The goal here is to increase downward force on the bridge. Reattach the neck, string up, and then raise the bridge until you find the action comfortable. Using heavier strings goes a long way to cure this. Simply remove the neck, cut the material of your choice to fit (3/8" by 1 1/2" should do the trick), and then lay it down in the neck pocket, in the semi-enclosed area closest to the bridge (Photo 3). Four screws are used to adjust intonation instead of six, allowing the strings to run freely from the saddles to the vibrato without any chance of interference from the front of an … Copyright © The idea is that the Mastery and Staytrem replace the traditional Jazzmaster/Jaguar bridge with it's screw-thread saddles and inherent rattles. It wasn’t until I discovered shimming as part of the offset equation that I was able to quell the beastly noises coming from my guitar. Products that offer real world innovations & solve problems that make your instrument and/or tone better because of it. Taylor GTe Urban Ash: The Premier Guitar Review, 4. But if you’re a gigging musician and your Jazzmaster is a workhorse, the Offset Mastery Bridge is a game changer. If you weren’t aware, the offset bridge is height-adjustable by way of two grub screws concealed within the posts. Your Pedalboards 2020: Part Deux, 2. I haven't used one myself, but it's in … I highly recommend reading this in depth article about John’s life in The American Interest. Newer Fender models such as the Classic Player and American Professional series even boast angled neck pockets, so if you have one of these, you likely won’t need to worry about shimming at all. Makes a great guitar even better, more playable. The bridge has a solid connection to the body, so string vibration is better transmitted, which means improved sustain, as well as slightly louder volume when playing unplugged. Are they cheap? They are quite popular amongst the offset fraternity, although for the most part a good setup and a bit of time can usually sort out problems with the original Fender bridge. MASTERY BRIDGE. The rest of your setup must be right for you before you start. *If you want proof, drop a Mastery Bridge in your Jazzmaster or Jaguar and see for yourself how stable that thing is! After a very straight forward & simple installation…this new Mastery Bridge immediately solved all the string falloff and intonation issues. Photo 2. The guitar features the goofy/crazy/wacky electronics that the original Jazzmaster had at its birth in 1958. Our multi-patented hardware is used by builders worldwide for its reliability and precise detail. I have ordered a Mastery Bridge and a Staytrem tremolo upgrade. Using heavier strings goes a long way to cure this. ... Shakira's drum setup in pictures. Intonation Had one on my CIJ Jazzmaster - worked great. In December 2015 I was composing some retro sounding 60’s cuts for a music library in Los Angeles. I quickly found a discounted dent and scratch model in “Sonic Blue” and pulled the trigger and then eagerly awaited for this new guitbox to show up via UPS. Two screws, after all, are much easier to adjust than 12. If the bridge isn’t set up in exactly the right way, those screws can make contact with your strings, causing an unpleasant sitar-like noise. After using it off and on all that week for recording, a serious deal breaker issue kept raising its ugly head. Privacy Policy | John Woodland’s bridge features a unique, patented two-saddle design. 1 5/64″ allen wrench (medium) 4. But this doesn’t mean you have to use gigantic strings! I use and recommend .011–.050 rounds as a good starting point, but if .010s are your thing, that’s absolutely doable. After reading through the Mastery Bridge website and watching all the videos from great artists like Nels Cline, Elvis Costello, & Thurston Moore who were raving about how this bridge/vibrato system changed the usability of their beloved Jazzmasters…I was sold. To be completely honest…I bought this guitar with the intention of just testing it out for a few days to see if I even liked the Jazzmaster vibe and then most likely sending it back. 1 Mastery Bridge 2. I was quickly drawn to a picture of Nels Cline from Wilco’s 1959 Jazzmaster with a some sort of beautifully designed “space age meets retro” brushed metal bridge setup front and center…Enter The “Mastery Offset Bridge & Vibrato” replacement setup! The bridge will now pivot on the outside screws, leaving the four inside screws in place for bridge stability. I couldn’t really justify going with anything high end as I have more than enough great sounding guitars and this purchase was more of a want than a need. How to Correctly use a Fargen Amps Tube Buffered FX Loop. The basic principles are as usual so let’s recap the prerequisites . Many simply choose to change the bridge. As the neck is angled down away from the body—like a see-saw, imagine the headstock dropping slightly lower than the end of the fretboard—the bridge must be raised to achieve playable action. Good products and innovation cost money to develop. It gives some excellent insight into John’s background and passion for guitars. *extras – All new wiring with vintage cloth + The Art of Tone vintage style pots & 1958 replica pickguard from Tone-Guard. 1 3/32″ allen wrench (large) While I will never get used to the inch-based system of measurement, the small, … One of the most important reasons I started Electric Dreams Mag was to feature builders and brands that stand above the crowd. It wasn’t until I discovered shimming as part of the offset equation that I was able to quell the beastly noises coming from my guitar. Not a very tricky install but I did need to dowel the mounting holes and redrill for new post mounts. This is a redesign of the original offset guitar bridge that’s pretty well thought out. They are not. I was quickly drawn to a picture of Nels Cline from Wilco’s 1959 Jazzmaster with a some sort of beautifully designed “space age meets retro” brushed metal bridge setup front and center…Enter The “Mastery Offset Bridge & Vibrato” replacement setup! All Rights Reserved Mastery bridges are beautifully made and for years was really the only replacement that fixed default issues of the JM bridge but now there are options it doesn't appeal to me as much. And hey, if you need your Jazzmaster or Jaguar expertly set up, look no further! All rights reserved. in my opinion, these are all improvements. Jazzmaster Bridge I picked up a very cheap vintage modified Jazzmaster squire from Gumtree (Australian equivalent of Craigslist) and having some big issues with the bridge, ie. I usually start with two shims and add or subtract according to the needs of the individual instrument. Jazzmaster/Jaguar trem - Explained and set upJazzmaster/Jaguar Bridge Problems \u0026 Solutions Descendant vs Mastery: which offset vibrato should I buy? We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. The strings keep slipping off. I do find it interesting that complaints about bridge buzz started surfacing around the time that ultra-light gauges became more commonplace, in the mid-to-late 1960s. Logged Fat Pete. If you’re not familiar with the process of shimming, it’s simply a thin spacer placed between the neck and pocket of a bolt-on guitar, allowing its angle to be easily adjusted. No, it’s quite easy to achieve a perfectly playable Jazzmaster with lighter roundwound gauges. At that point I was thinking about boxing it up and sending her on back…but…I was already undeniably attached to this instrument and pretty bummed out at the thought of not having it around for the remainder of this project. They are not inexpensive, but many, as well as myself feel they are well worth the cost. But even needing a setup, it was not unplayable. I bought a new 1964 Jazzmaster right after high school graduation in 1965. No! So these are not absolutely needed upgrades. Mastery Bridge Company is the brainchild of Luthier John Woodland from Minneapolis Minnesota. Position the 1 1/2" section so it lies across the neck pocket, parallel to the saddles. Manufacturing being what it is, there’s no magic number of shims that works automatically. This causes the strings to pass over the bridge at a sharper angle (this is called break angle), and thus adequate pressure on the bridge is realized. Fender's original design for the Jaguar and Jazzmaster bridge left a bit to be desired for many players. Guitar Moves w/ Keith Richards – “There’s Two Sides to Every Story” (Part 1), Son Volt’s Jay Farrar opens online shop selling his guitars, gear, music and more. Being aimed at jazz players of the day, the Jazzmaster was built around the use of heavy flatwound strings. Anyone who has owned a Fender Jaguar or Jazzmaster guitar ( vintage or modern) knows that the bridge & tremolo setup is prone to tuning and intonation issues. Mastery bridge install (and a little setup) complete on this MIM Jazzmaster for my bud and all ‘round legend @brendanoctattoo. Then I saw a glimmer of hope from the corner of my eye. Vox Humana - grootste online gitaaronderdelen webshop van Nederland - is een sterk service gericht bedrijf en door menig muzikant en gitaarbouwer gewaardeerd om 1982 Fender Japan Stratocaster…I bought this guitar when I was 13. On the 52mm string spacing from E to E, four intonation-adjustment screws are used instead of six, allowing the string to freely go from the saddle to the vibrato without any chance of interference from the front of an intonation screw or back of a … In theory, the downward force exerted on the bridge keeps the strings in place while the bridge freely rocks back and forth with vibrato use. The Staytrem fixes all of the issues that the Mastery does, I think it fixes some issues that the Mastery still has (by removing the radius adjustment), maintains the vintage look and style … the strings behind the bridge also resonate more easily, which adds to the "chimey" nature of the jazzmaster sound. The saddles themselves should only be used to set radius. | Guitar.com Comparing Jazzmaster Pickups ULTIMATE OFFSET BRIDGE SHOOTOUT - Mastery - Halon - Staytrem - Fender RSD - Mustang - Vintage Stratocaster Setup Tips Complete Guitar Setup in 60 Seconds … Vintage Modified Fender Squire Jazzmaster guitar with Mastery Bridge and 1958 replica. Aclam The Windmiller Preamp Demo - PG Gear Spotlight, 5. A properly setup Jazzmaster or Jaguar can be just fine with the stock tremolo and bridge. Just looking for that little increase in sustain and reliability. Fender Jazzmaster Setup and Maintenance - or How I Learned to Love My Guitar Tonight's patient: my Fender Jazzmaster. Ensuring the proper amount of neck angle relative to the body is essential to getting the most out of your offset guitar. We tackle the installation of a Mastery unit and show you how to wire up your controls to keep hum to a minimum. It takes some trial and error at first, but the more familiar you become with the process, the better you’ll be able to assess your guitar. We produce only ONE vintage USA spec size body thimble for our M1 bridge. It seemed that, no matter what I did, I could not get the thing to stop buzzing. Note to other manufactures who might be reading this…never underestimate the power of your packaging matching the quality and aesthetic of your product..it matters and makes the initial impression a very good one! It just takes a bit more fiddling around with the setup. For more information on how our bridge works, please visit our specs page. The Bridge I looked online to see what was available at different price points. Although a correct setup will make any Jazzmaster or Jaguar play dependably, we recognise that not everyone has the time or the ability to go to such great lengths. Hard to tell from your description, but it sounds like you need a good setup. */, Copyright ©2021. When I got my first Jazzmaster, the bridge positively flummoxed me. The Jaguar and the Jazzmaster have height adjustable saddles. After opening the box and removing several layers of shredded paper, a not-so-tiny metallic cylinder surfaced, along with a piece of paper with installing instructions and a list of what to expect inside the tube: 1. After typing  “Fender Jazzmaster Bridge Problems” into Google I quickly found thread after thread of the same issues I was having with both Jaguars’ & Jazzmasters of all ages and lineage. Live at Yoshi’s with Legendary Texas Bluesman Jimmie Vaughan. As I described in my post on the Jazzmaster, the original Jazzmaster bridge is problematic in a number of ways: often buzzing and failing to retain the strings seated in their saddles when any heavy string bending ensues. I got the itch to try out a Fender Jazzmaster for some of the tracks I was working on. The small tin box housed the bridge parts and Allen wrench tools for fine adjustments in a cloth bag. String Selection Don't Miss Guitar setup: how to solve your tuning problems Neck Angle Worst of all…string fall off on the high e and even the g string during bends and hard strumming make the instrument unusable at times with the stock bridge setup. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} Note: If you happen to be using a Mastery or Staytrem bridge, one or two shims should work just fine. How do I adjust a mastery bridge on my fender jazzmaster? Setting Intonation On A Mastery Bridge Because that bridge doesn’t rock in its thimbles, it provides a far better tuning experience.-MJA You can't just drop in a replacement bridge without doing adjustments to the individual string height and intonation. Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing, When viewed from the side, the string path of a properly set up Jazzmaster is reminiscent of an archtop, such as a venerable, On PremierGuitar.com, "Sponsored Content" refers to articles, videos, or audio recordings that are produced or curated by an advertiser but that, DIY: How to Set Up and Intonate an Acoustic Guitar, 2. /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. Can't see where adding brightness to the sound of a Jaguar would be a benefit, as some say the Mastery bridge does, as it is a very bright sounding guitar stock. Zion “The Fifty” Black Guard Tele. The Jaguar, Mustang, and Jazzmaster—sometimes called the Fender ‘offset’ guitars have individually adjustable saddles for setting each string’s intonation. The Bridge When I got my first Jazzmaster, the bridge positively flummoxed me. I'm just a bit picky, and anyway, I love doing set ups. If you own a Fender Jazzmaster, Jaguar or even a Telecaster…do yourself & your guitar a big favor and order a replacement bridge from Mastery Bridge Company…it’s basically the difference between having a usable guitar that plays correct & can be used in a professional live or recording environment which ultimately allows you to concentrate on playing the guitar…not re tuning every 2 minutes. It's an expensive, but interesting take on the Jazzmaster bridge. Once the neck is adjusted we adjust the action. It doesn’t float in the same way as the original but the enhanced coupling and the bridge’s solidity make for good tone. "Mastery" isn't an option in the list but "Standard Jazzmaster® Bridge And Tremolo" is -- are they equivalent? Chief among the many companies that design bridges are the US-based Mastery Bridge and UK-based Staytrem. Allowing the bridge to float freely (no tension on the tremolo arm) using the claw screws in the tremolo cavity, adjust the bridge to your desired angle—Fender spec is a 1/8" (3.2 mm) gap at rear of bridge. The Fender squire vintage modified Jazzmaster immediately caught my attention based upon the great reviews, vintage retro vibe and of course the affordable price point. Insert the appropriate hex key in the postholes on the face of the bridge and adjust the height of the treble and bass sides of the bridge to taste (Photo 5). I want to use a Mastery bridge and vibrato but I don't know which rout to specify when ordering my Warmoth JM body. Terms Of Use. Since its conception in 2008, the Offset Mastery Bridge remains the industry leader and most trusted Offset bridge in the hands of touring musicians around the globe. I have been reading about the Mastery Bridge —an aftermarket replacement bridge that claims to solve these problems—for a couple of years. I ran it through some new tracks and immediately connected with the vibe and tone even from the stock electronics. As with anything in this life…You get what you pay for….but you already knew that right? Does anybody have this setup? The improvement in playability and tone was so astonishing I immediately sucked it up and ordered the matching vibrato system that very day. Favorite Answer. The bottom line…The Mastery Bridge Company makes some of the best hand crafted American guitar parts on the planet. I was thinking of getting a new bridge and was wondering how well it worked. Most Jazzmaster lovers will concede that the classic stock bridge is something of a bête noire when used with modern strings. My 2c - the Mastery has a more 'authentic' Jazzmaster feel and sound. Although the archtops that inspired him were constructed with a permanently inclined set neck, the famously pragmatic Leo Fender addressed this by specifically designing the Jazzmaster with shims in mind.