1964 Fender Jaguar – Black

1964 Fender Jaguar – Black

We present an all original 1964 Fender Jaguar in it’s original Black finish with a matching headstock. Made in Fullerton, California.

History

The Fender Jaguar was introduced in 1962 as Fender’s new top-of-the-line electric guitar, positioned above the Stratocaster and Jazzmaster. Designed with a shorter 24-inch scale length, newly developed switching options, and a sophisticated vibrato system, the Jaguar represented Fender’s most advanced production model of the era. Although initially marketed toward professional musicians, the Jaguar would later become an iconic instrument associated with surf music, alternative rock, and countless influential artists.

This pre-CBS Fender Jaguar is finished in its original Black custom color finish — without a doubt one of the rarest and most desirable finishes offered by Fender during the early 1960s. Original Black pre-CBS Fenders are exceptionally scarce compared to examples produced after the CBS takeover in 1965, making this a highly collectible and desirable instrument.

Condition

Overall, the condition of this great Jaguar is absolutely stunning. It features a dark rosewood fingerboard with clay dot inlays, while the matching headstock remains in remarkable condition.

The neck features a comfortable C-shaped profile and displays natural play wear along with plenty of vintage mojo. The original double-line Kluson tuners function perfectly.

This Jaguar retains its beautiful original Black finish, showing honest signs of use including nicks, dings, belt buckle wear, and other cosmetic marks accumulated over decades of playing. Particularly noteworthy is the visible wear pattern, where the Black lacquer reveals both the original white undercoat and a grey undercoat beneath. We have observed this exact finish construction on several original Black Fender custom color instruments from the same period, and it is precisely the type of factory-correct finish layering vintage collectors and enthusiasts hope to find. The additional undercoats were applied by Fender to achieve a rich, deep Black finish while ensuring proper coverage and consistency.

The original frets still have plenty of life remaining. New mute foam has been installed, making the original flip-up mute fully functional. The mint green pickguard remains flawless with no cracks.

Originality

This remarkable 1964 Black Jaguar is all original. The two original single-coil pickups with black bottom are exceptionally well-balanced and deliver the unmistakable Jaguar tone. We have added new foam under the pickups to allow proper height adjustment, as the original foam had compressed over time. This is a normal, non-invasive maintenance procedure on vintage Fender instruments and does not affect originality, similar to changing strings.

The pickups, electronics, and wiring remain completely untouched and intact, with no broken solder joints, rewound pickups, or replaced components. Everything is original and 100% correct.

Finding an original pre-CBS Jaguar in Black with a matching headstock is exceptionally rare, making this a highly desirable collector-grade example.

Comes complete with its original Fender non-logo hardshell case. The case shows significant wear along the sides and has been reinforced with duct tape over the years. Despite its cosmetic wear, it remains fully functional, with all latches and the original handle intact and in working order.

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We are more than happy to provide further photos upon request. Simply contact us by email or phone for details, including close-up and internal photos of the instrument.