Is it worth getting a USA over a MIJ.CIJ ?

chazzerpermungus

Hey

I'm very close to buying an american jaguar now, but I still haven't been able to understand what it is that makes the USA jaguar over

jacksonjackass

The woods are generally better and the american is better finished (ie frets level, neck smooth and fast)

I still don't think it warrants the

gilmourish

if you have the moneyyyz just get a USA because you can lol

jacksonjackass

It depends.

If you are willing to spend a bit of time setting up the japanese, then you may as well go for that. Just remember that it will need to be set up and intonated more frequently that the USA because the wood aint so good.

Same goes for jackson guitars (gilmourish 😉 ) - They need setting up a lot wheras ESPs are much better although the necks feel a bit sh!te

gilmourish

actually mcpedo, it is widely known that esp's under like the 600s are pretty rubbish.. for liek a 500 quid guitar they dont all have like emg or duncans. . FR's are rubbish. .the finish in real life looks pretty tacky and overall they aint that cool.. they just sorta ripped off the styles of every other company. . however the actual ESP's rather than the LTD's are obviously awesome cos theyre so well made

jackson invented the original "superstrat" style guitar with the awesome headstock and they provide excellant quality for moneyyzzz, and mine was perfect outa the box thanks 😀 and the same goes for Jackson, the high end USA ones are win

but lower end jacksons (like 300-500) are wayyy better than the ESP's of the same price range.. .

JaguarOW

the AVRIs have better hardware and pickups and are generally of a higher quality

however, id suggest trying to have a go on both and seeing if the difference warrants spending an extra

ModNuB

Ok...The truth is that the "set-up" is a very very very personal thing so saying an American is "setup better" is crap cause you will probably want/need it changed for your liking anyways. My set-up would piss a lot of players off cause I use big fat strings (12-13s sometimes flat wound), I like higher then average action & wound Gs are a MUST for me even when playing "light" 10s.

As far as fit & finish goes when compairing USA vs Japan fenders I don't think you can say that an American standard will beat a Fender Japan every time. Both have their quality control issues. But I've played some MIJ/CIJ strats that put to shame my AmerStand. I will admit that the pups on US Fenders are "typically" better but pups are easy/cheap(ish) to replace in contrast to the money saved when buying Japan vs USA.

The truth is that you should play a guitar before you buy it if at all possible. If not the very one you will buy @ least the same model. I've personally got to a point where my give-a-$hit is broken when it comes to what name/place is on the freakin' headstock. If I like it (& have the $) I buy it. As far as getting a "better deal" from a .com I don't think so. When you buy from a local shop you get that shops name standing behind the guitar which means when you need work they will help you out usually for less & you support local buisness which is better for your town. Also most (if not ALL) will match prices w/ the .com's.

Earth

There's a ton of minor differences and I've spent a bit of money on Americanizing my CIj Jaguar. The only thing left thats japanese is the wood. Given the chance to do it over, I would just buy AVRI. I'll never buy another Jap Jaguar...Mustangs,sure, they are fine and are very close to an original (I have a 1966 mustang) and can be fixed up for not too much $$$.

robertoriginal

i do believe with all my heart that the american jags are better, i can say this becuz i owned an OTC 2003 jaguar avri and it was my favorite guitar for years,(i had to sell it to pay some bet bills)

and since then i have owned 2 jap jaguars.

its not just some wood or paint, or a bit of better parts.

its the whole thing. if you tried to mod a jap jag into an american, and bought a case, you would end up spending more in the long run.

if you got the cash, get the american, you will love it!

hiorgos

i've never played an american version, but my CIJ is super comforable to play, the action in the freatboard is really nice! It feels like a good guitar, with it's own personality.

I agree about trying both first..

Earth

The Neck and Body on Jap jaguars (and jazzmasters) is perfect, perfectly built too. Its just everything else on it that is complete junk. Tuners excepted as they are what Fender Corona use anyways, they are Gotoh's and are indeed very good quality tuners.