Fender has once again teamed up with Johnny Marr to reimagine the Jaguar, unveiling the Limited-Edition Johnny Marr Signature Special Jaguar – a blacked-out, lipstick-loaded offset that pushes his much-loved signature model into new sonic territory. With a trio of custom-wound Kent Armstrong lipstick single-coils, revised wiring and a subtly updated neck, this new version aims to feel instantly familiar to Marr fans while opening up a much broader palette of tones.
Johnny Marr and the Jaguar: A Modern Classic Partnership
Johnny Marr is now virtually synonymous with the Jaguar. Although many still picture him with Rickenbackers and semi-hollows from his days in The Smiths, it was during his later stints with Modest Mouse, The Cribs and beyond that the Jaguar became central to his sound.
Fender’s original Johnny Marr Jaguar – built around his favoured 1965 Jaguar – has been one of the most acclaimed Artist Series offsets of the last decade. It tweaked the traditional Jaguar formula with a custom neck profile, simplified controls and Bare Knuckle pickups, and quickly became a go-to for players chasing articulate, layered indie tones.
The new Signature Special Jaguar doesn’t replace that guitar – it sits alongside it as a more experimental, limited-run variant aimed at players who want Marr’s feel and ergonomics but with expanded electronics and a different tonal flavour.
Sleek “Fracture Black” Aesthetics and Vintage-Inspired Hardware
At first glance, this is very much a classic Jaguar silhouette – offset alder body, chrome control plates and a short 24″ scale. But the overall vibe is darker and more minimal:
- Body: Alder, finished in a custom gloss nitrocellulose black lacquer
- Pickguard: 3-ply parchment, contrasting against the black finish
- Hardware: Chrome/nickel, with vintage-style strap buttons, tuners and bridge cover
- Bridge & Vibrato: Jaguar bridge with Mustang saddles and a vintage-style floating tremolo with pop-in arm
The choice of a nitro finish is very much in keeping with Marr’s vintage leanings, and should wear gracefully over time. The Mustang saddles and refined Jaguar bridge – a feature carried over from the earlier signature – are designed to offer improved stability and intonation while keeping the classic look intact.
Custom Neck Based on Marr’s ’65 Jaguar
One of the big selling points of the original Johnny Marr Jaguar was the neck, and Fender has doubled down on that here. The Limited-Edition Signature Special Jaguar keeps the same overall recipe:
- Neck: Maple, custom profile based on Johnny’s 1965 Jaguar
- Finish: Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
- Fingerboard: Rosewood, 9.5″ radius
- Frets: 22 vintage-style
- Scale length: 24″ (610 mm)
- Nut: Synthetic bone, 1.650″ (42 mm) wide
This combination aims to balance vintage feel and modern playability: the slightly flatter 9.5″ radius makes bends easier than a pure ’60s-correct 7.25″, while the vintage-style fretwire keeps the touch and look old-school. Marr has described the neck as feeling like a well-played ‘65 straight out of the case – broken-in, but not worn-out.
Three Custom Lipstick Pickups and a Deeply Tweaked Wiring Scheme
The headline change on this model is the move to three custom-wound Kent Armstrong Johnny Marr lipstick single-coils in an SSS configuration.
These pickups were developed specifically to Marr’s spec, with input and inspiration from the late UK luthier Bill Puplett, who urged Marr to explore Armstrong’s lipstick designs for their unique response and chime.
According to Fender and retailers carrying the model, the electronics are where this guitar really distances itself from both a standard Jaguar and Marr’s existing signature:
- Pickup configuration:
- Bridge: Custom-wound Kent Armstrong Johnny Marr lipstick single-coil
- Middle: Custom-wound Kent Armstrong Johnny Marr lipstick single-coil
- Neck: Custom-wound Kent Armstrong Johnny Marr lipstick single-coil
- 4-way blade selector (lower horn):
- Bridge
- Bridge + neck (parallel)
- Neck
- Neck + bridge (series)
- Upper-horn slide switches (Jaguar-style):
- A dedicated “secret” three-way slide switch that introduces the middle pickup in different ways, allowing more Strat-like textures when combined with the main selector
- Additional high-pass/bright filter options, echoing the bright switches from Marr’s previous Jaguar while expanding what’s possible in series and parallel modes
- Controls: Master volume and master tone
In practice, this gives players a much wider palette than a standard two-pickup Jag. You still get the glassy bridge and neck sounds Marr is known for, plus series mode for a thicker, almost humbucker-like punch – but now you can also blend in the middle lipstick to move into more Strat-adjacent territory, especially for driven rhythm parts.
How Does It Sound – and Who Is It For?
Early demos and descriptions from Fender and dealers paint a picture of a guitar that can cover a lot of ground:
- With clean or lightly broken-up amps, the lipstick set is said to excel at bright, chiming indie rhythm work, arpeggios and layered parts – very much Marr’s home turf.
- In series mode, or when the middle pickup is brought in, the voice reportedly gets thicker and more mid-focused, making it more comfortable in rock and even post-punk or shoegaze contexts.
- The high-pass filters can help keep things articulate with lots of effects, making it appealing to players who rely heavily on delays, reverbs and modulation.
This feels like a signature guitar that’s not locked to one niche. Offset fans who already love traditional Jaguars may see it as a studio tool with extra colours on tap; Strat and Tele players intrigued by Marr’s sound might find it a more versatile way into the Jaguar world than a purely vintage-spec reissue.
Limited Edition, Pricing and Availability
Fender is positioning the Limited-Edition Johnny Marr Signature Special Jaguar as a high-end, short-run Artist Series model. While exact production numbers haven’t been published, dealers are treating it as a strictly limited piece.
Current pricing (subject to change by region and retailer) is roughly:
- $2,999 USD street in the US
- £2,949 GBP in the UK
- Around €3,400–3,500 in parts of Europe
The guitar ships with:
- A Fender hardshell case
- Vintage-style cable and standard case candy
Availability is currently through Fender’s own site and selected authorised dealers worldwide, with some European stores listing it as a preorder item scheduled into 2026 due to demand and allocation.
Final Thoughts
For fans of Johnny Marr, this new Signature Special Jaguar looks like a logical – and tempting – evolution of his original signature model. It keeps the comfortable neck, improved hardware and offset ergonomics that made that guitar so popular, but swaps in a more adventurous pickup set and a complex, highly considered wiring scheme.
For everyone else, it’s simply a very high-end Jaguar with a huge amount of tonal flexibility, wrapped in a sleek, all-black aesthetic that feels more “modern indie icon” than pure vintage reissue. If you’ve ever wanted a Jaguar that can jangle, shimmer and still hold its own in a dense, overdriven mix, this limited-edition offset is likely to be one of the most talked-about releases of the year.
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