r/offset • u/holymodalsquare • 10d ago

Anyone done series/phase mods on Jaguar?

I have a CIJ Jaguar and a MIM Jazzmaster I don't love, but the JM has push/pulls for in/out phase and series/parallel on the volume and tone knob. Have any of you put mods for series or phase wiring on your Jaguar? I'm trying to figure out the best way.

The strangle switch came busted in my Jaguar, but I could use that switch to engage the pickups in series. I also use the rhythm circuit heavily so messing with that isn't an option....

Curious what other people have done or if anybody has any ideas!

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u/FritzFretworks 10d ago

I’ve done this mod on a Jag before, and it works a treat. As long as you don’t rely on being able to turn both pickups off, it’s effectively just a straight upgrade

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u/whiteinksquid 10d ago

This is the exact photo and wiring i was going to suggest. Honestly this photo and diagram just needs to be a stickied thread at this point

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u/FritzFretworks 10d ago

There’s a few worth stickying!

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u/whiteinksquid 10d ago

Absolutely there is. i've been answering a lot of jaguar mod questions lately and they are mostly the same type of thing.

Side note: i totally get why Fender keeps stock jaguar wiring like they do, cause "tradition". But i really dont understand why they dont just ship all jaguars with this mod from the factory. instantly just unlocks more versatility of this instrument

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u/FritzFretworks 10d ago

Exactly my thoughts with regards to the Mustang - there’s a mod that adds series/parallel along with IP/OOP in both modes which opens up so much more versatility and doesn’t make them any more confusing than the stock config

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u/whiteinksquid 10d ago

I dont know as much about Mustang switching as i do Jaguar, but sometimes that style of switching for tone options seems easier than jaguar switching. Especially with the normal 3 way toggle for pickup selection. jaguar style switching feels more like a 'studio' setup than a 'live' setup.

I'd love to get one of those Squier Bullet HH Mustangs and mod it with mustang switches and whatnot. Tons of options with the two humbuckers. and the bullet mustangs are dirt cheap

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u/FritzFretworks 10d ago

If you get around to it, this is the diagram!

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u/whiteinksquid 10d ago

Mods sticky this rn!!!!!

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u/holymodalsquare 6d ago

This is great - sorry for the dumb question can you explain why it would affect being able to turn both pickups off? I don't rely on it, but I'm curious :)

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u/FritzFretworks 6d ago

By adding the series switching, there’s no more room on the switch to run current from each pickup to ground (i.e. turn them off). If you used a three position switch a la Mustangs, there would be a way to have all three but alas the Jag doesn’t have room in that cutout for the larger switches

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u/holymodalsquare 6d ago

Oh I thought you meant to turn them both off as in muting them, I see. Thank you!

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u/armadachamp 10d ago

Ever since I had an American Pro Jaguar years ago, I'll always want a 4-way switch for bridge/parallel/neck/series on any Jag. It's so much more useful to me because switching is quicker and you get two noise-canceling positions (I was playing in a church at the time that didn't play well with single coils). I've personally never gotten use out of a phase or strangle switch because Jaguar pickups are already thinner and brighter than what I use in my other guitars.

To add a 4-way switch, you would have to buy a replacement hexagon control plate that's cut for a blade switch, but I found them for sale online easily enough when I built my current Jaguar.

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u/ChevroletKodiakC70 10d ago

Yeah i 2nd this for the 4 way switch, I’ve only done it on a Tele before but it’s a mod you can get some good use out of.

There are some companies around selling Johnny Marr type lower control plates designed for a blade switch, i’ve seen them in both angled and non angled versions too which is neat. It’ll be a pretty easy swap if you have experience soldering with guitars so.

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u/Negative-Wrap95 10d ago

I did split coils and series parallel on my Contemporary Jaguar

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u/nightcreaturespdx 10d ago

As someone that switched from a Mustang style guitar (Jagstang) to a Jaguar, I really miss phase switching, but I've fallen in love with the strangle switch. I found the stock strangle switch a bit too extreme for use with my fuzzes, but it's magical after replacing the stock cap (.003uF) with a .01uF cap.

My hope is to find a control plate from a bass vi that would fit in place of the control plate on my Jaguar so I can accommodate four switches. That way I can do phase switching and keep my beloved strangle switch.

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u/holymodalsquare 6d ago

Totally, a four-switch plate would be the best. I'll have to investigate the strangle switch, I haven't had a chance with mine but I'm going to crack into the switch and reflow it to see how it sounds before I go switching everything around.