Long-Awaited Review: THE JAGUAR X!!!
Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 1:31 pm
In the last couple of months, I have made a major transition- leaving my long-scale guitars behind, and embracing what has become my dream axe: the Fender Jaguar. As such, these have become my primary instruments:
Having established that I am a Jaguar guy, I started searching for a 24" scale 12-string; and came up with nothing. The music I play (power-pop and retro rock) uses a fair bit of 12-string, which is why I have these:
But my love of Jags (and my tendonits) left me wanting something else. Luckily, fate intervened in a few ways. Firstly, I scored a buggered CIJ Jaguar for a ridiculous price from Chicago craigslist
She's a great player, and sounds really good as well; in spite of the Duncan Hums the previous owner (rather crudely) installed, along with a TOM bridge
I also happened upon a 60's vintage Kimberly/Teisco with 4 narrow "gold-foil" pickups in a pawn shop super cheap
Which sounded fabulous, but played like CRAP. So I pillaged said pickups and sold the rest for slightly more than I paid for the whole thing! I then sent the pickups off to my man Paul (Stereordinary) with some very specific instructions. Shortly thereafter, he sent me this photo:
I couldn't wait to get this guard installed in my Jag; but before I had the chance to do so, I started GASsing for a way to have everything I wanted in one instrument.
So the plan was hatched as such: With Paul's expertise, we'd convert the Jag into a 10 string!
The headstock wouldn't really accommodate 12 strings, and the sound I want is really in the treble strings anyway, so 10 was the perfect compromise. Plus, I could continue to use my preferred .060 and .052 "E" and "A" strings respectively.
So I'll be sending this old gal off to Portland next week for the conversion, after which Paul himself may well hijack this thread as he makes progress.
The following modifications will be performed (in whatever order Paul sees fit)
1.) Replace the buggered Jag pickguard and electronics with the 4-Teisco pickup loaded custom guard and a no-hole rhythm control plate. A custom 4-switch control plate is already fabricated and ready to be installed.
2.) Disable the vibrato and re-groove the D-G-B-E TOM saddles to accept doubled strings.
3.) Add 4 additional tuners to the headstock, possibly altering the profile as deemed necessary by Paul, and cut a new nut for the 10 strings.
4.) Add a new JAGUAR X decal and reassemble/restring/set-up
5.) Send back to Indiana and into my eager hands to ROCK OUT ON!
Stay tuned, folks...
Having established that I am a Jaguar guy, I started searching for a 24" scale 12-string; and came up with nothing. The music I play (power-pop and retro rock) uses a fair bit of 12-string, which is why I have these:
But my love of Jags (and my tendonits) left me wanting something else. Luckily, fate intervened in a few ways. Firstly, I scored a buggered CIJ Jaguar for a ridiculous price from Chicago craigslist
She's a great player, and sounds really good as well; in spite of the Duncan Hums the previous owner (rather crudely) installed, along with a TOM bridge
I also happened upon a 60's vintage Kimberly/Teisco with 4 narrow "gold-foil" pickups in a pawn shop super cheap
Which sounded fabulous, but played like CRAP. So I pillaged said pickups and sold the rest for slightly more than I paid for the whole thing! I then sent the pickups off to my man Paul (Stereordinary) with some very specific instructions. Shortly thereafter, he sent me this photo:
I couldn't wait to get this guard installed in my Jag; but before I had the chance to do so, I started GASsing for a way to have everything I wanted in one instrument.
So the plan was hatched as such: With Paul's expertise, we'd convert the Jag into a 10 string!
The headstock wouldn't really accommodate 12 strings, and the sound I want is really in the treble strings anyway, so 10 was the perfect compromise. Plus, I could continue to use my preferred .060 and .052 "E" and "A" strings respectively.
So I'll be sending this old gal off to Portland next week for the conversion, after which Paul himself may well hijack this thread as he makes progress.
The following modifications will be performed (in whatever order Paul sees fit)
1.) Replace the buggered Jag pickguard and electronics with the 4-Teisco pickup loaded custom guard and a no-hole rhythm control plate. A custom 4-switch control plate is already fabricated and ready to be installed.
2.) Disable the vibrato and re-groove the D-G-B-E TOM saddles to accept doubled strings.
3.) Add 4 additional tuners to the headstock, possibly altering the profile as deemed necessary by Paul, and cut a new nut for the 10 strings.
4.) Add a new JAGUAR X decal and reassemble/restring/set-up
5.) Send back to Indiana and into my eager hands to ROCK OUT ON!
Stay tuned, folks...
).
