Fender Jaguar (Blue)

Photo: Matt’s Guitar Shop
Model: Fender Jaguar
Color: blue (refinished)
Year: 1962? (serial: 80756)

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Used in...

- 1992-1993

- played by Noel Gallagher at some of the first-ever Oasis gigs
Details

If the serial number on the neck plate is genuine, this Jaguar should date from 1962, the first year the model was introduced by Fender. The finish resembles an aged Lake Placid Blue, which was one of the standard colours offered on early '60s Jaguars.1 However, something about it seems off. Judging by the wear, it almost looks like a polyurethane finish rather than the original nitrocellulose lacquer.

But the finish isn't the only thing that seems out of place: a closer look reveals that this guitar is something of a Frankenstein. With the invaluable help of a reader who's just as obsessed with minor details as I am,2 we've spent months putting together everything that's unusual about this Jaguar.

First of all, the neck doesn't belong to the guitar. The headstock shape is incorrect, and the waterslide decal isn't original (both the logo and the font are wrong). While it may not even be a Fender neck, it does look like a mid-'60s Fender Duo-Sonic or Musicmaster II neck. The Schaller tuners are not original and appear to date from the mid to late 1970s.

The Jaguar/Jazzmaster bridge is one of the model's most commonly replaced parts due to its well-known problems.3 In this case, it has been swapped for a Gibson-style tune-o-matic bridge, possibly a Japanese-made Ibanez or Cimar unit from the 1970s. A closer look also reveals that the pickguard has been routed around the bridge, allowing it to sit closer to the body and lower the string action. Modern Jaguar models fitted with tune-o-matic bridges feature the same modification.

As far as can be determined from the available photos, the pickups, switches, knobs, tremolo unit, and metal control plates all appear to be original.

The excellent detailed photographs below are courtesy of Matt's Guitar Shop, the French dealer who currently owns the guitar.4
The body refinish appears to have been a fairly cheap job. Chips and dings reveal a layer of white primer underneath, and the finish lacks the checking you would expect to see on an original 1960s Fender. It may even be a standard automotive paint from the 1970s. In fact, the aforementioned reader went as far as digging through old Halfords paint charts5 and found a colour called Loch Blue, which looks like a close match. Even the name reminds the original Lake Placid Blue!

Based on the number of 1970s replacement parts, we could speculate that the guitar was modified and assembled sometime during that decade. By the time Noel acquired it, probably in 1992, it would likely have been the cheapest way to own a "real" Fender.

He played the guitar at some of the earliest Oasis gigs in 1992, as seen in the handful of photos that have surfaced from that period.

In 1992, Noel's electric guitar lineup consisted of this blue Jaguar, a white Hohner JT60, and the Hofner S5. The Antique Sunburst Riviera and the Epiphone Les Paul only came later, sometime in 1993.
Sometime in 1993, Noel sold the Jaguar to Mark Collins, guitarist in The Charlatans.

As recalled by the band's vocalist, Tim Burgess, in a 2014 interview:6

"Mark bought a guitar from Noel before they had a record out (a blue Fender Jaguar that he still owns) and we recorded in the same studios as them and saw them at festivals when we were both on the bill."

The two bands had, in fact, both recorded at Monnow Valley Studios in Wales. Coincidentally, Mark Collins had also been a schoolmate of Bonehead.

Mark can be seen playing the Jaguar with The Charlatans during the performance of Can't Get Out of Bed on Top of the Pops in February 1994, as well as in several other performances of the song.

According to Mark himself, Can't Get Out of Bed was recorded with the Jaguar at Monnow Valley in 1993. The first photo below, posted by Mark on Twitter in August 2020, comes from that very session.7
The blue Jaguar remained in Mark's possession until June 2025, when it was put up for sale through a Manchester-based guitar dealer.8

It was subsequently acquired by Matt's Guitar Shop in France, where it remains as of summer 2026. At the time of writing, it is still listed for sale on their website.9

This guitar was often confused with the Jaguar from the Be Here Now artwork photoshoot, but they are two different instruments. For more details about that guitar, check out its dedicated page.

DISCLAIMER
This is a fansite. It is not affiliated with Noel Gallagher, his management or his record label.
For informational and non-commercial use only. Please do NOT publish this content elsewhere.
If you share or use this information, please provide proper credit and link to the website.
I appreciate your respect for the years of dedicated, freely available research!
Visit the “Info & About” page for contact details and more.
Thanks!

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  1. Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970 – Martin Kelly, Terry Foster, Paul Kelly, 2011 ↩︎
  2. Thanks Rob! ↩︎
  3. https://garageland.co.uk/2020/09/25/the-perfect-jaguar-setup-part-two-lets-face-it-its-the-bridge-isnt-it/ ↩︎
  4. https://www.mattsguitar.shop/en ↩︎
  5. That’s a bit much, even for me! Great work Rob! ↩︎
  6. https://www.stopcryingyourheartout.co.uk/2014/05/bonehead-definitely-maybe-is-oasis.html ↩︎
  7. https://x.com/markcharlatan/status/1298721682983550977 ↩︎
  8. https://www.facebook.com/richardhenryguitars/ ↩︎
  9. https://www.mattsguitar.shop/fr/guitares-stock/fender-jaguar-noel-gallagher-oasis-the-charlatans ↩︎

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