“Far, far from limited to our man in terms of its potential use”: Fender Johnny Marr Signature Special Jaguar review

What is it?

Johnny Marr’s first Fender signature guitar was a celebration of the Jaguar but also with a hint of, ‘okay, let’s fix the bits that don’t work’. This new Special Jaguar follow-up doesn’t really change the sentiment except for the obvious addition of three lipstick pickups (that we associate with Danelectro, of course), which replace the custom-wound Bare Knuckle Jaguar-style pickups of the original.

You’re certainly not going to mix up the iterations; the lipsticks’ unique appearance in their domed split-tube chromed covers almost adds a boutique-style mash-up vibe.

The bright plating also matches the guitar’s lower control plate and upper shoulder ‘rhythm circuit’ plate, plus the additional treble-side chrome plate, which originally held three slide switches to switch each pickup on/off, and the classic ‘strangle’ switch, which mounts the four-way lever switch for pickup selection here.

It’s not the only change as, like the original, there’s no rhythm circuit: that bass-side chromed plate holds the ‘universal’ bright switch and another bright switch for the lever switch position 4 (bridge and neck in series). On our new model the addition is the lowest-placed third switch, a three-position switch specifically for the middle pickup: off, on and solo’d.

Pickup and control changes aside, the guitar follows the original JM Jaguar with its all-nitrocellulose gloss finish, although this time the only colour offered is black. Its offset body is still alder and also features subtly enhanced body contours, while the maple neck retains its vintage style with the body-end truss rod adjustment and a profile based on Johnny’s 1965 Jaguar, like the original.

While vintage-style ‘small’ frets are retained, this time they’re on a more modern 241mm (9.5-inch) radiused rosewood ’board; the first version used the original 184mm (7.25-inch) camber.

Another area that Johnny tweaked was the classic offset bridge and vibrato tailpiece. The former swaps the individual threaded-rod height-adjustable saddles for the Mustang style, which uses three different-diameter solid-brass barrels (each with a central string groove) to create the string camber, which can’t move.

The original signature had wider vintage-style string spacing of 56.5mm; here that’s narrowed to 52.5mm and, as a result, the outer strings sit in a little more.

Another tweak is the nylon ‘locks’ for the bridge’s needle-point height-adjustment screws, which stop the screws moving as the originals tend to. Here, these are stainless steel and larger in diameter than the standard Fender screws. There’s also another nylon collar for the push-in vibrato arm, which means it’s not only tight‑fitting, but it stays put where you want it and is also really responsive to the lightest of touches.

Many of the tweaks for the original guitar – and that feature on this new Special, too – were conceived with the help of the late Bill Puplett, Johnny’s long-time repair person of choice.

For example, Johnny shares that it was Bill who suggested swapping to Kent Armstrong lipstick pickups for this Special. Meanwhile, the hardware tweaks, such as those bridge-post locks and the vibrato arm stabilisation, were conceived by engineer John Moore of Staytrem fame.

Specs

• PRICE: $2,999/£3,099/€3,649 (inc case)
• ORIGIN: USA
• TYPE: Offset double-cutaway solidbody electric
• BODY: Alder
• neck: Maple, custom shape (based on Marr’s ’65 Jaguar), bolt-on
• SCALE LENGTH: 610mm (24”)
• NUT/WIDTH: Synthetic bone/42.6mm
• FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, ‘ivory’ dot inlays, 241mm (9.5”) radius
• FRETS: 22, vintage style
• HARDWARE: Fender Jaguar bridge with Mustang saddles and vintage style ‘floating’ tremolo tailpiece, split-post tuners — nickel/chrome plated
• STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm 
• ELECTRICS: 3x custom-wound Kent Armstrong Johnny Marr single-coil lipstick pickups, 4-position lever pickup selector switch, 3x slide-switches: Universal Bright Switch, Bright Switch for lever switch position 4, middle pickup off/on/only. Master Volume, Master Tone
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.89/8.56
• OPTIONS: None
• RANGE OPTIONS: Original Johnny Marr Jaguar (£2,619) features a pair of Bare Knuckle Jaguar-style single coils and is available in Olympic White and Metallic KO (red)
• LEFT-HANDERS: No
• FINISHES: Black – gloss nitrocellulose neck/body
• CONTACT: Fender

Usability and sounds

Offset guitars can be heavy thanks to their enlarged bodies, and this sample isn’t the lightest we’ve played, though it is trimmer than the original 2012 sample we had for evaluation. Strapped on, it has a very centred balance and, while it has that shorter scale, it doesn’t feel small. It’s a very comfortable feel.

The same can be said for the neck profile, which is quite full in the hand, even in lower positions where it’s a lot thinner, depth-wise, at 21mm than it is by the 12th fret, where it measures 25mm. This vintage-style profile is also structurally very sound and there’s zero neck-flex here.

You really need to get your head around the expansive possibilities that the array of switches offer – particularly before you head off to a gig. First of all, it might have three pickups like a Stratocaster, but you can also run it as a two-pickup ‘Telecaster’ (like the original JM Jaguar), and that depends on where you set the lower-placed three-position push-switch on the bass-side panel.

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Pushed up towards the headstock, the middle pickup is out of circuit so the four-way switch on the treble side gives us bridge, both, neck, and neck and bridge in series like a Telecaster, with the four-way switch series mod.

Move that lower push-switch to its centre position and the middle pickup is now added to the first three selector-switch positions, creating bridge and middle, all three, and neck and middle, while the previous series sound is now just the middle pickup. Finally, with the switch pushed down towards the bridge, the middle pickup is solo’d in all positions of the four-way switch.

Then we have the two bass-cut switches: the universal bright switch (the top one) moves left to right, or treble to bass side. In the treble-side position it’s bypassed; in the bass-side position it’s active on all selections on the four-way selector. The middle switch is another bright-switch, but for the bridge/neck series sound. To add to the confusion this switch moves north to south, or up and down: in up position it’s on; in down it’s off.

To warm up our test amp, we use a ’69 Telecaster with its long-serving Fender Custom Shop pickups and four-way lever switch to add the bridge/neck series voice. And the Special sounds a little polite in comparison. That’s no bad thing, though, as the lipstick voices have something of a purity to them.

There’s a lot of attack, but at the bridge there’s a relatively smooth high-end. The snap continues with the neck pickup, although it’s a fuller and richer sound, of course. Quickly soloing the middle pickup – and, yes, it sits nicely between those two extremes – it’s easy to hear why Johnny Marr wanted to effectively highlight this voice.

Bridge and neck in series is the biggest voice on the guitar, but it only appears with the middle pickup out of circuit. Switching the middle pickup to on (but not solo’d) we get bridge and middle (in parallel), which adds some Strat-y bounce.

Likewise, neck and middle while all-three on (again in parallel) is a subtle shade in between: all three selections are a little softer sounding. We’re beginning to feel spoiled for choice. The two bass-cut bright switches obviously thin out the low-end and enhance the honk.

If you’re after articulate clean jangle and chime, well, this is your vehicle, not least with some – or quite a lot of – modulation. But while that may be a major draw, the Special works extremely well with some much more gained sounds, like a good Danelectro, from spluttery fuzz to heavier and much heavier voicings. Here, again, those bass-cut switches really work, tightening the low-end, and are a great tool for band playing and recording, helping to focus the sound.

One thing to note is that the tone control – which is wired a little differently from standard, and has a lower value capacitor – gives a very usable range and seems to slightly reduce the volume as it’s initially rolled back. Subtle, yes, but another useful sonic-shaping tool.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★½

It certainly does what it says on the tin. This really is a Johnny Marr tool with all the brightness and articulation his style demands, but it’s far, far from limited to our man in terms of its potential use. It also builds on the sonic options of his first signature: there’s a bit more Strat in here, plus that ‘all round’ middle pickup, which can be solo’d.

Yet dig a little deeper and there’s a lot more to enjoy, especially when you get your head around the switching options, not to mention the very usable tone control, which does a pretty usable jazz-box impersonation when rolled down, before you turn it back up and launch into Spaghetti Western twang. It loves a pedalboard, too, and takes on yet another character with fuzz and overdrives.

Guitar World verdict: At the time of writing, it is the most expensive USA production Jaguar – nearly double the price of the recently introduced Professional Classic – so its considerable appeal will be somewhat limited, but it remains a beautifully crafted piece with very sensible upgrades and those stellar sounds. A serious outlay, then, but also a very serious and considered pro-level and quite unique instrument.

Hands-on videos

Fender with Johnny Marr

Introducing the Johnny Marr Signature Special Jaguar: A Conversation with The Smiths Legend | Fender - YouTube

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Empire Music

Fender Limited Edition Johnny Marr Signature Special Jaguar | EMPIRE MUSIC - YouTube

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• Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar Signature review
• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.