Jag-Stang by Fender
The Fender Jag-Stang is an electric guitar designed by Kurt Cobain, of the band Nirvana, intended as a hybrid of two Fender electric guitars: the Jaguar and the Mustang. Cobain suggested his idea for an instrument to Fender, resulting in two left-handed prototypes built by the company's Custom Shop, only one of which was ever played by Cobain himself.
Cobain's prototype Jag-Stang had a Fender Texas special pickup in the neck and a DiMarzio H-3 in the bridge. (The H-3 humbucker is not available as an individual product but the closest sounding one is the DiMarzio DP158 Pickup.) The production Jag-Stang includes a vintage style single coil pickup and one special design humbucker, each with its own toggle switch which a player can use to switch from on, off, or out-of-phase settings. It employs the Mustang's Dynamic Vibrato bridge and like both of its predecessors, it has a 24" short scale neck (an exact replica of Cobain's favorite neck, from a Fender Mustang).
There has been some criticism over the quality of the pickups and the overall lack of craftsmanship of the Jag-Stang, but many owners argue that this makes the guitar unique and in a way epitomizes the grunge mindset of its designer. Many Jag-Stang owners have subsequently modified the guitar from stock level with reportedly impressive results.
Originally produced in the fall of 1995, after Kurt Cobain's death, Fender Japan reissued the Jag-Stang two years after its 2001 cancellation due to popular demand. Fender once again discontinued importing the Jag-Stang from Japan as of May 2006.
