First up, my Surf Green VM Jag.
Now, out of the box I was shocked. Intonation was good, string height was just about right, and it was easily playable - even with the ultra cheap, thin strings that were on it. Even with these strings it sounded fantastic. Nice and chime-like cleans, biting dirt, and a nice bit of jangle, while keeping thickness.
That being said, the strings HAD to go. There was corrosion on them here and there, they're super thin (feel like 9's, and other people have mentioned them being 9's as well), and they're just not great feeling. I popped on a set of my usual D'Addario 11's and the difference was huge. All the good aspects of the tone and playability got better, and the negatives (a bit of buzz from the thin strings, tuning being off a touch after trem use) were gone. If you play one of these, don't write it off just because of the garbage stock strings.
On to fit and finish, I was impressed again. The guitar overall feels very solid - just as much as my CIJ Jag, or my old CP Jag, though it's about two pounds lighter than either of them. The hardware is all secured perfectly, and even the pickguard screws are nice and straight, which I can't even say for my CIJ.
The neck finish is perfect for me - glossy, but not too thick. It has a real quality feel to it, and I prefer the finish to both the CIJ and CP Jag. It almost reminds me of a thin gloss finish that has just the slightest bit of steel wool sanding - not enough to take off the gloss, but enough to smooth the finish just enough to make it feel great in your hand. It's worth noting that the neck feels different than the older VM Jaguar HH - I compared them, and the newer VM definitely has a better feel to it.
Fret ends are very well done, and I can't find a single buzzy spot on the neck. I'm really, really digging the neck, and it was a pleasant surprise to have it feel so nice.
The body's finish is gorgeous - a classic surf green, and not nearly as faded as the stock photos make it seem. It's not quite dead-on vintage, but it's close. The pictures, I feel, show it accurately - at least on my screen. There are no major blems in it (unlike my VM Jag HH, which has scattered black specs here and there in the Fiesta Red finish), and it has a great look to it. The quality difference between this VM Jag and the former Jag HH is pretty big. While the HH is a good guitar, it definitely doesn't feel as nice as the new VM Jag.
The pickguard isn't perfect - though the white looks nice on the Jag, so it'll stay. AVRI/Classic Player guards fit perfectly, so swapping them out won't be an issue at all. The stock guard has some sloppy edges, but that's about the extent of it. Nothing terrible, but it's definitely not going to compare to an AVRI guard.
As for hardware, which is a major concern for a lot of people, I see nothing wrong with the stock stuff. The plates are just as nice as those on a Classic Player, the switches feel nice and solid, the trem is nice and smooth, and the bridge is surprisingly stable. I figured it would need loc-tite from the start, but it's holding up perfectly.
The tuners are very solid as well - with the 11's on it I'm having no tuning trouble whatsoever - even with fairly heavy trem use.
Now, onto sound. I'm going to say now - I love the pickups and they're staying. I know a ton of people will probably toss in Novaks or similar Jag pups, but for me these stock ones sound great. I prefer them to those in my old CP Jag, as well as the my CIJ's pickups. They're nice and balanced, while keeping the signature sound of a Jaguar. I dig them - a lot.
I recorded two demos, cycling through all combinations on the pickups. Both demos cycle through in this order: Bridge, Both, Neck, Bridge (Bass Cut On), Both (Bass Cut On), Neck (Bass Cut On), Rhythm Circuit. The first demo is clean, the second demo is dirty, using one of my Soviet overdrives for some dirt.
Clean:
http://bit.ly/NdavK4
Dirty:
http://bit.ly/L8eVmn
Overall, I'm incredibly happy with this Jag. It sounds great, plays great, and looks great. At $300 it's a steal, and I can't recommend it enough.
