Fender Jaguar

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Fender Jaguar
Manufacturer Fender
Period 1962—1975; 1999—present
Construction
Body type Solid
Neck joint Bolt-on
Woods
Body Alder (Basswood on earlier Japanese models, Alder again post mid 1995)
Neck Maple
Fretboard Rosewood
Hardware
Bridge "Floating" Tremolo
Pickup(s) 2 Single-coil, specially designed
Colors available
(American Vintage Series, as of 2005) 3-Color Sunburst, Olympic White, Black, Ocean Turquoise, Surf Green, Ice Blue Metallic (other colors may be available)

The Fender Jaguar guitar was introduced in 1962. The Jaguar was originally marketed and seen as a surf guitar, along with its sister guitar, the Fender Jazzmaster, both of which became popular among surf rock groups in the early to mid 1960s. It became popular again in the 1990s when it was used by a number of alternative rock players.

Contents

[edit] History

The Jaguar was based on the Jazzmaster, with the same "offset waist" body and "floating tremolo" system. Unlike the Jazzmaster the Jaguar was fitted with a shorter 24-inch scale, 22-fret neck (the first Fender guitar to have 22 frets) and featured smaller single-coil pickups with notched side plates that improved RF shielding, making the Jaguar less prone to interference than the more popular Stratocaster and Telecaster.

Although the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster shared the same dual-circuit scheme, the Jaguar had a more complex second (lead) circuit consisting of three switches on the lower bout: the first two were on/off switches for the neck and bridge pickups, respectively, the third switch engaged a capacitor that served as a high-pass filter. This switch was often called the "strangle" switch among players, due to the fact that when it is switched on, the Jaguar attains a strange, treble-accented tone quality originally designed to cater to surf guitarists. Another of the Jaguar's features was a spring-loaded rubber string mute, again designed for surf guitarists who often had to palm mute for extended periods. This feature proved unpopular as it sent the guitar out of tune when engaged.

Like the Jazzmaster and Bass VI, the Jaguar has an unusual floating tremolo tremolo arm mechanism that was a complete departure from the synchronized tremolo system found on the Fender Stratocaster. Leo Fender believed that this new design was superior to previous designs since the bridge actually moved backwards and forwards along with the strings during tremolo use, thereby maintaining proper intonation even under duress. This floating bridge concept was also later used in the Fender Dynamic Vibrato on the Fender Mustang. The floating tremolo mechanism also features a built-in tremolo lock, which helped the player preserve the guitar's tuning in the event of a string breakage. While these ideas worked well in theory, the actual unit was prone to malfunction, making it one of the more problematic aspects of the Jaguar and Jazzmaster and perhaps part of the reason players stuck with the Stratocaster and Telecaster.

Intended as Fender's top of the line guitar upon its release in 1962, the Jaguar never enjoyed the popularity that the Stratocaster and Telecaster did. After several upgrades (custom finishes, a bound neck and pearloid inlays), the entire Jaguar range was eventually discontinued in 1975 after a thirteen year production run.

[edit] Design

Many guitar players find fault with the design of the bridge, which features saddles that have many grooves cut into them (similar to screw threads). The idea behind this design was that you could space your strings to best suit your needs. In reality, the strings may jump out of the grooves when playing with force. As a solution many Jaguar players replace the Jag bridge with a Fender Mustang-style bridge, which only has one string groove per saddle. A cheaper and equally effective option is to deepen the original saddles with a file.

Further issues are found with the rocking bridge design; the unit pivots on its axis when the tremolo is used, occasionally getting knocked in one direction or another causing tuning problems. This was further compounded by some players' decision to use tape on the tremolo arm to allow it to sit higher in the system, which gave more range at the cost of tuning stability. The original bridge is similar to a modern roller bridge and works well in concept, but many players fix it in place by wrapping its posts with electrical tape (this tends to increase tuning problems). Another Jaguar modification is the addition of a "Buzz Stop", a bar that mounts above the tremolo system and increases the angle of the strings behind the bridge which decreases string buzz (a common problem).

Some players claim that such implements are not necessary, forcing the bridge forward on some examples, and the strings can often bind on the buzzstop. Bridge buzz can be minimized in setup, by setting the bridge closer to the body while adjusting the saddles upwards. However, the modifications can provide a marginal increase in sustain and playability, hence their popularity with players.

Numerous pickup replacements have become available in the last decade, including those made by Seymour Duncan (three variations are available; vintage, hot and quarter-pound) and Curtis Novak (who makes vintage-correct handwound versions). These single-coil pickups give Jaguar players more tonal options without having to route their instrument to accept full-size humbuckers, or to buy a new Jaguar with humbuckers installed as standard.

[edit] Resurgence

In the 1990s the popularity of the Jaguar & Jazzmaster exploded when they saw heavy use by various alternative rock/grunge bands such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Nirvana.

One of the reasons the jaguar became so immense popular among indie rock artists, is because of their 3rd bridge possibilities. The jaguar and the Jazzmaster both have an accidentally created, primitive 3rd bridge mechanism in their floating bridge with limited timbre when used in an extended technique. When the strings are attacked behind the bridge a 3rd bridge sound is created, that's often associated with the sound of Sonic Youth.

It has also been suggested that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were popular with late 80's indie artists pricisely because they were of faded popularity at the time. This meant that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were far cheaper than vintage Stratocasters or Telecasters and therefore struggling musicians could afford to own a high quality vintage Fender guitar where they could not before. The fact that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were not popular also made them visually distinctive onstage, which was also advantagous to musicians.

  • Kurt Cobain used a modified 1965 sunburst finish Jaguar with a Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge, modified circuitry and humbuckers. It was Kurt's main guitar during the Nevermind era. It had a red-swirl mother-of-bowling-ball pickguard, 2 volume knobs, 1 tone knob, and a black chrome Schaller bridge. There was tape covering the on/off and phase switches, which were disconnected. These three switches were replaced with a Gibson-style toggle switch. Full-sized humbuckers reside in both the bridge and neck positions, the neck being a DiMarzio PAF and the bridge a DiMarzio Super Distortion, until the In Utero tour when it was replaced with a black Duncan JB.
  • John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers utilized a vivid, bright-red 65’ Jaguar at the colossal Woodstock 1999 festival for the duration of their time on center stage, as well as displaying an ocean turquoise Jag in the immensely popular video for their song "Under The Bridge".
  • Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys often played a stock Jaguar on Beach Boys records and during live appearances, one of the few instances of the guitar being used for its intended purpose of surf rock.
  • Shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, lovesliescrushing and Chapterhouse often use the Jaguar, both for it's unusual tones and tremolo system. As both the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster have longer tremolo arms, players are able to strum chords whilst simultaneously manipulating the tremolo arm by pushing it towards the body, causing the chord to dip in and out of tune, often rhythmically. In the shoegaze style, this technique is often combined with heavy amounts of delay and reverberation effects to create what is known as a 'shimmer'. A good example of this can be found on the track Loomer by My Bloody Valentine.

More recent players include:

Fender reissued the 1962 version of the Jaguar in 1999 as part of its American Vintage Series (lower cost Japanese-made versions have been available since 1986/87, originally made of basswood, now of alder like their American counterparts). Several other variations have been released within the last decade, including several humbucker versions and a Jaguar bass guitar in 2006. Fender of Japan also produces Jaguars for its own domestic market with numerous special editions including an accurate version of Kurt Cobain's modified model. As of 2007, the main difference between Japanese and American models is the electronics - American models use higher quality parts and have brass shielding plates installed in the cavities. No standard US made AVRI Jaguars sport matching headstocks unlike their vintage counterparts, however most Japanese models do, and also offer some custom colors not found on American models.

Although Fender has many signature models designed in conjunction with famous players, usually customised Stratocasters or Telecasters, no signature model Jaguars or Jazzmasters are known to exist. The closest thing to a signature guitar is the Fender Jag-Stang, built for Kurt Cobain.

[edit] Variations

Fender Jaguar HH

Reminiscent of the standard Jaguar, except that it's equipped with two low-output Fender designed Dragster humbucking pickups, a fixed adjust-o-matic bridge (similar to a Gibson Tune-O-Matic), a 10" radius neck instead of the usual 7.25" vintage profile, and chrome knobs.

Fender Jaguar Baritone Special HH

Similar to the Jaguar HH, except that it has fewer switching options, and a longer 27" scale length (as opposed to the normal 24"), and is designed to be tuned a fourth below a standard guitar (B E A D F# B, low to high).

Fender Jaguar Baritone Custom

A combination of a Jaguar and a Fender Bass VI with additional features. It has a fixed bridge, a 28.5" scale length and heavier strings to achieve a tuning one octave lower than a standard guitar.

Fender Jaguar Bass

Essentially a Fender Jazz Bass with a Jaguar-shaped body and Jaguar-styled switching options. Features a switchable on-board preamp with bass/treble controls.

[edit] External links

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