Fender '62 Jaguar Japan Reissue

I got this guitar after seeing a classified ad
for it. I paid $730-800(can't remember exact).
I purchased it because I was amused by the unique souund it had. Also a few of my idols helped make the choice for me ;^)

Well! What i like the most about it is the way it sounds of course. It has sort of a surf/ cheap sound that I really dig. John Frusciante from the Chili Peppers turned me on to this guitar and I'm glad he did. Every thing about it is amazing. When you play it, it makes you feel different. It takes you back in time. Anyone who loves the sixties but wasn't fortunate enough to be ALIVE back then to experience it should give this guitar a listen, or more like a ride!

You can't play this guitar the same way as any other because it has it's on style and vibe, amazing vintage spirit. That's another reason why I like it. The action is extremely low, any lower and it would be ruined. I'm not sure about the reissue models though.

The body is beautiful and comfortable. A big plus too. The neck is thinner an has very fast action.



Well, I can't think of anything major that
i don't like about this guitar.

I'm upset that it was refinished in the 70's,lol. Seriously though, the one thing that i don't really like is the opened hole!! I hate changing strings manually with a passion when using opened hole, but i love the vintage pegs, so that for me would cancel that problem out. This guitar also doesn't have much sustain. But it's not supposed to, so i'm not gonna complain!


Wow, you can really tell the difference in construction now, and then. I wouldn't have guessed that the quality would be better in the past.

The guitar looks like it was made by someone very carefully. Like they spent months putting on the final touches. I can't find anything on it that would make it look cheap.

It's very detailed and is high quality. It doesn't look like it was made in a factory. The floating/trem-lock tremolo is amazing. The person who thought up this guitar put in so many different gadgets it almost makes you sick. Three different settings on two single-coil pick ups and volume and tone knobs. On top of that there's a rythem type setting that has it's own volume and tone controls. Not to forget the string mute unit.(which i don't have unfortunatly)

Great solid body.



If you're a 60's freak i suggested that you run to your guitar shop and check it out. Again, I haven't heard the reissues so i can't comment on the sound of them, but you can easily find a refinished original for a smaller price. Hey, if you're planning on playing it, it doesn't matter how authentic
the finish is. Original finish has nothing to do with the sound. Unless you're a guitar collector (thumbs down).

As a matter of fact, all of the vintage/ original Jags I've seen for sale are cheaper than the reissues!! I find that very strange, but I suggest you grab a vintage before people start over pricing them!!

I'm sure everyone knows the Chili Peppers'
song "Under The Bridge". That's a vintage Jaguar Johnny's playing.

Every guitar player should own one
at some point in thier lives.

I want to give it a 4 1/2 just because nothing's perfect )

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I was a bit skeptical at first with this new Jaguar, because many of the old features had been changed. After playing around with it, however, i found it to be one of the most intelligently designed guitars around. The Lead/Rhythm circuit switch now functions as a Master Killswitch (for those who like to experiment Tom Morello style) and what was once the Volume and Tone controls for the Rhythm circuit are now Humbucker/Single Coil blend adjusters for each pickup. With these, you can now adjust each pickup individually if you wish for it to have Humbucking tone or Single Coil tone (or a little in between.) This gives you an almost unlimited amount of tones from one guitar


When I first held this instrument straight out of the box, I knew it was for me. The sunburst will bring a tear to your eye, and the finish is smooth as silk. as for the sound, this was my first humbucker instrument and it plays amazing. You can do something mellow like "Lenny", then even go as far as screaming metal. The tremolo is very, very, responsive, and can provide for many tones. The pickup selection is easy and each tone differentiates uniquely.



I've always loved the Jaguar, and when I saw this with humbuckers and a lower price, I had to try it! It definitely was as good as I hoped. Great sound, finish(white but I still want it in sunburst) and playability. The upgraded bridge and coil-tap were nice features too. All the knobs and switches were pretty easy to figure out, I got used to everything in about 5 minutes. I played it through a Fender Super Champ XD (really good amp, I would suggest getting that too), and the tones were amazing. I don't own it yet but it's my next guitar for sure. You have to at least try it out, you will love it

fender has made a plethora of different guitars and guitar body shapes. One of the most famous but unusual guitar shapes is the Fender Jaguar. This is a guitar shape that takes on some inspiration from the Fender Strat shape but has a funky twist of shape to it. It also has a few extra features and switches that take a normal Fender Strat to the next level. These guitars are very famous for surf music player's They have a a tone that is conducive to that style of music and the string damping device is for those guys pretty much exclusively.

Neck
Neck Shape: "C" Shape
Number of Frets: 22
Fret Size: Vintage Style Frets
Position Inlays: White Pearloid Dot Position Inlays
Fretboard Radius: 7.25" (18.41 cm)
Fretboard: Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
Scale Length: 24" (61 cm)
Neck Plate: Serialized 4 Bolt Neckplate
Truss Rod Nut: Original Vintage Style
Electronics
Pickup Configuration: S/S
Bridge Pickup: Special Design American Vintage Jaguar® Single-Coil Pickup
Neck Pickup: Special Design American Vintage Jaguar® Single-Coil Pickup
Pickup Switching: 2-On/Off slide switches, one for each pickup
Controls: "Lead" Circuit: Volume, Tone. "Rhythm" Circuit: Volume, Tone
Hardware
Hardware: Chrome
Bridge: Vintage Style Floating Tremolo with Tremolo Lock Button
Bridge Cover/Tailpiece: Includes Chrome Bridge Cover
Tuning Machines: Vintage Style Tuning Machines
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Tremolo Arm/Handle: Vintage Jazzmaster® Tremolo Arm
Auxiliary Switching: 2-Position Tone Switch

The tone of this guitar is very fender and very Fender Strat but it sounds like a disobedient step child of the Fender Strat. The tone is cool and somewhat unique. The extra switches I have never really gotten into but the body shape itself lends itself to a certain sound. I like the sound of it but it doesn't blend with all kinds of music like a Fender Strat or Gibson Les Paul would do. those guitars have a certain general and unique sound to them but a sound that can go from genre to genre without and complication. The sound of this guitar is unmistakable but also not something I would play for a cover band or something I would feel has an all inclusive musical sound.

I would recommedn this guitar to someone who wants to mix things up sound wise in his or her guitar variety. This is a guitar with a very unique tone and something that either you like or you don't like. I don't find these guitars to be an everyday or every man's guitar. It is more of a specialty guitar that has its won sound and own vibe going on. It is a cool sound and nothing that I dislike personally but not something that would be an everyday sound for me. I wouldn't play a Rickenbacker or a Gretsch as an everyday guitar either. those guitars have a great unique sound to them as well but not an everyday and all musical encompassing guitars either.

I mailed the notice to complete the previous opinion.

It's a MIJ Jaguar. Mine is white and has been slightly adapted to my taste.
The violin is good, the guitar is not too heavy and the shape is very comfortable to play standing as sitting, despite its size rather impressive at first.

It's a good guitar for the bargain price, but requires some mods to become a queen ...

Let me explain:

The bridge is really original galley. I play on a pull strong enough (11-52) and the strings were constantly jumping as soon as I pressed a little too pick attacks. So I changed to a Mastery Bridge commanded the US, and since then no more problems.

The original MIJ pickups are not terrible. low output level, its not very well defined, and a strong tendency to force feedback as soon as the distortion. So I made mine by hepcat rewind pickups, and there the sound is excellent. It snaps, it is defined and I have the feedback problems.


The Good:

Mechanics, despite their vintage design are very good agreement.
The vibrato works fine, but this is not done to the Jeff Beck or Steve Vai.
The sound is very sixties, very slammed with little sustain. Perfect for the rock (not hard rock or metal), country, funk. I love this sound somewhat be compared to a stratum, but remains typed.

I love this guitar since I made these small changes. And for the price, I would go back with closed eyes.