Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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curtiz
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Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by curtiz » Sun Nov 29, 2020 8:48 am

Hello Dear Jag-Meisters :-)

I have a question for the older aficionados in this group (more of an archaeology thing, really).
Anyway, here goes:

Years ago (2000-2005?), in one of the British guitar mags (Guitar? Guitarist?) one of the writers had an offset guitar made especially for him by the Fender Custom Shop. I can’t help but still being intrigued by this specific guitar, but to my dismay I must have thrown out the magazine long ago.

What was it all about?
Well, it had:
- offset body in PURPLE or BLUE metallic flake
- maple neck with reverse headstock and pearloïd tuners
- 3 pickups: a P90, a standard Jag-like PU and a lipstick PU in the neck position (if I remember correctly)
- a “modern” bridge
- a simplified switching system
- it had a JAGUAR decal but the body could have been a Jag-Stang body.

It was such an oddball (yet exciting) guitar, with a bunch of “risky” decisions in the configuration and I’ve always wondered if the owner (the writer in that magazine) still had it, still used it… or whatever became of the guitar.
I can’t find any info online, so this is a message in a bottle kind of question, in the hope it will trigger someone’s memory.
I'd be excited to see a pic of it again - or even better to hear if the guitar is still in circulation :-)

Have a great day - stay safe!

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by GreenKnee » Sun Nov 29, 2020 12:14 pm

This is of a similar ilk, but not the guitar in question

New Fender Custom Shop Floyd Jaguar NAMM 2019 Purple Sparkle Burst Masterbuilt By Kyle Mcmillin! https://reverb.com/item/19561157-new-fe ... e-mcmillin

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curtiz
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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by curtiz » Sun Nov 29, 2020 11:32 pm

Exactly, it had that kind of vibe. Thanks!

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by Loobster » Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:54 am

I remember this, it was in Guitarist magazine about 1998/1999 or so. Perhaps his name was Dominic something? I remember he had the process chronicled. You might get in touch with Mick Taylor or Neville Martin. Either one of them was the editor at the time.

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by Loobster » Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:57 am

Also very keen to see it.

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by curtiz » Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:28 am

@Loobster
Good call, will try that!
Thx,
Paul

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by Loobster » Thu Dec 03, 2020 3:06 am

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussi ... nt_2785828 this might yield some results, I posted it here.

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by MatchlessMan » Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:28 am

Found it! Guitarist March 1998. It was commissioned in March 1997 and there were a couple of progress articles along the way.

Image
Image
Image

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curtiz
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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by curtiz » Thu Dec 03, 2020 8:00 am

Fantabulous. Thank you so much. 8) 8) 8)
As a matter of fact I just received a reply from Neville Marten:

"Hi Paul.
Yes I remember it well. It was Dominic Hilton. But the guitar was a bit of a monstrosity in a way. But he did it just to see how bonkers Fender would go. And they did exactly what he asked.
It would probably be a six grand Master Build now. I don’t know where he or the guitar is, other than he moved to America.
Take care
Neville.
"

So now I will try to track down Dominic Hilton and find out what became of the guitar.
The search continues!!!
Thanks guys. I'm somewhat relieved my memory of it wasn't too far off, and that my recollection of thinking "whoa, is that going to work out?" was somewhat confirmed by Neville. Ha ha ha :D

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by Loobster » Thu Dec 03, 2020 8:07 am

Ask and you shall receive. I actually think it's pretty hideous. I remember 12 year old me thinking it was super exotic and cool, though! Track him down! I couldn't find anything about him online, it's like he dropped off the face of the earth in 2000....let's hope he didn't.

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by smjenkins » Sat Dec 05, 2020 8:04 pm

Nice find! This thread is reason 10,465 why I love this forum.

WRT the CS Jag in question: If you replaced the trem with a JM / Jag setup, flipped the headstock and used a standard nut, that guitar would be pretty rad. If that would be a $6k build today, it actually seems like a pretty good deal. 3500 1998 UK pounds is about 6200 2020 UK pounds taking inflation into account.

Edit: "good deal" relative to the 1998 price. Still a fuck load for a new guitar.

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by JVG » Sat Dec 05, 2020 8:43 pm

Oh man, that’s awful, but a great bit of research work there.

Each to their own ;)

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by andy_tchp » Sat Dec 05, 2020 9:12 pm

Wow, that's hideous in so many different ways. Quite the achievement.
"I don't know why we asked him to join the band 'cause the rest of us don't like country music all that much; we just like Graham Lee."
David McComb, 1987.

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Sat Dec 05, 2020 10:40 pm

NGL I hate that way less than I expected. Reminds me of the Wagakki Band's guitarist's signature thing with the Floyd and pickup combo, but looks way less tasteful.

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Re: Remember a Purple Custom Shop Jaguar?

Post by Veitchy » Sun Dec 06, 2020 2:28 pm

I'm really on board to se what ended up happening to this guitar.

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