In a bit of a refin dilemma…

[marginwalker]

So after foolishly letting go of my 62 to help fund buying a house (which I sadly didn’t end up getting anyway) I’m back in the market for a vintage jag, trying to decide between a 63 sunburst refin and a 65 natural refin…

-The 63 jag has had its pots replaced with I believe 70’s pots, the neck pickup is from an AVRI, weighs 7.9lbs, and it’s been refretted (tho not necessarily a bad thing). Neck date is August 1963

-The 65 jag is all original besides the output jack and finish, and is about 7.5lbs. Neck date is June 1965

Both are around the same price

The pre-CBS aspect and the fresher frets are mainly what draw me to the 63 jag but I do like the aesthetics of the 65 jag a bit more, plus it’s more original. But if I did end up with the 63 I’d probably eventually get it redone in burgundy mist

Is there much of a difference in neck shape between 1963 and 1965 jags?

[Highnumbers]

I would go with the '65 all day long. Assuming it's an early '65 without neck binding (pre- D&B)?

The '65 is lighter, and has all of it's parts. The replaced pickup on the '63 would be a deal breaker for me and it sounds like you even like the aesthetics more.

Personally I find neck profiles on these guitars to be all over the place. **Generally speaking** '63 are a little chunkier than '65 but I've seen anomalies in both years. Only measurements or in-hand inspection would tell the whole tale.

Good luck!

[spiffy chap]

Have a 1964 and 1965 Jaguar, the 1965 being my main guitar for the last 10 years.
They're very similar guitars, but '65 has a more balanced sound.

The '65 neck is very similar to the '64, but the '64 seems to get a little bigger in the shoulders at the 12th fret.
Also, unbound neck on the '65, I find the bound necks to have a different feel than the unbound.

[caples]

You should go with the '65 all the way

[marginwalker]

I would go with the '65 all day long. Assuming it's an early '65 without neck binding (pre- D&B)?

The '65 is lighter, and has all of it's parts. The replaced pickup on the '63 would be a deal breaker for me and it sounds like you even like the aesthetics more.

Personally I find neck profiles on these guitars to be all over the place. **Generally speaking** '63 are a little chunkier than '65 but I've seen anomalies in both years. Only measurements or in-hand inspection would tell the whole tale.

Good luck!

Yep it’s a transitional unbound neck with a June 1965 neck stamp! And yeah I definitely prefer the natural refin vs the 63’s sunburst refin which looks more of a faded brown burst similar to how the AO’s look

The seller got back to me with more info and apparently he bought it from the original owner’s family. The neck measures in at 0.82” at the 1st fret and 0.97” at the 12th which is a surprisingly full profile, but I dig it!

I’ve also began to consider a mod shop Jag in burgundy mist (my favorite color) because I’m in the market for a new amp and halving the cost of one of these vintage jags would leave me quite a bit of wiggle room, but I might regret passing them up lol

[terminalvertigo]

the '65 is "pre-cbs" as well other than the pearloid dots.

at the ~same price, original pickups win.

[rexter]

That '65 profile coming in at just under an inch at the 12th fret sounds dreamy! I love '65s for that reason - often a really nice comfortable round/chunky C. I personally think it's one of the best Fender profiles. I found that a lot of earlier 1960s JMs and Jags had much more varied profiles, often flatter/wider. 65 sounds like a good choice!

[MrFingers]

the '65 is "pre-cbs" as well other than the pearloid dots.

Pearloid dots started to appear in November 1964 across the range

[Davey1234]

Can’t comment on the 63 but I have a 66 jag but the neck is dated September 1965 with Pearloid fits and is bound. Luckily it escaped the F stamped tuners. It is a fantastic neck and I love the binding, the guitar is absolutely phenomenal. With all these guitars it’s best to play first if you can and let that be the deciding factor as I’ve found they can feel very different and sound very different from guitar to guitar.

[Highnumbers]

the '65 is "pre-cbs" as well other than the pearloid dots.

Pearloid dots started to appear in November 1964 across the range

The strange part is that pearloid and clay (vulcanize fiber) dots apparently overlapped between late 1964 and very early 1965.

Here's a Feb '65 JM with clay dots