crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Jan 11 2009 07:55 AM
I have a "Q" CIJ Jazzmaster and recently swopped the trem to an American unit and upgraded the strings to 12's flat chromes.
The the floating bar which the strings are threaded had dropped into the slot so far that to thread the strings i had to depress the trem-arm to bring the floaty bar upwards. is this normal?
I adjusted the trem-loc as described at webrocker.de which made the trem-arm more erect and also giving more knuckle room but now it's quite hard to depress. Not kidding.. i'm not the kind of guy you'd kick sand in my face but i'm honestly getting a bit of muscle burn in operation! Should the trem be light in operation?
These days strings are so well made and reliable do we need the trem-loc and do you pro surf players bother with it at all?
Lastly, not a question but even with both knees on the body and pulling upwards strongly i can't get the trem-arm out! i've given up trying and just close the case on it. It always returns bang in tune when removed from the case but the bridge tends to move slightly.
For those who haven't found the trem setup page yet here it is:
http://www.webrocker.de/jaguar/cms/2007/05/12/setup-the-tremolo-system/
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Stormtiger
Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 2688
Ventura, CA
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Posted on Jan 11 2009 10:41 AM
I did the same mod to my MIJ Jaguar and used the same page to adjust it for.11 Chromes, there was no real difference in the tension or the arm height. Are you sure you have it adjusted correctly according to the instructions, so the lock slides into place with just the slightest pressure on the arm. You should not be able to raise the arm (stretch the strings) when it is locked. The trem should be light in operation as you say.
My new arm is also very difficult to remove so I leave it in rather than risk breaking the collet teeth, I like it better that way than falling out like it used to. No more need for teflon tape.
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Jan 11 2009 12:20 PM
I spent quite a while setting the spring and i've got it so the lock slides over easy without touching the arm, i think i got it about right because it makes a nice snick noise when i slide the lock. I can't stretch the strings when in locked mode (good one thanks for the tip). The tip of the arm travels down perhaps an inch before there is any real drop in tone and it suddenly because harder to push. This is different to my strat, it has .11s chromes, 4 springs and super sensitive to the touch.
I too went through the teflon tape stage too 
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Stormtiger
Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 2688
Ventura, CA
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Posted on Jan 11 2009 05:19 PM
I not sure, because I don't use heavy gauge strings, but you may be bottoming out, that is, the bottom of the trem arm may be hitting the bottom of the cavity so it would indeed be very hard to push down. You may want to remove the unit and see if there is a mark where the arm hits the body cavity, drill a hole deeper into the body. I think some others have had that problem and I may have even done that myself.
The trem lock is only there if you break a string and a throw the others out of tune, it doesn't matter how good the strings are. With heavier gauge strings breakage is not very common so some like myself have never needed it. I know Dave Wronski uses it when he tunes to a drop D or C, it keeps the other strings from going out.
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Jan 12 2009 07:00 PM
Thank you Stormtiger i'll have a look under the hood tomorrow. I was starting to think it might be the "bar-stop" marked with a yellow circle in the diagram below.. are they making them longer these days?
Next picture, my Jazzmaster's very low set bar plus the damage to my e string on the screw head. I heard Dave Wronski had problems with this too.
Next pic, a 1966 Jaguar.. see how high the strings sit.
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LHR
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 2123
The jungle
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Posted on Jan 12 2009 07:11 PM
Crumb: Increase the bridge height to keep that string from hitting the screw. If you like your action the way it is, shim the neck a little.
— SSIV
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Jan 12 2009 07:33 PM
LHR
Crumb: Increase the bridge height to keep that string from hitting the screw. If you like your action the way it is, shim the neck a little.
Hi, I noticed a thread a few weeks ago.. something about american jazzmasters or jags using a number of shims as factory setup. i'm guessing shims are pieces of card the thickness of a rizla packet? I'll give it a go thanks.
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Jan 13 2009 08:25 AM
Removed the unit this morning and nothing is touching the bottom of the cavity, i applied a bit of silver paint to the end of the spring - refitted - depressed the arm to make sure. btw, it's the spring that hangs down lowest. While fiddling with the spring something jumped back into place with a clunk noise.. behold everything is a-ok now, absolute luxury! This is the first new guitar i've ever been able to afford so i think i'm going to get a guitar tech to breath on it.. Joe White he knows a thing or two! Thanks for the help it's much appreciated.
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Stormtiger
Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 2688
Ventura, CA
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Posted on Jan 13 2009 11:19 AM
The string hitting the screw on the plate is common, that's why Wronski recommends counter-boring the holes and using flat head screws, the buzz stop that Dave uses makes it worse. That diagram has the strings much higher than in reality, the bridge would have to be extremely high. My string touches the screw with or without the buzzstop, I've been living with it for 20 years, no problem for me.
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Jan 14 2009 07:59 AM
Stormtiger
The string hitting the screw on the plate is common, that's why Wronski recommends counter-boring the holes and using flat head screws, the buzz stop that Dave uses makes it worse. That diagram has the strings much higher than in reality, the bridge would have to be extremely high. My string touches the screw with or without the buzzstop, I've been living with it for 20 years, no problem for me.
Now the bar has clicked back into position and sits a tad higher theres less string angle over the screwhead, before it was trying to break the string windings. So now the string only grazes the top of the screwhead i'm not so concerned but i can understand why Dave Wronski uses flat head screws in combination with the buzzstop. i expect those would be hex head and a devil to find.
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1433
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Feb 09 2022 11:38 AM
Sorry to bump an old thread, but I need some help with my Jazzmaster Tremolo system. On my Jaguar, the whammy bar moves up and down very nicely, giving me plenty of room/bounce when I bend those chords.
However, the bottom part of the Jazzmaster will not move at all. I can bend the arm just find, but it's too close to the body. Is there any way to correct this issue without having to take the guitar apart? If it's a big deal to fix it, I will just live with it. Thanks for your help.
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New EP Louder Than Life available on bandcamp and website. Taking guitar lessons from Jimmy Dale.
Last edited: Feb 10, 2022 14:52:24
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Gilette
Joined: May 04, 2014
Posts: 734
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Posted on Feb 09 2022 12:29 PM
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Last edited: Mar 03, 2022 02:21:46
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Ariel
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 1556
Israel
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Posted on Feb 09 2022 12:46 PM
Gilette wrote:
I don't know if you can adjust the tension of these springs, but other members can fill me in on this.
Of course, that's what the center Phillips screw is for, and probably in this case is what needs adjustment. SixStringSurfer, follow the guide linked at the top of the page.
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1433
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Feb 10 2022 02:51 PM
Thanks for the replies, I adjusted it to where I like it now! For the record, I have .12-.52 DR Blues on that guitar.
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New EP Louder Than Life available on bandcamp and website. Taking guitar lessons from Jimmy Dale.
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