Fender Jaguar

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Fender Jaguar
Image:Fender Jaguars.jpg
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 (Maple on models produced in the mid 1970s)
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, Fiesta Red, Surf Green, Ice Blue Metallic (other colors may be available)

The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar that was introduced in 1962. The Jaguar was originally intended to be a Jazz guitar. However, it quickly caught-on in the emerging surf music scene. It was then marketed and seen as a surf guitar, along with its sister guitar, the Fender Jazzmaster, both of which became quite 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, particularly Kurt Cobain. It has a rare extension called the Sierah which is used wide spread through Jazz intersection players^{[citation needed]}.

1 History
2 Design
3 Resurgence
4 Notable players
5 Reissue
6 Variations
7 External links

[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 treble-accented tone quality originally designed to cater to Jazz guitarists using heavy-gauge, bassy-sounding, flatwound strings. The rhythm circuit, set into operation when the upper bout switch is flicked upwards, gives the guitar a bassier, neck pickup only sound, with individual volume and tone rollers to preset. Another of the Jaguar's features was a spring-loaded rubber string mute, again designed for guitarists who had to palm mute for extended periods. This feature proved unpopular as it sent the guitar out of tune when it was used improperly. When properly adjusted, the mute will apply light pressure to heavy-gauge, flatwound strings without sending the guitar out of tune.

Like the Jazzmaster and Bass VI, the Jaguar has an unusual floating 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, and preventing strings from binding. 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 and easing removal of the tremolo arm. While these ideas worked well in theory on a well set up guitar, many guitarists and luthiers were ignorant of the correct setup, 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 block inlays), the entire Jaguar range has given a maple fingerboard with black binding and block inlays before being 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. The problem is worse on Japanese-made (reissue) Jaguars. The saddles on the Japanese Jags have more shallow grooves than their American-made counterparts (vintage or reissue). The cheap and easy solution to this problem is to deepen the string grooves with a file.

Rattling saddles can also be an issue with stock Jaguar bridges. However the saddles can be locked in place by setting the bridge baseplate relatively close to the body while adjusting the individual saddles upward, and using the posts to adjust action. Many Jaguar players as a solution replace the Jag bridge with a Fender Mustang-style bridge which is more solid in construction, however with some setups the strings can rattle against or contact the back of the Mustang bridge, meaning that buzz will not be reduced.

The rocking action of the bridge is often misunderstood; the unit pivots on its axis when the tremolo is used, similar in concept to a roller bridge. In particular when the bridge is adjusted too high up or during heavy palm muting, it occasionally can be knocked in one direction or another causing tuning problems. Some players fixed the bridge posts with tape, which sacrificed tuning stability under trem use. The original bridge works well when properly set up.

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 supposedly decreases string buzz. Some players claim that such implements are not necessary, and will force the bridge forward on some examples, as well as cause string binding. Some players however enjoy the increase in string tension on a guitar equipped with this device

Most prefer heavy gauge (or even flatwound) strings on the Jaguar. These in general increase string tension and help keep the setup tight.

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) Jason Lollar and Curtis Novak (both make 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. Much of the Jag's surfy twang comes from 1 meg pots in the rhythm and lead circuits, which brighten the guitar's tonality. A 50k pot in the rhythm circuit however yields a darker tone.

[edit] Resurgence

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

One of the reasons the Jaguar became so immensely 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 strummed behind the bridge, a unique 3rd bridge sound is created that is has come to be associated with the sound of Sonic Youth.

It has also been suggested that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were popular with late 80's indie artists precisely because of their unpopularity 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 advantageous 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 fiesta red 1962 Jaguar at the Woodstock 1999 festival for the part of the band's time on center stage. John also played 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 its 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'.

The Jaguar and Jazzmaster's resurgence almost exactly mirrors the "discovery" of the Gibson Les Paul in the '60s by rock guitarists looking for a 'heavy' sound unobtainable with the then-prevalent Fender Stratocaster. The Les Paul was an unfashionable model during its initial production because of the recent introduction of the Strat and could be obtained in the '60s for relatively low prices.

Jaguars are also finding favor among players with small hands. The Jaguar and Mustang are the two guitars in the Fender lineup with a short (24 inch) scale length and slim neck. Players with small hands find these necks easier to play when attempting difficult chords (e.g. Jazz).

[edit] Notable players

Blixa Bargeld of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Einstürzende Neubauten
Matthew Bellamy of Muse
Frank Black of Pixies
Jonny Buckland of Coldplay
James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers
Greg Camp of Smash Mouth
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
Graham Coxon of Blur
Mike Einziger of Incubus
John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers
Polly Jean Harvey of PJ Harvey
Tim Gane of Stereolab
Jimi Hendrix of The Jimi Hendrix Experience
James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins
Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones
John Squire of The Stone Roses
Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Modest Mouse
J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr
Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth
Kelly Jones of Stereophonics
Gavin Rossdale of Bush
Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
Robert Smith of The Cure
Tom Verlaine of Television
Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys

[edit] Reissue

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 chrome rather than stainless steel parts and have brass shielding plates installed in the cavities (Japanese guitars made before 96/97 also have brass shielding). 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 Jaguars currently exist. The Fender Jag-Stang, a Mustang/Jaguar hybrid, was built for Kurt Cobain however.

[edit] Variations

Fender Jaguar Special 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), 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.