In February of 1993,right before In Utero was recorded,Cobain collaborated with Fender on the design of what later became know as Jag-Stang.

Acording to Mark Wittenberg,who was director of artist relations for Fender until he died of a brain aneurysm on February 14,1995:

"We were contacted and told that Kurt had an idea for a guitar.His favorite guitar was a Mustang,but there were things about the lines of the Jaguar that he really liked,too."

Wittenberg and builder Larry Brooks met Cobain at his apartment in Hollywood,where they discussed his plans for a guitar that combined the aesthetics of a Jaguar and a Mustang,hence the name "Jag-Stang."

The guitar Cobain envisioned featured a Mustang`s neck and upper bout and a Jaguar`s lower bout.

He later sent Fender an illustration and specified a small,pre-CBS style headstock,double-coil Duncan Hot Rail bridge pickup,a Mustang single-coil neck pickup and several suggestions for the body shape.Cobain also sent Fender the neck of his favorite Mustang for them to copy.A couple of different versions of the body were sent to Cobain for his approval,and once Fender came up with a shape he liked,the prototype was completed.

The prototype had a large,CBS-style headstock,a Dimarzio H-3 bridge humbucker,a Fender Texas Special neck single-coil and stock Mustang hardware.According to Jim Vincent,Cobain`s guitar tech on the In Utero tour:

"Kurt wasn`t really all that happy when he got the first Jag-stang.He liked his Mustangs much better,even the new ones.For the month he had it,he hated it and wouldn`t play it because there was no contour--it`s as thick as a Telecaster--and it was kind of misbalanced.It was really tough to set up.Earnie immediately swapped out the pickups.Right when we got it,he routed it out and put a Duncan JB humbucker in the bridge."

Bailey also installed a Tune-O-Matic bridge on the guitar.Eventually,Cobain grew comfortable enough with the Jag-Stang to use it on rare occasions for an entire show.