John presumably acquired this 1960s Fender Jaguar sometime in 1998 or 1999. While this is just speculation, it’s possible this is the same Jaguar he used during the Californication sessions in 1999 to record “Around the World.” At the time, the guitar belonged to studio engineer Jim Scott, but it’s unclear if John later acquired it or if this is an entirely different guitar.
That’s a Fender Jaguar I borrowed from our recording engineer Jim Scott. I like Jags-they get a real cool, cheap sound. I played it through two Marshalls: a JTM 45 and a 100-watt SuperBass. That SuperBass is great. It’s so thick sounding”.
Guitar Player (UK), 1999
Converted to Synth
By 2009, John had converted this guitar (if it is indeed the same one) into a Roland GR-300 guitar synthesizer. This required modifying the body to fit the synth circuitry and control knobs, which were likely taken from a stock Roland GR Controller.
I love Fender Jaguars. The guitar I’ve owned the longest is a red Jaguar from around ’61. It has a matching headstock. I also have an old white one I transformed into a GR-300 guitar synthesizer.
VintageGuitar magazine – John Frusciante Red Hot On The Empyrean
John likely chose to modify the Jaguar rather than using a stock synth guitar because he felt more comfortable playing a Jaguar. If you find any quotes from John discussing this, or photos of the guitar in its current state, please share them in the comments below.
Explained here: https://www.reddit.com/r/John_Frusciante/comments/krbl66/clearing_up_some_misconceptions_about_john/
John also had a ’66 Jag that looked just like this one that he gave to his ex girlfriend Emily Kokal (Warpaint). So I guess he had 2 similar ’66 jags, who knows