Did this today, added a 0.75 degree maple shim, raised the bridge (mastery), and it rings out like a giant tuning fork! The action is also now super low, and Gibson like. Perfect!
I bought a Sire Larry Carlton J5. (Their Jazzmaster) Unfortunately too new of a product that at the time there weren't any reviews on it. I bought it based on all of the reviews and videos I watched of their other models in the series 335 style, LP style etc. and everyone raved that those models were the best sub $1500 guitar in their class, Or how their $800 335 out performed some people's $3,500 Gibson (in their opinion). However while impressed with most of the fit and finish and tone for being a $600 guitar. I started having issues with the bridge. (vintage floating style). Your videos gave me the confidence to put a .5 shim in the neck which has taken this guitar over the edge (along with some minor bridge mods) I have gotten rid of the typical saddle buzz, the tremolo is way smoother and more pronounced. You earned a subscriber out of me. Thank you for all of the effort and quality of the videos and your ability to teach and explain as well.
Your page has been my Bible for understanding everything about my new obsession: Offset Fenders & Squiers! Thank you for the wealth of information! I have already solved 80% of my tuning & setup gremlins purely on binging your videos!..now about that coke bottle Fender Jaguar... WANT!
Oh heck. You wrote that article. That was (in our little offset world) mindblowing. I was like, these guitars aren't difficult. It's just that a gap has grown up between how they're meant to be set up and people trying to use them. I was convinced that the bridge was total junk - and couldn't understand why LF - who was a pretty smart guy - went with it for their flagship guitar. After your article, I was... aaaaah. Ok.
I am SO glad to hear someone else went through a similar process for me. I mean, I believed all of that, too. The first offset I had was a CIJ (MIJ? Now I don't remember) Jaguar back in high school and yeah, it was not great for me. Wonky bridge, thin pickups, arm wouldn't stay in, and eventually a bunch of screws fell out of the bridge at practice. I returned it to the local shop we got it from and didn't touch another one until 2008 or 9 when an OTM Jazzmaster came in for a setup at that same shop, where I worked. I fought with it for a few hours, and in my frustration I thought, "Why would Leo Fender put this out?" And then it dawned on me that Leo was actually a super smart, mechanically-included sort of thinker, and if something was horribly broken, it didn't pass muster that he'd still release it in such a state. And so the question shifted in my mind from "Why would he do this" to "What am I not understanding?" And from there, it all fell into place for me. Thanks for reading my stuff and for telling me such a cool story!
@@Puisheen I just watched a few of your vids and... well this is what youtube is for. Something of such totally niche interest that you handle like a great essayist. That Mac bass episode (and I have, for reasons that are difficult to fathom, a 2008 Angus Young SG modelled on a '67/'68 I guess and I thought straight away "aren't those bevels super-sharp for that era?" :D) could have been about anything that normal people care about and they'd have got it and loved it. But you put a bunch of universal ideas together purely for people who love electric guitars. You're the one telling cool stories here. Looking forward to many more.
As soon as you said Leo had the Arch-top in mind when designing the Jaguar.....You can say all you want about proper setup but when you played for us on the guitar post setup that said it all. Played like a champ. Groovy. ✌️👌🎸
Mike you were also kind enough to give me some great (free) advice online as well. Love your channel. Pancake is indeed the coolest looking Jazzy of all time.
A few weeks back I slung a Staytrem Wide on my VI to replace the stock Mustang bridge. Also added a 0.5° shim and a Staytrem tremolo at the time - CP vibrato to follow. Did a better setup while playing now, intonated (by ear, but close enough for now), tweaked the truss to take some of the relief out and then played the hell out of it. Bridge stayed perfectly vertical and sound was great. Now watching this video to see if I did it right. :D Ordered Staytrem bridges for my Jaguar and Jag-stang too, with again - CP vibrato to follow for the Jaguar - compatible with my existing Staytrem collet and made of tasty steel.
So the question remains ie if the Jazzmaster was designed from the outset to have a shim to achieve a healthy break angle, then why did they not fit shims at the factory??????? Love your presentations!
They all came with shims from the factory. If you see one without, it was tossed by a tech at some point. Even '50s Teles and Strats had them at times to correct a less than ideal neck angle
Very good advice. I also feel that the stock bridge sounds best! The Staytrem is a bit dull, the Mastery is very bright...and the vintage bridge somehow is just right!
Can confirm, decided to add shims to my vintera modified hh jaguar and it even brought out more of the sympathetic tone, so much so that i had to tame it with flat wounds, it has become my favorite electric right after
Nice job. I bought a used Squier Jag early this year and one of the first things I did was to shove a couple of fat picks under the bridge, because I didn't think that it was high enough and the thing was buzzing. Apparently I kind of guessed right. Appreciate the video.
Chance- I highly recommend using a Stew-Mac neck shim. If you don’t have full pocket contact in the neck pocket, long term you will have neck issues. It will warp and distort on the fretboard above the neck pocket area. Just sayin. A Stew-Mac 1° shim is a good place to start.
With those bridges that have like a screw slots for your strings ….I took a file and sand paper and made the cradle out of the slot i use for my string normally and trenched it a bit deeper so it was wider and deeper and just raised the bridge to prevent the strings from slipping i still like tuneomatic myself
After watching and watching all your videos so many times. Thank you for all your knowledge sharing and easy to follow tutorials. I'm about ready to tackle the neck shim but I've always wondered how do you know which shim thickness to use? How do you tell if the angle is right before you put the strings back on? Is it trial and error and then have to re-string each time? Thanks.
I have a 62 jazzmaster and like your 61 it is best guitar I ever played and mine also gets scuffed and bashed , mine has sliver of old credit card in neck and stays in tune forever
My 60th Anniversary '58 reissue Jazzmaster is one the best guitars I have. I recently had a very thin shim put in to increase the neck angle. It has the original bridge which I think sounds best or at lease most authentic to this guitar. With effects and various amounts of gain/distortion, Jazzmasters play and sound as good any other guitar, perhaps a bit more articulate due to their superbly clear pickups. However, clean or slightly crunchy they are unique and have a character all their own. That second style Fender vibrato system is my favourite kind. Even beats a Bigsby (it moves in both directions). What a brilliant design. I especially like that the arm sits well behind the bridge so that when you're not using it, it's not in the way like on a Strat. I like the lock, too, although I rarely use it. Look, please keep all of this good news about Jazzmasters a secret between us so their prices won't skyrocket like Strats and Teles, O.K.? Cheers, mate.
Wow, this is really helpful.. I was so frustrated as I have a squier cv70s jaguar and it plays like a dream, however, I recently and excitedly bought a fender vintera 60s jaguar and its really dead in comparison. Not ringing out at all…. THIS looks like my issue… thanks so much for this ( I know its a few years old) 🙏☘️☘️☘️
I've started messing around with a CV Jaguar and I have a couple of questions. 1) When installing a shim, do you use the thick end against the body, or the thin end of the shim? 2) Does the bridge have to be as high as the neck? 3) How do I remove loctite thread (blue) in a bridge post? 4) I stripped one of the bolts that hold the neck to the body... what size dowel should I use when redrilling?
would you recommend a similar setup for a jaguar with a tune-o-magic bridge and a stop tailpiece (i.e., hardtail)? just got a squier contemporary jag and set it up like my strat (lower action). plays great and no issue with loose strings, though it seems real shallow by the nut. thanks again for all the videos!! i’ve fallen in love w offsets thanks to your channel :)
This video and the articles listed with it contains more good info about Jaguar set up than I've seen anywhere else. I set my Avri 65 Jag up using this info plus a tip from Mojo pickups about string gauges (13-54 set of rotosound sounds sweet ), I now have a Jag with a low comfortable action, solid intonation and great tuning stability .. get it set up properly and a Jag plays and sounds even better than it looks!
Should add that when I set up with a 1 degree shim I went back to the original Fender bridge from a Staytrem, after taking a bit of time to set the intonation and get pickup height sorted to my taste I found I now had a much more classic Jaguar sound despite making no other changes. That was 18 months ago and I still have the same set up - action, tuning and intonation are spot on and the trem gets used regularly with no issues. If you are having issues with the standard Jaguar bridge try a shim, the result will surprise you and it's way cheaper than even switching to a Mustang bridge let alone a Mastery.
Amazing info. I just finished my first guitar build with an Mastery bridge and vibrato and I’m having some issues with string buzz. The part of the high e string going from the bridge to the vibrato is audibly vibrating and you made me think that it might be the break angle of the string after the bridge is to flat... Thanks
Happy to help, Michael! Break angle is always crucial with these guitars regardless of bridge. For Mastery, I aim to raise the bridge between 2 and 4 mm off the guard, but note that the bridge was designed specifically to sit lower on the body than the stock bridge.
I bought a cheap Glarry imitation of a Mustang, and I'm having an intonation issue. I'm thinking now that the neck needs to be shimmed to tilt back a little. My Glarry Strat is great (has a Squier Affinity loaded pickguard), but there's something that doesn't feel right about the Mustang one. I'm gonna be ordering a Squier Bullet Mustang soon (they're only like $150 on Amazon right now), but I got the Glarry first to get a feel for the offset style and to learn how to mod before I try modding the Squier. Question: How far back should the neck tilt?
Thanks for the great video! What does it mean if I have plenty of height on the bridge but it does not move when I depress the arm as you showed at 7:00 in this video? Do I need a larger shim angle? I have 0.25 degree shim on a Squier 70s Classic Vibe Jaguar. Thanks!
My bridge also does not move on my Squire classic vibe 60's Jazzmaster. I installed a 1degree neck shim. It sounds great and plays great the way it us.
I’ve heard you mention reverse shimming a few times. I installed a mastery bridge and vibrato into my 2000s Japanese jazzmaster and used your recommended heights but my action in way to low at the open frets. Should I reverse shim?
Thank you gor another interesting video! Id like to ask - there is a tolerance here and there but at least roughly - what is the cca enough height for the bridge? E.g. from body to string at the edge of the bridge? And just iterrested what gauge are you using on offsets? 🙂 i think more of us would be interrested 😉 and again thanks a lot for all your offset knowledge given here!
Is there a way to hide the shim so the edge is not showing? I understand it is frowned upon to use a business card at the base of the heel, but that doesn't show...thoughts? Ideas?
I've watched this video many times, and many others on your channels because I think you are the most helpful and knowledgeable person on offsets on TH-cam. Also your videos are fun and personable. I have taken a lot of your advice and I wonder if I have a unique problem with my guitar.. I have a Vintera turquoise jaguar-(the same one from your demo with Fender) I have tried many setups, but I have yet to get it in a spot that I am in love with everything. I leveled the frets because they were sharp on the ends and my 16th fret was high. I put in a mastery. I have tried many degrees of shims, but even without the shim it is above your recommended height for the bridge. I have even tried shimming the front end of the neck since the bridge always seems to be high. Currently it has no shim cause I've found that to be best. The local luthier in my small city said it doesn't need it, but I don't think his offset knowledge is very high. I have found it very difficult to find someone in the area who is knowledgeable on offsets. I swear I have tried almost everything on this guitar and I just can't seem to get it to where it plays as good as my squire or as good as I know it could. I love the sound and look of it and I would love to get it to where every time I play it I don't end up taking it apart, I miss just picking up the guitar and having fun. I swear I'm about the strip the neck pocket with how many times I've taken the neck off and I don't know any remedies for that. lol. What I would give to just have you fix up my guitar.
If I remember correctly, the Vintera have an angled pocket which is why your bridge is so high without shims. If I'm using a Mastery on a guitar with an angled neck pocket, I'll often need to reverse shim -- reducing the tilt-back of the neck by placing the shim at the headstock side of the pocket. This is especially handy with those full pocket Stew Mac shims. Usually a .5 does the trick. Give that a shot!
Thanks for all the information you impart. I have a question which may have been answered elsewhere. How does changing the neck angle impact how the screws for the neck go in?
can i run at least 10"s on this j mascis jazzmaster? i have NO tuning issues so i dont want to mess that up. i cant get the strings any lower.t hey are right on the recvommended tech measurement. 11s are still a bit too heavy for me, will a shim make this go lower?
I have just received my Jaguar (made in Japan) and there’s a buzz on my B string. I was told to adjust the saddle. Do you have any idea of that will work? Is it needing a shim. Thanks for the videos. So informative. I’m new to Fender, and new to offsets. My guitar plays well other than the B string.
Great video! Are there guidelines in terms of shim thickness (if doing partial shims) as to how much thickness you need to get a certain angle in degrees? I like the idea of using a hard material vs. business cards, etc. Thanks. Also, I really appreciated the info on Leo Fender taking cues from archtop guitars, that really sets the right context. I have an inexpensive archtop with a Bigsby, so I will also check out your videos on those.
Hey Alex! The thing is, every guitar is different thanks to tolerances in manufacturing, so there's no firm catch-all solution for nailing the setup every time. I have noted that most guitars seem to operate best with .3-.85 degrees of tiltback, but it's always slightly different. This is definitely a good place to experiment. Install a shim, play a bit, reevaluate. You won't mess it up!
I'm confused. I had a guitar friend tell me that you want the neck angled forward towards the bridge. It looks to me you are saying to shim it back, which would mean a full pocket shim would go in thick end near the pick ups correct?
So what you are saying is that if I set it up correctly like this, then I don't need to buy a staytrem? So just like this with stock parts, the bridge won't sink into the body?
Hey! Any thoughts on shims that only cover half the neck pocket? Some people say they can cause the neck to warp over time while others say that's not possible. I'd love to hear if you have an opinion on that. Thanks for amazing videos!
Thanks so much for this video, great info! I've had a 60's modified JM Vintera series... love it, but yeh... I think I need to shim the neck and change the bridge to a Mastery bridge! Mean while, I was thinking of a temporary solution of fitting a cheap AOM roller bridge (usually used with the Bigsby tremolo systems) to help the strings go back to their place when using the tremolo! Do you think this is a good idea? Thanks again! :)
They did so during the original run from 1958-1982 for the Jazzmaster (1975 for the Jaguar), AVRI62 Reissues used shims (sometimes four or five!), and after that Fender started angling the neck pocket on many models.
can the neck shim setup stuff apply to mustangs too, or just jags + jizzmasters? feels like the action is great by my mustangs nut, but seems really high as you get closer to the body. hoping a neck shim could help with that but idk what i’m doing
Looking at picking up a Squier Jazzmaster Calssic Vibe, but replacing the bridge with a Staytrem ( have relatives in London, so I can get it shipped to them, then to me :+] Would you still recommend pitching the neck ? Thanks for all the great vids !
Help please. My Squire vintage modified jaguar has a buzz all over the fretboard but only on the 6th string. Ive gone to 48 gauge but its still there 😣
Well now I just wanna shim ALL my guitars. Would I be wrong in thinking this would be a solid place to start with my SG that has... uh... *playful* tuning stability?
Great video - recently took the plunge into offset guitars with a Jaguar Vintera series. Absolutely love it so far but I’m experiencing the same saddle issues noted in the video along with some noticeable buzzing on low strings. Does the shim method and mastery bridge affect the action at all? I favor low string action, just wondering if this fix would raise string height.
It’s true, these stay put perfectly once set up right. No bridge tape or swap necessary. It’s absolutely rock solid when done right. Side note: these guitars originally shipped from Fender with 13-54 strings (as per catalog specs). I use 13-56 and there’s no way anyone can get a string to pop.
I've recently setup my guitar with a shim, higher bridge, and heavier gauge strings and it introduced a bunch of problems. Like my G string rattling a lot more, and somehow having less tuning stability. I'm very confused. I thought it was meant to alleviate those problems
Could be a number of reasons for this! Your guitar may not have needed a shim in the first place as many current models have an angled neck pocket from the factory, or too much angle has been added, or the bridge is too high, or so many other reasons. Take the shim out and see if your guitar goes back to working properly.
Hey Mike! Excellent video, everything is explained so well. I just got my first offset and as expected, the factory setup is horrible at least. I want to get into it on my own, based on your instructions, the only problem is that i can't find any neck shims similar to the Stewmac ones (i live in Europe). Is there anything else i could put in the neck pocket that would do the job and not hurt the neck long-term?
@@Andrija_12345 Hey mate, just to be safe I went to a local luthier and he crafted a nice shim out of mapple (same as the neck material). Apparently it's a pretty common thing to ask from a luthier, so I suggest you look for one in your area. That aside, people say it's also fine to use cardboard or even old credit cards as a shim, but I'm not sure If that affects the tone overall. I hope I helped.
@@SolidMoses hey thanks. I might try a basic card shim first just to see if that helps my issue and then have someone make it properly if yes. If not.. then it needs a tech anyway I suppose.
Thank you for the useful info on these wonderful guitars. i am the owner of a J Mascus Jazzmaster, strung it up with Stringjoy 11-50 (my favorite) made a couple of small adjustments to the spring and she is rock solid! Tuning stable, return to pitch, no string skip... plays great except, is very tight..difficult to bend up to pitch... just like my archtop (hmmm) So my question is... if i shim the neck pocket and establish a better break angle on my bridge…will this help with string bending? Thank you.
Your Mascis Jazzmaster already has a factory-angled neck pocket to accommodate the AOM bridge, and that's probably what's also making it feel tight. To fit that bridge on this guitar, they've built in about a degree of neck pitch. There's also the issue of the AOM/TOM being at a 12 inch radius vs the 9.5" of the fretboard, so your E strings will always feel more taut and farther away from the board than the D-G
I have a 2016 American professional with the mastery bridge, but I can’t take it down as low as you recommend or it has strings laying in the fretboard. How can I achieve the lower bridge height if this is the case?
The Pro series has an angled neck pocket, about a full degree. To get the Mastery lower, you'll have to reverse-shim to reduce neck inclination. Get a Stew Mac shim, about half a degree, and flip it so the thick end faces the headstock and see if that works!
Just like any other pickup, Jazzmaster pickups have an aperture where they seem to pick up the most of the strings' vibration. I keep mine pretty close to the strings, but there isn't a measurement that I find works across the board. It's all about experimenting with the individual guitar and making it work for your needs
@@Puisheen And what about bridge pickup height on jaguar? After I installed Stew Mac shim 1', the Bridge became noticeably higher. So the distance between the strings and the bridge pickup has become enormous. Height adjustment options are lacking
@@SammyjpgHmmm. Are you on IG? Feel free to send me a DM with a video of that, it's super tough to diagnose things out of hand but I'll do my best. First thought: there could be a groove in the saddle that you're bending the string across as you play.
Mike, this is great, I think this is just what my JM needs, as the bridge is too low and something about it just isn't playing right. How do you determine what degree shim you need? Do I need to measure something specifically to work out what shim I need? Or is 1 degree standard for offsets?
Tom, this is a great question and one that doesn't have a firm answer in my book. Every guitar is different thanks to a range of factors including age and how well it's been kept, and even variations in manufacturing can make it difficult to pick a set measurement. For me, it's a lot of trial and error, working by sight. At this point I have a method for myself, but I find that most guitars need between .5 to 1.0 degrees of tiltback. With guitars that have a Mastery, .3 degrees works beautifully.
@@Puisheen thanks for the reply! I'm using a Staytrem bridge (like the Johnny Marr Jag bridge) so I'd assume I'm in the 0.5-1.0 camp. Looks like I'm going to have to fashion a shim out of wood myself as stew Mac shipping costs are high to Australia!
I don't know off hand if the sparkle Mascis models have an angled pocket, but the Squiers do in order to accommodate the very tall TOM bridge. Might be the same story on the Japanese sigs, but I haven't had one in my hands in years
hey mike, regarding the mastery saddles themselves, do you think they work better or worse when the angle of the individual saddles are steeper/shallower? this is for an M5 on a Ric660. I keep my action pretty low (roughly 3 or 4/64ths on low E), bridge sitting low to the body, but wanted to maintain a strong break angle at the bridge for similar reasons as the offsets (especially since Ric's have virtually no neck angle due to the thru-neck of course) So I have the saddles closer to a 45-55 degree angle. trying to find the balance between the sharp M5 saddle edges digging into my hand & maintaining break angle concurrent with low action. any thoughts or suggestions? I noticed your mastery saddles on Pancake are pretty low/shallow, which is how I'd like mine but alas-the lack of downward pressure on a 660
Ah this is such a great question! The earliest Mastery bridges had an incline built into the bit of the baseplate where the intonation screws anchor, but subsequent versions (aka most since, like, 2010) do not have this. Those early designs required the saddles to be at that kind of angle for sure. What you're seeing with my saddles is pretty much the way I like to keep them, because yeah, the higher the saddles, the more you feel that edge. I find this works on just about every offset I work on, but Rics can be tricky with the set neck. Try raising the bridge and lowering the saddles and see if that helps? Feel free to reach out again if that causes issues.
@@Puisheen thanks man! that's an interesting point. the current M5 is actually an older one that I got used from Mike&Mikes! small world haha so maybe it also has that built-in incline if its from the earlier run of them. I grabbed a second one ~ because why not :) ~ I'll play around with the newer one and see if there's a difference. Thanks for the tips!!
Awesome advice! What type of shim would you recommend for most Squier offset guitars? Does the shim really have to be tapered/angled? The Stewmac ones are kinda expensive. Thanks!
Ah yeah, sounds like a shim is needed here. If you're feeling up to experimenting with shimming, I often use cut up pieces of baseball card (it doesn't compress) to give me an idea of how much tiltback I need in the neck. Let me know if you have questions!
@@Puisheen cool. And using your shim level (I did .1 with an extra piece of paper) and my strings aren't popping out anymore! Thanks for the helpful video!
I always found Fender's resistance to neck tilt to be pathetic. Even adding a single buck to the build process was taboo to a market oriented manufacturer. When I build, the neck tilts... even if my project resembles a Strat or Tele.. especially an offset.
Great video like always. My main question is (and hope u can answer it for me) if Fender expects people to add the shin to fix these issues, why doesn’t Fender do it when they’re building it? Why expect people to do it themselves? If u get a beginner who doesn’t know what to do, they can’t expect them to know how to do this. Very frustrating
I'm curious whether you've done any builds with the descendant vibrato? I just found about those units yesterday and was looking at maybe getting one for a Jazzy I'm putting together.
Hey Mike at 40yrs old and being around percussion since 4th grade. I just started self teaching myself guitar. I’m a hands on guy and always build and fix my own things from my Hot Rod, house , relationship (Lol) etc.., I would just feel Soooo Damn Guilty if I don’t click this Subscription Button 🎸🚀
QUESTION: Does the bridge moving when using the tremolo eventually compromise the integrity of the wood around the thimbles that the two bridge mounting post and screws fit into? Great videos!! glad I found you. I just purchased a used Japanese made Black Jaguar...no tremolo - but was thinking of modding & having one installed. Your videos have provided a wealth of information on Jaguars.
Did this today, added a 0.75 degree maple shim, raised the bridge (mastery), and it rings out like a giant tuning fork! The action is also now super low, and Gibson like. Perfect!
Did you have a guitar with an angled neck pocket or no? What year / model?
@@joeferris5086 Nope, vintage 1962 JM. Wouldn’t be needed with an angled neck pocket though.
@@drunkaviator81 sick!
Well you can now sell that overpriced bridge and put the original back in...
I bought a Sire Larry Carlton J5. (Their Jazzmaster) Unfortunately too new of a product that at the time there weren't any reviews on it. I bought it based on all of the reviews and videos I watched of their other models in the series 335 style, LP style etc. and everyone raved that those models were the best sub $1500 guitar in their class, Or how their $800 335 out performed some people's $3,500 Gibson (in their opinion).
However while impressed with most of the fit and finish and tone for being a $600 guitar. I started having issues with the bridge. (vintage floating style). Your videos gave me the confidence to put a .5 shim in the neck which has taken this guitar over the edge (along with some minor bridge mods) I have gotten rid of the typical saddle buzz, the tremolo is way smoother and more pronounced. You earned a subscriber out of me. Thank you for all of the effort and quality of the videos and your ability to teach and explain as well.
Your page has been my Bible for understanding everything about my new obsession: Offset Fenders & Squiers! Thank you for the wealth of information! I have already solved 80% of my tuning & setup gremlins purely on binging your videos!..now about that coke bottle Fender Jaguar... WANT!
Oh heck. You wrote that article. That was (in our little offset world) mindblowing. I was like, these guitars aren't difficult. It's just that a gap has grown up between how they're meant to be set up and people trying to use them. I was convinced that the bridge was total junk - and couldn't understand why LF - who was a pretty smart guy - went with it for their flagship guitar. After your article, I was... aaaaah. Ok.
I am SO glad to hear someone else went through a similar process for me. I mean, I believed all of that, too. The first offset I had was a CIJ (MIJ? Now I don't remember) Jaguar back in high school and yeah, it was not great for me. Wonky bridge, thin pickups, arm wouldn't stay in, and eventually a bunch of screws fell out of the bridge at practice. I returned it to the local shop we got it from and didn't touch another one until 2008 or 9 when an OTM Jazzmaster came in for a setup at that same shop, where I worked. I fought with it for a few hours, and in my frustration I thought, "Why would Leo Fender put this out?"
And then it dawned on me that Leo was actually a super smart, mechanically-included sort of thinker, and if something was horribly broken, it didn't pass muster that he'd still release it in such a state. And so the question shifted in my mind from "Why would he do this" to "What am I not understanding?" And from there, it all fell into place for me.
Thanks for reading my stuff and for telling me such a cool story!
@@Puisheen I just watched a few of your vids and... well this is what youtube is for. Something of such totally niche interest that you handle like a great essayist. That Mac bass episode (and I have, for reasons that are difficult to fathom, a 2008 Angus Young SG modelled on a '67/'68 I guess and I thought straight away "aren't those bevels super-sharp for that era?" :D) could have been about anything that normal people care about and they'd have got it and loved it. But you put a bunch of universal ideas together purely for people who love electric guitars.
You're the one telling cool stories here. Looking forward to many more.
@@thecaveofthedead Thank you so much, very appreciated
Jag noob here, this has been mindblowing learning about setting up guitars. Thanks
Makes me so happy to have an "old pal, Mike". Thanks Mike.
Dude!! This channel is so great! Made me understand my jazzmaster way better! Thanks Mike.
As soon as you said Leo had the Arch-top in mind when designing the Jaguar.....You can say all you want about proper setup but when you played for us on the guitar post setup that said it all. Played like a champ. Groovy. ✌️👌🎸
Mike you were also kind enough to give me some great (free) advice online as well. Love your channel. Pancake is indeed the coolest looking Jazzy of all time.
A few weeks back I slung a Staytrem Wide on my VI to replace the stock Mustang bridge. Also added a 0.5° shim and a Staytrem tremolo at the time - CP vibrato to follow. Did a better setup while playing now, intonated (by ear, but close enough for now), tweaked the truss to take some of the relief out and then played the hell out of it. Bridge stayed perfectly vertical and sound was great. Now watching this video to see if I did it right. :D
Ordered Staytrem bridges for my Jaguar and Jag-stang too, with again - CP vibrato to follow for the Jaguar - compatible with my existing Staytrem collet and made of tasty steel.
So the question remains ie if the Jazzmaster was designed from the outset to have a shim to achieve a healthy break angle, then why did they not fit shims at the factory??????? Love your presentations!
They all came with shims from the factory. If you see one without, it was tossed by a tech at some point. Even '50s Teles and Strats had them at times to correct a less than ideal neck angle
Very good advice. I also feel that the stock bridge sounds best! The Staytrem is a bit dull, the Mastery is very bright...and the vintage bridge somehow is just right!
Great video- I would love to see how you adjust the neck having done the shimming
Can confirm, decided to add shims to my vintera modified hh jaguar and it even brought out more of the sympathetic tone, so much so that i had to tame it with flat wounds, it has become my favorite electric right after
Nice job.
I bought a used Squier Jag early this year and one of the first things I did was to shove a couple of fat picks under the bridge, because I didn't think that it was high enough and the thing was buzzing. Apparently I kind of guessed right.
Appreciate the video.
Chance- I highly recommend using a Stew-Mac neck shim. If you don’t have full pocket contact in the neck pocket, long term you will have neck issues. It will warp and distort on the fretboard above the neck pocket area. Just sayin. A Stew-Mac 1° shim is a good place to start.
With those bridges that have like a screw slots for your strings ….I took a file and sand paper and made the cradle out of the slot i use for my string normally and trenched it a bit deeper so it was wider and deeper and just raised the bridge to prevent the strings from slipping i still like tuneomatic myself
After watching and watching all your videos so many times. Thank you for all your knowledge sharing and easy to follow tutorials. I'm about ready to tackle the neck shim but I've always wondered how do you know which shim thickness to use? How do you tell if the angle is right before you put the strings back on? Is it trial and error and then have to re-string each time? Thanks.
I have a 62 jazzmaster and like your 61 it is best guitar I ever played and mine also gets scuffed and bashed , mine has sliver of old credit card in neck and stays in tune forever
Thanks. Shimmed mine, does play better but now sounds bad because now pickups need to come up. Need more foam or whatever to put under pickups
Agree with you about the 1 degree shim. Sometimes we go with 1/2 degree shim depending on the specific need.
buying my first Jag. Found your channel in my search. your content is great! nice work; clearly an offset expert.
I just bought my first last weekend. Love it but it does need a proper setup. The guys at the store were clearly not experienced with offset guitars.
My 60th Anniversary '58 reissue Jazzmaster is one the best guitars I have. I recently had a very thin shim put in to increase the neck angle. It has the original bridge which I think sounds best or at lease most authentic to this guitar.
With effects and various amounts of gain/distortion, Jazzmasters play and sound as good any other guitar, perhaps a bit more articulate due to their superbly clear pickups. However, clean or slightly crunchy they are unique and have a character all their own.
That second style Fender vibrato system is my favourite kind. Even beats a Bigsby (it moves in both directions). What a brilliant design. I especially like that the arm sits well behind the bridge so that when you're not using it, it's not in the way like on a Strat. I like the lock, too, although I rarely use it.
Look, please keep all of this good news about Jazzmasters a secret between us so their prices won't skyrocket like Strats and Teles, O.K.?
Cheers, mate.
Hey -- my guitar! :^)
ADAM I didn't know you were on TH-cam! I'll put links to your channel in the desc!
@@Puisheen put it in the desc!
Wow, this is really helpful.. I was so frustrated as I have a squier cv70s jaguar and it plays like a dream, however, I recently and excitedly bought a fender vintera 60s jaguar and its really dead in comparison. Not ringing out at all…. THIS looks like my issue… thanks so much for this ( I know its a few years old) 🙏☘️☘️☘️
Excellent video! Jaguar is king!
Do you recommend the buzz stop?
Helpful and insightful as always!
Wow. Learned so much today.
Any chance you have a bass vi set up tutorial ?
I've started messing around with a CV Jaguar and I have a couple of questions.
1) When installing a shim, do you use the thick end against the body, or the thin end of the shim?
2) Does the bridge have to be as high as the neck?
3) How do I remove loctite thread (blue) in a bridge post?
4) I stripped one of the bolts that hold the neck to the body... what size dowel should I use when redrilling?
5) when you say "pitch back the neck" do you mean towards your body? or away from?
would you recommend a similar setup for a jaguar with a tune-o-magic bridge and a stop tailpiece (i.e., hardtail)?
just got a squier contemporary jag and set it up like my strat (lower action). plays great and no issue with loose strings, though it seems real shallow by the nut.
thanks again for all the videos!! i’ve fallen in love w offsets thanks to your channel :)
How do I know if the shim is the right measure?
This video and the articles listed with it contains more good info about Jaguar set up than I've seen anywhere else. I set my Avri 65 Jag up using this info plus a tip from Mojo pickups about string gauges (13-54 set of rotosound sounds sweet ), I now have a Jag with a low comfortable action, solid intonation and great tuning stability .. get it set up properly and a Jag plays and sounds even better than it looks!
Should add that when I set up with a 1 degree shim I went back to the original Fender bridge from a Staytrem, after taking a bit of time to set the intonation and get pickup height sorted to my taste I found I now had a much more classic Jaguar sound despite making no other changes. That was 18 months ago and I still have the same set up - action, tuning and intonation are spot on and the trem gets used regularly with no issues.
If you are having issues with the standard Jaguar bridge try a shim, the result will surprise you and it's way cheaper than even switching to a Mustang bridge let alone a Mastery.
Thank you. Just bought an offset and was wondering if a shim would be an option.
Great as always!
Bless you
Amazing info. I just finished my first guitar build with an Mastery bridge and vibrato and I’m having some issues with string buzz. The part of the high e string going from the bridge to the vibrato is audibly vibrating and you made me think that it might be the break angle of the string after the bridge is to flat...
Thanks
Happy to help, Michael! Break angle is always crucial with these guitars regardless of bridge. For Mastery, I aim to raise the bridge between 2 and 4 mm off the guard, but note that the bridge was designed specifically to sit lower on the body than the stock bridge.
I bought a cheap Glarry imitation of a Mustang, and I'm having an intonation issue. I'm thinking now that the neck needs to be shimmed to tilt back a little. My Glarry Strat is great (has a Squier Affinity loaded pickguard), but there's something that doesn't feel right about the Mustang one. I'm gonna be ordering a Squier Bullet Mustang soon (they're only like $150 on Amazon right now), but I got the Glarry first to get a feel for the offset style and to learn how to mod before I try modding the Squier.
Question: How far back should the neck tilt?
What about a buzz stop to achieve the same goal without having to take off the neck?
Thanks for the great video! What does it mean if I have plenty of height on the bridge but it does not move when I depress the arm as you showed at 7:00 in this video? Do I need a larger shim angle? I have 0.25 degree shim on a Squier 70s Classic Vibe Jaguar. Thanks!
My bridge also does not move on my Squire classic vibe 60's Jazzmaster. I installed a 1degree neck shim. It sounds great and plays great the way it us.
I’ve heard you mention reverse shimming a few times. I installed a mastery bridge and vibrato into my 2000s Japanese jazzmaster and used your recommended heights but my action in way to low at the open frets. Should I reverse shim?
Thank you gor another interesting video! Id like to ask - there is a tolerance here and there but at least roughly - what is the cca enough height for the bridge? E.g. from body to string at the edge of the bridge? And just iterrested what gauge are you using on offsets? 🙂 i think more of us would be interrested 😉 and again thanks a lot for all your offset knowledge given here!
Is there a way to hide the shim so the edge is not showing? I understand it is frowned upon to use a business card at the base of the heel, but that doesn't show...thoughts? Ideas?
I've watched this video many times, and many others on your channels because I think you are the most helpful and knowledgeable person on offsets on TH-cam.
Also your videos are fun and personable.
I have taken a lot of your advice and I wonder if I have a unique problem with my guitar..
I have a Vintera turquoise jaguar-(the same one from your demo with Fender)
I have tried many setups, but I have yet to get it in a spot that I am in love with everything.
I leveled the frets because they were sharp on the ends and my 16th fret was high.
I put in a mastery.
I have tried many degrees of shims, but even without the shim it is above your recommended height for the bridge.
I have even tried shimming the front end of the neck since the bridge always seems to be high.
Currently it has no shim cause I've found that to be best.
The local luthier in my small city said it doesn't need it, but I don't think his offset knowledge is very high.
I have found it very difficult to find someone in the area who is knowledgeable on offsets.
I swear I have tried almost everything on this guitar and I just can't seem to get it to where it plays as good as my squire or as good as I know it could.
I love the sound and look of it and I would love to get it to where every time I play it I don't end up taking it apart, I miss just picking up the guitar and having fun.
I swear I'm about the strip the neck pocket with how many times I've taken the neck off and I don't know any remedies for that. lol.
What I would give to just have you fix up my guitar.
If I remember correctly, the Vintera have an angled pocket which is why your bridge is so high without shims. If I'm using a Mastery on a guitar with an angled neck pocket, I'll often need to reverse shim -- reducing the tilt-back of the neck by placing the shim at the headstock side of the pocket. This is especially handy with those full pocket Stew Mac shims. Usually a .5 does the trick. Give that a shot!
Hey! Thank you Mike! I tried it! I had done the reverse shims on it before but the degree was too high! .5 was perfect!
Thank you!
Thanks for all the information you impart. I have a question which may have been answered elsewhere. How does changing the neck angle impact how the screws for the neck go in?
Not too much at all.
can i run at least 10"s on this j mascis jazzmaster? i have NO tuning issues so i dont want to mess that up. i cant get the strings any lower.t hey are right on the recvommended tech measurement. 11s are still a bit too heavy for me, will a shim make this go lower?
Mike, As always, thank you!
I have just received my Jaguar (made in Japan) and there’s a buzz on my B string. I was told to adjust the saddle. Do you have any idea of that will work? Is it needing a shim.
Thanks for the videos. So informative. I’m new to Fender, and new to offsets. My guitar plays well other than the B string.
Great video! Are there guidelines in terms of shim thickness (if doing partial shims) as to how much thickness you need to get a certain angle in degrees? I like the idea of using a hard material vs. business cards, etc. Thanks. Also, I really appreciated the info on Leo Fender taking cues from archtop guitars, that really sets the right context. I have an inexpensive archtop with a Bigsby, so I will also check out your videos on those.
Hey Alex! The thing is, every guitar is different thanks to tolerances in manufacturing, so there's no firm catch-all solution for nailing the setup every time. I have noted that most guitars seem to operate best with .3-.85 degrees of tiltback, but it's always slightly different. This is definitely a good place to experiment. Install a shim, play a bit, reevaluate. You won't mess it up!
@@Puisheen thank you.ni guess I have a lower tolerance for repetitive tasks 😏
1 1/2 degree for my jag...before shim i had mustang bridge decked and the action was ridiculously high
the offset king
Thank you for this!!! anyone know if you can shim your neck without removing the strings?
Loosen the strings and then use a capo to secure them to the neck.
Take the neck off and pop in your shim. 👍 Good luck.
can you explain what.a 1 degree shim means... and where you shaved it down :) this technical jargan flies over my head :)
I'm confused. I had a guitar friend tell me that you want the neck angled forward towards the bridge.
It looks to me you are saying to shim it back, which would mean a full pocket shim would go in thick end near the pick ups correct?
Why Fender does not make the part of the neck where it joins the body a bit higher? Makes no sense.
So what you are saying is that if I set it up correctly like this, then I don't need to buy a staytrem? So just like this with stock parts, the bridge won't sink into the body?
Hey! Any thoughts on shims that only cover half the neck pocket? Some people say they can cause the neck to warp over time while others say that's not possible. I'd love to hear if you have an opinion on that. Thanks for amazing videos!
1:30 I had no idea!
Thanks so much for this video, great info! I've had a 60's modified JM Vintera series... love it, but yeh... I think I need to shim the neck and change the bridge to a Mastery bridge! Mean while, I was thinking of a temporary solution of fitting a cheap AOM roller bridge (usually used with the Bigsby tremolo systems) to help the strings go back to their place when using the tremolo! Do you think this is a good idea? Thanks again! :)
I believe Adam got this one refinished in Shoreline Gold, or a similar metallic color, didn’t he?
Here's my question; Why don't Fender/Squier shim the necks at the factory?
They did so during the original run from 1958-1982 for the Jazzmaster (1975 for the Jaguar), AVRI62 Reissues used shims (sometimes four or five!), and after that Fender started angling the neck pocket on many models.
@@Puisheen So, why don't they do it anymore?
can the neck shim setup stuff apply to mustangs too, or just jags + jizzmasters? feels like the action is great by my mustangs nut, but seems really high as you get closer to the body. hoping a neck shim could help with that but idk what i’m doing
Looking at picking up a Squier Jazzmaster Calssic Vibe, but replacing the bridge with a Staytrem ( have relatives in London, so I can get it shipped to them, then to me :+] Would you still recommend pitching the neck ? Thanks for all the great vids !
Always! Offsets were designed with shims and pitch back in mind, absolutely get that bridge raised!
@@Puisheen Thanks ! Stayrem, shims and pinchbeck it is. Should be a pretty wicked Squier ...and still at a great price !
Help please.
My Squire vintage modified jaguar has a buzz all over the fretboard but only on the 6th string.
Ive gone to 48 gauge but its still there 😣
Could be a fret or setup issue! Tough to diagnose out of hand, but take it to a good tech and they should be able to figure out the problem
@@Puisheen
Thanks 👍
Just strange that its only really on the 6th string 🤔
Will see what the tech says.
I used a 0.5 on my jazz, action still high, sort of, rekon a straight 1.0 is worth a crack?
A full degree may be necessary, it seems!
Anyone has a tip for squier VM jaguar set for a almost same action height from 12th fret to 17th fret, something around 2mm
Well now I just wanna shim ALL my guitars.
Would I be wrong in thinking this would be a solid place to start with my SG that has... uh... *playful* tuning stability?
I doubt that would be of much use? What's the issue and what model is this?
Great video - recently took the plunge into offset guitars with a Jaguar Vintera series. Absolutely love it so far but I’m experiencing the same saddle issues noted in the video along with some noticeable buzzing on low strings. Does the shim method and mastery bridge affect the action at all? I favor low string action, just wondering if this fix would raise string height.
yes shims affect the action. it will get the neck closer to the strings. so way lower action.
What size shim do you recommend for a Jazzmaster, 1.0 deg or .75 deg?
It’s true, these stay put perfectly once set up right. No bridge tape or swap necessary. It’s absolutely rock solid when done right.
Side note: these guitars originally shipped from Fender with 13-54 strings (as per catalog specs). I use 13-56 and there’s no way anyone can get a string to pop.
What degree of shim would be ideal with a mastery bridge setup? 🙏🏼
Maybe I'm being obtuse, but if these were "made for using shims"...why not just have them shimmed from the get-go?
I've recently setup my guitar with a shim, higher bridge, and heavier gauge strings and it introduced a bunch of problems. Like my G string rattling a lot more, and somehow having less tuning stability. I'm very confused. I thought it was meant to alleviate those problems
Could be a number of reasons for this! Your guitar may not have needed a shim in the first place as many current models have an angled neck pocket from the factory, or too much angle has been added, or the bridge is too high, or so many other reasons. Take the shim out and see if your guitar goes back to working properly.
@@Puisheen I think it might actually be related to the nut binding the strings. It's a Classic Vibe, so it didn't have the neck pocket
@@Puisheen Also thanks for being THE offset guy. Love these videos
Hey Mike! Excellent video, everything is explained so well.
I just got my first offset and as expected, the factory setup is horrible at least.
I want to get into it on my own, based on your instructions, the only problem is that i can't find any neck shims similar to the Stewmac ones (i live in Europe).
Is there anything else i could put in the neck pocket that would do the job and not hurt the neck long-term?
Did you figure it out? I'm in exactly the same situation.
@@Andrija_12345 Hey mate, just to be safe I went to a local luthier and he crafted a nice shim out of mapple (same as the neck material). Apparently it's a pretty common thing to ask from a luthier, so I suggest you look for one in your area. That aside, people say it's also fine to use cardboard or even old credit cards as a shim, but I'm not sure If that affects the tone overall. I hope I helped.
@@SolidMoses hey thanks. I might try a basic card shim first just to see if that helps my issue and then have someone make it properly if yes. If not.. then it needs a tech anyway I suppose.
Thank you for the useful info on these wonderful guitars. i am the owner of a J Mascus Jazzmaster, strung it up with Stringjoy 11-50 (my favorite) made a couple of small adjustments to the spring and she is rock solid! Tuning stable, return to pitch, no string skip... plays great except, is very tight..difficult to bend up to pitch... just like my archtop (hmmm) So my question is... if i shim the neck pocket and establish a better break angle on my bridge…will this help with string bending? Thank you.
Your Mascis Jazzmaster already has a factory-angled neck pocket to accommodate the AOM bridge, and that's probably what's also making it feel tight. To fit that bridge on this guitar, they've built in about a degree of neck pitch. There's also the issue of the AOM/TOM being at a 12 inch radius vs the 9.5" of the fretboard, so your E strings will always feel more taut and farther away from the board than the D-G
@@Puisheen so perhaps swapping out the bridge would improve performance? any other recommendations?
I have a 2016 American professional with the mastery bridge, but I can’t take it down as low as you recommend or it has strings laying in the fretboard. How can I achieve the lower bridge height if this is the case?
The Pro series has an angled neck pocket, about a full degree. To get the Mastery lower, you'll have to reverse-shim to reduce neck inclination. Get a Stew Mac shim, about half a degree, and flip it so the thick end faces the headstock and see if that works!
I have a stew Mac shim in mine and it works great! What works well for you in terms of Jazzmaster pickup height?
Just like any other pickup, Jazzmaster pickups have an aperture where they seem to pick up the most of the strings' vibration. I keep mine pretty close to the strings, but there isn't a measurement that I find works across the board. It's all about experimenting with the individual guitar and making it work for your needs
@@Puisheen And what about bridge pickup height on jaguar? After I installed Stew Mac shim 1', the Bridge became noticeably higher. So the distance between the strings and the bridge pickup has become enormous. Height adjustment options are lacking
Hey Mike! What do you like to use for a nut?
So maybe a .5 + .25 stewmac shim would be ideal (without having to modify the shim)? Excellent video/info, by the way!!!
i have a fender jaguar with a mustang bridge and everytime i bend theres like a pop sound on the bridge,what can i do to fix that problem?
Is the string slipping out of the saddle groove?
@@Puisheen no, its just when i bend theres a popping sound
@@SammyjpgHmmm. Are you on IG? Feel free to send me a DM with a video of that, it's super tough to diagnose things out of hand but I'll do my best. First thought: there could be a groove in the saddle that you're bending the string across as you play.
Mike, this is great, I think this is just what my JM needs, as the bridge is too low and something about it just isn't playing right. How do you determine what degree shim you need? Do I need to measure something specifically to work out what shim I need? Or is 1 degree standard for offsets?
Tom, this is a great question and one that doesn't have a firm answer in my book. Every guitar is different thanks to a range of factors including age and how well it's been kept, and even variations in manufacturing can make it difficult to pick a set measurement. For me, it's a lot of trial and error, working by sight. At this point I have a method for myself, but I find that most guitars need between .5 to 1.0 degrees of tiltback. With guitars that have a Mastery, .3 degrees works beautifully.
@@Puisheen thanks for the reply! I'm using a Staytrem bridge (like the Johnny Marr Jag bridge) so I'd assume I'm in the 0.5-1.0 camp. Looks like I'm going to have to fashion a shim out of wood myself as stew Mac shipping costs are high to Australia!
@puisheen Do the MIJ Fender J Mascis JMs have an angled neck pocket?
Would it benefit from a shim and if so what angle to start with?
I don't know off hand if the sparkle Mascis models have an angled pocket, but the Squiers do in order to accommodate the very tall TOM bridge. Might be the same story on the Japanese sigs, but I haven't had one in my hands in years
@@Puisheen Thank you!!!
hey mike, regarding the mastery saddles themselves, do you think they work better or worse when the angle of the individual saddles are steeper/shallower? this is for an M5 on a Ric660. I keep my action pretty low (roughly 3 or 4/64ths on low E), bridge sitting low to the body, but wanted to maintain a strong break angle at the bridge for similar reasons as the offsets (especially since Ric's have virtually no neck angle due to the thru-neck of course) So I have the saddles closer to a 45-55 degree angle. trying to find the balance between the sharp M5 saddle edges digging into my hand & maintaining break angle concurrent with low action. any thoughts or suggestions? I noticed your mastery saddles on Pancake are pretty low/shallow, which is how I'd like mine but alas-the lack of downward pressure on a 660
Ah this is such a great question! The earliest Mastery bridges had an incline built into the bit of the baseplate where the intonation screws anchor, but subsequent versions (aka most since, like, 2010) do not have this. Those early designs required the saddles to be at that kind of angle for sure. What you're seeing with my saddles is pretty much the way I like to keep them, because yeah, the higher the saddles, the more you feel that edge. I find this works on just about every offset I work on, but Rics can be tricky with the set neck. Try raising the bridge and lowering the saddles and see if that helps? Feel free to reach out again if that causes issues.
@@Puisheen thanks man! that's an interesting point. the current M5 is actually an older one that I got used from Mike&Mikes! small world haha so maybe it also has that built-in incline if its from the earlier run of them. I grabbed a second one ~ because why not :) ~ I'll play around with the newer one and see if there's a difference. Thanks for the tips!!
Awesome advice! What type of shim would you recommend for most Squier offset guitars? Does the shim really have to be tapered/angled? The Stewmac ones are kinda expensive. Thanks!
Should definitely be angled, and sadly there's no foolproof answer. Buy the .50 and see if that does it for you
thoughts on the single side brass shims?
I really want to do this to my Mustang. The bridge is cranked all the way down and the action is still far too high
Ah yeah, sounds like a shim is needed here. If you're feeling up to experimenting with shimming, I often use cut up pieces of baseball card (it doesn't compress) to give me an idea of how much tiltback I need in the neck. Let me know if you have questions!
I have bad buzzing in the bridge with the original bridges, is there a way to remedy that?
Start with a setup as described in this vid
@@Puisheen cool. And using your shim level (I did .1 with an extra piece of paper) and my strings aren't popping out anymore! Thanks for the helpful video!
@@m_r2215 Hey that's great news! Congrats to you -- you did it!
why doesn't fender build them correctly?
They do
Question for you sir..Im wondering where you hold the radius gage when you are setting the radius on a tele or strat?
Under the strings as close to the saddles as possible!
Thank you
You probably have this in another video, but what are your favorite string gauges for each jaguar and jazzmaster?
11-50 on Jazzmaster, Jaguars get 12s and 13s
What brand are those strings? Thanks...
well, I already put an order in for a staytrem. But the grooves in my stock saddles have worn down anyway. Do you think the .5 shim is too thin?
It really depends on your guitar. Install and reevaluate!
This was helpful
I always found Fender's resistance to neck tilt to be pathetic. Even adding a single buck to the build process was taboo to a market oriented manufacturer. When I build, the neck tilts... even if my project resembles a Strat or Tele.. especially an offset.
I haven’t seen Adam play since pre covid 😰
Great video like always. My main question is (and hope u can answer it for me) if Fender expects people to add the shin to fix these issues, why doesn’t Fender do it when they’re building it? Why expect people to do it themselves? If u get a beginner who doesn’t know what to do, they can’t expect them to know how to do this. Very frustrating
Probably makes it more expensive to make. Also setting up a guitar is very much down to personal preference of the player.
This is so bad that is the player who has to figure things out and waste time fix this little things.
does this go for a mustang
Check my On the Bench vid on the Jag-Stang!
@@Puisheen ah i thought it was only for jazzmaster and jaguar type guitars
my mustang has super squeaky trem bar
I'm curious whether you've done any builds with the descendant vibrato? I just found about those units yesterday and was looking at maybe getting one for a Jazzy I'm putting together.
I have played them but haven't personally done a build with them. Seems a fine, if not somewhat complex, vibrato.
Hey Mike at 40yrs old and being around percussion since 4th grade. I just started self teaching myself guitar. I’m a hands on guy and always build and fix my own things from my Hot Rod, house , relationship (Lol) etc.., I would just feel Soooo Damn Guilty if I don’t click this Subscription Button 🎸🚀
QUESTION: Does the bridge moving when using the tremolo eventually compromise the integrity of the wood around the thimbles that the two bridge mounting post and screws fit into?
Great videos!! glad I found you. I just purchased a used Japanese made Black Jaguar...no tremolo - but was thinking of modding & having one installed. Your videos have provided a wealth of information on Jaguars.
I put a 5 degree in mine... I am experiencing buzz. Too much?