Jazzmaster Setup Tips | Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
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Been playing guitar for 14 years, owned >10 guitars which have come and gone (some cost me more than I could afford!) and yet I never bothered to set up any of these guitars properly. I just treated myself to a new Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster after not having owned an electric for a couple of years. I decided to set this one up properly (having never attempted anything guitar techy before) and used this and a couple of other vids (but mostly this one). Thank you Eric. Such good advice in this. Even the Loctite which I didn’t think would be necessary! Thank you very much, man.
I’m so glad to hear that the video helped you! Also, that’s a KILLER Jazzmaster!
I wanted to buy the TVL first signature Jazzmaster, the one in Ox Blood, but I couldn't really afford it at the time. And I wasn't ready, I didn't know much about guitar tech stuff.
I have the same signature guitar. I got it because It's a work of art and sounds amazing and I needed it to help fulfill my bucket list of guitars. I'm in the process of setting my action as well. I like my action a little lower than how it came...🎸🎶
Eric, thank you. I just opened up my new Jazzmaster, tuned it, played it for 60 seconds, and said, wow, what a piece of crap. You get what you pay for. However, I found your video and have some assurance that I can get it to play well. Thank you so much
Hi Joe, thanks for watching! I’m glad you found the video but I’m sorry that your Jazzmaster doesn’t feel great right from the start. I hope you can get it playing nicely with the video!!!
Got that Squire Vintage Modified Jazzmaster hardtail. Had someone rout it for tremolo installation. The bridge was installed off-center. Other problems, as well. Quite right about paying for what you get. I do like the pickups and the donut stacked volume/tone controls though. Maybe I'll use them with some kind of kit. Installing that tremolo will be intimidating.
I sold my Squier CV Jazzmaster a few years back because, though I’m a more than capable guitar tech, I couldn’t get it to ”feel” like a Jazzmaster. Whatever I did just made it feel wrong. Thanks to this video I’m on the lookout for a new one! Love the channel, love your way of explaining things. Simple without making us feel dumb!
I hope you’re able to fix one up to feel the way you want! They’re pretty particular instruments and can be kind of a pain to make useable. Glad you liked the video!
Wow! Thanks for helping to keep these guitars relevant and showing the kids that they are really the best guitars that fender made. For me, I decided back in 1968 that playing right handed meant my fast hand was on the fretboard, and my clumsy hand didn't have to move as much doing the picking. So when dad went to work, I would"borrow" his guitar, which was still pretty new, and I dug out the records he brought home with it. "Play guitar with the fabulous Ventures! And listened, and watched and learned the chords to all the songs. The chords were almost Barre chords, but you used your thumb on the bottom string, and the top strings were index finger! Needless to say, I fell in love with that guitar! It played effortlessly, had such a tone... It was a 1965 jazzmaster, tobacco burst, tortoise shell pick guard, with a locking trem.. you set the trem , then if you broke a string, simply locked it into place until the song was over and you could put a new one on. I went from ventures and country right into blues and rock. When I saw kiss in 75 it made me work to get that type of tunes. I was the only one in my family to take that guitar into the bars, and perform. Well, dad passed away 09, and left that guitar and a 65 bandmaster reverb to me. I can say it plays as good now that I'm 65 as it did when I was 13. As you can probably tell, they are worth the world to me. I've been offered 6k and turned it down flat it's so good to see that they are getting a good following because guys like you are showing folks how to use them peace, brother, this video means a bunch to me!
Oh my gosh I love that you have your dad’s guitar and amp! You’re incredibly right to keep it and cherish it! Thanks so much for watching the video and sharing your story!
I bought this exact guitar and now have the exact issues you described, going to get everything recommended and give it a shot! Thanks for such a detailed video, your teaching style is wonderful
I’m so glad the video helped! You’re sure to be able to get all these issues taken care of. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions that come up. Either here or over on Instagram @ericmerrow
How'd the setup go? I'm considering a squier JM, as well, and want to set it up myself.
@@Thejonthomas it's still sittin on my guitar rack in the same state, procrastination is a MF - I'll reply again when I get to it, planning on it within the next few weeks, cheers
@@aethroAny updates😂
@@plungiemcgee still lazy - still unrepaired lol, its sad really, should prolly sell the dang thing at this point
Thanks a lot! I think this is the most informative and helpful video for a jazzmaster setup
So glad to hear it helped!!
As a lefty guitar player myself, I've been eyeing up one of these for a while. They look great! I got my other two guitars set up properly by a tech and it makes such a difference. Great video, thank you
Thanks for watching! Lefty guitars rock!
@@EricMerrow Mine arrived today! It is pretty buzzy and rattly, so will follow your tips. It still sounds good, but I know it can sound a whole lot better.
Your video gave me the confidence to buy my own! Fellow lefty, didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for my first offset guitar. Thank you!!
So glad you’re getting into the offset world! I hope you love it!
Mine had a stiff feel and bad sustain. Turned out the tension in the tremolo spring was way to high. Turned that much more loose and play ability and tone improved so much! 😊 I hope someone here finds this helpful!
I just bought one from this years batch but in the reviews I found the exact same three things mentioned you addressed here, needs a setup with a shim, dry fret board and occasions of bad tuners.
People said this a great guitar for its price with a setup, so Ill make it a great guitar than if all it takes is new strings, a shim and some DIY care. Im just glad the sellers left the honest reviews up so I am not disappointed if its not ready to play out the box.
🤘🤘🤘🤘
Just ordered a Squire classic vibe JM so this is an excellent run through of what to expect and how to fix issues. Many thanks Eric!
Just ordered a Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster and this video will surely come in handy! Thanks for taking the time!
Thank you for watching! I hope you love the new guitar!
Its neck pocket is pre-angled, no need for shims. Some people still put 0.25 shims into theirs, don’t think it’s necessary. I also ordered a custom nut slotted for my desired string gauge (they ship with 9s and it’s a joke, 10-46 are much better, pro players go up to 11s or 12s)
These methods can work on a Squier bass Vi as well thank you so much for the information
Glad it helped!!
I used a lot of these pointers you described in this video to set up my Classic Vibes Jazzmaster I just got. Used two guitar pics in between the neck and body as a shim, and raised the bridge to accommodate for the height, and it came out smooth. I noticed rattling behind the bridge too, and no matter how many times I went to adjust the spring for the vibrato, it kept eventually coming loose and rattling again, so I took it upon myself to unmount the vibrato and just toss the spring entirely since I never use a whammy bar as it is, then reseated that screw and it’s been perfect since then. The next thing I’ll likely do is apply some loctite to the bridge height screws like you did. I noticed that the mustang bridges on these things lose a bit of height anytime the strings come off, and you have to reset it to where it was. That’s been my experience at least, but anyway, I just wanted to say thank you. I managed to setup my own Jazzmaster better than the guitar tech at the local shop here where I live did during a setup I paid for, and it was all thanks to this video. Very, very insightful.
Aww yeah! I’m so glad to hear that you got your Jazzmaster setup! Thank you so much for sharing - it means the world!
Thanks for this video! I was setting up my recently acquired Jazzmaster yesterday and in order to reduce the wobbling bridge, I used 2 washers to which I made indents inward. To secure them in the pickguard holes, I used double sided tape. If they stay put, I’ll leave them if not I may have to put glue. Hopefully there won’t be any rattling.
@@alainlacerte3752 I’ve had good luck using some tape around the posts in order to stop the wiggling
I also have another pro-tip for anyone who bought one brand new. When I got mine, it was making a static-like crackling sound through my amp whenever I switched pickups, depressed the tremolo bar, or even just from the guitar being idle. I took it to the shop for its first setup and they told me the pickup selector was garbage. I’m not mechanically inclined so I do not know if they swapped just the selector or the entire assembly but basically that should be replaced asap out of the box whether you do it yourself or have someone at the shop do it.
Anyways, it’s been too long since it’s had its first setup and thought it was due today for some routine maintenance. I bought some new strings which I already know how to change but I still didn’t know how a setup exactly worked. Looked it up and found this video, was delighted to see it was the same lefty model as mine! Will be doing this myself from here on out to save money instead of going back to the shop, thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing! And I’m glad the video helped!!
Offsets for life: I have the JM JM, Squire VI, and Jaguar. I love these weird guitars.
I’m with you all the way! I’ve got 3 Jazzmasters. I’d love to add a Jag to my collection sometime soon
I bought a lefty just like this months ago and have had it looking cool in the corner of my room. I just started to pick it up, and as a strat/guy have been trying to work out the bridge setup. Your video is really well presented and contains all the information that I need. Thanks so much 👍🏻
Thanks so much for checking out the video! Hopefully you can get the guitar setup and playing comfortably for you!
I have also have the olympic white Squier. The only thing I will do to mine (her name is Durga - yes, I name them all!) is put a coat of mineral oil on the fretboard since Indian laurelwood 'appears' drier than rosewood; but to my ears sounds just as good. Thank you! ☮
Right on! Yeah I’m with you - I absolutely don’t mind Indian laurel
Just in time! This crazy weather has all my guitars in need of a setup. Thanks for doing this!it's tough to find jazzmaster-specific setup tutorials.
Thanks for watching! You should check out my buddy Mike’s channel too. He goes by Puisheen. He’s a Jazzmaster lover and he’s got a bunch of awesome videos that go into great depth!
Enjoy the Silence🎶
Neck shims & Depeche Mode....
Glad to see you got your Jazzmaster sorted out Eric. But those neck shims at over $100 a pack from Stew Mac🤑
I'm surprised you didn't make your own with a little bit of trial & error like back in the days before Stew Mac started cashing in on every guitar gizmo they/you could think of.
String height rulers....I've always found a plectrum or two works.
And I've always been grateful of the micro tilt adjustment on my 70`s strat(one of the reasons why I bought it, that along with how it felt in my hands with its chunky U shaped neck(loads of wood=sustain)along with its massive headstock.
Don't Fender make any Jazzmaster`s with a micro tilt neck adjustment❓ It would sort out all the problems that you mention here with correct neck angle, string action & downward pressure on the bridge(super important for sustain & tone as seen on any decent sounding acoustic 🎸 especially a high bridge saddle which is essential.
And like you mentioned a high bridge on a Jazzmaster helps keep the strings in place & stops them slipping out of the saddle when playing hard.
Anyway all the best man,now you've got your Jazzmaster sorted you can get to making some sweet springtime 🌱 tunes 🎶......😊
Thanks so much for watching! I went with the full pocket neck shims from stewmac (I think I got a pack of 3 for ~$25) because a luthier friend of mine mentioned a while back that there can be issues with sustain when the neck is separated from the pocket. So... better safe than sorry.
But yeah, all of these issues were fixable thankfully. I'm enjoying the Squier now! I'll be making some upgrade videos soon as I just got in a new wiring harness for the guitar.
@@EricMerrow Safe Eric, I'll keep both an eye & an ear open for future updates. The wiring harness sounds like it could be an interesting upgrade 🎸sound🎵wise 🔊
Stay safe & enjoy the Spring☀shine.....😊
Neck shimming makes all the difference. Not being afraid to up the string gauge helps too! Great video man!
Absolutely! 10’s are about as light as I would recommend on Jazzmasters. I’m usually running 11’s
@@EricMerrow I run 9-46 on mine (and pretty much everything I own) just fine. I occasionally go thicker (10) on the high end for weird tunings.
Can also confirm I’ve shimmed mine and am running 11’s on it. It’s perfect.
There is a Fender design flaw: the entire neck needs to be removed to get access to adjust the truss rod. The access point is not at the head stock, but at the other end
I haven’t had much issue with the screws being oriented toward the pickup but I absolutely hate when the truss rod adjustment is at the neck heel! That’s the worst!
Don’t use blue thread locker! That’s so commonly used for heavier applications. Use purple thread locker. It’s used to hold thread positions for smaller lighter applications. It will hold but needs lighter torque to make changes. Use red and you’ll need power tools to remove and adjust.
@@d.w.8100it’s way more of a pain in the ass
@@d.w.8100he was stating that he sees it as a flaw, and explained why.. how is that crying ? Should we not worry about slipping tuning heads as well? It only takes a few seconds to retune.
On the original, that was the design. The one in the video has access to the truss rod on the headstock. I think Leo thought people would like to tinker with their guitars and would gladly remove the neck regularly to maintain the guitar. He was a tinkerer .
Thank you! I just bought this exact guitar secondhand and this was just the video I needed to get 'er dialed. Really appreciate the attention to detail here. Cheers!
So glad you found the video!!
I've been eyeing one of these guitars, so this video was helpful in letting me know that there may be some work involved. It all seems fairly uncomplicated, just requiring some patience.
Glad the video helped! I would definitely assume that you’ll need to do some work on the guitar. Especially if it hasn’t been setup at the store
@@EricMerrow just picked mine up, I mean it’s fairly straightforward, setup bridge, set neck, possibly shim it, set up tremolo system, and for me as I live in a hot climate, sand sharp edges down. All my guitars even American fenders required all this and I learned how to do it instead of paying someone every time.
About to add microtilt to my classic vibe bass vi when I swap most of the parts for Fender American. Been lots of research. Glad the Classic Vibe has a wider nut and string spacing compared to vintera and previous ones like vintage modified. Picking a bridge though, many aftermarket ones are aimed at the narrower string spacing. Staytrem removed the 55mm spacing option. Going for the panorama tremolo and trying the existing CV spring first. Hoping with careful adjustment it will be able to balance. Otherwise ill be ordering a lot of springs. It will be a fun project. As a new player the idea of playing an octave lower appealed to me. I'm excited about it, and working on them is almost as exciting to me as the sounds I'm learning to make.
Great explanation on the finer points of the Jazzmaster's setup! Others don't bother to tell us these things. Perhaps they don't know about them? Thank you, Eric!!
Glad I could help!!
Thank you. I own Jazzmaster and lower bridge has some problems. So I started to search about them. Thank you to you, now I know what are the problems and how to fix those issues.
Even after having this same guitar (left-handed, too) serviced at the local shop, it still has intonation issues...Thanks for this video!!
Hopefully you can get it sorted out!
Dude you got a thumbs up from me for that amazing tone on the intro music alone. Absolutely beautiful.
Thank you so much!!
My first time rewiring and setting up a MIJ Jaguar, was exhausting. However it’s great a proving ground, to do this kind of work. It’s also very rewarding when you get it sounding how you want. Good video.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing!
Sweet, I just picked up the 40th aniversary jazzmaster for Christmas, now I can work on my older Jazzmaster and still have one to play. I picked up a used butterscotch Squire Jazzmaster a couple of years ago, but the darn thing has playablity issues, and the neck pick ups are dead. I used to use matchbooks to shim out the squires back in the day, I like the ones you got, less quessing.
I’m glad you found the video! Now you’re gonna have 2 working Jazzmasters!
@@EricMerrow Amen, now to save up and get another one.
Really helpful..Got into Jazzmasters this year, some of the same frustrations..
Also really frustrating that the guitars cant come from the manufacturer already in a better way, without us needing to do all this..
I also swapped out the bridge for a $25 All Parts Mustang one, it also helped..
Yeah it’s definitely frustrating that these issues are present. But I’ve also heard that people haven’t had these issues with theirs 🤷♂️
great video, I just got a Squire Jaguar and will follow this video, have the shims, locktite and tools on hand, just wasn't sure how to set the bridge height, think I got it now.
Awesome! You’ll do great!
Gotta try the Tread locker! That's been my issue with my VM Jazzmaster. Thankfully, the previous owner put the shims in before I got it. Thanks for the video!
Really glad it helped!!
This is helpful as I get started with my first Jazzmaster. Thank you so much!
Glad it’s helpful!
Another good product for moisturizing and protecting the fretboard in Howard’s Feed n Wax.
I've just ordered my 1st Jazzmaster, so this video will be very helpful if I encounter any of these issues :-)
Awesome! Please feel free to ask any questions!
Great video Eric, I don’t own a Jazz Master, but it’s still cool to see how different guitars work. One thing I’ll say is that I don’t buy guitars that cost more than $300 any more. One thing that is universal with that is that the tuners need to be replaced. None of the guitars I own have the stock tuners on them, well except my acoustic and I don’t really play that very much. Great job, keep up the great work!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Thanks for watching Chris!! Yeah, I wish this guitar’s tuners worked right out of the box but even still, the gotohs were a really solid upgrade. I’m super curious to try other squier offerings too. I figure that something like a tele would be easier to setup and have less issues than a jazzmaster
@@EricMerrow yeah i got a left handed squier affinity telecaster as my first electric guitar about 3 months ago and it was perfect out of the box, but im about to have a guitar tech restring it and set it up soon because its starting to go out of tune very easily (after about 30 minutes of playing)
What tuners do you recomend for a Jassmaster style
Thank you for the tip regarding the bridge! Just what I was hoping for :-)
Glad the video helped!!!
One thing I ran into with the bridge was not only it lowering from playing, but I can't even get it to raise using an Allen wrench. I tried different sizes and none of them worked. I had to take it all the way out and adjust it by hand at the screw points. I ended up just stuffing a tiny bit of toilet paper in the hole to raise it, but the loc-tite thing is a great solution that I might try.
I've run into a couple of problems with the tremolo system. after a few months it started creaking whenever I depress the tremolo. It's coming from inside, but I can't tell if it's from where the two metal plates of the tremolo meet rubbing together or from the spring. I guess I'll take it apart and grease everything. maybe that will help.
The other issue with the tremolo is the arm. it's like the part of the arm that goes into the guitar is just slightly too short, so the corner of the arm rubs against the slot on the bridge and making a squeaking. very annoying because even if I pull it out slightly to be raised high enough to not rub together, it quickly pushes back into the slot and starts doing it again.
But overall, a really great guitar that plays really well.
Excellent video! All the information I needed to set up a Classic Vibe in readiness for my son’s 14 birthday.
Frets and tuners all fine - but the low E buzzed. To remedy thisI tried to raise the bridge (The bridge is a crude design and poor build quality).
NB The required Allen key (wrench) is much smaller than the access holes suggest)
However, to😊 cure the buzz - the action became too high…but thanks to you Eric, I now know I that I need a neck shim!
One other observation- I adjusted the saddles to set the correct intonations . Not all
saddles would move far enough backwards, until I discovered that the whole bridge rocks back and forth!
Glad the video helped Andy! Thank you for watching!
Thank you so much!! Saved me an unneccasary trip to the guitar shop
So glad that the video helped!!!
Good, straightforward video. I have just done my Squier VM Jag & it plays & sounds like a dream. I will highlight that neck relief still needs to be set. If there is too much pitch back ie. the bridge has to be raised over 4mm, you can run into problems setting pickup heights. Despite having the Stew Mac shims I settled on a suitable bit of cardboard. Studying pictures of vintage instruments, which had been deconstructed, was helpful.
Thanks for watching and sharing!
I plan to get the Squire CV Jazzmaster. Thanks for the tip regarding the neck shims.
Glad the video helped! Thanks for watching!
Thank you. I have a Squire 70s Classic Vibe Jaguar coming in so these tips will most likely work for the Jaguar as well.
Yeah most of these tips will definitely work for your Jag!
Really good thank you so much my man! I’m just having trouble intonating. All my guitars end up sharp on the 1st-3rd fret, I think it’s the nut
Glad you liked the video! Yeah, if you’re sharp on just those few frets, I think it could definitely be the nut - maybe the slot is not short enough which causes the string to bend more in order to fret a note. Or it could be a little burr or something in the slot
@@EricMerrow thanks Eric!!!! It’s every guitar hahaha. I just need to get really good with filing in that area. Files are either $80 or $2. Maybe for this specific case it’s good to get big boy tools. I’m friends with the GC techs, they might let me use theirs ;) keep making videos, watched a bunch and liked yours the best.
Informative video. I am also a lefty and have been looking at this model since it was introduced. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching!
Awesome video, thanks for sharing! I'm picking up a Jaguar very soon so this will be super useful. Also, I was cringing so hard when it looked like you were about to polish the frets without taping the pickup, such a relief to see it go on! It looks so much better after a little bit of love
hahaha, I thought of the tape on the pickup but not on the fretboard 😂 Thanks so much man! I hope you don't need to setup the Jaguar too much but if you do, I hope the video helps!
Bought this same guitar and it went straight to proper guitar repair shop for set up today. :) LH but to be strung USD. One of the most interesting guitars for the money I reckon.
Awesome! I definitely agree that it’s an interesting guitar!
Great video I wish I saw this weeks ago before I learned most of this lol. Going to watch more of your videos !
Thanks for watching!
My jazzmaster came set up good. Idk I just raised my bridge a little and that worked for me. Strings stay in the bridge and in tune even with the vibrato bat. Not using the jazzmaster to bend super crazy, that’s more the Stratocaster for me.
Squier is killing the game!
Right on!!
@@EricMerrow thank you for your Knowledge on the jazzmaster! I liked the video
I have a Squier JM JM with 65 Fender pickups and damn its an amazing combination.
Nice!
Super helpful video ! I noticed my e string was playing the same note on two different frets. turns out the bridge had lowered itself to the point wheree the e string was touching two frets after a certain point on the neck. All I had to do was use the allen to raise it ! thanks a ton
So glad to hear that you fixed the issue! Chances are likely that it will do the same thing over time so applying some threadlocker will help solve that issue if it persists.
my Troy Van Leeuwen signature JM will be here Tuesday MUCH EXCITE
Ah, you’re gonna love it!!!! Congrats!
I know this is an old video, but just wanted to say I got the exact same guitar and I have the exact same issues! Same tuning peg broken, same intonation issues, everything you mention really. Yours was not an off case, to me it appears all these guitars were sent out with these issues. Maybe why they no longer sell it.
Yeah I actually ended up buying a 2nd Jazzmaster and it had 90% of the same issues (all except the tuning pegs were fine). I wish they would bring back the production of these! Once you get them up and running, they’re killer guitars
A really excellent and detailed tutorial on this subject Eric. I just bought a new Jazzmaster Pro 2 last week. The action is a bit high for me and I was wondering why there is no bridge height adjustment.
At your recommendation I Just ordered a 0.50 shim for the neck pocket which should make me very happy. Thanks so much for the information. I will need to lower the nut slots just a tad too. The high E and B slots are too narrow for the files I have though. Great channel Eric, I have subscribed.
John, I'm so glad the video helped! Please feel free to reach out with any questions. It seems like you're on the 100% right track with your Jazzmaster!
Just fitted the neck shim which set up quite nicely. When I pulled out the bridge I found that there is adjusting screws but the supplied allen key chewed out the screw heads. They are way too tiny to have any grip. Had to adjust them from underneath the bridge. Bit of a nuisance really.
My squier j mascis had an angled neck pocket, but I had to use the shim for the cv jaguar. Night and day difference.
So good to hear!!
Thanks for the tips! I recently bought an American Vintage 1966 series Jazzmaster from Sweetwater, and the action is a bit high, so now I feel confident enough to get into it. Do you have any videos on adjusting the intonation? Thanks! I'll let you know how it goes.
Awesome! I bet that’s a really nice guitar! As for an intonation video, I don’t think I have one - but it’s pretty simple. What you’ll want to do is tune the strings up to pitch and then use the saddles to make sure the open string is the same pitch as the 12 fret. If the 12th fret note is sharp, you’ll want to move the saddle away from the nut in order to correct the sharpness.
Thanks a lot, thinking of buying one. Scared about the setuping but ok.. Eager to get one (love the sound).. Thanks for Your setup video, very explanatory !
I hope you get one soon!! Thanks for watching!
Great hints...I have a real oldie jazzmaster probably mid70s my dad got&was collecting dust so I'm trying to get it back to life. Just adjusting the tension bar bar has made a huge diff need a metal rule to get that decent. Will apply your other hints &compare
Awesome!! I hope you get it up and running and playing great!
I shaved my 1° shim abit down on my CV. To 0,85 aprox. I saw it on Piusheen. Thank you both for the information:)
With this shim youcan also put thicker strings on it and downtune.
Awesome video. Helpful I’ve always replaced the bridge and plate with Mastery bridge. So superior, a mastery bridge is a must MO.
Mastery makes so amazing hardware!
I've just picked up the CV Late 50s Jazzmaster and it's perfect. Only thing I'm not keen on is the tremolo arm but I believe it's era correct.
Nice! I’m glad to hear that you’re liking it!
thanks a lot i didn't know how to setup this beauty
Glad the video helped!
Fellow southpaw here, great info. I was considering one of these, but yeah, u gotta fix what u pay for!! Been there, done that. Do u sell any of your leftys, and if so, u have info to share? Gonna keep my eye out for that hollow body in the background....
Thanks for watching! I typically only sell stuff when I need cash or just has too little space. I’ve actually got an Eastwood Classic 6 lefty that I’d be interested in selling within the US. Hit me up on Instagram (@ericmerrow) if you’re interested. Or you can email me at eric@merrowvisuals.com 👍👍
My new jaguar has given me more headaches than any other guitar I have owned, pain in the arse guitars to get set up right, now it's done though it's my favorite guitar
That’s how they get you!!! 😂😂
Same guitar, same issues. I think I watched a Puisheen vid to help me sort it out (but I could've easily had sorted it out with your vid, if I had come across it). I've not tried Lock-Tight, but I've heard it mentioned a lot. Does the bond break if you make adjustments? I've been using "plumber's tape" on my bridge screws. It's an ultra thin tape meant to go over the threads of plumbing fixtures, to prevent leaks....but it adds enough resistance to keep those lil' Allen screws in place.
Great question! The threadlock will break and allow you to make adjustments - you just have to make sure that you’re using the blue threadlock as it’s the most mild strength. It also will keep working after the bond is broken. Great tip with plumbers tape! I hadn’t thought of that but I bet that works great
mine jammed right out of the box
That’s awesome!
Thanks for a great video! I have never owned a jazzmaster but I have considered getting one of these ones. If I do ever get one, I'll know what to do to set it up real nice.
Thanks for watching!! I hope you get to try one in the future!
Hi, Eric. I was wondering if the particular guitar you are featuring in this video is equipped with the "Narrow Tall" frets? I'm still at the beginner's stage and am using a guitar with medium jumbos (I think). Since I haven't had a chance to get to a store and try out the CV I am wondering if the rave reviews I am reading are about models that have the Narrow Talls. Thank you, Eric. I can't begin to tell you how helpful your videos have been.
The Classic Vibe Jazzmaster does have ‘narrow tall’ frets. I’m unsure how they compare to medium jumbo’s but I haven’t found any discomfort with the frets outside of them not being polished.
@@EricMerrow Thank you, Eric! This weekend I'll try to find one to try out.
Have to admit I started to cringe when I saw the steel wool come out without the pickup taped off. I would also advise to tape off the fingerboard when polishing the frets just to be safe. Thanks for the tips specifically on the CV. I just got my son this guitar for graduation. I can setup a Tele, Strat, LP, and even a Floyd Rose but never even considered a Jazzmaster before so this was very helpful. Have you considered another video on the vibrato?
Hey Jeffrey, you’re absolutely right - I should probably have taped off the fretboard. But honestly I didn’t care enough to do it. I did get micro scratches but nothing too crazy. What questions do you have about the vibrato?
@@EricMerrow Right now I just don't know what I don't know. We just got the guitar a day ago and I've done 0 research so far. Hence the reason I found your overview so useful. But I would assume there are tension adjustments? Recommended specs? Lubrication points? Etc.
@@jjankosky That's a great point Jeffrey, with my trem, I only had to tighten the collet that holds the vibrato arm in. It had come loose. My assumption is that it'll be working well out of the box. There is 1 spring that you can adjust for more or less tension but you'll probably be okay with it.
You might want to check out my friend Mike's channel. He goes by Puisheen. He's my Jazzmaster sensei. th-cam.com/users/BeatriceandBernardvideos
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Congrats to your son for graduating!!
Excellent video Eric! I own 3 CV Squier jazz/jags and I love them! I replaced the bridges to the mustang bridge on all which helped alot but after watching this, I will shim the necks!. Also, locking tuners are good too. For those reading, this sounds like alot of cash upgrades but it isn't really. You will not beat the Squier CV series for the price pluuuss, these are such cool looking and fun playing guitars!! Thanks again Eric!
Thanks for watching Gary! Glad your guitars are treating you well!
The high e tuner on my lefty squier jazzmaster was also faulty. I swapped the whole set out for some Wilkinson deluxes.
Mine wasn't too bad otherwise, though the body finish was full of small burrs.
Put a set of 11s on it.
Oh yes, my whole guitar was also covered in a lot detritus and needed a good clean. I also had to steel wool the frets and oil the fretboard.
Glad you got a good one!! Thanks for watching!
I enjoyed the video. I picked up my Jazzmaster about six months ago and I was wondering if you had any tips on the tremolo system.
Hope you’re digging the Jazzmaster! The vibrato system is just okay on these. One thing that I do to the CV vibrato is I take it apart and I sand the pivot plate edge flat. Maybe I should make a video about it? Kinda hard to explain with text
@@EricMerrow I know what part you are talking about. I have taken it apart when I changed strings. You are right about the tuners, I put on locking tuners from Stewmac.
@@rong648 right on! Yeah filing the edge of that pivot plate to be square and flat is the only thing I do to the vibrato. After that it usually works pretty well!
Great vid. I have a 60s classic vibe. Can you tell me the size of allen wrench to adjust the height of the bridge (not the saddles, the bridge itself)? Thx
I want to say it’s a 2.5 or 3mm but I’m not completely positive. I’d recommend going to harbor freight and getting their set of imperial and metric allen keys
Extremely helpful thanks!
Glad to hear!!!
I'm totally gonna do this to my jazzmaster. Thanks!
So glad to hear it'll help your Jazzmaster!
Great video. Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
Oh shit Im pretty sure this is the exact same model Squier JM I just brought home today. Awesome.
Right on! I hope you dig the new guitar! 🤘🤘🤘
That issue with your tuner is surprising. While Squier has to cheap out on some things to keep costs down, the CV series is still their "dearest" series. I've owned a couple and played probably a dozen and I've never seen that. In fact, aside from the lack of the Fender name being stamped on the back, and the slightly different sizing, they've been just as good, if not better, than the "real" Fender ones I've got on other guitars.
I was pretty surprised with how the whole guitar arrived to me honestly. It was 100% nowhere hear properly setup which is fine by me bc I can fix all the issues but I keep thinking about how a beginner wouldn’t know about these issues. I’m glad that most people haven’t had issues with the squier stuff. But I’m also happy that I got this one so I could document the different ways to fix these issues
subbed- fellow lefty. cheers dude!
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
HI! This video is a gold mine! I just wanted to ask one thing: regarding the neck shim, what size did you use? I'm also waiting for a stewmac set and would like to know which one to use. Thank you!
Usually I’ll try the thinnest one. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll start stepping up
@@EricMerrow ok, got it! Thanks again!
Literally just bought this exact model today. I’ve never owned an offset before, always used my workhorse strat. I didn’t realize there’s so much that goes into setting up a Jazzmaster. I’ve literally only used my one strat and it came really well set up. It’s action was amazing, played really well, pickups weren’t too hot, etc. So I’m hoping I get a similar experience with my Jazzmaster once it arrives. One question I do have is, how great are the pickups? They sound really well in the video, but personally how are they? I’m really thinking about modding the pickups on mine or at least one of them if the bridge sounds too bright/thin or neck is too muddy/dark.
Thanks for watching, Chayse! Jazzmasters are definitely different than strats setup-wise but once you understand them it’s super easy to get them up and running.
As far as pickups go - the stock CV Jazzmaster pickups are totally fine! They’re proper Jazzmaster pickups so they’ll have a pretty wide frequency response compared to strat pickups. I think you’ll dig them if you’re looking for something different than your strat
@@EricMerrow thanks for the reply!
So I’ve had my Jazzmaster for a bit now and I gotta say that it’s way different than I expected. In a good way though! I’m loving it and the way it works.
I will say, the bridge pickup is a little thinner and brighter than I’d like. I do plan on modding it a little. Probably going to throw a WRHB or something in the bridge and leave the neck pickup as is.
I bought a guitar just like this one and when I started playing it I noticed that the low e string has fret buzz will following the instructions in this video be able to fix that problem?
The buzz could be caused from a few different things. It could be that the bridge is just sitting too low on the low e side - it could be that there’s a high fret - it could also possibly be something like the saddle screw sticking up and hitting the string.
@@EricMerrowhanks also what size Allen wrench was used to adjust the height of the bridge?
Dude, what overdrive pedal did you use in that opening riff? It sounded so good!
I wish I could remember but I’m not 100% sure. It might have been the sky bridge which is a pedal I made for a little bit under the name ELM effects, could’ve been something completely different
Eric I can’t thank you enough buddy for this video! I got my first jazzmaster today snd and it’s the same squier as yours except sonic blue, very very pretty guitar! I’m new to the offsets I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon trying to set it up and stay in tune but the g string is making kind of a weird noise when I pluck it so I was wondering if there’s a way to fix it myself without taking it to someone because I’d love to really know how to set these up myself. I don’t mean to make this too long man I just wanted to let you know that your video made me feel better about the jazzmaster. Rock on 🤘
Sam, that’s awesome you’ve got a new Jazzmaster! You’ll definitely want to make sure the neck angle is at a decent pitch-back. You don’t absolutely need one of the full pocket neck shim, you could use something like a business card or a baseball card to get some neck angle. (You would just cut off a slice to sit in between the screw holes for the neck and the bottom of the neck pocket). Other than the neck angle, you might have some weirdness with the nut slot. It’s hard to tell exactly what it is currently but the video should cover the basics of what it could be!
@@EricMerrow the nut slots could be cut a little better, so I ordered a nut file from stewmac!
Hey does all this info apply to a Player II Jazzmaster? Looking to set up my guitar by myself. Also great song choice with Depeche Mode !
I love the riff at the beginning of the video! What song is that?
Thanks! I was just improvising so if it’s a song then that’s purely coincidence 😂 thanks so much for watching!
@@EricMerrow ah! Lovely playing then. Not enough guitar channels demo by playing alternative rock stuff. I love the vibe
What a video, man. I thought my Jazz was defective.
It’s unfortunate that some of these issues seem to plague many of the Squier CV Jazzmasters. Once the issues are fixed, the guitars are really great!
Thanks, dude, for sharing your knowledges with us! Very helpful video! Respect ✊
You are very welcome! I hope the video helped you! Thanks for watching 🤘🤘
This content was nothing short of awesome!
I’ve had to Frankenstein many cheap guitars in my day. (I’ll always love me an Epiphone Les Paul Special ii,) but I wish I had this type of information back then!
Keep it up, Eric! Your channel rules!!
Thank you so much, Zach! I'm really glad it was helpful!!
Fender just dropped the price by $40. I don't know how long that is good for (September?) I ordered one right away and it will be here in a couple of days. Can't wait!
Heck yeah! I hope you love it!
Hi Eric good video! thanks for it. What string do you recomended 0.09 or 0.10 for jazzmaster? thanks for help
I would definitely go for 10’s out of those 2. To me, 11’s provide the best stability while also providing enough tension on the vibrato so I tend to opt for 11’s
Thanks your helping me with my new lefty squire jazzmaster set up. I like to do my own set up on my guitars so this is very helpful. By the way what strings do you prefer.?
I’m glad the video helped! Typically I like to use at least 11 gauge strings. Either Ernie ball or d’addario. Really whatever I can find in the store.
Well presented vid on setting up a JM... question..! What strings do you suggest for a true Jazz sound. Flat wound (nickle) or other?
Great question! I’m not really an expert on jazz guitar but if you want a nice dark and full sound, flatwounds are a great option for a getting less treble out of the guitar.
Does the tune fall after using the tremolo in this guitar?
If you setup the guitar correctly, the tuning will be very stable
Hello Eric. My intonation was good out of the box. My test: Tune an open E chord. Play a bar E chord at the 12th fret.. If that is in tune I dont need to check intonation with a tuner.
Right on!
Many thanks, really helpful, no nonsense video that cleared up a few things for me. I have the JM squier as well and was wondering about a few things. The bridge floats but is there a recommended position to initially set it to? I can push it all the way back or set it in a forward leaning position but which is ideal? Secondly, I can't seem to set the intonation correctly for the low E, I've adjusted the saddle as far back as it'll go to maximise the string length but it's still way too sharp. Do you know of a possible fix for this that's specific to the JM? I'm really loving the tones I'm getting from the JM, I have higher end guitars but the cheaper Squier is my go to guitar these days
Thank you so much for watching, and I’m really glad the video helped!
For your first question about the bridge position. Typically you’ll want to center the bridge so it’s standing straight up in the air. This gives the bridge room to travel with the strings when actuating the vibrato. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of that and right now I have my bridge pushed all the way back to sort of anchor it in place. You can also do something like wrapping the bridge posts with some aluminum foil to allow the bridge posts to fill up the entire thimble which again anchors the bridge in one place.
As for your intonation issues. This might sound silly, but have you tried using a new string? I ask because I’ve ran into this exact problem and my issue was that the string had been worn down on the part where it makes contact with the bridge saddle and it threw off the intonation. So my first recommendation would be to try a new string. If that did not fix it, maybe check the neck relief for too much forward bend.
Hope this helps!!
@@EricMerrowHi, many thanks for getting back to me so quickly 👍 Yes strings are new so can't put it down to that. I lowered the bridge today and adjusted the truss rod again and it's improved things. The intonation still isn't 100% on the low E but I think I can live with it for now. I'm using a Mustang bridge but I've ordered an alnicov bridge from amazon where the saddles can be adjusted in all 4 directions and I'm going to try that. The floating bridge concept is a strange one to me but the vibrato sounds are great so it's probably worth the trouble 😊. Thanks again 👍 👍
Just picked up a jazz master I was so excited to take it home that I forgot to play up high. When I got home I noticed the strings are touching the frets in front of where my fingers are when I play and it makes a nasty buzz. Is this a problem with the truss rod, bridge, neck shim or a combination of those?
My initial thought is that the bridge has probably sunk down through vibrations loosening the height adjustment screws. A good trick is to apply some blue threadlock in order to add some friction to the threads. That way you can still adjust the bridge but the screws won’t sink down on their own
Well done.
Thanks!!