its my first post here, and im also very new to jaguar guitars. about a day to be exact . but i hear if you want to find people who know their stuff about these guitars this is the place.
i purchased a MIJ jaguar (94-95) off of craigslist yesterday and im looking to do some modifications to it. i have been roaming around other forums looking to see if theres anything i can do to this guitar to put it in tip top working order. as of now the wiring and pots are shot so i need to replace all of that. but as for pickups do any of you have any suggestions or experience with this or have found any PUPs that you just fell in love with on a jaguar?
also i keep hearing from many people to change out the bridge to a mustang bridge? and then from a few other that this is a really bad idea? . .pretty confusing
id appreciate any suggestions.
ps.. i play a lot of indie type rock if it helps at all.
its my first post here, and im also very new to jaguar guitars. about a day to be exact . but i hear if you want to find people who know their stuff about these guitars this is the place.
i purchased a MIJ jaguar (94-95) off of craigslist yesterday and im looking to do some modifications to it. i have been roaming around other forums looking to see if theres anything i can do to this guitar to put it in tip top working order. as of now the wiring and pots are shot so i need to replace all of that. but as for pickups do any of you have any suggestions or experience with this or have found any PUPs that you just fell in love with on a jaguar?
also i keep hearing from many people to change out the bridge to a mustang bridge? and then from a few other that this is a really bad idea? . .pretty confusing
id appreciate any suggestions.
ps.. i play a lot of indie type rock if it helps at all.
thanks dudes!
-mike
You have come to the right place.
The Mustang bridge is a popular and easy mod that I highly recommend. My Jaguar came with it. I would recommend Fender American Vintage Reissue (AVRI) Jaguar pups. Very affordable and sound great. Lots of people swap out the pups on MIJ Jaguars due to squealing sounds.
Olympic White, eh? Then it should be modded to my ownership
A pickup upgrade to AVRI pickups ('62 American Vintage Reissue, that is... took me a while to figure out what AVRI meant initially) is a nice mod; they're fairly cheap, like Taylornutt said, and a solid pickup; a bit girthier than the Japanese pickups. (I plan to do this on my Japanese Jag when I have the cash to spend)
Regarding the bridge, a Mustang bridge is a good option, but the stock bridge is perfectly serviceable... it just takes a little playing with to figure out how to set it up properly. The only thing the Mustang bridge changes is the amount of adjustment you can make (and thereby fewer things to go wrong), and a deeper string channel than a Jag/Jazzmaster bridge. If you play hard, this might be worthwhile, as the strings can pop out of the grooves on the stock Jag bridge if you're aggressive.... that said, I don't smash my strings, and I have no problems whatsoever with strings staying where they should be.
Darrenriley.com carries a lot of the components for setting up your Jag's electronics; pots, switches, AVRI pickups, etc. at a decent price and good service to boot.
ekwatts wrote:That's American cinema, that is. Fucking sparkles.
i havnt taken any photos of it myself yet. but this is the craigslist post i got it from. i got for 450 too not 600...i thought it was a pretty good deal.
Ankhanu wrote:Olympic White, eh? Then it should be modded to my ownership
A pickup upgrade to AVRI pickups ('62 American Vintage Reissue, that is... took me a while to figure out what AVRI meant initially) is a nice mod; they're fairly cheap, like Taylornutt said, and a solid pickup; a bit girthier than the Japanese pickups. (I plan to do this on my Japanese Jag when I have the cash to spend)
Regarding the bridge, a Mustang bridge is a good option, but the stock bridge is perfectly serviceable... it just takes a little playing with to figure out how to set it up properly. The only thing the Mustang bridge changes is the amount of adjustment you can make (and thereby fewer things to go wrong), and a deeper string channel than a Jag/Jazzmaster bridge. If you play hard, this might be worthwhile, as the strings can pop out of the grooves on the stock Jag bridge if you're aggressive.... that said, I don't smash my strings, and I have no problems whatsoever with strings staying where they should be.
Darrenriley.com carries a lot of the components for setting up your Jag's electronics; pots, switches, AVRI pickups, etc. at a decent price and good service to boot.
I think a Mustang bridge is a welcome modification. My MIJ Jaguar played fine with 9s, which people often claim is impossible with 24" scale, but is definitely possible with a Mustang bridge.
I think modding the rhythm circuit with 1meg roller pots is useful since it can make the rhythm circuit useful.
And I think pickup swap is kind of a good thing. People suggest AVRI or other Jaguar type pickups but don't be limited to those. Curtis Novak makes Jazzmaster pickups that fit in the Jaguar cavity, which is kind of rad. Also, lots of Strat pickups without the triangular flange will fit, so like Lace Sensors and Seymour Duncan Stacks, etc.
You got a great price for your guitar. I bet you could list on Ebay and easily get $750-800 for it.
I think a Mustang bridge is a welcome modification. My MIJ Jaguar played fine with 9s, which people often claim is impossible with 24" scale, but is definitely possible with a Mustang bridge.
I think modding the rhythm circuit with 1meg roller pots is useful since it can make the rhythm circuit useful.
And I think pickup swap is kind of a good thing. People suggest AVRI or other Jaguar type pickups but don't be limited to those. Curtis Novak makes Jazzmaster pickups that fit in the Jaguar cavity, which is kind of rad. Also, lots of Strat pickups without the triangular flange will fit, so like Lace Sensors and Seymour Duncan Stacks, etc.
You got a great price for your guitar. I bet you could list on Ebay and easily get $750-800 for it.
ive heard a lot of really good things about this curtis novak so i e-mailed him earlier today.
honeyiscool wrote:
I think modding the rhythm circuit with 1meg roller pots is useful since it can make the rhythm circuit useful.
Doesn't that kinda negate the purpose of the rhythm circuit, rather than make it more useful? Switch from a 1Meg circuit to a... 1Meg circuit!! Wow
The darkness of the rhythm circuit compared to the lead is part of what makes it useful. Ironically, I tend to use the lead circuit for rhythm work and the rhythm circuit for lead work The Rhythm circuit with the 50k pots is perfectly serviceable.
ekwatts wrote:That's American cinema, that is. Fucking sparkles.
honeyiscool wrote:
I think modding the rhythm circuit with 1meg roller pots is useful since it can make the rhythm circuit useful.
Doesn't that kinda negate the purpose of the rhythm circuit, rather than make it more useful? Switch from a 1Meg circuit to a... 1Meg circuit!! Wow
The darkness of the rhythm circuit compared to the lead is part of what makes it useful. Ironically, I tend to use the lead circuit for rhythm work and the rhythm circuit for lead work The Rhythm circuit with the 50k pots is perfectly serviceable.
Some people like the 1Meg in the Rhythm...like having another preset that is similiar to the rhythm circuit. If I ever modded my rhythm circuit in my AVRI Jag, I might put in 250K pots. I will probably leave the AVRI Jaguar stock and maybe mod a MIJ Jag HH or CP Jaguar down the road.
A rhythm circuit mod I've never quite understood is replacing it with a kill switch... it just seems unnecessary. Why mod it when you can just crank down the volume and it functions as a kill?? Seems redundant and limiting.
ekwatts wrote:That's American cinema, that is. Fucking sparkles.
portugalwillie wrote:kill switch is so you can do this with your jag
► Show Spoiler
[youtube][/youtube]
But you can do that with turning down the volume on the rhythm circuit without any modification whatsoever... just like you can do it by turning down one of the pickups on a Gibson style 2vol 2tone + 3-way switch set up. Effective kill without any modification.
Last edited by Ankhanu on Wed May 25, 2011 4:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
ekwatts wrote:That's American cinema, that is. Fucking sparkles.
wow... $450 for a mid-90s white jag is QUITE a deal!!!
mustang bridge is pretty much a must.
later change the vibrato for an american-made one - those don't squeak and all that.
if you won't be using the vibrato you might as well get a buzzstop, dunno (never used one).
.11 stings, at least, or more.
later on replace the japanese pickups for something more vintage-accurate sounding, like novak or so.
if so, change out the japanese electronics too. decent pots make a world of difference.
yes this might sound like an awful lot... but then you won't need to lust after an US-made one, ever.
wow... $450 for a mid-90s white jag is QUITE a deal!!!
mustang bridge is pretty much a must.
later change the vibrato for an american-made one - those don't squeak and all that.
if you won't be using the vibrato you might as well get a buzzstop, dunno (never used one).
.11 stings, at least, or more.
later on replace the japanese pickups for something more vintage-accurate sounding, like novak or so.
if so, change out the japanese electronics too. decent pots make a world of difference.
yes this might sound like an awful lot... but then you won't need to lust after an US-made one, ever.
Pat.
ive been e-mailing curtis and he pretty much has me sold on the "jag-V" pickups. and as of now the wiring and pots are shot so that's the first on my list for servicing. ive heard a few things about the buzzstop's. a lot of mixed opinions to be honest. im reading that some people dont even think it makes a difference.
i really dont even care about the stuff i have to put into it. im just really excited to even own this thing.
I swear by the Mastery bridges... sure they cost a lot but really make a huge difference, especially if you make it fit super snugly by wedging slivers of matches or tooth picks between the thimbles and the bridge posts. To (freely) quote the dealer in Pulp Fiction: "This costs more, but when you shoot up you'll know where that extra money went..."
If you are getting a Mustang bridge, make sure you get one that doesn't have gaps between the saddles, those are rattlers (=bad) IMHO.
I know there are a lot of people that hate the Buzzstop but I think it is a valid piece of equipment. Using one of these you can keep the original bridge.
Another useful mod is to shim the neck which will force you to raise the bridge which will increase string pressure from the strings onto the bridge saddles, increasing sustain and stability and also (sometimes not always) negating the need for replacing the bridge.
Personally I go for the Mastery and possibly some shimming up ahead in the future...
Fuck the Mastery Bridge. Spend over $150 or so when you could just replace the bridge completely with something much more functional by simply widening the holes and spending about £20 or so for the bridge itself? I know which one I'd go for (and did, actually).
hwestman wrote:I know there are a lot of people that hate the Buzzstop but I think it is a valid piece of equipment. Using one of these you can keep the original bridge.
Or do a proper setup job and keep the original bridge without spending any extra money at all
Seriously, the standard bridge is a fine piece of equipment; it is finicky until you figure out how they work, but with about 30 minutes of experimenting (the first time), it can be quickly set up to work perfectly every other time you might need to make an adjustment.
ekwatts wrote:That's American cinema, that is. Fucking sparkles.
. but i hear if you want to find people who know their stuff about these guitars this is the place.
