MIJ / CIJ Jaguars - are there any better years / serials?

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:33 am

Have been shopping for a Jaguar for a couple of months and I see quite a few MIJ / CIJ examples passing through. I don't want a MIM Classic Player, I want the original Jag setup / switching / bridge etc, but I was wondering if there are any guidelines about whether there were dips in quality and so on. Or is it a case of varying quality all along?

The MIJ/CIJ naming was switched in about 1997, right? Did they just use one factory or several?

Jagermeister · Post by **Jagermeister** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:52 am

I'd call them pretty consistent as in you're as likely to find a dog in any year over any other (which is not likely, from my experience), but in terms of specification change, around 96/97 was the basswood to alder switch (though bursts were always alder and some models to this day remain basswood, usually odd finishes), and about the same time the copper shielding was eliminated... Look far enough and you'll find either an MIJ or CIJs with any combination of the above from that era... Aside from that, very little meaningful variation has been initiated.

RumorsOFsurF · Post by **RumorsOFsurF** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:22 pm

I didn't know 'bursts were always alder...

But, yeah....If you don't mind basswood, I'd try to find one with the proper shielding. (Pre-98 or so)

Quality-wise, they've always been pretty consistent...as Jagermeister just said.

I had a '97 Jag that had a really nice thin neck, and also an '03 Jag with a really HUGE neck. Depends on what you like.

aphasiac · Post by **aphasiac** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:24 pm

having owned both an Alder and bassword Jaguar, I say really try and get an alder one (i.e. 1998+).

Seriously, makes a huge amount of different in tone.

BobArsecake · Post by **BobArsecake** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:42 pm

I've been put off basswood forever by my Jag-Stang, and if my Jaguar wasn't sunburst I wouldn't have bought it 'cause it might not have been alder. Also I think the reason they always use alder on sunburst is 'cause it's got a better grain than basswood, Rumours.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:16 pm

Great answers - thanks. So are all the colours alder after 1997? I want an Oly white - had heard that the guitars for the Japan market were all alder but the exports to the US were basswood apart from the sunburst. Or did they stop the US exports after 1997 and thus the only ones around are Japan domestic?

OK - last question then, can I buy a later alder one and add shielding plates? Are they the pickguard plates, the cavity well brass "tubs", or what?

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:29 pm

Yes you can add sheilding pretty easily. Really just some tin foil cut to fit and touching a ground wire is all that's needed. Rubber cement that shit to the pickguard and you're set.

RumorsOFsurF · Post by **RumorsOFsurF** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:12 pm

BobArsecake wrote:I've been put off basswood forever by my Jag-Stang, and if my Jaguar wasn't sunburst I wouldn't have bought it 'cause it might not have been alder. Also I think the reason they always use alder on sunburst is 'cause it's got a better grain than basswood, Rumours.

Makes sense. I imagine basswood would look silly with any visible (or lack thereof) grain.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:55 pm

PenPen wrote:Yes you can add sheilding pretty easily. Really just some tin foil cut to fit and touching a ground wire is all that's needed. Rubber cement that shit to the pickguard and you're set.

Yeah, I've shielded a guitar with foil before - my question was more about whether the brass "tubs" are available, and if they fit the CIJ routing.

Post by **Mike** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:59 pm

They're not tubs, they're just cut from a sheet of copper I think?

BobArsecake · Post by **BobArsecake** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:10 pm

My '97 has them.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:35 pm

So they're copper / brass sheets cut to the shape of the cavity bottom, with glazier's points tacking them into the body, correct? Sounds anal but if I'm going to do the work it would be nice to make it like the originals.

Does the Jazzmaster have brass tubs then, is that where I imagined it from?

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:59 pm

My '96 MIJ Jag has them. They are copper sheets cut to fit the routes. There's a bottom plate and a top plate. They aren't attached to the guard in those cases, they just have solid ground wires soldered to them.

However, if you are going to go the foil route I would suggest cementing the top to the pickguard, and just running bare wire to contact it when the guard is screwed down.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:03 pm

I think they are about consistent all the way through like jagermeister said. Its more important you find the one that plays nice than settling for one just because it has copper shielding. In my experience copper shielding and all that cloth wire malarky makes no significant difference to the whole sound anyway. Upgrading CIJ/MIJ pickups is the main thing.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:07 pm

Jim Shine's site says the JM had brass tubs - got them confused in my mind.

http://jimshine.com/jazzmaster/intricac ... jazzma.htm

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:10 pm

Fran wrote:I think they are about consistent all the way through like jagermeister said. Its more important you find the one that plays nice than settling for one just because it has copper shielding. In my experience copper shielding and all that cloth wire malarky makes no significant difference to the whole sound anyway. Upgrading CIJ/MIJ pickups is the main thing.

Thanks, again very helpful. As always it seems to be a case of buying the best body/neck I can and worrying about upgrades later. I'm going to have to buy over the internet since I'm in Australia - Fenders go for stupid prices here. Is there an easy way I can get sellers to check whether the body is alder or basswood?

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:15 pm

MatthewK wrote:
Fran wrote:I think they are about consistent all the way through like jagermeister said. Its more important you find the one that plays nice than settling for one just because it has copper shielding. In my experience copper shielding and all that cloth wire malarky makes no significant difference to the whole sound anyway. Upgrading CIJ/MIJ pickups is the main thing.
Thanks, again very helpful. As always it seems to be a case of buying the best body/neck I can and worrying about upgrades later. I'm going to have to buy over the internet since I'm in Australia - Fenders go for stupid prices here. Is there an easy way I can get sellers to check whether the body is alder or basswood?

No, only serial number, unless the seller actually asked when he purchased it. There was a period when they changed over but its not saying its set in stone. Check fenderjaguar.net if you want to have a good read up about different models.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:48 pm

Thanks, will do. The other great one I found was

http://www.webrocker.de/jaguar/cms/

which includes a vintage-vs-MIJ comparison in great detail.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:14 pm

MatthewK wrote:Thanks, will do. The other great one I found was

http://www.webrocker.de/jaguar/cms/

which includes a vintage-vs-MIJ comparison in great detail.

Yeah, thats an excellent website. It helped me no end setting up my first Jag.