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1952 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top

2008-09-19T01:19:00.000-07:00

1952 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top

1952 Gibson Les Paul Gold-Top with flying trapeze bridge and 2 P-90 pick-ups. The first year ever made, this guitar has no serial number! It's a prototype whose future was yet to be known. Played by Les and Mary Ford, in a few short years, these mahogony/maple-top heavyweights were to become the classic rock axe. Sustain galore and heavy in comparison to the competition, these solid-bodies were built initially for primarily jazz usage. The gold-top finish checking and cracking only slightly, adding a sense of history to its overall appeal. The tone is big coming out of the P-90's with a distinct Les Paul sound apparent with the later use of humbucking P.A.F.'s. Just a fraction thinner sounding, yet just as meaty, this 40-something year-old has plenty of tone to go around. The honky nasal combination of both pick-ups activated simultaneously emits an early Page crunch ala "Out on the Tiles". The neck position by itself is very fat and warm with a smooth agedness whereas the bridge is unusually brite yet characteristic of a PAF with fullness of tone. High dome knobs larger than its offspring and that bizarre bridge give this guitar a look both unique and special to its heritage. Truly a first in the line.

Specs: 1952 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top w/ no serial number. 2 P-90 pick-ups, 22 frets, flying trapeze bridge.
Tone: Similar to PAF's though slightly thinner and funkier. Great, versatile sound machine with classic sustain and warmth.
Look: Totally funky bridge, worn-in mother-of-pearl in-lay, desirable cracking and checking in gold finish, mahagony back unfinished.
Feel: Fast frets on a fat bodied Gibson give this thing a feel of the past, yet similar to a modern version.
Needs/wants: aspirin supply for back pain due to weight load on players back.
Quirks: Less a players guitar than a collectors with the bridge (discontinued late in '52) that obstructs natural picking stance. Palm-muting is all-but impossible.
History: Where it all began
Desirability: 1st year Les Paul with classic tones and a great look in gold, a 10 by all means.

This is a really my dream guitar an 52' if you got one, you are very lucky... this is one my dream guitar,

fyi the 52 doesnt have any serial number. cool right ??

59 Daneletro

2008-09-19T01:02:00.000-07:00

The '59 Dano features professional level playability, intonation, and electronics and is entirely road worthy. The four finishes were inspired by classic car colors and convey a truly retro vibe. Comes with the familiar side binding tape running around the edge of the guitar. The tape has been lightly treated with a shellac to enhance the vintage look. The tuners are die cast and hold the tuning well.

An aluminum nut contributes to its unique sound.

The '59's lipstick style Alnico pickups provide that distinctive Dano twang. A warmer wind on these pickups increases the output while producing a less high-end tone. A beefy 3-position (on-on-on) toggle switch and rugged volume and tone knobs stand up well to aggressive playing. By the way, the playability is one of the most impressive aspects of this guitar with low, buzz free action. This is a quality guitar with plenty of sustain, great tone and it will give you the feeling that you are playing a much more expensive instrument.

Specifications:

SAMICK FORMULA greg bennet

2008-03-16T04:54:00.000-07:00

Greg Bennett Guitars are produced by Samick Music Corporation.
After 40 years of producing guitars, Korean musical instruments manufacturer Samick hired industry veteran Greg Bennett to give their guitar line a radical makeover, with the goal of improving appearance, sound quality, and build quality. About Greg Bennet Guitars. Greg Bennett Guitars. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
Greg started redesigning the instruments at his studio in Nashville, Tennessee, after which the search for the electronics and woods took place. The new Samick guitars, now under the name of Greg Bennett Guitars, possess a wide array of professional level parts including pickups designed by Seymour Duncan, machine heads from Grover and bridges by Wilkinson. The new woods used in the production are also high quality; the search for distinctive tonewoods ranged world-wide, netting woods such as ovangkohl and ebony from Africa, rosewood from India and rock maple from North America.
Greg Bennett Guitars manufactures a range of stringed instruments including electric, acoustic and archtop guitars, electric and acoustic basses, and mandolins, banjos, ukuleles and Autoharps.
Elegant names were given to every line of instruments to stimulate better product identification and also to give a more "high-end" feel.[citation needed] Perhaps the most common distinctive feature in all these new instruments (apart from the mandolins, banjos and autoharps) are the signature angled-back headstock.[citation needed] These headstocks feature the new logo right at the top and are designed small intentionally, as Greg states that bigger headstocks rob more energy from a vibrating string, causing less sustain.[citation needed]
Greg Bennett Guitars have gained acclaim from many performing artists. Greg Bennet Guitars - Artists. Greg Bennett Guitars. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.

FENDER STRATOCASTER

2008-03-11T23:52:00.000-07:00

The Fender Stratocaster, (often referred to as a Strat), is a model of electric guitar designed by George Fullerton, Leo Fender and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously to the present. The Stratocaster has been used by many leading guitarists, and thus can be heard on many historic recordings. Along with the Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG, and the Fender Telecaster, it is one of the most enduring and common models of electric guitar in the world. The design of the Stratocaster has transcended the field of music to rank among the classic industrial designs of all time; examples have been exhibited at major museums around the world.[1]
The Stratocaster has been widely copied; as a result, the term "Strat" is often used generically when referring to any guitar that has the same general features as the original, regardless of manufacturer.

Origins
The Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company (now known as Fender Musical Instruments Corporation) developed the first commercial solid-body 'Spanish' (as opposed to 'Hawaiian,' or lap steel) electric guitar beginning in 1948 - the Telecaster, a simple design whose earliest models were offered under the name Broadcaster or the single pickup Esquire. While the Telecaster and its variants were successful, many guitar players of the day used a Bigsby unit, a spring-loaded vibrato device that players use to bend notes up and down with their pick hand. Instead of adding a Bigsby, Fender decided to produce a new, more expensively-made ash or alder line of guitars with his own design of vibrato, which Leo Fender incorrectly referred to as a "synchronized tremolo" (see tremolo arm for more on the evolution of such mechanisms). His decision was also influenced by guitarists Rex Gallion and Bill Carson, who requested a contoured body to temper the harsh edges of the slab-built Telecaster; the new ash body shape was based on that of the 1951 Precision Bass.
The name, 'Stratocaster,' was intended to evoke images of new jet-aircraft technology (such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress), and to express Fender's modernistic design philosophy. In designing the Stratocaster's body, a significant area of the back of the guitar, and the area where the strumming arm rests, were beveled to accommodate the player's chest and arm. The upper bouts featured two cutaways, for easier access to the higher frets. The new 'Custom Contour Body' and 'Synchronized Tremolo' bridge made the Stratocaster a revolutionary design.

The headstock shape of the Stratocaster is patented by Fender.[1]
The guitar also featured more complex electronics than the Telecaster: three single coil pickups, each with staggered magnetic poled alnico magnets (a mix of Aluminum, Nickel and Cobalt, hence the name); a three-way selector switch (five-way since 1977); one volume knob, and two tone controls, one each for the neck and middle pickups. A three single-coil pickup design was an innovation already in use by Gibson in their ES-5 model since 1949. However, Fender's pickups were much more compact.
In the book "The Stratocaster Chronicles", page 33, Mr. Fender explains how the inspiration for the headstock came from his seeing instruments played by visiting Croatian musicians. "it was originally a Croatian design" Leo Fender said. He was speaking of the instrument called "Tamburica".
Patents were applied for all these new designs, and production line Stratocasters reached the market in early 1954 for US$249.50 (approximately US$1,850 in 2007 currency[2]). The basic production model had a two-tone nitrocellulose 'sunburst' finish, one-piece maple neck, ash body, chrome hardware, and Bakelite-like thermoplastic parts. Other manufacturers began imitating these innovations immediately. An early-model Stratocaster was a key component of Buddy Holly's signature look, along with his black-rimmed glasses, and he was among the first players to popularize the Stratocaster in rock music.[3] Both his gravestone and his walk-of-fame statue in Lubbock, Texas feature a Stratocaster.

From 1959 to 1967, the Stratocaster was refitted with a rosewood fretboard, as well as color choices other than sunburst, including a variety of colorful car-like paint jobs that appealed to the nascent surfer and hot-rod culture, pioneered by such bands as the Surfaris, the Ventures and the Beach Boys. Dick Dale is a prominent Stratocaster player who also collaborated with Leo Fender in developing the Fender Showman amplifier. In the early 1960s, the instrument was also championed by Hank Marvin - guitarist of the Shadows, a band which originally backed Cliff Richard and then produced instrumentals of its own. So distinctive was the Hank Marvin sound that many musicians - including the Beatles - initially deliberately avoided the Stratocaster and chose other marques. However, by 1965, George Harrison and John Lennon of the Beatles both acquired Stratocasters at about the time of the Rubber Soul recording sessions.

Eric Clapton plays his signature model at the Tsunami Relief concert, January 22, 2005
The one-piece maple neck was discontinued in 1959. However, a maple neck with a glued-on maple fretboard was offered as an option in 1967. The rosewood fretboard over maple neck remained as the other neck option. In 1969, after a ten year absence, the one-piece maple neck was again made available as an option. The primary reason for the switch to rosewood was to meet increased demand; as one piece maple necks required more work to manufacture and more work to finish.
Since the introduction of the Ultra series in 1989, ebony was selected as a fretboard material. Guitar models with such fingerboards include the American Deluxe FMT/QMT Stratocasters and Telecasters, introduced in 2004, sporting a solid select alder body with quilted or flamed maple top, HSS (Strat) and HH (Tele) pickup configurations with S-1 switching.
Many artists (including Buddy Guy, Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Mark Knopfler) discovered that the pick-up selector could be lodged in between the basic three settings (often using objects such as matchsticks to wedge it in position) for further tonal variety. Since 1977, Stratocasters have been fitted with a five-way switch to make such switching more stable. Other subtle changes were also made to the guitars over the years, but the basic shape and features of the Strat have remained unchanged. In the 1970s and 1980s, some guitarists began modifying their Stratocasters with humbucking pickups, especially in the bridge position to create what became known as the Superstrat. This was intended to provide a thicker tone preferred in the heavier styles of hard rock and heavy metal. Notable early examples of this are Allan Holdsworth and Iron Maiden's Dave Murray (also Eddie Van Halen's home made guitar, Frankenstrat, was essentially a single-humbucker Strat). The popularity of this modification grew and eventually, Fender began manufacturing models with a bridge humbucker option, denoted and separated from the original triple single coil by the title of "Fat Strat", as a reference to the humbucker's distinct sound.
Players first perceived a loss of the initial high quality of Fender guitars after the company was taken over by CBS in 1965. As a result, the late-'60s Stratocasters with 3 bolt neck joints (instead of the traditional 4) and the large "CBS" headstock fell out of fashion. However, Jimi Hendrix and many other blues-influenced artists of the late '60s soon adopted the Stratocaster as their main instrument, reviving the guitar's popularity. George Harrison used a Stratocaster in the 1971 Concert For Bangladesh, (though Eric Clapton had started using Stratocasters at this time, he used a Gibson during the concert) giving the Strat additional high visibility in rock circles. Also, so-called 'pre-CBS' Stratocasters are, accordingly, extremely sought-after and expensive due to the huge perceived difference of quality even with contemporary post-CBS models. In recent times, some Stratocasters manufactured from 1954 to 1958 have sold for more than US$175,000. Many now reside in Japan, cached away as collectible pieces of Americana.[citation needed]
After a peak in the 1970s, driven by players such as David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Eric Clapton, and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, another lull occurred in the early 1980s. During that time, CBS-Fender cut costs by deleting features from the standard Stratocaster line, despite a blues revival that featured Strat players such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray, and Buddy Guy (a Stratocaster player since the mid-1960s, sometimes credited with influencing Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan in their choice of the Stratocaster as a primary blues-rock guitar).[citation needed]
In England, The Shadows' lead guitarist Hank Marvin who got the very first Stratocaster to be exported to Europe (a '58 Fiesta Red model that started the huge success for this color's sales for Fender), played vintage Strats till the end of the 80s, then turning on his own Signature Stratocaster model.
However, when the Fender company was bought from CBS by William Schultz in 1985, manufacturing resumed its former high quality, and Fender was able to regain market share and brand reputation. This sparked a rise in mainstream popularity for vintage (and vintage-style) instruments.

so thats it about the best guitar for blues i guess

source from wikipedia, check it out if you want to

Eko 400 a.k.a. Ekomaster

2008-02-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Eko 400 a.k.a. Ekomaster

Eko's first solid body electric. This model made history. It triggered Castelfidardo's accordion district conversion to guitar manufacturing. In terms of cosmetics and finishing techniques it set the Italian standards for the 60's first half.

With its offset waist design it was also the first guitar that took inspiration from the Fender Jazzmaster, thus starting a trend that went on till the end of the decade, especially in continental Europe but also in Japan and among American minor makers. This Eko is arguably one of the most influential guitar ever.

Despite its historical relevance very little is known about this series. Most reputable guitar scholars simply ignore it. I have never seen it mentioned in any catalog or ad (if you know were to find some let me know ASAP, thanks!). Where and when was it made? No one seems to know. Even the name of the series has long remained a mystery! The actual name was Model 400, but most collectors use to call it the 'Ekomaster', a denomination that in fact was applied to a specific vibrato assembly used only at the end of the series, not only for this series (it also shows up with early 500 and 700 models), and only to a minority of instruments.

The Model 400 was mainly built in 1961. I think production started while Eko still was housed in Castelfidardo; perhaps it continued after the distribution agreement signed with LoDuca and the subsequent relocation in Recanati. In my opinion the series was launched in Autumn 1960 and the last ones were assembled in early 1962, at the time the 500 and 700 were being introduced. At any rate its manufacturing life cannot have exceeded eighteen months. In this short lapse of time five generations were issued (here are mentioned only the features that were subject to change):

. 1 - Asymmetrical headstock with 3+3 tuners, floating metal bridge, pickups are covered with a layer of celluloid matching body top finish (late 1960?).

. 2 - Fender.ish headstock with six-in-line machineheads (early 1961?).

. 3 - New pickups with black plastic top and visible polepieces (mid-1961?).

. 4 - New fixed bridge with individual string intonation adjustment. An Ekomaster vibrato begins to appear (late 1961?).

. 5 - Number of frets (zero-fret not included) is reduced from 22 to 21. Nearly all of those late 400 guitars are fitted with an Ekomaster (early 1962?).

Besides the Jazzmaster general styling, the Eko 400 shows obvious similarities with the Hagström Standard and DeLuxe series (1958-1961), as well as with contemporaneous Höfner models.

IBANEZ ICEMAN

2008-01-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time... Hoshino Corporation - (Ibanez's parent company) started exporting copies of American electric and acoustic guitars in the sixties. Their copy guitars were so exacting in detail that Gibson sued Ibanez (unsuccessfully) in the late '70's. As a result of the lawsuit, Ibanez slightly altered their solid body designs so that Gibson and Fender would not be so nervous. Why would the guitar monopolies be concerned? Because by the mid seventies Ibanez had reached a level of quality that equaled them. And lower labor rates plus efficient manufacturing meant that Ibanez guitars could be sold for almost half (or less) of the cost of a

Les Paul or Strat.

In 1974 or 1975 Ibanez co-operatively designed a new shape in solid body electric guitars. Here's the short scoop from Jim Donahue - a 16 year Ibanez employee and now head of Guitar Design, Quality Control, Parts.
"In the mid 70's a Guy in Japan at Ibanez wanted to make a Japanese guitar that was a mark of Japan, something to be proud of. His idea was to build a guitar widely loved and respected, like a Les Paul or Strat. So he called a meeting with the main guitar companies in Japan. Ibanez (Hoshino) Greco (Kanda Shokai) Diawa and Fuji. They had a close door meeting and the Iceman was designed. Each company had distribution rights to it in different global markets. Ibanez for the USA."
This resulted in one of the best looking and original designs to emerge from the Pacific Rim. With the triple coil pickup and mahogany body the first series of Iceman were light weight tone giants ahead of their time. Initial sales were not overwhelming as the very conservative American guitar culture was slow to realize the quality and value of Ibanez.
The Iceman was produced from 1975 to 1983, in various bolt-on and glued-neck models. About eight different models were available at the peak of Iceman popularity in 1978-1979 (including the IC210 that Steve Miller played on the album "Fly Like an Eagle")and they retailed from $295 to $495. If you find a used early model these days, they run from $400 to $800. Early models will sometimes go for $1100 to $1700, and the 1978 PS-10 is worth approximately $2000 to $2500. 1978 - 1982 Production Numbers and Serial Number Chart are on this page.
Sales dwindled in the early eighties as the super-strats captured buyers dollars (why oh why?) and by 1983 only 2 models were offered. By the late eighties the Iceman had somewhat of a cult following and was rising in price as collectors bought them up. I used to rarely see an Iceman in a guitar store or pawn shop. When I did find one it was usually an IC50 and priced at $450. That was in 1991. Since re-introduction to the US in 1994, there are plenty of Icemen to go around. Most of the new models are made in Korea, not Japan - although exceptions can be found (like the PS10-LTD and PS10-Classic). Korean made guitars have replaced Japanese ones on the guitar-snobs shit list these days. Isn't it ironic? Don't ya think?

Daron Malakian is the lead guitarist for Syste m of a Down. In years previous to the release of System's most recent two albulms (Mezmerize/Hypnotize) Malakian played a variation of the Ibanez Iceman ICX, called the Ibanez DMM1. The DMM1 features artwork by Malakian's father, Vartan Malakian

JERY GARCIA ALEMBIC TRIBUTE CUSTOM (TIGER)

2008-01-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Alembic was founded in 1969 and is a manufacturer of high-end electric basses, guitars and preamps.
Fender's success set the scene for Music Man, G&L (both with input from Leo, himself) Lakland, Sadowsky and numerous less innovative copies. The rise of Alembic in the 70s, opened the door for high-end bass manufacturers such as Warwick, Spector, Wal, Ken Smith and Fodera – and raised expectations for top-of-the-line instruments from large manufacturers such as Yamaha and Ibanez

History

Ron and Susan Wickersham started Alembic in 1969. Originally it was a consulting firm that worked closely with the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the like to help improve the quality of live sound and recordings of live concerts. Rick Turner also joined the company in that first year, becoming a shareholder in 1970. Rick and Alembic parted company in 1978, and Rick founded Renaissance Guitars.
High impedance pickups have limited bandwidth.[citation needed] Ron Wickersham and Rick Turner designed low-impedance pickups with greater bandwidth. To boost their low output, Ron designed an active onboard preamp. In 1969 Ron installed the first active electronics in instruments owned by Phil Lesh, Jack Casady, Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia. These were the first low impedance pickups with preamps to be installed on a musical instrument. (UK manufacturer Burns introduced active tone controls on its TR2 bass in the 60's, although without the low impedance pickups essential to modern active electronics.)
Alembic became quite busy installing these new active electronics in players' guitars and basses. It also performed many modifications on instruments, such as remanufacturing the headstocks with a 14° angle, machining solid brass parts for the bridge, tailpiece and nut, carving necks and the like. This work led eventually to manufacturing its own line of guitars and basses from start to finish.

Many famous guitarists have bought Alembics, including Jerry Garcia, Carlos Alomar, Adrian Belew, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Johnny Winter, Steve Miller, Neil Young, Chet Atkins and Stanley Jordan.

No endorsements

Alembic have always followed a strict no endorsement policy. Everyone, including Stanley Clarke, has paid for their instruments. In Alembic’s view this is the best endorsement of all. In Susan Wickersham’s (co-founder and CEO) words, "the most successful artists can afford to pay for their instruments – but if we gave them endorsement deals the cost of those instruments would have to be recovered from customers who are far less able to afford it".[citation needed]
Alembic did make two exceptions to this rule when they presented Stanley Clarke with a specially inlaid instrument to celebrate 30 years of working together. Alembic also approached Mark King at a gig on the Stevie Winwood tour in 1986 with an offer to build him a bass. Mark received two 34" scale Series 2 basses initially and then ordered two more in identical woods with 32" scale.[

I wanna Discuss only for Jerry Garcia of the gratefull dead i really like his Peggy "o" song's

the song for me is about a man try to marry a woman named peggy that her mother dont want too.

really cool sharing song i think that Garcia gave to his fans, i think he is a great song writer

and i really like this guitar because it is very very beautiful guitar, sound very smooth first hear i immidiately fallin love with this one.

the diagram for this guitar also is crazy enough to learn so it is very very high tech and special
tiger the alembic tribute custom, played by jerry himself almost of his concert for 11 years

this guitar is sold for U$ 850.000 in auction

there still a debate for this guitar for who own it

the grate full dead or the luthier Doug Irwin

Tiger was Jerry Garcia's main guitar from 1979 to 1990. It was built by Sonoma County luthier Doug Irwin. The Tiger is named after the tiger inlaid on the preamp cover located on the guitar's top, just behind the tailpiece. The body features several layers of wood laminated together face-

to-face in a configuration referred to as a "Hippie sandwich" by employees of Alembic Inc., where Irwin worked for a brief period in the early 1970s. The combination of several heavy varieties of wood, plus solid brass binding and hardware results in an unusually heavy instrument that tips the scales at 13-1/2 pounds. After 1990, Garcia switched to a different Irwin instrument, the nearly-identical Rosebud, as his primary guitar with the Grateful Dead. The Tiger was thenceforth kept as a backup; a problem with Rosebud meant that the Tiger was the last instrument Garcia played at the Grateful Dead's last concert, on July 9, 1995.

"Tiger" (pearl coverplate) Description: Seven years to make, ebony fingerboard on maple neck, an arched cocobola top and back, vermilion neck and body striping, and W. flamed-maple body core. Meticulous scrolled inlay finger position markers and hand-crafted brass hardware; Strat approach, but with one DiMarzio SDS-1 single coil and two DiMarzio Super 2 humbuckers that were easily removed 'cause Jerry thought their ouput weakened after a year or two. Also had Jerry's effects bypass loop (he knew his electronics!), as well as an op-amp buffer/amp to maintain the high end during effects "on". Result: Garcia's favorite guitar for the next ll years & most played. Jerry strapped this heavy 13 1/2-pound guitar for 11 years.

The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time

2008-01-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

1 Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG's
37 Bo Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Queen
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker 48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend

51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin' Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred "Sonic" Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Based by Rolling Stones Magazine

mark by green are my favorite guitarist

Gibson ES-150

2008-01-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

By the time Gibson began work on its first electric guitar, the company had a 40-year tradition of quality and innovation to uphold. The first Gibson electric had to be nothing less than the best electric guitar the world had ever seen.
In the spring of 1935, Gibson enlisted musician Alvino Rey to help develop a prototype pickup with engineers at the Lyon & Healy company in Chicago. Later that year, research was moved in-house, where Gibson employee Walter Fuller came up with the final design

The Gibson Guitar Corporation's ES-150 guitar is generally recognized as the world's first commercially feasible electric guitar. The ES stands for Electric Spanish, and it was designated 150 because it cost $150 along with an EH-150 amplifier and a cable. After its introduction in 1936, it immediately became popular in jazz orchestras of the period. Unlike the usual unamplified guitars utilized in jazz, it was loud enough to take a more prominent position in ensembles. Jazz guitarist Eddie Durham is usually credited with making the first electric guitar solo in 1938 with the ES-150.Gibson introduced the distinctive hexagonal pickup on a lap steel model in late 1935. The pickup was installed on an F-hole archtop guitar, dubbed the ES-150 (ES for Electric Spanish), and the first one shipped from the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on May 20, 1936.
Was the ES-150 the best electric guitar that guitarists in 1936 had ever seen? Jazz musician Charlie Christian, who would establish the electric guitar as an instrument with its own unique voice, thought so. Sixty years later, the Gibson ES-150 is still known as the Charlie Christian model, and
some jazz players consider the ES-150's
"Charlie Christian" pickup to be the best jazz pickup ever made !!!

The most important player of the ES-150, however, is Charlie Christian. Because of his popularization of the guitar, the instrument's distinctive single-coil pickup, was renamed after him. His warm, flowing solos, and warm sound revolutionized the jazz guitar and, to this day, influence countless players.
After WWII, the ES-150 was re-introduced (production was halted during the war) as a 17" (originally 16") laminated (instead of carved spruce top) hollowbody with a P-90 (replacing the "Charlie Christian" pickup) in the neck position. This model was discontinued in the mid-1950s.
In the late 1960s, Gibson introduced the ES-150DC, which was a significantly different instrument, despite its similar model number. The ES-150DC was a full hollow-body electric guitar with a double-cutaway body similar in appearance to the semi-hollow 335 guitars (except for a greater body thickness). It featured two humbuckers, a rosewood fingerboard with small block inlays, and a master volume knob on the lower cutaway. This model, however,
was not particularly popular, and it was discontinued by Gibson in the mid-70s. The ES-150 (in its original design),

mosrite gospel mark IV

2007-12-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Mosrite was an American guitar manufacturing company, based in Bakersfield, California, from the late 1950s to the mid 1990s. Founded by Semie Moseley, Mosrite guitars were played by many rock and roll and country artists such as Kurt Cobain, Joe Maphis, Larry Collins, Buck Trent, The Ventures, the MC5, Arthur Lee and Love, Johnny Ramone and Kevin Shields. A friend of Moseley, a singing preacher named Rev. Ray Boatright, was deeply impressed with Moseley's guitar designs, and put up front money for Moseley to found his guitar company. In gratitude, Moseley named the company by combining his and Boatright's last names.

Mosrite guitars were known for innovative design, beautiful engineering, very thin,
low-fretted and narrow necks, and extremely hot (high output) pickups. Moseley's design for the Ventures, known as the "Ventures Model" (later known as the "Mark I") was generally considered to be the flagship of the line, but all of his guitars bore his unmistakable touch. Mosrite also produced an unusual double-necked guitar, which was the type favored by Collins and Maphis; this design was also used by Nick Nastos, lead guitar player for Bill Haley & His Comets, during 1968.

Kurt Cobain's Mosrite Gospel Guitar (one of only two 'Mark IV gospels') was featured in an online auction by Heritage Auction Galleries [1]in Dallas, TX, fetching $131,450.00.

Here in the left you can see kurt cobain from nirvana playing Mark IV Guitar
this guitar is very rare guitar

it is only made two pieces by mosley, before he died this is his last masterpiece.

Semie Moseley began building guitars in Oildale, California in 1959. He moved his shop to Panama Lane in 1962 where he designed and produced the first Ventures Model guitars.

Though a genius at guitar design and construction, Moseley lacked many basic skills necessary to be a good businessman, and the company fell on hard times repeatedly in the late 1960s and 1970's, but continued to produce Mosrite guitars until 1993 in North Carolina and Arkansas. Most of them were exported to Japan, where their popularity remained very strong. The quality of the instruments always remained very respectable. Semie Moseley died in 1992. His wife Loretta continued to produce Mosrites a year or so after his death. Today the Japanese company Fillmore holds the right to the name Mosrite and produces reissues of Ventures Model and a Johnny Ramone Signature model.

fender jaguar

2007-12-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar that was introduced in 1962. The Jaguar was originally intended to be a Jazz guitar. However, it quickly caught-on in the emerging surf music scene. It was then marketed and seen as a surf guitar, along with its sister guitar, the Fender Jazzmaster, both of which became quite popular among surf rock groups in the early to mid 1960s. It became popular again in the 1990s when it was used by a number of alternative rock players, particularly Kurt Cobain. It has a rare extension called the Sierah which is used wide spread through Jazz intersection players

History

The Jaguar was based on the Jazzmaster, with the same, "offset waist" body and "floating tremolo" system. Unlike the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar was fitted with a shorter 24-inch scale, 22-fret neck (the first Fender guitar to have 22 frets) and featured smaller single-coil pickups with notched side plates that improved RF shielding, making the Jaguar less prone to interference than the more popular History
The Jaguar was based on the Jazzmaster, with the same, "offset waist" body and "floating tremolo" system. Unlike the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar was fitted with a shorter 24-inch scale, 22-fret neck (the first Fender guitar to have 22 frets) and featured smaller single-coil pickups with notched side plates that improved RF shielding, making the Jaguar less prone to interference than the more popular Stratocaster and Telecaster.

Although the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster shared the same dual-circuit scheme, the Jaguar had a more complex second (lead) circuit consisting of three switches on the lower bout: the first two were on/off switches for the neck and bridge pickups, respectively, the third switch engaged a capacitor that served as a high-pass filter. This switch was often called the "strangle" switch among players, due to the fact that when it is switched on, the Jaguar attains a treble-accented tone quality originally designed to cater to Jazz guitarists using heavy-gauge, bassy-sounding, flatwound strings. Another of the Jaguar's features was a spring-loaded rubber string mute, again designed for guitarists who had to palm mute for extended periods. This feature proved unpopular as it sent the guitar out of tune when it was used improperly. When properly adjusted, the mute will apply light pressure to heavy-gauge, flatwound strings without sending the guitar out of tune.

Like the Jazzmaster and Bass VI, the Jaguar has an unusual floating tremolo arm mechanism that was a complete departure from the synchronized tremolo system found on the Fender Stratocaster. Leo Fender believed that this new design was superior to previous designs since the bridge actually moved backwards and forwards along with the strings during tremolo use, thereby maintaining proper intonation even under duress. This floating bridge concept was also later used in the Fender Dynamic Vibrato on the Fender Mustang. The floating tremolo mechanism also features a built-in tremolo lock, which helped the player preserve the guitar's tuning in the event of a string breakage. While these ideas worked well in theory, the actual unit was prone to malfunction, making it one of the more problematic aspects of the Jaguar and Jazzmaster and perhaps part of the reason players stuck with the Stratocaster and Telecaster.

Intended as Fender's top of the line guitar upon its release in 1962, the Jaguar never enjoyed the popularity that the Stratocaster and Telecaster did. After several upgrades (custom finishes, a bound neck and pearloid block inlays), the entire Jaguar range has given a maple fingerboard with black binding and block inlays before being discontinued in 1975 after a thirteen year production run.

Design

Many guitar players find fault with the design of the bridge, which features saddles that have many grooves cut into them (similar to screw threads). The idea behind this design was that you could space your strings to best suit your needs. In reality, the strings may jump out of the grooves when playing with force. The problem is worse on Japanese-made (reissue) Jaguars. The saddles on the Japanese Jags have more shallow grooves than their American-made counterparts (vintage or reissue). As a solution many Jaguar players replace the Jag bridge with a Fender Mustang-style bridge, which only has one string groove per saddle. A cheaper and equally effective option is to deepen the original saddles with a file.

Further issues are found with the Jaguar; the unit pivots on its axis when the tremolo is used, occasionally getting knocked in one direction or another causing tuning problems. This was further compounded by some players' decision to use tape on the tremolo arm to allow it to sit higher in the system, which gave more range at the cost of tuning stability. The original bridge is similar to a modern roller bridge and works well in concept, but many players fix it in place by wrapping its posts with electrical tape (this tends to increase tuning problems). Another Jaguar modification is the addition of a "Buzz Stop", a bar that mounts above the tremolo system and increases the angle of the strings behind the bridge which decreases string buzz (a common problem).

Some players claim that such implements are not necessary, forcing the bridge forward on some examples, and the strings can often bind on the buzzstop. Bridge buzz can be minimized in setup, by setting the bridge closer to the body while adjusting the saddles upwards. Most importantly, heavy-gauge, flatwound strings should be used. The Jaguar was designed for Jazz. Heavy gauge flatwounds (.11s minimum) are the standard for that playing style. Even the circuitry (e.g. bass cut switch, 1MEG pots) was designed for the bassy tone of heavy flatwound strings. Using big flatwounds will drastically reduce the problem of strings moving about on the saddles. However, the modifications can provide a marginal increase in sustain and playability, hence their popularity with players.

Numerous pickup replacements have become available in the last decade, including those made by Seymour Duncan (three variations are available; vintage, hot and quarter-pound) and Curtis Novak (who makes vintage-correct handwound versions). These single-coil pickups give Jaguar players more tonal options without having to route their instrument to accept full-size humbuckers, or to buy a new Jaguar with humbuckers installed as standard.

Resurgence

In the 1990s the popularity of the Jaguar & Jazzmaster exploded when they saw heavy use by various alternative rock and grunge bands such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Nirvana.

One of the reasons the Jaguar became so immensely popular among indie rock artists is because of their 3rd bridge possibilities. The Jaguar and the Jazzmaster both have an accidentally created, primitive 3rd bridge mechanism in their floating bridge with limited timbre when used in an extended technique. When the strings are strummed behind the bridge, a unique 3rd bridge sound is created that is has come to be associated with the sound of Sonic Youth.

It has also been suggested that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were popular with late 80's indie artists precisely because of their unpopularity at the time. This meant that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were far cheaper than vintage Stratocasters or Telecasters and therefore struggling musicians could afford to own a high quality vintage Fender guitar where they could not before. The fact that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were not popular also made them visually distinctive onstage, which was also advantageous to musicians.

Kurt Cobain used a modified 1965 sunburst finish Jaguar with a Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge, modified circuitry and humbuckers. It was Kurt's main guitar during the Nevermind era. It had a red-swirl mother-of-bowling-ball pickguard, 2 volume knobs, 1 tone knob, and a black chrome Schaller bridge. There was tape covering the on/off and phase switches, which were disconnected. These three switches were replaced with a Gibson-style toggle switch. Full-sized humbuckers reside in both the bridge and neck positions, the neck being a DiMarzio PAF and the bridge a DiMarzio Super Distortion, until the In Utero tour when it was replaced with a black Duncan JB.

John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers utilized a fiesta red 1962 Jaguar at the Woodstock 1999 festival for the part of the band's time on center stage. John also played an ocean turquoise Jag in the immensely popular video for their song "Under the Bridge".
Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys often played a stock Jaguar on Beach Boys records and during live appearances, one of the few instances of the guitar being used for its intended purpose of surf rock.
Shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, lovesliescrushing and Chapterhouse often use the Jaguar, both for its unusual tones and tremolo system. As both the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster have longer tremolo arms, players are able to strum chords whilst simultaneously manipulating the tremolo arm by pushing it towards the body, causing the chord to dip in and out of tune, often rhythmically. In the shoegaze style, this technique is often combined with heavy amounts of delay and reverberation effects to create what is known as a 'shimmer'.
The Jaguar and Jazzmaster's resurgence almost exactly mirrors the "discovery" of the Gibson Les Paul in the '60s by rock guitarists looking for a 'heavy' sound unobtainable with the then-prevalent Fender Stratocaster. The Les Paul was an unfashionable model during its initial production because of the recent introduction of the Strat and could be obtained in the '60s for relatively low prices.

Jaguars are also finding favor among players with small hands. The Jaguar and Mustang are the two guitars in the Fender lineup with a short (24 inch) scale length and slim neck. Players with small hands find these necks easier to play when attempting difficult chords (e.g. Jazz).

Notable players

Ashley Dasher of Unhindered
Blixa Bargeld of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Einstürzende Neubauten
Bo Madsen of Mew
Brian Molko of Placebo
Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys
Christopher Crisci of The Appleseed Cast
Efrim Menuck of Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Frank Black of Pixies
Gavin Rossdale of Bush
Graham Coxon of Blur
Greg Camp of Smash Mouth
Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo
J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr
James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers
James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins
Jesse Lacey of Brand New
Jimi Hendrix of The Jimi Hendrix Experience
John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers
John McKeown of 1990s
John Squire of The Stone Roses
Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Modest Mouse
Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev
Jonny Buckland of Coldplay
Joshua Von Grimm of The Horrors
Kelly Jones of Stereophonics
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
Lee Gaze of Lostprophets
Marnie Stern
Matt Palumbo of Somebody Stole My Bike
Matthew Bellamy of Muse
Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones
Mike Einziger of Incubus
Paul Banks of Interpol
Polly Jean Harvey of PJ Harvey
Robert Smith of The Cure
Rowland S. Howard of The Birthday Party
Russell Lissack of Bloc Party
Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth
Tim Gane of Stereolab
Tom Verlaine of Television
Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen
Win Butler of Arcade Fire
Simon Taylor of The Klaxons
Nick Salomon of The Bevis Frond
Ethan Miller of Comets on Fire
Maurice Deebank of Felt

[edit] Reissue
Fender reissued the 1962 version of the Jaguar in 1999 as part of its American Vintage Series (lower cost Japanese-made versions have been available since 1986/87, originally made of basswood, now of alder like their American counterparts). Several other variations have been released within the last decade, including several humbucker versions and a Jaguar bass guitar in 2006. Fender of Japan also produces Jaguars for its own domestic market with numerous special editions including an accurate version of Kurt Cobain's modified model. As of 2007, the main difference between Japanese and American models is the electronics - American models use higher quality parts and have brass shielding plates installed in the cavities. No standard US made AVRI Jaguars sport matching headstocks unlike their vintage counterparts, however most Japanese models do, and also offer some custom colors not found on American models.

Although Fender has many signature models designed in conjunction with famous players, usually customised Stratocasters or Telecasters (Fender has more recently come out with the J Mascis Jazzmaster signature), no signature model for the Jaguars are known to exist. The closest thing to a signature guitar is the Fender Jag-Stang, built for Kurt Cobain.

[edit] Variations
Fender Jaguar Special HH
Reminiscent of the standard Jaguar, except that it's equipped with two low-output Fender designed Dragster humbucking pickups, a fixed adjust-o-matic bridge (similar to a Gibson Tune-O-Matic), and chrome knobs.

Fender Jaguar Baritone Special HH
Similar to the Jaguar HH, except that it has fewer switching options, and a longer 27" scale length (as opposed to the normal 24"), and is designed to be tuned a fourth below a standard guitar (B E A D F# B, low to high).

Fender Jaguar Baritone Custom
A combination of a Jaguar and a Fender Bass VI with additional features. It has a fixed bridge, a 28.5" scale length and heavier strings to achieve a tuning one octave lower than a standard guitar.

Fender Jaguar Bass
Essentially a Fender Jazz Bass with a Jaguar-shaped body and Jaguar-styled switching options. Features a switchable on-board preamp with bass/treble controls
and Telecaster.

Although the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster shared the same dual-circuit scheme, the Jaguar had a more complex second (lead) circuit consisting of three switches on the lower bout: the first two were on/off switches for the neck and bridge pickups, respectively, the third switch engaged a capacitor that served as a high-pass filter. This switch was often called the "strangle" switch among players, due to the fact that when it is switched on, the Jaguar attains a treble-accented tone quality originally designed to cater to Jazz guitarists using heavy-gauge, bassy-sounding, flatwound strings. Another of the Jaguar's features was a spring-loaded rubber string mute, again designed for guitarists who had to History
The Jaguar was based on the Jazzmaster, with the same, "offset waist" body and "floating tremolo" system. Unlike the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar was fitted with a shorter 24-inch scale, 22-fret neck (the first Fender guitar to have 22 frets) and featured smaller single-coil pickups with notched side plates that improved RF shielding, making the Jaguar less prone to interference than the more popular Stratocaster and Telecaster.

Although the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster shared the same dual-circuit scheme, the Jaguar had a more complex second (lead) circuit consisting of three switches on the lower bout: the first two were on/off switches for the neck and bridge pickups, respectively, the third switch engaged a capacitor that served as a high-pass filter. This switch was often called the "strangle" switch among players, due to the fact that when it is switched on, the Jaguar attains a treble-accented tone quality originally designed to cater to Jazz guitarists using heavy-gauge, bassy-sounding, flatwound strings. Another of the Jaguar's features was a spring-loaded rubber string mute, again designed for guitarists who had to palm mute for extended periods. This feature proved unpopular as it sent the guitar out of tune when it was used improperly. When properly adjusted, the mute will apply light pressure to heavy-gauge, flatwound strings without sending the guitar out of tune.

Like the Jazzmaster and Bass VI, the Jaguar has an unusual floating tremolo arm mechanism that was a complete departure from the synchronized tremolo system found on the Fender Stratocaster. Leo Fender believed that this new design was superior to previous designs since the bridge actually moved backwards and forwards along with the strings during tremolo use, thereby maintaining proper intonation even under duress. This floating bridge concept was also later used in the Fender Dynamic Vibrato on the Fender Mustang. The floating tremolo mechanism also features a built-in tremolo lock, which helped the player preserve the guitar's tuning in the event of a string breakage. While these ideas worked well in theory, the actual unit was prone to malfunction, making it one of the more problematic aspects of the Jaguar and Jazzmaster and perhaps part of the reason players stuck with the Stratocaster and Telecaster.

Intended as Fender's top of the line guitar upon its release in 1962, the Jaguar never enjoyed the popularity that the Stratocaster and Telecaster did. After several upgrades (custom finishes, a bound neck and pearloid block inlays), the entire Jaguar range has given a maple fingerboard with black binding and block inlays before being discontinued in 1975 after a thirteen year production run.

[edit] Design
Many guitar players find fault with the design of the bridge, which features saddles that have many grooves cut into them (similar to screw threads). The idea behind this design was that you could space your strings to best suit your needs. In reality, the strings may jump out of the grooves when playing with force. The problem is worse on Japanese-made (reissue) Jaguars. The saddles on the Japanese Jags have more shallow grooves than their American-made counterparts (vintage or reissue). As a solution many Jaguar players replace the Jag bridge with a Fender Mustang-style bridge, which only has one string groove per saddle. A cheaper and equally effective option is to deepen the original saddles with a file.

Further issues are found with the rocking bridge design; the unit pivots on its axis when the tremolo is used, occasionally getting knocked in one direction or another causing tuning problems. This was further compounded by some players' decision to use tape on the tremolo arm to allow it to sit higher in the system, which gave more range at the cost of tuning stability. The original bridge is similar to a modern roller bridge and works well in concept, but many players fix it in place by wrapping its posts with electrical tape (this tends to increase tuning problems). Another Jaguar modification is the addition of a "Buzz Stop", a bar that mounts above the tremolo system and increases the angle of the strings behind the bridge which decreases string buzz (a common problem).

Some players claim that such implements are not necessary, forcing the bridge forward on some examples, and the strings can often bind on the buzzstop. Bridge buzz can be minimized in setup, by setting the bridge closer to the body while adjusting the saddles upwards. Most importantly, heavy-gauge, flatwound strings should be used. The Jaguar was designed for Jazz. Heavy gauge flatwounds (.11s minimum) are the standard for that playing style. Even the circuitry (e.g. bass cut switch, 1MEG pots) was designed for the bassy tone of heavy flatwound strings. Using big flatwounds will drastically reduce the problem of strings moving about on the saddles. However, the modifications can provide a marginal increase in sustain and playability, hence their popularity with players.

Numerous pickup replacements have become available in the last decade, including those made by Seymour Duncan (three variations are available; vintage, hot and quarter-pound) and Curtis Novak (who makes vintage-correct handwound versions). These single-coil pickups give Jaguar players more tonal options without having to route their instrument to accept full-size humbuckers, or to buy a new Jaguar with humbuckers installed as standard.

[edit] Resurgence
In the 1990s the popularity of the Jaguar & Jazzmaster exploded when they saw heavy use by various alternative rock and grunge bands such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Nirvana.

One of the reasons the Jaguar became so immensely popular among indie rock artists is because of their 3rd bridge possibilities. The Jaguar and the Jazzmaster both have an accidentally created, primitive 3rd bridge mechanism in their floating bridge with limited timbre when used in an extended technique. When the strings are strummed behind the bridge, a unique 3rd bridge sound is created that is has come to be associated with the sound of Sonic Youth.

It has also been suggested that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were popular with late 80's indie artists precisely because of their unpopularity at the time. This meant that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were far cheaper than vintage Stratocasters or Telecasters and therefore struggling musicians could afford to own a high quality vintage Fender guitar where they could not before. The fact that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were not popular also made them visually distinctive onstage, which was also advantageous to musicians.

Kurt Cobain used a modified 1965 sunburst finish Jaguar with a Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge, modified circuitry and humbuckers. It was Kurt's main guitar during the Nevermind era. It had a red-swirl mother-of-bowling-ball pickguard, 2 volume knobs, 1 tone knob, and a black chrome Schaller bridge. There was tape covering the on/off and phase switches, which were disconnected. These three switches were replaced with a Gibson-style toggle switch. Full-sized humbuckers reside in both the bridge and neck positions, the neck being a DiMarzio PAF and the bridge a DiMarzio Super Distortion, until the In Utero tour when it was replaced with a black Duncan JB.
John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers utilized a fiesta red 1962 Jaguar at the Woodstock 1999 festival for the part of the band's time on center stage. John also played an ocean turquoise Jag in the immensely popular video for their song "Under the Bridge".
Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys often played a stock Jaguar on Beach Boys records and during live appearances, one of the few instances of the guitar being used for its intended purpose of surf rock.
Shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, lovesliescrushing and Chapterhouse often use the Jaguar, both for its unusual tones and tremolo system. As both the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster have longer tremolo arms, players are able to strum chords whilst simultaneously manipulating the tremolo arm by pushing it towards the body, causing the chord to dip in and out of tune, often rhythmically. In the shoegaze style, this technique is often combined with heavy amounts of delay and reverberation effects to create what is known as a 'shimmer'.
The Jaguar and Jazzmaster's resurgence almost exactly mirrors the "discovery" of the Gibson Les Paul in the '60s by rock guitarists looking for a 'heavy' sound unobtainable with the then-prevalent Fender Stratocaster. The Les Paul was an unfashionable model during its initial production because of the recent introduction of the Strat and could be obtained in the '60s for relatively low prices.

Jaguars are also finding favor among players with small hands. The Jaguar and Mustang are the two guitars in the Fender lineup with a short (24 inch) scale length and slim neck. Players with small hands find these necks easier to play when attempting difficult chords (e.g. Jazz).

[edit] Notable players
Ashley Dasher of Unhindered
Blixa Bargeld of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Einstürzende Neubauten
Bo Madsen of Mew
Brian Molko of Placebo
Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys
Christopher Crisci of The Appleseed Cast
Efrim Menuck of Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Frank Black of Pixies
Gavin Rossdale of Bush
Graham Coxon of Blur
Greg Camp of Smash Mouth
Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo
J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr
James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers
James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins
Jesse Lacey of Brand New
Jimi Hendrix of The Jimi Hendrix Experience
John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers
John McKeown of 1990s
John Squire of The Stone Roses
Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Modest Mouse
Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev
Jonny Buckland of Coldplay
Joshua Von Grimm of The Horrors
Kelly Jones of Stereophonics
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
Lee Gaze of Lostprophets
Marnie Stern
Matt Palumbo of Somebody Stole My Bike
Matthew Bellamy of Muse
Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones
Mike Einziger of Incubus
Paul Banks of Interpol
Polly Jean Harvey of PJ Harvey
Robert Smith of The Cure
Rowland S. Howard of The Birthday Party
Russell Lissack of Bloc Party
Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth
Tim Gane of Stereolab
Tom Verlaine of Television
Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen
Win Butler of Arcade Fire
Simon Taylor of The Klaxons
Nick Salomon of The Bevis Frond
Ethan Miller of Comets on Fire
Maurice Deebank of Felt

[edit] Reissue
Fender reissued the 1962 version of the Jaguar in 1999 as part of its American Vintage Series (lower cost Japanese-made versions have been available since 1986/87, originally made of basswood, now of alder like their American counterparts). Several other variations have been released within the last decade, including several humbucker versions and a Jaguar bass guitar in 2006. Fender of Japan also produces Jaguars for its own domestic market with numerous special editions including an accurate version of Kurt Cobain's modified model. As of 2007, the main difference between Japanese and American models is the electronics - American models use higher quality parts and have brass shielding plates installed in the cavities. No standard US made AVRI Jaguars sport matching headstocks unlike their vintage counterparts, however most Japanese models do, and also offer some custom colors not found on American models.

Although Fender has many signature models designed in conjunction with famous players, usually customised Stratocasters or Telecasters (Fender has more recently come out with the J Mascis Jazzmaster signature), no signature model for the Jaguars are known to exist. The closest thing to a signature guitar is the Fender Jag-Stang, built for Kurt Cobain.

[edit] Variations
Fender Jaguar Special HH
Reminiscent of the standard Jaguar, except that it's equipped with two low-output Fender designed Dragster humbucking pickups, a fixed adjust-o-matic bridge (similar to a Gibson Tune-O-Matic), and chrome knobs.

Fender Jaguar Baritone Special HH
Similar to the Jaguar HH, except that it has fewer switching options, and a longer 27" scale length (as opposed to the normal 24"), and is designed to be tuned a fourth below a standard guitar (B E A D F# B, low to high).

Fender Jaguar Baritone Custom
A combination of a Jaguar and a Fender Bass VI with additional features. It has a fixed bridge, a 28.5" scale length and heavier strings to achieve a tuning one octave lower than a standard guitar.

Fender Jaguar Bass
Essentially a Fender Jazz Bass with a Jaguar-shaped body and Jaguar-styled switching options. Features a switchable on-board preamp with bass/treble controls
for extended periods. This feature proved unpopular as it sent the guitar out of tune when it was used improperly. When properly adjusted, the mute will apply light pressure to heavy-gauge, flatwound strings without sending the guitar out of tune.

Like the Jazzmaster and Bass VI, the Jaguar has an unusual floating tremolo arm mechanism that was a complete departure from the synchronized tremolo system found on the Fender Stratocaster. Leo Fender believed that this new design was superior to previous designs since the bridge actually moved backwards and forwards along with the strings during tremolo use, thereby maintaining proper intonation even under duress. This floating bridge concept was also later used in the Fender Dynamic Vibrato on the Fender Mustang. The floating tremolo mechanism also features a built-in tremolo lock, which helped the player preserve the guitar's tuning in the event of a string breakage. While these ideas worked well in theory, the actual unit was prone to malfunction, making it one of the more problematic aspects of the Jaguar and Jazzmaster and perhaps part of the reason players stuck with the Stratocaster and Telecaster.

Intended as Fender's top of the line guitar upon its release in 1962, the Jaguar never enjoyed the popularity that the Stratocaster and Telecaster did. After several upgrades (custom finishes, a bound neck and pearloid block inlays), the entire Jaguar range has given a maple fingerboard with black binding and block inlays before being discontinued in 1975 after a thirteen year production run.

[edit] Design
Many guitar players find fault with the design of the bridge, which features saddles that have many grooves cut into them (similar to screw threads). The idea behind this design was that you could space your strings to best suit your needs. In reality, the strings may jump out of the grooves when playing with force. The problem is worse on Japanese-made (reissue) Jaguars. The saddles on the Japanese Jags have more shallow grooves than their American-made counterparts (vintage or reissue). As a solution many Jaguar players replace the Jag bridge with a Fender Mustang-style bridge, which only has one string groove per saddle. A cheaper and equally effective option is to deepen the original saddles with a file.

Further issues are found with the rocking bridge design; the unit pivots on its axis when the tremolo is used, occasionally getting knocked in one direction or another causing tuning problems. This was further compounded by some players' decision to use tape on the tremolo arm to allow it to sit higher in the system, which gave more range at the cost of tuning stability. The original bridge is similar to a modern roller bridge and works well in concept, but many players fix it in place by wrapping its posts with electrical tape (this tends to increase tuning problems). Another Jaguar modification is the addition of a "Buzz Stop", a bar that mounts above the tremolo system and increases the angle of the strings behind the bridge which decreases string buzz (a common problem).

Some players claim that such implements are not necessary, forcing the bridge forward on some examples, and the strings can often bind on the buzzstop. Bridge buzz can be minimized in setup, by setting the bridge closer to the body while adjusting the saddles upwards. Most importantly, heavy-gauge, flatwound strings should be used. The Jaguar was designed for Jazz. Heavy gauge flatwounds (.11s minimum) are the standard for that playing style. Even the circuitry (e.g. bass cut switch, 1MEG pots) was designed for the bassy tone of heavy flatwound strings. Using big flatwounds will drastically reduce the problem of strings moving about on the saddles. However, the modifications can provide a marginal increase in sustain and playability, hence their popularity with players.

Numerous pickup replacements have become available in the last decade, including those made by Seymour Duncan (three variations are available; vintage, hot and quarter-pound) and Curtis Novak (who makes vintage-correct handwound versions). These single-coil pickups give Jaguar players more tonal options without having to route their instrument to accept full-size humbuckers, or to buy a new Jaguar with humbuckers installed as standard.

[edit] Resurgence
In the 1990s the popularity of the Jaguar & Jazzmaster exploded when they saw heavy use by various alternative rock and grunge bands such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Nirvana.

One of the reasons the Jaguar became so immensely popular among indie rock artists is because of their 3rd bridge possibilities. The Jaguar and the Jazzmaster both have an accidentally created, primitive 3rd bridge mechanism in their floating bridge with limited timbre when used in an extended technique. When the strings are strummed behind the bridge, a unique 3rd bridge sound is created that is has come to be associated with the sound of Sonic Youth.

It has also been suggested that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were popular with late 80's indie artists precisely because of their unpopularity at the time. This meant that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were far cheaper than vintage Stratocasters or Telecasters and therefore struggling musicians could afford to own a high quality vintage Fender guitar where they could not before. The fact that Jaguars and Jazzmasters were not popular also made them visually distinctive onstage, which was also advantageous to musicians.

Kurt Cobain used a modified 1965 sunburst finish Jaguar with a Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge, modified circuitry and humbuckers. It was Kurt's main guitar during the Nevermind era. It had a red-swirl mother-of-bowling-ball pickguard, 2 volume knobs, 1 tone knob, and a black chrome Schaller bridge. There was tape covering the on/off and phase switches, which were disconnected. These three switches were replaced with a Gibson-style toggle switch. Full-sized humbuckers reside in both the bridge and neck positions, the neck being a DiMarzio PAF and the bridge a DiMarzio Super Distortion, until the In Utero tour when it was replaced with a black Duncan JB.
John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers utilized a fiesta red 1962 Jaguar at the Woodstock 1999 festival for the part of the band's time on center stage. John also played an ocean turquoise Jag in the immensely popular video for their song "Under the Bridge".
Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys often played a stock Jaguar on Beach Boys records and during live appearances, one of the few instances of the guitar being used for its intended purpose of surf rock.
Shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, lovesliescrushing and Chapterhouse often use the Jaguar, both for its unusual tones and tremolo system. As both the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster have longer tremolo arms, players are able to strum chords whilst simultaneously manipulating the tremolo arm by pushing it towards the body, causing the chord to dip in and out of tune, often rhythmically. In the shoegaze style, this technique is often combined with heavy amounts of delay and reverberation effects to create what is known as a 'shimmer'.
The Jaguar and Jazzmaster's resurgence almost exactly mirrors the "discovery" of the Gibson Les Paul in the '60s by rock guitarists looking for a 'heavy' sound unobtainable with the then-prevalent Fender Stratocaster. The Les Paul was an unfashionable model during its initial production because of the recent introduction of the Strat and could be obtained in the '60s for relatively low prices.

Jaguars are also finding favor among players with small hands. The Jaguar and Mustang are the two guitars in the Fender lineup with a short (24 inch) scale length and slim neck. Players with small hands find these necks easier to play when attempting difficult chords (e.g. Jazz).

Notable players

Ashley Dasher of Unhindered
Blixa Bargeld of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Einstürzende Neubauten
Bo Madsen of Mew
Brian Molko of Placebo
Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys
Christopher Crisci of The Appleseed Cast
Efrim Menuck of Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Frank Black of Pixies
Gavin Rossdale of Bush
Graham Coxon of Blur
Greg Camp of Smash Mouth
Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo
J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr
James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers
James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins
Jesse Lacey of Brand New
Jimi Hendrix of The Jimi Hendrix Experience
John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers
John McKeown of 1990s
John Squire of The Stone Roses
Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Modest Mouse
Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev
Jonny Buckland of Coldplay
Joshua Von Grimm of The Horrors
Kelly Jones of Stereophonics
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
Lee Gaze of Lostprophets
Marnie Stern
Matt Palumbo of Somebody Stole My Bike
Matthew Bellamy of Muse
Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones
Mike Einziger of Incubus
Paul Banks of Interpol
Polly Jean Harvey of PJ Harvey
Robert Smith of The Cure
Rowland S. Howard of The Birthday Party
Russell Lissack of Bloc Party
Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth
Tim Gane of Stereolab
Tom Verlaine of Television
Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen
Win Butler of Arcade Fire
Simon Taylor of The Klaxons
Nick Salomon of The Bevis Frond
Ethan Miller of Comets on Fire
Maurice Deebank of Felt

Reissue

Fender reissued the 1962 version of the Jaguar in 1999 as part of its American Vintage Series (lower cost Japanese-made versions have been available since 1986/87, originally made of basswood, now of alder like their American counterparts). Several other variations have been released within the last decade, including several humbucker versions and a Jaguar bass guitar in 2006. Fender of Japan also produces Jaguars for its own domestic market with numerous special editions including an accurate version of Kurt Cobain's modified model. As of 2007, the main difference between Japanese and American models is the electronics - American models use higher quality parts and have brass shielding plates installed in the cavities. No standard US made AVRI Jaguars sport matching headstocks unlike their vintage counterparts, however most Japanese models do, and also offer some custom colors not found on American models.

Although Fender has many signature models designed in conjunction with famous players, usually customised Stratocasters or Telecasters (Fender has more recently come out with the J Mascis Jazzmaster signature), no signature model for the Jaguars are known to exist. The closest thing to a signature guitar is the Fender Jag-Stang, built for Kurt Cobain.

Variations

Fender Jaguar Special HH
Reminiscent of the standard Jaguar, except that it's equipped with two low-output Fender designed Dragster humbucking pickups, a fixed adjust-o-matic bridge (similar to a Gibson Tune-O-Matic), and chrome knobs.

Fender Jaguar Baritone Special HH
Similar to the Jaguar HH, except that it has fewer switching options, and a longer 27" scale length (as opposed to the normal 24"), and is designed to be tuned a fourth below a standard guitar (B E A D F# B, low to high).

Fender Jaguar Baritone Custom
A combination of a Jaguar and a Fender Bass VI with additional features. It has a fixed bridge, a 28.5" scale length and heavier strings to achieve a tuning one octave lower than a standard guitar.

Fender Jaguar Bass

Essentially a Fender Jazz Bass with a Jaguar-shaped body and Jaguar-styled switching options. Features a switchable on-board preamp with bass/treble controls