Photo Credit: Frank Micetta, Getty Images
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today announced the global 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.”
One of the most influential rock musicians of all time, Cobain’s impact has influenced guitarists and musicians throughout pop culture. As the front man of the Grammy Award-winning band Nirvana, Cobain was a creative force to be reckoned with: delivering generation-defining anthems from their first album Bleach to their final release In Utero.
Cobain was seen playing a variety of Fender® guitars over the years, but his Fender® Jaguar® and Mustang® remain the most iconic due to their use on the Nevermind tour and Smells Like Teen Spirit music video. The Jag-Stang® guitar—designed by Cobain himself—combined his favourite elements of each of these guitars into a custom Fender® creation. Cobain played his own Jag-Stang® live several times on the In Utero tour before his untimely passing. But much like Cobain’s legacy, the guitar lived on after being given to R.E.M guitarist Peter Buck, who used it in several of the band’s videos.
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.
In celebration of the Jag-Stang® release, fans can learn to play iconic Kurt Cobain songs on the Jag-Stang® guitar inside Fender Play®, the complete learning app for guitar, bass and ukulele.
Artist Spotlight: Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) features lessons to Nirvana songs such as In Bloom, Polly, Something In the Way, Pennyroyal Tea, Sliver and more here: https://www.fender.com/play/guitar/collections/artist-spotlight-kurt-cobain-nirvana
