The new Jaguar build will have a StayTrem bridge and tremolo ar, but in view of the fact that the Jaguar is still waiting for its body to be completed and shipped, I had no playing experience with either … until last weekend.

I have a Japanese made Bass VI which is my pride and joy. A while back, I put an AVRI tailpiece on it, which was an improvement over the OEM, MIJ trem’. Then I ordered both a StayTrem bridge and trem’ arm, for the VI.

These arrived last week, and the bridge is impressive, with a look of quality. The adjustment screws for setting intonation are fine threaded, which l found that I liked. The bridge was an easy drop in.

The trem’ arm, likewise, was a cinch to install, after removing the AVRI trem and simply swapping to the nylon lined collet. Once I had it back together, the collet snapped right in and the arm is easy to move, but also stays put in whatever position you desire. I’m not certain of what alchemy was involved in setting that tension, but they came up with exactly the right amount of friction.

A quick tuning, a few minutes setting the intonation and it was ready to go. The bridge seems to have good timbre and sustain characteristics. Think of a really nice Mustang bridge, but with more intonation range to accommodate the VI.

StayTrem definitely does some nice stuff.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

I am really happy with Staytrem bridge and just received a message that my long awaited Staytrem arms are on the way! Cannot wait)

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

IMHO the Staytrem bridge + arm/collette are necessary upgrades for any Jaguar (or Jazzmaster). And YES to also upgrading to an AVRI-level trem assembly.

The Johnny Marr Jag essentially comes with all three of these upgrades in stock form, which is partly why I'm such a fan of that model.

Welcome to the club, and good luck with your build!

-murph

http://www.reverbnation.com/elmiragesurf
http://www.reverbnation.com/aminorconspiracy

"I knew I was in trouble when the Coco-Loco tasted like water!" -- morphball

I had a MIJ Jag trem on a guitar for a while, but didn't like it much because the string spacing was too close together. The wider spacing on the AVRI trem is a definite improvement.

At some point I may have to get a Staytrem arm and collet, as it sounds like a great design. Does anybody know how well it holds the tension over the long term? Does the nylon bushing wear down at all or does it really hold up over years of use?

-

Last edited: Jan 31, 2024 16:17:56

Tqi wrote:

synchro wrote:

How hard is it to get you to post porn of your shiny new hardware on your Bass?

For me, the stock CV arm and collet were rattly out of the box, and hung loose after 3 days. I'm not the heaviest player, but I've had the Staytrem on for well over half a year and it feels exactly as it did new, that's a good start by comparison!

I thought I had, but apparently I forgot to hit the submit button. Here goes.

The bridge, as installed.

Here’s a side view of the collet.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

IceratzSurf wrote:

I have been reading all these posts if the Staytrem system, but also how hard it is to get them, the wait period.
I have gone the route of upgrading to Fender AM Pro components on my MIM and Squires.
The bridge is excellent, Mustang style but micro adjustable intonation.
No height adjustment because barrels sized for neck radius.
The spacing is ideal, not wide and not too narrow.
The bridge posts have nylon inserts for a snug fit but enough to allow the bridge to rock within the Tremolo arm range. I'm sure some string will move over the barrel tho too.
The arm and collet are good.
The collet is better, as it being made from hardened metal which retains "spring like" properties to maintain tension. The arm is softer and will wear first.
I still add a drop of silicone to keep friction down.
By comparison the MIM and Squire collet are junk. The metal is just too soft and I see why replacing is necessary.
I have crushed the collet prongs to restore tension and this works on a Jazzmaster Squire..for now.
I am sure it's short lived.

The Staytrem design is using a nylon sleeve for bearing. It being softer than steel would be where it eventually fails. But that's probably a very long time.

The new Guild design has an adjustable tension screw into the collet which is pretty cool.

I still think that someone should design a system like Stratocaster using a hardened spring and ball bearing..into a collet type fitting for Jaguar and Jazzmaster.
There is no way the spring tension will fail. However the Stratocaster does have an issue that the arm thread is subjected to 'over tightening ' which strips threads.
Every Tremolo system has its ups and downs...pun.

There is definitely a wait for the StayTrem stuff, although it didn’t take the entirety of 26 weeks, which is their projected wait time. You place your order, then, when it’s ready to ship, they send a PayPal invoice. Then, it crosses the ocean in no time, hangs out at JFK for a week to pass customs, then shows up in your mailbox.

I use nylon bushings, sourced from Fender, to restrict the rocking motion of the bridge. I think that is Nobel Prize level of innovation in the science of Fender Offsets, for the betterment of man. I had a bridge tip at a gig once, and it made the last few songs of the gig living hell. It was over 100 degrees F, that day, and we were dying from heat, as it was. I didn’t even try to diagnose it, but when I got home, I realized that the bridge had tipped off its balance points. Sheesh! What a hassle.

I wouldn’t say that the StayTrem bridge is of better quality than the Fender Am Pro, but it does have plastic sleeving molded around the adjustment screws to prevent them from loosening. It looks like a good system. There is no height adjustment for individual saddles, but you can choose the proper radius.

I’m optimistic regarding the tremolo collet. I would imagine that it’s possible to wear on out, but I suspect that it would take a long time. The collets that came with the AVRI tremolos seem pretty decent, and those trem’s have stayed put, but I suspect that happy state of affairs could be short lived. I have the stock AVRI on my CV Squier Jaguar, and it works pretty well, but even that’n is scheduled for replacement with a StayTrem, once it arrives.

I think StayTrem is probably as good as it gets, as a complete solution to the trem’ arm problem. I’ve done ok with Strat arms, using the spring, but that is somewhat imprecise. The Guild solution sounds promising, however.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

It's also light years smoother. It takes less pressure to push and pull, it's extremely nuanced and easy to manipulate. You can also flick it and get a fun pitter patter effect. I wonder if the Staytrem guy ever thought about making a whole vibrato unit? He seems to only specialize in stuff that no one else seems to be able to make; because the Mastery vibrato exists I bet he hasn't even thought about it.

I have totally noticed the volume drop when I pulled down, so usually I hit the last strike a little extra hard so I can still hear it bending downward!

Daniel Deathtide

Last edited: Jul 13, 2023 09:55:53

At last)

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

synchro wrote:

The new Jaguar build will have a StayTrem bridge and tremolo arm, but in view of the fact that the Jaguar is still waiting for its body to be completed and shipped, I had no playing experience with either … until last weekend.

I have a Japanese made Bass VI which is my pride and joy. A while back, I put an AVRI tailpiece on it, which was an improvement over the OEM, MIJ trem’. Then I ordered both a StayTrem bridge and trem’ arm, for the VI.

These arrived last week, and the bridge is impressive, with a look of quality. The adjustment screws for setting intonation are fine threaded, which l found that I liked. The bridge was an easy drop in.

The trem’ arm, likewise, was a cinch to install, after removing the AVRI trem and simply swapping to the nylon lined collet. Once I had it back together, the collet snapped right in and the arm is easy to move, but also stays put in whatever position you desire. I’m not certain of what alchemy was involved in setting that tension, but they came up with exactly the right amount of friction.

A quick tuning, a few minutes setting the intonation and it was ready to go. The bridge seems to have good timbre and sustain characteristics. Think of a really nice Mustang bridge, but with more intonation range to accommodate the VI.

StayTrem definitely does some nice stuff.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.