Some background . The Jaguar was introduced in 1962 as a somewhat enhanced version of the Jazzmaster . Boasting a 24 " medium-scale fretboard , the Jaguar was the top-of-the-line model in the Fender catalog — more expensive than a Strat or Tele . Its features included an offset-waist body , 22 frets , a new floating tremolo design , a string muting device , shielded pickups , and an extravagant switching system with two separate circuits that Fender thought was very innovative .

But the Jaguar didn ’ t sell well , so its initial production run only lasted 13 years . It gained some popularity with surf guitarists , but Fender ’ s initial goal of wooing Gibson players completely failed . The model was dropped from production in 1975 until punk and alternative rockers rediscovered unwanted Jaguars in the ’ 80s . Today Jaguars made between 1962 and 1975 sell for several times their original price . Fender currently offers Jaguars ranging from budget axes to Custom Shop models .

The stock switching system . Four switches and four pots control the Jaguar ’ s two pickups , and understanding how they function almost requires a manual . Here ’ s a short explanation : The Jaguar has dual circuits — one for lead and another for rhythm — each with independent volume and tone controls . This scheme allows for two preset tone and volume settings .

The lead circuit comprises three 2-way sliding switches located near the treble

horn , and two pots mounted on a chromed metal plate near the bridge on the treble side of the lower bout . Two switches are on / off switches for the neck and bridge pickups . The third switch engages a 0.003 µ F capacitor that serves as a highpass filter for the lead circuit , bleeding some bass frequencies away . Today this is typically called the “ strangle ” switch . The pots are 1M master volume and tone controls for the neck and bridge pickups , and the tone control is connected to a 0.01 µ F capacitor .

Located on the bass horn , the rhythm circuit consists of a single 2-way switch and two thumb-controlled roller pots . The switch functions as an on / off for the rhythm circuit , and the pots provide volume and tone controls for the neck pickup . ( You can ’ t access the bridge pickup from the rhythm circuit .) The rhythm circuit has a 1M linear volume and a 50k linear tone pot connected to a 0.1 µ F tone capacitor .

The Jaguar ’ s two single-coils are smaller than Strat pickups and have notched metal side plates for improved RF shielding . This design is very effective and makes the Jaguar less prone to interference than a Strat or Tele .

Before you start tinkering with the stock wiring , take a few minutes to study the original Jaguar circuit online . You can find schematics at Fender , Seymour Duncan , OffsetGuitars . com , and many other websites .

Circuit mods . One quick and easy way to spruce up the rhythm circuit is to replace both controls with 250k or 500k pots , and swap out the original tone cap for one with less capacitance . I recently modded a customer ’ s Jaguar with a 3300 pF cap on the rhythm tone pot . This let him dial in some nice warm tones without losing all the highs and definition .

We ’ ll explore other mods for the Jaguar ’ s rhythm circuit in future columns ,

but for now let ’ s focus on its lead circuit . Remember , we have three DPDT switches with master volume and master tone controls .

Many players never use the strangle switch , so let ’ s convert it into a series / parallel switch that will yield some really beefy single-coil tones . ( This is similar to what we did to the Mustang last month .) Keep in mind this mod doesn ’ t affect the rhythm circuit .

Let ’ s start with two steps to prepare for this mod :

1 . Replace the lead circuit ’ s two 1M pots with 250k or 500k pots . The 0.01 µ F tone cap can be reused , depending on your personal taste .

2 . Separate the bridge pickup ’ s ground following the instructions in “ Preparing Your Tele for Future Mods ,” which you ’ ll find at premierguitar . com . The principle is the same for the Tele and Jaguar bridge pickups . When you ’ re done , your bridge pickup will have three wires . This is an important step for trouble-free operation in the series pickup mode .

Fig . 1 shows the lead circuit modified for series switching . We ’ re looking at the backside of the chrome plate — the same way you ’ ll be looking at the components as you perform the mod .

There you have it . Next month we ’ ll see if it ’ s possible to mate a Strat with a PRS to get the best of both worlds . Until then ... keep on modding !

DIRK WACKER lives in Germany and has been a guitar addict since age 5 . He ’ s also a hardcore DIY-er for guitars , amps , and stompboxes and runs a website on the subject ( singlecoil . com ). When not working at his guitar workbench , he plays country , rockabilly , surf , and flamenco . Contact him at info @ singlecoil . com .

Wiring diagram courtesy of singlecoil . com