Which offset

MagicPigDetective

JerkMoans said:

The correct answer is, as ever, ‘Jazzmaster’

That’s stunning!

Just been playing some MBV whammy style shoegaze.... I’m hooked

stickyfiddle

A JM should be super bright with the controls at 10. The good news is they also sound brilliant and fat with the tone rolled down a bit. 

Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions re setup. They’re finicky before you learn the mechanics of them but actually very easy to get playing great once you understand it. Most shop techs never get that far..!

MagicPigDetective

stickyfiddle said:

A JM should be super bright with the controls at 10. The good news is they also sound brilliant and fat with the tone rolled down a bit. 

Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions re setup. They’re finicky before you learn the mechanics of them but actually very easy to get playing great once you understand it. Most shop techs never get that far..!

Thanks, I'll start with the questions now then!

What string gauge?: I use 10-46 with my strat and Les Paul and have spare sets. Also have a spare set of 12-60, not sure if the nut slots would take them? 11's would be ideal probably?

Neck shim: The stewmac ones are bloody expensive for a sliver of wood to be flown from the US. So some suggest a business card? Or should I try changing strings and adjusting the bridge first to see how it is, then try a shim? 

thermionic

I’ve never had to shim either of my Jaguars - many modern ones have an angled neck pocket. No idea if the latest Squiers do though.

11s for a Jaguar because of the shorter scale, with a Jazzmaster I would stick with 10s to start with.

Funkfingers

Tens on a JM. Elevens or twelves on Jaguar, Mustang and Duo-Sonic.

Litterick

Joe Pass plays a Jaguar.

stickyfiddle

MagicPigDetective said:

stickyfiddle said:

A JM should be super bright with the controls at 10. The good news is they also sound brilliant and fat with the tone rolled down a bit. 

Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions re setup. They’re finicky before you learn the mechanics of them but actually very easy to get playing great once you understand it. Most shop techs never get that far..!

Thanks, I'll start with the questions now then!

What string gauge?: I use 10-46 with my strat and Les Paul and have spare sets. Also have a spare set of 12-60, not sure if the nut slots would take them? 11's would be ideal probably?

Neck shim: The stewmac ones are bloody expensive for a sliver of wood to be flown from the US. So some suggest a business card? Or should I try changing strings and adjusting the bridge first to see how it is, then try a shim? 

Honestly I've had 9s on my JM for the longest time and they're completely fine as long as it's setup ok. I might consider 10s but I generally prefer 10s on Gibsons and 9s on Fender scales. 

Don't pay for shims - literally a piece of cereal packet does the same job - just cut it to ft 1/3 of the neck pocket (the bridge end, obviously). Use 2 pieces if you want a bigger thing. I once used some bits of cut up guitar pick in a Jag, which also worked really well. 

Funkfingers

stickyfiddle said: 

Don't pay for shims - literally a piece of cereal packet does the same job. Use 2 pieces if you want a bigger thing.

This is precisely what the Fender factory did on my AVRI62 Jaguar. Two strips, 6x30mm, stacked together and fastened in place by something sticky. (Probably clear top coats that had not fully dried and hardened.) These strips are roughly in line with the holes for neck anchoring screws.

MagicPigDetective

Thanks all. So, this is the first time I've ever taken the neck off a guitar...... no shim in the pocket. Currently polishing the frets with steel wool and masking tape. I'm enjoying this work, must say. 

MagicPigDetective

I've cleaned it up, put some tens on it, put a cardboard shim in the neck from a cereal box, raised the bridge. The action is at 1.5mm - 2mm on the 12th fret. How does the angle look? Needs more? The strings are staying in the slots. 

  

I've polished the frets with 0000 wool. The E and B strings still feel scratchy though when bending, could they be polished or smoothed further? Also, the two dials on the rhythm controls are very scratchy and don't seem to do much? 

It's taking shape anyway, the tremolo feels good. The bar does not stay in position though, does this need the hammer trick? The intonation is bang on, no need for adjustment. The Sea foam green is not coming clearly in photos:

  

francer

That’s a mustang style bridge, you don’t really need to shim it at all tbh. Usually the reason people shim offsets is to increase downforce on the stock bridge to prevent the strings jumping out of their slots with heavy strumming, you shouldn’t have that problem with that bridge. Unless without out a shim the bridge is so close to the body it can’t rock?

The only other tiny thing I notice from your pics is that your bridge is already slightly rocked back with no trem pressure, I tend to keep mine as centred in the holes as possible in the ‘neutral’ position.

Funkfingers

At rest, the bridge pivot screws should be perpendicular to the body.  

The Staytrem replacement bridge keeps itself in position by means of rubber tubing between the height adjustment screws and the "thimbles". 

If you are asking about the neck pitch angle, it is impossible to tell when neither of your photographs illustrate the neck joint sideways on. 

If you are asking about the string alignment relative to the edges of the fingerboard, it is clearly off centre. You need to slacken off the neck anchor screws a little. Yank the neck towards the low E string. Retighten the neck screws.

If the guitar were mine, I would also slacken off the pickguard screws. This will prevent the plastic determining the position of the wooden parts.

It is possible that you may need to remove some pickguard material to improve the fit around the pocket.

MagicPigDetective

Ok thanks both..... big learning curve here for me, first time I’ve ever took a neck off. I’ll have another fiddle tomorrow. Meanwhile, I think I can safely say I’m falling for the Jazzmaster ‘experience’. It’s very different to what I’ve played before, definitely goes places my stat and les paul don’t. Also, first time stringing with vintage style posts - found it easier than the ‘regular’ posts. 

thermionic

MagicPigDetective said:

I've polished the frets with 0000 wool. The E and B strings still feel scratchy though when bending, could they be polished or smoothed further? Also, the two dials on the rhythm controls are very scratchy and don't seem to do much? 

I polished some scratchy frets last week with Scotchbrite followed by Autosol with a Dremel. I didn’t have any wire wool but it usually does a fine job. If they’re still scratchy they might need more work with the wire wool before any metal polish.

The rhythm circuit should work like normal controls when the slider switch is in the rhythm circuit position.

MagicPigDetective

It's coming together now. Have to say, it did arrive in an appalling state and it's taken some work to get it up to scratch, but I do believe I've got myself a lovely guitar here.

The scratchy rhythm circuit pots have been sorted with contact cleaner. The bridge is now level, I think the neck alignment is better. Only thing left is the rough frets, I will sort them next string change, perhaps a bit of playing will help smooth them some.

The nut seems ok for now, though I think the slots could do with lowering, and there is a yellow stain on it. It's playing very well, tremolo works a treat (apart from the whammy bar not staying in), not a lot of buzzing etc. Neck feels good, more chunky than my strat, quite like it's yellow tinge etc. Getting to know the various pickup selections now, the rhythm circuit sounds really good. 

I do believe offsets have a new fan. 

stickyfiddle

francer said:

That’s a mustang style bridge, you don’t really need to shim it at all tbh. Usually the reason people shim offsets is to increase downforce on the stock bridge to prevent the strings jumping out of their slots with heavy strumming, you shouldn’t have that problem with that bridge. Unless without out a shim the bridge is so close to the body it can’t rock?

The only other tiny thing I notice from your pics is that your bridge is already slightly rocked back with no trem pressure, I tend to keep mine as centred in the holes as possible in the ‘neutral’ position.

Need? Maybe not. Benefit from with a little more sustain and loudness? Almost certainly. 

paganskins

MagicPigDetective said:

tremolo works a treat (apart from the whammy bar not staying in)

Staytrem collet and arm would be a worthwhile upgrade, about £30 iirc. 

meltedbuzzbox

stickyfiddle said:

francer said:

That’s a mustang style bridge, you don’t really need to shim it at all tbh. Usually the reason people shim offsets is to increase downforce on the stock bridge to prevent the strings jumping out of their slots with heavy strumming, you shouldn’t have that problem with that bridge. Unless without out a shim the bridge is so close to the body it can’t rock?

The only other tiny thing I notice from your pics is that your bridge is already slightly rocked back with no trem pressure, I tend to keep mine as centred in the holes as possible in the ‘neutral’ position.

Need? Maybe not. Benefit from with a little more sustain and loudness? Almost certainly. 

I see your mustang bridge and raise you a mastery 


















Apologies for the inevitable and derailing staytrem vs mastery debate

grungebob

I realise now the point is moot as you’ve bought the JM but thought I’d chime in with my er technically an “offset” choice. Spans the gap in scale between Jag and JM and is a cracking instrument. 

Aria Proii Jet 1, terrible model name but a fantastically playable and resonate guitar for peanuts. 

Much like your squier JM it needs a fret polish on arrival and a slight fettle on the nut but other than that it’s perfect (for me). 

GavRichList

I love both. I want another Jazzmaster having had two (plus a Mascis) and sold both...rather regrettably. My Jaguar however, will never leave me. The two models are very different to each other in feel and sound tbh, as easy to justify both as it would be a tele and a strat. 

And if we’re throwing in rug shots for good measure...