Iconic Offsets: Jazzmaster vs. Jaguar

The Jazzmaster and the Jaguar—two iconic offset guitars from Fender. Both of these guitars have become legends, and for good reason. They look stylish, sound great, and have that classic Fender vibe. At a passing glance you could easily mistake a Jaguar for a Jazzmaster and vice-versa. Despite their looks though, these guitars are about as far apart as Fenders get. 

So what sets these guitars apart? What’s similar? And why did Fender make two offset guitars that look very similar? In this post, we’re going to answer all those questions and more as we take a deeper look into Fender’s iconic offsets—the Jazzmaster and the Jaguar.

The History of Fender Offsets

First, we’re going to go over the history behind both of these guitars. Each guitar’s history is unique and helps illustrate the differences between them, so let’s see how Fender’s offsets came about.

Jazzmaster

In the 1950s, Gibson dominated the jazz guitar market. Gibson’s hollowbodies and archtops were beloved by jazz players, and Fender struggled to gain their attention. As the late 50s started to roll around, both Gibson and Fender wanted to experiment and expand their offerings. 

1958 was a big year for guitars. Gibson released the Flying V, the Explorer, and the 335—three guitars that are now legendary. But they weren’t alone; that same year, Fender released the Jazzmaster. While Gibson was focused on catching the eyes of rock musicians with their new, pointy guitars, Fender was focused on the jazz player they previously struggled to attract.

Funnily enough, none of these guitars really met expectations-—other than the 335. The Flying V and Explorer both sold so poorly that they never made it into the second year of production. And for the Jazzmaster, it didn’t catch the eye of jazz players like Fender had wanted.

Like the Flying V and Explorer, the Jazzmaster would find an audience eventually. In the 60s, it became popular in the surf-rock scene. But it wasn’t until the 80s and 90s when the Jazzmaster really caught on, becoming an icon in the rock world thanks to affordable pawn shop prices and new wave and alternative artists like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, and Elvis Costello.

Jaguar

The Jaguar story starts a few years later, first coming about in the early 60s. Just like the Jazzmaster, Fender was looking to target a different audience. This time though, their goal was converting Gibson fans to Fender. How did they plan to accomplish this? With a short-scale offset—the Jaguar.

The Jaguar was released in 1962. The Jaguar did pretty well upon release. The chrome-clad offset became very popular amongst surf-rock guitarists, leading to Fender’s iconic “you won’t part with yours either” ad campaign. They also got used by some very high profile artists, including Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix. 

However, like the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar didn’t really do what Fender wanted. As the British Invasion of 1964 nearly completely destroyed the surf-rock scene, the Jaguar began to fade away. It easily could have become a relic of the past, but it had a rebirth just like the Jazzmaster.

Since Jaguars were also cheap and easily available like the Jazzmaster, they too caught on amongst new wave and alternative artists of the 80s and 90s. The Jaguar became a rock staple after fans saw Johnny Marr, Kurt Cobain, John Frusciante, My Bloody Valentine, and more using them. 

The Specs

So the Jazzmaster was made for jazz players, and the Jaguar was made for Gibson devotees. But what exactly makes them different in terms of parts, technical specs, and more? In what ways are they similar, other than shape? Let’s find out. 

Similarities

To start, let's focus on the similarities between the two. The most obvious similarity is their shape. Both guitars use the same offset body, and their pickguards are the same shape too (though the Jaguar has a bit more chrome). They also typically have the same vibrato system and bridge. 

There are also some technical similarities between the two. Both are known for their switches, which have long confused guitarists, Jazzmaster and Jaguar alike.. The Jaguar has some extra switches (which we’ll get to in the next section), but they both have the same switches on the upper horn. 

Both guitars feature two horizontal switches, offering tone and volume control for the rhythm (neck) pickup. They also have a third switch, which is vertical and switches between the two pickups. Finally, they both have two main knobs—a master tone and a master volume. 

Differences

With so much alike, what actually sets these guitars apart? A lot actually. Starting with aesthetics, the Jaguar features two extra chrome plates—one covering the switches on the upper horn, and the other covering the switches on the lower horn. This was part of Fender’s attempt to market to surfers and reference the chrome covered cars of the time. 

Regarding those switches, the Jaguar has an extra set of them on the lower horn. These switches are lead switches and offer a mid-tone cut, as well as the ability to select each pickup. The Jazzmaster lacks these features, only having the rhythm switches.

You’ve also probably noticed that the pickups are different. Jazzmasters come with a custom set of Fender soapbar looking pickups. Though they look like P90s, they aren’t. Jazzmaster pickups are actually very similar to a standard Strat pickup, except much larger. The surface area translates to a hotter pickup with a wider frequency response. 

Jaguar pickups on the other hand just look like a regular Strat pickup, but shaped a little bit differently. So what are they exactly? Well, they pretty much are Strat pickups, though with a few modifications. They are taller than regular Strat pickups. The other big difference is that they have a metal “claw” around the pickups, helping eliminate some single coil hum.

Arguably the most important difference between the two guitars is scale length. The Jazzmaster has a 25.5” scale length, but the Jaguar has a 24” scale length. As a result, Jaguars have more a springy feel and twangy sound than Jazzmasters. They will also have lower string tension because of this, assuming the same gauge strings are on both guitars. 

Which One is Your Favorite?

The Jazzmaster and Jaguar are both legendary guitars. Both were introduced as attempts to capture a new portion of the guitar market. Both failed to achieve the prominence and success Fender had initially hoped for. And both saw a revival in the 80s and 90s thanks to their low cost and prevalence at pawnshops. 

They may look similar, but they are pretty different when you look at the nuts and bolts. The Jaguar is short, has an extra set of controls for lead, and features a slightly modified Strat pickup. The Jazzmaster meanwhile has a bigger set of pickups that are hotter with a wider response range, longer scale length, and fewer controls. 
So which one is your favorite? The iconic Jazzmaster or its younger brother, the Jaguar? Whichever you choose, be sure to string it up with some Stringjoy strings and have some fun playing a Fender classic.