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VINTAGE BENCH TEST
FACING PAGE The 1966
Jaguar sports a chic Firemist
Iŕńā Ƽōĭžĩɚ UōƇŸŕāƍûĈā ùƪ
GĈōāĈŸ ŕōńƪ Ý ƪĈÝŸ ĈÝŸńĭĈŸɕ ĭƇ
ƤÝž Ý iƍûĭƇĈ ÝûŸƪńĭû ŋÝāĈ ùƪ
(ƍŴŕōƇ ğŕŸ "ÝāĭńńÝû
In a sitting position, the picking hand naturally ends and quite slim at the headstock end yet still somehow
up falling between the pickups of the Jaguar but closer conforms to the palm like a sublime 1950s Gibson. It
to the bridge pickup when playing the Jazzmaster. remains fairly slender up to the seventh fret, where it
For Strat and Tele players, the Jaguar may feel more begins its rapid transition across the next three frets
familiar, despite its shorter neck. With the Jazzmaster, into a fully rounded profile.
initially at least, it’s easy to end up at the seventh fret The Jaguar’s neck diverges from the Jazzmaster’s in
when aiming for the fifth, though it doesn’t take long virtually every regard. It’s all about consistency with
to get adjusted. There’s no comparable familiarisation the Jaguar; the depth remains practically identical
period required with the Jaguar. from headstock to heel, and the feel is more of a
There are contrasting feels to the neck profiles D than a rounded C. It also feels both thicker and
too. The 1961 Jazzmaster has an almost textbook thinner than the Jazzmaster neck in the low and high
example of an early-1960s Fender neck. It’s rounded positions, respectively.
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