badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Apr 07 2007 04:38 PM
Well my jag arrived and much like my AVRI Jazzmaster, the fit and finish is superb! The only flaw is, or should I say was the size 10 strings and the 2/32nds action at the twelfth fret  If I wanted to play "eruption" by Van Halen, I'd of picked another guitar!
The biggest difference between my jag and my jazzmaster visually is the really orange stain they used to make the neck look "vintage" on the Jazzmaster. The Jag is a natural maple and better for it! Is there a consistent pattern with AVRIs on the neck stain or is it rather random?
Now for the controversial "toad elevating moment" of this post. While researching string preferences last night in preparation for set up, you know the question of 12s or 13s eventually, I couldn't help notice that Slacktone Dave recommends 11s, and has GASP! A BUZZSTOP ON HIS JAGS!!!!!!!!  So, since I'm not yet ready to take my prize to the tech to get the nut slotted for 13s, and since my Jazz originally came to me with a buzzstop, which I promptly took off when I installed 11s, I decided 11s and installing my spare buzzstop a la Slacktone Dave would be fine for the month or two I'm going to take to get to know my Jag before getting fatter strings. Well, with the 11s, and my initial setup, things are great. Gotta let the neck settle in, but all looks, and sounds well so far.
Now to figure out why I would ever use the "choke"... I just don't get it... 
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Apr 07 2007 04:53 PM
Both your Jag and Jazz are AV? Same color?
Neck finish depends on what year they were made. I don't think anybody has wasted time to put together a guide. Also neck sizes vary by year.
I can't get behind the idea of the buzzstop because when I had mine it really hurt the 'jangle' quality of my Jag, more acoustically than amplified but it was still noticeable plugged in.
Do what feels right for strings not what somebody else recommends. Kyle of the Verbtones gets perhaps the finest tone out there but there is no way in hell I'm putting .9s on my Jag. Kyle doesn't need feel the need for a buzzstop with that gauge by the way.
As for strings, you don't really need to get your nut recut, if you went out and got rotosound 12 flats then probably. But the better sets of flats are all pretty slim. I actually couldn't get the rotosounds onto my Jazzmaster because they were so thick, but the same gauge of Thomastiks had no problem getting on and they feel like the 11s on my gretsch. Don't just take the bottom string into account when selecting strings. Look at all the gauges.
And for the record, my Jazzmaster has teh 'F' style tuners as it is a '71 Jazzmaster. Rotosounds fit into the tuners of the standard Jag or Jazz.
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Apr 07 2007 05:07 PM
The 11s are a tight fit from top to bottom. I'm pretty sure that a .054 is not going to fit into a slot I have to squeeze a .050 into. I know there is some variance, but I'd rather pay few bills than crack a nut!
The jazzmaster is sunburst, the Jag is white.
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Apr 07 2007 06:33 PM
badash
The 11s are a tight fit from top to bottom. I'm pretty sure that a .054 is not going to fit into a slot I have to squeeze a .050 into. I know there is some variance, but I'd rather pay few bills than crack a nut!
The jazzmaster is sunburst, the Jag is white.
Pretty.
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Brian
Joined: Feb 25, 2006
Posts: 19195
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
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Posted on Apr 07 2007 08:52 PM
I put 12's on my AV Jag and it seemed to work just fine.
— Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me
"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea
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LHR
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 2123
The jungle
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 05:45 AM
Please put 13s on it.
— SSIV
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SlacktoneDave
Joined: Jul 01, 2006
Posts: 657
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 09:08 AM
Congrats entering the Jaguar world! For the past few months I've switched from D'Addario Chromes 11-50, to 12-52. I'm not sure if it will be a permanent change.
and Jacob says:
"I can't get behind the idea of the buzzstop because when I had mine it really hurt the 'jangle' quality of my Jag, more acoustically than amplified but it was still noticeable plugged in. "
This is because you have a choice. Without a Buzzstop, the energy of the string vibration will be part rattle, and part tone. Plus, the string will have more of a tendancy to bounce off the bridge section without a Buzzstop. If you use a Buzzstop, take care to not let the strings hit the backside of the bridge, or you will get more rattles. The other thing to do is change the three round head screws on the tailpiece for flat head screws. This is good to do because the Buzzstop makes the strings hit those.
To help it stay in tune, try that Big Bends Nut Sauce in the slots and on the contact point of the bridge sections. ~ dave
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eddiekatcher
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2764
Atlanta, GA
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 10:43 AM
You can widen the 6th string slot with an emery board used to trim fingernails. It won't take much, so be real careful, just a slight pass or two should do it. I ordered a buzz stop and hated it. I thought it looked dookey as hell and changed the weight balance of my guitar. I just re shimmed the neck to increase the down pressure on my Jaguars. That seems to work almost as good as the custom machined brass saddle inserts I built for Jazzmasters 1 & 2. On the MIJ guitars I used the bridge saddles from the AVRI Jazzmasters as the grooves are wider than the MIJ's were stock. Woody just decides where he wants the string to ride and files a V-slot in the stock saddles with a rat tail file. It seems to work too.......I agree with Dave on the nut sauce, it works as good as pencil graphite......ed
— Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps?
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 11:32 AM
eddiekatcher
You can widen the 6th string slot with an emery board used to trim fingernails. It won't take much, so be real careful, just a slight pass or two should do it. I ordered a buzz stop and hated it. I thought it looked dookey as hell and changed the weight balance of my guitar. SNIP! I agree with Dave on the nut sauce, it works as good as pencil graphite......ed
Hey Eddie. I've been playing and doing simple setups for as long as some of our forum mates have been alive  For going up in size a little on the wound strings I just usually take a section of roundwound of the size I'm going to and genty saw back and forth in the slot. It works great. My biggest problem is with the plain strings. That's the only place I have encountered problems with chipping and cracking. I'd probably start with 12s, but want the ability to go up to 13s without a trip back to the tech, so I figured let the jag settle in a bit, and in month or two get a pro slot job.
I have to say, being a child of a depression era nutcase (mom) Saying a product you have to pay for works as good as pencil graphite isn't a ringing endorsement to me 
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Sonichris
Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1873
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 11:44 AM
I just bought a set of
these....
They work great - I used to use sandpaper, files, strings, etc. I should have bought these a long time ago. Best $45 I've spent on guitar tools. My setups have never been better, ( not that that's saying a lot.) 
Chris
— "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"
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DannySnyder
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11011
Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 12:00 PM
I've heard there's an art to filing a nut. It's not just a straight cut, but it tapers out wider towards the neck. Any of you guitar geeks have the scoop?
— Danny Snyder
Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo
I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta
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eddiekatcher
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2764
Atlanta, GA
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 12:49 PM
I am not sure about the slot getting wider toward the bridge, but I always make it a point to slant the groove toward the keys with the highest point of the nut slot closest to the bridge. This gives a sharp break and improves open string sustain and eliminates open string free air buzzes. I bought a set of calibrated nut files from Stewart MacDonald and I reccomend them to anyone who really wants to have their guitars play like silk. There IS an art to it and you can screw up the nut if you are not very methodical and paying attention. The pencil lead (graphite) is a great way to "lube" the slots but a lot of guys don't like blackening the nut itself with the back and forth motion of working pencil lead into the slots. I use both the nut sauce (when I can find the stuff on my workbench) and pencil lead when I am in a hurry......ed
— Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps?
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Sonichris
Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1873
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
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Posted on Apr 08 2007 09:51 PM
DannySnyder
I've heard there's an art to filing a nut. It's not just a straight cut, but it tapers out wider towards the neck. Any of you guitar geeks have the scoop?
I'm no whiz at this, but I have been working on getting better at it. With the right tools, it seems pretty straight forward. Like Eddie says, a slight angle towards the tuners, and small amounts of filing, then check, then more filing. the files i got had good istructions, and it was rediculously easy to do after I read them. getting the right depth is just a matter of taking your time and checking before you go too deep.
I've only done Fender style nuts, so straight cuts seem to work just fine - on a 3 per side peghead, wider towards the tuners is probably the way to go.
I spent part of the afternoon cutting a new graphite nut for the Squier Jagmaster I bought to practice this type of stuff on - I removed the old nut, shaped a pre-grooved new one, installed it, and cut the slots. it was fun,, and pretty easy.
Chris
— "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"
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SlacktoneDave
Joined: Jul 01, 2006
Posts: 657
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Posted on Apr 09 2007 07:38 AM
If you don't want to use a Buzzstop, and decide to add shims which can give a small amount of added down pressure, take this into account. The AVRI Jags already have four shims installed. This is the number of paper shims in 99% of the AVRI Jags. As you add more shims, you need to lower the bridge saddles which now creates a new problem allowing the string to make contact to the back side of the bridge, causing new rattles. What some of the Master Builders do is grind down the side of the bridge that doesn't have intonation screws, and turn the bridge around backwards. Of course, you would want to get the bridge plated after grinding. I've got a couple of these, and they're pretty cool. It alows more flexability in how you want to set up your guitar. Avoiding the use of shims is the direction I try to go. Buzzstops look a little dorky, more chrome/parts on an already busy looking guitar. But, the Fonz looked cool tooling around with no seatbelt, and he never seemed to have a problem.... YMMV
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BillAqua
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 1054
Chicago IL.
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Posted on Apr 09 2007 08:46 AM
SlacktoneDave
If you don't want to use a Buzzstop, and decide to add shims which can give a small amount of added down pressure, take this into account. The AVRI Jags already have four shims installed. This is the number of paper shims in 99% of the AVRI Jags. As you add more shims, you need to lower the bridge saddles which now creates a new problem allowing the string to make contact to the back side of the bridge, causing new rattles. What some of the Master Builders do is grind down the side of the bridge that doesn't have intonation screws, and turn the bridge around backwards. Of course, you would want to get the bridge plated after grinding. I've got a couple of these, and they're pretty cool. It alows more flexability in how you want to set up your guitar. Avoiding the use of shims is the direction I try to go. Buzzstops look a little dorky, more chrome/parts on an already busy looking guitar. But, the Fonz looked cool tooling around with no seatbelt, and he never seemed to have a problem.... YMMV
Dave's totally right, the man works at Fender so I'd take his advice over mine. But I'm going to throw my advice in. I have 2 Jaguars that I set up myself without the buzzstop. I had to add more shims I think they both have 5 shims now. Like Dave said, the strings were hitting the intonation screws as they angled down towards the tailpiece. I found a quick fix by taking a jewelers file and filing part of the screw head flat. You have to get it just right so it intonates, but it's doable. Jaguars are a lot of work and the best thing you can do is learn how to set yours up for yourself VIA trial and error.
— "as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there"
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Apr 09 2007 11:42 AM
Wow thanks everyone for your input. Like the Band said "take what you need and you leave the rest" but in this case figuring out what the "very best" is will be different for all of us 
Thanks Slacktone Dave for the tip on not letting the strings hit the back of the bridge when using the buzzstop. They do, and later today I will drop the bridge and raise the saddles a hair. I wanted to add 1/32nd to my string heigth anyway but just wanted my truss adjustment to settle in first. Hmm.... I wonder what would happen if you ran the buzzstop backwards? would the trem lock button still fit in the buzzstop channel? Would the trem feel too tight? It seems like it would certainly mellow out the break angle over the bridge a bit. I may try that out next string change.
Anyway, the 11s with the buzzstop definitely plays awesome. And you can't argue Fonzi's level of coolness. He not only pulled off a death defying motorcycle jump in Arnold's parking lot, but jumped a shark on waterskis while wearing a leather jacket! I'll see after raising my action some more if I still need to go to 12s. I get a little string slap on the low E when seriously diggin' in on some double picking, which frankly sounds good with reverb, but the setup Nazi in me wants it to sound clean.
It's funny how the Jaguar just delivers a sound I have to really work at to get with my jazzmaster and strat style guitars. Don't get me wrong, you'll have to pry my Jazz out of my cold hand stuck in an Eminor chord shape, but the Jag really does give you a special voice. Too Cool.
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Brian
Joined: Feb 25, 2006
Posts: 19195
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
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Posted on Apr 09 2007 12:49 PM
I also turned my bridge around to get those intonation screws out of the way of the string path.
— Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me
"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea
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diceophonic
Joined: May 20, 2006
Posts: 2169
PacNW (Vancouver, Wa U.S.A.)
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Posted on Apr 09 2007 01:58 PM
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April Birthdays 
and congrats on the buy 
