Fender Jaguar Guitar Survives & Thrives; Celebrates 50th Anniversary

The Fender Jaguar electric guitar is 50 years old now. Unveiled in 1962, it was the last of the guitar maker’s four most famous electric guitars to be introduced, and, as it turned out, the last major six-string creation of the enigmatic genius whose name adorned it. And while it might not be as omnipresent as its big-brother electric guitars of the 1950s, the Telecaster and the Stratocaster, and its closest ancestor, 1958’s Jazzmaster guitar, make no mistake: The Jaguar is a survivor with a great history, and you have heard it.

From the Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix in the ’60s all the way to Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Smashing Pumpkins in the modern era, the sleekly chromed-out Jaguar has blazed its own unexpectedly successful trail through the history of rock music. Like some kind of “little guitar that could,” it has surprised nearly everyone by continually finding its own distinctive place with each successive generation of guitarists, from harmlessly sparkling old-school pop to subversive alt-indie cool and beyond.

“One of the reasons I really like Jaguars is they’re a little restrictive for me to play, and that’s a good thing,” said Johnny Marr, noted guitarist for the Smiths, Modest Mouse and the Pretenders to name only a few. “I have to work within the limitations of the guitar. So it gives me a really strong direction. I can’t get too ‘blues rock’ on it, as it’s too feminine to play power chords on it.”

Alone among Fender’s four main electric guitars, the Jaguar was a child of the 1960s rather than the 1950s. When it was introduced in 1962, the Jaguar was intended by its creator, Leo Fender, as his company’s top-of-the-line model. But things haven't always been easy for Leo Fender’s cool cat. Extinction has threatened the Jaguar on several occasions over the past half century. In the end, though, there’s just no keeping a great guitar down.

Here in its 50th anniversary year, the Fender Jaguar is back in style and looking way hotter than any 50-year-old has a right to. The Jag’s rock ‘n’ roll cred is equaled only by its irresistible retro-chic allure. This distinctive instrument’s anniversary comes at a time when popular culture has fallen in love with the Mad Men era—the early-’60s glory days of crisply tailored suits, extra-dry martinis and sleek European sports cars.

Very much a product of that same zeitgeist, the Fender Jaguar in fact takes its name from the undisputed apotheosis of Euro automotive design. The Jaguar E-Type was introduced in 1961 and was immediately praised as “the most beautiful car ever made” by none other than Enzo Ferrari. Fender’s Jaguar made its debut the very next year. It is one of the last instruments that Leo designed for Fender before selling the company to CBS in the mid ’60s.

Introduced at a retail price of $375.50—about 25 bucks more than the Jazzmaster, which was Fender’s next-most-expensive guitar—the Jaguar was featured in an ad that hailed it as “the ultimate in design and precision.” A stylish black-and-white photo paired Fender’s new top-of-the-line beauty with its automotive namesake. The ad was the handiwork of real life “Mad Man” Robert Perine, who created Fender’s youthfully eye-catching late-’50s/early-’60s ad campaigns.