Fender Music Australia | RRP $2,299
Fender rose from a humble pickup shop to a global guitar sensation in the ’50s on the back of their sensible and timeless designs – namely the Telecaster and Stratocaster. By the time the ’60s swung around, Fender had dialled up its innovation and was experimenting with offset guitar bodies, new pickup configurations and much more. That’s when the Jaguar was born.
In order to fully appreciate a guitar, it helps to understand the history behind it. Although the best way, of course, is to get your hands on one. So that’s what I did with Fender’s new Vintera III Mid-’60s Jaguar.
Jaguars are guitars that stoke the fire of your curiosity. They make you ask questions and encourage creative exploration – and this new Vintera series perfectly encapsulates that. When you first take it out of its gig bag, you feel like a kid again. Excited by the unknown and, in this case, by the colour. The pastel pink finish (with a matching headstock) contrasted with the mint green pickguard is vibrant and eye-catching. These Jags also come in a stunning Sherwood green finish if you want to opt for something more classic.
Catch up on all the latest features and reviews here.
The Vintera III Jag is a faithful recreation of Mid-’60s Jaguars. The “C” profile maple neck is thin and playable, while the rosewood fretboard features rolled edges, smooth fret ends (something I always pay close attention to on a new guitar) and the traditional Jaguar 24-inch scale length. With this and an alder body and vintage-style tuning machines, it’s classic Fender design paired with modern craftsmanship.
An exciting feature about this particular Jag is the inclusion of a muting plate from the factory. Jaguar fans will know all about these, but if you haven’t been introduced yet, this is a metal plate with a foam bar on top that sits on a spring underneath the Jag’s floating bridge. Flip the muting plate up and the foam sits against the strings to give them a palm-muted sound that encourages experimentation. I had a heap of fun mucking around with the muting plate and found that it works great with funkier playing as well as mixed with some echo and delay.
Another unique feature of Jaguars is their rhythm and lead circuit split across two pickups. This Vintera Jag absolutely nails the classic single coil Fender tone with both circuits producing a wide range of sounds – punchy mids and a chiming high end will pair exceptionally well with your favourite chorus pedal. If you configure the switches correctly, you can also utilise this to cut your volume between songs or as a kill switch to produce some more experimental sounds.
This wouldn’t be a Jaguar without the famous floating vibrato, and Fender has nailed the classic design with this Vintera edition. Out of the box, the vibrato was dialled in (which can be a meticulous process) and ready to use, which added to my positive impressions of the guitar. The Jag’s vibrato produces the recognisable “sea-sick” warbles that fans of the offset body will love, and the system’s locking mechanism ensures you can take your tremolo beyond just surf rock and into more modern territory.
Jaguars are guitars that refuse to be put into a box or fall into a category. Between the split-circuit pickup system, floating tremolo, muting bridge and chrome-covered offset body, they’re guitars that don’t tick the usual boxes – particularly when you factor in that these were being built in the early ’60s.
By modern standards, Jaguars aren’t the most out-there guitar. But they paved the way for offset bodies and drew the blueprint for decades of experimentation to come. If Jags could speak, they would say: “I will not conform” – and the countercultural spirit of these guitars is reflected in the famous players who adopted them. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Johnny Marr (The Smiths), Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) and John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) are all guitarists who never fitted into a traditional box, be it musically or even socially.
But that’s not to say that this Vintera III Jaguar isn’t for everyone – that’s the beauty in this particular adaptation of the classic design. Fender has done what they do best and given modern players access to a vintage-style instrument, but they’ve also communicated the Jaguar’s ethos to an audience who might not have understood it previously.
I’ve played a few Jaguars in the past, but it wasn’t until this Vintera III adaptation that I grasped what they were trying to say. Jags have always attracted people who drive counter-culture. They’ve always appealed to people who didn’t quite fit a norm or felt they didn’t belong. Fender’s latest rendition of the timeless classic lets us know that it’s okay to feel this way. It tells you that the world is what’s crazy, not you. Being able to communicate that through design is a testament to the people at Fender both during the ’60s and today.
Whether you’re hitting your favourite surf rock riff, bashing out your favourite songs from The Smiths or treading new sonic ground, Fender’s latest Vintera III Jaguar is a worthy companion. Not only does its playability encourage dynamic exploration, its design reminds you that not only is it okay to be different – it’s much more fun.
Head to Fender to learn more.
