Completely forgot to mention in the video, but this guitar came with 9s and they just felt so stupidly slinky and unstable. Kinda played like shit. First thing I did was put on a set of D’Addario XS 11-49s, and the increased tension made this guitar play beautifully. I’d highly recommend higher gauge strings than you may be used to for shorter scale guitars like jags and mustangs. I’ve heard that Fender offsets in general are actually designed to be used with higher gauge strings, and I’ve heard/watched/had many occurrences of just going up 2-3 gauges in string size fixing a majority of “out of the box” problems. IMO kinda ridiculous Fender just puts 9s on everything, regardless of whether it serves the guitars function or not.
I agree that 9s on everything is ridiculous, for Strats and Teles I can understand it, but Offsets with the proper vibrato should come with 11-49s at the very least. Guild puts 11-49s on their guitars stock and the ones with JM style vibratos stay in tune beautifully right out of the box.
Yeah, that's ridiculous. The lightest set I'd use would be a 10-52, but usually I use 11-54s. You'd think Fender would take the minute to throw some decent gauge strings on their offsets so they actually feel and sound decent out of the box or off the wall.
I actually use 9’s on my mustang, but I also have years of experience setting guitars up. It is a unique little beast. Mine has the jazzmaster tremolo, roller bridge, and dual p90’s (yes actual p90’s, not jazzmaster pickups) but I did all the mods myself. In most cases though I agree, short scales often need thicker strings. The middle position is absolutely golden on it, a beautiful clean tone there
I honestly loved how messy and incontrollable the distortion tones sounded. Sure, needs a lot eq to remove some of the annoying frequencies that. But i love the raw vibe it brings
I love my squire jaguar 70s classic vibe. I love it for it's rhythm/lead to get a jazzy bass and it's strangle switch to get sweet crisp highs like a Spanish classical. I'm struggling to like those guitars. I feel Ike they should have named them something else? Not that they are bad, they just are not really a jaguar. Maybe they should call them panthers or cheetahs
How does the neck feel? I need a Jaguar but tend to prefer the satin modern C. I’m not opposed to adding a rhythm circuit to a Player II but would rather it come stock.
i have one too. the neck got sticky on me after a year so i ended up using a green 3m dish sponge to make it faster. i love the shape and i have a disability that makes playing super painful. this is the only guitar i can play for more than an hour without pain. after a shim and setup it has the lowest action ive ever played in my life. flatter than you think it would be though!
@@denyel_ thanks for the tips. I prefer a chunky neck to the modern super thin ones. I think over time I'm going to try to get a bit of gloss off that neck and shim it up. It's perfectly playable now, just a basic glance. I can get the whammy spring to buzz a tiny bit playing bass e or f in rhythm going for super bass. I'm learning toward adding the bridge palm muting hardware to the bridge later too, and a bit of locktight to the bridge screws to be safe.
@@CJ-jh9ri The classic vibe necks are definitely not satin finish. And they can feel a bit sticky, especially in hot / humid weather. So if you don't like gloss necks, the Squier CV neck might not suit you. You might be better off with the Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster has a more of a satin neck C shaped neck, with jumbo frets, and that neck plays great. There's a bit less issues with the trem/tuning on that, that the Squier CV Jaguar. You could look at the previous Vintera Jaguars too. Can get them on sale, now the Vintera II are out, but I prefer the Vintera I Jaguars.
Having watched your vids before this calmer approach is much better. Have seen purists drag this guitar but props for actually buying it and giving a fair review. I dare say most jazz/jag players don’t use the rhythm switch. I personally really like it but don’t care if someone likes this style instead, more offset styles the better.
Agreed. This is a good thing if it means more people pick up offset guitars. The extra switches on Jazzmasters/Jaguars/Mustangs can be pretty intimidating for people.
@@silverman169agreed with this. My CME jazzmaster is perfect because I don’t like the rhythm circuit. The only “quirky” offset switching I like is the mustang. The out of phase is cool.
I took advantage of my switches and rhythm circuit. The rhythm circuit "hears" all pickup combinations, and it gives me the choice of brighter or darker tones for my selection. The pickup selector switches are changed to double-throw switches and put the pickups in series when they're both in the down position. the "choke' switch is a phase switch for the bridge pickup, now. Lotsa tones.
Always a pleasant surprise whenever you drop guitar reviews/demos. Also great intro demo, probably the best I've heard of your solo stuff from your vids tbh
Jags are known for being super bright and thin, the classic player special from the 2010s had super hot pick ups that were great with distortion, I guess these guitars are trying to pick up where those left off. Even the jazzmaster pick ups from that line were awesome, bands like whirr, superheaven, movements used those special classic players
I like that you chose the yellow. I like that you cuss because the music community on UA-cam has become too corporate and sterile. I would go with the Jazzmaster over the jag, but good vid man man. Well done.
Honestly those distorted tones are excellent. Some people don’t like jazzmaster/jag sound. I love it for its percussive intensity the harder you play really comes out great.
I understand removing the rhythm circuit. The tone knob achieves the same sound. I do not understand removing the strangle switch. You need that one for sure, and at that point you might as well add the second parallel/series switch like the Marr Jaguar. Sadly the Squier CV Jaguars seem to have it right - Even if you want a "modern high performance" one! The Contemporary Jaguar is awesome. I actually like the Player II otherwise, I don't mind it looking like a Jazzmaster, but... I'd need the strangle added as a push/pull knob.
Get a CV Squier and upgrade the pups. I know nobody out there wants to show up with ‘Squier’ on the headstock, but i use my guitar for making music, so Idgaf 😂
@@HDD1234-h4oDanza Del Petrolero by Los Mirlos. This band called LA LOM has a cover on UA-cam that my version was based off of, highly recommended checking them out ua-cam.com/video/CCVvkWhV_zE/v-deo.htmlsi=v-M871bxDRoG1G0I
@@thekipinator7660ha! Saw LA LOM live this year and heard the intro and thought “man, that’s giving LA LOM vibes big time….” So this was satisfying comment to see!
Nice job maestro! I also join the group that really enjoyed the “distorted“ sounds (VERY “Sorry Ma…” era Replacements noises - which I think were mostly P90 Les Paul noises) For my money, that thing could almost go into the paranormal phylum considering how they’ve configured it. Also, kudos on your choice of string gauge. I tend to use the scale length to choose how thick the wires are going to be. That’s what I have on my jag. Sadly, even though it doesn’t have the rhythm circuit, I feel any jag missing the “strangle switch” is missing out on the whole jag deal (high pass filter). For example, if you have say a Pog, a compressor, and some delay/verb seasoned to taste, you get a free Rickenbacker 12 string! Again, nice job !
a 3 way toggle is so limiting for a jag. I love the rhythm circuit and i use the strangle switch regularly to sit in the mix better in jams. I also modded the wiring so when both PU switches are down they are put in series instead of off. Really thickens up the tone and gets a good volume boost to hit my overdrive harder. All that said, i really love the tones you are getting out of this one. Seems like its a great guitar. I can understand the appeal of having a streamlined Jag with more focus on build quality and comfortable playing.
Excellent review. Straight forward and balls honest. I think I'm gonna pick up a coral red one. And I'll probably do what I always do to Tele's..........swap in a 4 way switch for the in-series tone in the 4th position (very useful at gigs) WTF. It may even allay your concerns about the distortion sounds in that position. BTW, yeah on the 11s. Already use the DAddario XS 11-49 ones on all my electric guitars (hell, XS's on my mando and acoustics too)
Great playing. Right up my street! This is much more like your trad Jaguar than anything that Fender have been putting out for the same price point up until now. As you say, it lacks the extra switching and cool chrome stuff, but at least it's recognisably a Jaguar!
Nice review, and examples. I have a modded 70s classic vibe. Q pickups, locking tuners, tremolo. It’s my favorite guitar right now. And yes the 9 gauge was ridiculous. 11s for me too Don’t use the rhythm circuit either
I bought one and love it. Did you notice Fender moved the tremolo closer to the bridge for better string angle? Mustang bridge is also much nicer than the traditional Jag bridge. I miss the chrome on the upper pickguard, but oh well. Pick-ups are detailed and modern sounding, really like everything about this guitar.
Pro tip! Buy the chrome plate for the jaguar rhythm switch without the ciruitry, just for the looks. And then use a chrome plate from the johnny marr switchable pickups selector chrome plate. This way you could change the look to the vintage original jaguar
Would be an awesome mod project! Unfortunately after disassembling this guitar, converting it to a traditional Jaguar requires an extensive amount of routing. Even the area where the current pickup selector switch is requires some additional routing to accommodate a Johnny Marr style switch. Would be a cool project tho! Just a little more work than I would want to do on a brand new guitar personally, hope to see if someone else does that on UA-cam sometime, I’d love to see the results.
If they added the additional plate and had a three way that did warm, normal, and bright it would have all of the basic jaguar tones without the messy switching.
I wound up making a Jaguar from parts, finishing it myself, as a lockdown project because I'd had so many bad experiences with bad fretwork on Squier Jags - but at the time, it was so hard to get a legit single coil Fender Jag for under a grand. If the Player II had been around a few years earlier, I wouldn't have bothered making my Jag. If I had to choose between vintage control plates + humbuckers, or the Player II without the plates but keeping the single coils...I'd go Player II all day, because the Player II has the essential pieces I care about: the single coil Jag pickups, the scale length, the trem. That's the core of the sound and feel I get when playing my Jag. That being said, personally, I *do* use the rhythm circuit and the strangle switch extensively in my playing, because I like having the onboard ability to change how my guitar is sitting in the mix. But based on my experience and the conversations I've had with other players, I think I'm in the minority - a number of Jag players never use those switches, or in some cases even tape them off. So I find it kinda funny hearing other folks (not you) complain about the missing switches on the Player II Jag, when the control setup on this model is what probably 95% of guitarists are used to using. Any idea on how the pickups in this Jag compare to the Pure Vintage '65 set? I've got the '65s in my Jag, and like you, I find that a number of higher-gain, more aggressive classic distortions don't play particularly well with this guitar. However, I can get a lovely, airy, even heavy crunch with Tubescreamer-style overdrives; I'm mostly using the Hardwire CM-2 with more mid-hump-y settings.
@@iankinzel the jag you can see me playing at 1:08 had pure vintage 65s in it, and while I sold it and can’t compare them side to side I would say these pickups are very very different. A lot warmer and kinda fat sounding. I eventually sold that other jag bc I just wasn’t happy with the sound, not to knock the 65s but they just weren’t for me, and just did not work with the sounds I needed for my band. I personally prefer these way better…but I prefer the look and feel of that other jag lol I mean it’s just so fucking badass looking, was just too expensive itself to be worth changing the pickups in. In my dream world I’d have that jag but with these player ii pickups in it instead.
@thekipinator7660 Yeah, my Jaguar with the 65s felt way too bright and way too low-output until (a) I got more comfortable using the controls, which a Jaguar really demands in a way other guitars don't; and (b) I built a couple make-shift wooden pickup mounts out of popsicle sticks so that I could set the pickups higher. That's really interesting to hear the difference on the Player II. Truth be told, I'm not too picky about tone - as long as something is well-built and reasonably articulate, I'll figure out how to play with what I've got. So by now, the way I play my Jag is based on the sound and feel of those 65s. But I would have been perfectly happy with a Player II like yours - and the sound is light years ahead of my experience with the Squier Jags.
@@iankinzel out of all of the Squier classic vibe models, the Jaguar has been consistently the weakest option as it tends have the worst qc, at least in my experience/opinion. I’ve personally never liked the pickups, and almost every example I’ve tried in stores desperately needed shimming, as the factory seems to have a hard time getting the neck pocket angle correct consistently. This comment section is filled with people telling me that the Squier classic vibe is better, and I just don’t agree. Sure it has the looks. But I don’t feel right recommending a product that requires work/fixing right out of the box. Easy work or not, I feel better off recommending someone a quality product rather than a project. And I’m sure some people get lucky with a good one and I’m glad, but I just wish there was a larger variety of options for jags in general compared to strats and teles, and right now I just personally feel this is the strongest option price/quality wise. Also I applaud you for having that mindset, of learning to work with what you have. Sometimes I feel like I get a new piece of gear and expect it to write songs for me, or just pump out the exact tones I want for me without really learning the piece of gear first, and I know a lot of musicians/gearheads fall into that often without really thinking about it. I’m sure your jag build is killer, and best of all it’s a one of a kind with an owner that took the time to get to know it and adapted to it. You sound like you have a great relationship with your instrument, which is more than most people make effort at doing
Look into swapping the 3way to a 4way switch and you can put both pickups in series humbucking mode for a Les Paul Junior kind of vibe. Johnny Marr signature model has the 4-way switch and Telecasters use them a lot so you can find schematics either place.
The Player line is basically Fender's equivalent of like, Squier's Affinity line or something (and Vintera/VII being like, the equivalent of the Classic Vibe). Stuff that's a bit more simplified down so that new players can jump in. I guess my real issue is that spending like, $300 for a decent but dumbed-down guitar for a beginner is fine; spending almost three times that for the same concept doesn't make much sense to me, but I'm not in marketing or brand strategy or any of that nonsense, so what do I know. I decided to just save up a bit more money and imported a Japanese Jaguar and got everything I wanted out of a Jaguar. That being said, that yellow is pretty rad, and the pickups don't sound all that bad.
to me it sounds more like a jazzmaster, it lacks the agresiveness and sharpness of other jaguars but still sound great just different to the other jaguars
Was torn between the yellow and the red (got the red). Miss the extra chrome but it's such a fun and likable instrument. I threw on some 10-52s and it feels better than the strings it shipped with. Thanks!
Nice review/demo. "We Are Sex Bob-omb" was a nice surprise. I'm honestly pretty impressed with the clean/overdriven tones. They have that classic jangle, but sound like they'd cut through a mix really easily. I feel you on the aesthetics and "unnecessary" features, though. I picked up a used Kurt Cobain model like 10 years ago, and like how it retains more of the classic Jaguar look while swapping out the lower switches for a 3-way Gibson toggle. I just use that to flip between pickups, then keep my rhythm circuit dialed all the way down and use it as a kill switch. It's the best "Fender with humbuckers" guitar I've ever owned, but I still tend to prefer a Telecaster for clean single-coil sounds. Nice playing, too, btw.
I agree, I think the Kurt Cobain Jaguar is the perfect blending of modern appointments and vintage looks for a Jaguar. I just really really really wish it came in at LEAST one other color option. Would be a day one purchase for me if it came in another color, even a simple one like white.
Almost nobody does point-blank distortion nowadays because hard clipping distortion on most circuits kill your mids (save for certain genres). High gain applications now typically involve stacking a bunch of low gain pedals with a Tube Screamer in between.
I love my squier CV jag. Rhythm circuit is my happy place, I rarely use the lead circuit tbh. I'm used to being the heyoka guy. This new Jag sounds good, but it's not for me. Nice demo!
It’s so weird that Squier CV is a better option than any available non-Japan Fender besides a custom shop. Wtf. I bought one and replaced the pickups/electrics and tuners, and it’s freakin great. 🤷♂️
@@sub-jec-tiv yeah I'm swapping the bridge for a staytrem and the nut needed a little adjustment for 11s, but after that I'm happy as hell with it. A really comfortable fun guitar.
Great review. As you prove here these things sound and play really great. Have to be played to be believed. In person they’re way better than on paper. Head and shoulders better than the prior player. If I didn’t already have a classic vibe I’d very likely pick one of these up. Compared to the CV I think the Player 2 has better pickups and real rosewood neck and smoother trem. CV has all the switching on board though so in my book it gets the edge I can definitely see a lot of folks going for the player over the Vintera 2 though - imo the maple boards just don’t work and a lot of people would prefer the simpler switching of the P2
@@jessethetodd was super disappointed with the look of the new vintera ones, I agree the maple boards just do not work at all. I hope they do the Vintera Modified thing again, and offer an alternative Jaguar in some way
It sounds pretty good. As cool as the OG style jag is, fender knows all those switches are not popular. I personally think they should have went with an LP style switch on the upper horn so it’s more out of the way though.
Cutting corners by cutting the price is ok. But they cut corner and sustain (pun intended) price. The way of the Dodo (Gibson). Gibson is marketing by now and the money comes from Epiphone. Fender is heading that direction as well with Squier (CV's are very nice guitars around $450 or so).
great video, your guitar looks Beautifull, the tones are pretty great..... the playability should be really good, 24 inches scale is so fun (I have a Duo sonic), probably istalling a dmazio hot rail on the bridge will help to convert that guitar into a perfect tool for giging, cheers bro!! (I think the best improvement was to change the bridge and to move it closer ot tremolo system....probably now is more stable than the player series I )
I like it but I’m not someone that cares too much if a guitar deviates from the traditional formula as long as it retains the essence of what it is. For a Jag that essence is primarily the pickups and the trem. That said, if given the choice I almost always opt for the traditional configuration first. Same here. Would have liked to have the rhythm circuit, strangle switch, and button pick-up switches but this looks good and sounds great. Has almost a Jazzmaster Jr. vibe in the looks department.
I don't know man the indie tones part sounds really good with some dirt on it. I don't know if it's your playing or what but your dirt sounds great dude.
@@AndyG_ Jaguars in general aren’t great for that kind of music. The jaguars Kurt played were heavily modified and had humbuckers, really nothing like any Jaguar you’ll find just off the shelf, other than his signature jag. The Vintera Modified Jaguar has humbuckers and is great for Nirvana, but they were discontinued last year, so you might have to scrounge the internet for used ones, but I highly recommend them they’re pretty good for the money
Hypothetically I wonder if you could save money by starting with the Player II as your base model and swapping in some of the electronics it’s missing. Because it looks pretty sharp and clearly plays and sounds pretty good.
@@josephabrams3051 unfortunately the body isn’t routed for those missing electronics. I actually considered doing this, and the routing job by a pro would’ve been about $200, plus the costs of the new hardware and parts, and then the work of perfectly matching everything up. It’s definitely a doable project, but just a little too much for me to want to do with a new guitar. Doing modifications like these significantly plummet a product’s resale value too, which I rely on in order to try all the gear I try. Waiting for someone else on UA-cam to do it so I can watch tho!
Question. I have the same Surfeybear reverb unit. Do you prefer it to the Princeton's reverb? Was considering getting a Princeton or another low watt amp w/built in spring reverb as the Surfeybear takes up a ton of space on the pedalboard.
@@kevinkeith3530 if you want that brighter, more prominent spring reverb “drip” then the surfybear will triumph really any modern amp’s spring reverb. The spring reverb in my Princeton, Twin, and Deluxe is a bit dark and just barely has any of that “drip” to the point where it’s not really noticeable live. And that’s not to say it’s bad, it’s a good reverb, it’s just going to be a different sound that you can’t tweak. There’s a pedal from Source Audio called True Spring that is a compact digital spring reverb pedal that recreates the drip pretty well, I’d check one of those out if you want a more compact pedal. Ultimately if the SurfyBear reverb unit is the sound you’re looking for, I don’t think a Princetons reverb is really comparable to it. I’d still try it if you can, you might like it, it’s just darker and not as “surfy”
Nice video, thanks for the honest review. But I still wouldn’t wanna do without the original switching. There are great used Jaguars on the market. It’s a shame that the current Fender line-up doesn‘t have a single traditional Jaguar in it. After all this was Leo‘s last original design for them. And they just ditched it. Not cool.
@@JasonTMays CV is Squier, not Fender. I own one and I like it, but only after I upgraded the pickups and the trem. But you’re right, I forgot about the Vintera II. Which I don’t like for its clunky black block inlays who really ruin the looks if you ask me.
@@superserioes I understand it’s a squier, however fender still makes it. But for the sake of argument, even if you negate any Squier model. You’re still left with 4 Jaguars, 1 of which is a traditional, 1 of which is stripped down, and the other two are artist models. I mean I understand you might not like the Vintera II for its block inlays but it is still a traditional Jaguar.
I guess my only real question with this is... are the pickups comparable to that of a "real" Jaguar (I hate how elitist that sounds, but you get what I mean). Am i going to get that trebley, spanky, crisp, squishy and clear tone that Jaguars are known for? I honestly don't play very heavy music (i have a muff fuzz, but that only gets used when i feel like playing grunge), so that clean tone and the light drive tone has to be really good to justify getting one of these... Should I get one of these and then change the pickups to some higher end Fender Jaguar set? Or would that be a waste of money? Huge thanks if you answer because getting a "real" jaguar these days is a pain in the ass!
@@AlbinoTuxedo they’re noticeably fatter sounding than “real” jaguar pickups but I don’t think this should negatively affect their perceived sound/quality to Jaguar purists. These pickups should please really anyone, I wouldn’t recommend changing them out. And typically i find the pickups to be the weak point in a majority of the past player series models, especially the strats, but for this specific model i think they will please anyone!
Not blocked, but this particular design hugs the bar a lot more snug. Hasn’t loosened up at all, and doesn’t scratch up the bar where it inserts. Not entirely sure what’s different about this exact tremolo design but it’s great, prefer it over the AVRI one at the moment.
@@brainrottedindividual you can find a Fender Blacktop Jaguar used pretty easily online which is exactly that, both on reverb and guitar center, usually between $400-600 used, and there’s also a limited edition Player Jaguar HH that was just discontinued this summer but can be found on reverb and sometimes guitar center used and brand new usually between $600-850ish
It has it's own place... For surf , retro, rockabilly kinda stuff, it's GREAT and I love it ! For all METAL heads ....drop D shred shit....use another tool.
@@dreamercross When the Jaguar was first designed, these were added to help “concentrate” the magnetic field of the pickup, reducing hum and resulting in a brighter more “focused” sound. They were thought to look like claws holding the pickups, which inspired the name of the guitar being the Jaguar
Completely forgot to mention in the video, but this guitar came with 9s and they just felt so stupidly slinky and unstable. Kinda played like shit. First thing I did was put on a set of D’Addario XS 11-49s, and the increased tension made this guitar play beautifully. I’d highly recommend higher gauge strings than you may be used to for shorter scale guitars like jags and mustangs. I’ve heard that Fender offsets in general are actually designed to be used with higher gauge strings, and I’ve heard/watched/had many occurrences of just going up 2-3 gauges in string size fixing a majority of “out of the box” problems. IMO kinda ridiculous Fender just puts 9s on everything, regardless of whether it serves the guitars function or not.
I agree that 9s on everything is ridiculous, for Strats and Teles I can understand it, but Offsets with the proper vibrato should come with 11-49s at the very least.
Guild puts 11-49s on their guitars stock and the ones with JM style vibratos stay in tune beautifully right out of the box.
Putting 9’s on a short scale guitar should be a crime.
@@thekipinator7660 absolutely. Mine also came with 9s. Immediately swapped out for 11s.
Yeah, that's ridiculous. The lightest set I'd use would be a 10-52, but usually I use 11-54s.
You'd think Fender would take the minute to throw some decent gauge strings on their offsets so they actually feel and sound decent out of the box or off the wall.
I actually use 9’s on my mustang, but I also have years of experience setting guitars up. It is a unique little beast. Mine has the jazzmaster tremolo, roller bridge, and dual p90’s (yes actual p90’s, not jazzmaster pickups) but I did all the mods myself. In most cases though I agree, short scales often need thicker strings. The middle position is absolutely golden on it, a beautiful clean tone there
I honestly loved how messy and incontrollable the distortion tones sounded. Sure, needs a lot eq to remove some of the annoying frequencies that. But i love the raw vibe it brings
Me too i like that sound
The most unhinged but honest review, thanks dude
I love my squire jaguar 70s classic vibe. I love it for it's rhythm/lead to get a jazzy bass and it's strangle switch to get sweet crisp highs like a Spanish classical. I'm struggling to like those guitars. I feel Ike they should have named them something else? Not that they are bad, they just are not really a jaguar. Maybe they should call them panthers or cheetahs
How does the neck feel? I need a Jaguar but tend to prefer the satin modern C. I’m not opposed to adding a rhythm circuit to a Player II but would rather it come stock.
i have one too. the neck got sticky on me after a year so i ended up using a green 3m dish sponge to make it faster. i love the shape and i have a disability that makes playing super painful. this is the only guitar i can play for more than an hour without pain.
after a shim and setup it has the lowest action ive ever played in my life. flatter than you think it would be though!
@@denyel_ thanks for the tips. I prefer a chunky neck to the modern super thin ones. I think over time I'm going to try to get a bit of gloss off that neck and shim it up. It's perfectly playable now, just a basic glance. I can get the whammy spring to buzz a tiny bit playing bass e or f in rhythm going for super bass. I'm learning toward adding the bridge palm muting hardware to the bridge later too, and a bit of locktight to the bridge screws to be safe.
@@CJ-jh9ri The classic vibe necks are definitely not satin finish. And they can feel a bit sticky, especially in hot / humid weather. So if you don't like gloss necks, the Squier CV neck might not suit you. You might be better off with the Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster has a more of a satin neck C shaped neck, with jumbo frets, and that neck plays great. There's a bit less issues with the trem/tuning on that, that the Squier CV Jaguar. You could look at the previous Vintera Jaguars too. Can get them on sale, now the Vintera II are out, but I prefer the Vintera I Jaguars.
Hitting us with the cumbia sicodelica!
More people need to hear it man, that stuff’s the shit!
Having watched your vids before this calmer approach is much better. Have seen purists drag this guitar but props for actually buying it and giving a fair review. I dare say most jazz/jag players don’t use the rhythm switch. I personally really like it but don’t care if someone likes this style instead, more offset styles the better.
Agreed. This is a good thing if it means more people pick up offset guitars. The extra switches on Jazzmasters/Jaguars/Mustangs can be pretty intimidating for people.
@@silverman169agreed with this. My CME jazzmaster is perfect because I don’t like the rhythm circuit. The only “quirky” offset switching I like is the mustang. The out of phase is cool.
Can confirm I have a jazzmaster and never use the rhythm switch
I took advantage of my switches and rhythm circuit. The rhythm circuit "hears" all pickup combinations, and it gives me the choice of brighter or darker tones for my selection. The pickup selector switches are changed to double-throw switches and put the pickups in series when they're both in the down position. the "choke' switch is a phase switch for the bridge pickup, now. Lotsa tones.
Amazing intro brother, would love to hear some Caifanes soon!! Cheers from Texas hermano :)
Caifanes is da best
Always a pleasant surprise whenever you drop guitar reviews/demos. Also great intro demo, probably the best I've heard of your solo stuff from your vids tbh
That intro song is so fire
Anybody knows the name of the song?
Have a Jaguar with humbuckers on my wish list. I have a 70’s Classic Vibe currently.
Jags are known for being super bright and thin, the classic player special from the 2010s had super hot pick ups that were great with distortion, I guess these guitars are trying to pick up where those left off. Even the jazzmaster pick ups from that line were awesome, bands like whirr, superheaven, movements used those special classic players
I like that you chose the yellow. I like that you cuss because the music community on UA-cam has become too corporate and sterile. I would go with the Jazzmaster over the jag, but good vid man man. Well done.
Really solid review man, really appreciate it. Also as a funk player I'm really grateful for you throwing in some funk tones 🤘
Marc Ribot gets some lovely distorted tones out of his jag 👌
Jaguars have FANGS
Honestly those distorted tones are excellent. Some people don’t like jazzmaster/jag sound. I love it for its percussive intensity the harder you play really comes out great.
The fact that your played Freaking Me Out by the Frights makes this the best demo out right now 🏄🏼♂️
I understand removing the rhythm circuit. The tone knob achieves the same sound. I do not understand removing the strangle switch. You need that one for sure, and at that point you might as well add the second parallel/series switch like the Marr Jaguar.
Sadly the Squier CV Jaguars seem to have it right - Even if you want a "modern high performance" one! The Contemporary Jaguar is awesome.
I actually like the Player II otherwise, I don't mind it looking like a Jazzmaster, but... I'd need the strangle added as a push/pull knob.
Jazzmasters also have a rhythm circuit
@@oqsy The chrome
Get a CV Squier and upgrade the pups. I know nobody out there wants to show up with ‘Squier’ on the headstock, but i use my guitar for making music, so Idgaf 😂
“don’t be a dick.” Words to live by. Good message, bro (not being sarcastic either).
Bet you didn’t expect to hear that shit as the intro
what song was that? your band? it sounded so cool
@@HDD1234-h4oDanza Del Petrolero by Los Mirlos. This band called LA LOM has a cover on UA-cam that my version was based off of, highly recommended checking them out
ua-cam.com/video/CCVvkWhV_zE/v-deo.htmlsi=v-M871bxDRoG1G0I
Shit got me rock solid dude no lie solid chub
@@thekipinator7660 PERU MENTIONED!!!! MI PAÍS MI PAÍS
@@thekipinator7660ha! Saw LA LOM live this year and heard the intro and thought “man, that’s giving LA LOM vibes big time….” So this was satisfying comment to see!
Best review I’ve seen in ages. Thanks for your honesty and input.
Nice job maestro! I also join the group that really enjoyed the “distorted“ sounds (VERY “Sorry Ma…” era Replacements noises - which I think were mostly P90 Les Paul noises) For my money, that thing could almost go into the paranormal phylum considering how they’ve configured it.
Also, kudos on your choice of string gauge. I tend to use the scale length to choose how thick the wires are going to be. That’s what I have on my jag. Sadly, even though it doesn’t have the rhythm circuit, I feel any jag missing the “strangle switch” is missing out on the whole jag deal (high pass filter). For example, if you have say a Pog, a compressor, and some delay/verb seasoned to taste, you get a free Rickenbacker 12 string!
Again, nice job !
I kinda like using the rhythm circuit on my Jazzmaster. I don't get why Fender would leave out a feature that makes Jags and JMs unique in that way.
a 3 way toggle is so limiting for a jag. I love the rhythm circuit and i use the strangle switch regularly to sit in the mix better in jams. I also modded the wiring so when both PU switches are down they are put in series instead of off. Really thickens up the tone and gets a good volume boost to hit my overdrive harder.
All that said, i really love the tones you are getting out of this one. Seems like its a great guitar. I can understand the appeal of having a streamlined Jag with more focus on build quality and comfortable playing.
I also like how minimalistic Jaguar looks without all metal parts and switches
Excellent review. Straight forward and balls honest.
I think I'm gonna pick up a coral red one.
And I'll probably do what I always do to Tele's..........swap in a 4 way switch for the in-series tone in the 4th position (very useful at gigs)
WTF.
It may even allay your concerns about the distortion sounds in that position.
BTW, yeah on the 11s. Already use the DAddario XS 11-49 ones on all my electric guitars (hell, XS's on my mando and acoustics too)
Great playing. Right up my street! This is much more like your trad Jaguar than anything that Fender have been putting out for the same price point up until now. As you say, it lacks the extra switching and cool chrome stuff, but at least it's recognisably a Jaguar!
Cool review. Great color. I prefer the simplified specs. Time to jump on a Jag & JM for me.
I agree with the pick ups .Wish they had the rhythm circuit ,It`s what Jaguars are ,You play amazing young man,Most honest review on Player II Jags.
Man, your clean tones are sweet! Maybe try backing the tone off on the distorted tones to get it a little more "meaty?"
Nice review, and examples.
I have a modded 70s classic vibe.
Q pickups, locking tuners, tremolo. It’s my favorite guitar right now.
And yes the 9 gauge was ridiculous. 11s for me too
Don’t use the rhythm circuit either
I bought one and love it. Did you notice Fender moved the tremolo closer to the bridge for better string angle? Mustang bridge is also much nicer than the traditional Jag bridge. I miss the chrome on the upper pickguard, but oh well. Pick-ups are detailed and modern sounding, really like everything about this guitar.
A Jag without all the appointments is like a woman without lipstick, eyeliner and eyelashes.
My man just pulled out the frights and mt eddy for the demos… nice
@@rokomouth A+ for catching that
Pro tip! Buy the chrome plate for the jaguar rhythm switch without the ciruitry, just for the looks. And then use a chrome plate from the johnny marr switchable pickups selector chrome plate. This way you could change the look to the vintage original jaguar
That's a sick idea actually. Could probably get away with buying a johnny Marr pick guard replacement and adding the chrome
This body doesn't have any routing on the upper bout so you wouldn't be able to put the switch or wheels in.
Would be an awesome mod project! Unfortunately after disassembling this guitar, converting it to a traditional Jaguar requires an extensive amount of routing. Even the area where the current pickup selector switch is requires some additional routing to accommodate a Johnny Marr style switch. Would be a cool project tho! Just a little more work than I would want to do on a brand new guitar personally, hope to see if someone else does that on UA-cam sometime, I’d love to see the results.
sick playing in the beginning!
Psychedelic Cumbia in the intro is INSANE
I've been playing offset fenders for over 30 years and gotta say, Jaguars are stellar guitars for fuzz tone...
Hialeleahma-lelalalealealeah yellow
I call it Banana Cream
If they added the additional plate and had a three way that did warm, normal, and bright it would have all of the basic jaguar tones without the messy switching.
I wound up making a Jaguar from parts, finishing it myself, as a lockdown project because I'd had so many bad experiences with bad fretwork on Squier Jags - but at the time, it was so hard to get a legit single coil Fender Jag for under a grand.
If the Player II had been around a few years earlier, I wouldn't have bothered making my Jag. If I had to choose between vintage control plates + humbuckers, or the Player II without the plates but keeping the single coils...I'd go Player II all day, because the Player II has the essential pieces I care about: the single coil Jag pickups, the scale length, the trem. That's the core of the sound and feel I get when playing my Jag.
That being said, personally, I *do* use the rhythm circuit and the strangle switch extensively in my playing, because I like having the onboard ability to change how my guitar is sitting in the mix. But based on my experience and the conversations I've had with other players, I think I'm in the minority - a number of Jag players never use those switches, or in some cases even tape them off. So I find it kinda funny hearing other folks (not you) complain about the missing switches on the Player II Jag, when the control setup on this model is what probably 95% of guitarists are used to using.
Any idea on how the pickups in this Jag compare to the Pure Vintage '65 set? I've got the '65s in my Jag, and like you, I find that a number of higher-gain, more aggressive classic distortions don't play particularly well with this guitar. However, I can get a lovely, airy, even heavy crunch with Tubescreamer-style overdrives; I'm mostly using the Hardwire CM-2 with more mid-hump-y settings.
@@iankinzel the jag you can see me playing at 1:08 had pure vintage 65s in it, and while I sold it and can’t compare them side to side I would say these pickups are very very different. A lot warmer and kinda fat sounding. I eventually sold that other jag bc I just wasn’t happy with the sound, not to knock the 65s but they just weren’t for me, and just did not work with the sounds I needed for my band. I personally prefer these way better…but I prefer the look and feel of that other jag lol I mean it’s just so fucking badass looking, was just too expensive itself to be worth changing the pickups in. In my dream world I’d have that jag but with these player ii pickups in it instead.
@thekipinator7660 Yeah, my Jaguar with the 65s felt way too bright and way too low-output until (a) I got more comfortable using the controls, which a Jaguar really demands in a way other guitars don't; and (b) I built a couple make-shift wooden pickup mounts out of popsicle sticks so that I could set the pickups higher.
That's really interesting to hear the difference on the Player II. Truth be told, I'm not too picky about tone - as long as something is well-built and reasonably articulate, I'll figure out how to play with what I've got. So by now, the way I play my Jag is based on the sound and feel of those 65s. But I would have been perfectly happy with a Player II like yours - and the sound is light years ahead of my experience with the Squier Jags.
@@iankinzel out of all of the Squier classic vibe models, the Jaguar has been consistently the weakest option as it tends have the worst qc, at least in my experience/opinion. I’ve personally never liked the pickups, and almost every example I’ve tried in stores
desperately needed shimming, as the factory seems to have a hard time getting the neck pocket angle correct consistently. This comment section is filled with people telling me that the Squier classic vibe is better, and I just don’t agree. Sure it has the looks. But I don’t feel right recommending a product that requires work/fixing right out of the box. Easy work or not, I feel better off recommending someone a quality product rather than a project. And I’m sure some people get lucky with a good one and I’m glad, but I just wish there was a larger variety of options for jags in general compared to strats and teles, and right now I just personally feel this is the strongest option price/quality wise.
Also I applaud you for having that mindset, of learning to work with what you have. Sometimes I feel like I get a new piece of gear and expect it to write songs for me, or just pump out the exact tones I want for me without really learning the piece of gear first, and I know a lot of musicians/gearheads fall into that often without really thinking about it. I’m sure your jag build is killer, and best of all it’s a one of a kind with an owner that took the time to get to know it and adapted to it. You sound like you have a great relationship with your instrument, which is more than most people make effort at doing
Look into swapping the 3way to a 4way switch and you can put both pickups in series humbucking mode for a Les Paul Junior kind of vibe. Johnny Marr signature model has the 4-way switch and Telecasters use them a lot so you can find schematics either place.
I'd give a jaguar a 25,5" scale length before removing the control plates. Those are 90% of why Jags are cool in the first place IMO
The Player line is basically Fender's equivalent of like, Squier's Affinity line or something (and Vintera/VII being like, the equivalent of the Classic Vibe). Stuff that's a bit more simplified down so that new players can jump in. I guess my real issue is that spending like, $300 for a decent but dumbed-down guitar for a beginner is fine; spending almost three times that for the same concept doesn't make much sense to me, but I'm not in marketing or brand strategy or any of that nonsense, so what do I know. I decided to just save up a bit more money and imported a Japanese Jaguar and got everything I wanted out of a Jaguar. That being said, that yellow is pretty rad, and the pickups don't sound all that bad.
Wonderful clean tones.
to me it sounds more like a jazzmaster, it lacks the agresiveness and sharpness of other jaguars but still sound great just different to the other jaguars
Was torn between the yellow and the red (got the red). Miss the extra chrome but it's such a fun and likable instrument. I threw on some 10-52s and it feels better than the strings it shipped with. Thanks!
@@baodo_cake I’m debating switching this one for the red one! Can’t decide 😭
@ Tortoise shell pick guard? I like how they resemble 60s custom color guitars that were left out in the sun.
Nice review/demo. "We Are Sex Bob-omb" was a nice surprise. I'm honestly pretty impressed with the clean/overdriven tones. They have that classic jangle, but sound like they'd cut through a mix really easily.
I feel you on the aesthetics and "unnecessary" features, though. I picked up a used Kurt Cobain model like 10 years ago, and like how it retains more of the classic Jaguar look while swapping out the lower switches for a 3-way Gibson toggle. I just use that to flip between pickups, then keep my rhythm circuit dialed all the way down and use it as a kill switch. It's the best "Fender with humbuckers" guitar I've ever owned, but I still tend to prefer a Telecaster for clean single-coil sounds.
Nice playing, too, btw.
I agree, I think the Kurt Cobain Jaguar is the perfect blending of modern appointments and vintage looks for a Jaguar. I just really really really wish it came in at LEAST one other color option. Would be a day one purchase for me if it came in another color, even a simple one like white.
Great review!!!
Almost nobody does point-blank distortion nowadays because hard clipping distortion on most circuits kill your mids (save for certain genres). High gain applications now typically involve stacking a bunch of low gain pedals with a Tube Screamer in between.
Better than the last player offsets, it actually has the correct pickups this time
Lovely demo
I love my squier CV jag. Rhythm circuit is my happy place, I rarely use the lead circuit tbh. I'm used to being the heyoka guy. This new Jag sounds good, but it's not for me. Nice demo!
It’s so weird that Squier CV is a better option than any available non-Japan Fender besides a custom shop. Wtf. I bought one and replaced the pickups/electrics and tuners, and it’s freakin great. 🤷♂️
@@sub-jec-tiv yeah I'm swapping the bridge for a staytrem and the nut needed a little adjustment for 11s, but after that I'm happy as hell with it. A really comfortable fun guitar.
I got a Squier Jaguar, because it is a Jaguar - would not buy one of these. The Squier has a real bone nut.
Great review. As you prove here these things sound and play really great. Have to be played to be believed. In person they’re way better than on paper. Head and shoulders better than the prior player. If I didn’t already have a classic vibe I’d very likely pick one of these up.
Compared to the CV I think the Player 2 has better pickups and real rosewood neck and smoother trem. CV has all the switching on board though so in my book it gets the edge
I can definitely see a lot of folks going for the player over the Vintera 2 though - imo the maple boards just don’t work and a lot of people would prefer the simpler switching of the P2
@@jessethetodd was super disappointed with the look of the new vintera ones, I agree the maple boards just do not work at all. I hope they do the Vintera Modified thing again, and offer an alternative Jaguar in some way
If you used a bright switch with old fuzz like a Dallas Arbiter it turns the fuzz into an overdrive tone. Save money for a two for one.
nice song for the clean demo. what song was that?
@@badcatz at 4:36 it’s a song my band and I are working on called Soft Drinks, unreleased at the moment!
I really like the yellow. Some extra chrome would look better though. I wonder how it compares with the Vintera model or the Professional model?
I find your funky tone great. You get it only with the amp set up?
It sounds pretty good. As cool as the OG style jag is, fender knows all those switches are not popular. I personally think they should have went with an LP style switch on the upper horn so it’s more out of the way though.
Cutting corners by cutting the price is ok. But they cut corner and sustain (pun intended) price.
The way of the Dodo (Gibson). Gibson is marketing by now and the money comes from Epiphone. Fender is heading that direction as well with Squier (CV's are very nice guitars around $450 or so).
great video, your guitar looks Beautifull, the tones are pretty great..... the playability should be really good, 24 inches scale is so fun (I have a Duo sonic), probably istalling a dmazio hot rail on the bridge will help to convert that guitar into a perfect tool for giging, cheers bro!! (I think the best improvement was to change the bridge and to move it closer ot tremolo system....probably now is more stable than the player series I )
my classic vibe jag is not the best but I love it it just looks so cool
love yo vids btw keep it up
I like it but I’m not someone that cares too much if a guitar deviates from the traditional formula as long as it retains the essence of what it is. For a Jag that essence is primarily the pickups and the trem. That said, if given the choice I almost always opt for the traditional configuration first. Same here. Would have liked to have the rhythm circuit, strangle switch, and button pick-up switches but this looks good and sounds great. Has almost a Jazzmaster Jr. vibe in the looks department.
I miss the chrome
Yeah, Jags look best with all the chrome plates and weird switches and rollers, but gotta say this looks and sounds pretty great.
I would like a Jag with the classic setup but NO chrome. Like this, but still a full Jag.
kickass intro!
That would be a great guitar if they put stacked humbuckers and coil split for each pick up.
I subscribed because you said, ‘I bought the guitar with my own money and I’ll say whatever the fuck I want’. Legend ✌️ from Australia 🇦🇺
bad ass intro dude
does the trem bar affect the sound when bending since its in between the strings planning to buy..
@@outcast6103 Not at all because it’s located behind the bridge.
I like some of the guitars that Fender made.
Strats and Teles
are okay.
I don't know man the indie tones part sounds really good with some dirt on it. I don't know if it's your playing or what but your dirt sounds great dude.
sneaky Scott pilgrim riffs
Someday i will buy a jaguar and switch the rithm circuit to a tremolo pedal
So do any Jaguars play nirvana well or is it just this player 2 model that's not great for it?
@@AndyG_ Jaguars in general aren’t great for that kind of music. The jaguars Kurt played were heavily modified and had humbuckers, really nothing like any Jaguar you’ll find just off the shelf, other than his signature jag. The Vintera Modified Jaguar has humbuckers and is great for Nirvana, but they were discontinued last year, so you might have to scrounge the internet for used ones, but I highly recommend them they’re pretty good for the money
Hypothetically I wonder if you could save money by starting with the Player II as your base model and swapping in some of the electronics it’s missing. Because it looks pretty sharp and clearly plays and sounds pretty good.
I love hot single coils I think it’s great there’s no humbuckers on there.
You save money on it by going with the color you got, too. Weird it’s more expensive for red or burst.
@@josephabrams3051 unfortunately the body isn’t routed for those missing electronics. I actually considered doing this, and the routing job by a pro would’ve been about $200, plus the costs of the new hardware and parts, and then the work of perfectly matching everything up. It’s definitely a doable project, but just a little too much for me to want to do with a new guitar. Doing modifications like these significantly plummet a product’s resale value too, which I rely on in order to try all the gear I try. Waiting for someone else on UA-cam to do it so I can watch tho!
@@josephabrams3051 closest I’ve seen to someone do this is Ryan from 60 cycle hum
ua-cam.com/video/X5FmTZt9v0w/v-deo.htmlsi=Ui-XIJWKGC6DGQqg
@@thekipinator7660 maybe when used ones start to show up cheap like around when they unveil player 3 haha
Question. I have the same Surfeybear reverb unit. Do you prefer it to the Princeton's reverb? Was considering getting a Princeton or another low watt amp w/built in spring reverb as the Surfeybear takes up a ton of space on the pedalboard.
@@kevinkeith3530 if you want that brighter, more prominent spring reverb “drip” then the surfybear will triumph really any modern amp’s spring reverb. The spring reverb in my Princeton, Twin, and Deluxe is a bit dark and just barely has any of that “drip” to the point where it’s not really noticeable live. And that’s not to say it’s bad, it’s a good reverb, it’s just going to be a different sound that you can’t tweak. There’s a pedal from Source Audio called True Spring that is a compact digital spring reverb pedal that recreates the drip pretty well, I’d check one of those out if you want a more compact pedal. Ultimately if the SurfyBear reverb unit is the sound you’re looking for, I don’t think a Princetons reverb is really comparable to it. I’d still try it if you can, you might like it, it’s just darker and not as “surfy”
For vintage jag + distortion tones, see Scott Hill from Fu Manchu
Nice video, thanks for the honest review. But I still wouldn’t wanna do without the original switching. There are great used Jaguars on the market. It’s a shame that the current Fender line-up doesn‘t have a single traditional Jaguar in it. After all this was Leo‘s last original design for them. And they just ditched it. Not cool.
Classic Vibe and Vintera II.
@@JasonTMays CV is Squier, not Fender. I own one and I like it, but only after I upgraded the pickups and the trem. But you’re right, I forgot about the Vintera II. Which I don’t like for its clunky black block inlays who really ruin the looks if you ask me.
@@superserioes I understand it’s a squier, however fender still makes it. But for the sake of argument, even if you negate any Squier model. You’re still left with 4 Jaguars, 1 of which is a traditional, 1 of which is stripped down, and the other two are artist models. I mean I understand you might not like the Vintera II for its block inlays but it is still a traditional Jaguar.
great video as always
Great video man!
I Kinda want this thing just for that colour, and then I want to mod the heck out of it.
The way you pronounce “Wampler” is very funny.
I guess my only real question with this is... are the pickups comparable to that of a "real" Jaguar (I hate how elitist that sounds, but you get what I mean). Am i going to get that trebley, spanky, crisp, squishy and clear tone that Jaguars are known for? I honestly don't play very heavy music (i have a muff fuzz, but that only gets used when i feel like playing grunge), so that clean tone and the light drive tone has to be really good to justify getting one of these...
Should I get one of these and then change the pickups to some higher end Fender Jaguar set? Or would that be a waste of money? Huge thanks if you answer because getting a "real" jaguar these days is a pain in the ass!
@@AlbinoTuxedo they’re noticeably fatter sounding than “real” jaguar pickups but I don’t think this should negatively affect their perceived sound/quality to Jaguar purists. These pickups should please really anyone, I wouldn’t recommend changing them out.
And typically i find the pickups to be the weak point in a majority of the past player series models, especially the strats, but for this specific model i think they will please anyone!
I mean for the distorted tones just replace that hash bridge with hot rails and u get the best of both world
The trem bar is blocked like in the Johnny Marr jag? I had three jaguars, and trem used to move in ll of them.
Not blocked, but this particular design hugs the bar a lot more snug. Hasn’t loosened up at all, and doesn’t scratch up the bar where it inserts. Not entirely sure what’s different about this exact tremolo design but it’s great, prefer it over the AVRI one at the moment.
Only thing im liking form it is the rosewood fretboard, new colours and they fixed the jag font
bros body makes the jaguar look massive lol
ok, but i want a tom-style bridge hardtail jag with hbs and with the easy controls please. it would be sick if fender made this.
@@brainrottedindividual you can find a Fender Blacktop Jaguar used pretty easily online which is exactly that, both on reverb and guitar center, usually between $400-600 used, and there’s also a limited edition Player Jaguar HH that was just discontinued this summer but can be found on reverb and sometimes guitar center used and brand new usually between $600-850ish
shit i might have to pick either this or the jazzmaster up now. thanks a lot man, my wallet will never recover (not that i'm complaining).
“Pretty hard to make the ds-1 sound like shit” bro what?! It’s pretty hard to not make the ds-1 sound like shit unless it’s driving something else.
It has it's own place... For surf , retro, rockabilly kinda stuff, it's GREAT and I love it ! For all METAL heads ....drop D shred shit....use another tool.
This guitar fits him
Was that the frights during the surfy tone ?
@@joshzorrill6951 yes🙀
That bridge makes the guitar sound tinny
why do the pickup covers have the metal thingies on the side?
@@dreamercross When the Jaguar was first designed, these were added to help “concentrate” the magnetic field of the pickup, reducing hum and resulting in a brighter more “focused” sound. They were thought to look like claws holding the pickups, which inspired the name of the guitar being the Jaguar
@@thekipinator7660 that's cool, thanks for sharing!
too bad the moved the trem closer to the bridge. weight?
A little over 7 lbs, super light for a jag.