What about Jaguars?

[LightForce104]

Whenever I'm on here, I see people raving about their new J and P basses. Why is there no love for Jaguars?

[HuntYouDown]

I just got the Squier VM Jaguar and love it. It's non conforming so thats why they are not as popular. But it sounds pretty awesome I may add.

[ZombieSpacebat]

I think they look pretty cool, I've never seen one in person to actually give it a try though.

[PWRL]

I love mine, but they've only been around eight or nine years, and the P and J have spent decades earning iconic status and establishing a great track record. Also, while there is a "deluxe" version of the Jaguar, which is an outstanding instrument, it's a lot easier to get excited about a Custom Shop 62 Jazz reissue.
To boot, nobody's "owned" the Jaguar the way the P and J have been owned. There has yet to be a Jamerson, Duck Dunn or John Paul Jones of the Jaguar. It's legacy has yet to be established.
Just my take.

[alexlocurto]

I think PWRL's got it right.

That being said, I'd take a Jaguar over a J or a P any day.

[ShonenCello]

Wikipedia has a list of Jaguar players at the bottom of the page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Jaguar_Bass

[BassFuzz24]

I'm surprised that they aren't more popular. It's a really versatile instrument and you can get them for very reasonable prices.

[Bongolation]

It would help if the OP clarified WHICH Jaguars.

It's not like there's much in common between them.

I have an original MIJ. Not a huge fan. Lame electronics and pickups, gimmicky.

Nice MIJ build, though.

[Fair Warning]

I chose a CIJ Jag Delux originally to be a little different. First off, you get quality for a good price. The common noise problem was solved when I took the time to 100% seal the electronics bays with copper tape. This bass turned out to be not only different, but the best sounding Fender that I have ever had.
The sound controls with the active dials up top make it the best user friendly controls of any bass that I know. I am quite pleased!

However, there are not much in common with the Squire or Mod Player versions except the body shape, so I cannot speak for them.

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by Fair Warning

I chose a CIJ Jag Delux originally to be a little different. First off, you get quality for a good price.

Well, if you just would have waited, you could have gotten an upside-down one even cheaper!

My personal take is different to begin with. Before the accident ended any hope of me gigging again, my (possibly overworked) theory of presentation precluded my ever using anything but bog-standard, iconic pro gear on stage.

I was initially pretty offended by the original Jaguar as a gimmicky bass that was showing up during a particularly bad silly-season of novelty instruments from Fender and Gibson. I only got mine when they were being dumped at really crazy prices, plus what I could knock off with additional stacked discounts. I think I paid about $410 for mine. I am generally appreciative of superior MIJ build so I couldn't pass it up, even if I wasn't crazy about the concept -- plus the 3CSB/tortoiseshell version was less comical-looking to me.

The noise was atrocious on mine, but I got that squared away, though the pots were scratchy in the active circuit.

The so-called "vintage" pickups are nothing of the kind, but some kind of mystery cheap ceramics.

The common noise problem was solved when I took the time to 100% seal the electronics bays with copper tape.

That was overkill. It just took a simple patch to link up a discontinuity to ground with some of the shielding to fix that.

Most of the initial noise in mine eventually tracked back to that iffy battery connection, which had developed oxide isolation.

This bass turned out to be not only different, but the best sounding Fender that I have ever had.

This of course is entirely subjective.

I didn't feel entirely easy about putting higher-tension flats on that slim neck, and I can't say any sound with rounds is even meaningful to me.

I knew for a few different reasons that this was never going to be a bass I'd use. I would never gig with it, one doesn't normally record with actives and in passive mode I had better J-type basses anyway.

I remedied the noise problems and set it up, then put it away -- though because of the slim neck I did play it a bit when I was first trying to get over hand surgery.

The sound controls with the active dials up top make it the best user friendly controls of any bass that I know.

Mine were scratchy out of the box.

The above post applies to the original Jaguar bass.

I have no idea what changes were made in its reintroduction as the "Deluxe Jaguar," though I've been told there were none except dropping the tortoiseshell pickguard.

[Toptube]

Originally Posted by Bongolation

The so-called "vintage" pickups are nothing of the kind, but some kind of mystery cheap ceramics.

One man's garbage tone is another man's gold, I suppose. I find the ceramic stock pickups to sound really cool, with rounds. They pick up a lot of high end "sparkle" and sound great with a tiny bit of fret buzz dialed into the action.

Now that I'm typing this, I can totally see why you didn't like it. I think I picked up from your post that you are a flats user, going for that vintage sound. Out of the box, the Jag is setup to be a modern rock instrument. Meant to be used with rounds.

Although acoustically, My Jag is the best sounding bass I've ever layed my hands on. I imagine you could do anything to it, with the right pickups. Although I tried Fender Custom shop 60's in mine and found them to be garbage. They were so low output that I found them to be unusable even in my bedroom.

I've never cared for the active circuit. I find it to be fairly natural sounding if set modestly, but in my oppinion an active circuit should sound way different than passive. and, the dials quickly gets out of hand.

I have no idea what changes were made in its reintroduction as the "Deluxe Jaguar," though I've been told there were none except dropping the tortoiseshell pickguard.

The new Deluxe Jag has 60's spacing insted of 70's spacing. and I think the neck is more like a standard Jazz neck, whereas the Original Jaguar Bass was much slimmer. I've heard it was the same/similar to the Geddy Jazz basses.

I also don't think they are made in Japan anymore.

[NYCbassist]

Originally Posted by Bongolation

It would help if the OP clarified WHICH ....................I have an original MIJ. Not a huge fan. Lame electronics and pickups, gimmicky. ........................

I have to disagree. Every knob & Switch has a distinct effect on the tone. The Single coils are powerful as all heck. MY Jag does the Geddy Lee tones without effort and you can a Phat P-Bass just as easily. I love this Bass.

[NYCbassist]

Originally Posted by Fair Warning

I chose a CIJ Jag Delux originally to be a little different. First off, you get quality for a good price. The common noise problem was solved when I took the time to 100% seal the electronics bays with copper tape. This bass turned out to be not only different, but the best sounding Fender that I have ever had.
The sound controls with the active dials up top make it the best user friendly controls of any bass that I know. I am quite pleased!

However, there are not much in common with the Squire or Mod Player versions except the body shape, so I cannot speak for them.

+1 on all of this. Early MIJ Jaguars Rule.

[klejst]

I am mostly a P bass player, however tried out a Jaguar in my local music store a while back because I was always curious about them. Sadly, it was just not for me, however perhaps it does work great for other players. It always gets my eye with it's look though i'll give it that.

[Tommygunn]

I don't like how they look and TBQH I've yet to play a non-CS they sounded good.


The single best bass I've ever played was a Fender CS "el gato". Jag body with a single tv jones single coil, only a volume control, and quite the chunky pbass neck to boot. Its my dream bass and I'd do anything to get it, but its about $15k

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by Toptube

One man's garbage tone is another man's gold, I suppose. I find the ceramic stock pickups to sound really cool, with rounds. They pick up a lot of high end "sparkle" and sound great with a tiny bit of fret buzz dialed into the action.

Now that I'm typing this, I can totally see why you didn't like it. I think I picked up from your post that you are a flats user, going for that vintage sound. Out of the box, the Jag is setup to be a modern rock instrument.

You're pretty much right about that (though I understand the role of what I refer to as "effects bass"), but my real point was FMIC's usual disgraceful and apparently compulsive abuse of the term, "vintage."

Although acoustically, My Jag is the best sounding bass I've ever layed my hands on.

In that I these days approach bass purely from a recording standpoint, I would define that as tonal consistency and absence of hot/dead spots, which is an almighty quest on a Fender bass!

I imagine you could do anything to it, with the right pickups. Although I tried Fender Custom shop 60's in mine and found them to be garbage.

What those pickups actually are would be interesting to find out. How, or even if, they differ from OVs I can't imagine...in fact, I believe they ARE indeed OVs in a new 2012 box with a price increase. Think about it.

I foolishly got a set of OVs (just because they were on sale) to replace a 58358/9 "vintage" set in another Jazz. My A/B digital test DI control recordings showed no really appreciable change, though the pickups had substantial build differences.

They were so low output that I found them to be unusable even in my bedroom.

Compared to ceramics that might be the case, as they are generally hotter (and cheaper) compared to conventional Alnico pickups.

The new Deluxe Jag has 60's spacing insted of 70's spacing. and I think the neck is more like a standard Jazz neck, whereas the Original Jaguar Bass was much slimmer. I've heard it was the same/similar to the Geddy Jazz basses.

My understanding was that the neck dimensions were the same as the GL's but though I've read this many times, I personally don't know if it's true.

I also don't think they are made in Japan anymore.

Still have the 025- Japanese part number. The GLs, which are MIM now, have changed to 014- Mexico part number. I think these are still being turned out by Dyna-Gakki. FJ production is supposedly all Dyna currently and Tokai is out of the picture.

[victthoe]

It's non conforming so thats why they are not as popular.

[PWRL]

FWIW, I have found the MIJ Jaguar necks to be noticeably thicker than the GLs.

[skwee]

Love my Jaguar Deluxe. Used mostly in the P-bass sound setting, and passive, but love love love the neck.

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by PWRL

FWIW, I have found the MIJ Jaguar necks to be noticeably thicker than the GLs.

I suspected this to be the case, but I've never tried for myself.

There have been claims here that the pickups were the same as GL pickups, and I made the mistake of repeating that before finding for myself that it was completely untrue.

The pickups are just "JB SINGLE(JAPAN)ｘ2"...beyond that, I dunno.