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This is fun. Here's my 2 cents worth concerning Jags and JMs and
surf guitars in general ...
My first "real" electric guitar (aside from the homebuilts my Dad
made - awesome LP-like guitars, though!) was a brandy new custom'63
Jag, when I was 17. You were the cat's meow to show up at a school
or church dance with one of these (also bought a Deluxe with a
separate reverb tank). The Jag was ... terrible. Partly due to the
short 24" scale but mostly cause I didn't have my playing chops
nailed down tight.
For retro surf, a Jag or JM is perfect. Just not for me.
Arguably, you can play good surf with almost ANY electric (given a
decent amp and support FX), but push comes to shove I'll take a Strat
anyday. IMO, a box-stock Strat works extremely well for lead or
rhythm surf. And with a simple mod (wire the 2nd tone pot into a
neck blender volume pot) you can get the neck/bridge pup combo for
more surf tones (and a closer sound to a Jag). And the the clincher
is that - unlike a Jag or JM - there are SO many stock size
aftemarket Strat pups to choose from, offering a humungously varied
spectrum of sounds, that you can tweak the tone 'til the cows come
home.
My final comment - and this is MY opinion - is that a Strat's trem is
easier to setup, play well and remain stable, as compared to the
Jag/JM trem contraption. Also, there are SO many aftermarket Strat
trems to choose, should you want something a better than a vintage 6-
screw Fender trem.
This is NOT to say that any one guitar is "better" OR "best", these
are strictly my opinions and favorings. YMMV. Rob.
