Fender Doesn’t Want You to See This (Modern Jaguar Build)

I built a Jaguar that would make a Fender purist cry into their vintage amp. Hi — I’m the person behind Scarlett Guitars, and this is the story of smashing a classic into a new shape, then painting it bright white, lining the parts in neon green, and calling it the Scarlet Jag. If you like sawdust, epoxy that looks like milk, and guitars that break every rule written by someone in a tweed jacket, you’re in the right place.

Why break the rules?

Fender Jaguars are legendary. They’ve shaped rock history. But legends don’t need to stay static. I wanted to build a modern Jaguar that wasn’t afraid to be different — semi-hollow, heavy use of epoxy, a non-Fender neck wood, active EMG P90-style pickups, and a 25.5" scale. In short: do everything Fender wouldn’t do and make it usable for a modern player.

And this one wasn’t just for me. I found a band called People R Ugly and fell into their modified pop-punk vibe. Their aesthetic — bright, bold, a little weird — felt like a perfect match for this unorthodox instrument. So, I built this guitar for them.

Picking the body: one chunk of bastogne walnut

Rule number one I broke: the body started as one solid chunk of gorgeous bastogne walnut. No lamination, no top veneer — one slab. It was mean and warped, so the first job was flattening it. That heavy-block-of-wood feeling led to the next big decision: make it semi-hollow.

Why semi-hollow?

• Cut weight. That one-piece block was a workout to hold.
• Vibe. Semihollows feel classy, and I have a soft spot for their resonance.
• Visuals. Hollow chambers give you a place to do other weird things (more on that later).

The milk brick: inlaid white epoxy top and neon green accents

I got obsessed with epoxy. My plan was to leave a small walnut reveal around the edge and pour a white epoxy top — which, full disclosure, looked eerily like a brick of milk. I tried a ton of variations and landed on plain white because it gave the bright green accents a clean backdrop.

Green was the band’s request. I didn’t want to just slap green on walnut and call it a day, so I decided to outline the functional parts — pickups, switches, the big F-hole — in neon green epoxy. The f-hole wasn’t just a hole; I filled the chamber edge with green epoxy so the hollow looked like a little green window. It’s grotesque and beautiful; I like to think of it as “green vomit” in the best possible way.

CNC: precision, influence, and the little mistakes

I used the CNC to route the outlines and the inlay recesses. I got inspiration from a maker named Shock the Fox — the idea of outlining features with epoxy is his. The CNC made the green outlines crisp and consistent, but I also learned an important lesson:

“Thinking hinders my process.”

I wing a lot of things. That mindset led to my first real hiccup: a misaligned test cut for the pickup cavity screw holes. I tested once, thought I lined everything up, and then realized I didn’t. The result: extra holes where there shouldn’t be any. My fix? I made hand templates from the SVG files and patched/surfaced the area to get things flush. If you don’t have a CNC, I now offer template kits and 1:1 SVG files — drag-and-drop friendly — to help you avoid my mistakes.

Comfort carves: rasp vs. kerf-and-chisel

The Jaguar shape needed a comfortable back carve. You have two sane options:

1. Rasps from the jump — a full-body workout but straightforward.
2. Kerf-and-chisel: mark the lines, saw multiple kerfs, then chisel between them and clean up with rasps and sandpaper — much gentler on the hips.

I picked kerf-and-chisel because my hip was the size of a small family’s complaints. It works great and keeps you inside your guide lines.

Electronics where Fender wouldn’t put them

Fenders love top-side pickguards holding everything. I wanted the top clean, so I moved the electronics to a rear cavity. That meant routing the battery box for the active EMG P90s — another rule broken. These are active pickups (P90-style), so they need power and a battery compartment. I made the battery lid from a hard, plum-colored wood nicknamed “Cadillacs” for the lid and ended up making the entire neck from that same Katalox-like material because the plum color popped so well.

Neck choices: Katalox, 25.5" scale, and a matching fretboard

Most Jaguars use a 24" scale. Julian, the People R Ugly guitarist, plays Strat-style 25.5" necks, so I went with 25.5" to match his feel. I resawed the fretboard from the same blank I used for the neck to get that unified look — a single-species neck that reads like one big slab of wood.

Julian also wanted the band name inlaid across the fretboard. I used white epoxy for the letters; the contrast against the dark wood is insane. I recessed the headstock and branded it “Scarlet Jag” in a 6-inline shape, which is about as un-Fender as you can get while still nodding to the classic silhouette.

Radius, frets, and setup choices

• I fit a 12" radius fretboard — more modern and comfortable for string bending (versus Fender’s common 9.5" “circle” feeling).
• I used stainless steel frets for durability. They’re not as scary to work with as the internet makes them sound, though my fret polishing could’ve been sharper — I was a little burnt out and just wanted to play.
• Setup is spec’d for .10–.46 strings (my favorite), and nut slotting followed that radius.

Glue-up, dowel tricks, and the Titebond confession

Glue-ups are the most stressful anti-climactic moment. I used Titebond Original for the glue since I needed something fast-clamping, but I admitted I’ll move to glue with more open working time on future builds. To maintain alignment during glue up, I use 1/16" steel dowel pins — tiny lifesavers that keep everything tight and straight.

Hardware choices: bolt-on with EZ-Lok inserts

I wanted a cleaner, more serviceable joint than slotted wood screws. So this is a true bolt-on using EZ-Lok threaded inserts and hex-driven bolts. I tried brass inserts once and had them strip out; stainless steel inserts are the way forward. It’s a small extra step during build, but the result is a solid, clean joint that’s practical for touring and heavy use.

Finishes, grain, and the “tonewood myth” rant

I sealed the wood with thinned Ultra Clear epoxy before an oil finish. Then I filled the Katalox grain with resin to make the plum color sing. That dramatic reveal is one of my favorite parts of any build — you get to see what’s been hiding under the rough shape the whole time.

As for tonewood drama: the more guitars I build, the less I buy into the idea that only certain woods make guitars sound great. I’ve made guitars from odd materials that sound amazing. Maybe “tonewood” is just a brilliant marketing word. If anyone asks about tone authenticity, tell them it’s finished in nitro and you’ll instantly sound like Carlos Santana. That’ll shut down the conversation fast.

Final assembly, frets, and the first riff

With hardware, electronics, and frets in place, it was time for the moment every luthier lives for: plug it in and play. I set the instrument up, threaded the strings, balanced the action, and went through tones. I didn’t open with crunchy blues or vintage cleans. I wanted this guitar to sound aggressive and modern first — lazy metalcore riffs, then some clean ambient nonsense. The active EMG P90s gave it punch and clarity while the semi-hollow body kept it snappy and lighter than that one-piece slab promised.

Problems, how I fixed them, and what I’m sharing

• Problem: CNC misalignment left test holes and misplaced cutouts. Fix: surface, patch, and use hand templates created from the same SVG files for precision.
• Problem: brass EZ-Lok inserts stripped. Fix: switch to stainless steel inserts for durability.
• Sharing: I’ve released the same SVG files I used for this build. If you don’t have a CNC, I also sell router-ready template kits — they’re scale-accurate and drag-and-drop friendly.

Build specs at a glance

• Body: One-piece bastogne walnut, semi-hollow with oversized f-hole
• Top: Inlaid white epoxy (Ultra Clear Epoxy) with green epoxy accents
• Neck: Katalox-like wood, fretboard resawn from same blank
• Scale: 25.5"
• Radius: 12"
• Frets: Stainless steel
• Pickups: EMG active P90-style set
• Electronics: Rear-routed cavity, battery box
• Hardware: Bolt-on with threaded inserts + hex bolts
• Finish: Epoxy seal + oil

For builders, beginners, and the curious

I get asked: can you build a decent guitar with “basic tools”? Yes — but “basic” is relative. You can get 90% of the way there with a table saw, router, and some milling gear. But shaping headstocks, transition work, fret dressing, inlays, and electronics benefit hugely from specialized tools. If you want a video taking a guitar from raw to playable using as simple a toolset as possible, tell me in the comments. I’ll try to make it happen — but please, for the love of all things fretted, have a drill press.

Conclusion: The Scarlet Jag and why it matters

This isn’t your dad’s guitar. It’s an experiment: one-piece walnut made light and wearable, a milk-white epoxy top with neon green inner life, a Katalox neck matched to a resawn fretboard, active P90s, stainless frets, and a 25.5" scale tailored to the player. Built for People R Ugly, it’s as much an instrument as it is a statement. I broke the rules on purpose — because stale traditions don’t make great new music.

If you want to go deep on the build, I’ve released template kits and 1:1 SVGs so you can follow the same process. Comment below with your dream spec — scale, bridge type, natural wood or paint — and tell me if purists should be allowed to grieve in peace or shown how to have fun again.

Want to see more?

Follow People R Ugly if you want the guitar used for its intended chaos. If you’re inspired to build, check the template kits and SVG packs I make — they’re the exact files and templates I use on my builds. And if you enjoy guitars that poke the dinosaur in the chest, stick around. I’ve got more unapologetically weird stuff coming.