Jagmaster, Duo-Sonic or Other?

Shandrazar

I'm looking for a small (24 inch or shorter scale), not too expensive electric with a good neck and body that can take upgraded electronics and hardware fairly easily. It will eventually go to my daughter when she is old enough, but for now daddy will use it as an opportunity for me to learn about guitar repairs and modifications on something that isn't too expensive. When it finally goes to my daughter I want it to be a quality instrument she will be able to play well into adulthood.

The option I am leaning toward most heavily is the Squier Jagmaster. I'd like to replace the pickups with a Seymour Duncan P-Rails. I figure that gives my daughter the maximum versatility in terms of tone. I don't want to force her in any particular direction. Besides, it will give me a chance to experiment with P-90 tones in the mean time. I'd have to put in push-pull pots to take advantage of this. I'd also upgrade the tuning machines and the tremolo at some point. I assume a Strat tremolo will fit,since it looks like the stock tremolo is Strat-style. Do you see any potential problems with these upgrades?

Option 2 is a Squier Duo-sonic. Will this take Strat pickups, or am I limited to Mustang pickups? Being able to use Strat pickups would give a lot more options. I'm not sure what to do about upgrading the bridge, since it looks a bit like a top-loaded Tele bridge, minus the plate around the pickup. I don't know where to get a compatible replacement. Any thoughts on this one?

Those are the only options I know of for 24" scale in the price range I am looking at. In shorter scale lengths I am aware of the Squier Mini and the Ibanez Mikro. I'm not sure about the quality of the underlying wood at this price point. I'm also not sure if I can get quality hardware that will fit these guitars. Any thoughts about these or other guitars to consider? Thanks.

Fran

I'd probably go with a Jagmaster. Squier Duos and Cyclones seem to be harder to find and can be overpriced.

You could always upgrade the Jagmaster pickups and make them split coil then you would have the best of both worlds.

Btw, Mustang and Strat pickups are about identical.

JaguarOW

i wouldnt go for the very small guitars as they often go out of tune alot

How old is your daughter because my 8 year old sister plays just fine on a full scale tele (and she's tiiiiny)

Cymastar

Go with the Jagmaster. It will give her the opportunity to learn and experiment with a vibrato. it has contours for comfort (big plus since she's little. Also, since its routed for HBs you don't have to route "bigger" for anything, as single coils and P-90s will both fit no problem in that wide space...

Mustang-Pete

Yeah, I'd probably go with the Jagmaster too, although the body is quite big on them. The Duo's body is much smaller and it's really light, so that could be something to think about.

harrison

i'd say duo for the sake of avoiding the strat trem. also a jagmaster dosent have that fender sound because it has humbuckers, which is something to consider. the body size of the duos is very comfortable even without the belly contour, and it still has the arm contour. if you can get past the cinnamon pop tart color scheme duo wins in my book

Cymastar

Cinnamon poptarts are gross. Chocolate FTW! 😎

Shandrazar

Thanks for the replies so far.

JaguarOW, my daughter is only a toddler now, so I've got a few years on this. I'm fairly sure she will want to play some day, based on the way she will insist I play "Old McDondald" for her 10 times a day, but a big part of the reason for this project is for Daddy's benefit. It gives me a cheap guitar to practice mods on before I try it with my American Strat. I figure a 24" scale is small enough to make life easier for a child without being too small for me if she decides she doesn't want to play afterall. Like you, I've also heard that very short scales can be hard to keep in tune, but I assumed it was due to crappy tuners on cheap guitars rather than something inherent to the scale.

Harrison, in general I like Strat trems. I've read on the Fender forums that I might have to file 1/8" off the block of a Strat tremolo to make it fit in the thinner Jagmaster body, which is one vote against it. I'll take a Strat trem over the other Fender trem options. I've heard very little good about the trems on Mustangs / Jag-stangs, and on Jazzmasters / Jaguars. People seem to think they are the weakest parts in those designs, athough I'm sure I'll find people who disagree on this forum.

I was concerned about the ability to upgrade the bridge on the Duo-Sonic because it was a top loader. Most of the top loaders I've found on the web were cheap no-names, but I finally found the Schlaller 475 at Warmoth. I think this is compatible, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know?

I'm also more concerned with versatility than with a genuine Fender sound, although I'm hoping the short scale on a Jagmaster would make the inner coils on P-Rails quack nicely. I want to give my daughter as much room as possible to discover what sound is right for her. The versatility of P-Rails, especially the option for P-90 sounds, is a big vote in favor of the Jagmaster. Putting Strat pickups in a Duo-Sonic would also allow a good (but still smaller) range of options, especially if I used splitable Strat-sized humbuckers. I'll have to think some more on what the best compromise is there.

I do prefer the sunburst and tortise shell look of the Jagmaster over the cinnamon pop tart look of the Duo-Sonic, but I can live with that. Ergonomics are more important to me. If I follow this right, the Jagmaster has the larger body of the two, but its shape is better. Is there any consensus on which would be better for a child?

Mustang-Pete

Well, there are upsides and downsides (for a young person) to both designs. The Jagmaster is a really comfortable body shape, but it's big, and that might not be ideal for a little un. The Duo has a smaller body, but with no belly contour it might not be as comfortable to play. The colour is all down to personal preference.

Robbmonster

Yeah, If you want to mod, the Jagmaster is a good platform. Simple electronics, versatile routes.

As for comfort, for grown-ups, Jag body's are about as comfortable as you will find. But for a child, the body is large, and the alder is heavy. The Duo-Sonic, on the other hand, is much smaller, and is basswod, so also much lighter.

Of course, if you have several years to wait, you could always buy a Bullet, and spend the time modding it up: changing pickups, neck, and even bridge position to make it shorter scale. Cheap, not much to lose if you mess it up, a good shape and weight for a child, and available in pink 😉

Shandrazar

Robbmonster said: Yeah, If you want to mod, the Jagmaster is a good platform. Simple electronics, versatile routes.
As for comfort, for grown-ups, Jag body's are about as comfortable as you will find. But for a child, the body is large, and the alder is heavy. The Duo-Sonic, on the other hand, is much smaller, and is basswod, so also much lighter.
Of course, if you have several years to wait, you could always buy a Bullet, and spend the time modding it up: changing pickups, neck, and even bridge position to make it shorter scale. Cheap, not much to lose if you mess it up, a good shape and weight for a child, and available in pink 😉

How big a weight difference to you expect between the two? Would it be like the difference between a Strat and a Tele? A Strat and a Les Paul? I tend to play sitting down, and I assume my daughter will at least start that way as well. That should reduce the importance of weight quite a bit. I've also read that basswood is soft and doesn't handle abuse well. I expect a child's guitar to see a lot of abuse.

You mentioned moving the bridge on a Bullet. That's the kind of thing I don't want to get into. I'd rather not try that with a hand drill, I don't have room for a drill press, and I'd worry too much about messing up the intonation by drilling in the wrong spot.

Robbmonster

Shandrazar said: How big a weight difference to you expect between the two? Would it be like the difference between a Strat and a Tele? A Strat and a Les Paul? I tend to play sitting down, and I assume my daughter will at least start that way as well. That should reduce the importance of weight quite a bit. I've also read that basswood is soft and doesn't handle abuse well. I expect a child's guitar to see a lot of abuse.
You mentioned moving the bridge on a Bullet. That's the kind of thing I don't want to get into. I'd rather not try that with a hand drill, I don't have room for a drill press, and I'd worry too much about messing up the intonation by drilling in the wrong spot.

Weight difference would be considerable, I would think. Jagmaster weighs about 7.8lbs, and while I am not certain, I would think the Duo-Sonic would weigh considerably less. When you say strat/Les Paul difference, maybe not that much, but still definitely noticable.

Basswood doesn't handle abuse as well as alder, that's true enough, but if one doesn't get all Keith Richards amp-smashy with it, it should be ok.

As far as moving the bridge on a Bullet is concerned, the suggestion was based on you saying you had a few years to experiment.

To hypothosize, if it was my child and I had narrowed it down to those two guitars, I would probably go the Duo-Sonic, simply for the smaller body and lighter weight. I would stay away from the Squier Mini. I've heard nothing but bad reports

Mustang-Pete

Basswood is as good as any wood, when it comes to handling abuse. My Mustang (made from basswood) is as tough as old boots. Sure it's softer (my strap buttons kept coming loose, but filling them and re screwing soon sorted that) but it's fine unless you're gonna be doing a Hendrix at Montery or something similar... 😉

sonicmansuperb

The Duo Sonic would be more reliable, as it has a hard tail bridge and the strat trem tends to go out of tune with use. Also, Any guitar will take any pick up as long as the body and/or the pick guard is routed. If you want to know how to make pickup mounts on a pick guard, the duo-sonic will need to be modified if you want to put a humbuck on their.

Mustang-Pete

Can you route metal? 😲

funtoosh

you mean the duo pickguard?

but is it really made of gold-anodyzed aluminum, or only of lookalike plastic?

Robbmonster

According to the official specs, it's actual Aluminium

http://www.squierguitars.com/products/v ... %3B+%9150s

Mustang-Pete

Yeah, it's definately aluminium. It's exactly the same material as the one my brother put on his P Bass.

funtoosh

oh, so you english (uhm, scottish) & aussie lot say aluminium as well? i always have to concentrate on where i have to leave the i out ...

JaguarOW

funtoosh said: oh, so you english (uhm, scottish) & aussie lot say aluminium as well? i always have to concentrate on where i have to leave the i out ...

never leave the i out or it will give you 8 years bad luck