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Lot Essay
With this new model, I wanted to create an instrument that feels classic but also pushes players to explore new tones and possibilities. Fender has once again brought that vision to life in a way that I didn’t think could be possible until now. From my work with The Cribs playing gritty in your face indie, to the cinematic soundscapes I crafted with Hans Zimmer, the Jaguar has been an incredible asset in helping me expand my sound, no matter the genre or the occasion.
Johnny Marr, the official Fender Press Release for the Limited Edition Signature Jaguar Special, 11 November 2025.
Released in November 2025, the Limited Edition Johnny Marr Signature Special Jaguar is the most recent electric guitar model to officially bear Johnny Marr's name and the newest chapter in his long-standing collaboration with Fender. Building on the success of the 2012 Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar, the model reflects Marr’s continued commitment to pushing the limits of both the Fender Jaguar and his own sound. While retaining the classic Jaguar silhouette of its predecessor, the Signature Special introduced several significant innovations, most notably a completely revised pickup and wiring configuration. The two traditional Bare Knuckle single-coil pickups were replaced by three custom Kent Armstrong Lipstick single-coils. These are controlled via an elaborate switching system comprising a four-position blade selector and three slide-switch options, offering unprecedented tonal range, generated through entirely passive electronics. Interviewed by Janelle Borg for Guitar World in 2025, Marr described this wiring system as his proudest achievement of the project. Additional refinements included an enhanced neck profile inspired by Marr’s prized 1965 Fender Jaguar, a custom Jaguar bridge with Mustang saddles, a vintage-style floating tremolo system, and a modern 9.5-inch fingerboard radius. As Marr explained to Borg, these changes were not intended to improve the Jaguar, but to offer an “alternative” to it.
The model also marks the final project Marr developed with his long-time collaborator and trusted luthier Bill Puplett, a “genius” whom he credited in the same interview with proposing the use of Lipstick pickups and helping devise the instrument’s innovative three-pickup configuration. As such, the Signature Special stands not only as a bold reimagining of the Jaguar, but also as a fitting final collaboration between Marr and one of his closest creative partners.
Discussing the model’s development in a promotional interview with Fender in 2025, Marr explained that he wanted to create an instrument he could imagine in indie band rehearsal rooms across the country: I wanted to work for people who play that kind of music like me. Marr himself road-tested the design, taking a prototype on tour with Gorillaz and Franz Ferdinand. His ambition was to broaden the Jaguar’s tonal range without sacrificing the character that defined his original signature model. The result was a guitar capable of producing thicker, higher-gain tones rarely associated with a Jaguar. Marr told Borg: it sounds very much like a Stratocaster, which means that when you play at high gain, it almost does a kind of blues rock sound, which is unusual from a Jag, because a Jaguar is notoriously difficult to get a decent rock sound out of. I wouldn't say it’s for metal or for shredding, but you never know! Maybe I'll do a third one that you can shred on.
Johnny Marr, the official Fender Press Release for the Limited Edition Signature Jaguar Special, 11 November 2025.
Released in November 2025, the Limited Edition Johnny Marr Signature Special Jaguar is the most recent electric guitar model to officially bear Johnny Marr's name and the newest chapter in his long-standing collaboration with Fender. Building on the success of the 2012 Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar, the model reflects Marr’s continued commitment to pushing the limits of both the Fender Jaguar and his own sound. While retaining the classic Jaguar silhouette of its predecessor, the Signature Special introduced several significant innovations, most notably a completely revised pickup and wiring configuration. The two traditional Bare Knuckle single-coil pickups were replaced by three custom Kent Armstrong Lipstick single-coils. These are controlled via an elaborate switching system comprising a four-position blade selector and three slide-switch options, offering unprecedented tonal range, generated through entirely passive electronics. Interviewed by Janelle Borg for Guitar World in 2025, Marr described this wiring system as his proudest achievement of the project. Additional refinements included an enhanced neck profile inspired by Marr’s prized 1965 Fender Jaguar, a custom Jaguar bridge with Mustang saddles, a vintage-style floating tremolo system, and a modern 9.5-inch fingerboard radius. As Marr explained to Borg, these changes were not intended to improve the Jaguar, but to offer an “alternative” to it.
The model also marks the final project Marr developed with his long-time collaborator and trusted luthier Bill Puplett, a “genius” whom he credited in the same interview with proposing the use of Lipstick pickups and helping devise the instrument’s innovative three-pickup configuration. As such, the Signature Special stands not only as a bold reimagining of the Jaguar, but also as a fitting final collaboration between Marr and one of his closest creative partners.
Discussing the model’s development in a promotional interview with Fender in 2025, Marr explained that he wanted to create an instrument he could imagine in indie band rehearsal rooms across the country: I wanted to work for people who play that kind of music like me. Marr himself road-tested the design, taking a prototype on tour with Gorillaz and Franz Ferdinand. His ambition was to broaden the Jaguar’s tonal range without sacrificing the character that defined his original signature model. The result was a guitar capable of producing thicker, higher-gain tones rarely associated with a Jaguar. Marr told Borg: it sounds very much like a Stratocaster, which means that when you play at high gain, it almost does a kind of blues rock sound, which is unusual from a Jag, because a Jaguar is notoriously difficult to get a decent rock sound out of. I wouldn't say it’s for metal or for shredding, but you never know! Maybe I'll do a third one that you can shred on.