66-67 Fender Jaguar value question

Scott Howard · Post by **Scott Howard** » 25 Jan 2019 2:18 pm

This might be in the wrong section but a friend of mine is trying to find the value of a 66 or early 67 Fender Jaguar guitar that was his brothers. I took several pictures and it is not perfect but it I really am not sure what is considered normal on a guitar that age . I do have several more pics .

Neil Lang · Post by **Neil Lang** » 25 Jan 2019 2:56 pm

Guessing $5,000 retail' (At dealer shop)
About....60% wholesale....or $3,000

It is custom color and colored head stock, that may bring another $750-$1K.

Scott Howard · Post by **Scott Howard** » 25 Jan 2019 3:35 pm

188042 is the number on the plate on the back so I am guessing that is the serial number .

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 26 Jan 2019 8:31 am

The age ties up with the serial number (188xxx).

Neil's appraisal seems about right to me. Dealer price might be $4500-5000 but Jaguars are the least desirable of this era's Fender electrics. You might get $3k privately.

Although their wiring was complicated I always liked the short scale - I've had a couple over the years.

Scott Howard · Post by **Scott Howard** » 26 Jan 2019 11:27 am

Thanks a bunch . I will let him know .

Neil Lang · Post by **Neil Lang** » 26 Jan 2019 3:19 pm

Yes Roger, the Jazzmasters are a bit more desirable....I had my Black 63 Jazzmaster with black headstock appraised by Dave's Guitars in Wisconsin 3 years ago at $5K.

The $4K-$4.5 might be closer to it. It is a real nice guitar for sure at any rate. The pre CBS's may also be a bit higher. 65 and earlier.

Scott Howard · Post by **Scott Howard** » 26 Jan 2019 3:42 pm

Thanks for the help .

Willis Vanderberg · Post by **Willis Vanderberg** » 27 Jan 2019 5:35 pm

Scott, check with Reverb.com they will show previous sales.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 28 Jan 2019 10:35 am

Per the "Vintage Guitar Price Guide" (2018) the value would be $3500 to $4400 for one in "excellent" shape. The one pictured isn't that grade, but it's probably close, so I'd deduct 10%-15%. Interesting enough, this was Fender's most expensive guitar (at the time), but it now has very low value compared to some of the cheaper models available at the time (Esquire, Telecaster, and especially...the Stratocaster). I have a slightly older Jag, but if it were a Strat, I could buy a new car for what it's worth!

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 5 Feb 2019 9:43 am

Leo considered the Jaguar to be the top of the line, had considered dropping the Strat, and the Jazzmaster went through a lull where you could pick one up for dirt at a pawn shop.

Then Oliver's Army sprung up and the prices went through the roof.

You want her broken with her mouth wide open
cause she's this year's girl.

Willis Vanderberg · Post by **Willis Vanderberg** » 5 Feb 2019 1:46 pm

Back in the mid to late fifties I was playing with Del Shannon in Battle Creek Michigan. He always played a Jazzmaster. His name at that time was,Charlie Johnson. His real name was Charles Westover.He was a pretty good picker too.
I had a friend in the recording business who I ask to come listen to the song Run Away. When Del hit the falsetto on the word " Wonder " he said to me no thank you who would buy that sick s.o.b.

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 6 Feb 2019 7:11 am

For what it's worth:

According to Wikipedia, the Fender Jazzmaster was introduced at the 1959 NAMM show.
The Fender Jaguar was introduced in 1962.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 6 Feb 2019 10:35 am

Is there anybody who thinks the Jaguar sounds better than Jazzmaster or Stratocaster?

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 6 Feb 2019 5:58 pm

Both the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster are plagued by Fender's floating bridge/tremolo. The design has extremely poor body contact at the bridge, and so the sustain and high-end suffer. Great for muted jazz tones, though.

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 9 Feb 2019 10:19 pm

Donny Hinson wrote:Both the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster are plagued by Fender's floating bridge/tremolo. The design has extremely poor body contact at the bridge, and so the sustain and high-end suffer. Great for muted jazz tones, though.

Or if you want to nail Bob Bogle's original "Walk,Don't Run" tone!

Neil Lang · Post by **Neil Lang** » 10 Feb 2019 5:35 am

If you want to hear a Jazzmaster at its best.....listen to ROY LANHAM.....The most Exciting Guitar! Sweet Jazz!!!

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 10 Feb 2019 10:00 am

Dave Hopping wrote:
Donny Hinson wrote:Both the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster are plagued by Fender's floating bridge/tremolo. The design has extremely poor body contact at the bridge, and so the sustain and high-end suffer. Great for muted jazz tones, though.
Or if you want to nail Bob Bogle's original "Walk,Don't Run" tone!

No argument there, Dave! In fact, I bought my Jag back in '64 to play surf music. We were a guitar instrumental group to start out, and later switched to soul and rock music when we added a vocalist. The Jag was equally well suited for The Ventures and Dick Dale, or Otis Redding and Eddie Floyd.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 10 Feb 2019 10:46 am

Yeah, Jags (and Jazzmasters) are generally preferred by many surf guitarists, and for good reason. That plunk of the short-scale Jag with heavy strings into a Fender 6G15 reverb unit into a 60s Fender amp is a defining aspect of the first-wave surf sound. Spaghetti-Western too. And lots of other stuff. Stick some flat-wraps on it, not a bad jazz/pop guitar. Same scale length and a lot of the same features as a Mustang - I started out on a '65 white Mustang back in the 60s, worked for me.

I had a '66 Jag for a long time, traded it for a Sho Bud Pro II when I first started playing pedal steel. I think the other guy got the better end of the deal, but I needed a better pedal steel.

On the value - I think the VG Price Guide estimate of $3500-4400 (retail to end-user, not wholesale) for a "Common Color" in Excellent condition is in the general ballpark, but this one is not Excellent condition. It looks like it's solid and original, but I think the condition is more like Good. I'm using Dave's Guitar Shop's rating system - https://davesguitar.com/215982/condition-ratings/

I think Dave's system is pretty much what reverb.com is using these days, and he provides a translation to the old George Gruhhn system. The new Good translates to something like the old Very Good+ rating. I think the new rating system is much more descriptive of the actual condition. Assuming this guitar is original, it looks like a good, solid, original guitar with some significant blemishes, but nothing impacting the functioning of the instrument. I'd say something in the $3000 range is about right.

But realize that all this is just an estimate. You'll only ever know the real value by starting a bit high and working your way down if necessary.

And of course, anything is worth only what someone else will pay for it. But it's a cool vintage Fender.

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 10 Feb 2019 2:46 pm

The Jazzmaster has the floating bridge because it as the name implies is supposed to emulate a jazz guitar where not much vibrates the body.

The bridge rocks on long allen screws.

The bridge points sit in thimbles.

The pickups sit on foam pads.

Note the word "floating" was always a part of the description of the trem from these Fenders.

I like both Jag and Jazz. The Jag for its short scale.

In the trem's defense it works great for surf music and it defined what was rock before the British invasion.

Below: Note that Fender is trying to reinvent the Jag and Jazz with Gibson style bridges for larger market appeal. But the original had it right the first time, Leo's quirks and all.

American Jazzmaster Special

Classic Player JaguarÂ® Special

To expect one guitar to do it all is unrealistic.

The pickup on this D'Angelico New Yorker does not touch the body as is the norm for jazz guitar electrics.

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 12 Feb 2019 2:10 pm

I sold one the same color in perfect condition for $375 in 1985. That was the going price at the time, and since I made $200 on it I felt pretty good about the sale.

Stephen Cowell · Post by **Stephen Cowell** » 6 Mar 2019 11:20 am

Not used to seeing hex tuning buttons on a '67... my '69 Deluxe has the beans. The base of the neck would tell the year for sure.

And if you want my take on the best Jazzmaster player, try Leon Chambers... I'm in awe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiZsbYyWAGo

Jeremy Reeves · Post by **Jeremy Reeves** » 6 Mar 2019 11:57 am

Jimi just held the jaguar for a photo session, never actually performed with one.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 6 Mar 2019 12:27 pm

I believe it is generally agreed that Fender started using the F tuners with hex buttons on Jags and Jazzmasters in 1966, and before they changed over on others like the Tele and Strat. Similarly with Musicmasters, Duo-Sonics, and Mustangs - I had a Nov '65 Mustang with F tuners and white hex buttons.

That is in line with what is written here - http://www.guitarhq.com/fender.html#specs

Agreed that neck date is best indicator of year built. But 188xxx with F neck plate are generally around 1967 or so. All this assumes, of course, that everything is original.