Here is a vintage 1965 Fender Jaguar in original 3-Color Sunburst finish. The guitar is in very good condition and it is an excellent example of vintage Fender craftsmanship. The guitar was made at the original Fender factory in Fullerton California, U.S.A. in mid-1965 although it has many pre-CBS features including a nice, dark Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and factory nail signatures in the body-a process that is more commonly associated with pre-1963 Fender guitars. The guitar is all-original with the exception of a refret and maybe the nut. It is vey solid and complete. Let's explore together...
The body has nice deep contours front and rear and a typical well-balanced feel like most Fender offsets do. The original nitrocellulose lacquer is in really good condition. It has a bright and brilliant coloring with a striking red-orange to yellow fade. The finish has hundreds of line checks that look really cool and solidifies the vintage vibe, however-these lines are only visible up close and difficult to see otherwise-including in photos. The finish has typical handling evidence all over-see photos. The cellulose pickguard is really nice with no cracks. It has a vibrant red coloring and looks killer like only the originals can do. As previously mentioned-the body has original nail pins present near the neck slot and the lower-rear control cavity-a feature only found on pre-CBS Fender guitars. The letter "S" is found between the two pickups signifying "sunburst finish". The black dot is a common feature that appears typically on Sunburst Fender guitars-likely a test of the shade pattern prior to applying the edge black band. The neck slot has a perfect factory paint-stick shadow and it is very clean-with a couple of shims added to give it a nice neck angle.
The neck is clean and nice. It has a factory stamp dating to April of 1965 and also has the standard "B" width designation. The nut measures 1.63" wide. The neck is straight and the truss rod functions. The backside has some light wear and feels very smooth. The neck profile is best described as a vintage C and the girth measures .796" at the 1st fret and .971" at the 12th fret. The tuners function smoothly and the headstock and Gold logo display excellent with just a touch of patina. The fingerboard is very clean and has a really nice dark tone. It feels smooth and soft. As previously mentioned the guitar has new frets and they have a nice tall height. They have been polished and are super-clean-see photos. The action is medium-low for a fast and easy playing experience. The string height is currently .010" at the 1st fret and .055" at the 12th fret. The guitar plays nicely up and down the fingerboard. The bridge is fully adjustable if you prefer a higher action-but the adjustment screws are getting tired-so keep that in mind. A replacement bridge is not necessary but would be inexpensive and easy to swap out if you are likely to make adjustments often.
The pickups both have an excellent signal and good balance. The neck pickup has an output of 6.56 ohms and the bridge pickup reads 6.58 ohms. The tone is classic Fender brilliance with the quintessential "bell" chime. The neck position is nice and full with a boomy low end. The bridge provides the treble and brightness. The guitar sounds great with both pickups selected-very similar to a Strat in the middle position but maybe a bit more low end. The original cloth wiring harness is in very good condition throughout. The original potentiometers date to 1965 and function smoothly. The bridge is original and present. Some of the saddle adjustment screws are seemingly fixed in place-but the guitar has been set up just fine in this current state. The vibrato functions smoothly but the vibrato arm is missing.
The guitar has a typical weight for an offset-it weighs 8.90 lbs. It sits comfortably on your lap and feels balanced on a strap. It is a lot of fun to play.
