finished Jaguar build

the_other_Adam · Post by **the_other_Adam** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 4:17 am

I forgot I was going to post this up.

This was my first build. I had been wanting a Jazzmaster for quite a while, but couldn't find any AVRI or Japanese ones in my area, and the Blacktops and CP's just didn't do it for me, as I really prefer vintage radiused fretboards. Also, I discovered that I really liked the Jaguar's looks, and found the short scale intriguing. After playing a CP Jag and JM in a local shop. I decided I really preferred the sounds I was getting from the JM over the Jag, but the Jag seemed to play a little more comfortably.

Here are some specs:
-Scratch built, one-piece knotty alder body routed to accept Jaguar pickups or Jazzmaster pickups
-Allparts Jaguar neck
-Reranch Daphne Blue and neck tint and Deft SS and clear coat. (All rattlecan)
-AVRI Jaguar hardware and electronics.
-AVRI Jazzmaster pickups.
-Mustang bridge.
-Cheap Allparts, split-shaft tuners...already regretting them after about 6 months
-Tusq nut.
-Pickguard cut from Warmoth Celluloid Tortoise.
-Fully shielded with copper tape.

I originally saw this daphne/tort combo on a mustang and fell in love with it. I was going to have a guitar this color regardless of if it was a Jag, a JM or anything else.

Anyways, on with the pics:

In the process of cutting the arm contour, I found a knot. I had been debating trying a sunburst before this...that pretty much ruled that out.

After cutting/routing the pickguard I noticed that it was missing a chunk, I missed when plunging in with the router and took out a chunk of it and the template.

Since I didn't have enough material to cut another out, I just used one of the scraps to fill the flaw. Glued and sanded flat. (It's since been polished.)

Since Allparts necks come with the frets not leveled, I got to level and crown them. Now with a bit of relief it plays pretty smoothly. I probably could have polished them a bit more though.

And the final assembly:

The decal is not cleared over, so should I ever decide to sell it, it will be removed.

After finishing the build I went back to play with the wiring a bit, I changed it to where it would do the pickups in series in the OFF-OFF position and so that the lower switches work in the rhythm circuit.

Here's roughly how it looks now.

And a lot more pics in various stages of completion.
Some are decent, some suck. They're all cell pics.

► Show Spoiler

cur · Post by **cur** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 4:24 am

So talented you are. Very nice you should be proud of that.

SurfGreenGibby · Post by **SurfGreenGibby** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 4:41 am

Pretty sexy except for the matching headstock. That's just personal taste on my part though. Otherwise, a very good build.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:26 am

That is a really well done build. Love the color scheme as well. How does it sound?

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:47 am

love that guitar! well done. I have the same strap as you too.

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:52 am

DO AN DEMO!

*says the guy who keeps promising demos and then never does them

the_other_Adam · Post by **the_other_Adam** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 6:18 am

Thanks all.

Pens wrote:That is a really well done build. Love the color scheme as well. How does it sound?

The best way I can describe it's sound is as a slightly more snappy Jazzmaster...though I'm not sure that properly puts it into words. It can sound very much like a Jazzmaster, but you can coax some sort-of Jaguar sounding tones out as well. I really love being able to put the pickups in series though, I'd say half (or more) of the time that I play it, it's in series. It sounds a bit like a middle ground, somewhere between a humbucker and a JM pickup.

I'll have to see about recording something to put up, but it would likely just be from my cell phone.

JohnnyTheBoy · Post by **JohnnyTheBoy** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:26 am

That looks amazing chap!
You're routes are really top notch....I love it!
You make all your routing templates I presume? So clean it puts my jazzbuild to shame

And the paint job is the mutts nuts!
Really well done dude! Great result!

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:51 am

That is a thing of beauty,. Dark tort looks way better with blue than the redder stuff too.

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 3:20 pm

that thing is SO hot!!!!!

Post by **Hurb** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 4:04 pm

Looks very well done.

I did the same thing back in the js days but yours looks way more pro.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 4:30 pm

Looks a beauty, well done!

the_other_Adam · Post by **the_other_Adam** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:42 pm

Pacafeliz wrote:that thing is SO hot!!!!!

Thanks!

Hurb wrote:Looks very well done.

I did the same thing back in the js days but yours looks way more pro.

Thanks!

Yeah, I came across yours when I was looking for pics of Jags with JM pickups, it's a beauty. It was after I had already ordered paint and I was too broke at the time to order more...I wasn't intentionally trying to clone your guitar.

Though it was nice to see what it was going to look like when it was done!

SKC Willie · Post by **SKC Willie** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 5:54 am

quick question: if I paid for the material, how much would it cost me to get you to make a pickguard like that for me?

I see you're in Wichita and I'm in KC but I don't have the tools/skills to make one myself. hook a brother up?

the_other_Adam · Post by **the_other_Adam** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 6:30 am

I'm really not sure, that was one of the weaker points of this project. My template is kinda hosed after I took that chunk out of it, and I cut all of the holes undersized and then filed them out to match the plates and pickup covers...It was a pretty big pita to get it to fit all right, and it's still a bit too tight around the pickups, I've got to remove the guard to raise the pickup height. I also didn't cut the holes for the thimbles until the very last so I could align everything...and I don't know how accurate the pdf I based everything on is compared to AVRI, CIJ, etc.

I'll have to think about it for a little while, I'm pretty swamped with work right now, but sometime in January I'm going to start a couple of builds, and I may be able to take it on then. Though you would most likely have to do a lot of filing to get it to fit.

I forget who it was...I want to say terrapin, but I'm not sure, but one of the pg companies will cut them without pickup holes and without mounting holes, so you could go back and cut out just the pickup holes to match.

Bubble · Post by **Bubble** » Wed Feb 15, 2012 6:37 pm

Wow

Awsome ! You could work for the fender custom shop !

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Wed Feb 15, 2012 11:43 pm

Holy crap! Nice job.

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:53 am

Looks amazing. So so nice.

gypsyseven · Post by **gypsyseven** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:25 pm

Wow, an amazing looking guitar!

Congrats!

the_other_Adam · Post by **the_other_Adam** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:06 am

Thanks again. I've been thinking about swapping pickups at some point...possibly SD JM Antiquity II's. I had originally planned on putting Jag pickups in at some point, but that's kinda gone out the window since I was able to get hold of a '65 Jag in need of refin (thread coming shortly) for less than the price of a new AVRI....if only I could get off of overtime so I could actually work on the thing. I was practically unemployed (working about 15hrs/week) and in college when I built this. Oh how I miss free time.