Fender's Jaguar was the company's top-of-the-line model when it was introduced in the spring of 1962. This new professional-level model featured the same rhythm circuit and offset body waists as the Jazzmaster, but offered more power and brightness, more lead circuit tone options and switching, better shielding against 60 cycle hum and a 24" scale length for ease of playability.

This early '65 Jaguar recently found its way to our shop for an appraisal by its owner of the past three decades. Purchased in the mid '90s as a generic used guitar, we had the good fortune to inform the owner that what they bought all those years ago was, in fact, a largely original 1965 Fender Jaguar. The original "L-series" neck plate went AWOL before the guitar was purchased in the 1990s, and the owner never disassembled the guitar in an attempt to determine the year of manufacture. 

Built in early 1965, this Fender Jaguar features a pre-CBS spec unbound rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays. Fender would add neck binding to the Jaguar and Jazzmaster models later that year, and block inlays would replace the dots in 1966. The neck stamp of "1 FEB 65 B," along with pot codes dating to the 38th week of 1964 and the 3rd week of 1965, point to a winter of 1965 manufacture.

This '65 Jaguar presents very well and is in very good cosmetic condition. Small chips, dents, light scratches and finish crazing typical of a 60 year old guitar can be found on the body and neck. Minor belt-rash on the body’s back is the guitar’s most obvious cosmetic flaw. The finish on the back of the neck has worn attractively, giving the neck a smooth and broken-in feel.

All electronics and hardware are original to the guitar. The bridge pickup was non-functional upon arrival at our shop and has since been rewound. Refret, set-up, new nut and nut slot repair by our shop. A minor chip in the maple was repaired, as well.

The guitar's original pickups sound great, with a rich and airy response in the bridge position that is balanced perfectly with the warm and articulate voice of the neck pickup. Playability is excellent thanks to the frets and setup and the incredible feel of the neck.

Keen eyes may have picked up on the odd Jaguar decal. It appears that the decal currently on the guitar is a replacement; however, all finish on the guitar's neck appears to be original. Our best guess is that the original decal was scraped off the headstock, likely due to wear and chipping, and a replacement Jaguar decal was added. The replacement decal has since chipped away a great deal. 

This 1965 Jaguar is a largely original guitar from the tail end of Fender's golden era that looks incredible and offers excellent performance and authentic vintage Fender tone. A few issues, including the decal, nut repair, missing case and serialized neck plate, place this guitar in the player's grade price category without sacrificing original finish or electronics. It's the perfect Jaguar for a gigging or studio musician who’s looking for all of the best elements of the vintage guitar experience.

Pickup DC values of 6.7k in the bridge and 7.1k in the neck. Scale length of 24". First fret depth of 0.799", twelfth fret depth of 0.966", nut width just shy of 1-5/8". Weight of 8lbs 8oz.

With hardshell case.