1962-1968 Fender Jaguar Guitar

Description: Fender Jaguar guitar
Available: 1962 to present.
Collectibility Rating: C
Production: no official (or unofficial) production numbers available.
General Comments:
Introduced in mid 1962, this short scale (24") guitar was (at the time) considered a high-end instrument. Actually, it was considered Fender's top-of-the-line model until 1967 when Hendrix change everything, with his usage of the Stratocaster. Because of the shorter scale length, Jaguar values today are lower compared to other full scale models. The Jaguar’s pickups are more powerful and better shielded, which eliminated some of the hum problems associated with the Jazzmaster. The shorter (24 inch) scale was favored by some guitarists at that time, especially the surf music players. The Jaguar shared its unique rhythm circuit with the Jazzmaster. This allowed a pre-set tone for rhythm playing. However, the slide switches on the Jaguar and Jazzmaster are not easy to use while playing. They also make a lot of noise when switching settings.

If you need to figure out the exact year of your pre-CBS Fender Jaguar, use the serial number and the general features of the guitar. The serial number is located on the back metal neck plate. See the Fender Serial Number Info web page for help determining the year.

If you have a vintage pre-CBS Fender Jaguar guitar for sale, please let me know. I am a private vintage guitar collector (not a store), and you can contact me at cfh@provide.net

Back to the main Fender Vintage Guitar Info webpage

Fender Jaguar guitar Peghead Decals:

1962 Fender Jaguar guitar specs:

  • Alder contour body, three color sunburst finish.
  • Celluloid tortoise three layer pickguard with two Strat-like pickups. For sunburst, blond and olympic white Jaguars the pickguard is tortoise shell color. On most other custom color Fender Jaguars the pickguard is off-white.
  • Serial number on neck plate.
  • Veneer Rosewood fingerboard.

1965 Fender Jaguar guitar specs:

  • Pearl fingerboard dots replace "clay" dots.

1966 Fender Jaguar guitar specs:

  • Binding added to sides of fingerboard by late 1965.
  • Plastic tortoise (or white, depending on the guitar's color) three layer pickguard replaces celluloid.
  • "F" style tuning gears replaces "Kluson-Deluxe" gears. Note the Jaguar was the first Fender guitar model to change to "F" style gears.

1967 Fender Jaguar guitar specs:

  • Block fingerboard inlays replace dots by late 1966.

1968 Fender Jaguar guitar specs:

  • Black Fender decal.
  • Polyester thick finish replaces nitrocellulose lacquer.

1975 discontinued. Re-introduced Japanese 1962 reissue in 1994.


A 1965 Fender Jaguar Guitar guitar in the custom color Olympic White with matching peghead. This guitar has fingerboard dot markers and no binding.

Here's a good picture of the bridge mute. A lot of players today remove the mute.


A 1965 Fender Jaguar Guitar guitar in the custom color Blond (ash body). Note blond guitars do NOT have a matching peghead. Olympic White and Blond look very similar, but blond is slightly translucent and is always over an ash body (unlike any other color which would have an alder body). Has fingerboard dot markers and no binding.


An early 1966 Fender Jaguar Guitar guitar in the custom color Candy Apply Red with matching peghead. The CAR finish on this guitar uses a silver undercoat (by 1966 most CAR finishes used a gold undercoat). Note the binding along the fingerboard edges (with dot fingerboard inlays), and the "F" style tuners, and a mint-greenish/white celluloid pickguard. Even though the guitar has an "L" style serial number, the rest of the features of the guitar are 1966. Sunburst and white/blond colored Fender Jaguar guitars used a tortoise colored pickguard, but nearly all the other custom colors used a whitish pickguard.


* Email the collector cfh@provide.net
* Go to main Vintage Guitar Info webpage
* Go to main Fender Vintage Guitar Info webpage