NGD - Late 60s Traditional Jaguar IBM MIJ

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Thank you for your detailed response, @MayTheFuzzBeWithYou !

I have a few further questions:

- how does the weight compare between the 2 guitars?
- did you perceive any tonal differences?
- I understand that you found the neck profile more comfortable on the MIJ one. I have smaller hands so the neck size matters to me.
- I don't like to do any changes on the guitars (when really not needed). One of the reasons I want to buy a Jaguar (my first offset as well!) is for the tremolo bar. Is this working well on both guitars or will I need to invest in a new piece? If so, what is the most recommended purchase?
- the only thing I am not crazy on the Japanese model are the fretboard block inlays. Do you find them cool? Which color have you bought?

Thank you.

I sold the Vintera before I bought the MIJ (which is now also available in Europe via Thomann)
- and the guy I sold it to basically just took the Staytrem Bridge and tried to re-sell it but no one wanted it at that time…I could hook you two up if that is of interest to you (I‘m in Austria so shipping within Europe shouldn‘t be to crazy).
But can compare it tomorrow to two Squier Jags and a Thinline. It never bothered me weight-wise…

- for the tremolo bar (I wrote something above as I‘m the OP of this thread… so the answer to the colour question should be obvious ): I personally hated the screw in trem (might work perfectly fine for others) - the MIJ is a push in and it rattles every now and then… but works smooth.
The Staytrem arm is the perfect upgrade and the best 45€ spent imo.
And: I love those perfect sized Block inlays!

[ThisWholeWorld]

Thank you kindly for all the information you shared !

[IrishBread69]

I bought one of these, arrived today.

Build is fantastic, extremely low action out of the box.

Do we know what the pickups are yet? Are they VMods?

My own gripe and it's fairly minor, is the binding, as others have mentioned. It's cream rather than crisp white. It almost looks like a maple fretboard from the side. Weird choice but I'm over it. I wasn't sure about IBM, never really grabbed me in photos but it makes much more sense when it's in front of you and reflecting light etc quite a 'cool' colour.

Goes nicely with my MIJ Jazzblaster from last year.

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

I bought one of these, arrived today.

Build is fantastic, extremely low action out of the box.

Do we know what the pickups are yet? Are they VMods?

My own gripe and it's fairly minor, is the binding, as others have mentioned. It's cream rather than crisp white. It almost looks like a maple fretboard from the side. Weird choice but I'm over it. I wasn't sure about IBM, never really grabbed me in photos but it makes much more sense when it's in front of you and reflecting light etc quite a 'cool' colour.

Goes nicely with my MIJ Jazzblaster from last year.

Welcome to the club!

It doesn‘t say anything more vintage style Jaguar single coils on the product page. Haven‘t taken them apart nor could I tell what they were if I had…
I just can say they work well in my setup (lot of fuzzes) and I get a lot of compliments for it in the band rehearsal. Will play it live in two weeks!

Oh yes, IBM is such an amazing colour! And surely does look even better in real life. But it‘s not so hard to capture photographically as the Vintera‘s OTM was.

[ldp54002]

A plus on the Vintera would be the already drilled hole for the Mute.

Interesting--when I looked at Vintera bodies for a parts Jag a few years ago, I don't recall it being ready for a mute install. Is that a later addition or am I misremembering?

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

A plus on the Vintera would be the already drilled hole for the Mute.

Interesting--when I looked at Vintera bodies for a parts Jag a few years ago, I don't recall it being ready for a mute install. Is that a later addition or am I misremembering?

My memory and I stand corrected.
It was indeed the top bound body I got from Rexter that had the extra hole for the mute!!
I apologize for that.

[mauri]

I’m torn between this MIJ version and the Vintera. Otherwise the thicker neck and all would make this my go-to option over Vintera, but those block inlays. I just don’t liie them and I can’t get used to them everytime I see the images of this guotar.

[sciuri]

I’m torn between this MIJ version and the Vintera. Otherwise the thicker neck and all would make this my go-to option over Vintera, but those block inlays. I just don’t liie them and I can’t get used to them everytime I see the images of this guotar.

I'm a big fan of the latest MIJ necks! The frets are smooth and polished, and the fret ends and fretboard edges/binding are as smooth as butter, which are probably my #1 priorities as far as neck feel. (I'm one who enjoys variety in neck profiles and thickness... I end up playing with different techniques/styles and write different material as a result)

The block inlays could definitely be more translucent or have more marbling, but most photos under bright lights tend to make them look more flat white or opaque than they actually are. If the block inlays are a dealbreaker, you could look for a Traditional 60s model (dots) or a FSR model (dots and binding). Here's a photo in low light if it helps:


In contrast, I tend to avoid MIM necks. The frets are often scratchy (which can be polished), and fret sprout and sharp fret ends have been an issue on most MIM necks I've tried. I've had the fret ends on two MIM necks worked on professionally, and on one of them the fret sprout has come back after a couple of hot/cold seasons, so I may be in the market for a better neck. I've actually had better luck with Squier necks than MIM necks.

Good luck in your search!

[mauri]

Thanks sciuri for that sweet photo. Actually with that bound neck the Block inlays don't look that bad. I wasn't aware that the neck was bound . Also good to hear about the finish of the neck; I tried 2 Vintera Telecasters at the local store (there was no Jaguars available) and both had quite edgy fret ends, which didn't feel that nice to my palm. I think this makes my decisions quite much easier.

[mauri]

Does anyone know which kind of pickups do these have?

[sciuri]

Does anyone know which kind of pickups do these have?

I think no one really knows. Both the Jaguars and the Jazzmasters are listed as "Vintage-Style Single Coil Jaguar/Jazzmaster." But based on limited information, the Jaguars seem to be vintage-spec, but the Jazzmasters seem like they might still be V-mods?

My 2022 MIJ Late 60s Jaguar:
-Japan seller website listed as "Vintage-Style Single-Coil Jaguar"
-My multimeter: seems vintage spec (6.0-6.1k)
-V-Mod Jaguar pickups are listed as hotter (8.1-9.0k).

I think they sound great and have a nice bite to them. For comparison, my Marr Jaguar Bare Knuckle pickups measure at 5.6k neck and 6.5k bridge.

[mauri]

I think no one really knows. Both the Jaguars and the Jazzmasters are listed as "Vintage-Style Single Coil Jaguar/Jazzmaster." But based on limited information, the Jaguars seem to be vintage-spec, but the Jazzmasters seem like they might still be V-mods?

My 2022 MIJ Late 60s Jaguar:
-Japan seller website listed as "Vintage-Style Single-Coil Jaguar"
-My multimeter: seems vintage spec (6.0-6.1k)
-V-Mod Jaguar pickups are listed as hotter (8.1-9.0k).

I think they sound great and have a nice bite to them. For comparison, my Marr Jaguar Bare Knuckle pickups measure at 5.6k neck and 6.5k bridge.

Thank you. I have a ballpark with those values. May I ask how do you like this one compared with the Marr Jaguar. I personally wasn't that impressed with the Bare Knuckles. Loved the neck, but otherwise didn't fit me right so I rotated it.

[mauri]

Oh, one more thing, How big if a difference does the thinner 1mm or 2mm nut width makes, which the MIA Jaguars tend to come? it doesn't sound a lot, but could feel in the end. I've narrowed my options to these ones:

- Vintera 60s Jaguar
- Late 60s Traditional Jaguar MIJ
- 60s Traditional Jaguar MiJ

The 60s traditional has even thinner nut, coming at 40mm, but I could snatch this at a reasonable price. Just wondering if the nut is too small and is the MIJ worth over 300e price difference. MIJ has then again better finish on the neck. And in my understanding Vinteras might need some extra setupping anyways. I Could also snatch an used 60s American Original with Lollar pickups and mastery bridge at 1850 euros. That would be a bargain, but the colour is not my favourite and it starts stretch out of my budget. but it's "only" 400e more than the MIJ Need to do some thinking.

[sciuri]

Thank you. I have a ballpark with those values. May I ask how do you like this one compared with the Marr Jaguar. I personally wasn't that impressed with the Bare Knuckles. Loved the neck, but otherwise didn't fit me right so I rotated it.

I’m probably not the best person to ask about pickups. I feel like I can work with just about anything, and that’s because I’m either not that picky or just not as fine tuned to subtle differences as others might be. When I seek out pickup types, though, I do look for representative examples just so I can experience what a specific type of pickup is historically supposed to sound or feel like.

That said, I like the Marr pickups at louder volumes and less so at bedroom volumes. If I were still gigging, the low output might be an issue for me for switching between guitars, but not really. The MIJ pickups are a bit hotter and might suit my playing style better, and to me they still sound like Jaguar pickups.

Oh, one more thing, How big if a difference does the thinner 1mm or 2mm nut width makes, which the MIA Jaguars tend to come? it doesn't sound a lot, but could feel in the end. I've narrowed my options to these ones:

- Vintera 60s Jaguar
- Late 60s Traditional Jaguar MIJ
- 60s Traditional Jaguar MiJ

The 60s traditional has even thinner nut, coming at 40mm, but I could snatch this at a reasonable price. Just wondering if the nut is too small and is the MIJ worth over 300e price difference. MIJ has then again better finish on the neck. And in my understanding Vinteras might need some extra setupping anyways. I Could also snatch an used 60s American Original with Lollar pickups and mastery bridge at 1850 euros. That would be a bargain, but the colour is not my favourite and it starts stretch out of my budget. but it's "only" 400e more than the MIJ Need to do some thinking.

It sounds like it’d be worth trying as many guitars with different nut widths as you can to see what works best for you. Hand size and playing technique probably are the biggest factors?

I have relatively small hands and slender fingers. Smaller nuts with shorter string-to-string distance don’t bother me the way they might for someone with thicker fingers. It’s not a huge difference (<1 mm), but a 1 5/8” nut and a 1 11/16” nut do feel different to me… It may be more that my hand size is just in a range where that slight difference matters, but I still enjoy both.

I’d be so tempted to go AO with Lollars! But color does make a huge difference in how inspiring it might be.

[mauri]

It sounds like it’d be worth trying as many guitars with different nut widths as you can to see what works best for you. Hand size and playing technique probably are the biggest factors?

I have relatively small hands and slender fingers. Smaller nuts with shorter string-to-string distance don’t bother me the way they might for someone with thicker fingers. It’s not a huge difference (<1 mm), but a 1 5/8” nut and a 1 11/16” nut do feel different to me… It may be more that my hand size is just in a range where that slight difference matters, but I still enjoy both.

I’d be so tempted to go AO with Lollars! But color does make a huge difference in how inspiring it might be.

I have normal size hands with quite normal fingers. Not shovels with muscle, but not a small ones either. My AmPro II neck doesn't feel cramped with 11-50 strings, but it seems to measure 43mm from the nut. I just wish it had a tad more depth.

My options to try out those different guitars are extremely limited if none. I might find a Vintera to try out locally, but that's it. Closest to get to anything MIJ is to order it online and hope for the best. And if it doesn't work, return it. Might be the same with Vintera, so It's a game of luck which one to order online. Which feels silly to send stuff back and forth internationally. Same with the AO, it's not a local seller, so I wouldn't have chance to try it out or return it. And the color just seems meh. Otherwise it would be a great deal.