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Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar
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Playability
67
Sound
73
Build
70
Value
60
Score
70
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Playability
75
Sound
76
Build
72
Value
64
Score
74
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Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster vs American Original 60s Jaguar

Reasons to Get
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster over American Original 60s Jaguar

Number of Frets
21 vs 22
Warmer neck pickup
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 24'' (609.6mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Reasons to Get
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar over American Original 60s Jazzmaster

Pickup Mods
High-Pass Filter vs None
Attenuates the bass for a less muddy tone
Number of Frets
22 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Scale Length
24'' (609.6mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Value Score
64 vs 60
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster vs American Original 60s Jaguar

Bridge Pickup
Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster vs Fender Pure Vintage 62 Single-Coil Jaguar
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster vs Fender Pure Vintage 62 Single-Coil Jaguar
Different Neck Pickup

Shared Features
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster vs American Original 60s Jaguar

Body Wood
Alder
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Bone
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
2
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
2
Same tone control
Pickups
SS
Beautiful cleans
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.825'' (21mm)
Same neck comfortability
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.975'' (24.8mm)
Same neck comfortability
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Tremolo
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Vintage Tall
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Prices

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Fender American Original 60s Jaguar Prices

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender American Original 60s Jaguar is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's 70 score, although not by a lot.

The Fender American Original 60s Jaguar wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster in every aspect.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender American Original 60s Jaguar is the better choice.

The Fender American Original 60s Jaguar meets 7 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster meets only 6. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Original 60s Jaguar
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Overview

  • From Fender's 2018 American Original series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 9.5" Fretboard Radius
  • Alder body
  • Maple neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Vintage-Style Floating Tremolo with Tremolo Lock Button and Push-In Tremolo Arm bridge
  • Mid 60s C Bolt-On neck
  • 21 Vintage Tall frets
  • Pure Vintage Single Line Fender Deluxe tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Fender American Original 60s Jaguar Overview

  • From Fender's 2018 American Original series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24"'' scale
  • 9.5" Fretboard Radius
  • Alder body
  • Maple neck
  • Round-Lam Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fender Pure Vintage 62 Single-Coil Jaguar (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Fender Pure Vintage 62 Single-Coil Jaguar (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Vintage-Style Floating Tremolo with Tremolo Lock Button and Push-In Tremolo Arm bridge
  • Mid 60s C Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Vintage Tall frets
  • Pure Vintage Single Line Fender Deluxe tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are SS. SS is the classic Telecaster configuration. It's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion, and it's very popular for the country genre because of their brightness. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.

Pickups Quality

Both come with some of the top pickups on the market. You can't go wrong with either of them. You'll probably never need a pickup upgrade.

You can purchase similar pickups to the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's and use them on any guitar:

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender American Original 60s Jaguar's online:

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Tie.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Only the Fender American Original 60s Jaguar comes with some kind of pickup modification: High-Pass Filter.

You can use a High-Pass Filter to attenuate the low frequencies and get a less less muddy tone with more clarity. This can be useful when playing in a band, as it helps separate your guitar from the rest of the instruments.

They both share the following switching options:

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster and Fender American Original 60s Jaguar pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster and Fender American Original 60s Jaguar's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Fender American Original 60s Jaguar.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 68
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 73
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 78
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 76

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster compares to the Fender American Original 60s Jaguar.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

In this case, both have Bone nuts. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

Both come with a similar bridge: Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. Both come with Pure Vintage Single Line Fender Deluxe.

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • High-Pass Filter Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
Quality of materials 61
Features 55
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 70
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar
Quality of materials 61
Features 60
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 72

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42mm (1.654'').

This is considered a narrow width for a 6-string guitar. This means that this guitar will have a narrower string separation at the nut, which will affect your fretting hand.

If you are a player with big hands, you might find it difficult to play chords without muting strings. However, this is good for players who have smaller hands, as it will allow them to reach each string more easily at the nut.

Scale Length

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's Scale Length
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's Scale Length
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar's Scale Length
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The Fender American Original 60s Jaguar is only 24" long. This is a 1.5'' (38.1mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster and the Fender American Original 60s Jaguar have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster and the Fender American Original 60s Jaguar have the same fretboard radius of 9.5". This is the most common radius for Stratocaster guitars. It's considered curved when compared to most other models. This allows you to play chords very easily without muting strings accidentally and gives you more space between strings for fingerpicking. However, this curve also gives the guitar less allowance for lower action. If you bend too hard at the high frets, some of your notes might get muted because the curve will make the string fret out.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison are balanced for most hand sizes.

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster and Fender American Original 60s Jaguar Frets Size
Both have a similar Vintage Tall fret size

Both have a Vintage Tall fret size. This is a confusing name for a fret size because vintage frets are known for being short. However, this size usually means that the crown width is narrower than most modern frets, but the height is a bit taller than the usual vintage fret. You should feel the fretboard when playing with these frets, but they're not as hard to press as real vintage frets.

Final Playability Scores

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 60
Playability 67
Fender American Original 60s Jaguar
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 90
Solo Playability 60
Playability 75

Specs Side-by-Side

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster vs American Original 60s Jaguar
General Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster American Original 60s Jaguar
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2018 2018
Configuration: SS SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: American Original American Original
Colors: Sunburst, Blue Sunburst, Blue, Green
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Alder
Bridge: Vintage-Style Floating Tremolo with Tremolo Lock Button and Push-In Tremolo Arm Vintage-Style Floating Tremolo with Tremolo Lock Button and Push-In Tremolo Arm
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Pure Vintage Single Line Fender Deluxe Pure Vintage Single Line Fender Deluxe
Fretboard: Rosewood Round-Lam Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: White Pearloid Dot - 7mm White Pearloid Dot - 7mm
Scale Size: 25.5" 24"
Shape: Mid 60s C Mid 60s C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.825'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.975'' (24.8mm) 1st Fret: 0.825'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.975'' (24.8mm)
Frets: 21 Vintage Tall Nickel Silver 22 Vintage Tall Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 9.5"
Nut: Bone Bone
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 42mm (1.654'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Pure Vintage 62 Single-Coil Jaguar (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Pure Vintage 62 Single-Coil Jaguar (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Bell
Pickup Mods: None High-Pass Filter
Volume Controls: 2 2
Tone Controls: 2 2