The special edition black-and-chrome Jaguar HH guitar adds a few modern touches 'a pair of Dragster humbucking pickups, most notably' to the classic design style and functionality of a vintage Fender Jaguar.
Jaguar HH
Reviewed by:
SideshowRaven24, on november 09, 2012 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: This Jaguar was made in Japan, and I believe it's a 2006 model. It has a 24 inch scale neck with 22 frets. It's a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, pretty Standard. It has a black alder body with all chrome hardware, which looks great. It has a Tune-O-Matic style bridge instead of the typical Jaguar tremelo. It has passive electronics with dual volume and dual tone controls, as well as an unusual killswitch, lead circuit, and 2 position tone control. These electronics can be hard to get used to but they are no doubt helpful and ultimately easy to use. There are two Dragster humbuckers instead of single coils, which sound absolutely fantastic. The tuners are Vintage style Fender tuners, which can get annoying to change strings in my opinion. They keep tune fairly well except with lower tunings, so I'm considering changing them. It has all of the basics and more. // 9
Sound: I play mostly progressive rock, experimental rock, metal, and ambient music, and this guitar surprisingly nails them all. I play it through a Bogner Uberschall and an Ernie Ball Volume, Crybaby From Hell, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Boss Noise Supressor, Line 6 DL4 Delay, Line 6 FM4, DigiTech Whammy, Banshee Talkbox, Boss DD6 Delay, Boss dual pedal Loop Station, Holy Grail Reverb, Boss Tuner, Mxr Phase 90, Boss tremelo, and DOD flanger. Even through all of this gear, the guitar keeps a tame noise level, with almost no noise at all. It has a brighter sound than my Epi Les Paul Custom, but not overly bright. It really shines when run through a really nice delay and overdrive, and it is very versitile either way. It's sound is an acquired taste, but once given some time and some tweaking it will definitely become an outstanding guitar in your eyes. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: All of the adjustments, except for the strings, are stock on my guitar. It was set up great from the get-go, and it was even a floor model. The bridge is pretty good, but occasionally the low E comes off the saddle. Ironicly, only when I'm playing live! Other than that, I can't spot any flaws. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have played this guitar everywhere from the main stage of the Worcester Palladium to extremely tiny venues and houses and this baby can withstand it all. The hardware seems like it will last a long time, but will probably need to be changed eventually. I've changed the strap buttons to Dunlop Straplocks, but only because I do extreme things with the guitar Live. The buttons it came with are fine for the normal guitarist. I would no doubt gig with is, as I have, but I bring a backup no matter what. You never know when you'll break a string! The finish seems rock solid, but I've only dropped it a few times. Overall, it seems really dependable. // 8
Impression: This guitar definitely fits everything from blues and classic rock to the heaviest of metal and progressive rock. I have been playing for 3 to 3 and a half years and this is probably my favorite guitar, among a Les Paul Custom and a Schecter Omen 6. I play it through a Bogner head and an old Peavey cabinet, as well as the mentioned pedals. If it were stolen or lost, I would sure be disappointed, and wouldn't be able to get another guitar for a while. Even if I got another Jaguar, it wouldn't be the same as the one I had, so I would probably get another guitar. I love this guitar dearly, but I just don't like the tuners. I chose this over a Gibson SG and a Fender Telecaster strictly for how comfortable it was and how radical it looked. It turned out sounding pretty darn good too! I'm sure to keep this guitar through the rest of high school and through the rest of my music career. I highly recommend it for any musician looking for something different. // 9
Jaguar HH
Reviewed by:
toyboxmonster, on november 09, 2012 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: C$ 500
Purchased from: Kijiji.ca (used)
Features: Japan-made Fender. I'm not sure about the year, but it's only been in production for about half a decade now. It's got 22 Vintage-style (extremely thin) frets and a rosewood fretboard on a finished maple neck. The tuners are "Vintage style" Gotohs. The body is Alder, which results in both a heavier instrument and a much more resonant sound. The shape is in the offbeat Jazz/Jaguar "melted Stratocaster" style. Unlike it's Vintage counterpart, the Jaguar Special has an adjusto-matic bridge, which results in more sustain and less need for tuning. In addition, this guitar sports dual Dragster humbuckers rather than the usual Jaguar single-coils. The Jagar special has an impressive array of controls. One Switch toggles between lead and rhythm circuit. The lead circuit engages both pickups and involves three slide switches (neck pickup on/off, bridge pickup on/off, and treble cut) and two knobs (volume and tone). The rhythm circuit engages only the neck pickup and the two rollers (volume and tone). This lends the guitar an unparallelled level of versatility; however, some improvements could be made (see "Overall Impression") // 9
Sound: I generally play ambient post-rock/noise-pop. The sweet transparent tone of the Dragsters is ideally suited for this style, but blues, jazz and rock tones are easily achieved thanks to the tremendous amount of control offered by this guitar. Everything from a thing vapour to a warm growl is available at the flick of a Switch. The pickups are extremely bright and could easily be mistaken for single coils if they weren't so quiet. Even with a number of pedals on, this guitar emits little to no noise, though the rhythm circuit is definitely noisier than the lead. I've found that at the right setting, the lead circuit is capable of reproducing almost the exact same tones as the rhythm circuit, which leads me to believe that a simple coil split (like on Jaguar Special Classic Player models) would have been more useful than a circuit toggle Switch. Humbuckers simply don't have the same personality as single-coils when overdriven. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Though mine was bought used, it was virtually untouched (and had two years worth of dust to prove it). The setup was great; the action is nice and low and the intonnation is impeccable. I believe it was fitted with.09 strings. I've seen people complain that the groves in the bridge and nut were too shallow to accomodate thicker strings, but mine currently has.11's and I've had no problems so far. The workmanship on this guitar is very impressive. Everything is nicely aligned and streamlined and feels great. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Of course, you should never gig without a backup, but I don't imagine this guitar's backup would see much action. I can say without exaggeration that this is the sturdest guitar I've ever laid hands on. Everything on it is built very solidly, with the possible exception of the slide switches, which are made of plastic and could be broken if handled too roughly. I usually replace the strap buttons of all my guitars with Dunlop Straploks, but I've found this to be unnecessary on the Jaguar Special. I've owned a number of guitars, all of which have gained dents or dings withing the first month or so, but this one has had it's body bumbed into walls and it's headstock whacked against doorframes and ceilings and has no scars to show for it. As far as durability is concerned, the Jaguar Special is unparalleled. // 10
Impression: The Jaguar Special can cover an entire spectrum of tones, from a thin trebly transparency to a generic "Les Paul" humbucker sound, to a warm, rich jazz croon. I've owned a number of guitars, including an Epiphone SG, a Fender Telecaster, a Jackson Dinky, and a Yamaha SC-300T, and this is by far the sturdiest and most versatile of them all. The tremendous amount of tone control means that this guitar is ideally suited for almost any style of music. I do wish that it featured a coild split like the Jaguar Special Classic Player, but I do see the use of the rhythm circuit. Perhaps it's asking too much, but having both the circuit toggle and a coil split would be nice (I'll look into it). A whammy bar could also be useful, but it the lack thereof is an important factor in the Jaguar Special's reliability. If it needed to be replaced, I can't imagine buying any different model; no other guitar could better suit my purposes. // 8
Jaguar HH
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on november 09, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 800
Features: I got this for the two circuits, rhythm and lead circuits. I leave the rhythm volume down and lead all the way up. I cut back and forth and use toggle tricks for lead lines this way. It was a fluke when I found out how to do this, but the end result was something from the book of Morello. // 8
Sound: It could be my amp but I do find it to be tinny at times. That being said, it does add some jangle to the rhythm. I've had the guitar for about 5 years and I've found every sound in between with this guitar. The rhythm circuit feels like it has more body. As a lead guitarist I stay away from this, which is a shame because the low end is really good on this guitar. Sustain is lacking, but it is pretty bright. The sound can be better, but I'm willing to forgive it until I hear through a better amp. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: Action and fit was amazing from the get go. I had a problem with the bottome E string popping but only because I flipped the bridge by accident when I first restrung the guitar. I don't have that problem anymore (my attack can range from subtle to violent, it has no problem now). I feel like I can glide on this neck, the guitar feel light. It just feels natural and intuitive. It looks sexy and not too many people play it, so the all chrome everything make an impression. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I've taped up the pickup selects on this guitar as I was turning everything off in the heat of the moment. I take care of this guitar between gigs and in storage, but during rehearsal and shows I give this guitar a pounding and it hasn't failed. Great reliability and durability. // 7
Impression: Fit and feel are right on. People always ask what I'm playing and it leaves an impression every show. I do feel that the sound can be fuller. Unless I do a check before I play there is a risk of the tone sounding thin if I have the wrong settings on. The machine heads are the only main point of complaint. Restringing can be arduous, but have to get used to it for sure. // 7
Jaguar HH
Reviewed by:
Philly C, on november 09, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 800
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: I got this guitar about 2 weeks ago, so I haven't got as deep into it as I could. This guitar made an awesome first impression on me. I got it Brand New its an '09 Japanese. Straight out of the box. The neck is a 24'' scale. I understood before I got it that it was going to be a small neck, I have larger hands than average so I was surprised that despite the small scale it was quite easy and comfortable to play still. I would strongly recommend this instrument to someone with smaller hands, but that does not mean it is limited to people with small hands. It has an off Axis waist or something like that, I forget the term. But it is not symmetrical, this guitar is extremely comfortable to play seated, but can be a little awkward while standing. I got it in black with a black pick guard and chrome everything, except the switches which are black plastic, but the knobs are all chrome. It has a front jack, I kinda like my jack to be on the bottom but small price to pay in my opinion. // 8
Sound: I absolutely love the tone of the Dragster Humbuckers. They are Fender designed. I play all kinds of music. I do guitar lines that are twisted to hell for industrial and electro style music, I play metal, classic rock blues country style bluegrass Indie rock primarily though. The bridge pickup is a dragster humbucker, as is the neck. But the bridge is very jangly and bright. This is very fun for grunge and blues. I just play this guitar clean every chance I get, thru my Vintage Carvin half stack reverb all the way up. With the rythm circuit engaged it makes the switches on the bottom useless, they don't do anything, it goes neck pickup only and its louder and its deeper. I love this tone. its so heavy and clean and perfect for jazz guitar. Though I can't play that style of music very well my roomie loves that stuff and steals this guitar from me every chance he gets and those jazz chords sound so rad on this thing. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is great, one complaint, only one, the low "e" string when picking fast right on the bridge has opped off the saddle on me a few times, this can be fixed in 2 seconds, but its annoying to be playing something like the pulp fiction theme and then have the string just come off the saddle. But thats just cuz im playing like right on the bridge. Thats normally not a problem and its never happened while I'm strumming chords or picking on any other strings. The finish is beautiful and I love everything else about it. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is solid. its all rugged and tough. I would jam with this thing Live for sure, its not my main guitar though. I play a Jackson DK2M which is just better for heavy distortion. and has 24 frets for crazy solos. but I would have this No Doubt for any clean things or rythm guitar roles. And melodic stuff. But frankly my main guitar is better suited for playing lead guitar and handling distortion. // 9
Impression: I have recently been playing alot of clean stuff and transitioning out of metal and this guitar rules for everything with the gain turned low. I really haven't experimented with heavy hard rock stuff because it sounds so Boss clean. If I broke it, lost it had it stolen or just wore it out, I would totally get another one I love this thing. This is my dream guitar I always wanted this one and it did not disappoint. I play lead and rhythm guitar and I play bass. I mentioned earlier I play a Jackson DK2M as my main lead axe. My bandmates don't do lead so I'm often in that role tho I like to play chords a lot. This guitar rules for both, though the pickups don't have a lot of character I love em but they aren't much on their own, which is great with a good efects console. I'm running off a Boss ME-70. And when I am lucky enough to do rhythm I use this guitar, the Jag, and it performs admirably. And when I do bass I play a Yamaha RBXA2 4 string bass with active pickups. I love all my gear. // 9
Jaguar HH
Reviewed by:
prosong12345, on november 09, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: C$ 799.99
Purchased from: Long & McQuade
Features: My Fender SE Jaguar HH, Made in Japan, is a classic, top-notch bolt-on guitar made of alder body, maple neck and 22-fret rosewood fretboard. This Special Edition guitar swaps out standard plastic hardware with a solid, chrome theme. The guitar has a classic, black finish with a Strat-style, most comfortable body and neck ever played. This guitar has 2 Seymour-Duncan Dragster humbuckers (neck and bridge) that produce heavy sound (with distortion) while staying noise-free when I stop playing. This guitar has an Adjusto-Matic (aka Fender-Licensed Tune-O-Matic) fixed bridge with Schaller's locking tuners, which further expedite the tuning stability. This guitar's pickups are controlled with a classic Jaguar-style Series/Parallel switches used for varieties of usage in almost every style of playing. // 10
Sound: I mostly concentrate on multiple music styles, so I use a do-it-all Line 6 Spider IV series amp with on-board effects. I mostly judge a guitar's sound with distortion, and by far, no other passive guitar pickups beat this guitar's pickups. While producing heavy and clean sound with distortion, I never had to work on shielding the pickups. These pickups are what I call the 'perfect' pickups, used for almost any kind of music style. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I have just been using this guitar straight from the store with 9-42 strings, and the action is ALREADY at its prefect stage. Pickups, fret leveling, neck curvature, and string height were very stable to me. My fingers flew on the guitar's neck. (No kidding!) The only flaw I'd see is the black stains on the rosewood fingerboard. I just had to use a soft cloth to wash the stains away. Problem fixed! // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar has a hi-quality black-chrome finish which withstands every single playing environment, so yes, it will withstand live playing. This guitar should've come with Schaller's strap buttons, although Fender is not to blame. Still, the buttons ARE solid. Other than string breakage OR a secondary guitar with a whammy bar, I'd never have to worry about this guitar breaking down, compared to my previous Ibanez RG series, which was a total disappointment compared to my Fender Jaguar, which is TOTALLY stable. // 10
Impression: I have been playing guitars for just over 3 years, testing a variety of guitars in store, until I finally found this perfect guitar suited for just about anything. Before I bought this guitar, I originally wanted to go for the Fender Blacktop Telecaster, but this Fender Jaguar HH had more top-notch features. If anyone stole my guitar, I'd track his identity down to the furthest end of the universe to get my guitar back, even if it means of leaving earth itself. I love this guitar's perfect intonation, ZERO fret buzz with low action, most comfortable neck and body contour, etc... so much that I'd not say anything bad about this guitar. This guitar is definitely the king of all guitars. The only thing I wish this guitar had was an Original Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo with a D-TUNA to use in dropped tunings. // 10
how does the 24" scale feel compared to a 25" or 25.5" scale? i like the looks but i don't know about the shorter scale.
Having had one for a close to a year and having played my fair share of other guitars (a Flying V, a Strat, a Dot, a Tele, a Les Paul, etc...) I think the smaller scale feels a lot smoother than the standard 25 or 25.5.
i'm sorry. i'm ususally not such a twat but that has got to be quite possibly the greatest mis-use of the word irony i've ever come across. guitar sounds nice though
i'm sorry. i'm ususally not such a twat but that has got to be quite possibly the greatest mis-use of the word irony i've ever come across. guitar sounds nice though
hahaha! dude i go back and read this afterwards and I realize that I sounded idiotic. Good call though, good call. I think I spelled ironically wrong too.
just got to play my friends jaguar and i like the feel of it and i want an HH guitar. maybe this next.
the jaguar hh is a very different guitar than the original. the only thing thats the same is the scale length, the body shape and the controls, thats about it. i would try out the hh before going for it.
Wow, I've never seen someone drop a guitar before, I always catch it with my frett hand. Great review tho, i heard strings never break on the Jaguar, because it doesnt have a floating tremlo like a strat
I was lucky enough to pick up a 3 color Rosewood HH Jaguar last week...and I've hardly put it down since!...The tone and sound is beautiful and works for pretty much any style of music you want (I mainly play Reggae/Jazz/Soul).
I've wanted a Jag since I saw Kurt Cobain's modified version in 1994...I just prefer its look to that of the Strat and Telecaster and it has so many different sound options to play with...
I read a lot of reviews of Jags before I bought one and most people complained about problems with staying in tune due to the floating tremelo and the fact the strings pop out of their grooves. HOWEVER!...Most of the old problems have been totally sorted out for the HH Classic version i.e. a Gibson style Tune-O-Matic bridge. Also...the way to stop the strings popping out is to use Heavy Flatwound strings. Fender originally designed this guitar for Surf music and Jazz and recommend you use Flatwounds. I haven't got round to changing mine yet, but then to be fair; nothing's popped out yet!
One thing that makes me laugh about the Jaguar is that when I told my various Musician mates that I was getting one...they all said: "you lucky bastard!...I've always wanted one!" And yet no one seems to actually buy one (opting for Strats, Tele's or Les Pauls instead)...more fool them I say!...If you're lucky enough to spot a HH in a shop then get it (I had to buy mine online 'cos no one seems to stock it in England)...
To the guy above me: You're talking about the HH Classic Player. Totally different animal; the HH Classic player is the one with the trem arm. Another huge difference between the two guitars is that the the HH Classic Player has a coil split rather than circuit selector switch, which means its humbuckers can be converted into single coils.
I don't know if its because my lack of knowledge or there's a problem with the guitar.
When the upper switch, the lead/ rhythm switch toggles toward the neck , I can't get any sound. But when it is toggle away from the neck, I can get the sound. What's the deal? killswitch or faulty mechanics?
I don't know if its because my lack of knowledge or there's a problem with the guitar.
When the upper switch, the lead/ rhythm switch toggles toward the neck , I can't get any sound. But when it is toggle away from the neck, I can get the sound. What's the deal? killswitch or faulty mechanics?
well there is a killswitch some where on the classic but i dont own one so IDK its location
I think I'm going to buy one of these soon (like in the next two weeks). A few days ago I was more thinking of getting an LP or maybe an SG (because I already own two Fender guitars) but then at my local GC today I picked up one of these and no I just can't stop thinking about it... I bet I'll end up buying it before then lol. Probably like Friday.
I don't know if its because my lack of knowledge or there's a problem with the guitar.
When the upper switch, the lead/ rhythm switch toggles toward the neck , I can't get any sound. But when it is toggle away from the neck, I can get the sound. What's the deal? killswitch or faulty mechanics?
I've got the classic hh too, that switch is indeed the killswitch. Such a lovely guitar maybe throw a review up for it soon.
dude i felt the same way before i bought it,it dosent hurt at all its very comfortable and easy to get around, i have fairly big hands and was concerned it was going to be a little small but it flies, its a very comfortable neck. and a good size. its surprisingly light weight as well
Nightfyre wrote:
how does the 24" scale feel compared to a 25" or 25.5" scale? i like the looks but i don't know about the shorter scale.
I have one of these. Never cared for Fenders much but needed a mellowed out guitar instead of using a metal machine. This did it. For the type of guitar, it's capability and price it's hard to compete with.
i love this guitar and all and its amazing one of my dream guitars.... but recently they discounted the red gunmetal brust and the 3-tone brown brust....the only one of these guitars you can buy now is the black ones and if you ask me those might go soon if you were to ask my guess cause they are on sale
Kootaroo – yeah, I have a red/gunmetal burst and it looks beautiful: a JGS-78, is that right? Haven't seen one since I got mine a few years back. Had the opportunity to record with it through two AC-30s - what an amazing warm sound. Only thing I will say is that it does pick up some hum through the electrics – apparently common with Jags. It needs soundproofed.
mwbewick you lucky bastard.
I have always wanted a Jaguar ever since I first saw one then when I saw the Gunmetal Red Burst one it made wan one even more!!
