Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
User avatar
Deed_Poll
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3209
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:24 am
Location: Brighton, UK

Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by Deed_Poll » Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:37 pm

Hello folks,

I wonder whether anyone is interested in this.

I saw a Fender Custom Shop Full-Scale Jaguar and thought it might be cool to try designing my own version, if for no other reason than to get a little more mileage out of my Thinline Jazzmaster files and processes.

Below is the Fender Custom Shop Full Scale Jaguar that took my interest:

Image

There were a couple of reasonable approaches as I saw it.

The first was to base the shape fully on the Jaguar shape (with the more aggressively pointed bass horn / cut and lower neck pocket position) and simply to reposition the bridge thimbles south of the pickguard.

This would be the least "distracting" to look at, since it would maintain a majority of the Jaguar's proportions (pickup positions and distance between them, pickguard shape, body silhouette). However the drawbacks would be that a 21-fret neck would be necessary to maintain these proportions, and the bridge pickup would probably sound a lot warmer in its new position further from the bridge. I happen to believe the closeness of the bridge pickup to the bridge is one of the elements which is very important to a Jaguar's tonal profile - an aggressive, bright and percussive twangy character, especially in combination with the strangle switch.

The alternative approach was to look at it more as a Jazzmaster routed to be compatible with Jaguar plates.

This is the direction Fender Custom Shop took with their Full-Scale Jaguar, although they seem to have designed it around a 21-fret neck which (to me) has the effect of stretching out the distance between the pickups. They have also messed with the positions of the lower control plate and vibrato relative to each other, raising the vibrato towards the neck and dropping the control plate away from it. This throws off the compositional balance of the design, in my opinion.

These proportions look more comfortable to me in the context of a Jazzmaster for two reasons - firstly, the longer pickguard (not delineated into a guard and plate) has the effect of stretching out the lines more elegantly, and secondly because of how large and long (wide?) the pickups are along the string axis. The Jazzmaster's vibrato is also further down the body by design, which helps bring balance.

Since it would allow me to use a common interior architecture with my Thinline Jazzmaster bodies and accommodate greater versatility with pickup options, I adopted the FCS approach; but with a couple of changes to minimise the problematic visual consequences of the longer scale:

1) I based it around a Jazzmaster neck pocket position, but with the Jaguar's neck pickup positioned relative to the end of the fretboard-overhang on a 22-fret neck, so the whole body sits about a half-inch 'lower' than the FCS interpretation.

2) I moved the vibrato unit back to the Jazzmaster position

So, on to the pickup options the latter approach opened up!

I thought three basic architectures were worth getting right.

1) a Full-Scale Jaguar, as per the original brief

Image
Image
Image

2) a Three-Pickup version of the above, for Jaguar pickups in a Marauder-inspired configuration (Offset Strat vibes)

Image
Image
Image

3) a "Jazzmaster with Plates", for 21-fret standard Jazzmaster neck

Image
Image
Image

Because I have designed these to configure easily with my existing toolpaths and processes, I will be able to do all these as a Thinline with f-hole and full-depth forearm *and* belly contours . It also gives me the capacity to easily change pickup routes; for WRHBs, Strat pickups, Filtertrons, just about anything - without worrying about fouling up the edge of the pickguard or having to tolerate unorthodox pickup positioning relative to the bridge.

Let me know what you think of the designs! I haven't fully been able to dispense with the slight long awkwardness (we are used to a Jaguar looking a certain way, with certain proportions) and I also haven't stayed true to the slightly sharper bass cutaway of the Jaguar (sticking instead to the Jazzmaster perimeter), but I hope I have improved upon the FCS example :)

Cheers, and my best to all!

Dan
Last edited by Deed_Poll on Wed Dec 02, 2020 2:58 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Owner Operator of GuitarForm - Custom Offset Guitar Bodies
www.guitarform.com ◈ @guitar_form

User avatar
Deed_Poll
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3209
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:24 am
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by Deed_Poll » Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:51 pm

Out of interest, here is an overlay of my design on top of the FCS design. FCS seem to have moved the control plate further down than my design (I moved and angled it a little), and in combination with the vibrato plate staying in the Jaguar position (relative to the body perimeter shape), this stretches out the mid-section of the design in a way I don't entirely like, almost evoking a little of the Bass VI?

Image
Owner Operator of GuitarForm - Custom Offset Guitar Bodies
www.guitarform.com ◈ @guitar_form

User avatar
HNB
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 13513
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 7:55 am
Location: Puyallup, Washington
Contact:

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by HNB » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:16 pm

I would move the tremolo plate back a bit if it were me. Looks like a classic player with the bridge and tremolo so close. :D
Christopher
Lilith Guitars

User avatar
Deed_Poll
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3209
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:24 am
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by Deed_Poll » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:28 pm

Cheers Christopher!

Are you talking about my designs (in the grey) or the FCS version? If the FCS, I very much agree!

If my design, it would be an easy modification to bring the vibrato down a little more :)
Owner Operator of GuitarForm - Custom Offset Guitar Bodies
www.guitarform.com ◈ @guitar_form

User avatar
HNB
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 13513
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 7:55 am
Location: Puyallup, Washington
Contact:

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by HNB » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:31 pm

The Fender CS Version has the tremolo too close in my opinion. :D.
Christopher
Lilith Guitars

User avatar
HNB
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 13513
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 7:55 am
Location: Puyallup, Washington
Contact:

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by HNB » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:32 pm

I like yours and would totally want a body to finish and build. ;D
Christopher
Lilith Guitars

User avatar
smjenkins
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1547
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 5:45 am
Location: The Emerald Fucking City

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by smjenkins » Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:31 pm

I have a Paul Rhoney produced full-scale Jaguar. I believe Paul used to sell templates for this design.

Here's some pics:

Image

Image

Image

Singlebladepickup
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2831
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2014 4:12 am
Location: U.S. of fuckin' A.

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by Singlebladepickup » Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:39 pm

I want a hollow one with the JM pickups!

User avatar
Embenny
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 10363
Joined: Tue May 24, 2016 5:07 am

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by Embenny » Wed Dec 02, 2020 8:52 pm

Oh my goodness, the three-pickup and "JM with plates" versions are both things of beauty.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.

User avatar
Shadoweclipse13
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 12435
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:22 pm
Location: Stuck in the dimension of imagination

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Wed Dec 02, 2020 9:40 pm

Jaguar-Marauder hybrid with 3-pickup is SO :? :? :? :?
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

User avatar
CROSS_guitars
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3112
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:52 am
Location: Thornbury Melbourne

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by CROSS_guitars » Wed Dec 02, 2020 9:54 pm

I always thought it would look good done like this.

Image

Instead of the hardtail and tune-o-matic, have the Jazzmaster bridge and tremolo. Obviously the bridge not angled but behind the pickguard.

User avatar
marqueemoon
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7344
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:37 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by marqueemoon » Wed Dec 02, 2020 10:13 pm

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Wed Dec 02, 2020 9:40 pm
Jaguar-Marauder hybrid with 3-pickup is SO :? :? :? :?
Agreed.

User avatar
garyptaszek
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5095
Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:02 am
Location: Kent UK
Contact:

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by garyptaszek » Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:47 pm

I like the 3 pickups idea, but a’la bass VI

User avatar
HNB
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 13513
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 7:55 am
Location: Puyallup, Washington
Contact:

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by HNB » Thu Dec 03, 2020 8:11 am

If you made a full scale jag body that is HH, I would be so :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :?
Christopher
Lilith Guitars

User avatar
Deed_Poll
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3209
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:24 am
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Full-Scale Jaguar (Jazzmaster with Plates)

Post by Deed_Poll » Sat Dec 05, 2020 12:09 pm

Wow, some real beauties on this thread already!

First one off the machine! No roundovers or sanding yet, of course. I have done a "universal" pickup route which will accept any of the above pickup options, or I can make bodies specifically for each configuration (or for other custom pickup options!)

Image

Image

Image

Image

Cheers all!
Owner Operator of GuitarForm - Custom Offset Guitar Bodies
www.guitarform.com ◈ @guitar_form

Post Reply