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... I'm a fan of the standard 3-way to be honest...

and I think that some alternatives could be over complex for a quick switch in a live situation... my opinion

baja to the classic vibe is what the MIM Jag is to standard Jag... enhancements but not necessarily better... again opinion.

.... & I'm happy to stick with my velcro fastened trainers thanks

othomas2 wrote:baja to the classic vibe is what the MIM Jag is to standard Jag... enhancements but not necessarily better... again opinion.

No. Fail.

The Baja Telecaster is a hot rodded 50s Telecaster, as designed by Master Builder Chris Fleming of the Custom Shop. It has retro aesthetics with an improved bridge with brass saddles, and excellent pickups. It has a custom soft-V neck.


The MIM Jaguars are a 'modernised' version of the original Jaguar design aimed at the Alt Rock crowd. There is nothing retro about it, and the Custom Shop had nothing to do with it.

Both are enhanced versions of the original design....

Some would argue that the MIM Jaguars are not enhancements but translations.

I'd be inclined to agree on that one...

They confuse me a bit because they phrase it as they "fixed" a load of "problems" with the original designs. While I think they look great and I wuold never dismiss them (I've not even seen in person or played one yet), I just don't see those as problems with the original designs. That's just what a Jaguar and Jazzmaster is.

I think the coil tap pots on the Jaguar Special HH are an amazing idea though.

Mike wrote:Some would argue that the MIM Jaguars are not enhancements but translations.

+1

The MIM Jag series in particular is very unnecessary imo. I can understand the mainstreaming of the HH verson, but I hate the movement of the tailpiece and the new bridge. As for the electronics/switching options, again I understand the mainstreaming of simplification, but I don't see any of these things as being particular benefits that fix "existing problems" on the original design of the Jaguar.

Whereas with something like the Baja Tele, you can have the added options etc without sacrificing any of its originality.

I think the Jaguar/Jazzmaster are more narrowly defined guitars than Teles or Strats... Whether it's in the mind or due to some sort of more sensitive nature of the Jag/JM I'm not sure of.

But yeah, in my mind, the MIM JM is less of a JM (though more of... something else I suppose), whereas when I look at the Baja I see every Tele ever.

Jagermeister wrote:when I look at the Baja I see every Tele ever.

What an eloquent way to put it. That's perfect.

BobArsecake wrote:

Mike wrote:Some would argue that the MIM Jaguars are not enhancements but translations.

+1

The MIM Jag series in particular is very unnecessary imo. I can understand the mainstreaming of the HH verson, but I hate the movement of the tailpiece and the new bridge. As for the electronics/switching options, again I understand the mainstreaming of simplification, but I don't see any of these things as being particular benefits that fix "existing problems" on the original design of the Jaguar.

Whereas with something like the Baja Tele, you can have the added options etc without sacrificing any of its originality.

...Plus CIJ axes are better and cheaper, so the MIM had no reason to exist in the first place, it's not like Fender Japan wasn't already putting out humbucker Jags with TOMs in the first place either... At least Fender Japan gives you a choice

I still think the Strat is just as problematic of an axe as the Jag, but people aren't as ignorant about setting up a Strat in general, and then are unwilling to figure out something else once they've learned that... Even 50 years after the first JMs came around.

Jagermeister wrote:...Plus CIJ axes are better and cheaper, so the MIM had no reason to exist in the first place, it's not like Fender Japan wasn't already putting out humbucker Jags with TOMs in the first place either... At least Fender Japan gives you a choice

I would fight you hard to suggest that Japanese guitars are better than Mexican ones. If we remove the Mexican Standards from the equation and compare the Classic Player series I would say they are comparable in their excellence and solid nature. I have an MG65 and a Baja Telecaster now and they're both equally fantastically build instruments.

I take your point about the HH Jaguar, but I really hated that colour scheme (the Jaguar Special HH colour choices, while limited are much nicer), and these models can be hard to get hold of. I know the HH got a release but that was an exception rather than the rule. I am a massive MIJ and MIM Fender Fan.

Haha, my Mike praise karma had to balance out

In particular I was addressing the Jaguar, which is available with just about every option that the MIM has short of the screw in/reoriented trem, plus like 100 more finish options etc...

Those limitations aren't present in terms of Fender's other axes between MIM/CIJ so much (and with the Mustang we don't have a choice). My Tele has an MIM body and it's GREAT, so I do think that Fender of Japan, Mexico (and America) have about even odds with making a decent guitar. And yeah, the CIJ Axes we DO get in the US are equally limited in options as the MIMs.