What a score! Here’s an unsold Jaguar 50th Anniversary model, from 2012, which we received as part of a trade with a dealer in the US. 100% Mint, unsold, complete with original Fender hard shell case and case candy.
Beach Boys
As shown on the exclusive 50th Anniversary neckplate, (see pic # 1), the Jaguar made its first appearance back in 1962, becoming Fender’s first new model since the Jazzmaster in 1958. The Jaguar was based on the Jazzmaster layout, but featured a slightly shorter, more player-friendly scale length, (24” vs 25.5”), plus brighter, higher output pickups, and more control options. The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson was an early adopter, his Jaguar sounds propelling many of the band’s hits, right through into the seventies.
An incredibly versatile guitar!
Besides the Beach Boys, other original surf bands, such as the Surfaris and the Chantells were also big Jaguar advocates, and out of extreme leftfield, so was Johnny Cash’s guitarist, Luther Perkins. Hendrix had a pair of Jags. Then, in the mid-nineties, as grunge took off around the world, Jaguars were all over the place again, out in front of the Pixies, Nirvana, Flaming Lips, My Bloody Valentine and more. Tom Verlaine of Television, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Johnny Marr and Wilco’s Nels Cline are all Jag fans. The story being told here is that the Jaguar is an incredibly versatile guitar!
Only found on the Jag
While the Jaguar has always been known as a hotter machine than the Jazzmaster, the limited edition 50th Anniversary model ups the ante slightly, with a pair of newly designed ‘Hot Jaguar’ single-coil pickups, delivering fatter tone and considerably more output – around double the output of the American Vintage Reissue model! (As shown in pic # 5, the pickups are still framed by the model’s classic notched metal “claws”; a hum-reducing innovation only found on the Jag)
Standout Features
Standout features of our killer 50th Anniversary model include: gorgeous Burgundy Mist Metallic lacquer finish over a solid Alder body; vintage tint, modern ‘C’ profile neck; bound fingerboard, with 22 medium-jumbo frets and traditional 9½” radius; vintage-style tuners; separate volume & tone for each pickup, as well as individual on-off switching for each pickup, plus a separate Lead/Rhythm tone switch, (high-pass filter). Here is a LINK to a handy YouTube demo clip, where the Jag’s various switches are explained.
Improved break angle
One other major tweak that Fender incorporated was combining a new one degree neck pitch with a slight shift forward for the tailpiece, giving the guitar improved break angle over the bridge, plus better playing clearance across the pickups.
A grittier, more edgy sound
The Anniversary model was specially tweaked by the Fender design department to have a grittier, more edgy sound than the American Vintage Reissue model – and it’s a better guitar for it – but, almost unbelievably, as well as grit and edge, it can also do jazz, blues, country and much, much more! The 50th Anniversary Jaguar is definitely one of the most versatile guitars Fender have ever produced, easily pushed into some exotic and wide-ranging overdrive territory, but more than capable of sweetening up really nicely, too.
Amazing Burgundy Mist Metallic
Burgundy Mist is a rare color that Fender usually reserve for Custom Shop models, (else it’s a $400 special order Custom Color). It’s one of the alltime classic Fender colors, and on our 50th Anniversary Jag, it absolutely radiates class and distinction. And perched inside its top-of-the-range, G&G gold plush case, it’s practically like the crown jewels displayed on a bed of velvet.
Free courier delivery
Brand new, unplayed, 100% complete, including original Fender hard case and case candy, our stunning 50th Anniversary model Jaguar includes FREE COURIER DELIVERY to any address in Australia. ($100 shipping to New Zealand, $175 to the US, Canada, UK and mainstream European countries)
Just Guitars
