Fender Jag-Stang Guitar

Fender announces the launch of the Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang guitar, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s influential record “Nevermind.” The Signature Jag-Stang guitar is a reissue of the legendary performer’s own custom model, which included a combination of his favorite elements from his Fender Jaguar and Mustang guitars.

The Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang guitar design genesis can be traced back to Cobain’s personal journals filled with photo collages and drawings of his idea for a hybrid of the Jaguar and Mustang guitar. These detailed sketches of Cobain’s dream Fender guitar drawn in 1993 are brought to life in this 2021 revival. The guitar is built to Cobain’s meticulous specifications, using vintage-style single-coil and custom humbucking pickups, a 24″ scale length that gives the guitar a feel and playability that is characteristic of the Mustang guitar, which Kurt preferred, and of course, the iconic body shape. Available in both right and left-handed models to honour the legendary left-handed player himself, the Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang fits all of his playing preferences for those looking to emulate his iconic stage style.

“Ever since I started playing, I’ve always liked certain things about certain guitars but could never find the perfect mix of everything I was looking for” said the late Kurt Cobain in a 1994 Fender Frontline interview. “The Jag-Stang is the closest thing I know.”

“When we took a look at the sketches Kurt Cobain had drawn up for his dream guitar, we were impressed by how intricate his design was. We honoured the original model – all the specs on the new Jag Stang are as they were. Nothing new was done to it, we really wanted to keep it aligned with Kurt’s vision. Through our long-standing relationship with the Kurt Cobain Estate, we always knew we wanted to bring his vision to life. It’s been an immense honour to help bring his idea to fruition and revive this model,” said Justin Norvell, EVP of Fender Products.

The Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang guitar comes in Fiesta Red and Sonic Blue finishes and all the specs on the new Jag-Stang are as they were in Kurt’s original model, honouring his creation. The guitar features an alder body, 24” short scale length, 7.25” and radius rosewood fingerboard. Additionally, the vintage-style single-coil and custom humbucking pickups allow players to recreate Cobain’s classic tones. The Mustang guitar slider switches provide the flexibility to dial in four distinct settings for a variety of in or out-of-phase tones – perfect for replicating Kurt’s punchy guitar sounds. The Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang guitar is available in both right and left-handed models.

Originally designed by Kurt Cobain and the Fender Custom Shop, the guitar was dialled in and finalized right before the time of Cobain’s passing. Although only used live at a few of Nirvana’s last shows, the documentation of this personalised guitar is preserved in his personal journals, made public after his passing. The pages here are scanned from the book, “Kurt Cobain Journals” published by Riverhead Books (2002), which reprinted the pages. These sketches not only illustrate the history of the Kurt Cobain designed Jag-Stang but are also incredible pieces of history epitomising the relationship between Cobain and Fender.