Guitar World Verdict
The Fender Player II Jaguar may not please those after a pure vintage-spec Jag, but if you’re looking for unique tones paired with modern build and playability, it’s an amazing guitar.
Pros
- +
Really comfortable scale-length.
- +
Rosewood fretboard feels smooth and fast.
- +
Tremolo put up with abuse really well.
- +
Pickups deliver a unique sound.
Cons
- -
Some will bemoan the lack of additional controls.
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What is it?
Arriving late with all the swagger that an icon of electric guitar might demand, Fender's Player II Jaguar steps back into the spotlight with a fresh approach. Returning closer to the rebellious charm of the original whilst still retaining the Player Series' modern sensibilities, can its quirky allure appeal to the next generation of guitar players?
Where the Player I opted for a humbucker in the bridge position, Fender has seen fit to return to a more classic dual single-coil lineup, although many players will be disappointed to see the original Jag’s elaborate circuitry is still absent. It appears that Fender has gone for a majority ‘player-first’ mindset versus honoring tradition when it comes to the design of the latest Player II Jaguar.
This smaller-than-average guitar boasts a 24-inch scale, offering players a cozier approach to their fretting hand. It still fits 22 frets into its slab rosewood fingerboard, and as with all the Player II Series guitars, it has a modern ‘C’ neck shape. It also has a flatter 9.5-inch radius, another eschewing of the more traditional leanings some of the other Fender Jags offer.
The iconic offset body is made from alder, giving it a decent heft that feels reassuring when you put it on your knee. It’s available in some more modern colorways too, including Aquatone Blue and Hialeah Yellow. A pair of Alnico 5 single-coil pickups complete the lineup alongside a Jaguar bridge with Mustang saddles and a vintage-style ‘floating’ tremolo.
Specs
- Launch price: $829/£729
- Made: Mexico
- Type: Six-string electric guitar
- Body: Alder
- Neck: Maple, Modern ‘C’
- Fingerboard: Rosewood
- Scale length: 24”, 610mm
- Nut/width: Synthetic bone, 42mm
- Frets: 22, medium jumbo
- Hardware: Fender ClassicGear tuners, Jaguar bridge with Mustang saddles, and vintage style ‘Floating’ tremolo tailpiece
- Electrics: 2x Player Series Alnico 5 Jaguar single-coil, master volume, master tone, 3-position blade switch
- Left-handed options: No
- Finishes: 3-Color Sunburst, Polar White (as reviewed), Aquatone Blue, Coral Red, Hialeah Yellow
- Case: No
- Contact: Fender
Build quality
Buil quality rating: ★★★★½
Upon unboxing the Player II Jaguar and doing my usual close inspection of the guitar, finding very little out of place. We’ve all seen forum talk of QC issues with some of the Made In Mexico guitars, and I encountered some minor blemishes myself when I reviewed the Fender Player II Strat, but the Jaguar was pretty much perfectly put together.
My detail-orientated nature didn’t like that the chrome plate the controls are mounted on doesn’t perfectly intersect with the pickguard, but it’s a small detail that’s barely noticeable unless you're a couple of inches away from the guitar. The fretboard edges felt lovely and smooth, the string tree and bridge saddles were all perfectly aligned, and I couldn’t see a single blemish on the Polar White finish.
Playability
Playability rating: ★★★★½
I found myself wanting to pick it up again and again from my guitar rack
Picking it up to play sans amplifier, it didn’t take me long to get used to the short scale. It doesn’t feel that drastic a change versus my regular scale Telecaster until you get further up the neck towards the higher frets where it starts to feel a little more cramped than usual. It didn’t hinder my playing after making the adjustment either – it just took me a little practice when sliding up the neck to make sure I nailed the right note.
It’s a similar feel with bending the strings. The 9 gauge stock string set feels very light for the scale length, so I’d definitely up them to a set of 10s at least to get a more playable feel if I’d bought the guitar. Despite these initial feelings, my initial experience of the playability was that it’s a really nice feeling guitar. The action is nice and low without being so close to the fretboard as to choke out any bends, and subsequently, I found myself wanting to pick it up again and again from my guitar rack.
The rosewood fingerboard feels silky smooth, and whether it was noisy tritones, blues licks, or legato runs I found it joyous playing a wide variety of styles and sounds on it. The back of the neck was similarly smooth feeling thanks to the satin finish, allowing for easy movement up and down the fingerboard.
The medium jumbo frets offer that Goldilocks-zone experience of tallness when you’re sliding around the neck and bending alongside responsiveness to a lighter touch. Coupled with the smaller distance between them you’ve got yourself a very playable guitar.
The improved break angle and smaller slot the string nestles in definitely contribute to the overall stability of the system
The tremolo arm slotted in perfectly into its housing, with no hammer, springs, or tape required to get it to stay in place. I was really surprised at how stable it is too. Despite regular dips and dives it managed to stay pretty much perfectly in tune for the majority of my playing. It’s not perfect of course, no tremolo is, but 90% of the time I played I had zero issues with it going out of tune.
The addition of the Mustang saddles on the bridge definitely helps temper this type of guitar's willingness to buzz, although with the light gauge string set from the factory, it doesn't tame it completely. The improved break angle and smaller slot the string nestles in definitely contribute to the overall stability of the system, and the strings didn't jump out of the saddle once during my testing.
Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★☆
Plugging the Jaguar into my Orange Rocker 32 tube amp alongside the POG III and Kernom Elipse I’m also reviewing right now, I'm immediately greeted with a bright, punchy single coil sound. On the clean channel, I found it spiky but not quite icepick territory, although I did find myself rolling off the tone knob more than I normally would with my Telecaster.
The neck pickup is a darker affair, but nowhere near as dark as my usual Telecaster or Stratocaster in the same position. There's an inherent brightness to it which can be remedied by rolling off the tone knob, which makes it warmer without muddying it up. Played clean it’s a jangly affair, and once you start mixing in delays, reverbs, and modulation effects you can get some really lush sounds out of it.
There’s a lot of clarity in these pickups that sound great even when you start ladling on the effects, and I found it equally at home playing psychedelic chords with phase and delay as I did with ultra-clean jazz chords.
Switching to the drive channel and adding in the low tones of the POG III gives you plenty of heft, but always underpinned by a definition in the sound. The single coils are pretty noisy as you up the gain, but if you’re gunning for rowdy noise rock this won’t bother you in the slightest.
It’s a really unique sound that the Jaguar gives you, but I found it really inspiring
Playing without a low octave engaged I found a pleasing grittiness when I dug in, although I did have to re-jig my EQ a touch first. The pickups responded brilliantly when I introduced my Carcosa fuzz pedal into the mix, delivering a ripping tone that was anything but pleasant, but absolutely grin-inducing. It’s a really unique sound that the Jaguar gives you, but I found it really inspiring.
Verdict
I get to test a lot of different guitars in my job, and the major tell that separates a great guitar from a good one is that I consistently find myself picking it versus the other guitars in my rack. The Fender Player II Jaguar was my first port of call when going to play guitar during my time with it, and that tells you everything about how inspiring, interesting, and ultimately how fun it is to play.
I can appreciate that there are some who will be disappointed that it doesn’t have the additional controls the original and more vintage-flavored models have, but I don’t think it detracts from the experience at all. There are way more things to write home about here than the addition of a strangle switch would overcome.
Guitar World verdict: The Player II Jaguar is a brilliant guitar for those who want something different from your average Strat or Tele. Providing a uniquely bright tone all of its own, it’s versatile enough to cover the vast majority of sounds, while still providing a distinctive tone that might not be for everyone, but will please those in search of sounds anew.
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build quality | A brilliantly put together guitar. | ★★★★★ |
Playability | Fast playing neck and usable tremolo. | ★★★★½ |
Sounds | Delivers something unique. | ★★★★☆ |
Overall | A great guitar for alternative styles. | ★★★★½ |
Also try
$1499.99/£1,209
If you want something that’s more vintage spec, you’ll need to pay more for the privilege. The original Jag was supposed to be a top-of-the-line Fender model, so all that extra circuitry costs extra. For the ultimate Jag experience without shelling out for an expensive signature model, the Vintera II Series is pretty much your only option.
Read more: Fender VIntera II 70s Jaguar review
$459/£359
For the more cash-strapped who want the a classic Jag without the price tag, the Squier Classic Vibe 70s Jaguar is a great option. The pickups aren’t quite as nice as the ones you’ll find on the Player II, but all the extra switches and rotary controls are present and accounted for.
$799.99/£619
If you’re set on a short-scale guitar but you’re not sold on a Jaguar, have a look at the Player II Mustang, which gives you short scale playability and two single coils while doing away with the tremolo and giving you the potential added stability of a hardtail. The body is routed for P-90s too – if you're thinking about future pickup mods!
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