1963 Fender Jaguar Vintage Offset Electric Guitar Pre-CBS Olympic White w/hc

Up for sale, a 1963 Fender Jaguar in exceptional condition and in perfect working order. This guitar has been professionally refinished in original Fender custom color Olympic White, and retains 100% original electronics aside from a swapped volume pot. Produced early in the second year of Fender production, this Pre-CBS Jaguar sports many of this model's earliest features, with an unbound Brazilian rosewood fretboard, clay dot fretboard inlays, and a pair of stock black bobbin pickups.

In terms of tone and feel, this Jaguar is simply a joy to play and a classic example of the guitar that was Fender's top-tier instrument in '63. The original pickups have the twang, chime, and cut for which these single coils are known, and in design and output they're virtually identical to a Strat pickup, albeit with the metal "claw" surrounds that both focus the magnetic field of the pickups and reduce unwanted hum. The myriad of switching options an 1Meg potentiometers ensure, however, that the Jaguar can cover much more sonic range than a Strat, while still covering the traditional Fender single coil territory. In the Lead Circuit (hexagonal control plate), the "strangle" switch cuts low end and can make for great tic-tac tones. The Rhythm Circuit on the guitar's bass side horn introduces a set of darker tonalities exclusive to the neck pickup, with a richness and low end girth that fills things out nicely and is great for driving a tube amp or your favorite fuzz box. Weighing in at 8lbs 14oz and balancing well on a strap, this Jaguar is a classic custom color surf machine. We've professionally setup this guitar here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, where we specialize in Fender Offset instruments, and the guitar is dialed in with fresh 11-50 strings and low action.

The one-piece maple neck features a medium C shaped profile that borders on the more slender side of things at the nut, yet grows notably in depth as you move into the higher registers of the fretboard, filling out with notable chunk and heft from the 7th fret and beyond. The original finish is intact on the neck profile, and much of the original finish has been worn down to the smooth, bare maple giving the neck a very fast feel. The veneer Brazilian rosewood fretboard has a dark, rich grain pattern with clay dot inlays and original fretwire. The fretboard retains the original 7 1/4" radius and the frets have their full factory height, showing only faint wear beneath the B string on frets 1-4 and virtually no wear further up the neck. The nut is the "B" width of 1 5/8", and the headstock features a new set of Kluson Deluxe tuning machines along with the original nitro lacquer finish and Jaguar decal.

On the body, all of the electronics work as they should, with a pair of stock black bobbin pickups. Both pickups retain their original pickup covers, metal claw surrounds, and original windings. The original Stackpole pots date to the 9th week of '63 and the stamp on the neck heel reads November, 1963. Visible in the vibrato route, the original 7/63 pencil date is present too. All of the original chrome control plates are intact and in great shape, along with the original bridge, mute and vibrato tailpiece. One of the best vibrato units ever designed, this Jaguar can execute everything from very subtle warbles and shakes at the end of notes, all the way to deeper dives that jump back to the original pitch with ease. The pickguard is the original nitrate tortoise guard.

Cosmetically, this guitar shows sparingly little wear in addition to the older, professional nitro lacquer Olympic White refinish. The finish is thin and resonant, with no clear coat and a very bright shade of white. The original sunburst finish is still present in the vibrato route, under the pickguard, and in the neck pocket. All of the original routes are clean and unaltered, and the body depth and contours were faithfully maintained when the body was refinished.

A Fender-branded brown tolex G&G hardshell case is included, along with the original "ashtray" bridge cover.