Scored a Fender Jag-Stang

I received a pretty good coupon from Sam Ash a few weeks back.  It was good on new AND used gear! 

I went to the local store and checked out their used inventory.  I didn't really see anything and was about to leave when I spotted a Fender Jag-Stang in Fiesta Red on the wall toward a corner.  How had I missed that with my first pass!? 

I used to have a Jag-Stang years ago.  Honestly, I hated it.  I didn't understand it.  I tinkered with it and more or less screwed it up.  Finally frustrated with it, I gave it away to a friend. 

Now being older (and hopefully a little wiser), I decided to play it and embrace it for what it is (an incomplete concept guitar). 

Firstly, I plugged into a nice tube amp.  I only own tube amps now.  I didn't own any tube amps when I owned my original Jag-Stang.  It sounded surprisingly good!  I really love the out of phase single coil neck pickup with the bridge pickup on.  It gives the guitar a unique voice!  But each pickup also sounded pretty good on its own.  I'm not sure if they are the same pickups as the older Jag-Stangs but I was happy.  I wish I would have known better when I was younger (read that as stupider).  I had replaced the pickups in the guitar thinking it was going to make the guitar into something better. 

I also didn't understand the floating bridge.  Now, having owned a Jazzmaster for some time, I not only understand it but love it!  It is why the Jazzmaster is capable of returning to pitch when you use the whammy bar.  The entire bridge moves back and forth so the strings don't bind on the saddles. 

Two things the guitar was missing when I bought it were the correct knobs and the whammy bar. 

I purchased the whammy bar and re-educated myself on american fine spline split shaft knobs versus metric coarse spline knobs. 

Ordering the knobs wasn't as easy as it should have been as I was short shipped on my first order.  That reminds me to put together a list of companies I have dealt with and had positive experience as well as a shit list for companies who have screwed me in some way.