I recently purchased a Fender Classic 60's MIM Lacquer Jazzmaster. I replaced the strings with Fender recommended 250R .010-.046. The guitar is in tune and intonation seems to be on target. My only problem is the tremolo assembly. The tremolo arm is now pulled forward and is almost touching the volume knobs, which is quite annoying. I followed adjustment instructions on http://offset.guitars/the-goodies/setting-up-the-tremolo-system/ but my tremolo does not have the locking feature as described in the article and I am unable to adjust the arm height. To fix this problem, should I replace the tremolo with an American vintage tremolo with trem lock, or should I just bend the tremolo arm? I'm wondering if the spring is stiffer on the American Vintage tremolo which might increase the height of the arm. Has anyone had the same problem? Thanks!
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
Tremolo Adjustment Advice Needed for Fender 60s Jazzmaster Lacquer
Joined: Jul 25, 2008 Posts: 2 |
Posted on Sep 22 2017 08:06 AM
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Joined: Nov 16, 2013 Posts: 4537 Wisconsin 
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Posted on Sep 22 2017 08:49 AM
I cannot speak to setting up a locking vibrato unit, as I too have the others (non-locking) on my JM and 60's lacquer Jag. I simply adjust tension using the screw based on feel, how much resistance I want, and then bend the arm to taste. Don't know if that was original design intent 50 yrs ago but they are definitely bendable to your preferences in terms of ergonomics on the guitar. Easy on the bending; a little at a time goes a long way in terms of the radius that will feel best to your hand & style. Look hard at it before going to the vise so you know where you want that bend to occur. Wes DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices. |
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Joined: Jul 25, 2008 Posts: 2 |
Posted on Sep 22 2017 10:48 AM
Badger - Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning towards making a slight bend in the tremolo arm. I'm thinking it's cheaper and more conservative to go that route first. Before I bend the arm I might remove the tremolo and inspect the internal assembly to make sure everything is okay. If I bend the arm I will use caution as you advised. |
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Joined: Nov 16, 2013 Posts: 4537 Wisconsin
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Posted on Sep 22 2017 12:47 PM
Borschel wrote:
Cool, nice to see what's going on in the vibrato ass'y. Like I mentioned, it's quite common to bend the arm to your liking. The reason I mention going slow is that it's also quite common to think you understand the bend you need, put it in a vise & then come back to the guitar with "oh krap! now this thing is sticking up like a cactus in the High Mojave!" Visualize what you want to do, even take a little Sharpie & put a mark on the arm where you want to bend it and, in general, "think" about how much you want to change. My opinion only, in general, multiple small bends - even the beautiful continuous radius of vintage arms - provide a smoother/gentler musical action to the touch whereas a single harsh bend is going to start movement RIGHT now. Just a function of old-school leverage & depends on what you're going for vis a vis your style. Have fun & congrats on the JM. —Wes DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices. |
Joined: Mar 11, 2011 Posts: 819 Semass
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Posted on Sep 22 2017 01:03 PM
bending the arm, and adjusting the tension to taste (first) are your best bets. |
Joined: Jul 12, 2012 Posts: 171 Cape Cod, USA
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Posted on Dec 07 2020 08:56 AM
I'm reviving this thread because I have both a JM and a Jag Classic 60s Lacquer. I changed to heavier gauge strings on the JM, which I recently acquired. Now the collet holding the trem arm angles toward the neck and, consequently, is quite low to the body. Not a lot of play. On the Jag, it angles slightly away from the neck, which I can live with. It seems that in an ideal world, the collet would be 90 degrees to the body of the guitar, no? Anyway, I've researched the hell out of this and still haven't found an answer to what should be a simple question: does adjust the trem screw on the plate address this and, if so, what effect will turning the screw clockwise or counter clockwise do? Finally, is there any risk of adjusting the screw too far in either direction? Many thanks for any insights on this! —Everybody up! |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 1339 Escondido, CA
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Posted on Dec 07 2020 12:11 PM
On the JM, take a Philips screwdriver and adjust the screw clockwise. Turning clockwise preloads the spring so there is more resistance to the string pulling the assembly forward. Ran — |
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Joined: Jul 12, 2012 Posts: 171 Cape Cod, USA
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Posted on Dec 07 2020 12:17 PM
Many thanks, Ran! kick_the_reverb wrote: — Everybody up! |
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