Stripes

More cool stuff from the Japan end of Fender. There are currently two offset models featuring competition stripes at the elbow rest area, this Traditional 60s Jaguar is one of them. The black version has this partial stripe with the ends disappearing into a burst effect.

The other offset is the Jazzmaster. For both models, the sunburst finish feature the full length stripes as depicted here. I'm just of the opinion that the burst finish does not accommodate the stripes well.

Pics: Fender Japan

BG / WG

Not new, definitely, but given the gold hardware treatment. We all know the proverbial guitar that sports this black finish - gold hardware combo. Here it is...

Nothing, new indeed. The black - gold finish just exudes class & the Les Paul Custom had been an enduring image in this light.

The Fender Japan camp also offer the white - gold combo if black is not your thing. 

Pics: Fender Japan

Affinity Jaguar

This is a good move from Squier. A new Affinity Jaguar model that keeps things simple in the electronics department; a slanted 3-way switch. Nice.

If you dot wish for a dark fretboard material (laurel), then this maple version featuring a sparkling metallic brown finish, is absolutely cool.

Pics: Fender

Player II: J & J

The relatively new Player II instruments (released by Fender recently) included the Jaguar & Jazzmaster models. Note the simplicity: 1) Both models do not feature the tone circuit at the bass side cutaway 2) Both models also feature simple 3-way selectors. Reality check - these feature are somewhat preferred by many players who do not wish to meddle with switches during play. They like what the Strat & Tele have to offer in this aspect & Fender made it happen with the Player II iteration. Neat.

Feline midweek

 

Single coil midweek but do wish to play a Strat. This is the final purchase from Swee Lee's Sims Drive warehouse sale before it moved to another location. This was actually a forgotten model; nobody knew where the bag & accessories for this guitar were. I went home with this guitar in as-is condition, extra careful in not banging it against anything. The strings looked like they were there since day one. One of them snapped while I was trying to tune the guitar at home.

Before any playing happened, the guitar got a fresh set of GHS, 10.5 set as it's a short-scale instrument (24"). The popular / recommended gauge here is 11s but that's a bit too much for me. 

Have this string retainer lying around at home, so might as well. This isn't the roller type but the rounded one used in American Fenders.

Offset FSRs

 I've never been distracted by Squiers this much. These FSR Classic Vibe offset models are something.

I think I'm quite a sucker for block inlays in a Jaguar  ($719) / Jazzmaster ($729). They are just likeable quirks to me. These are of course available at Swee Lee in the mean time. Again, those prices are potential deal breakers (for me especially) but guitar prices are trending upwards these days & they are gonna get more 'unreasonable' soon. For that kind of prices, we could get a Japanese guitar in a relatively good condition. Decisions, decisions...

Pics: Music Radar

JaGHS

Spent some time with the Modern Player Jaguar, before & after treatment time. It was a smooth affair at the Cancer Center today so my chemo session ended before 4pm; that's a very rare feat for the nursing team as they usually get overwhelmed by 1pm. That's when everyone's back from lunch & resumes treatment. Anyway, had a GHS set of 10.5s in there. The standard practice for a 24" scale guitar is a set of 11s but this doesn't suit everyone, depending on their handling nature of course. I'm in the light touch camp & the Jaguar here is in standard tuning so the tension is about right for me. I don't like strings that fight back, it induces lethargy & mistakes.

Also, swapped out the default string retainers for the ones you see here. The round surface means strings will not get snagged by sharp edges & snap after repeated travel (during tuning that is). FYI, Fender's Modern Player Series (discontinued) are the only Fender-labelled headstock that are made in China. You might think that it's all about cutting as much corners when it comes to Chinese made instruments & selling them for as much as possible but the MP range of instruments proved otherwise. I've had positive experiences with them - at least the ones I tried in person - & ended up buying them. 😅

The Tesla pickups here are such a blast. They can give full humbucking pickups a run for the money in terms of heavy chugging. I'm just glad I snapped them up while they were still available. These are the VR-P90  to be precise, nothing high output but they have their sweet moments under high gain settings. With that said, I had to lower the bridge P90 quite a bit to prevent wolf tones from chiming in during overdriven moments.

Squier 2021: Contemporary listings (2)

Two more Contemporary Squiers for 2021, the Tele above is a HH model. Yes, the single coil pickup there is a humbucker. Together with the neck, these are the SQR models (Atomic / Rail) which will provide plenty of punch for modern drive tones. They should have equipped this guitar with a coil split option for some single coil moments but we know Squier has many other models for that tone type.

This is the Contemporary Jaguar HH & this sky burst metallic finish is simply awesome. Pickups here are also the SQR Atomic humbuckers. This one sports a 24" scale length so that's as Jaguar as it gets. Same thing, a coil split option would be nice because the Jaguar in its original incarnation, is a single coil beast.

The idea of an HH Jaguar isn't new. They used to have the Japanese Jaguar Special HH seen above in black. This one retained the Jaguar's original pickup switching. I used to own one, reason for selling - chose to embrace the Jaguar in its single coil incarnation instead. I feel the guitar sounds 'unique' in the single coil version, the humbuckers made it sound like other humbucking guitars; too many of those around.

Pics: Squier / Guitar Specs

JagSun

Played this for a while yesterday & felt a change in string action. I didn't recall meddling with the action because this had been set up to be one of my go-to in terms of playing comfort. After a closer look, so the neck bowed a little. I didn't have a clue as to what took place at the Chinese factory but the truss rod nut was an extra large version. The regular wrench for my Strats (that darker one) didn't fit (loose) so out came the size 5 & that was it. 

While I was at it, managed to clean the mouldy bits at the lower frets & conditioned the entire neck. This bottle of Dunlop conditioner was the nearest available option. 

I think I'm pretty much at home with a set of 10.5s in all my Jaguars. 

Pounding Jaguar

Wasn't too happy with this one due to the default pickups- not hot enough for high gain stuff. OK so the Jaguars were meant to be as such.

So these took over- Seymour Duncan's Quarter Pound for Jaguar (SJAG-3). Not available at the shops, an online purchase. If you are interested, be informed that they don't come with the cover & claw. The default covers were not compatible with these Duncans as the bobbins for the QPs are slightly wider to accommodate the bigger pole pieces. Again, these are not available locally & the online order + wait delayed the installation. 

If you are after a more aggressive, fatter sounding Jaguar tones, these are the ones to get. I enjoyed the fatter cleans as well despite a less frequent usage but those who dislike excessive high end, be warned that things could be a little extreme especially when the guitar's Mid Tone is set to CUT. Whatever the case may be, I'm glad the SJAG-3s are serving my needs. 

Another positive episode with Seymour Duncans- my kind of pickups. 👍

Sweet singles

OK this is definitely consolation. Days ago I was whining about some dead end single coil tones but putting things in perspective, I just needed some high output single coils to make my day. Thankfully, I have those in the house but not in a Strat. Seen above, a pair of hot Mojo Tone Knockout pickups. Paired with a booster unit & my go-to pick, it was a good Sunday. On days like this, I'm just grateful I have what I want, it's just a swap away so no excuses.

Some mojo (2)

Was at Beez's on Tuesday to get these done. The pair of Mojo Tone pickups featured here are the Knockout model. The default Japanese Jaguar single coils were above average clean but in driven mode, they just sounded thin. I was expecting at least an on par performance against a Strat single coil but that proved to be a let down in this aspect.

These pickups are higher output sporting ceramic magnets but with a healthy dose of sustain. The slotted pole pieces were a clever touch to maintain a balanced output/ volume across strings. They are awesome clean as well so these are worthy replacements in deed.

Before heading home, we managed to chill out 😎

Of bridges

The Fender American Pro Jaguar & Jazzmaster received a feature refinement in 2017 with the addition of a 'new' bridge which isn't new. Seen above is the aforementioned bridge which is clearly visible at the manufacturer's website.

The hardware in question is actually the Mustang bridge which retrofits into the Jaguar/ Jazzmaster  readily due to identical measurements.

As you can see, the original Jaguar bridge (right)  features saddles which do not have a dedicated string slot unlike the Mustang's (left). Players with a dedicated bending technique often face the frustration of having their strings dislodged & causing unwanted tuning issues during play. This is a DIY 'upgrade' if you wish to avoid such contentions, simply purchase the Mustang bridge (available at TYMC by the way) & do a swap over. Done. 

Jag-la

Was at Beez's yesterday to get this pair of Teslas into my Fender MP Jaguar. The default pickups were above-average clean but not that enticing when it comes to overdrive. By the way, Teslas are going for 25% off at SV Guitars this sale season.

Did a capacitor replacement as well- it's a Montreux Retrovibe this time.

Last but not least, a quick re-string with the no-frills D'Addario XL set of 10s. Thank you Davis GMC for keeping prices reasonable! 

I'm very happy with this guitar not that it bears the Fender name, in fact, it means nothing at all. I'm fortunate to have come across a mahogany-P-90 pairing which is more meaningful to me. The bolt-on construction means there's more snap than what a Gibson could have offered in terms of tone, with the same combo. The Modern Player series were deemed a pathetic attempt by purists in selling the Fender name. This camp prefers to own a high end Squier than forking out money for any basement dwelling Fender model. But a deeper reading would reveal the fact that those people who handled the afore-mentioned glorified Squiers were indeed the ones handling the Modern Player series. 

Hot cats

Yet another pickup swap weekend? Hmm... 😎

Despite liking the default tone of both my Jaguars, I need them to be ferocious when it comes to overdrive. So here goes. 

Jaguar picking

Had some playing time last weekend, the Jaguar was it. Looking forward to swap the pickups out in time to come. They are definitely alright but they aren't meeting my needs.

Put the Iron Age Bellona pick to some slower passages, mostly legato applications. When one employs such a playing technique, one would appreciate the gliding quality of one's pick so material plays a big part here. 

Goodbye October... ✋

Modern Player- recall (Part 2)

So I bought the Fender Modern Player Jaguar. It's a loser model, already discontinued in 2014, what was I thinking?

I always go with what's best for me regardless if it's a pariah model by popular standards. I don't conform to contemporary consensus & that's how I discover guitars with overlooked mojo. As they say, one man's gem might be another's trash.

This MP Jaguar has a familiar feel, namely its shorter scale length. I find this the crucial difference in making me embrace the instrument, otherwise it's just another standard scale Fender out there. Yes, all Jaguars sport that shorter scale length (24"). I know. The P-90s are nothing special but I'm still enthralled by how they sound in use simultaneously. They even sound fantastic under lots of drive but excuse the hum, of course. I'm still a sucker for satin finish after all these years. If you are interested to own one, be informed that the Fender Traditional bag for Strat/Tele will fit this beast but bear with the tight fit.

For the record, I now own all the offset models Fender had to offer in the Modern Player series, the reason no other models were mentioned in my preceding entry. This instrument, arguably the lowest in the hierarchy & the least commercially viable, was discontinued in 2014 as mentioned above. If a store here still brings them in after all these years, what does that imply? Something to think about.

To be continued...

Modern Player- recall (Part 1)

Back in 2011, Fender introduced (re-introduced?) the Marauder in the Modern Player series. The Modern Player, my friends, consist of idiosyncratic models which forged its identity by assuming an established Fender monicker only to fall victim to the manufacturer's creative license in making it 'different'. 

Fender also released the Jaguar in the same series, altering it significantly to manifest some Gibson-ish DNA in terms of tone- P-90s, tune-o-matic, 3-way toggle... these are definitely not Fender genetics.

On that note, they messed with the Jazzmaster as well, desecrating its signature tone by including humbuckers & a rather profane fretboard switch to maple. 

And while they're at it, why not include the Mustang into the mix. P-90 equipped Mustang instead of traditional single coils.

To be continued...

Biting coils

Single coil mode still on. Getting ready to put aside menacing distortion for creamy drive. I've been putting the single coils through too much distortion for the last week or so, I still need the saturation to manifest acceptable legatos but it's time to abandon the amp & pedal boost this time round.

I like the Jaguar. I used to hate it a life time ago due to pickup squeals & unnecessary switches. I failed to fully appreciate the tone per se & that shorter scale length. With the American Pro Jaguar now available, I should be heading for that option but the price is simply a deal breaker. Really glad I grabbed whatever came my way. That Schecter VE-TE is another glad-I-bought-it instrument; simply great tones with those Duncan Quarter pounds in there. 

Was Re-string Sunday

Last Sunday saw the white Fender Jaguar getting its re-string. This was how the bridge saddles looked like. It seems that a respect for set-up just doesn't exist any more (from the warehouse). After re-instating the proper radius, some of the strings rested on the action adjustment screws & this caused some buzzing to occur. Maybe that's the reason why the saddles were slanted as such in the first place. But that's plain laziness.

A set of Pyramid 0095s for the white feline & we're good to go. It's always a joy to play the shorter scaled Jaguar even more so once properly set up.