Fender Jaguars - thoroughly confused!

Fuengi

Hypothetically thinking what I might do if I sell my Strat and looking at Jag's. I'd have a budget of UP TO £900 but would only spend what I perceive to be good value.

So, a bit of research hasn't really helped. I'd really want a nice dark, rich rosewood board so a new MiM is out as they are PF I think? Also Poly finish is a no no. 

Have looked at some used MiJ / CiJ (?) used on Reverb (Gas Station Guitars) but apparently the Japanese stuff suffers from poor wiring and pickups, so you got to spend another few hundred quid to upgrade.

Please point me in the right direction! 

dindude

Get a used AVRI - may be lucky at £900, but prob need closer to £1K, but worth it.

Hick81

If you shop around you could probably land on a AVRI model for around that. Richtone in Sheff had a 2nd hand black 62 AVRI jag in last year for £899. 

stickyfiddle

AVRI or AV65 is good advice if you can find one, and don't discount the Johnny Marr one - you might get a battered one for under 1k if you find someone with a bill needing paying.

The Mexican Classic Lacquer series is another good bet, as long as you're ok with skinny frets. 

Anything else has slightly crappy pickups, though Jags are usually better than JMs. 

Hattigol

Scrimp. Save. Wait.
Buy a Johnny Marr one.
In that order.

Fuengi

I did try the Forest Green Johnny Marr a few years ago, twas very nice but more than I'd want to spend. 

meltedbuzzbox

You can stain a pf board if it is really that much of an issue?

I think at 900 you are slightly pricing yourself out of what you want with your requirements. You might get lucky though.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss poly especially with how thick the nitro is on the Mexican stuff and the 62 avri stuff

Fuengi

Never thought about staining a pf board... should be easy enough. 

I absolutely hate the feel of poly though. I could always strip it and get it sprayed I suppose. 

Fuengi

Anyone got any experience of the 90s / 2000s CiJ Reissue Jag's?

Babones

Perhaps look out for a used road worn Jag (only in CAR though). I'd avoid any overpriced CIJs which will have cheap electronics.

meltedbuzzbox

Fuengi said:

Anyone got any experience of the 90s / 2000s CiJ Reissue Jag's?



Yes, I've owned several. 

adampeter

Ive got a brand new 2018 oly white fender pro Jag im thinking of selling, PM me if your interested

Fuengi

meltedbuzzbox said:

Fuengi said:

Anyone got any experience of the 90s / 2000s CiJ Reissue Jag's?



Yes, I've owned several. 

Right! So does that mean they are superb and you keep buying more, or that you are still looking for a good one? 

markblack

I really like my JM jag. Yes a bit more, think i payed a £1100. But you'll get your money back. Really nice neck. And the mods done are handy.

meltedbuzzbox

Fuengi said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Fuengi said:

Anyone got any experience of the 90s / 2000s CiJ Reissue Jag's?



Yes, I've owned several. 

Right! So does that mean they are superb and you keep buying more, or that you are still looking for a good one? 

I've owned a lot of various jags over the years.

I liked the mij/cij ones the most (until I bought my custom shop).

The ones I have owned have all been light with good neck profiles and great customer colours. The pickups have always been garbage but the rest of the loom has been perfectly usable. I wouldn't change it unless it's faulty. I always change the bridge to mastery or staytrem.

Ishibashi ubox can be a great place to pick up an used jag for 300-400 quid.

The 62 avri models I've played have always been real heavy and thickly finished. I also think the pickups in those are pretty pony too. They do have a great neck profile though.

I've never played a 65 avri but I hear nothing but good things.

I'm not a fan of the Marr but a lot of people do like those. 

The Mexican ones can be on the heavy side but aren't bad

Funkfingers

Fuengi said:

Hypothetically thinking what I might do if I sell my Strat and looking at Jags. ... Please point me in the right direction! 

I shall point you in the direction of big strings. Elevens and upwards. Jaguars ride very differently from Strats and Teles. The shorter scale demands larger gauges to maintain string tension. The set up is critical.

Fuengi said:

Anyone got any experience of the 90s / 2000s CiJ Reissue Jags?

Yes. My mildly modified example fell under the gravitational influence of the Harry Seven warehouse. I think it now has the pickups from my AVRI '62 under the stock Japanese covers and screening claws.

http://urbanparanoia1.wixsite.com/harryseven/fullscreen-page/comp-irkm5hav/3ea6e6cc-3d9d-4fc0-8e21-f1fdb58eb7f0/106/?i=106&p=q17v5&s=style-ivmfprjj

I found the CIJ neck profile quite clubby and the nut width too narrow.

The vibrato system is inferior to the American version in several important respects.

Babones said:

I'd avoid any overpriced CIJs which will have cheap electronics.

+1 I upgraded everything on the master control plate. 

Stupidly, Fender (Japan) applies that grey graphite screening paint to all of the cavities but does not link them to ground with yer actual insulated wire. Duh!

Hattigol said:

Scrimp. Save. Wait.

dindude said:

Get a used AVRI - may be lucky at £900, but prob need closer to £1K, but worth it.

My local Fender dealership had a short run Jag that was proving difficult to shift. As soon as the guitar was offered at a discount, I snaffled it up. Two Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups and some StayTrem parts later, it is a keeper.

Adam_MD

You could buy all of the parts then give it to someone like the guys at feline guitars to put it together and set it up for you.  

Fuengi

meltedbuzzbox said:

Fuengi said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Fuengi said:

Anyone got any experience of the 90s / 2000s CiJ Reissue Jag's?



Yes, I've owned several. 

Right! So does that mean they are superb and you keep buying more, or that you are still looking for a good one? 

I've owned a lot of various jags over the years.

I liked the mij/cij ones the most (until I bought my custom shop).

The ones I have owned have all been light with good neck profiles and great customer colours. The pickups have always been garbage but the rest of the loom has been perfectly usable. I wouldn't change it unless it's faulty. I always change the bridge to mastery or staytrem.

Ishibashi ubox can be a great place to pick up an used jag for 300-400 quid.

The 62 avri models I've played have always been real heavy and thickly finished. I also think the pickups in those are pretty pony too. They do have a great neck profile though.

I've never played a 65 avri but I hear nothing but good things.

I'm not a fan of the Marr but a lot of people do like those. 

The Mexican ones can be on the heavy side but aren't bad

Thanks, that's really helpful.

The Ishibashi site - you have to order from Japan? What's the delivery time / charge like any import duties? 

francer

Has anyone mentioned that MIJ/CiIJ will be poly, I didn’t think the OP wanted that.

francer

There”s a used AV65 on Gumtree at the moment, it’s a bit above your preferred price, but it’s been floating around for a little while now, so maybe you could try an offer and get lucky (no affiliation btw).

or you could hold out for a used (and hence rosewood) MIM classic 60s or roadworn 60s Jaguar. These are both nitro AFAIK.

Thinking about it, the change to PF is still fairly recent, maybe scan around a few of the less mainstream music shops, you might found someone still has a rosewood one somewhere.

thermionic

Fuengi said:

Anyone got any experience of the 90s / 2000s CiJ Reissue Jag's?

The Japanese ones have a poly finish though, don’t they?

The Classic Lacquer finish may not be super-thin like the thin skin of the AVRIs and the Johnny Marr, but mine has developed a nice soft patina which you don’t get with poly. The Roadworn Series have poly-finished necks - which is a moot point as most of it has been removed!