the custom kurt cobain guitar

Having trouble figuring out the guitar that Kurt Cobain was sawing away at on stage? You're not suffering from double vision - or half vision for that matter. Cobain worked with the Fender Custom Shop to develop the "Jag-Stang", a very functional combination of Jaguar and Mustang design.

Kurt always enjoyed playing both guitars", says Fender's Larry Brooks. "He took photographs of each, cut them in half, and put them together to see what they'd look like. It was his concept, and we detailed and contoured it to give him balance and feel. "He was really easy to work with. I had a chance to sit and talk with him, then we built a prototype. He played it a while and then wrote some suggestions on the guitar and sent it back to us. The second time around we, got it right". The guitar features a Mustang-style short-scale neck on a body that borrows from both designs. There's a DiMarzio humbucking pickup at the bridge, and a Texas Special single coil at the neck, tilted at the same angle as on a Mustang. Cobain was quite satisfied with the guitar. "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. The Jag-Stang is the closest thing I know. And I like the idea of having a quality instrument on the market with no preconceived notions attatched. In a way, it's perfect for me to attach my name to the Jag-Stang, in that I'm the anti-guitar hero - I can barely play the things myself".