Fender Blacktop Jaguar HH Electric Guitar  

This guitar, for the money, is a STEAL. Having said that, there's a reason that it's at its current pricetag. It's a stripped down, no nonsense, no bells or whitles guitar, that is built around it's two humbuckers. For players like myself, it's what makes this guitar. For others, the rawness of its appearance will be a turn off. They won't like the fact that there's only two controls: a master treble knob and a master volume knob, giving it "limited" options for overall tone. But this simplicity is what makes this guitar perfect for rock and blues. If you like to play bare bones music, this is your guitar. It will shine through, clean or distorted, and will give you the sound you need to cut through the mix of a band. Sure, it doesn't have a ton going on in the variety department, but it does everything else really well.

Make no mistake, this guitar is meant to rock. It is meant to be played loud, and is meant to be played with soul. The fretboard is where it really sets itself apart from other guitars in its class and price range. The neck is smooth and the playability is great. What really surprised me was the unique sounds that both the bridge and neck pickups really have from each other. It can go twangy, or it can go beefy, and when set to the middle blend position, both pickups compliment each other really well. You really feel like you're getting 3 fantastic options when selecting a pickup setting, which for the price, is a real gem for its standard factory pickups. It's a little on the heavy side when it comes to weight, but if you have a good strap, you won't be having sore shoulders from wearing it for an extened period of time. This really is a musician-friendly guitar.

What can I say. For the price, this guitar is beyond a bargain. Out of all of the Fender Blacktop series, this one is the best. Rarely do you walk into a shop and find a guitar that not only looks and plays great, but doesn't murder your wallet. Sure, the upper class of guitars are amazing and have surperior components, but don't be fooled: this guitar deserves to be respected. It's a rare instance where you won't feel like you're buying an inferior guitar, and it goes well beyond the name on the headstock. This instrument is as good as it gets in the value department.

This guitar is perfect for me. I like simple, awesome sounding guitars, and this one delivers big time for people like me wanting great sound for a reasonable price. While the stripped down aspect is there, this leads for the player to really dig in deep for the sound they want. And while this guitar will force you to find your tone, it will reward your efforts greatly. I love it.

The Jag Blacktop features are very limited - compared to what a NORMAL REGULAR ISSUE guitar is.  Here we go.  The Alnico 5 pups are muddy in neck overdrive and neck clean, even in a low bass setting.  The pickups are overwound and PICK-UP more signal then necessary.  The lows are low, but if you raise the tremolo side of the pickup screw (G/B/E), and drop the bass side screw (E/A/D), clarity will come through.  Grunge/melody fans - drop your amp gain and turn down the guitar tone slightly.  Boring/metal fans - DON'T play this guitar and learn some rhythm.  This guitar registers mids and highs, so get higher.  The JAG will need to suit your needs in terms of style, sound, and method, but the pickups will have to be replaced.  I chose basic Dimarzio pickups.  At the neck, THE HUMBUCKER FROM HELL (DP156).  At the bridge, SUPER DISTORTION (DP100). I also replaced the Tune-o-matic bridge with a Mustang bridge, and changed my crossover 3-way to a blender pot.  If I say anymore my sound may be compromised - SO I WON'T!

Great structual quality. 

First of all this is a stripped-down Fender Jaguar.  This guitar comes with 1 3/4 balls and 75% ability.  TALENT SOLD SEPERATELY.  It's not an overcomplicated machine that has to be plugged into another complicated machine to make a overcomplicated sound.  Too many effects and cords kill an idea.  How many knobs and switches does someone really need to create a signature sound?  Guitar/ pedals/ equalizer/ compressor/ amp (tube or modeling)/ PA/ audience?  A distinct sound should NOT have to pass through 15 judges before it hits the audience.  This guitar has an IN YOUR FACE KICK already built in, but it will require personal modificaition.  (Have it your way.  You can't buy that off of a wall or out of a factory.)  Modify the guitar FIRST.    My music will shine from this guitar plugged into a 15 watt amp made from,  Experience, integrity, and ability can ALL be played through this guitar-  JUST PLAY YOU. 

Out of factory I give this guitar an 8.  Modified I give it a 9.9.  Perfect 10's don't exist (I live in Hollywood - TRUST ME!) Otherwise see above.

To put it in short terms, all of the woods are very nice. The alder sounds really good. It features two humbucking pickups, which I'm guessing you already know. The neck pickup sounds very warm, and with some classic fuzz and reverb, the sound that comes out of your amplifier will be a warm and creamy fuzz. (My personal favorite.) The bridge pickup is still moderately warm, but it has a nice trebly bite to it when used through the proper settings. Also features (As you've already seen) Two knobs: one volume, one tone. Coming from Fender, they're very strong and sturdy, and as always, look great. It's a fantastic guitar for jazz, blues, and rock. A true guitarist's guitar.

The construction of this solid body is... well, solid. Very sturdy. The woods used are very good: The alder body sounds fantastic, and the maple neck (as always) feels smooth and very glossy. The pickups are actually pretty decent. Very warm sounding. The only flaw I've seen (or in my case, felt) is the edges of the frets... they're a tiddly bit sharper than I'd like them to be, but they'll wear down through use. Overall, considering the price, Fantastic quality.

I'd say this guitar has a very high scoring quality for the price. This guitar is capable of many things. My particular model was a little bit more expensive than the normal price you see, because mine was a special edition version of this guitar. My model was exclusive at guitar center...Rather than Blizzard Pearl or Black, my Jaguar is Seafoam Pearl, a minty green. It's a real "California" color, and it's absolutely gorgeous.

Overall, fantastic. This Jag's got Swag. A lot of guitar for the price.

Nothing fancy but everything I'd want.

The bridge sits a little lower than I would like (but not enough to effect sustain too bad) and the pickups are a little muddy but it's your typical Fender.

For a Jaguar with an actual Fender logo it's a great price.

Growing up a Nirvana fan I've always wanted a Jaguar. It's one of my favorite styles but I was never a big fan of all the switches, the tremolo and the fact they came with single coil pickups. When I first saw this guitar I fell in love with it's setup and had to have one. I've now had my all black Blacktop Jag for about 5 months. I also own a Schecter 006 Hellraiser and a Gibson Flying V and I'm sure they've fealt neglected since the little Jag came into the picture.

This is a sweet guitar. I like the small radius neck and short scale so it is perfect for my smaller hands. The finish on it and all the controls are really excellent. It sounds as sweet as it looks too, nice and mellow but can get nasty with my Mustang III.