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imbuedblue

By imbuedblue
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imbuedblue Newbie

imbuedblue

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Thanks, everybody. I had a busy weekend, so I didn't get to play it as much as I would have liked, but here are my initial thoughts on it.

I've been playing a CIJ Jaguar--with an Alder body, an AVRI vibrato spring, and re-wired with CTS pots, Switchcraft switches, and Curtis Novak pickups--almost exclusively for the past 10 years and have been GASing for another Jaguar for years. On paper, the Johnny Marr Signature looked to be my dream guitar, and so far I'm quite impressed.

Neck
The only thing that worried me about the JM Jaguar was the "slightly bulkier" neck that Johnny Marr described in the promo video. I have small hands and was very concerned about the playability of the neck. Well, the neck is bulkier than the one I've grown accostumed to on my CIJ Jaguar. I feel a little bit of strain when wrapping my thumb around the neck, but playing with my thumb behind the neck feels fine. The battery is dead on my digital calipers so I haven't been able to take exact measurements, but I'm guessing that there is around 1mm of additional depth to the neck. I checked the profile with a contour guage, and the JM neck is a bit taller in the shoulders than my CIJ, but the profile perfectly matched the profiles on my Silvertone 1448 (the guitar I take to rehearsals) and my Aria Pro II Herb Ellis (my number one before the CIJ Jaguar)--both of which are said to have C-shaped neck profiles. I've always loved the neck on my Aria and this neck has the same profile and a similiar depth, so I'm not sure whether that strain I feel is actually caused by the neck or by my overly self-conscious fear of the neck being too big. I have two gigs this coming weekend so any problems should show up on the job.

Body
The forearm contour is more gradual and the cutaway is increased, so the guitar sits closer to the body and feels comfier.

Bridge
I know I'm in the minority here, but I prefer a stock bridge with Mustang saddles over the Mastery Bridge so I really welcome what Johnny Marr has done here. I gigged with a Mastery Bridge for six months and ended up going back to the stock bridge with Mustang saddles. The Mastery Bridge tightened up the feel--especially the feel of the vibrato system--in a way that I didn't like. Anyway, the bridge posts on the JM Jag are wider giving it a more solid feel. The bridge still rocks back and forth, which I prefer, but it feels substantial enough that I don't think I'll knock it off center while playing.

Vibrato
The vibrato arm sits about 4-5mm higher off the body than then standard arm and doesn't swing away, which I love because I constantly use it to punctuate lines.

Pickups
The Bareknuckle pickups sound slightly underwound to my ears. They're darker--with more low-mids--than my Novaks and are better balanced across positions. I really like these pickups.

Switching
The four-way blade switch is really nice. I love the added series mode, and find it much more usable than the rhythm circuit, which I did use on occassion for jazz gigs. The two high-pass filters on the upper horn have shorter bats than the standard slide switches, which is nice, although I had long since adjusted my technique to avoid accidently knocking the slide switches on my CIJ Jag.

I do have one concern about this switching arrangement though. Changing pickup and high-pass filter settings on the fly has long been second nature to me (i.e., moving from the bridge pickup to the neck pickup with high pass filter by sliding my plectrum out of the way while pushing down on the bridge switch with my thumb and pulling up on the neck and high pass switches with my index and ring fingers, and then sliding my plectrum back into position). With the high pass filter switches located on the upper horn, I can't see myself being able to make certain moves as quickly.

Closing thoughts
All in all, I am in love with this guitar, and feel a kind of giddy disbelief that I actually own it. The sound, even unplugged, is focused and clear, and it just looks {censored}ing sexy as hell.

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ItchyFingers Newbie

ItchyFingers

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Thanks, everybody. I had a busy weekend, so I didn't get to play it as much as I would have liked, but here are my initial thoughts on it.


I've been playing a CIJ Jaguar--with an Alder body, an AVRI vibrato spring, and re-wired with CTS pots, Switchcraft switches, and Curtis Novak pickups--almost exclusively for the past 10 years and have been GASing for another Jaguar for years. On paper, the Johnny Marr Signature looked to be my dream guitar, and so far I'm quite impressed.


Neck

The only thing that worried me about the JM Jaguar was the "slightly bulkier" neck that Johnny Marr described in the promo video. I have small hands and was very concerned about the playability of the neck. Well, the neck is bulkier than the one I've grown accostumed to on my CIJ Jaguar. I feel a little bit of strain when wrapping my thumb around the neck, but playing with my thumb behind the neck feels fine. The battery is dead on my digital calipers so I haven't been able to take exact measurements, but I'm guessing that there is around 1mm of additional depth to the neck. I checked the profile with a contour guage, and the JM neck is a bit taller in the shoulders than my CIJ, but the profile perfectly matched the profiles on my Silvertone 1448 (the guitar I take to rehearsals) and my Aria Pro II Herb Ellis (my number one before the CIJ Jaguar)--both of which are said to have C-shaped neck profiles. I've always loved the neck on my Aria and this neck has the same profile and a similiar depth, so I'm not sure whether that strain I feel is actually caused by the neck or by my overly self-conscious fear of the neck being too big. I have two gigs this coming weekend so any problems should show up on the job.


Body

The forearm contour is more gradual and the cutaway is increased, so the guitar sits closer to the body and feels comfier.


Bridge

I know I'm in the minority here, but I prefer a stock bridge with Mustang saddles over the Mastery Bridge so I really welcome what Johnny Marr has done here. I gigged with a Mastery Bridge for six months and ended up going back to the stock bridge with Mustang saddles. The Mastery Bridge tightened up the feel--especially the feel of the vibrato system--in a way that I didn't like. Anyway, the bridge posts on the JM Jag are wider giving it a more solid feel. The bridge still rocks back and forth, which I prefer, but it feels substantial enough that I don't think I'll knock it off center while playing.


Vibrato

The vibrato arm sits about 4-5mm higher off the body than then standard arm and doesn't swing away, which I love because I constantly use it to punctuate lines.


Pickups

The Bareknuckle pickups sound slightly underwound to my ears. They're darker--with more low-mids--than my Novaks and are better balanced across positions. I really like these pickups.


Switching

The four-way blade switch is really nice. I love the added series mode, and find it much more usable than the rhythm circuit, which I did use on occassion for jazz gigs. The two high-pass filters on the upper horn have shorter bats than the standard slide switches, which is nice, although I had long since adjusted my technique to avoid accidently knocking the slide switches on my CIJ Jag.


I do have one concern about this switching arrangement though. Changing pickup and high-pass filter settings on the fly has long been second nature to me (i.e., moving from the bridge pickup to the neck pickup with high pass filter by sliding my plectrum out of the way while pushing down on the bridge switch with my thumb and pulling up on the neck and high pass switches with my index and ring fingers, and then sliding my plectrum back into position). With the high pass filter switches located on the upper horn, I can't see myself being able to make certain moves as quickly.


Closing thoughts

All in all, I am in love with this guitar, and feel a kind of giddy disbelief that I actually own it. The sound, even unplugged, is focused and clear, and it just looks {censored}ing sexy as hell.

 

Great report, blue. Stoked for you on getting your dream axe! :thu:

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imbuedblue Newbie

imbuedblue

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Did it come with any cool case candy?

 

 

Not really. It came with a cheapish 1950s style strap, a bridge cover, a set of Fender stainless steel flatwounds in 11s, a useless instruction sheet for the four-way switch, a generic Fender instruction manual, and a booklet with the same photos of and text about the guitar as on Fender's web site. I found it odd that there were instructions for the pickup selector but no mention of the high-pass filters.

 

The case itself is cool though. It's a G&G with black and gray tolex--something I hadn't seen before--nickel hardware, black leather trim, and a blue velvet interior.

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Phil O'Keefe Rookie

Phil O'Keefe

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The four-way blade switch is really nice. I love the added series mode, and find it much more usable than the rhythm circuit, which I did use on occassion for jazz gigs. The two high-pass filters on the upper horn have shorter bats than the standard slide switches, which is nice, although I had long since adjusted my technique to avoid accidently knocking the slide switches on my CIJ Jag.

 

My understanding is that they're the same old Switchcraft switches, but there are "spacers" underneath that lower their height. They're already being parted out on ebay by "Reliable Fender" - hopefully those parts will be available separately from Fender - I know a lot of Mustang owners who would probably really like to have a pair of those spacers.

 

Beautiful Jaguar - congrats!

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imbuedblue Newbie

imbuedblue

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My understanding is that they're the same old Switchcraft switches, but there are "spacers" underneath that lower their height.

 

 

Very interesting. That makes perfect sense. I'll have to check mine when I get home tonight, but I could swear that the bats looked and felt different from the old Switchcraft switches. I know that the tops don't have the same ridges.

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