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wadeaminute wrote:I had one in sonic blue about seven years ago. The super-extra rare one with the bullet truss rod. I was thinking at the time that it would be like a upside down Super-Sonic. I kept it for about a month, didn't get along with it, and sold it for what I paid for it - $300. I love the Super-Sonics because they are so small. The Jagmaster was full Jaguar-sized, which I found annoying at the time. It would have needed new pickups and electronics.
Last year I bought a VM HH Jaguar in Fiesta red. Much better, in my opinion. I was going to mod it with new pickups and a new bridge and a new pickguard, but it really is perfect the way it is. Sustains like a Les Paul. Hardtail (which I prefer). Better colour. These sell for $300 new.

you put a white pickguard on that bitch and you are in business

Fran wrote:I agree.
Had a Vista Jagmaster years ago and whilst it was a nice guitar it was not a £430 guitar, never. In my opinion they need modding too as the pups are lacklustre, although some folk claim to like them.
There are way better deals about for £430.

In my honest opinion, I think they're great playing, great sounding (once they've got the right pickups), and great performing guitars.

However, there's something that's just not 100% desirable about a Jagmaster that I can't put a finger on. I think they're offsets for people who don't like any of the vintage offsets. At a bargain, Jagmasters are absolutely worth it, but at some of the higher prices people pay for them, I shake my head.

robroe wrote:

wadeaminute wrote:I had one in sonic blue about seven years ago. The super-extra rare one with the bullet truss rod. I was thinking at the time that it would be like a upside down Super-Sonic. I kept it for about a month, didn't get along with it, and sold it for what I paid for it - $300. I love the Super-Sonics because they are so small. The Jagmaster was full Jaguar-sized, which I found annoying at the time. It would have needed new pickups and electronics.
Last year I bought a VM HH Jaguar in Fiesta red. Much better, in my opinion. I was going to mod it with new pickups and a new bridge and a new pickguard, but it really is perfect the way it is. Sustains like a Les Paul. Hardtail (which I prefer). Better colour. These sell for $300 new.

you put a white pickguard on that bitch and you are in business

White pickguard on the Fiesta Red VM HH HT Jaguar? or on a Sonic Blue Jagmaster? Has anyone put a white guard on the Fiesta Jag?

honeyiscool wrote:However, there's something that's just not 100% desirable about a Jagmaster that I can't put a finger on. I think they're offsets for people who don't like any of the vintage offsets.

Probably right. They were just never seen as the 'real deal'.. Can't afford a proper Jag so he got a Jagmaster...
I think because they use a Strat trem instead of the Jag trem you have a dead space on the large body, everything looks squashed over to one side. They moved the trem further back for the Conversion Neck on Chinese models and they look more balanced.

I don't feel you should pay too much for them... I think the idea with these is they were the first "rock-ready" Jag/Jazz guitar, so it was like, the alt-rock must have, "don't be on JS tongiht asking how to get teh kurdtz if you buy this one" guitar.

Since then we've had SO many of those... cyclone, toranado, Dragster HH Jags, CP Jags and Jazzies with/without HH, Squier VM HH, Squier Mascis, Cobain Jag/Mustang, SY sigs, etc... all over the price range you can get those same jollies with varying degrees of visual accuracy now. It's gotten to the point where if you're going to pay more for a Vista JM than an MIJ Jaguar or Jazzmaster you could slap some new pickups/bridge in it's like... what are you doing, exactly?

I can't say I'd feel comfortable spending more than $400 on a Vista JM in terms of bang-for-buck and all that, I don't invest in rare runs or anything like that though.

paul_ wrote:I can't say I'd feel comfortable spending more than $400 on a Vista JM in terms of bang-for-buck and all that, I don't invest in rare runs or anything like that though.

Yep, join the masses and find good deals and replaceable parts.

Then again, What mij fender guitars are 400 bucks and below?