Vintage 1964 Fender Jaguar with matching Headstock - Candy Apple Red With OHSC
At Truetone Music, we love offset guitars, and get especially excited when a piece of offset history comes through the door. That's what happened recently, when this beautiful vintage 1964 Fender Jaguar came through for an appraisal. After a full vetting, the owner made the decision that it was time to part with the guitar, and we're fortunate enough to be tasked with placing it in its next home.
This vintage Fender Jaguar's story began at the original factory in Fullerton, CA, made at the peak of Leo Fender's era before he sold the company to CBS. The Jaguar was introduced in 1962 as Fender's feature-laden top-of-the-line model, designed to lure players from Gibson. During its initial 13-year production run, the Jaguar did not sell as well as the Stratocaster and Telecaster, and achieved its most noticeable popularity in the surf music scene. It was characterized by an offset-waist body, a switching system with two separate circuits for lead and rhythm, and a shorter-scale 24" neck. After the Jaguar was taken out of production in 1975, vintage Jaguars became popular first with American punk rock players, and then more so during the alternative rock, shoegazing and indie rock movements of the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, its popularity has exploded and Fender now makes a variety of models.
But a vintage Jaguar has something special about it. This one has it all, with the original Candy Apple Red finish intact. The guitar is stunning, especially with the matching headstock. It's aged nicely over the years, with a beautiful patina, and wear in all of the right places. This guitar has all of the vibe you could ever ask for. We rarely see Jaguars from the early-to-mid 60's like this, and definitely not ones as cool - it would be hard to beat. This is a spectacular find for any fan of vintage Jaguars, or anyone wanting a piece of Fender history.
Everything is original on the guitar - pickups, pickguard, bridge and all of the other parts. The one exception is a single switch (for the neck pickup), which was replaced. Every other bit is original, so this is the real deal. The original case, with a cable, is included as well.
As a Fender built in the 60's, it has a fine piece of Brazilian rosewood for the fingerboard, an easy to play maple neck, and resonant alder body. Despite this guitar being vintage and getting good usage, the neck is in great shape and it has plenty of life in it. No issues there. The tremolo works perfectly too, which is not always the case with these.
Its two single-coil pickups are designed with a narrow frame for a hot, powerful sound with reduced electrical noise. Boasting 8 onboard controls, the Jaguar's circuitry is the most complicated of any Fender model, allowing users to easily transition between rhythm and lead tones. For those who know how to put it to use, nothing compares. We plugged this guitar in and were blown away by the tone that it produces - like a truly classic Jaguar of course, but with a surprisingly versatile palette of sounds.
Our main luthier and vintage expert inspected & vetted the guitar to determine originality and also gave it a full setup, so this guitar plays like a dream.
This is an excellent example of a 1964 Jaguar that is original, has not been refinished, and has the original case. It's in great shape, especially considering that it turns 63 this year, but it's not looking at retirement - it's ready to be put to use. Pre-CBS Fender guitars are getting harder and harder to get, and a Jaguar this cool is a special find.
Serial Number: L42694