SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  (Oct. 18, 2012) — The Fender Jaguar electric guitar is 50 years old now. Unveiled in 1962, it was the last of the guitar maker’s four most famous electric guitars to be introduced, and, as it turned out, the last major six-string creation of the enigmatic genius whose name adorned it. And while it might not be as omnipresent as its big-brother electric guitars of the 1950s, the Telecaster and the Stratocaster, and its closest ancestor, 1958’s Jazzmaster guitar, make no mistake: The Jaguar is a survivor with a great history, and you have heard it.

From the Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix in the ’60s all the way to Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Smashing Pumpkins in the modern era, the sleekly chromed-out Jaguar has blazed its own unexpectedly successful trail through the history of rock music. Like some kind of “little guitar that could,” it has surprised nearly everyone by continually finding its own distinctive place with each successive generation of guitarists, from harmlessly sparkling old-school pop to subversive alt-indie cool and beyond.

“One of the reasons I really like Jaguars is they’re a little restrictive for me to play, and that’s a good thing,” said Johnny Marr, noted guitarist for the Smiths, Modest Mouse and the Pretenders to name only a few. “I have to work within the limitations of the guitar. So it gives me a really strong...