxed about playing it in a gigging context. I'd use a backup though, but that's me. I get worried. The strap buttons are fine as far as I could see.
The hardware seems ok just now. I've not really had it long enough to say.

Never called them.

I've only been playing for about 2 years, 10 months or so. I'm not incredible, but I can do enough. I'm 16, and here's no real taste for much other than punk rock/emo here in Edinburgh (Scotland), at least amongst people my own age, so I haven't been in many bands, I get offers I just turn down. My tastes revolve around things like John Cale, The Velvets, Mogwai, Yo La Tengo etc. For this the Jaguar is ideal. I had to travel all the way up to Kirkcaldy to buy it, as no other shops in Edinburgh/Glasgow sold Jaguars. :P So I knew it was something special, I'd hunted for it for ages, resiting the urge to buy a crappy les paul or something easier to find.

I own a nylon acoustic thats about 25/30 years old, a Boston steel-stringed acoustic, a Westfield E1000 strat copy which I tinker with and take apart for practice. I have a crap Meridian practice amp (which I'll soon replace with a Fender Blues Jr or Hot Rod Deluxe), and pedals-wise a Proco Rat 2, Boss DD-6 and Jim Dunlop Cry Baby.

The Jag is my only real 'good' guitar just now. And it's like the best guitar ever, trapped in a big treasure chest. It has the potential to be the greatest ever, but you need to get around the inital, crappy setup. Well no, I make it sound unusable. With pickups, bridge, and strings changed at least, I can see this thing being a monster. A genuine 9 or 10-rated beauty.

For the first year, I just didn't bother doing anything to it, but now I'm getting out of this stage and I'm going to really knuckle down and unlock this thing's potential. If it were stolen, I'd either hunt down the guy and feed him to my chemistry teacher, or get a new one: it's too good a chance to miss.

In conclusion, this could be the best thing ever: but you'll need to put in a lot of work to do it.

My Jaguar i believe was made in Japan in 1993, 62-63 re-issue. I bought it second hand a few months ago, in fabulous condition for it's age. The finish is metallic red, beautiful. Typical Jaguar, offset strat shape. The bridge is the original one, It's a little rusted now. Tuners i believe are Kluson, excellent tuners, still original. The neck is a slim C-shape. It came with the tremolo arm and a gig-bag. I'm not sure whether it's a solid or laminated top. The usual vast amount of controls that Jaguars come with. Two fairly weak single-coil strat pickups. The pickups are still the original ones. Passive electronics..and, the neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, and i'm very sure the body is basswood, since it seems to dent quite easily.

Well, it suits my style perfectly, or at least the guitar itself does. I play anything from heavy rock, down to grunge-esque material ridden with wierd effects and what-not. Experimental, is probably the correct word.

I use a Boss GT8, with an Ashdown fallen angel stack. I can eliminate all the squealing and buzz people usually complain about, with my GT8, so i don't encounter those problems. The pickups aren't very good though, but they're certainly not that bad! I will be upgrading to Seymour Duncan whenever i can afford it.

You can get quite a rich amount of sounds from it, from tinny treble with no bottom end, to a very thick bassy sound, whilst still retaining that typical Jaguar sound. Certainly sounds best with little distortion, but with the right effects you can do whatever you want. My only problem with the pickups, is that with them being weak, you won't achieve much sustain. New pickups are relatively inexpensive though.

I don't know how well it was set-up from the factory, it was second-hand. But, i have read that they're usually set-up very well. The pickups needed a little adjusting when i got it, but, everyone has different tastes, so it's only expected. The guitar came with a few dents, and one chip on the bottom...but again, it's expected with it being over 10 years old! Apart from that, the guitar is immaculate. The nicest guitar i've ever seen. The bridge though, is a pain in the arse. I seriously recommend that people change it to a Mustang bridge, you don't want the strings slipping when your playing live!! For the time being, i adjusted it so that the low-e string could not slip down, whilst playing. Jaguars require regular maintenance, but it's only a simple setup. The bridge is a little rusted, and the tuning pegs need changing, purely because i don't like how you have to poke the string into the middle of the tuning peg...they slip out if you accidentally knock the string. But again, they're inexpensive.

This guitar will easily withstand live playing, if you do that one modification, the bridge. All but the bridge, is completely dependable. The tremolo arm is also the best i've ever used..it never sends the guitar out of tune, unlike the bigsby on my SG. The finish appears to be excellent, it's very thick. It's just the wood itself that isn't too durable, but you should be taking care of a guitar this expensive anyway! The strap buttons are not reliable, i bought cheap plastic strap-locks that do the trick :-). Once i've got it modified, i will absolutely be able to depend on it. I'd use it at a gig without a backup if i had to, no problem. I use both the Jaguar and my SG, for complete versatility.

Not needed to, and hopefully i never will! The guitar is superb, and i've heard very good things about Fender. Supposedly, they better customer support than Gibson...

I've been playing for 6 years, 5 hours at least, everday. I've owned a few guitars, firstly Encore for my first year, then a cheap Vintage strat, then i moved up to the Epiphone G400, which i still own, but it's completely modified. Only the body is original. It looks JUST like a real Standard SG, except it doesn't have the Gibson logo. I installed the Seymour Duncan's myself, and changed the electronics. I've played numerous Gibson Les Pauls, and SG's, and the Jaguar, for me, is the most comfortable guitar yet. If lost or stolen, i'd buy it again, same colour. I love it, it's extremely comfortable playing standing up, whereas my SG is neck heavy, and a pain in the arse. The neck is nice and thin, and fits my hands perfectly. All i need now, is to install some Seymour Duncans and change the bridge. After that, it will most certainly be my main guitar. Thank you Fender, for making such a beauty!

Mine is an American made '62 re-issue with the olympic white finish. I purchased it new about a year ago. It came with a brown hardshell Fender case and the various accessories that come with new Fenders. I have had this Jag for a year, and it is still stock. I haven't felt the need to make any modifications. I haven't even removed the string mute even though I don't use it. I will probably get around to removing it the next time I change the strings. The three standout features of the Jag are the short 24" scale length, the comfortable off-set body shape, and the versatile double circuit. I find the short scale length well suited to my smaller hand size and heavier strings. The body on this guitar is incredibly comfortable no matter how you stand or sit. And, the double circuit wiring allows you to go from a trebly twang to a warm jazzy sound with the flip of a single switch.

The Jag has a distinct sound. If you are trying to ape the sound of your favorite performers then don't buy a Jag. Buy whatever those guys are using. The Jag has that unmistakable Fender sound, but it is a Jaguar sound. The Jaguar has alot of character. The name "Jaguar" was an apt name for this guitar. Some people have likened the tone to a "growl." Furthermore, there is tremendous versatility possible with this guitar. You can coax mellow, dark tones out of the neck pickup using the rhythm circuit. And, you can get thin, trebly tones out the the bridge pickup using the strangle switch. There are also plenty of tones in between. Do not, however, expect the impossible. A Jaguar will never sound as dark and mellow as a Gibson hollowbody Jazz guitar. And, it will never sound just like a Stat.

The set-up on my Jag was just about perfect. I didn't even change the strings. It came strung with .11s and they are just about perfect for this guitar. The action was just right, and there wasn't the least hint of buzzing frets. The only flaw I could find was a small ding in the finish near where the body and neck are joined. But, I can live with it. There will be more dings in the finish over the years.

I have not experienced the problems other people have experienced with their Jags. I suspect there are two reasons for this. Number one, I believe most of the people doing the complaining own Japanese Jags. I believe the Japanese models produced in the 90s did have some problems. The most common problem was that the strings would jump out of the saddles. All Jaguars suffer from this problem, but I think the Japanese models may have been furnished with saddles that have shallow grooves. The bridges are often replaced with Mustang bridges or buzzstops were installed. It hasn't been much of an issue with mine. You should not be using strings lighter than .11s. The Jag was designed back when .12s were considered light strings (.13s were common). Number two, much depends on your playing style. If you really like to thrash your guitar this may not be the guitar for you. Jaguars are tempermental beasts. I suspect the reason you don't see alot of pros playing Jags in live venues is that the bridge, tremelo, and switches can be fussy. On stage, performers cannot take the chance that something will go out of wack. Otherwise, this guitar is just as durable as a Tele. It is a slab of hardwood with some hardware and electronic stuff on it.

Haven't needed it.

Back in the early 60s my older brother was a Ventures fan. He got a paper route and saved his money until he could buy a '64 Jag and Super Reverb Amp. I wanted to take up playing the guitar myself after watching my brother master Walk Don't Run, then Apache, etc. He lost interest and sold the guitar and amp to raise money for an apartment in the late 60s. I have played guitar since I was seven years old, but by the time I could afford a decent guitar nobody cared about Jags anymore. Jimi Hendrix was like some sort of pagan god when I was in high school and like everyone else I had to have a strat (there were, of course, no shortage of Les Paul fanatics). Over the years, I have owned more guitars than I can remember, and I have experimented with most styles of music. I never really thought about the Jaguar until a few years ago when I came across an old Ventures LP at a thrift store. I bought a Jag, and I am enjoying it more than any of the other guitars I have owned or currently own. If I could have only one guitar this would be it. If my reissue were stolen I would buy a '64 vintage model.