New 64 jaguar with some questions

[Nayff]

Hey! I’ve been a fan of this page for a while and have asked some advice before but now finally have a vintage jaguar and want to share and ask some more questions!!

1. I think it looks all original no issues except I changed the bridge back from the repayment to an original stock bridge. Do you all agree that it looks good or anything looking weird? Need any other pictures to be sure?

2. I think I’m gonna refinish it… leaning toward burgundy mist, shell pink, or Sherwood green (I have a 2019 fiesta red jazzmaster otherwise I would’ve gone red for this one) any opinions on refin color? Curious what people like.

3. The pick guard has shrunk a bit but still fits and I want to put the mute back on but either I’m doing something wrong or the pick guard is too messed up but I can’t get it to work would you replace the guard or go no mute or any advice for installing a mute? I might just not know how

4. If you notice in the pics, the neck doesn’t like to stay aligned. I put it on and keep it straight before triggering the screws but then there’s a little gap in the pocket. Is this a big or fixable issue?

5. Thanks for any advice or comments… this is my first jag in general and I love it. The shorter neck, the electronics, pickups, neck feel on this in…. I can see why they’re becoming a bit pricier. I think I got lucky on this one in the sale price because it’s been stripped and I had to ask the seller for some pictures because he only posted a few basic ones. Anyway.. here are some pics, let me know what you think!!

https://ibb.co/WnwchRN
https://ibb.co/MnQwD4Y
https://ibb.co/c2k4jvy
https://ibb.co/x3Fc1Jp
https://ibb.co/dp3LW9g
https://ibb.co/930XccN
https://ibb.co/9V5tRcw

[JSett]

If you can get the neck aligned so the strings are straight then a little gap in the pocket isn't an issue, and is quite common. My '65 has a small gap and my '67 had one you could park a car in. These were made pre-CNC so often weren't perfect.

As for the refin... I'd be inclined to get it put back as it's original Sunburst - the grain on there is pretty good and no crazy body-join lines, and would suit the tort too. If you wanted a custom colour then it's really down to personal taste as they all can look great.

[FrankRay]

Looks great. Seems totally original. I'd personally try to refinish it sunburst, but it's a hard one to get right. Most refins look pretty dubious. If you go custom colour, they would almost all have white pickguards and matching headstocks, so look a bit weird to me unless you ditch the original decal and pickguard.
Still, I guess I'd pick LPB if not sunburst. Really great colour on Jags.
Congratulations!

[FrankRay]

Oh and remember to screw the pickguard down onto a piece of wood if you're going to remove it for any length of time. They shrink really fast otherwise and are likely to never go back on.

[beauzooka]

With a tort guard and unpainted headstock - I would refin in olympic white (yellowed or not depending in your preference).
The world doesn’t need more sunburst.

[Nayff]

If you can get the neck aligned so the strings are straight then a little gap in the pocket isn't an issue, and is quite common. My '65 has a small gap and my '67 had one you could park a car in. These were made pre-CNC so often weren't perfect.

Thanks for the info, i can get it straight with some fiddling and re-screwing as I install the strings but that neck gap had me worried for a minute!

[Nayff]

Looks great. Seems totally original. I'd personally try to refinish it sunburst, but it's a hard one to get right. Most refins look pretty dubious. If you go custom colour, they would almost all have white pickguards and matching headstocks, so look a bit weird to me unless you ditch the original decal and pickguard.
Still, I guess I'd pick LPB if not sunburst. Really great colour on Jags.
Congratulations!

Thank you! I appreciate another opinion on the originality as I got it at a more then fair price(I think). And ya, I’ll have some issues picking a color but for some reason I can’t get into sunburst on offsets. No matter what happpens I won’t be painting any part of the neck or messing with the decal and I have a piece of plywood ready if I decide to swap the guard. I appreciate the help!!

[Nayff]

With a tort guard and unpainted headstock - I would refin in olympic white (yellowed or not depending in your preference).
The world doesn’t need more sunburst.

Totally with you on the sunburst!! Glad we’re not alone over here on the anti-sunburst side

[whitewatersky]

that's so cool. congrats.
If it were me, I would paint over any of the remaining original paint i.e.
under the guard and the neck pocket.

shell pink would be insane ! I love the reds and pinks

[supersonicjazzmaster]

Great find! Congratulations!

Yes, such guitars are made for nice colors in my opinion. This means for me also: No sunburst
If it would be for a museum it could be ok for historic boring sunburst refin.

The chance to get your own favorite color on a wonderful guitar!

Neck pockets: As said before.. no problem with some small gaps on old guitars also.


Enjoy it!

[Ceylon]

Nice one! Assuming you wanna keep the tort guard on there, and why wouldn't you, I'd stay away from any blue or pale green finishes as a matter of personal preference. Sunburst and Olympic White are so common that if that isn't exactly what you want then don't bother. But Sherwood Green, black, Charcoal, Inca Silver, Shoreline Gold or why not indeed Fiesta or Dakota Red could look brilliant!

[Sauerkraut]

Some good colour suggestions here. I’ll add another: Burgundy Mist.

[ohm_mho]

Nice score! I’m a sucker for natural finishes, so since the sunburst has already been removed I’d probably leave it as is. (À la Elvis Costello.)

[caivs]

Sweet pickup! As for the color, assuming you want to keep the tort guard, my vote is for burgundy mist metallic. I prefer white guards with custom colors but I think tort works well with BMM also.

[JSett]

I think tort works well with BMM also.

Can confirm