Vintage Jag Pricing

[sookwinder]

I just picked up a 66 jaguar (dots and binding) with semi natural refin for $1600 on ebay .

I intend to refinish it, which may well cost.. i don't know, $400... plus the  white vintage guard I bought a month or two back for $110 on ebay ....  So ignoring the cost of replacement parts you'll need if you want everything back to vintage .....  is approx $400 premium for a factory refin worth it ?

maybe it is ....

[spacecadet]

I just picked up a 66 jaguar (dots and binding) with semi natural refin for $1600 on ebay .

I intend to refinish it, which may well cost.. i don't know, $400... plus the  white vintage guard I bought a month or two back for $110 on ebay ....  So ignoring the cost of replacement parts you'll need if you want everything back to vintage .....  is approx $400 premium for a factory refin worth it ?

maybe it is ....

Given the inflated cost for everything else in regards to vintage stuff, I'd say it's worth it.  From what I understand, a factory refin is basically the same as a new guitar - the factory refins went through the same process as "virgin" guitars.  So if I were buying a vintage guitar, I'd consider a factory refin *almost* the same as buying an all original guitar.

Of course, not everybody might feel the same...

[Orang Goreng]

Here's what it looks like:

Is there any way you could obtain a close-up shot of that headstock decal? I can't tell from the picture it's '70s or Japanese... Might give you a clue about when this factory-refinish has taken place. (When DID Fender offer this as a service? Do they still do it?)

[dhadis]

Thanks for the input, everyone!

Well, even for 2.5k a story that "sounds" legit isn't really enough to go on.  You need to get facts.

You're right, of course.  The owner said it actually had two sets of refin codes under the pick guard--I should have asked to see them, and I did think of asking to see the neck code too, but didn't.  Next time, I will.

The tuner buttons look like Klusons to me and the guard is almost certainly a recent repro judging by the even mint green coloring.

Yes, that's right.  The replaced parts were done more recently, not at the factory, but I'm pretty sure the tuners are original, as the refin was supposedly done in '66, and these are definitely Klusons, not F-keys: 

How does it sound?

Really nice.  When I tried it out, the owner pointed out to me that it's got a pretty good sustain (considering the reputation Jags have for not having that), and that there isn't any fret buzz, an issue he said was also common with Jaguars.  I don't have enough experience with vintage Jags to know--is that really a common issue with them? 

I'm not sure about the pick-up covers, but here's a better image of them:

Is there any way you could obtain a close-up shot of that headstock decal?

Unfortunately, I don't have a close-up of the front of the headstock.

[Soiouz]

Those a single-line Kluson tuners. They were used up to 1964. If they are original to this guitar, it's most likely a pre-CBS Jaguar.

It looks really good, by the way!

[Ahahah]

Is there any way you could obtain a close-up shot of that headstock decal? I can't tell from the picture it's '70s or Japanese... Might give you a clue about when this factory-refinish has taken place. (When DID Fender offer this as a service? Do they still do it?)

If the refin is time relevant, the decal is supposed to be applied over the paint and clear coats... Provided repro decals (and even original if you're lucky) are readily available on the web, this decal won't give any clue about the time the refin was done.

Fender offered their customer with refin service on a large basis until the late '60s.

[Jay]

Really nice.  When I tried it out, the owner pointed out to me that it's got a pretty good sustain (considering the reputation Jags have for not having that), and that there isn't any fret buzz, an issue he said was also common with Jaguars.  I don't have enough experience with vintage Jags to know--is that really a common issue with them?

Buzzing is common with vintage guitars in general I'd say...  not specifically Jags.  That's just what happens after years of playing and little or no fret work.

[dhadis]

Those a single-line Kluson tuners. They were used up to 1964. If they are original to this guitar, it's most likely a pre-CBS Jaguar.

Gotcha.  The only way to know for sure will be to check out the date stamp and refinish codes, but all evidence seems to point to it being pre-CBS: the tuners, the clay dots (you can't tell from the photos, but that's what it has), the serial number (an L2XXXX number).

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is if it is indeed a pre-CBS factory refinished Jag with some replaced parts, then is it worth the $2.5K asking price.  Jay, Sookwinder, and Spacecadet had some really good input--any other opinions?

Buzzing is common with vintage guitars in general I'd say...  not specifically Jags.  That's just what happens after years of playing and little or no fret work.

I've also found this to be a problem with newer guitars as well--is it more of a case-by-case problem than anything else?  And would the fact that this one doesn't have that problem be a factor in calculating its worth?

[FireAarro]

Here's what it looks like:

Is there any way you could obtain a close-up shot of that headstock decal? I can't tell from the picture it's '70s or Japanese... Might give you a clue about when this factory-refinish has taken place. (When DID Fender offer this as a service? Do they still do it?)

If it helps you, it's gold outlined black on the Fender.

[eggwheat]

From the pictures you posted it doesnt look like a fender refin, looks amateur'ish to me.. hard to tell with those pics though. It's the depth of sparkle that looks wrong to me.

[Orang Goreng]

If the refin is time relevant, the decal is supposed to be applied over the paint and clear coats... Provided repro decals (and even original if you're lucky) are readily available on the web, this decal won't give any clue about the time the refin was done.

Fender offered their customer with refin service on a large basis until the late '60s.

Yeah, OK. But I was assuming the decal was factory-installed with the refin. This might say some things.. for instance, if it's a post-68 original decal, the finish might be polyester, which is what Fender used by then, right? And if in fact it turns out to be a Japanese logo (the gold edge looks really bright to me), maybe the factory-refin story could be dodgy (i.e., why isn't there an original decal on there if it was a factory refin).

Just some things to check out, I thought.

[dhadis]

But if it were a post-68 factory refin, LPB wouldn't have yellowed to this color, right?  I was under the impression that it's the nitro lacquer that yellows with time.

Anyhow, all that might establish is that the coat is nitro--there is still the possibility, as Eggwheat points out, of a non-factory nitro refin.

[monk]

what a great color!

[Gooner]

I think the price is near enough if everything else is original except the guard and colour. Does it play well ? Do you like the feel? Do you like the colour?