I hear people always saying that the Jaguar sucks for distortion, and I'll have to have humbuckers installed. Can the Jaguar sound distorted?

YES, YES, a million times YES!!! I’m tired of these myths. Yes the Jaguar can make a distorted sound. All though, it is true that the Jaguar pickups, were not created with the idea of having the thick gain-y sound of humbuckers. So… if you feel that you want more distortion out of your Jaguar, you may just need to look at an amp or pedal that can generate more gain. So don’t feel pressured to jump on the bandwagon and start carving out your Jaguar for a humbucker, before looking at more reasonable (and not permanent) options.

[From Nick’s Jaguar FAQ]