danglybanger
ReelItInologist
...but I don't really know if I'm happy. I should be. After all, Fender mostly ignores these models and the people who play them, and now are doing that less. Right?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Classic-Jaguar-Special-Electric-Guitar?sku=518688
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Classic-Jaguar-Special-HH-Electric-Guitar?sku=518749
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Classic-Jazzmaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=518687
Well colors aside, at least they look decent. I'm near autistic when it comes to Jags/JMs so bear with me.
I'll start off by NOT going all purist and yet still somehow being disappointed by offering my real complaint: Fender Japan already produces quality Jags/JMs for less. No diss on MIMs but Fender Japan offers about ten times as many colors, they even offer a few models of humbucker, TOM Jags to begin with... Even one with EMGs. And the changes (listed later) just don't add up for me.
Going a bit more nerdy and purist, what I think of the actual guitars... the trem with the screw in collet might be the single BEST thing about that guitar. CIJ trems barely grip the arm and wear out if you take it out a lot, AV trems grip the arm so hard you feel like you're going to break it when inserting/removing, and the trem can still swing a little too freely for my liking... Wonder how much those'll exchange for on ebay
The next best thing might be the angled neck pocket, which is sort of useless because the neck shim was invented... but reasonable enough and probably TOM related.
Now my period of ambivalence, which is the fact that the trem is scooted forward about one inch as compared to a standard model for more string tension... I actually have my Telecaster/Jazzmaster thing's trem set up at about the point where Fender put the trem on these, but more for aesthetic Telecaster related reasons... not too much of an impact on the sound, but sort of is. Hopefully it stops people from trying silly things/devices with the bridges/trems.
I'm also ambivalent on the neck, 9.5" radius will probably allow players to eke out slightly higher bends... Course I like the 7.5" radius on my Jag, especially as the shorter scale made bending easy as hell anyway... But I could live with 9.5".
...saving my feelings on the TOM for last. I don't feel particularly cheated by Fender installing TOMs on these, as Fender Japan has offered a few models of Jags with them for years. But something will always irk me about them, especially as Fender isn't offering any other options on this line...
The bottom line: Will a well set up stock Jag bridge be stable and problem free anyway? Yeah. Are there still ways to improve the Jag bridge? probably. Has it ever been a good idea to stick a TOM on a Jag...
Play a Jag trem with the stock bridge. you can abuse the hell out of it and it'll come back to tune better than any non-locking trem. If you look at the bridge closely, you'll realize that the angle at which it rocks and compensates is fairly extreme. A TOM won't do that at all (as most people who replace them soon find out). You don't wind up with a disaster (like putting a TOM on a Mustang) but it's not quite as good as the stock arrangement.
Personally I'd replace the TOM with either the stock bridge or to be a bit fancier, a roller bridge.
So in the end I'm still sort of wondering "why"... The improvements don't really add up for me, if I'm in the mood for a lower cost Jag any time soon I'll get a CIJ on ebay. I'm happy to see Fender making these and drumming up interest, but in the end they don't bring anything new to the table and sort of disappoint me... Especially when a few thousand miles away the Japanese axes are taunting us. I'm sure there was some marketing/economic reason for keeping us from those guitars.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Classic-Jaguar-Special-Electric-Guitar?sku=518688
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Classic-Jaguar-Special-HH-Electric-Guitar?sku=518749
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Classic-Jazzmaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=518687
Well colors aside, at least they look decent. I'm near autistic when it comes to Jags/JMs so bear with me.
I'll start off by NOT going all purist and yet still somehow being disappointed by offering my real complaint: Fender Japan already produces quality Jags/JMs for less. No diss on MIMs but Fender Japan offers about ten times as many colors, they even offer a few models of humbucker, TOM Jags to begin with... Even one with EMGs. And the changes (listed later) just don't add up for me.
Going a bit more nerdy and purist, what I think of the actual guitars... the trem with the screw in collet might be the single BEST thing about that guitar. CIJ trems barely grip the arm and wear out if you take it out a lot, AV trems grip the arm so hard you feel like you're going to break it when inserting/removing, and the trem can still swing a little too freely for my liking... Wonder how much those'll exchange for on ebay
The next best thing might be the angled neck pocket, which is sort of useless because the neck shim was invented... but reasonable enough and probably TOM related.
Now my period of ambivalence, which is the fact that the trem is scooted forward about one inch as compared to a standard model for more string tension... I actually have my Telecaster/Jazzmaster thing's trem set up at about the point where Fender put the trem on these, but more for aesthetic Telecaster related reasons... not too much of an impact on the sound, but sort of is. Hopefully it stops people from trying silly things/devices with the bridges/trems.
I'm also ambivalent on the neck, 9.5" radius will probably allow players to eke out slightly higher bends... Course I like the 7.5" radius on my Jag, especially as the shorter scale made bending easy as hell anyway... But I could live with 9.5".
...saving my feelings on the TOM for last. I don't feel particularly cheated by Fender installing TOMs on these, as Fender Japan has offered a few models of Jags with them for years. But something will always irk me about them, especially as Fender isn't offering any other options on this line...
The bottom line: Will a well set up stock Jag bridge be stable and problem free anyway? Yeah. Are there still ways to improve the Jag bridge? probably. Has it ever been a good idea to stick a TOM on a Jag...
Play a Jag trem with the stock bridge. you can abuse the hell out of it and it'll come back to tune better than any non-locking trem. If you look at the bridge closely, you'll realize that the angle at which it rocks and compensates is fairly extreme. A TOM won't do that at all (as most people who replace them soon find out). You don't wind up with a disaster (like putting a TOM on a Mustang) but it's not quite as good as the stock arrangement.
Personally I'd replace the TOM with either the stock bridge or to be a bit fancier, a roller bridge.
So in the end I'm still sort of wondering "why"... The improvements don't really add up for me, if I'm in the mood for a lower cost Jag any time soon I'll get a CIJ on ebay. I'm happy to see Fender making these and drumming up interest, but in the end they don't bring anything new to the table and sort of disappoint me... Especially when a few thousand miles away the Japanese axes are taunting us. I'm sure there was some marketing/economic reason for keeping us from those guitars.
