Fender Jaguar JG66 in Old Candy Apple Red on a stand beside an old cannon at the Citadel in Gozo

Fender Jaguar JG66 | Matching Headstock | CIJ 2006

Name: Fender Jaguar JG66 | Matching Headstock | CIJ 2006
Brand: Fender
SKU: FNDR-JG66MH
Price: 1499 EUR
Availability: InStock

Fender designed the Jaguar in 1962 to sit at the very top of its range, and you can tell by how cool this guitar is. It has a short 24" scale, an offset body built for comfort, a floating vibrato, and two separate circuits: a lead circuit with a low-cut switch, and a rhythm circuit with its own volume and tone wheels for a darker, preset sound you can flick to mid-song. It was a lot of guitar for 1962. Thirty years later it found a second life in the hands of alternative and indie players, and it has never really gone out of fashion since.

This JG66 is Fender Japan’s take on the mid-60s Jaguar, and it gets the details right. The finish is Old Candy Apple Red, a deeper, vintage-toned take on the classic colour, with a matching painted headstock, the look that collectors seek out. The headstock has the period-correct transition logo, and the vintage-style tuners and chrome control plates complete the picture. It’s an alder body with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, and the pickups are original.

It was built around 2006, during Fender Japan’s Crafted in Japan era, which many players consider some of the best-built Fenders of the last few decades. The neck feels solid and well finished, and at 3.86 kg it’s comfortable to wear for a full set. The nut has been replaced, and it plays as it should. The guitar is in overall great condition, with marks of use and some paint chips where you'd expect them, such as by the neck pocket and a little nick by the bottom part of the body. If you’ve been curious about what makes a Jaguar different from the usual Strat or Tele, this is a great way to find out. Visit our shop in Sliema, and give it a go.

We photographed it at the Citadel in Gozo, and it’s ready for the stage or the studio. SPECS: