Is the Classic Vibe Jaguar still the best affordable option?

Рет қаралды 18,299

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 123

@danapplebee4408 8 ай бұрын

I picked up the same guitar at GC yesterday and I’m very happy with it. I actually really like my neck pickup and I’m a little underwhelmed with the bridge PU, but still playing around with the height. Until now I’ve been hesitant to buy a Chinese or Indonesian guitar, but this Indo Squire has changed my mind. Very good workmanship. Enjoyed your video, thanks.

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

For ~300 it’s really hard to find any competition for it. Jaguars just don’t get the same love as the more “popular” Fenders

@naokisonoda-hq 8 ай бұрын

I bought this guitar from Reverb last year for $375--local pickup. Since then, I've replaced the vibrato with a Fender AVRI, installed a Staytrem bridge, replaced the tuners, and also ordered some Big Spotted Cat pickups from Bootstrap. I also had to fill the low E slot on the nut to raise it slightly. One could argue that I spent more money on this guitar than it's worth, but as you always say, "what is the guitar worth to you?" And for me, I can say that the upgrades were worth it because I now know for certain that I love Jaguars, and I was able to find this out at a fairly reasonable cost. I was pretty lucky because my fretboard is fairly dark--many of these Jags seem to suffer from very dry and light-colored fretboards. I play with 9-42s on my Jag, and I find that it's incredibly stable and stays in tune--even when I abuse the vibrato. The Staytrem is a definite improvement, but the stock bridge with blue Loctite was definitely workable. All in all, I'm glad I purchased this guitar, because it's given me the opportunity to get to know Jaguars. Working on it has given me the confidence to one day to build a custom Jaguar from Warmoth.

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

The staytrem is my favorite of the bunch, simple but effective. As far as spending more than the guitar was worth is subjective. I would argue based on everything you wrote you got a very fair deal out of it and will continue to end up ahead the more you use it.

@jque35ify 6 ай бұрын

How are those Bootstrap pickups?

@naokisonoda-hq 6 ай бұрын

@@jque35ify I just installed them, and they're amazing--a huge improvement over the stock pickups!

@naokisonoda-hq 6 ай бұрын

@@jque35ify Not sure if I installed them incorrectly, but they sound a bit darker and low output than what I expected. I need to do some further research, as I'm very new to pickup swapping. I can say that they are much quieter and not microphonic like the stock pickups.

@FuzzyForties 5 ай бұрын

I got one at Guitar Center Atlanta few days ago. I was just looking for a backup guitar and did not want to spend much. This turned out to be a love story 😍. I really love this guitar. As you said, It has their things, it's not perfect... but dam! For 350$, it's insane guitar. Great video man! Thanks.

@AudiomoMusic 5 ай бұрын

Love to hear stuff like this, happy it worked out for you!

@shredric3319 4 ай бұрын

Some real cool chord progressions in here

@AudiomoMusic 4 ай бұрын

appreciate it that's half the fun of guitar isn't it

@guitareveryone 8 ай бұрын

Great demo Jim and a beautiful looking axe. Very cool that is was set up so well. My last couple of Squier purchases a 40th Anniversary Squier Strat and 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster didn’t go so well. I had terrible nut filing issues and even a neck that doesn’t sit flat in the neck pocket of my CV Jazzmaster. However I kept both and did some nut filing, neck adjustments, etc. the Jazzmaster neck still has a small gap and doesn’t sit flat in the neck pocket although the screws are tight so I may have to totally remove the neck and check that out. However the pickups on both sound good. Keep up the great work!

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

I was really surprised this one came as solid as it did, but I'm starting to think perhaps the 40th anniversaries were particularly prone to those sorts of problems as I had similar ones with the ones I've had and all and all I like these ones a bit more - plus they are cheaper!

@scottcrowell6015 8 ай бұрын

I'm a classic vibe fan. I have the CV 50's telecaster, pine body, plays like butter. I play it more than any other guitar including my american strat and custom tele.

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

I’ve always thought the teles were the best of the bunch from that line as they are by far the simplest design of the bunch and it’s hard to screw up a tele.

@choccymilk666 2 ай бұрын

Definitely would change out the pickups for some mij stock pickups

@ak2112 4 ай бұрын

great demo/review. kept me interested through the talking and the playing was ace. good job dude.

@leeasbury7273 8 ай бұрын

Great demo! I've been wanting to try a CV Jag. Never have.

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

This is where I would start and I would say to buy one new. If you do that and it just doesn't work out for you returning it really isn't the end of the world and you don't really have anything to risk doing so.

@alexsargeson 3 ай бұрын

I rarely comment, but you gave a really well thought out video. Very informative and excellent playing samples. Lovely guitar. I have one arriving soon in sunburst

@AudiomoMusic 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for that, I appreciate it and I hope you love it when you get it!

@zachjarrett8730 2 ай бұрын

Props for the Music Man.

@AudiomoMusic 2 ай бұрын

Criminally underrated amp

@kappanastemme6782 4 ай бұрын

I went into to buy a Tele and happened to try out this cv jag and just fell in love instantly. It needed both an initial set up and several finetuning set ups to get it playing right but it's beautiful now. Ditched the 9s for 11s, slight nut adjustment and it's playing nicely.

@fasuto8656 19 күн бұрын

Love the demos man! You killed it

@AudiomoMusic 19 күн бұрын

thanks, i wish there were more jaguars fender made that i was interested in to make more videos of!

@GuitarsRgood7 2 ай бұрын

I've played a CV JM and it was really nice! I have tried 2 CV Jags. The first sounded really bad and made me think they all sounded bad. Then the same guitar shop got a second one, and I tried it and really liked it. It didn't stay in tune well after using the trem, so that system could use an upgrade.

@AudiomoMusic 2 ай бұрын

that's more than likely not a vibrato issue, that's likely a crappy nut file combined with the medicore at best bridge. Par for the course for CV guitars but exponentially more important for the offsets than strats or teles and luckily not very expensive fixes.

@cosmopoly 4 ай бұрын

I love my 70's vibe squire jaguar, it is since day one my go to guitar, I love it, it needs some tlc out of the box but nothing serious

@Kvn_7 4 ай бұрын

Have you done anything to avoid problems? 🤔

@uhoh007 7 ай бұрын

I just found one NIB for 399. It took the same setup love as all my cheap guitars. I put on 12-52 chrome flats. I'm in love. It was worth every penny for the short scale and range of tone. I hear the bridge is better with thick strings...I'll report.

@bciecko1 8 ай бұрын

The refin I did on mine was a seafoam version of yours. Mine has the angled neck pocket, does yours? Depends on the year yours was made. I believe in 2022 they started doing angled necks pockets on these. Don't quote me on the year they started that though. I know my Shell Pink from 2019 didn't have the angled neck pocket.

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

100% angled neck yep. Good to see they listen at times

@chasbee 8 ай бұрын

I have that exact guitar and am REALLY grateful to get your take on it, because I place a GREAT deal of trust in you over most all the other guys on youtube! I appreciate you mentioning not taking others advice as gospel as well. When I bought mine, I also ordered shims from stewmac because EVERYBODY said you're gonna have to shiim the neck, that's just how they are made. Got mine and I could see NO reason to shim the thing whatsoever (in my amateur opinion). Even tried taking it apart and putting in - I think it was .75 degree - shims, strung it back up etc. And thought "well that was worthless" and took them back out. Would love to hear opinions from any other actual owners, because I just don't see the necessity. I have also experienced the bridge moving out of position as you say, so I'm glad to have the tips you've gven. Gonna start with heavier strings. Other than that, one question Jim, out of curiosity. I thought I rememered you discouraging the purchase of the Squier Jazzmaster & Jaguar because the hardware was so bad? Had already purchased mine and thought "Well that sucks, wish I had known that." In any case, I've grown to really like mine. I don't ever see the day when I might have one of the higher, more expensive models to compare it to, so in my case, ignorance is bliss! LOL Really fun and enjoyable guitar IMO! And great review! Thanks much my friend, awesome as always!

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

When I said that about the guitars I meant from my end because I knew that right out of the box, I would want to replace the vibrato and bridge immediately. I am a huge advocate for the lock on the vibrato, and I would rather just put a more stable bridge in. I've mentioned I thought they were a great modding platform in the past and that is absolutely the deal with it for a lot of people - they really don't need much and if you don't need the lock the only thing I would really think about is the bridge itself since everything else as is works pretty well! I also purposely did not mention a shim in this video, I felt no need to because the action was already decent enough and honestly it wasn't something I wanted to fit in just for the sake of it. Every guitar is a little different and instead of buying things in anticipation of the worst I feel it's best for people to get the guitar in their hands and then evaluate what it needs to play to it's best. I'm happy you noticed and made a comment on that.

@naokisonoda-hq 8 ай бұрын

For me, shims were an absolute necessity. Without them, I could not get the height on the bridge necessary to create a workable break angle on the strings. However, if yours doesn't need shims, rock on! Maybe my setup needs shims because I use 9-42s. They may need a more severe break angle to compensate for the lighter tension they create in comparison to thicker gauge strings. Definitely not a luthier, but that's my theory. Congrats on loving your Jag--I think these are great instruments!

@jessethetodd 8 ай бұрын

I have a CV Jag and a CV Jazzmaster both 2021. The Jazzmaster iterally would not play without a .5 degree shim - but after installing and using .10s has been great. The Jaguar has never needed a shim and I've had great luck with both flat .12s and regular .11s (which I have used most). They're both rock solid stable too for me after giving the bridge posts a dab of loctite (because without it the bridges did sink pretty regularly)

@valueofnothing2487 8 ай бұрын

Awesome review!

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@carpathus 8 ай бұрын

That's a really good deal on that guitar at GC. Have a new Fiesta Red CV 50s strat on the way from SW so my guitar budget is on E at the moment. Cheers!

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

I saw those new FSRs at sweetwater, if only the green tele didnt have a matching headstock on it it'd be a fun guitar to have around

@gothampops 8 ай бұрын

With where pricing is I think it’s a good deal at the sale price. Great review Jim!

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

Thanks Marcus and yeah, nice to see something that isn't an import costing 1300+ these days haha

@gothampops 8 ай бұрын

@@AudiomoMusic Exactly

@christopherguzzi1316 8 ай бұрын

These are great guitars. Along with the Jazzmaster. I would say these have the highest quality hardware of all the classic vibe guitars. But they do require some setup. The essential one is to put loctite on the bridge post threads to prevent it from sinking.

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

Absolutely, the bridge in general has two weaknesses and the loctite solves one of em.

@bigferrents 5 ай бұрын

What a solid review. Appreciate the detail and tips !

@AudiomoMusic 5 ай бұрын

Thanks amigo, happy you enjoyed it

@andrewkrodel7976 8 ай бұрын

I wrapped the bridge posts with electrical tape and it resolved my issues. It’s a bad design as is. I believe the Johnny Marr has plastic sleeves that fit over the post to accomplish the same thing?

@compucorder64 5 ай бұрын

Sounds like a similar experience to my Mustang. Which is quite nice, apart from slightly dry/gray Laurel board, and trem/bridge needing a bit of TLC. Was thinking about these Jaguars, and having a look around after your recent helpful video that highlighting the Japanese Jaguars (could be a good band name?). One thing I saw that seems a good in-between option is the older original Vintera Jaguar (not the Vintera II). They are more 60s style, but with Pau Ferro rather than rosewood, which I would prefer to the maple 70s neck of the Vintera II. And the colours are nicer too, a light Surf Green, and a deeper Ocean Turqoise (with matching headstock colour). Plus, they're some 200 cheaper than the Vintera II. I think generally, the Vintera I are a great value buy. I got my Seafoam Green Vintera I Tele & Strat for about 700, second-hand on reverb, which is a good price over here (400 cheaper than a new Vintera II).

@scottclark7592 2 ай бұрын

After having them all- the american ultra or the squire cv 60s are the only two I would buy again. Vintera, performer, modified etc- leave at the store- if your like me!

@AudiomoMusic 2 ай бұрын

I’ve also had them all at this point with the modern line, you can get lucky with any of those lines but the only ones I trust to be built right and properly set up without any issues are the ones made by Fender Japan.

@scottclark7592 Ай бұрын

@@AudiomoMusic I didnt include thatin my assessment- but agree- my 80s japanese fenders are amongst the best.

@svenblau Ай бұрын

Where did you get those nic elooking guitar stands (in the background)?

@AudiomoMusic Ай бұрын

A really cool company called Zither makes them. They have a bunch of cool different woods to pick from and i love em.

@phillramirez8323 8 ай бұрын

Oh yeah you know its summertime when the Jag comes out got mine 60 CV squier white (Carl Wilson) clone Jag right beside me. Ready to rock out to some Beach boys. Awesome video Jim. You keep rocking man!😎🎸

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

Right on!

@AndyPrimeEX 4 ай бұрын

7:43 That has to be Haruka Kanata from Asian Kung Fu Generation. 🔥🔥🔥

@AudiomoMusic 4 ай бұрын

I like to throw Japanese songs into demos they often go unnoticed haha

@noelschultz3728 7 ай бұрын

I got mine today so far so good

@Graham_Reeves 2 ай бұрын

It's Squier in the UK!!! 😉

@AudiomoMusic 2 ай бұрын

spelling and playing guitar are not my two strongest assets

@DaleRobertSzyms 5 ай бұрын

Dude, I love your reviews, most KZbinrs usually play a bunch of fast metal leads and you really can’t hear what the guitar sounds like. I like that you play rhythm, and change the settings to get really good idea of the tones. I just picked one of these up when they were on sale, totally playable right out the box. I don’t normally play vibrato equipped guitars but as long as you don’t dive bomb it’s fine. You just got a new subscriber!

@AudiomoMusic 5 ай бұрын

I appreciate that, I have never enjoyed watching people just noodle leads or shred to "demo" a product so I try to keep it simple for my own selfish interests haha

@SolidMoses 8 ай бұрын

I've purchased the FSR charchoal metallic version of this a few years back and im so happy i did. The only mod so far has been the steytrem bridge which immediately felt like a huge upgrade. Might also replace the vibrato in the future, because the stock one is really noisy. Other than that, i can't even descibe what an amazing sound this thing produces. My favourite is the bridge + neck combo and also, the mid cut switch is so impactful! First time i played cissy strut on this, i fell in love. Only thing that disappoints me in most modern budget guitars, is the dry and dead looking fretboards (laurel or any other similar rosewood substitute). It looks bad, its super dry even after multiple oiling sessions through the years and it doesnt feel too good on the fingers. But that is my personal experience. Overall, i cant stop playing this thing. ❤

@vincemincevince 8 ай бұрын

i had a go od one of these the other day i was blown away at how good it was i tried some of the 60s version with dot inlays and they were awful.

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

That's kind of the experience i have with squire as a whole, i'm either extremely impressed or extremely disappointed.

@belmontbutty4143 8 ай бұрын

The used market, traditional switching is the way to go. Love Johnny Marr, hate the switching on his Jag. I've got a Fender Mexican lacquer - they're the sweet spot, and I changed out to a Mustang bridge and Panoramic trem block. You're right about the weight - about eight and a half pounds is the average. Love Jaguars, briliant guitars. Get one

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

I had one of the fiesta red versions of that Jag ages ago, think I got it on a clearance sale for 699... like a fool I sold it to help fund a move ages ago. Super skinny neck but a great guitar indeed.

@1980JPA 7 ай бұрын

Just recently founs you from the Schecter vid. Now going through somw of your vids. Definately subscribed. Vids are professional. You have enough variety of equipment for unending topics and your thoughts and opinions are based on experience with the equipment. The work you are putting in shows. Keep up the good work. Im here as long as youre making vids. 😁👍🏾

@AudiomoMusic 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for that, I just try to do the best I can without overproducing things. I have had a ton of fun doing this over the last few years and it makes me feel good knowing people find value or enjoyment from them. Appreciate the kind words!

@jackanghoff8320 6 ай бұрын

I bought one, the saddle kept coming loose and pulled into the guitar by the strings. The screws must have been stripped I guess? I also had to tune it every hour which was super annoying. Returned it for a player strat. I really miss the short scale length and texture you could get doing chords with a lot of distortion. I hope to get a real one at some point, but this particular guitar is way too finicky to be my main.

@AudiomoMusic 6 ай бұрын

Yep, unfortunately the cheap hardware can really set back any offset. The Japanese made stuff is the sweet spot for functionality, reliability, and price.

@jackanghoff8320 5 ай бұрын

@@AudiomoMusic I should check that out. Any Recs for Japanese Jaguars?

@Bliggick 6 ай бұрын

I was wondering what you thought of the CV Jazzmaster. It is my first and only Jazzmaster so i have nothing to compare it to. Seems like i got a good one though, no real problems stick out.

@AudiomoMusic 6 ай бұрын

Yeah they can be hit or miss, with the newer ones being apparently an update design in small but important spots

@nuisancemusic09 8 ай бұрын

Great demo! I hope in your future videos you'll demo Squier's cv mustang. Been thinking to buy one 😁

@AudiomoMusic 8 ай бұрын

Anything is possible, but if I get another Mustang it's more than likely going to be another Japanese made one :)

@compucorder64 5 ай бұрын

I have one of those, I got for about 300. Audiomo's take would be a lot more valuable than mine. But, if it helps any, here's what I would say about it. I got mine for about 300 b-stock. It's well finished, tuners are solid, back of the neck well done. It looks really beautiful - maybe the pickguard/pickups covers look a little plastic/cheap. The neck profile feels like a relatively flat, compared to other guitars. I like the sound, it's quite surfy. I might consider changing the pickups, maybe for Creamery ones. The bridge in particular is a little thin. Quite nice for surfy things, pretty Strat like, or maybe a little like this Jaguar. I prefer the neck pickup, sounds beefier, but like this Jag, a little muddy - but good with drive/fuzz. Pots actually feel better than the Squier CV Strat, and frets were better finished. Now the bad parts, the Indian Laurel fretboard is one of the drier, grayer and scratchier ones I've tried. But that can be addressed. Then the more problematic part. As it arrived the tuning with the tremelo, is the most unreliable of all the guitars I own (Strat, Jazzmaster Gretsch, Baum Wingman), so it needs a bit of care/work. So yeah, it's good, if you are able/willing to do a little DiY/TLC.

@nuisancemusic09 5 ай бұрын

@@compucorder64 Hi. Thanks for the feedback I really like the out of phase sound of the mustang (the crappy/sh*tty sound) thats why im planning to buy one 😅 what string gauge do you recommend? is 10s good or 11s?

@compucorder64 5 ай бұрын

@@nuisancemusic09 Yes, that middle sound too is nice and plinky plonky. You have to love the Mustang for what it is, a character guitar. And it comes into it's own with gain and a loud amp. And to be fair, for surf, shimmer, pop the bridge sound is different to my other guitars. Somewhere between a Strat and a Jaguar, I think. And I don't own a Jaguar. I think 10s is a happy medium, if you'll use it for barred chords and rhythm guitar. Unless it's mainly for the trem, then 11s might give it more stable tuning. You can use string lube on the nut slots and bridge contact points to help the tuning. And could also maybe lock the bridge tighter into position, and do the taping trick. It's partly just the design compromises, have to accept that for tuning stability & accuracy the order goes something like PRS > Telecaster w. compensated saddles > ES-335/Casino > SG/Les Paul > Strat > Mustang > Jazzmaster > Jaguar. Or something along those lines

@HappyHermitt Ай бұрын

I want one

@Bliggick 8 ай бұрын

I found a deal on Amazon and I got the matching Squier CV Jazzmaster in the same color. My estimate is very similar to yours and I am very happy with it. But what the hell do I know? This is the only Jazzmaster that I have owned. Nice guitar, but can't compete with a decent SG, mind you.