I've got my eyes on a beautiful sunburst classic player JM on sale locally.

I've never owned a JM and I'm really going for a traditional JM experience...

Is the AOM going to be a deal breaker? Like, will it change the sound that much? I've also read that the radius is not correct to the fretboard arch... why would Fender do that?

Would a roller bridge be a good option? If it's in the right radius, that is.

Are there any direct drop in replacements worth knowing about? I know the pickguard is different around the bridge for AOM models but if I get a different bridge and proper pickguard then it shouldn't matter, should it?

Last edited: Jun 20, 2024 16:18:45

That does indeed kind of sound like a deal breaker to me. I just don't see how the angled saddles of a regular AOM bridge would play well with a tremolo system and like I said, I'm really going for an old school traditional JM. I feel like I'd eventually want to change out the AOM and it sounds like more hassle than it's worth.

Synchro, you always answer every little question and I totally appreciate that! Would you mind if I picked your brain about Jazzmasters a bit? I'm trying to find one thats just right for me but there obviously isn't the amount of choices I'd have with a Strat or Tele. Plus, JMs are pretty alien to me.

But I must have one.

AgentClaret wrote:

That does indeed kind of sound like a deal breaker to me. I just don't see how the angled saddles of a regular AOM bridge would play well with a tremolo system and like I said, I'm really going for an old school traditional JM. I feel like I'd eventually want to change out the AOM and it sounds like more hassle than it's worth.

Synchro, you always answer every little question and I totally appreciate that! Would you mind if I picked your brain about Jazzmasters a bit? I'm trying to find one thats just right for me but there obviously isn't the amount of choices I'd have with a Strat or Tele. Plus, JMs are pretty alien to me.

But I must have one.

It’s funny, because originally I wanted a Jaguar with an AOM, because the last Jaguar I had, the bridge toppled during a gig, and left me with a problem. But then I learned about the nylon bushings that Fender uses to restrict the rock of the bridge, and I’m fully onboard with having the bridge rock.

Converting back from a hard mounted AOM to an OEM style bridge doesn’t sound all that appealing, to me either.

I’ve owned most of the more popular Fender models, and even an original Coronado, but I’ve never actually owned a Jazzmaster. I may be rectifying that soon, however. I have, however, played a number of Jazzmasters, and I like them. The most recent one I played was a Squier, at the Tucson GC. It was an excellent guitar.

If you are flexible about finish and don’t mind the Squier name, I’d suggest trying a Squier. I have a Squier Jaguar and a custom spec’ Jaguar I built from Warmoth parts, and TBH, the Squier plays and sounds as good as the Warmoth, even though it cost about 1/6 as much. The caveat with the Squier is that the OEM tailpiece can be wonky. You can usually fix that with a file, but before I learned that, I had already ordered a Fender AVRI tailpiece and installed that. Either way, a StayTrem arm is the way to go, and those take a while to arrive, usually 2-3 months. The AVRI uses Imperial thread and I’m pretty certain that the Squier one is metric, so you can’t interchange between them.

Offset bridges, whether Jaguar, Jazzmaster or Bass VI, have a reputation for lowering themselves, over time. The Squier bridge on my Jaguar seems not to have these tendencies. On my Warmoth Jaguar and my MIJ Bass VI I use StayTrem bridges, but there are any number of other bridges out there. StayTrem has excellent pricing, and seem to work well, so I stick with them, but haven’t needed one on the Squier.

Jazzmasters are a great design. I feel somewhat bad about never having bought one. The one I played at GC, recently, really impressed me. It has a lot of different sounds available. I was playing Surf (of course), a Don Rich instrumental from the glory days of Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, and I even played some actual Jazz on it, which it handled beautifully on the rhythm circuit.

I need to move one of my Telecasters out, in order to make room, but if I do that, I may pick up one soon.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

Yes, a roller bridge would be a good idea for that guitar. My Jazzmaster came with the stock type bridge but I got sick of all its BS and swapped in this piece:

https://www.guitarfetish.com/Wilkinson-Brass-Roller-Bridge-Locking-Studs-Chrome_p_866.html

The stud spacing for my guitar is wrong so I have mine simply wedged in there waiting for the day when I take the guitar apart and address the post holes but for your guitar in question, it'd be a drop in. The nice thing about this particluar roller bridge is that the saddles all come off and you can shim them to adjust the radius. However, the radius mismatch really isn't that big a deal when you get right down to it.

It's not going to change that sound of the Jazzmaster to any extent that anyone would be able to discern merely by listening. Don't get hung up in all that silliness.

Actually, what DOES matter is that CP doesn't have real Jazzmaster pickups. For that reason, it'll never sound authentic even if it does sound good in its own right. I'd suggest holding out for one with real Jazzmater pickups in it. Once you get one, you'll understand what all the fuss is about.

Last edited: Jun 21, 2024 21:07:22

Just to add my $0.02 - yeah, a TOM-style bridge is a dealbreaker for me on a classic type Fender. I've played some on various models, including the Classic Players, and it changed the sound and feel too much for me. And I also found the Classic Player pickups wound too hot for my tastes. I guess if you're going for a grunge sound, fine. Surf? Not for me, thanks. Vintage design all the way for me.

I had a Classic 60s lacquer Jazzmaster and Jaguar, both before they moved from Rosewood boards to Pau Ferro. Really excellent guitars, but I guess I'm a Strat/Tele guy when it comes to Fenders. I know, heresy around here. But I thought the AV '65 pickups sounded great. Only small thing was that I probably would have put in an AV trem. I guess I want the lock, and these didn't have it. But otherwise, I couldn't really distinguish them from the AVRIs, except that they said Made in Mexico.

I just flat out prefer nitrocellulose lacquer. Over a period of years, they settle in better, both cosmetically and feel-wise, to my tastes.

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AgentClaret wrote:

I would definitely replace the trem with a locking one right away! I don't get why they didn't put it on that model, wasn't it on the very first JM in 1958?

It is a great idea, and I believe that it was a feature from the earliest days of the Offset Fenders.

There was a time when I was skeptical about Offset trems, but I’ve come to greatly respect the design. Essentially, good old Leo came up with something almost as good as a Bigsby, using sheet metal.

AgentClaret wrote:

I'm definitely a Strat guy, too. With a couple modern touches, I feel it's still the pinnacle of electric guitar design. But I want to challenge myself with something new and funky.

When I was a young player, a sunburst Jaguar was my first aspirational guitar. I was warned off, because of the bridge issues, but some simple nylon bushings alleviate that problem, so I see no downside to Offsets, these days. The trem’ design, as mentioned in the post above, is exceptionally sensitive, with just enough hysteresis to be stable. In simple terms, it stays in tune, but has a light feel, and is very responsive.

There are two Strat in my past, and I’ll never denigrate that model, but I am in love with Jaguars, and if I can talk myself into it, I’ll probably add a JM, one of these days.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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