Wow, is that what I think it is?! Yup, 1964 green guard Fender Jaguar in very unfaded Lake Placid Blue…

Billed as ‘faster and easier to play’ due to its shorter scale length and equipped with some of the most advanced switching options of any Fender to date, the Jaguar has always been a little bit at odds with its other stable mates but has always found favour in the underground. Even so, there is no denying the iconic look of the instrument, especially decked out in custom colours and covered in chrome.

The first thing that strikes you about this guitar is the colour. Its not often you get to see Lake Placid Blue so close to the original shade after such a long time out in the world. This guitar has certainly led a charmed life. There is some checking and patches where the colour has chipped off but over-all this guitar is in great shape. 

The neck has a wonderful grain pattern which is accentuated by the glossy lacquer finish. There aren’t any signs here of damage as is the case with the fretboard. The frets too show very little signs of use. The headstock has kept that smooth finish and like the body hasn’t yellowed very much at all. The logo has suffered some minor damage but does not detract from the look.

The back has some buckle rash as you can clearly see from the pictures but at least it is on the back and not as obvious as marks like this on the front. This is a lateish 1964 Jag but it still posses some desirable features from the 1963 model year such as the slightly chunkier neck, the green guard and a very nice, no logo case.

The original mint green pickguard has shrunk very slightly but has not warped at the edges. The hardware is free of too much corrosion and still gleams almost like it was just a few years old. Electronically the guitar is correct and all the solder joints (and yes, there are many!) look to be undisturbed which is always a welcome sight to behold.

The is guitar sounds fantastic. Unplugged there’s a vibrancy that isn’t always evident I these offset guitars. The flatwound stings that are currently fitted to the guitar roll off some of the inherent treble in the basic tone and lend themselves well to the guitar. Once plugged in, the guitar has a wide pallette of tones available and both pickups work well so as to make any option a good one, again a statement that can’t be made about all Jaguars unfortunately.

This guitar is certainly special. Looks to die for with tone to match. They don’t often get here in this condition so its a must for anyone looking for a custom colour offset for their collection.