Got a call today from my friend Peter at Music 6000 saying they just got one of the Classic Player Jag’s. So I headed down there after work to take it for a spin. And…

It’s a winner in my book. Not sure about the grounding/shielding issues other Forumites experienced at GC… this one was just fine. Let me preface by saying I do not like Candy Apple Red… it is by far my least favorite finish. But this one looked pretty decent… it was a bit darker than other CAR guitars I’ve seen and the mint guard was a nice touch too. Like I did for my Classic Player JM review, I’ll go ahead with list format:

— So the burning question is the movement of the trem plate. As with the JM you probably won’t notice it unless you’re nitpicking or have an AVRI to compare it to. It’s of little consequence.

— The neck was amazing! It was nice and chunky and had a subtle flame to the maple if you’re into that. Felt better than a lot of AVRI Jag’s I’ve played.

— The hotter PU’s are excellent. It had a lot more presence and girth than I’m used to in a Jag. Still sounded jag-like but a lot rounder.

— Again the hardware could very well be AVRI. Unfortunately I forgot to ask for the trem arm so I didn’t get to check the trem action out.

— Fret work left a bit to be desired but nothing out of the ordinary for MIM.

— Set up was ok… action a tad high. Crappy strings but even taking this into account the sound was lovely. With proper strings (Pyramid Gold’s in my humble opinion) and a few setup tweaks it would be perfect. The angled neck pocket I think makes a bigger difference than on the JM.

— This is a hot guitar. I honestly feel in comparison to an AVRI this would be the clear winner, especially considering price point. If I was in the market for a Jag, I think I would get a Classic Player.

— I’m even more excited about the HH’s now which if it’s up to snuff may become my backup.

— Overall this is a solid guitar. Worthy of a backup if you already have a vintage or AVRI and/or great introduction to world of offsets for the uninitiated.

And now for the pics…