I'd be curious to hear from other J Mascis players and their experiences upgrading this guitar. FYI - The Fender whammy bar is the same height as the stock bar.
I believe the vibrato system stock or not is 15mm closer to the bridge than a standard jazzmaster which has the odd consequence of increasing the break angle so actually improves the intonation and tuning stability! Those as far as I know no other fender/squire model has replicated this "feature"
Love my J Mascis. Personally I don’t think it would be worth it to upgrade the bridge. I have no problems with it as is. Great episode and great experiment! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks - I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I'm thinking it might not be worth the hassle to figure out how to install the Wilkinson (or any other bridge).
@@anotherheadlessdemo I just put a Wilkinson on my Squier JM Jazzmaster. It was pretty easy. I did have to file about 1.5mm away in the bridge to get it to fit. I also made shims under for under the saddles from aluminium can. It now matches the neck radius. I think it was worth it.
I was just looking at the Guitar Fetish website where I bought the Wilkinson and seeing they don't mention radius (at least I didn't find it anyway). I took someone's recommendation which turned out to be not a good or accurate one!
I did the same upgrades as you, including the roller bridge which I got to fit with just a little persuasion. Also locking tuners. Stays in tune extremely well now, no issues. One thing to note with the lock button, if you engage it you can tune to drop d without throwing everything out of whack.
@anotherheadlessdemo no problem! For me personally that one feature alone makes the AVRI vibrato worth it. The initial setup can be a bit finicky but once it's dialed in it's fantastic.
JM's have so many parts that at the end of the day, I made one with parts. Well two. I used the AVRI trem because it works great and hey, the Fender name is pretty cool.
I considered the same upgrade process on my Squire Deluxe JM (same guitar as the JMJM but red). I was going to swap the ToM bridge and vibrato too, but found out that the only straight forward swap for the ToM was discontinued (Staytrem?) and all the other bridges seem to be only slightly better or require some modification to the post holes. I decided to keep the ToM and Squire vibrato. For mine, they're quite good enough and has solid tuning stability. I ended up spending the money on some SD Antiquities II pickups, cooper shielded the PU cavity and replaced the nut. Thanks for your sacrifice David. I might of actually chose right for once on a calculated decision. lol
I wanna do a set of SD Antiquities in mine, but might go on the cheaper route with GFS Vintage alnico jazzmaster pickup set. Still proper Jazzmaster pickups as opposed to P 90s but Alnico and vintage voiced and much cheaper.
I have a JMJM and I find it won't stay in tune very well with the stock bridge and vibrato... but it might also be the shoddy factory string installation. I'll replace the strings properly and see where I'm at before I decide to start modding.
It's just the hex screws in the bridge holes, that keep the bridge from sliding on over the posts. Once you have your intonation set you then tighten the screws down to lock it in place. Chances are the screws were tighted before hand, which made it difficult to slide the bridge over the posts. Just loosen the hex screws and it will be fine. Keep in mind there are two screws on each side, so you have to ensure you have them set right so you can intonate. I have these roller bridges on several of my guitars and I love them. They make intonation a snap!!
The Squire J. Mascis is a shorter distance behind the bridge than a real Jazzmaster. (Normally it’s approx. 12.2mm saddle to vibrato) I think it was so it would be the same size as a Strat/Tele? A Jazzmaster is a little taller so it doesn’t fit in a Strat/Tele case or gig bag. By moving the vibrato forward a little bit and taking a little off the body it would be about the same size. That’s my guess why they did it?
There are other Jazzmasters where the Vibrato is much closer to the bridge than a traditional JM (Vintera modified is one). Having the vibrato closer to the bridge gives you a steeper break angle that some people think solves problems with JMs. Also, my CV Jazzmaster is the same length as the J Mascis, so both need a longer gig bag or case. The offset body is much longer adding way more length to the guitar. The Jaguar probably doesn't have this issue because of it's shorter scale.
I'm considering upgrades for mine as well, and I'm thinking that $100 is better spent on a proper bridge. The Wilkinson doesn't seem to be the answer. I was asking on my Jazzmaster and offset group on flakebook for roller bridge upgrades and brought up the Wilkinson only for someone to chime in, saying that it's too yuge of a radius at 14 inch, when you want something closer to 9.5. What he recommended was the TonePros TPFR. It's supposedly a drop in with a much closer radius than the Wilkinson. It's $95 at StewMac, but worth it if it fixes the damned buzzing and tuning instabilities. Staytrem as I understand it is the best roller bridge, and he used to add the thimbles that drop in, but doesn't do them anymore. Might still be worth doing a Staytrem if you're handy at extensive mods, but I'll probably go with this Tonepros bridge.
I think I'm going to leave the bridge as is. The TonePro radius is 12" so I'm not sure how well that would work - I think the Wilkinson is the same. There really isn't a good replacement bridge that's currently in production for a J Mascis Jazzmaster unfortunately. Also, I was told the Wilkinson was a good "drop-in replacement", but sadly, it is not!
David, you need to see a locksmith. It will fit the metal parts to match your guitar. Then put on a new tremolo, and you will get many advantages in the most important thing - in the sound. Roller bridge is always better than breaking a string. Tremolo will become more sensitive and you will use it more accurately with your taste and hearing. For a locksmith, there is only a job - to adjust some of the seating positions in soft metal to the dimensions needed for the guitar. He will take the engraving machine, pick up the head and choose the right amount of metal.
David, you will get your toy and your upgrade, and he will choose a little metal, paint over the damage and you will have a good toy in which you will enjoy even more. Please do so.
So far, I'm not seeing much in the way of damage with the new vibrato section. I've decided not to find a way to install the bridge. I think it would need re-positioning of the bushings which might result in damage if I did the work!
@@anotherheadlessdemo Do not in any way change the bushings. All changes must be made to the metal. The value of a guitar is incomparable with a piece of iron. You need to make them work on your guitar in order not to make changes to this successful instrument. The rods of the lower legs should fit freely in the body of the metal body of the bridge, and even the inaccuracy of the holes in the spring-lever part of the tremolo should fit into the wooden part of the guitar body. The locksmith will take a caliper, measure and draw up a plan, and then a sketch for the production of metal. It removes unnecessary things, protects the surface from corrosion, and you put everything in its place without any extra hassle. If he takes care of the surface of the support and the adhesion of the height adjusting rods to the washers, it will be even better. (Replace the word "adhesion" with a dry adhesion of surfaces. It was a translation defect.)
The main reason for all this is the joy and new opportunities for you and your instrument. Appreciate your desires, this is the most valuable thing for you and for the universe. There is very little irony here.
@@anotherheadlessdemo " I think it would need re-positioning of the bushings which might result in damage if I did the work!" You don't have to do this job. You need to explain to the locksmith what you want and what difficulty you see in this. The more detailed you explain the required changes, the faster and better the result will be. He will make changes to the design, accurately and correctly fix in a vice, process with suitable nozzles and will do everything beautifully and accurately, and most importantly, technically competently. The appearance and functionality will not suffer, or suffer in such a way that it will not worsen your staff and will not be noticeable. Your metal skills are a thousand times less than his. You create music, and the rest will be done by those who create items from metal.
I'm in a fb group where different people have contacted a Fender Consumer relation manager that states It will be discontinued in the first q1 of 2022. Myself in Italy It's becoming hard to find one and a guitar store said me the same thing. Sorry for my english btw.
That's sad. I know there's a J Mascis Tele available now so maybe the JMJM isn't selling as well as it used to. Your English is way better than my Italian (which is non-existent)!
Thanks 😅 Yes the reason is the newest Jm Tele and also because Fender is diwcontinuing all the Squier Signatures in favor of the Mexicans and Americans made.
Do you notice any improvement in tuning stability with the AVRI Fender vibrato versus the original Squier JM JM "no name/no button" vibrato? Because for me a little extra smoothness wouldn't be a big deal but anything that can add tuning stability would. Thanks.
Good question. The tuning seems pretty stable now, but it's hard to know if that has anything to do with the Fender AVRI unit. I try and keep the nut well lubricated which helps with tuning stability.
Tip for getting any trem arm to stay in place: Put it in a vice and slightly bend the end of it with a hammer. That will give it enough friction inside the collet to stay in place
Say Dave....as for your roller bridge mod, I had a cheap gold roller bridge in my stash from an Epiphone conversion and it went rite on the same posts. I guess the same forien factory guys make all the same stuff for all these units. It works great. Next mod for my J.M. jazzmaster is a gold tremolo. (Non lock). Haven't seen a Fender logo one in gold. Gud vid .....😊👍
Hi there, I think I've ordered the same trem sistem from Fender, but mine comes without the wammy bar, do you know if the stock bar is any good, or I have to buy a new one?, thank you, greetings from Spain😎👍
I can't say I've noticed much of a difference in terms of tuning stability. It's the feel of the vibrato that is the biggest difference. The AVRI feel more solid and isn't noisy like the original system.
I swapped to an AVRI tremolo on my 90s jap Jazzmaster...definatley better stability,less rattling and feels just right.The spring is harder which gives that lovely fender groan on the way down.The AVRI is much better quality and has more mass/weight to it promoting better sustain...Always helps to lightly oil the moving parts before installation too👍
Fender did a purple sparkle signature model a few years ago and more recently someone did a special run Squire Classic Vibe in purple (maybe Andertons?). Not sure about any others.
Actually- he has the Mastery bridge and tremelo unit installed on that JM. They only made purple ones in a limited run. Don't know if they ever reproduce them. You can still get the chrome one, but I believe the bridge requires modification in order to fit.
Mastery. You can't get the purple one anymore, but you can get it in chrome. Just be advised the mastery vibrato is double the cost of the one David put on. So unless you're a very serious vibrato user, it's probably not worth it. Though, the Mastery bridge is apparently a VERY good upgrade, but it requires drilling.
Damn did you do no research at all on this guitar to know it's just enough out of classic jazzmaster spec's to make the upgrades your trying at least difficult! Yes an ABR "vibrato" is going to be smoother, as it has a 2$ spring vs a 1$ spring ... but does have the disengage/latch button to basically make it a hardtail, the bridge is well an odd one! Alot of the classic jazzmaster/jaguar character comes from the infamous Leo fender bridge design that can be anything from a rattling string jumping nightmare to a buttery smooth beautifully resonant bridge ... so Mascis who to be fair doesn't f'around puts Gibson tunomatics on his own guitars put one on this ... but it's a cludge at best, a good cludge but still ... hence the classic go to is to install a mustang roller bridge on a jazzmaster/Jag ... but as far as I know they don't fit the JMJM ... there was a company years ago making a run of mustang bridges to fit JMJM's but stopped. The next obvious questions is the pickups, at the price point of the guitar they are really actually good, you could put in repos of well many eras of Jazzmasters, p90s, PAFs etc ... but I think a good pickup has one job to deliver a good balanced signal/tone to the output jack ... then most people run into many pedals n an amp ... so tone is redundant, it's just an electrical voltage in musical form. Great guitar stock, brilliant guitar when we'll set up ... :D
Yes, I did quite a bit of research and know the guitar quite well thank you. But since it was my guitar, I thought I'd try a new vibrato to see what the difference was. I like it better. The bridge I attempted to install was recommended by another Jazzmaster owner (he still swears it will fit with a little futzing). The company that made the drop in bridge for a JMJM was StayTrem, and yes, they no longer make them. I've also had Jazzmasters with the original Fender designed bridge. My Classic Vibe has the Mustang style bridge you referred to which replaces that original bridge. Not sure why you mention pickups since the upgrade had nothing to do with those. The JMJM pickups are not Jazzmaster pickups (as you apparently know). I have a love/hate relationship with them (often way to hot). So again, I've done quite a bit of research.
Only mentioned pickups as they are a kinda classic upgrade to a "budget" guitar ... being mostly just wood n wire after all ... so let's say swapping out the stock pickups for well anything can produce interesting results ... a bit like the vibrato system, it's a rather basic implementation that works fine but is obviously inferior to say a modern AVRI ... but even those are considered inferior to say 70s//80s ones, who knows ... age comes before wisdom :)
I'd say the greatest thing about old jazzmaster/jaguar bridges is the are just old, the metal/spring relaxes, it oxidised/ing, so has a totally different feel/response, usually feels say lighter n just smoother physically vs sonically ... But otherwise identical :) besides the hardtail/latch button which is rather kinda worth the price of admission:) regards and enjoy the music you make :D
My next mod to the JMJM will be the pickups. I do have a set of Fender Pure Vintage 65s waiting to be installed. I'll do a video at some point to compare. Happy to hear you are enjoying the music!
Thanks for the input. Can't wait to hear about the 65s.
You and me both!
The Mascis reminds me of the older Classic Player... I have one of the first ones... Still all stock... I like the bridge and works for me
Yup. I've decided to keep the bridge. I gigged with the J Mascis last weekend and it played and sounded great.
I'd be curious to hear from other J Mascis players and their experiences upgrading this guitar.
FYI - The Fender whammy bar is the same height as the stock bar.
I believe the vibrato system stock or not is 15mm closer to the bridge than a standard jazzmaster which has the odd consequence of increasing the break angle so actually improves the intonation and tuning stability! Those as far as I know no other fender/squire model has replicated this "feature"
@@jarrodcross1482 I think the classic player jag does this.
Love my J Mascis. Personally I don’t think it would be worth it to upgrade the bridge. I have no problems with it as is.
Great episode and great experiment! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks - I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I'm thinking it might not be worth the hassle to figure out how to install the Wilkinson (or any other bridge).
@@anotherheadlessdemo I just put a Wilkinson on my Squier JM Jazzmaster. It was pretty easy. I did have to file about 1.5mm away in the bridge to get it to fit. I also made shims under for under the saddles from aluminium can. It now matches the neck radius. I think it was worth it.
I thought the Wilkinson was 9.5" radius? That's interesting if it isn't!
@@anotherheadlessdemo Nop. 14 like I was saying in my comment. That's what made me rethink getting a Wilkinson.
I was just looking at the Guitar Fetish website where I bought the Wilkinson and seeing they don't mention radius (at least I didn't find it anyway). I took someone's recommendation which turned out to be not a good or accurate one!
I did the same upgrades as you, including the roller bridge which I got to fit with just a little persuasion. Also locking tuners. Stays in tune extremely well now, no issues.
One thing to note with the lock button, if you engage it you can tune to drop d without throwing everything out of whack.
I didn't know that about the lock button! Thanks for passing that on.
@anotherheadlessdemo no problem! For me personally that one feature alone makes the AVRI vibrato worth it. The initial setup can be a bit finicky but once it's dialed in it's fantastic.
which roller bridge did you install?
@@xjimmyleungx stewmac locking roller bridge. The posts threaded right in with no need to change the bushings.
JM's have so many parts that at the end of the day, I made one with parts. Well two. I used the AVRI trem because it works great and hey, the Fender name is pretty cool.
I kind of like the Fender logo on it. :)
I considered the same upgrade process on my Squire Deluxe JM (same guitar as the JMJM but red). I was going to swap the ToM bridge and vibrato too, but found out that the only straight forward swap for the ToM was discontinued (Staytrem?) and all the other bridges seem to be only slightly better or require some modification to the post holes. I decided to keep the ToM and Squire vibrato. For mine, they're quite good enough and has solid tuning stability.
I ended up spending the money on some SD Antiquities II pickups, cooper shielded the PU cavity and replaced the nut. Thanks for your sacrifice David. I might of actually chose right for once on a calculated decision. lol
Makes sense to leave the bridge as is. I do have a set of Fender '65 pickups that I will install at some point. :)
I wanna do a set of SD Antiquities in mine, but might go on the cheaper route with GFS Vintage alnico jazzmaster pickup set. Still proper Jazzmaster pickups as opposed to P 90s but Alnico and vintage voiced and much cheaper.
Get a HALON AOM bridge
I have a JMJM and I find it won't stay in tune very well with the stock bridge and vibrato... but it might also be the shoddy factory string installation. I'll replace the strings properly and see where I'm at before I decide to start modding.
I lubricated the nut slots and the bridge and it stayed in tune fairly well. I also added new strings. Way better.
The Wilkinson is just hard to put on from my experience, loosen the hex screws for the posts and it’ll make it much easier
Thanks for the info. I'll have to try this next time I change the strings.
It's just the hex screws in the bridge holes, that keep the bridge from sliding on over the posts. Once you have your intonation set you then tighten the screws down to lock it in place. Chances are the screws were tighted before hand, which made it difficult to slide the bridge over the posts. Just loosen the hex screws and it will be fine. Keep in mind there are two screws on each side, so you have to ensure you have them set right so you can intonate. I have these roller bridges on several of my guitars and I love them. They make intonation a snap!!
Next time I replace the strings I'll try this again. Thanks!
@@anotherheadlessdemo did it work?
The Squire J. Mascis is a shorter distance behind the bridge than a real Jazzmaster.
(Normally it’s approx. 12.2mm saddle to vibrato)
I think it was so it would be the same size as a Strat/Tele?
A Jazzmaster is a little taller so it doesn’t fit in a Strat/Tele case or gig bag. By moving the vibrato forward a little bit and taking a little off the body it would be about the same size. That’s my guess why they did it?
There are other Jazzmasters where the Vibrato is much closer to the bridge than a traditional JM (Vintera modified is one). Having the vibrato closer to the bridge gives you a steeper break angle that some people think solves problems with JMs. Also, my CV Jazzmaster is the same length as the J Mascis, so both need a longer gig bag or case. The offset body is much longer adding way more length to the guitar. The Jaguar probably doesn't have this issue because of it's shorter scale.
At the beginning you measured the old whammy bar's height, but I don't recall you mentioning if the new bar sat higher or not.
I had forgot to mention that when I shot the video so I added some text part way through. It's at 4:21
@@anotherheadlessdemo Thanks, I must have looked away for a moment.
I'm considering upgrades for mine as well, and I'm thinking that $100 is better spent on a proper bridge. The Wilkinson doesn't seem to be the answer. I was asking on my Jazzmaster and offset group on flakebook for roller bridge upgrades and brought up the Wilkinson only for someone to chime in, saying that it's too yuge of a radius at 14 inch, when you want something closer to 9.5.
What he recommended was the TonePros TPFR. It's supposedly a drop in with a much closer radius than the Wilkinson. It's $95 at StewMac, but worth it if it fixes the damned buzzing and tuning instabilities.
Staytrem as I understand it is the best roller bridge, and he used to add the thimbles that drop in, but doesn't do them anymore. Might still be worth doing a Staytrem if you're handy at extensive mods, but I'll probably go with this Tonepros bridge.
I think I'm going to leave the bridge as is. The TonePro radius is 12" so I'm not sure how well that would work - I think the Wilkinson is the same. There really isn't a good replacement bridge that's currently in production for a J Mascis Jazzmaster unfortunately. Also, I was told the Wilkinson was a good "drop-in replacement", but sadly, it is not!
David, you need to see a locksmith. It will fit the metal parts to match your guitar. Then put on a new tremolo, and you will get many advantages in the most important thing - in the sound.
Roller bridge is always better than breaking a string. Tremolo will become more sensitive and you will use it more accurately with your taste and hearing.
For a locksmith, there is only a job - to adjust some of the seating positions in soft metal to the dimensions needed for the guitar. He will take the engraving machine, pick up the head and choose the right amount of metal.
David, you will get your toy and your upgrade, and he will choose a little metal, paint over the damage and you will have a good toy in which you will enjoy even more.
Please do so.
So far, I'm not seeing much in the way of damage with the new vibrato section. I've decided not to find a way to install the bridge. I think it would need re-positioning of the bushings which might result in damage if I did the work!
@@anotherheadlessdemo Do not in any way change the bushings. All changes must be made to the metal. The value of a guitar is incomparable with a piece of iron. You need to make them work on your guitar in order not to make changes to this successful instrument.
The rods of the lower legs should fit freely in the body of the metal body of the bridge, and even the inaccuracy of the holes in the spring-lever part of the tremolo should fit into the wooden part of the guitar body. The locksmith will take a caliper, measure and draw up a plan, and then a sketch for the production of metal. It removes unnecessary things, protects the surface from corrosion, and you put everything in its place without any extra hassle.
If he takes care of the surface of the support and the adhesion of the height adjusting rods to the washers, it will be even better.
(Replace the word "adhesion" with a dry adhesion of surfaces. It was a translation defect.)
The main reason for all this is the joy and new opportunities for you and your instrument. Appreciate your desires, this is the most valuable thing for you and for the universe. There is very little irony here.
@@anotherheadlessdemo " I think it would need re-positioning of the bushings which might result in damage if I did the work!"
You don't have to do this job. You need to explain to the locksmith what you want and what difficulty you see in this. The more detailed you explain the required changes, the faster and better the result will be. He will make changes to the design, accurately and correctly fix in a vice, process with suitable nozzles and will do everything beautifully and accurately, and most importantly, technically competently. The appearance and functionality will not suffer, or suffer in such a way that it will not worsen your staff and will not be noticeable. Your metal skills are a thousand times less than his. You create music, and the rest will be done by those who create items from metal.
Just ordered my J Mascis Jazzmaster before they got discontinued!
It's still available on the Squier website. I've been seeing rumors about this every so often, but it seems like it's still available.
I'm in a fb group where different people have contacted a Fender Consumer relation manager that states It will be discontinued in the first q1 of 2022. Myself in Italy It's becoming hard to find one and a guitar store said me the same thing. Sorry for my english btw.
That's sad. I know there's a J Mascis Tele available now so maybe the JMJM isn't selling as well as it used to. Your English is way better than my Italian (which is non-existent)!
Thanks 😅
Yes the reason is the newest Jm Tele and also because Fender is diwcontinuing all the Squier Signatures in favor of the Mexicans and Americans made.
Interesting. More expensive too. :(
Awesome video! You saved me some cash! Thanks bro!
You're welcome!
Do you notice any improvement in tuning stability with the AVRI Fender vibrato versus the original Squier JM JM "no name/no button" vibrato? Because for me a little extra smoothness wouldn't be a big deal but anything that can add tuning stability would. Thanks.
Good question. The tuning seems pretty stable now, but it's hard to know if that has anything to do with the Fender AVRI unit. I try and keep the nut well lubricated which helps with tuning stability.
Tip for getting any trem arm to stay in place: Put it in a vice and slightly bend the end of it with a hammer. That will give it enough friction inside the collet to stay in place
Great tip, thanks for sharing that!
@@anotherheadlessdemo no problem! Learned it from puisheen, highly recommend his channel for anyone doing any kind of work on an offset
He's the guy to go to about offset guitars. I think he's chimed in on a couple of my Jazzmaster videos. His channel is a great resource!
@@anotherheadlessdemo your channel is great too! I just got myself a mascis squier and your videos have been really helpful.
A wise choice. I think the JMJM is a terrific guitar, especially for the money. Have fun with it!
Say Dave....as for your roller bridge mod, I had a cheap gold roller bridge in my stash from an Epiphone conversion and it went rite on the same posts. I guess the same forien factory guys make all the same stuff for all these units. It works great. Next mod for my J.M. jazzmaster is a gold tremolo. (Non lock). Haven't seen a Fender logo one in gold. Gud vid .....😊👍
Thanks for the info, Mark. I'm planning more mods on the J Mascis, so I may attempt the bridge again.
Hi there, I think I've ordered the same trem sistem from Fender, but mine comes without the wammy bar, do you know if the stock bar is any good, or I have to buy a new one?, thank you, greetings from Spain😎👍
Hey Miguel. I had to buy the whammy bar separately. The J Mascis whammy bar does not fit the Fender system. :(
@@anotherheadlessdemo thank u👍
@@anotherheadlessdemo I've ordered from Thomman, thank u very much👍
will you change pu too? I'm thinking about pure vintage 65 by Fender on mine,I love stocks pu,but sometimes..not.
I know what you mean about the stock pickups. I have a set of Vintage 65s, but I haven't installed them yet. Stay tuned.
IMO the main question is: is tuning stability better with the AVRI?
I can't say I've noticed much of a difference in terms of tuning stability. It's the feel of the vibrato that is the biggest difference. The AVRI feel more solid and isn't noisy like the original system.
I swapped to an AVRI tremolo on my 90s jap Jazzmaster...definatley better stability,less rattling and feels just right.The spring is harder which gives that lovely fender groan on the way down.The AVRI is much better quality and has more mass/weight to it promoting better sustain...Always helps to lightly oil the moving parts before installation too👍
DAVID NILES, J Mascis uses a Purple tremolo unit and Purple Bridge, do you know who makes them in purple color?
Fender did a purple sparkle signature model a few years ago and more recently someone did a special run Squire Classic Vibe in purple (maybe Andertons?). Not sure about any others.
Actually- he has the Mastery bridge and tremelo unit installed on that JM. They only made purple ones in a limited run. Don't know if they ever reproduce them. You can still get the chrome one, but I believe the bridge requires modification in order to fit.
Mastery. You can't get the purple one anymore, but you can get it in chrome. Just be advised the mastery vibrato is double the cost of the one David put on. So unless you're a very serious vibrato user, it's probably not worth it. Though, the Mastery bridge is apparently a VERY good upgrade, but it requires drilling.
@@radshoesbro yes i know i have been looking for a purple tremolo and bridge and mastery is way to much money for me
Do you believe that the new vibrato system the guitar tends to stay in tune more?
Hard to say. I think it does a good job, not sure of it's better than the original in that regard.
I did the same thing 🤣
I love this guitar
It's probably the nicest guitar in this price range I've ever owned or even played.
On mine, the bridge is good, but the vibrato is terrible.
How so? Was it too stiff? You can adjust that with the screw to the left of the arm.
Damn did you do no research at all on this guitar to know it's just enough out of classic jazzmaster spec's to make the upgrades your trying at least difficult! Yes an ABR "vibrato" is going to be smoother, as it has a 2$ spring vs a 1$ spring ... but does have the disengage/latch button to basically make it a hardtail, the bridge is well an odd one! Alot of the classic jazzmaster/jaguar character comes from the infamous Leo fender bridge design that can be anything from a rattling string jumping nightmare to a buttery smooth beautifully resonant bridge ... so Mascis who to be fair doesn't f'around puts Gibson tunomatics on his own guitars put one on this ... but it's a cludge at best, a good cludge but still ... hence the classic go to is to install a mustang roller bridge on a jazzmaster/Jag ... but as far as I know they don't fit the JMJM ... there was a company years ago making a run of mustang bridges to fit JMJM's but stopped. The next obvious questions is the pickups, at the price point of the guitar they are really actually good, you could put in repos of well many eras of Jazzmasters, p90s, PAFs etc ... but I think a good pickup has one job to deliver a good balanced signal/tone to the output jack ... then most people run into many pedals n an amp ... so tone is redundant, it's just an electrical voltage in musical form. Great guitar stock, brilliant guitar when we'll set up ... :D
Yes, I did quite a bit of research and know the guitar quite well thank you. But since it was my guitar, I thought I'd try a new vibrato to see what the difference was. I like it better. The bridge I attempted to install was recommended by another Jazzmaster owner (he still swears it will fit with a little futzing). The company that made the drop in bridge for a JMJM was StayTrem, and yes, they no longer make them. I've also had Jazzmasters with the original Fender designed bridge. My Classic Vibe has the Mustang style bridge you referred to which replaces that original bridge.
Not sure why you mention pickups since the upgrade had nothing to do with those. The JMJM pickups are not Jazzmaster pickups (as you apparently know). I have a love/hate relationship with them (often way to hot). So again, I've done quite a bit of research.
Only mentioned pickups as they are a kinda classic upgrade to a "budget" guitar ... being mostly just wood n wire after all ... so let's say swapping out the stock pickups for well anything can produce interesting results ... a bit like the vibrato system, it's a rather basic implementation that works fine but is obviously inferior to say a modern AVRI ... but even those are considered inferior to say 70s//80s ones, who knows ... age comes before wisdom :)
I'd say the greatest thing about old jazzmaster/jaguar bridges is the are just old, the metal/spring relaxes, it oxidised/ing, so has a totally different feel/response, usually feels say lighter n just smoother physically vs sonically ... But otherwise identical :) besides the hardtail/latch button which is rather kinda worth the price of admission:) regards and enjoy the music you make :D
My next mod to the JMJM will be the pickups. I do have a set of Fender Pure Vintage 65s waiting to be installed. I'll do a video at some point to compare. Happy to hear you are enjoying the music!