Fender vs. Squier: Do The Player II and Affinity Jaguars Still Sound Like A "Real" Jaguar?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 พ.ย. 2024
- It seems there have been a few hot takes in the offset community lately about the stripped-down Player 2 and Affinity Jaguars. Some people are questioning if they even deserve to be called Jaguars anymore since they’re missing a rhythm circuit and strangle switch. But you know what’s really missing from the conversation? A proper comparison video. Lucky for you, I’m here to fill that void. Let’s dive in, shall we?
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Anyone else here from the r/offset subreddit???
I hope!!! cause I love r/offset!
@@JasonTMays what about guitarcirclejerk?
@@two50ne77 I am a part time lurker in that subgroup. lol
Yup. I'm having a spot of GAS. I could either get my roof fixed or a Jaguar.
@@flappentash I mean...roofs are important and all...but...Jaguar. lol.
I like the Affinity but holy smokes it needs a different pickguard color.
Yea, I was thinking of hitting up deco boom and getting a different guard.
There's something so bittersweet and melancholic about playing Everlong on a Jaguar 😞
Indeed!
From the album: Pumpkins Play Foo
Still waiting to see a video like this with the Jazzmasters. Awesome work!
I might get around to doing that at some point.
Would have loved a comparison with the Squier 70's Classic Vibe, which has all the traditional Jag features at a fantastic price.
I didnt have a classic vibe on hand and I kind of wanted to focus on the Affinity and Player II series since those are rather stripped down.
Thanks Jason,You Rock!!!
Not a problem! Glad I could help. :)
The clean sound scalates with the range, being the vintera the most twangy
I love JM and Jaguars but honestly never use the switch of both so i never mind missing the switches but for the pure sound i would go to the vintera
@@jokerpanda yea! I was kind of surprised how they differ in sound yet retained that jaguar jangle…especially the affinity model!
I know a lot of people don’t use the switches so I’m just glad those folks have options as well.
Longtime Jag owner here, the Affinity caught me by surprise. I dug the sound of it, maybe more than the others. I think if these were out 16 years ago when I got my Jag, I would've reached for that Player II Jag. It ticks all the right boxes if you're new, not a purist, and open minded. I definitely would've reached for the Affinity too over those old Jagmasters.
boom!!!! I think you hit the nail on the head!!!!!
I don't care what it is-I love the sounds it makes.
EXACTLY!!!!! If you love how it sounds it doesnt matter.
Indeed!
@@JasonTMays Honestly, Working Class Music has been pretty influential to me in terms of "if it sounds good, it is good". I thank you for that!
@@goosegaskins not a problem! That’s been our mantra and I think people over think these things. If it’s not for you, that’s okay. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good guitar for someone else.
@@JasonTMays Exactly! As I get older, I just fall back on, You know, there are a lot of really gnarly things that people could be into-I'm not gonna be mad if someone thinks a Strat is better than a Tele. 😂
Jason, great video!
First rule about assessing a guitar, get your hands on it. I've lost track of how many guitars I liked the LOOK of but as soon as I played it, no way. A Rickenbacker 330 comes to mind, looks fierce, I can't really work with it. The opposite also holds true, sometimes a guitar is not visually interesting but as soon as you pick it up, it feels, sounds, and plays right. I have a Schecter S-1 Elite and I used to own a Epiphone Sheraton 2 that fell into this category.
Last, if you want the real thing, than nothing is going to deliver like the real thing. I can tell you that this DEFINITELY applies to both Gretsch and Rickenbackers, just buy what you want and I hope it delivers what you are expecting.
The Squier Affinity is genius in that you can mod that guitar so much with all the Strat pickups out there. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting Bournes mini pots, a good capacitor (I go for Orange Drop 47 as it goes darker than a 22) and a Switchcraft jack. If you can do this yourself you are looking at less than $25 on Amazon and you will be surprised at how good even the stock pickups sound. If I had this I would go for GFS pickups and once you have the wires soldiered you can easily swap pickups with the wiring system they have in case you want to try several styles. The Brighton Rocks would look cool and give you more of a Burns guitar punch than chimy Strat.
While I love the Telecaster formula (two pickups, volume, tone, switch) the Player two looks really bare and more like a Teisco than a Fender. Now, Gunstreet Wiring has an interesting five way setup that Emily from "Get Offset" has on her baritone Tele that I think would really redeem the blade switch. Had I designed this I would have opted for the Jazzmaster style toggle instead of the blade. With two extra settings I bet the Player 2 would become a "Player Slayer!"
As far as a more traditional Jaguar, it's not my thing but I definitely think you should buy what you want. If you buy the Squier and mod it when you REALLY want a Fender Jaguar, it's going to cost you so much more and you will never be truly happy because from the start it was a "stand in" guitar. For me the Affinity would be great used and mod it after that, the Player 2 would be great used and then do the Gunstreet Mod. The 70s Jaguar, I love the looks of a Jaguar (my favorite is the Johnny Marr model) but feel wise the Jazzmaster is more of my deal than a Jaguar so my money would go for a Jazzmaster before a Jag.
Again, get your hands on one and usually with 20 seconds you will know if it works or doesn't work for you.
I agree!! funny enough, I wrote off the butterscotch Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Special because It wasn't a traditional JM. but I tried it and I love it. But I agree, trying something off before writing it off is a mindset we should encourage.
@@JasonTMays
My first "proper Offset" is actually a Xaviere JT 100 that I rewired (stock neck, body, and pickups) and fell in love with. Again, I go to the "Tele Formula" on it and the stripped down looks are more pleasing to my eye than the Player 2 Jaguar. I do plan on upgrading the Trem and bridge to Haylons when I get a chance. The nice thing with off rand Offsets is that they already give you flavors that Fender doesn't offer, or if they do, are much less. I have my eye on a Vintage brand Offset with P-90s so I can upgrade that (probably Lollars and a Mastery Trem) and none of the purists will get bent out of shape.
Now my first "Offset" guitar is actually a LTD Viper 400 I bought in a record store for around $240. While everyone want to call it a "SG" clone due to its horns, body wise it's an Offset with the heft of a Les Paul. You get 24 frets and it's a heavy metal guitar. Mine came with Seymour Duncan Custom 5 (bridge) and a Jazz (neck) in it. I decided to add a Bigsby B500 vibrato (originally on a Vibramate but later deck and moved further back like where a Wide Swing Tremolo would be). I added two push/pull pots for the volume (coil split) and tone (in and out of phase) and upgraded the knobs to black Tele domed knobs with white pearloid tops (it matches the flag inlays). So this guitar is in limbo so to speak, it looks good (Whiskeyburst (what I call it) finish, black hardware, Grover tuning keys, an Earvana Nut, a roller bridge (upgraded with Bigsby) so it definitely looks like it COULD be factory but really it is far more than one would expect.
If someone wants a Metal or Hard Rock Offset, definitely these are a great place to start. The only down side is they are Bass guitar heavy weight wise.
That affinity is interesting! Love that they did the big headstock too!
Also - great video MayMay! A winner as always!
Right!!! I love the big headstock!
Also, I love and miss you my dude!! Hope all is well. :)
@@JasonTMays right back at you my friend!!
The Vintera II has the full Jaguar circuitry so it’s more versatile. The others are limited by the simplified circuitry that post CBS Fender apparently loves to enforce whether we like it or not. It’s like if Chevrolet came out with a car they call a real Corvette, but they put a 6 cylinder engine in it, and gave it 14” tires….
@@artamussumatra6286 I disagree, I think there are a large group of people who don’t mind a stripped down Jaguar without the rhythm circuit and strangle switch. I guess my point is we have options at varying price points, so for the folks that want a traditional Jaguar, there’s the Vintera 2 and classic vibe. For those that want a stripped down, player 2 and affinity.
Thank you for doing this; it was very informative. I was more than anything amazed by how different the traditional Jaguar pickups sounded on the two Fenders; honestly it seemed like the Player II sounded more like the Affinity than the Vintera (though some of that may be break angle and resonant length behind the bridge, maybe?). I agree though, not a bad guitar among them, once you get past the kneejerk "that ain't no Jagyuwar" response.
I agree! I think if folks just enjoy these things for what they’d be a lot happier. But even then, we still got our traditional jaguars with all the dressing. Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video as always Jason - in this instance I really wanted someone to discuss the Affinity and Player II models and actually offer some decent HANDS-ON opinion rather than whine that one or the other is "stupid" for some minor and largely irrelevant reason. Much appreciated. Prefer the sunburst Affinity however, that mystic metallic brown with a white guard looks....off!
Not a problem!!! I appreciate the kind words, and yea that’s what I thought just judging from the promo photos. But, imo it looks a lot nicer in person. 🙏🏾
The Affinity and Player Jags sound pretty darn good, better than I expected in the case of the Affinity, but yeah, the Vintera II wipes the floor with them both sonically.
Its my opinion that it looks better too; part of having a Jaguar, like it or not is the look of all those chrome plates, whether you use the rhythm circuit or strangle switch or not.
For the price Fender are asking, would it be too much for them to just slap some blank chrome plates on the Player 2? It looks almost the same as the Affinity and it's more than double the price.
Yea, they sound amazing. I think the chrome plates might go a long way with making it look more the part. But I will say the Affinity and Player II look identical they definitely dont sound and play identical.
Vintera is where it's at. Sounds exactly how you expect it to and in a good way.
I appreciate everything you do.
Thank you! :)
And yea, I love the Vintera! it's an awesome guitar.
Is their a squier affinity version that has the normal switches and circut?and reg pickups..
Nope. That’s the classic vibe.
You have done the guitar community such a service today honestly thank you for putting a lot of these annoying people to rest. They never deserve to have an opinion in the first place so thank you for shutting them all up.
You are quite welcome, my job here is done!
This video was really needed - shows that all three of these sound like a Jaguar at their core, with them just being variations on a theme. The main thing I noticed was just a change in brightness, but the overall character of the guitar sounded the same - I'd be intruiged to see what pots are in each of them (I'm suspecting 250ks in the Affinity).
Your suspicion are correct 250k in the affinity, but thank you! The main point I was trying to get across is at its core, it’s still a Jaguar, just different variations for different people.
Best Jaguar - squier contemporary 🗿
It’s awesome! 👏🏾
Will you change the pickups on the Affinity Jaguar? Hot Rails? Single-coil-sized humbuckers? Lipsticks?
I’ve got some Strat pickups that I’m going to drop in there. Would definitely put a hot rail in there.
Personally liked the player II best. I probably cut wood to get the rhythm circuit in. I’m a bridge pickup guy only but the rhythm circuit comes in handy when using a lot of effects and burying the high end.
Thats rather intuitive. The Player II is a really good mod platform.
The video I've been looking for!! The affinity....I actually preferred the sound the most. In my ears, it sounded pretty similar to the player II. Take the color of the Affinity, the classic wiring setup from the Vintera, and the neck and pickups on the Player II and there ya go. A damn good Jaguar haha
Hopefully it doesnt disappoint!
I know Stratosphere is gonna be booming when these starts showing up on there.
@@JasonTMays are they back? Last time I tried their site it didn’t exist.
@@radiobobb22 Yep! it's on Ebay now.
sobs in MIC Squier Jagmaster
🥲
Those folks must have missed the memo; "Strawberry Fields, NOTHING is real and nothing to get hung about." So to them I say "Nyah".
Nyah indeed!
@@JasonTMays I hope you heard the Skeletor voice when I said that :)
@@mooseymoose oh! I did!!! lol. 😂
I love my player II Jag, it’s great.
That’s awesome to hear!!!
Nice presentation, predictable outcome.. thank you 👍
Now please do the same for the jaguar bass versions? ( requires some “older models” since Fender does not produce the best versions anymore (Like the 2007-2013 japan version)
I’ll have to get my bass chops up for that and beg papa sweetwater to make that happen.
I love my American Pro Jag, but I bet it sounds wildly different than these due to the V Mod pickups which are pretty thick and high output compared to typical Jag pickups. At least I think?
I think you are correct, the V-Mod pickups are definitely a bit hotter. Not a bad thing per se. just different.
I would get an Affinity just to mod the hell about of it
It’s a great mod platform!
Yup..love that afinity jag. It sounds best but feels so bad.
Yea...but for the money it definitely punches well above its price point.
So I got the mystic brown Affinity Jaguar because it was cheap at GC. The quality overall is very good. It’s not a jag in the traditional sense but it has a cool vibe… definitely should have named it the panther or bobcat. I want to upgrade the pickups but to what? Strats?
Also wish the neck was sprayed with a musky tinted lacquer just looks and feels like it’s going to get dirty and weird.
@@Wheelhouseprojects yea, it’s definitely NOT a traditional Jaguar. But it’s still sounds like a Jaguar and retains enough of the dna to warrant the affinity Jaguar header.
I’d say do Strat pickups, but it depends on what pickups you’re after. I always say antiquities or anything EP custom.
I feel like I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to features on offset guitars. The fundamentals of a Jaguar are short scale, rhythm circuit, and a strangle switch. To produce one missing those core features is just pointless because it was already perfect so why dilute it? It feels like they’re butchering the design purely to cut costs. Idk it’s just frustrating when the Fender offset designs are the best guitars of all time, but they choose to ruin them by changing the fundamentals.
I disagree, I think the thing is there a ton of people who want a stripped down Jaguar without the strangle switch and rhythm circuit. I think it's a good thing because that gives us everyone's more options which leads to more people playing offsets. So, thats a win to me.
@@JasonTMays I don't see how it's "more options". Just buy a different Fender if you don't want these features. Fender all ready has too many guitars with only one volume knob.
@@zachshipstead5247 Because believe it or not, there are a lot of folks who like the Jaguar without the rhythm circuit and/or strangle switch. Just because you dont like something or want it doesnt mean everyone else feels the same. Besides like I've shown in this video, the Vintera II still exists and we have the classic vibe.
would you ever do a video like this but between different series of JMs?
Absolutely! I got my AVRI62, Ultra, and MIJ traditional that I’d love to do, throw in the player 2 series for good measure.
put the vintera neck (and maybe pickups) on the player 2 and i'm down. hell, put that neck on the affinity and i'll swap in some fancier pickups or something. just gimme that maple/black block inlay setup on everything always forever
Dude! You should hit up stratosphere and see if those necks and bodies are available and do that! It would look awesome!
I actually really liked the Affinity, overall, in some ways over the Player 2.
Yea! I was surprised at the affinity!
I'm diggin the affinity jaguar for modding purposes. I do have to say it looks 'off' without the metal rhythm plate. Same with the player 2.
Without it, it looks like the guitar has a mullet. Al the metal party is in the back, business at the front 😅.
Now on a hardtail jag like the Blacktop no metal Rhythm plate looks sweet because there's less metal. I dunno, just my 2 cents
Honestly, I kind of want to use AI to add a mullet to both the affinity and player II. lol
@@JasonTMays haha do it! Need to see that
@@eertje01 It shall be done! lol.
Radiohead riffs are always a pleasure to hear, but I can't put my finger on the clean demo riff. I hear the song in my head, but I can't recall name. Some channels put desriptions on the video indicating where the riff is taken from. For some people these are obvious, but it can introduce people to a lot of good music if these are clearly states on the video itself.
Everlong by Foo Fighters or at least my attempt at it. lol.
I think the big fuss around the player2 jaguar it’s because these days a big part of jaguar fans are kids and post covid tourists, and they prefer jaguar over jazzmaster or other guitars because of the shiny chrome plates and kurt. So when fender takes away the shiny parts and the bloc inlays they are not happy. It’s not really about the rhythm circuit or the strange switch they never used. It think it’s more about the look (even if they dont admit it). See they took away the rhythm circuit on the jazzmaster player2, no one even talked about it.
Nah, the big fuss was definitely around the lack of a rhythm circuit and/or strangle switch. The argument seems to be that fender is taking away features…and offering a stripped down version. Which my counter argument has been that fender has never released a traditional Jaguar in their introductory series (be it squier or fender) and they’ve only offered stripped down versions in those series and that the classic vibe and Vintera 2 are still around. But the chrome part isn’t that big of a deal cause you can get a chrome plate and add that to the upper bout without any routing.
ive never heard someone pronounce it jag war
Yea…screw the “u” lol.
It’s revealing how the individuals who want a proper Jaguar with a rhythm circuit and strangle switch are portrayed as being unrealistic, inflexible, pedantic or whatever other negative adjectives.
Everyone enjoy your guitars- but keep in mind that the elimination of features doesn’t make a guitar ‘modern’, and it’s not being ‘stuck in the past’ mentality- it’s about wanting to use a rhythm circuits and strangle switch. Thats it.
The degree of defensiveness that some people have in justifying Fender’s insistence on not releasing an entry level Fender Jaguar with proper electronics is strange.
They offer it in the Squier CV lol
Yes…because how dare fender offer a stripped down bare bone, basic version of a guitar in a line up whose whole existence is predicated on offering a stripped down versions of guitars to meet a certain price point while still offering vintage correct versions in their more vintage accurate series.
@@JasonTMays yet *somehow* Squier offers a CV with a rhythm and strangle circuit for substantially less than a Fender
No need for sarcasm here- they do it simply to manipulate the market towards upscale guitars or *worst* case scenario they strengthen their Squier lineup with sales.
Voicing this isn’t being petty, unreasonable, picky, dissatisfied-with-everything.
It’s just *It would be great if Fender offered an entry level Jaguar with rhythm and strangle switches”- somehow that is interpreted super negatively and ppl try and justify it saying it’s ‘modern’ (?), to keep it at a price point they need to have it stripped down (Squier CV has it though).
My guy, I'm not here for the video. I just saw the title. It should be "do", not "does". You're welcome.
Thank you!!! 🙏🏾
Jaguars are not for me, but have some engagement anyway.
Thank you, kindly! Engagement is always appreciated!
I think the vintera is the best.
Agreed, I liked the Vintera the best as well...but the other two are pretty damn good as well.
Hmmmm.... to me, only the Vintera had that percussive clang that I love in a Jaguar. Also, that affinity is screaming for a black pickguard, that huge piece of white plastic looks cheap.
Yea, im gonna experiment with the pickguard at some point.
"Try playing it before forming an opinion."
*looks around*
We're on the internet, right? I didn't miss a right turn somewhere?
lol.
I mean the interwebs is gonna interwebs. I think that was just me ribbing on the folks who got in their feelings just because the affinity and player 2 exists.
@@JasonTMays I thought that Affinity sounded amazing. Not just for the price, either. Don't even ask what I started playing on 47 years ago.
@@oldmanzen6682 Dude! the affinity is a hidden gem! I think it sounds awesome.
@@JasonTMays Yeah, I'd seriously consider picking one up to strip and stain in a nice burst, but I've already got a Jazzmaster waiting for that treatment.
I preferred the Affinity on Everlong, but man did the Vintera II sound “right” on Optimistic. The Player II sounded fine on both, I just liked the other two better.
The affinity is awesome! But the Vintera 2 is just amazing all around! I like all 3!
My thought has always been that the player series and the affinity series have been modern entry level takes on these guitars. So to complain about them not being “real” is silly. Squier offers a vintage style Jag and so does Fender in the Mexican line up. I do understand the American line is missing a true to spec vintage Jag but that could easily be fixed if they add one to the American Vintage II line.
@@BullFrog96 I agree 100%!!! I think a lot of folks are missing that point. I agree, we could use a vintage spec’d Jaguar in the AV2 line up! But everything you said is spot on!
@@JasonTMays Here is the issue though. The same people complaining about the player II Jag not being a real Jag will just complain that the AV2 Jag is too expensive and they need a cheaper option with those specs. So we end up going in these circles and you can’t make anyone happy. I can understand hate for the original player Jag because it had humbuckers. But now you got your single coils and they sound great. Both the Jazzmaster and the Jag would be my two overall picks to get from the new player II line. They are the most interesting entries. The teles, strats and other bass options are just standard options in my opinion but the Jag and the Jazzmaster really shine out as interesting picks in the line up.
@@BullFrog96 FACTS! I mean, to be real with you those same people complaining about the player 2 already thinks the Vintera 2 costs too much. So an AV2 Jaguar would probably be a nonstarter for them. I’d be interested to see what Fender does in the future, so far despite the controversy the player 2 jaguar is selling rather well.
@@JasonTMays I hope it sells well. It should. It’s a great entry point into offsets. I just picked up a 2003 CIJ Jazzmaster and absolutely love it. I won’t be getting another guitar for a while now but I was originally planning on getting the new player Jazzmaster but when I found the CIJ Jazzmaster 60s reissue for $150 more than a new player II Jazzmaster I had to have it.
If they are to be modern guitars- they should have modern features
The elimination of features doesn’t make something modern
‘Modern’ features:
1. Staggered locking tuners
2. Compound radius neck
3. Stainless steel frets
4. Truss rod accessible via heel
5. Sculpted heel joint similar to Charvel
6. Other features etc etc
The Jaguar has none of these- except rounded fretboard edges which may or may not be considered modern
Again, ‘modern’ is a Fender marketing message that ppl are eating up.
They eliminated features and are telling the guitar public this makes it somehow updated an modern lol
In all seriousness, though very bluntly: If you truly want to be considered a "voice of authority", learn how to tune a guitar. Having the network to provision the guitars doesn't automatically make you come off as knowledgeable, while horrible tuning makes you sound like a hack.
If the tuners are slipping, intonation can't be set, nut is binding, or proper bridge travel not working, then mention that. If you simply cannot tell when you're out of tune, just make sure to tune between every take so that you can verify it visually instead of relying on your ear.
So far as "forming and opinion without playing", I think it's pretty easy for people to look at the features and determine if the models are even worth looking into. It's great that you're actually doing a sound comparison and all, but I think that's beside the point of the so-called "hot takes". It's a bit of a "ship of Theseus" exercise to work out what deserves to be called a [INSERT MODEL NAME], which can even be a bit of fun to discuss, but sounding like the model isn't enough to make it that model in a great many people's estimation.
But hey, I guess you got your engagement anyway.
You’re right, I did get my engagement.