A truly phenomenal example of one of Fender's most revered offset electrics has just arrived at our shop - a beautiful and original 1962 Fender Jaguar in its original three-tone Sunburst finish!

This October 1962 build is about as complete as you'll ever see a first-year Jaguar, showing off the early version flatpole pickups and dark Brazilian Rosewood veneer fingerboard along with a vibrant and unfaded finish. All of the hardware is intact and original to the instrument (including the factory mute and bridge cover) and the electronics reveal undisturbed solder throughout with original pots, switches, and pickups.

The guitar was originally sold through Westchester Music in Los Angeles, California and sold to one L.R. Herst on December 21, 1962 as evidenced by the original sales receipt that also shows a written serial number that matches the one on the guitar's neck plate. To further highlight this Jaguar's collectability status, it also includes the original guitar strap, hang tag, and adjustment wrench along with an included set of period Fender strings and a Pyramid Chromatic Pitch Instrument pitch pipe. The accompanying brown tolex hardshell case is in great condition with some light to moderate wear on the exterior (some of the brown end cap vinyl is missing along with some staining on the top and some corner rash on both ends) while the interior plush lining remains very clean. Latches work perfectly with strong springs.

Plugged in, this Jaguar delivers great chime and bounce, with the classic top end jangle and fundamental clarity these are known for. Both pickups measure identically in terms of output on our multimeter, coming in at 7.02k each. The original stackpole volume and tone pots reveal pot codes of 304-6232 respectively, dating them to the 32nd week of 1962. Both Rhythm and Lead circuits remain unchanged from the factory. The factory tortoiseshell pickguard shows very minimal shrinkage with no cracks or breaks, and just some light pick wear in play areas.

Pulling off the pickguard and removing the original vibrato tailpiece reveals all of the common tells of a factory original Fender from this time period - clear, distinct nail holes free of finish along with a dark, legible pencil body date of '10/62' in the vibrato tailpiece cavity rout, and a clean neck pocket. The butt end of the neck shows a clear ink stamp of '1SEPT62B', incidating model (1 = Jaguar), Month and Year, and nut width (B = 1 5/8").

Let it be clear that as clean as this Jaguar is, it was not simply a display piece or case queen. It does show some signs of typical play wear by way of some light worming on the back of the body, some small dings and scuffs along with 2-3 moderate scratches and/or nicks (lower bout forearm contour area and treble side area). Frets do, however, remain in great shape and still maintain nice height and shape. The fingerboard is very clean and free of depressions or divots, and the back of the neck only reveals 1-2 small dings that can be felt. Original single line Kluson tuners work great, and the original decal is fully intact. The neck carve is a great example of a '62 profile, with a slim/medium oval C shape at the 1st fret that tapers up to full/medium C shape at the 12th fret - super comfortable and easy to play!

Finding a great pre-CBS Fender Jaguar is one thing, but finding one with the collector-grade status that this one proudly displays is another. Examples like this don't come by too often!

Please Note: We pride ourselves on thoroughly vetting each vintage instrument we sell. If you have specific questions about the condition or originality of this instrument, we invite you to call us to discuss further. We're here to help!

• Alder body w/ original 3-tone Sunburst finish
• Maple neck w/ Brazilian Rosewood veneer fingerboard and original frets
• Original Kluson single line tuners
• Neck stamp: 1SEPT62B
• Medium C neck profile: .80" @ 1st fret / .97" @ 12th fret
• 24" Scale length
• Original Jaguar flatpole single coil pickups: 7.02k each
• Original wiring harness and pots: 32nd week of 1962 pot codes
• Original tortoiseshell celluloid pickguard
• Original hardware through
• Body pencil date: 10/62
• Weight: 8lb 3oz