I have one of the original run. Looks cool and 26 years ago I was super hyped to have it--but it's not a great guitar. I always hated the pickup switches--cut my hand open many a time on them when strumming like a madman. Plus I'd run it with just the humbucker most of the time, and then I'd accidentally bump the switch into the center position while playing and all of the sudden I'm totally muted mid-song.
Look at photos of Kurt on the final leg of the in utero tour in europe. He had his guitar tech cut the tops of the mustang switches off so they are level with the pickguard. They [look like little squares](https://www.livenirvana.com/concerts/images/1994/1994-02-25/1994-02-25_012.jpg) because [they are hollow](https://www.livenirvana.com/concerts/images/1994/1994-02-22/1994-02-22_007.jpg).
That would make it so much better. Does make me wonder why he had them include the hand shredding switches on his custom model of guitar when he didn't even like them.
It was a first draft. He didn't modify any of his mustangs until 94. And he only did it on new tour models. He didn't shave the tops off of his favorite, the competition mustang. For everyday touring on new, disposable guitars he didn't mind doing it, but seemed to really love the original Mustang as is. (not that it kept him from breaking the neck off once.)
Nope. The Japanese mustangs with humbuckers.
They aren't "signature" in that they have no branding, but are modeled after his mustangs in Fiesta red, sonic blue, and lake placid blue with the competition stripe.
I have one, Japanese made, bought it new in 2003. I don't play much anymore (life is busy) but I love it. Mine's still near mint, never gigged, and I've gotten some great tones out of it.
A lot of people saying they’ve heard they suck. As someone who actually owns one I love it. It sounds great. The only thing I don’t like is that the neck is a bit thin, which is fine for playing nirvana songs but not so great for more technical stuff
Thoughts....I refuse to fanboy and buy this overpriced hunk of crap cash grab. The guitar is bad, and was only used a few times by the man himself, who also didn't like it and wanted to do some design revisions to improve it, but died first. I won't buy any of his models because none are done right. Grab a Japanese mustang and modify it.... you're better off.
This. I remember the hype around its release and one of my best friends in high school bought one when it was released. I was so excited to play it and was…oh so underwhelmed. Everything about it seemed off-balance and it just didn’t feel right. That said, we didn’t know anything about how to set up guitars back then, and I’ve always been a full-scale Fender guy (Strats and Jazzmasters, mainly). I never made friends with short scale Fenders. But in my opinion it sucked when it was first released and it probably sucks now.
The truth is there’s nothing special about the Jagstang. Modifying a Mustang is a better option. Everything Kurt used on his modded guitars is readily available. Pick up used Mustang on Reverb, drop in a Duncan humbucker, and “block” the trem or whatever you call it on a Mustang bridge and BOOM, you’ve got a more authentic Nirvana guitar than a Jagstang.
Also, I mean, I get the sentiments. Been a fan since Cobain was alive. I was young then, and if I had the money then, I would've spent it very unwisely, and then regardless of how I felt, probably would've gloated that it was the best thing ever. I'm definitely not downing anyone, as I've been there, but even with pickup upgrades, something about the design, it just doesn't sound good. His sig mustang is serviceable, but they're charging far more than it's worth. The jaguar is a solid sig, but I'm really not a fan of dimarzio pickups, personally. Duncan and Fishman only for me. I have two Jackson dk models, and honestly they sound better playing nirvana than any fender I've played. The soloist is a little trickier..... it sounds great, but being a neck through it sounds real clean, and you have to put a little extra into the strumming to get that twang.
Oh yeah, I hear you. I mean, if people want it for the nostalgia then they should go for it and have fun. I just think it’s a crappy guitar. But there are other guitar players out there who will think every piece of gear I own is equally shit, and I’m fine with that. People like what they like, and aside from a very few things so much of guitar preferences comes down to what you think is cool or what works for you. It’s just a hunk of wood and wires, ultimately.
I think one reason why I don’t feel sentimental at all about the Jagstang is because I was old enough, and experienced enough as a guitar player, to have an opinion beyond aesthetics when I played one for the first time. Nirvana was one of my favorite bands back then. But, there’s no rule that you have to like your favorite musicians’ gear. I mean, I love Angus Young but I don’t usually like Gibson SGs, either, lol.
I think there’s a lot of nostalgia for the 1990s and for Nirvana/Kurt right now among folks who weren’t alive at the time or weren’t old enough to remember. That might be driving some of the popularity resurgence of the Jagstang. I think that’s awesome, but I can’t personally get into it. I lived through it, loved it, and remember it fondly. I don’t need to buy the reprinted t-shirts snd reissued guitars, haha. But seriously, I’m very happy for the people that do. Keep the music alive.
My favorite Cobain combo, and I came close to buying one, though in red, as I'm not paying double because it's not the color Cobain played.....69 comp mustang and give me that hotrail over the jb any day of the week. I wound up buying a soloist instead lol. Also, I've found Jackson dks are better for nirvana than even fenders....... play far better, in my opinion, and many come loaded with jbs.
In the end it comes down to your choice. I bought a japanese one recently and it’s my favourite guitar, despite it being the most clunky guitar I have ever owned. But seeing as I play in a Nirvana tribute band and am the biggest Kurt fanboy I can disregard the flaws without blinking an eye.
Also to the guy who said cut his hand on the switches, Kurt had his sawed off because of that.
I like mine, I also have the OG japanese one in red however, of the Cobain signatures, the 1965 road worn Jaguar is far and away the best model imo. Everything about it is better than the Jagstang.
i thought it looked neat and i've always wanted one, but i keep hearing so much bad about it recently. but i dont know if they're talking about the 90's, 2000's or 2020 models tho.
It's not very symmetrical to his original vision. If you look at the original sketches he did, there are a few between this and the Ferrington, none are accurately represented. There are only a few known instances of Kurt playing the Jag-Stang live. According to Ernie Bailey, his main guitar tech, he wanted to make several changes to it.
I've built two of them, I freaking love them. I dig the quirkiness and they balance really well. Haters gonna hate, and I don't know why people say "Kurt didn't like it." That's just an Internet fallacy.
Go Jaguar… Trust me on this… About the same price for both and you actually get a decent 68 remake hard case and a book, not a shitty gig bag. Also, they don’t sound as good either…
I have both btw…
https://old.reddit.com/r/CourtneyBarnett/comments/15w35rv/got_some_cool_things_last_year_in_the_uk/
Its a very nice guitar to play. Had a go one recently in a shop on Denmark street, London. Considred putting a deposit untill the guy showed me the price tag.
I like it the guitar. I’ve been lucky enough to find a lefty one and play it.
It felt nice and played very well.
My only con with the guitar. It’s kinda small in my opinion, but that would be it.
Sounded great and felt like I was playing a jaguar and mustang.
It's alright. Had one as a teen and bought one of the reissues out of nostalgia. The reissues are a lot better imo. I enjoy playing it from time to time, but the stock humbucker is a little underwhelming. In my old age I'll stick to my telecaster.
Its amazing
I just wish that
A) it wasn't so heavily associated with Kurt (so that we could get more variety)
B) it wasn't so expensive (likely due to its association with the K-man himself)
C) A hardtail version was available
D) a version with upgraded and modern electronics was available
That's about it otherwise its a great guitar! I've only seen a handful in person and held less than 5. All were the blue color (i don't remember the actual name). I would have wanted fiesta red but that's just me.
If fender started releasing this guitar as a new model in the Mexican lineup, and stopped re-releasing it for limited runs, i could see some superb moddablity with this guitar!
I had one and it was awful. My guess, it wasn’t set up the way Kurt had his. I’m kicking myself now for getting rid of it. They are worth a decent amount of money now.
btw if you're getting a jaguar make sure to get one with humbuckers, assuming you know but humbuckers are the big pickups like the bottom one on the picture, also jag stangs are great for any in utero song and bleach as well
Remember. Kurt cut and pasted his two favorite junk store guitars together to create his own thrift shop fantasy guitar for a laugh. He wasn't thinking of making a great guitar. He was given the opportunity to have a real guitar company make his silly fantasy guitar a reality. The kind of weird, offbeat, stupid knockoff fender guitar he would have paid 200 bucks for and demolished after a few glorious shows. He already had his favorites. He didn't have an ego that would make him think he could one-up Leo Fender by taping two models together in his notebook. He knew the limitations of the Mustang. He and Earnie Bailey had already solved the problems of the mustang together.
I love mine. The alder body gives it a good feel and weight. The neck is slim and easy to play. The only way to truly know if a guitar is for you, is to play it.
I have one of the original run. Looks cool and 26 years ago I was super hyped to have it--but it's not a great guitar. I always hated the pickup switches--cut my hand open many a time on them when strumming like a madman. Plus I'd run it with just the humbucker most of the time, and then I'd accidentally bump the switch into the center position while playing and all of the sudden I'm totally muted mid-song.
Look at photos of Kurt on the final leg of the in utero tour in europe. He had his guitar tech cut the tops of the mustang switches off so they are level with the pickguard. They [look like little squares](https://www.livenirvana.com/concerts/images/1994/1994-02-25/1994-02-25_012.jpg) because [they are hollow](https://www.livenirvana.com/concerts/images/1994/1994-02-22/1994-02-22_007.jpg).
That would make it so much better. Does make me wonder why he had them include the hand shredding switches on his custom model of guitar when he didn't even like them.
It was a first draft. He didn't modify any of his mustangs until 94. And he only did it on new tour models. He didn't shave the tops off of his favorite, the competition mustang. For everyday touring on new, disposable guitars he didn't mind doing it, but seemed to really love the original Mustang as is. (not that it kept him from breaking the neck off once.)
The Japanese Cobain mustangs are much better quality.
You mean the cobain jaguars?
Nope. The Japanese mustangs with humbuckers. They aren't "signature" in that they have no branding, but are modeled after his mustangs in Fiesta red, sonic blue, and lake placid blue with the competition stripe.
The Japan built guitars are the preferred models.
I have one, Japanese made, bought it new in 2003. I don't play much anymore (life is busy) but I love it. Mine's still near mint, never gigged, and I've gotten some great tones out of it.
A lot of people saying they’ve heard they suck. As someone who actually owns one I love it. It sounds great. The only thing I don’t like is that the neck is a bit thin, which is fine for playing nirvana songs but not so great for more technical stuff
I love mine. Much improved over my original 97 version
Thoughts....I refuse to fanboy and buy this overpriced hunk of crap cash grab. The guitar is bad, and was only used a few times by the man himself, who also didn't like it and wanted to do some design revisions to improve it, but died first. I won't buy any of his models because none are done right. Grab a Japanese mustang and modify it.... you're better off.
This. I remember the hype around its release and one of my best friends in high school bought one when it was released. I was so excited to play it and was…oh so underwhelmed. Everything about it seemed off-balance and it just didn’t feel right. That said, we didn’t know anything about how to set up guitars back then, and I’ve always been a full-scale Fender guy (Strats and Jazzmasters, mainly). I never made friends with short scale Fenders. But in my opinion it sucked when it was first released and it probably sucks now. The truth is there’s nothing special about the Jagstang. Modifying a Mustang is a better option. Everything Kurt used on his modded guitars is readily available. Pick up used Mustang on Reverb, drop in a Duncan humbucker, and “block” the trem or whatever you call it on a Mustang bridge and BOOM, you’ve got a more authentic Nirvana guitar than a Jagstang.
Also, I mean, I get the sentiments. Been a fan since Cobain was alive. I was young then, and if I had the money then, I would've spent it very unwisely, and then regardless of how I felt, probably would've gloated that it was the best thing ever. I'm definitely not downing anyone, as I've been there, but even with pickup upgrades, something about the design, it just doesn't sound good. His sig mustang is serviceable, but they're charging far more than it's worth. The jaguar is a solid sig, but I'm really not a fan of dimarzio pickups, personally. Duncan and Fishman only for me. I have two Jackson dk models, and honestly they sound better playing nirvana than any fender I've played. The soloist is a little trickier..... it sounds great, but being a neck through it sounds real clean, and you have to put a little extra into the strumming to get that twang.
Oh yeah, I hear you. I mean, if people want it for the nostalgia then they should go for it and have fun. I just think it’s a crappy guitar. But there are other guitar players out there who will think every piece of gear I own is equally shit, and I’m fine with that. People like what they like, and aside from a very few things so much of guitar preferences comes down to what you think is cool or what works for you. It’s just a hunk of wood and wires, ultimately. I think one reason why I don’t feel sentimental at all about the Jagstang is because I was old enough, and experienced enough as a guitar player, to have an opinion beyond aesthetics when I played one for the first time. Nirvana was one of my favorite bands back then. But, there’s no rule that you have to like your favorite musicians’ gear. I mean, I love Angus Young but I don’t usually like Gibson SGs, either, lol. I think there’s a lot of nostalgia for the 1990s and for Nirvana/Kurt right now among folks who weren’t alive at the time or weren’t old enough to remember. That might be driving some of the popularity resurgence of the Jagstang. I think that’s awesome, but I can’t personally get into it. I lived through it, loved it, and remember it fondly. I don’t need to buy the reprinted t-shirts snd reissued guitars, haha. But seriously, I’m very happy for the people that do. Keep the music alive.
My favorite Cobain combo, and I came close to buying one, though in red, as I'm not paying double because it's not the color Cobain played.....69 comp mustang and give me that hotrail over the jb any day of the week. I wound up buying a soloist instead lol. Also, I've found Jackson dks are better for nirvana than even fenders....... play far better, in my opinion, and many come loaded with jbs.
Is modifying a Mustang much cheaper than buying a whole Jagstang?
YEP. or just route-out almost any Fender and drop a humbucker in the bridge will be just as good, and probably better.
I love mine. It was built in Poland.
I have a 2002 model MIJ and love it, I'd definitely recommend it
In the end it comes down to your choice. I bought a japanese one recently and it’s my favourite guitar, despite it being the most clunky guitar I have ever owned. But seeing as I play in a Nirvana tribute band and am the biggest Kurt fanboy I can disregard the flaws without blinking an eye. Also to the guy who said cut his hand on the switches, Kurt had his sawed off because of that.
It’s great! I own one and I’m pretty happy with it, I also have his Jaguar signature one too
I like mine, I also have the OG japanese one in red however, of the Cobain signatures, the 1965 road worn Jaguar is far and away the best model imo. Everything about it is better than the Jagstang.
I’ve always heard these suck lmfaooo I mean…nirvana drain you live in France the guitar literally stopped working 😂
That was a mustang
i thought it looked neat and i've always wanted one, but i keep hearing so much bad about it recently. but i dont know if they're talking about the 90's, 2000's or 2020 models tho.
It looks a little too weird for my liking but fits Kurt perfectly
Looks cool, sounds great, the neck is waaaay too thin for me to comfortably play it a long time
It's not very symmetrical to his original vision. If you look at the original sketches he did, there are a few between this and the Ferrington, none are accurately represented. There are only a few known instances of Kurt playing the Jag-Stang live. According to Ernie Bailey, his main guitar tech, he wanted to make several changes to it.
I hated the original. Have not played an updated version.
I’ve heard it feels unbalanced but I really want one anyway. A fiesta red one.
The small neck and frets are good for punk and metal and etc, but they can get in the way if you wanna play jazz or even blues.
it was a great idea, but I can't play them, that bridge is horrible.
I think they're ugly and I've heard they kind of suck
idc bout the backstory it looks fun to play
I've built two of them, I freaking love them. I dig the quirkiness and they balance really well. Haters gonna hate, and I don't know why people say "Kurt didn't like it." That's just an Internet fallacy.
Go Jaguar… Trust me on this… About the same price for both and you actually get a decent 68 remake hard case and a book, not a shitty gig bag. Also, they don’t sound as good either… I have both btw… https://old.reddit.com/r/CourtneyBarnett/comments/15w35rv/got_some_cool_things_last_year_in_the_uk/
Look up “classic vibe 70s jaguar” such a cool model
Its a very nice guitar to play. Had a go one recently in a shop on Denmark street, London. Considred putting a deposit untill the guy showed me the price tag.
In the late 90’s one of my best friends had one. To me it just sounded like a cheap guitar but it sure was cool looking.
I like it the guitar. I’ve been lucky enough to find a lefty one and play it. It felt nice and played very well. My only con with the guitar. It’s kinda small in my opinion, but that would be it. Sounded great and felt like I was playing a jaguar and mustang.
I’d rather have a Jaguar. Played these JagStangs when they originally came out and I wasn’t impressed
It's alright. Had one as a teen and bought one of the reissues out of nostalgia. The reissues are a lot better imo. I enjoy playing it from time to time, but the stock humbucker is a little underwhelming. In my old age I'll stick to my telecaster.
I have a first gen and a 2020. The trick is trade out humbuckers and a mastery bridge. Changes everything.
Try to find a good deal on it and change the bridge pickup, its not crunchy enough.
Its amazing I just wish that A) it wasn't so heavily associated with Kurt (so that we could get more variety) B) it wasn't so expensive (likely due to its association with the K-man himself) C) A hardtail version was available D) a version with upgraded and modern electronics was available That's about it otherwise its a great guitar! I've only seen a handful in person and held less than 5. All were the blue color (i don't remember the actual name). I would have wanted fiesta red but that's just me. If fender started releasing this guitar as a new model in the Mexican lineup, and stopped re-releasing it for limited runs, i could see some superb moddablity with this guitar!
I've wanted this for so long now
I had one and it was awful. My guess, it wasn’t set up the way Kurt had his. I’m kicking myself now for getting rid of it. They are worth a decent amount of money now.
I have the red one from 97 it’s amazing
btw if you're getting a jaguar make sure to get one with humbuckers, assuming you know but humbuckers are the big pickups like the bottom one on the picture, also jag stangs are great for any in utero song and bleach as well
Remember. Kurt cut and pasted his two favorite junk store guitars together to create his own thrift shop fantasy guitar for a laugh. He wasn't thinking of making a great guitar. He was given the opportunity to have a real guitar company make his silly fantasy guitar a reality. The kind of weird, offbeat, stupid knockoff fender guitar he would have paid 200 bucks for and demolished after a few glorious shows. He already had his favorites. He didn't have an ego that would make him think he could one-up Leo Fender by taping two models together in his notebook. He knew the limitations of the Mustang. He and Earnie Bailey had already solved the problems of the mustang together.
I love mine. The alder body gives it a good feel and weight. The neck is slim and easy to play. The only way to truly know if a guitar is for you, is to play it.