Some useful comments here, thanks.
I have the money ready for a nice red Fender Jaguar, but where's one I can buy?
I trawled three of Norwich's guitar shops today and none of them have the VM Jag or the VM Jag Special for me to look at. Two of them are happy to order them in, but I have to pay a deposit first. In other words I have to buy before I try! (Mind you, both were cheaper than I could find on the 'net, which is nice, as I'd rather support my local dealers.)
On reflection, I reckon my Corvette $$ gives me the full range of sounds (or even the Variax, come to that) for recoding.
I do confess to being a bit of a brand snob, but my experience has taught me that I'm not likely to use all the options (once I've spent a while fiddling to find the tone I like), so paying £200 for the Fender sticker and lots of sounds I won't use, is probably not money well spent.
So, it's primarily down to looks. And in that case, there's no contest. The VM Jaguar in black with block markers and a matching black headstock wins hands down for me.
Unless anyone knows if Squier is about to launch a red version?