so i've been wanting to do this for quite some time (mostly for myself), in order to keep all the differences straight between the various versions.
*** if any of this information is incorrect, be sure to tell me so i can update it. ***
Wikipedia wrote:The Squier Jagmaster is an electric guitar marketed by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation under their Squier budget brand. It is based on the design of the classic Fender Jazzmaster and Fender Jaguar, but with several significant differences reflecting the tastes of modern guitarists, including much simplified electronics, and a standard Stratocaster-style tremolo bridge.
Squier Vista Series Jagmaster (CIJ, 1996-1998)
Wikipedia wrote:The first Jagmasters appeared in 1996, were marketed under the Vista Series, and were made in Japan. The Jagmaster in its original form was made for a period of only two years; 1996 through 1998. The first Japanese Jagmasters had a neck in which the truss rod is adjusted at the bottom of the neck, while the later Japanese models have a 70's-style 'bullet' truss rod, which is adjusted at the headstock. The original Japanese Jagmasters featured a maple neck, rosewood fretboard, and basswood body. The list price was $699.99. However, when the Japanese market crashed, Fender closed the Japanese production plants in which the Jagmaster was produced.
First Issue (CIJ - 96-97.5):
Body Material: Basswood Scale: 24" Colors: Sunburst, Sonic Blue, Vintage White, Candy Apple Red, Black Positives: vista tone humbuckers, vintage style peg head tuners (reminiscent of kluson), vintage style neck with high-gloss, true 24" scale, vintage style tortoise shell pickguard, Japanese Fender quality, better resale value Negatives: more expensive now-a-days
My Opinion: The cream of the crop, and from the classiest and most original Squier series ever produced (although the classic vibe series is giving it a run for it's money in terms of quality). I own a first issue, and it's the guitar i continually go back to for ease of play, raw noise, and reliability
[note the lack of headstock-side truss rod access, indicating vintage style truss rod access at the butt of the neck]
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Second Issue (CIJ - 97.5 - 98):
Body Material: Basswood Scale: 24" Colors: Colors: Sunburst, Sonic Blue, Candy Apple Red, Black Positives:same as first issue Negatives: bullet truss rods look cheap
[note the bullet-style truss rod access at the top of the fretboard.]
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Squier Affinity Series Jagmaster (CIC, 2002-2005)
Wikipedia wrote:The Jagmaster was brought back into production in 2002, this time made in China and featuring a 25.5" neck (21 frets).
Body Material: Alder Scale: 25.5" Colors: Sunburst w/tortoise shell, Candy Apple Red w/black (?), Black w/white, Silver Sparkle w/black Positives: nice base for modding/improvements, normal fender 25.5" scale Negatives: lower quality/fit/finish, lackluster 'duncan-designed' humbuckers replace the previous 'vista tone' units, poorly reproduced tortoise shell pickguard material
[note the modern recessed headstock-side truss rod access, cheaper tuners, as well as the jaguar-derived vol/tone placement]
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Squier Standard Series Jagmaster II (CIC, 2005-Present?)
Wikipedia wrote:In 2005, the 2002 Jagmaster was discontinued, and replaced with the (also Chinese-made) Squier Jagmaster II, which features different visual aesthetics, as well as the old 24" neck (22 frets). However, by 2007 this had become a 21-fret 24" neck, contrary to the Squier information online, which has yet to be updated.
Body Material: Alder Scale: 24" (conversion) Colors: Sunburst w/tortoise shell, Black w/white Positives: nice base for modding/improvements Negatives: lower quality/fit/finish, 'duncan-designed' pickups, odd 24" scale via conversion neck
I had some better pictures of the Los Straightjackets Jagmaster which does have a white matching headstock. It ended up being sold on eBay but I can't find where I saved those pictures.
Good job organizing this into a definitive thread/wiki type thing.
Jagmasters are good . Even the Chinese ones . I just hate the cheap Strat bridges they come with . IMO The Vistas are hype . Still good but are going for too much money but that's just me .
Anyhow . What ever happened to someone just going to a music shop and trying out an instrument to see if they like it or not ? Since when is Wiki pulling the punches and making peoples' decisions ?
Rox wrote:Jagmasters are good . Even the Chinese ones . I just hate the cheap Strat bridges they come with . IMO The Vistas are hype . Still good but are going for too much money but that's just me .
They're from an era where Fender Japan was a little better than it is now. I'd rather own a late 80s or early 90s Squier than a modern Japanese Fender, but there isn't really a lot in it. also, they came in designs (the supersonic being a good example) that aren't available in any other format. The JV stuff has been over-hyped, but the other Japanese Squier stuff is class.
Rox wrote: Anyhow . What ever happened to someone just going to a music shop and trying out an instrument to see if they like it or not ? Since when is Wiki pulling the punches and making peoples' decisions ?
Since people started being they're guitars on the internet where you only have your experience, photos and the documented specs to go on. If it's something you've never seen (and therein lies a massive advantage of the internet, how many of us have a vista jagmaster, the 25.5" model and the 24" conversion sitting in our local shop ready to try out and compare?) then finding out what you can to be able to apply it to your experience elsewhere is invaluable. Lately, about two or three times a month people are asking about the differences between the jagmaster models.
Frankly, I think it's fantastic people aren't just going to their local store like they used to because in a lot of cases those stores would feed you lies, half-truths and hearsay all while charging you too much for the product. The internet providing the information it does has it's downsides, and more so than the vistas a lot of old gear (mostly cheap stuff from the 60s) has increased in value disproportionately to it's quality. Mostly though, it's one of the best things to ever happen for someone looking to buy a guitar.
I played a couple of the in between, 25.5 scale jagmasters and was actually somewhat impressed with them. I know there was a lot more quality control problems with them than the vistas though which led to a lot of them feeling and sounding like garbage. But a couple of the ones I played were actually pretty nice for the price!
I owned one of the most recent chinese models in sunburst and "meh" describes it perfectly. I didn't like it but I didn't hate it. It was very comfortable to play, but it never struck me as something special. Luckily I bought it on a labor day sale on MF a few years ago, and I got a $25 rebate on it, so it only cost me $225 and I sold it about a year later for $220, so for only a $5 loss, it wasn't bad.
I think we definitely all agree that the Vistas were the best by far.
