Hey guys, quick update on the allen key situation at 20:35 - I bought a nice 7/64" allen key and both bridges adjust absolutely perfectly now! I just didn't have the right size allen key. Hope that clears up any confusion!
No problem mate! I'm now on a mission to demo every single offset bridge - there's 15 or 16 altogether. The High Spirit Bridge is excellent, we'll see if any of the others are as good or even better!
Is there a channel out there with more detail in the video, the chapters, the description.....? Fantastic work Mark. This is my first view of your videos, but I have subscribed and look forward to checking out more. Thankyou!!
Hey Stewart, thanks so much! That means a lot! ☺️ I definitely aim to be as detailed and helpful as possible. Looking forward to seeing you in future videos!
Thank you mate 😊 I'm fascinated by how things work and have always been interested in finding lesser known guitar upgrades, especially when they offer better value for money than the big names! Hopefully I can bring you some more obscure offset guitar parts soon 😉
I always appreciate the length of your videos. Also how nerdy you get about offset stuff. No other guitar area is as nerdy as offset bridges haha I love it. Personally I like staytrem, but I've always considered a saddle design like this one, might have to try it out.
Haha, thanks mate! I've seen at least one of my videos described as "offensively long" on the Offset Guitars Forum 😂 I know there's kindred spirits like yourself out there though haha. Yeah the Staytrem is pretty hard to fault, especially at under £75. The 3 - 4 month waiting list is absolute torture though 😂😂
@@MarkB.Guitar Na fuck em. They can just not watch it... If people didn't fuss around this much with stuff these bridges would never have been made in the first place. Luckily I haven't experience the waiting lists of staytrem haha
This is a pretty detailed review - feel free to navigate it using the timestamps below if you like! ⏳ TIME STAMPS ⏳ 00:00 PART 1: INTRODUCTION 00:13 *Intro Playing - Plexi: Math Rock* 00:54 Channel Update 01:32 *Playing Interlude - Pushed Clean: Sleepwalk* 02:19 Who are High Spirit Guitars? 02:58 PART 2: ON THE DESIGN 03:02 (i.) Incredible Value 04:27 *Playing Interlude - Jangly Distortion?* 04:49 (ii.) Amazing Saddle Design 05:02 - The Importance of Saddle Design 06:21 - Why I Love the High Spirit Saddles So Much 08:13 *Playing Example: Behind the Bridge* 08:36 - High Spirit Saddles vs Halon Saddle Design 09:39 - High Spirit Saddles vs KMS JAM Bridge Saddle Design 10:46 - High Spirit Saddles vs Gotoh In Tune Tele Saddles 11:42 - High Spirit = The Perfect Offset Saddle 12:22 *Playing Interlude - Clean: Americana& 13:01 (iii.) High Quality Materials 13:26 (iv.) Original Bridge Post Design 13:43 (v.) Semi-Rocking Design 14:47 *Playing Interlude - Clean: Autumn Leaves* 15:14 PART 3: THE EXPERIENCE 15:23 (i.) Neck Shims & Bridge Height 16:40 *Playing Interlude - Clean: Hybrid Picking* 16:48 - Bridge Height Continued 17:38 (ii.) Compatibility with Fender Mute 18:05 (iii.) NO Loctite Needed?! 18:29 (iv.) Awesome Behind the Bridge Resonance 18:41 *Playing Example - Behind the Bridge Playing 2* 19:05 - BTB Cont. 19:19 (v.) Comfort 19:24 (vi.) Intonation and Tuning Stability 19:30 (vii.) Tonal Character of the High Spirit Bridge 19:56 - Tone Comparison 1: Clean 20:43 - Tone Comparison 2: Overdrive 21:41 - Analysing Tone Comparison 22:29 - Tone Comparison 3: Dinosaur Jr 23:25 PART 4: ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT? 20:35 (i.) Allen Keys 25:07 (ii.) Losing Setup During Maintenance 25:42 (iii.) Utilising the Full Intonation Range for Jazzmaster to Jaguar Conversion 28:05 *Playing Interlude - More Pelxi Jangle?* 28:38 PART 5: DO I RECOMMEND IT? 31:28 *Outro Playing - Overdrive: Jag with Mute*
@@steveg3262 Awesome, that's sweet mate! I nearly went Staytrem for this guitar but I'm happy with the High Spirit. I'm jealous of your Jag collection 😉
@@m33k You'd have to enlarge the bridge post routes by 0.5mm each. I did that on this guitar with a little hand file. So it's possible, but a small mod is required.
Also you should try the Trent offset bridge. 95 pounds in the UK. Cheapest by far. I ordered mine with non-rocking thimbles. It's been rock solid and sounds great. It's staying on my Jaguar build.
The Trent vibrato is great, I have that on the Paisley Jag - I'll have a review coming in due course. The bridge looks cool too! I have a Jag that has a DIY Bobba Bridge on it at the moment - I've been toying with the idea of getting a Trent bridge for it... I don't have any money right now though, haha. It seems like a good option though
Cool - can’t wait to discover this new option when I watch your video later on. Curious to find out if it’s as good as - or perhaps better than? - the JAM Bridge I just installed in my MiJ Jazzmaster, which is totally cool so far.
Hey mate, I actually compare the design of the JAM Bridge and the High Spirit bridge in the video! I still love my JAM Bridge but for me this bridge is even better - or at least even more suited to my uses and style 😊
@@MarkB.GuitarYes, I also really appreciated your take on the JAM Bridge in the video. The entire video is exceedingly helpful, and your style of delivery is very enjoyable. That all said, I‘m now really stoked on trying this bridge in my 2nd Jazzmaster, which is a brand-new Fender Player II (MiM). Don‘t have a clue what the bore size is on that one, but on my MiJ I needed the 9mm inserts from KMS to accommodate the JAM Bridge. Totally happy I didn‘t have to modify the bore for the MiJ, and would prefer not to have to do that for the new MiM, either, so will need to figure out the bore size before potentially ordering a High Spirit. Incidentally, the KMS JAM Bridge is fixed, whereas the High Spirit - as you kindly pointed out - is somewhat moveable, so that‘s another point in favor of the HS. And jeez, I now feel a bit silly having invested €230 to get the JAM Bridge, when the HS would probably have done the job equally well (or better?). Fine times we live in when we have choices. ;-)
@@scottbecker3485 Ah thanks so much mate! I was wondering about maybe making a "12 Months On" video for the KMS bridge, as I wasn't sure if I was rambling a bit in the original video - I'm glad you found it helpful though and I really appreciate the feedback ☺️ I'm afraid I'm not sure what the bore size for the Player II Jazzmaster would be either - they seem to use a mix of metric and imperial sized parts for MIM guitars... But congrats on the new guitar! I wonder if Fender customer services would be able to help out with the dimensions? The KMS is an excellent bridge, there's nothing to feel bad about for having bought it! Plus it has the feature of locking bridge posts that the HS doesn't 🤷🏼♂️ I'd say the KMS has a bigger, fatter sound than the HS probably too, if that's what you're after; whereas the HS is smoother and more chimey. Both excellent options 😊
Hey mate, yeah you've got it! I've never checked to see whether I'm playing it right, but that's what it's supposed to be 😄 I'm a big City and Colour / AoF fan 😊
The Tuffset bridge does look cool and people who have tried it seem to really like it. I'm personally not super keen on the aesthetic and I'm not sure how important it is for me to have every single component on the bridge locking... I'd be really interested to try one but I'm also not sure I'd ever want to spend that much on a bridge: the most I've spent is £130 for the Bensonite bridge, then £125 for the KMS JAM Bridge, then £110 for the High Spirit bridge. They're all great, so it's hard to justify spending £100 more, and sadly the channel isn't big enough to get sent one to demo 😂 You'll have to let me know how you find it if you do get one!
@@thesimulations8900 Hey, great question! In terms of price they're pretty similar, but in all other ways they're very different! I'll try to break it down: *Feel* - both bridges are very comfortable and feel great under the hand *Intonation* - Both bridges intonate really well, especially after Kendall's tweak of the Bensonite design, but the HS has more intonation range, *Look* - The Bensonite looks more similar to a regular offset bridge, whereas the HS is a little more out there. Both look great in my opinion. *Tone* - The Bensonite bridge is really heavy and high mass and it adds fatness, extended highs, and volume to the tone. The HS is very lightweight and it gives the guitar a very even, balanced, open voice. *Installation* - The HS uses its own thimbes and needs a guitar with US/Imperial 9.5mm thimble routes, whereas the Bensonite will fit on any guitar. Both are great, it's hard for me to pick one over the other - I wouldn't swap my HS for a Bensonite and visa versa. I think if you're a really heavy vibrato user, the fully rocking design of the Bensonite would serve you better. If you need a really wide intonation range the HS will serve you better. If you do a lot of hybrid picking/play really hard with your picking hand, the saddle design of the HS is better, although the Bensonite saddle design is being updated. The rest comes foen to personal preference!
About to order a high spirit bridge for my jag build and found this video. great job! are your plates matte or aluminum or something? if so, would love to know where you got them.
Side question: May I ask what you are using for those beautiful clean tones in several parts of the video? I‘m just getting started with the Fender Tone Master Pro (as a primarily acoustic player up till now), and can‘t decide which of the many delicious Fender amps in there I like the best. But your demo really knocked my socks off, clean-wise, so thanks for any tips you might have. Oh, and what pickups are installed? (My MiJ still has the originals, which are not real JM pickups, of course, whilst the MiM Player II has pickups that seem to sound pretty close to the originals.)
@@scottbecker3485 Sure, of course! In all the clean sounds I'm using a Joyo Avallon Compressor, which is an 1176 style compressor. That adds some fatness and chime to the sound. Then I'm running into the Clean channel of the Bluguitar AMP1 Mercury, using the Black Panel Bassman voicing on the channel's custom tone control. I'm using a 2x12 cab with DV Neo Green speakers, which are a high powered neodymium take on Celestion Alnico Blues. So I'm not necessarily a million miles from a Tone Master... The Neo Green speakers are amazing though, really fat and chimey! The pickups in the Sparkle Jag are Alnico 2 jaguar pickups from Northern Pickups. The pickups in the Paisley Jag are a really cool custom set of mini humbuckers from Northern Pickups. Yeah the pickups in the Player II sounds pretty good to me! 😊
@@MarkWright-206 It started out as a Squier CV60s, but by this point I've replaced the neck, pickups, bridge, vibrato, pickguard, and installed a mute! It was great as it was, but I like the 7.25" radius and light nitro relic even more ☺️ The cool thing about upgrading a Squier is each piece of the original guitar you sell, you have money for the next upgrade!
Hey mate, interesting question! Sustain isn't something I'm too bothered about personally, so it's not something I've measured when trying different offset bridges (I have an 1176 style compressor always-on and that has everything covered for me) - however, my instinct would be to say the one with the highest mass. The Bensonite Offset Bridge is seriously high mass (I've got a demo/review of that bridge in the works!). The Halon bridges also look very high mass but I haven't tried one of those yet. Another thing to consider is that a non-rocking design will probably have slightly more sustain than a rocking design. The Halon comes in rocking and non-rocking versions, the Bensonite is rocking only. Lastly, some people might claim that a locking bridge might have a marginal gain in sustain, as energy isn't being wasted by causing vibrations in extraneous components, but instead the bridge resonates more cohesively as a whole - but I think any difference there would be pretty minimal. Sorry not to have a definitive answer but I hope that helps! I'd definitely recommend checking out Bensonite or Halon as a solid starting place 😊
@@MarkB.Guitar Thanks man. One of the things I kept reading from people talking about the Mastery is that is also helps with sustain in a noticeable way. Is a note going to continue to ring like a Les Paul on any of these. No. But I’m looking for something better than what I currently have on my Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster (I bought a Chinese 9.5 radius Mustang-style bridge… I reverse shimmed the neck so that I could drop the bridge, as it had to be raised SUPER high before to get a low action, which is weird, but the neck pocket maybe a bit strange in mine).
@@jasonswitzer1748 I have to confess that I've never tried a Mastery - partly because they're extremely expensive (especially in here in the UK - it's the most expensive of all the offset bridge upgrades at £225, except the Thorn Brass Knuckle which is about £250 and Fender RSD which is £500 usdd); but also I feel like they're massively over-represented online simply because it's the best known bridge. I believe that there are other offset bridges out there that are just as good as the Mastery, if not better, but people will still always recommend Mastery simply because it's the only bridge they've tried, and they only tried it because everyone online recommends it and says it's the best, so they in turn recommend it as the best/only option even though they haven't tried anything else, and then people who haven't even tried the Mastery or any other upgrade bridge then also start contending that it's the best even though they've never tried it - and all the while, the Mastery is getting recommended above every other bridge without anyone actually trying any of the other great bridge options that are out there 😅 I'm exaggerating a little bit, but I think people are often unwilling to give lesser known or lesser hyped bridges a chance and there's very much an echo chamber online when it comes to gear recommendations... So, I'm slightly anti-Mastery... However, I'm sure it's a great bridge and I will try one eventually, but there's so many different offset bridge upgrades out there! I know of 14 different aftermarket offset bridges and there's probably some I don't know of, too. I'm sure the Mastery would be a great option for your JMJM and would be a big improvement, especially if you find a good deal on one 😊 I'd recommend checking out Lord Fuzzman's Offset Bridge comparison video if you haven't watched it already - his review of the Mastery is very interesting!
Hey mate! I've placed an order for a Tuffset. I'm not sure when it's shipping but I'll be publishing a review once I've got it! If you can hold out that long I'll let you know how they compare back to back 😊
Haha, thanks mate! The Paisley Jag is a parts guitar I built. I documented the whole building process and I'm considering turning it into a mini series of videos for the channel if people are interested... It's a semi-hollow Alder Jazzmaster body with a Mahogany top that I converted to 24" scale and Jaguar spec. It's got a Wild Carpathian Pear wood neck made in a small custom shop in Ukraine, with an amazing set of custom mini humbuckers by Northern Pickups. I've got a lot of the build process documented on my Instagram, too! It's a very special guitar 😄
Hey guys, quick update on the allen key situation at 20:35 - I bought a nice 7/64" allen key and both bridges adjust absolutely perfectly now! I just didn't have the right size allen key. Hope that clears up any confusion!
Thanks for bringing attention to these lesser known bridge designs. Definitely considering one of these!
No problem mate! I'm now on a mission to demo every single offset bridge - there's 15 or 16 altogether. The High Spirit Bridge is excellent, we'll see if any of the others are as good or even better!
Is there a channel out there with more detail in the video, the chapters, the description.....?
Fantastic work Mark. This is my first view of your videos, but I have subscribed and look forward to checking out more. Thankyou!!
Hey Stewart, thanks so much! That means a lot! ☺️ I definitely aim to be as detailed and helpful as possible. Looking forward to seeing you in future videos!
Really enjoy your channel! You go super in-depth on offset topics for which it can be difficult to find any info at all.
Thank you mate 😊 I'm fascinated by how things work and have always been interested in finding lesser known guitar upgrades, especially when they offer better value for money than the big names! Hopefully I can bring you some more obscure offset guitar parts soon 😉
I always appreciate the length of your videos. Also how nerdy you get about offset stuff. No other guitar area is as nerdy as offset bridges haha I love it. Personally I like staytrem, but I've always considered a saddle design like this one, might have to try it out.
Haha, thanks mate! I've seen at least one of my videos described as "offensively long" on the Offset Guitars Forum 😂 I know there's kindred spirits like yourself out there though haha. Yeah the Staytrem is pretty hard to fault, especially at under £75. The 3 - 4 month waiting list is absolute torture though 😂😂
@@MarkB.Guitar Na fuck em. They can just not watch it... If people didn't fuss around this much with stuff these bridges would never have been made in the first place. Luckily I haven't experience the waiting lists of staytrem haha
Haha cheers dude ❤️ It's pure agony but given the price it's hard to complain!
This has been a really well thought out and well presented review. Good job!
Thanks man 😊 I planned and scripted this video a lot more carefully than any of the videos I've made in the past. Thanks for noticing!
This is a pretty detailed review - feel free to navigate it using the timestamps below if you like!
⏳ TIME STAMPS ⏳
00:00 PART 1: INTRODUCTION
00:13 *Intro Playing - Plexi: Math Rock*
00:54 Channel Update
01:32 *Playing Interlude - Pushed Clean: Sleepwalk*
02:19 Who are High Spirit Guitars?
02:58 PART 2: ON THE DESIGN
03:02 (i.) Incredible Value
04:27 *Playing Interlude - Jangly Distortion?*
04:49 (ii.) Amazing Saddle Design
05:02 - The Importance of Saddle Design
06:21 - Why I Love the High Spirit Saddles So Much
08:13 *Playing Example: Behind the Bridge*
08:36 - High Spirit Saddles vs Halon Saddle Design
09:39 - High Spirit Saddles vs KMS JAM Bridge Saddle Design
10:46 - High Spirit Saddles vs Gotoh In Tune Tele Saddles
11:42 - High Spirit = The Perfect Offset Saddle
12:22 *Playing Interlude - Clean: Americana&
13:01 (iii.) High Quality Materials
13:26 (iv.) Original Bridge Post Design
13:43 (v.) Semi-Rocking Design
14:47 *Playing Interlude - Clean: Autumn Leaves*
15:14 PART 3: THE EXPERIENCE
15:23 (i.) Neck Shims & Bridge Height
16:40 *Playing Interlude - Clean: Hybrid Picking*
16:48 - Bridge Height Continued
17:38 (ii.) Compatibility with Fender Mute
18:05 (iii.) NO Loctite Needed?!
18:29 (iv.) Awesome Behind the Bridge Resonance
18:41 *Playing Example - Behind the Bridge Playing 2*
19:05 - BTB Cont.
19:19 (v.) Comfort
19:24 (vi.) Intonation and Tuning Stability
19:30 (vii.) Tonal Character of the High Spirit Bridge
19:56 - Tone Comparison 1: Clean
20:43 - Tone Comparison 2: Overdrive
21:41 - Analysing Tone Comparison
22:29 - Tone Comparison 3: Dinosaur Jr
23:25 PART 4: ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT?
20:35 (i.) Allen Keys
25:07 (ii.) Losing Setup During Maintenance
25:42 (iii.) Utilising the Full Intonation Range for Jazzmaster to Jaguar Conversion
28:05 *Playing Interlude - More Pelxi Jangle?*
28:38 PART 5: DO I RECOMMEND IT?
31:28 *Outro Playing - Overdrive: Jag with Mute*
Did you ever do a video on the Halon bridges?
@@dunsaniandreams9 I haven't yet tried a Halon! I would love to try one, especially their limited bronze aluminuim bridge. Maybe one day!
I'm here real early. Just got a player ii JM that I'll be ordering this bridge for
Sick, that's awesome mate! I haven't had a chance to play one yet but congrats on the new guitar!
I had one put on my 68 fender jaguar (which has been modded before) my 67 and 64 jags have staytrems, its been a happy difference but both very good
@@steveg3262 Awesome, that's sweet mate! I nearly went Staytrem for this guitar but I'm happy with the High Spirit. I'm jealous of your Jag collection 😉
Looks sickkkk! Do you think it would fit in an MIJ jazzmaster?
@@m33k You'd have to enlarge the bridge post routes by 0.5mm each. I did that on this guitar with a little hand file. So it's possible, but a small mod is required.
@ thank you for the fast reply!
Also you should try the Trent offset bridge. 95 pounds in the UK. Cheapest by far. I ordered mine with non-rocking thimbles. It's been rock solid and sounds great. It's staying on my Jaguar build.
The Trent vibrato is great, I have that on the Paisley Jag - I'll have a review coming in due course. The bridge looks cool too! I have a Jag that has a DIY Bobba Bridge on it at the moment - I've been toying with the idea of getting a Trent bridge for it... I don't have any money right now though, haha. It seems like a good option though
Cool - can’t wait to discover this new option when I watch your video later on. Curious to find out if it’s as good as - or perhaps better than? - the JAM Bridge I just installed in my MiJ Jazzmaster, which is totally cool so far.
Hey mate, I actually compare the design of the JAM Bridge and the High Spirit bridge in the video! I still love my JAM Bridge but for me this bridge is even better - or at least even more suited to my uses and style 😊
@@MarkB.GuitarYes, I also really appreciated your take on the JAM Bridge in the video. The entire video is exceedingly helpful, and your style of delivery is very enjoyable. That all said, I‘m now really stoked on trying this bridge in my 2nd Jazzmaster, which is a brand-new Fender Player II (MiM). Don‘t have a clue what the bore size is on that one, but on my MiJ I needed the 9mm inserts from KMS to accommodate the JAM Bridge. Totally happy I didn‘t have to modify the bore for the MiJ, and would prefer not to have to do that for the new MiM, either, so will need to figure out the bore size before potentially ordering a High Spirit. Incidentally, the KMS JAM Bridge is fixed, whereas the High Spirit - as you kindly pointed out - is somewhat moveable, so that‘s another point in favor of the HS. And jeez, I now feel a bit silly having invested €230 to get the JAM Bridge, when the HS would probably have done the job equally well (or better?). Fine times we live in when we have choices. ;-)
@@scottbecker3485 Ah thanks so much mate! I was wondering about maybe making a "12 Months On" video for the KMS bridge, as I wasn't sure if I was rambling a bit in the original video - I'm glad you found it helpful though and I really appreciate the feedback ☺️
I'm afraid I'm not sure what the bore size for the Player II Jazzmaster would be either - they seem to use a mix of metric and imperial sized parts for MIM guitars... But congrats on the new guitar! I wonder if Fender customer services would be able to help out with the dimensions?
The KMS is an excellent bridge, there's nothing to feel bad about for having bought it! Plus it has the feature of locking bridge posts that the HS doesn't 🤷🏼♂️ I'd say the KMS has a bigger, fatter sound than the HS probably too, if that's what you're after; whereas the HS is smoother and more chimey. Both excellent options 😊
12:25 is that city and colour difficult love?
Hey mate, yeah you've got it! I've never checked to see whether I'm playing it right, but that's what it's supposed to be 😄 I'm a big City and Colour / AoF fan 😊
Awesome review! Do you know if this would fit an American Vintage II Jazzmaster?
@@loud_001 Thanks mate, yeah it should fit no problem!
@ nice thanks for the quick reply
@@loud_001 No worries 😊 The High Spirit thimbles are the same size as USA Fender.
I Love That Headstock 😎🤙
It's awesome, isn't it?! It's the handiwork of Indra Guitars- they're worth checking out, they make really cool stuff!
I saw some adds for the Tuffset bridge. I want one, they look like they have the adjustability of a mastery with the comfort of the mustang bridge.
The Tuffset bridge does look cool and people who have tried it seem to really like it. I'm personally not super keen on the aesthetic and I'm not sure how important it is for me to have every single component on the bridge locking... I'd be really interested to try one but I'm also not sure I'd ever want to spend that much on a bridge: the most I've spent is £130 for the Bensonite bridge, then £125 for the KMS JAM Bridge, then £110 for the High Spirit bridge. They're all great, so it's hard to justify spending £100 more, and sadly the channel isn't big enough to get sent one to demo 😂 You'll have to let me know how you find it if you do get one!
What do you think of High Spirit vs Bensonite?
@@thesimulations8900 Hey, great question! In terms of price they're pretty similar, but in all other ways they're very different! I'll try to break it down:
*Feel* - both bridges are very comfortable and feel great under the hand
*Intonation* - Both bridges intonate really well, especially after Kendall's tweak of the Bensonite design, but the HS has more intonation range,
*Look* - The Bensonite looks more similar to a regular offset bridge, whereas the HS is a little more out there. Both look great in my opinion.
*Tone* - The Bensonite bridge is really heavy and high mass and it adds fatness, extended highs, and volume to the tone. The HS is very lightweight and it gives the guitar a very even, balanced, open voice.
*Installation* - The HS uses its own thimbes and needs a guitar with US/Imperial 9.5mm thimble routes, whereas the Bensonite will fit on any guitar.
Both are great, it's hard for me to pick one over the other - I wouldn't swap my HS for a Bensonite and visa versa. I think if you're a really heavy vibrato user, the fully rocking design of the Bensonite would serve you better. If you need a really wide intonation range the HS will serve you better. If you do a lot of hybrid picking/play really hard with your picking hand, the saddle design of the HS is better, although the Bensonite saddle design is being updated. The rest comes foen to personal preference!
About to order a high spirit bridge for my jag build and found this video. great job! are your plates matte or aluminum or something? if so, would love to know where you got them.
Hope you love the bridge! They're from EY Guitars 😊
Side question: May I ask what you are using for those beautiful clean tones in several parts of the video? I‘m just getting started with the Fender Tone Master Pro (as a primarily acoustic player up till now), and can‘t decide which of the many delicious Fender amps in there I like the best. But your demo really knocked my socks off, clean-wise, so thanks for any tips you might have. Oh, and what pickups are installed? (My MiJ still has the originals, which are not real JM pickups, of course, whilst the MiM Player II has pickups that seem to sound pretty close to the originals.)
@@scottbecker3485 Sure, of course! In all the clean sounds I'm using a Joyo Avallon Compressor, which is an 1176 style compressor. That adds some fatness and chime to the sound. Then I'm running into the Clean channel of the Bluguitar AMP1 Mercury, using the Black Panel Bassman voicing on the channel's custom tone control. I'm using a 2x12 cab with DV Neo Green speakers, which are a high powered neodymium take on Celestion Alnico Blues. So I'm not necessarily a million miles from a Tone Master... The Neo Green speakers are amazing though, really fat and chimey! The pickups in the Sparkle Jag are Alnico 2 jaguar pickups from Northern Pickups. The pickups in the Paisley Jag are a really cool custom set of mini humbuckers from Northern Pickups. Yeah the pickups in the Player II sounds pretty good to me! 😊
Is the sliver sparkle jag a squire or a Jagpartser??
@@MarkWright-206 It started out as a Squier CV60s, but by this point I've replaced the neck, pickups, bridge, vibrato, pickguard, and installed a mute! It was great as it was, but I like the 7.25" radius and light nitro relic even more ☺️ The cool thing about upgrading a Squier is each piece of the original guitar you sell, you have money for the next upgrade!
Hey man. If you had to pick the best offset bridge for maximizing sustain, what would you recommend? Thanks for your help!
Hey mate, interesting question! Sustain isn't something I'm too bothered about personally, so it's not something I've measured when trying different offset bridges (I have an 1176 style compressor always-on and that has everything covered for me) - however, my instinct would be to say the one with the highest mass.
The Bensonite Offset Bridge is seriously high mass (I've got a demo/review of that bridge in the works!). The Halon bridges also look very high mass but I haven't tried one of those yet.
Another thing to consider is that a non-rocking design will probably have slightly more sustain than a rocking design. The Halon comes in rocking and non-rocking versions, the Bensonite is rocking only.
Lastly, some people might claim that a locking bridge might have a marginal gain in sustain, as energy isn't being wasted by causing vibrations in extraneous components, but instead the bridge resonates more cohesively as a whole - but I think any difference there would be pretty minimal.
Sorry not to have a definitive answer but I hope that helps! I'd definitely recommend checking out Bensonite or Halon as a solid starting place 😊
@@MarkB.Guitar Thanks man. One of the things I kept reading from people talking about the Mastery is that is also helps with sustain in a noticeable way. Is a note going to continue to ring like a Les Paul on any of these. No. But I’m looking for something better than what I currently have on my Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster (I bought a Chinese 9.5 radius Mustang-style bridge… I reverse shimmed the neck so that I could drop the bridge, as it had to be raised SUPER high before to get a low action, which is weird, but the neck pocket maybe a bit strange in mine).
@@jasonswitzer1748 I have to confess that I've never tried a Mastery - partly because they're extremely expensive (especially in here in the UK - it's the most expensive of all the offset bridge upgrades at £225, except the Thorn Brass Knuckle which is about £250 and Fender RSD which is £500 usdd); but also I feel like they're massively over-represented online simply because it's the best known bridge.
I believe that there are other offset bridges out there that are just as good as the Mastery, if not better, but people will still always recommend Mastery simply because it's the only bridge they've tried, and they only tried it because everyone online recommends it and says it's the best, so they in turn recommend it as the best/only option even though they haven't tried anything else, and then people who haven't even tried the Mastery or any other upgrade bridge then also start contending that it's the best even though they've never tried it - and all the while, the Mastery is getting recommended above every other bridge without anyone actually trying any of the other great bridge options that are out there 😅
I'm exaggerating a little bit, but I think people are often unwilling to give lesser known or lesser hyped bridges a chance and there's very much an echo chamber online when it comes to gear recommendations...
So, I'm slightly anti-Mastery... However, I'm sure it's a great bridge and I will try one eventually, but there's so many different offset bridge upgrades out there! I know of 14 different aftermarket offset bridges and there's probably some I don't know of, too.
I'm sure the Mastery would be a great option for your JMJM and would be a big improvement, especially if you find a good deal on one 😊 I'd recommend checking out Lord Fuzzman's Offset Bridge comparison video if you haven't watched it already - his review of the Mastery is very interesting!
I am trying to decide either This or tuffset?
Hey mate! I've placed an order for a Tuffset. I'm not sure when it's shipping but I'll be publishing a review once I've got it! If you can hold out that long I'll let you know how they compare back to back 😊
@ sure bro. Already subbed and liked
Legend, thanks so much mate! I'm getting the new V2 Tuffset with brass saddles, so it'll be very interesting to compare with the High Spirit.
What is that Jag? That is just guitar porn!
Haha, thanks mate! The Paisley Jag is a parts guitar I built. I documented the whole building process and I'm considering turning it into a mini series of videos for the channel if people are interested...
It's a semi-hollow Alder Jazzmaster body with a Mahogany top that I converted to 24" scale and Jaguar spec. It's got a Wild Carpathian Pear wood neck made in a small custom shop in Ukraine, with an amazing set of custom mini humbuckers by Northern Pickups.
I've got a lot of the build process documented on my Instagram, too! It's a very special guitar 😄
@@MarkB.Guitar That Jag is so rock n' roll. A thing of beauty. I always enjoy your content man! Comprehensive reviews for sure.
Thanks man! It'll feature more on the channel in the future for sure 😊