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Fender American Standard Jaguar Bass
- Thread starter ironworm
- Start date
It’s a wonderful instrument. I put some custom pearl knobs on it. I’m still a *little* puzzled at the series/parallel stuff…
I had one.
It was a very cool bass. It just had too many knobs and buttons for my dumb ass, to figure out.
It was a very cool bass. It just had too many knobs and buttons for my dumb ass, to figure out.
I’ve got a black U.S. Jaguar with no neck dive issues. It’s the best made instrument I own and I’d probably only sell it if I was in deep financial trouble or something.
To be quite honest I’ll note I pretty much view it as a super P bass and only use that pickup. I would have been fine without the J pickup or active stuff. Still, if you spend some time with it you can get a lot of tones out of it, and that series/parallel switch is not subtle.
To be quite honest I’ll note I pretty much view it as a super P bass and only use that pickup. I would have been fine without the J pickup or active stuff. Still, if you spend some time with it you can get a lot of tones out of it, and that series/parallel switch is not subtle.
Is it the best bass I owned? No, but that body style is so cool, that if Fender released a simpler version, I’d highly consider it.
If you are adept at figuring out the controls on those MIA’s you have a very nice, versatile bass.
No neck dive on these, as they have the lighter modern tuners. No screaming electronics on these, either.
Here's the link for the instruction manual. I found this indispensable for learning the ins/outs.
https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10002/019-4700A_SISD.pdf
Here's the link for the instruction manual. I found this indispensable for learning the ins/outs.
https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10002/019-4700A_SISD.pdf
At one point I wanted to put a set of GZR EMGs in the Jaguar, largely to try to get a noiseless J but the bass is wired like a space ship. No way I could put the new pickups in at my low level of skill. I play with some level of dirt all the time and a J pickup is just too noisy.
Its interesting how long it took for these to "catch-on" and how much they have shot up in price in the last couple of years. I remember years ago rummaging thru the classifieds here on TB and there was a red one, much like this one, sitting still at $900 for weeks...crazy! I still kick myself
Fender seemed to have made a ton of red MIJ ones. Not so much sunburst or Oly white. I used to see red ones for sale, all the time.
At the time, they were 1,499, new. I paid $1,200, used, shipped, for my MIA, in 2015, but absolutely mint. The pick guard still had the plastic wrap. This was 6.5 years ago. I can’t imagine what they go for, now.
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Is that accurate? I've never played an MIA but I have an MIJ and that doesn't match mine or what Invalid Link Removed says about the MIA. (The series/parallel direction are reversed.)
As far as my MIJ goes at least, I think the controls are so much simpler than these complicated charts and explanations make out.
- There's an on/off for the neck pickup.
- There's an on/off for the bridge pickup.
- There's a series/parallel switch.
- If you select series, either both pickups are on or neither is.
- The upper horn controls the preamp and is just on/off, bass and treble.
That's it.
The only confusing thing is that, in series mode, both pickups can be on when only one of the pickup switches is turned on, but you don't have to think about that at all. Just switch both pickups on or off together when you're in series mode and don't think about it.
Hope this helps and doesn't make it more confusing.
It's more complicated than a J, sure, but in some ways it's simpler too because all of the decisions you make are binary yes/nos.
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The switching combinations can be figured out in 5 minutes. This is a super versatile P bass. I wouldn’t change the bridge pickup (or they P pickup) because it sounds fantastic, especially with the active bass boost.
No neck dive, even though the bass is very light.
I paid 1900 for mine, which is a a LOT for me. It’s a fantastic bass, with great fit and finish, so I’m pleased with the purchase.
No neck dive, even though the bass is very light.
I paid 1900 for mine, which is a a LOT for me. It’s a fantastic bass, with great fit and finish, so I’m pleased with the purchase.
I got my black one at the end of 2017 for $1100 and it was a floor model with a few scratches on the back, via a Reverb shop. Still had the plastic on and came with all the stuff you are supposed to get new. At the time the Jags were already getting scarce and I felt very lucky to have found the bass.
