Marty Jenner Vintage Fender Jaguar Challenge

[GreenKnee]

On paper, yes nothing special.
But this Jaguar is what made me want to play guitar all those years ago. Like many here who have that association with Tom Verlaine and the Jazzmaster, Kurt and this Jaguar set a fire in me as a teenager. The beater strats etc. that got demolished didn't do anything for me, but this Jaguar blew me away. To this day it's the coolest guitar I've set eyes on. I've toyed with the idea of buying one of the Mexican reissues just to look at really as humbuckers are definitely not my thing. I adore the look of this thing and the feelings it inspired in me when I was younger.

[OffYourFace]

When you watch those live Cliff Richards videos where the Jaguar is being played, the sound is so compressed. It's not what I'd call a great tone. It looks like he's running it through a space echo (i think RE-201 from the knob layout) and into a Music Man HD-130 2x12 combo. It sounds like he's using the gain on the amp too. Those DiMarzio HBs and that Music Man distortion is pretty bad haha. Kurt made it sound a bit better I think

[Highnumbers]

Always assumed she gave it to Eric. There's been some rumors that Frances has it now.

In hindsight, I think that whole thing about Eric started because he was seen using it in the Doll Parts video and folks on the early internet made assumptions. Neither Eric nor Courtney have ever stated anything about Erlandson owning that guitar.

I doubt Frances owns it, given that she sold off the Competition Mustang and lost the D-18E (and those two along with the Jag are probably the most iconic Cobain guitars). So where is it?

[sal paradise]

Probably in a glass case in the basement of a large house somewhere in SF.

Fender clearly had access to it.

[sal paradise]

When you watch those live Cliff Richards videos where the Jaguar is being played, the sound is so compressed. It's not what I'd call a great tone. It looks like he's running it through a space echo (i think RE-201 from the knob layout) and into a Music Man HD-130 2x12 combo. It sounds like he's using the gain on the amp too. Those DiMarzio HBs and that Music Man distortion is pretty bad haha. Kurt made it sound a bit better I think

Also, I’m actually with Johnny on this one. If you listen to Live & Loud, it sounds like a DS-1 played through a clean amp. Live tone was that of an average teenager. (And they will likely have been dubbed/edited, so could have eq’d slightly in the mix.)

The nice sounds come from Pat Smear.

[Pacafeliz]

Am I the only one that thinks there's nothing particularly special about this partscaster? It's not even a cool colour *shrugs shoulders*

Guess I look at it like this:

Offset ? Yes. So pretty cool right off the bat.
Funky mods? yes. So getting better
lots of wear? Yes. Sweet to see natural wear n tear (even if from abuse)
Associated with KC? Yes. So very cool
Survives tenure with KC? Yes, whoa, impossibly lucky guitar
Mysterious past? Yes. Interesting & intriguing
Custom color? No, but review first six.

+1 exactly

I remember closely inspecting the In Utero booklet for hours as a teenager, the guitar looked so damn cool.
I'd already fallen in love with Jags ever since i saw the big CAR one in the Tony Bacon one (which belonged to Cocteau Twins) but this was different and "alive".
Oh well.

My bro has a KC Jag, but in real life it didn't do anything for me, no (more) "magic".
But yes definitely one of the most important guitars of my life.

[arkivel]

This is quite a find. Now there is video evidence that this guitar had the same neck with dots and binding while it was in Martin Jenner's possession. It is most certainly the same guitar that Kurt owned.

There was another thread somewhere (I believe on this site) that mentioned Marty Jenner customizing all or most of his guitars with thinner necks. Supposedly the luthier is well known and could be determined through a google search but he wanted to remain anonymous. This preference for custom necks is backed up by an article that quotes Marty.

https://www.olliehalsall.co.uk/uncommon ... jenner.pdf

[Moo-Stang]

I know this thread is over a year old, but I just spent three hours watching every Cliff Richard '81-'82 video I could find on youtube looking for this Jag so I'm bumping it.

Original config: (Note original Bridge)







Mod Config:

I stumbled across Cliff Richard's Gospel Documentary episode 3 which had a lot of potential and featured the Jag numerous times including a well lit rehearsal session. Unfortunately the camera work sucked and/or the Jag was in the background obscured by some other piece of equipment.









Despite the Jag being seen and used throughout this tour, at the finale of the show where they spotlight each member of the band, Jenner is using an SG. Imagine this shot if it was the Jag.


Best I can tell (and I'm not certain of this), the Jag seems to have been retired from touring in '81 and replaced with the SG and a sunburst Tele. When Jenner rejoins Richard in '84-'85, he has an entirely different guitar. I have not seen any video of the Jag post 1981.

[JVG]

Some great pictures here - good job collecting them.

I’d class myself as a casual KC fan, not a diehard, but i certainly enjoy the investigation of this guitar.

More importantly, how are you feeling after watching so much Cliff Richard? Be sure to take things easy for a few days while you recover!

[Moo-Stang]

Some great pictures here - good job collecting them.

I’d class myself as a casual KC fan, not a diehard, but i certainly enjoy the investigation of this guitar.

More importantly, how are you feeling after watching so much Cliff Richard? Be sure to take things easy for a few days while you recover!

I do find the history of this guitar fascinating. Cliff Richard to Nirvana is certainly something else.

As for Cliff, I'm trying to keep the era in which he performed in context, but it wasn't without effort trying to get through so many ridiculous performances.

[ainm]

I found this: https://www.olliehalsall.co.uk/uncommon ... enner.pdf/

Suggests Jenner moved to Australia in 1986. Before that, he appears to have been based solidly out of London when he wasn’t touring. Begs the question how the guitar got to the LA area in 91? Or do we have a route for that? It appears Jenner may have died in 90/91?

Edit: Ah, that article says he died in 2003.

[JVG]

I read that article too, and found it quite interesting. Previously I knew nothing about Jenner aside from what has been mentioned in relation to the Jag and Cliff.

There wasn’t much talk about his equipment, aside from this:

Jenner had very particular demands for the neck contour because of his playing technique and the small size of his hands.

"Because I was left-handed I didn't have two sets of gear. A lot of the guys had two sets of guitars and amps. While they were in one studio, they'd have a cartage company take another set to the next date. But I was a lefty, so I had only one set and had to do all my own carting!

"Most of my instruments were custom-made because I like the absolute skinniest of necks that can possibly go on a guitar. These are V-necks with no cheeks to them whatsoever. They drop right away from the edge of the fingerboard. I'm not a grabber, I play very much over the neck."

This suggests that the “Cobain” Jag may actually have a neck profile very different from the Fender recreations, which are a ‘medium C’ shape. The quote “most of my instruments were custom made” also hints at the neck’s origin, rather than being a modified Fender neck.

EDIT: i noticed that this quote was referenced a few posts back. Sorry for the double-up. Anyway, I’ve included the quote in full.

[Moo-Stang]

I found this: https://www.olliehalsall.co.uk/uncommon ... enner.pdf/

Suggests Jenner moved to Australia in 1986. Before that, he appears to have been based solidly out of London when he wasn’t touring. Begs the question how the guitar got to the LA area in 91? Or do we have a route for that? It appears Jenner may have died in 90/91?

Edit: Ah, that article says he died in 2003.

Yeah, I think the fact he moved to Aus definitely opens up the possibility that there was at least one person with possession of the Jag in between Jenner and Cobain.

[Moo-Stang]

I read that article too, and found it quite interesting. Previously I knew nothing about Jenner aside from what has been mentioned in relation to the Jag and Cliff.

There wasn’t much talk about his equipment, aside from this:

Jenner had very particular demands for the neck contour because of his playing technique and the small size of his hands.

"Because I was left-handed I didn't have two sets of gear. A lot of the guys had two sets of guitars and amps. While they were in one studio, they'd have a cartage company take another set to the next date. But I was a lefty, so I had only one set and had to do all my own carting!

"Most of my instruments were custom-made because I like the absolute skinniest of necks that can possibly go on a guitar. These are V-necks with no cheeks to them whatsoever. They drop right away from the edge of the fingerboard. I'm not a grabber, I play very much over the neck."

This suggests that the “Cobain” Jag may actually have a neck profile very different from the Fender recreations, which are a ‘medium C’ shape. The quote “most of my instruments were custom made” also hints at the neck’s origin, rather than being a modified Fender neck.

EDIT: i noticed that this quote was referenced a few posts back. Sorry for the double-up. Anyway, I’ve included the quote in full.

See Acrylicsuperman's post in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=126742&p=1801681#p1801681

Apparently, it still has Fender markings on the heel supposedly.

[JVG]

Oh wow.. I had missed that thread - heaps of great info there.

Thanks!