Fender Blacktop Jaguar 90 review

This latest version of Fender's sixties offset switches out the dual humbuckers of the existing Blacktop Jaguar HH for a pair of sweet-sounding P-90s. Like the HH, the new Jag comes sans the vibrato unit that plagued/made the original guitar.

In its place, the Jaguar 90 features a chrome Adjusto-Matic bridge and anchored tailpiece that suffers none of the tuning problems often present in the sixties guitar and its reissues.

This Jag's alder body, slim-profile maple neck, big headstock and the crucial 24-inch scale length offer just enough Jag-style vibe to keep this guitar clinging to a branch on its family tree. Those looking for a cool alternative to a Gibson Les Paul Special should give it a go.

Sounds

If P-90s have passed you by, imagine them as fat-sounding single-coils; the chubby vibe is here in the Jaguar 90. Clean tones are bright, yet well-rounded, in all positions on the three-way switch. Add some overdrive for a lovely clang when you hit power chords with the bridge pickup engaged.

There's more edge on this alder- fuelled guitar than you'd expect from mahogany-bodied P-90 planks, but all those rock, mod and punk tones are in here. That edge also helps the clarity of the overdriven neck pickup, making it perfect for upper- fingerboard blues licks.