Fender 62' AVRI Jag

[Wittgenstein]

Bought this from an old guy in Sacramento who said he bought it new from guitar center and then just left it in his closet for 13 years. He met me with his slightly-less-old-but-still-plenty-crusty brother-in-law in tow, a rather rough looking fellow whose face dropped into a scowl after I accidentally used the word "preclude." True, it's a pretty douchy word, especially for a guitar pickup, but man, this guy really held that against me.

Anyway, it was pretty obvious no one had touched the thing. The pickguard cellophane was still on it, even. The neck is really nice. Took it apart, turns out it's a 2003 (more or less what the guy said). I really didn't like the tort, so I swapped it out for a spitfire mint guard that I had around. Also swapped out the bridge for a staytrem, and the tailpiece for a mastery. Now it plays really well. More stratty than the AV65. Prolly gonna sell it, though.

[popvulture]

Well it looks dope, though! Just don't like the feel? How does it sound?

[Wittgenstein]

The neck is very nice. The pickups are decent, but not as good in my opinion as the newer AV65 pure vintage jaguar pickups. Honestly, I just have way too many Jaguars right now, and I just went crazy and bought a real 1962 Jaguar a few hours ago...so something's gotta go.

[popvulture]

Ah, I gotcha. I was trying to chase down one of the AVRI 62 JMs for a while, but ended up going with a new AV65 because a friend at a guitar shop said basically the same thing. Gotta say I love the simpler, non-bound necks though.

That's fucking rad about the real '62! Pics! I have a '65 that I love, but it's badly in need of a refret. Need to get on that, but for some reason it gives me anxiety.

[Muff_Diver]

How does the mastery trem compare to the avri?

[Wittgenstein]

Ah, I gotcha. I was trying to chase down one of the AVRI 62 JMs for a while, but ended up going with a new AV65 because a friend at a guitar shop said basically the same thing. Gotta say I love the simpler, non-bound necks though.

That's fucking rad about the real '62! Pics! I have a '65 that I love, but it's badly in need of a refret. Need to get on that, but for some reason it gives me anxiety.

The problem with the AVRI neck is just that it's too new (the guy told me he'd played it maybe three times ever, at his church). The profile is really nice though. I think it would be a great neck once broken in a little. The pickups are on the thin side, even for a Jaguar. And tbh, not a lot of character. The pure vintage pickups are really excellent. I've owned an obscene amount of Jaguars at this point, and, for my tastes, they're up there with any pickups I've ever played, including vintage.

How does the mastery trem compare to the avri?

It completely blows it away. I was a reluctant convert, because I like seeing the "fender" logo on the tailpiece, but after trying one on a Danocaster offset, it couldn't be denied...the upgrade is too big to ignore. I even put them on my vintage Jags now.

[popvulture]

I haven't tried a Mastery trem yet, but I've been dying to. I will endlessly sing the praises of the bridge, though—I put one on my Jag and it was an obscene improvement. Also have one on my JM.

And yep, the AV65s are pretty special (those are the pickups you're talking about, right?). I feel like they're pretty much Custom Shop level.

[Wittgenstein]

I'll make a thread on the original 62' once I have it in hand. Probably sometime middle next week.

And yeah, I'm talking about the AV65 pickups (I think they call them "pure vintage" pickups).

The mastery bridge is amazing, and really delivers. However, I actually think it over-delivers in some respects. For example, I think it increases the sustain of a Jaguar too much, making it sound too much like a strat. That's why I prefer the staytrem...it retains that dinky, plucky, zero sustain Jaguar tone. Less of a problem on Jazzmasters, I'd imagine.

[popvulture]

Ahhhhhh gotcha. I love getting a little more sustain

[coldbrightsunlight]

Yeah I like the staytrem more for that reason. Rad that you're getting a real 62! Would love one of those, my jag (mid 80s MIJ) is a real keeper but I've never tried a vintage one.

Interesting about the mastery trem, always assumed it wouldn't make that much of a difference.

[Wittgenstein]

The action (i.e. smoothness, accuracy, etc.) of the vibrato is massively improved with the mastery tailpiece. It really is a big difference.

[indianDYsummer]

Cool looking jag! I totally dig the mint guard addition.

How's the neck profile compare to AV65? My complaint with '62 jazzmasters was that the necks were just a tad too skinny for my liking. Never played an '62 AVRI jag though. Love the AV65 necks tho.


Btw, nice to see some norcal jaguars in the wild! I used to think I was a jazzmaster guy, but I've started to hoard jags and am not looking back! I have two marr style ones, and i'm thinking of adding one with the vintage switching.

[Wittgenstein]

AVRI jags are just as skinny as the Jazzmasters. Very thin profile.

I'm a fan of the AV65 neck also.

I just can't bring myself to buy a Marrguar (and I'm a Jaguar fanatic). Jags are still decent buys, but the prices are going up. I think the Marrguar has made them popular again or something. Vintage prices are going up pretty fast, and nearing Jazzmaster levels. Crazy. Gary's is asking 10k for an original black 64'!

[indianDYsummer]

The neck on the marr is fantastic. Pretty beefy but super comfortable. The finish is nice. I like the switching, but I think both style jaguar switching options have their merit.

I'm gonna peel the signature off the headstock though.......

[Wittgenstein]

Marrguar is less beefy than the AV65 neck though, right?