Fender Jag-Stang
Encyclopedia
The Fender Jag-Stang is an electric guitar designed by Kurt Cobain
, of the band Nirvana
, intended as a hybrid of two Fender electric guitar
s: the Jaguar
and the Mustang
. Cobain suggested his idea for an instrument to Fender, resulting in two left-handed prototypes built by former Custom Shop Master Builder Larry L. Brooks, only one of which was even played by Cobain himself.
It has been said that the instrument needed much tweaking before Cobain would have been satisfied with it, and it was shipped back to Fender for repairs before Cobain brought it with him on the European leg of Nirvana's In Utero
tour in 1994, where the guitar was seldom played live. Many believe that Cobain was ultimately unsatisfied with the result and hence never completed revisions for the instrument before his death in April 1994.
Cobain's prototype Jag-Stang had a Fender Texas special pickup in the neck and a DiMarzio
H-3 in the bridge. (The H-3 humbucker
is not available as an individual product but the closest sounding one is the DiMarzio DP158 Pickup.) The production Jag-Stang includes a "vintage style" single coil pickup and one "special design" humbucker, each with its own toggle switch which a player can use to switch from "on", "off", or "out-of-phase" settings. It employs the Mustang's "Dynamic Vibrato" bridge and like both of its predecessors, it has a 24" short scale neck (an exact replica of Cobain's favorite neck, from a Fender Mustang).
There has been some criticism over the quality of the pickups and the overall lack of craftsmanship of the Jag-Stang, but many owners argue that this makes the guitar unique and in a way epitomises the grunge mindset of its designer. Furthermore, many have subsequently modified the guitar from stock level with noticeably impressive results.
Originally produced in the fall of 1995, after Kurt Cobain's death, Fender Japan
reissued the Jag-Stang two years after its 2001 cancellation due to popular demand. Fender once again discontinued importing the Jag-Stang from Japan as of May 2006.
Cobain's Sonic Blue Jag-Stang was given to R.E.M.
's Peter Buck
by Courtney Love
after Cobain died. He can be seen playing it (modified for right-handed playing) on "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
" music video. Mike Mills
, also from R.E.M., plays this same guitar in concert during the song "Let Me In", which itself is a tribute to Kurt Cobain. An example of this can be seen on their Road Movie DVD.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, of the band Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, intended as a hybrid of two Fender electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s: the Jaguar
Fender Jaguar
The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
and the Mustang
Fender Mustang
The Fender Mustang is an electric guitar by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, introduced in 1964 as the basis of a major redesign of Fender's student models then consisting of the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic. It was produced until 1982 and reissued in 1990.In the 1960s, it was used in Surf...
. Cobain suggested his idea for an instrument to Fender, resulting in two left-handed prototypes built by former Custom Shop Master Builder Larry L. Brooks, only one of which was even played by Cobain himself.
It has been said that the instrument needed much tweaking before Cobain would have been satisfied with it, and it was shipped back to Fender for repairs before Cobain brought it with him on the European leg of Nirvana's In Utero
In Utero
In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American grunge band Nirvana, released on September 13, 1993, on DGC Records. Nirvana intended the record to diverge significantly from the polished production of its previous album, Nevermind...
tour in 1994, where the guitar was seldom played live. Many believe that Cobain was ultimately unsatisfied with the result and hence never completed revisions for the instrument before his death in April 1994.
Cobain's prototype Jag-Stang had a Fender Texas special pickup in the neck and a DiMarzio
DiMarzio
DiMarzio, Inc. is an United States manufacturer best known for its revolutionary direct-replacement guitar pickups. The company also produces miscellaneous guitar accessories, such as cables, straps and hardware.DiMarzio became known for its Super Distortion model, which was the first after...
H-3 in the bridge. (The H-3 humbucker
Humbucker
A humbucker is a type of electric guitar pickup, first patented by Seth Lover and the Gibson company, that uses two coils, both generating string signal. Humbuckers have higher output than a single coil pickup since both coils are connected in series...
is not available as an individual product but the closest sounding one is the DiMarzio DP158 Pickup.) The production Jag-Stang includes a "vintage style" single coil pickup and one "special design" humbucker, each with its own toggle switch which a player can use to switch from "on", "off", or "out-of-phase" settings. It employs the Mustang's "Dynamic Vibrato" bridge and like both of its predecessors, it has a 24" short scale neck (an exact replica of Cobain's favorite neck, from a Fender Mustang).
There has been some criticism over the quality of the pickups and the overall lack of craftsmanship of the Jag-Stang, but many owners argue that this makes the guitar unique and in a way epitomises the grunge mindset of its designer. Furthermore, many have subsequently modified the guitar from stock level with noticeably impressive results.
Originally produced in the fall of 1995, after Kurt Cobain's death, Fender Japan
Fender Japan
Fender Japan is the Japanese division of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.-History:Fender Japan was officially created in March 1982 and consists of two Japanese Music companies that handle the ordering and distribution. The two companies are Yamano Gakki and Kanda Shokai...
reissued the Jag-Stang two years after its 2001 cancellation due to popular demand. Fender once again discontinued importing the Jag-Stang from Japan as of May 2006.
Cobain's Sonic Blue Jag-Stang was given to R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
by Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
after Cobain died. He can be seen playing it (modified for right-handed playing) on "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by the American alternative rock group R.E.M. from their 1994 album Monster. It was the first single taken from the album, released three weeks later. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. Due to its...
" music video. Mike Mills
Mike Mills
Michael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...
, also from R.E.M., plays this same guitar in concert during the song "Let Me In", which itself is a tribute to Kurt Cobain. An example of this can be seen on their Road Movie DVD.
External links
- jag-stang.com Jag-Stang Page @ jag-stang.com
- shortscale.org shortscale guitar site