Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special HH Guitar Review

The original Fender Jaguar was very unique among other Fender models. It was made back in the 1960's as a complement to the more popular Telecaster and Stratocaster, and had its own very distinct tone. Although some very popular artists dug the sound, it was definitely not for everyone. Today, Fender has decided to bring back this guitar with the Classic Player Jaguar Special HH. Let's take a closer look to see how true the update remains to the original.

Features: Like most Fender instruments, the body of the Player Jaguar Special HH is made of select alder wood. It is contoured much like a Stratocaster, except the cutaways and tail have their very own unique shape and look. The finish on the Jaguar can either be stark white or three tone sunburst, with a brown tortoise shell pickguard. They combine to give the Jaguar a very vintage look. The neck is bolted onto the guitar, and is made of maple. The fretboard is rosewood, with black dot inlays. This, however, is where the Jaguar's similarities to other Fenders ends. The bridge is called a Fender Adjusto-Matic. It has a very distinct circular look, and comes complete with a screw-in tremolo bar. The bridge plate, weirdly enough, actually moves with the tremolo bar when you use it. Electronically, the Jaguar has two specialized humbucker pickups, kind of like those found on Gibson instruments. As you could probably expect, they have a sound that really separates the Jaguar from other Fenders. Also, there is a master cut switch that can stop all sound immediately. If you're looking to solo in the choppy effects laden style of, say, Tom Morello, this cut switch is an essential aspect. There are also two on/off switches, one for each humbucker. These switches combined with the master selector switch give you quite a range of pickup coils and tones to choose from.

Playability: It's hard to believe the Jaguar is a Fender in may aspects, and playability is one of them. The body of the Jaguar is pretty heavy for a Fender. Also, the neck feels pretty thick in your hands. The bridge make creates some possibility for rattling if you bang on it too hard, but it's a small price to pay for its' unique features. Also, the body feels surprisingly nice and gives you pretty good high fret access.

Sound: The Fender Jaguar, simply put, doesn't sound like a Fender. Its humbucker give it a sound reminiscent of a Les Paul. Once you familiarize yourself with the many controls on the Jaguar, you can really forge your own sound.

Overall: If you love the Fender line but are looking for something different, then you'll probably like the Jaguar Special HH a bunch. It is definitely a Fender, as judged by its quality and playability, but it has a sound all its own. You can find the Classic Player Jaguar Special HH in music stores for around $800.