Jaguar MIJ and US - What parts are interchangeable?

[Kyle]

Had a CIJ jag last year. I sold it as it was sunburst and I really fancied a white one. There were a few things I wanted to do to it, pickups etc, so I wanted to be 100% happy with it and have now managed to get myself a white one, and older MIJ in excellent condition.

Now, as i said there were a few things i wasnt happy with on the CIJ jag. Usual japanese Fender stuff really, body neck and finish were all spot on, but the electronics were disappointing. I found the pickups extrememly weak. So somewhere down the line i intend to strip all the elctronics, and pickups-wise probably go for a set of USA 62 reissues, as they will be a bit hotter than the MIJ's.

Question is on the rest of the body. What parts from a US can be put on the MIJ? I am talking about the upper and lower control plates, will they have the same screw layouts? Also I read somewhere that the US bridge is different from the MIJ, and is a sturdier piece with a better lock, is this true?

I have done this alot with Japanese Tele's, so know that rarely do things from US and Japan fit with each other.

Any help appreciated, cheers.

[iglue]

this has my interestssssss

i know as far as bridge it shouldnt be a problem. pickups you should know by now. whats wrong with the control plates? if it doesnt fit just use existing control plates but replace the electronics.

[Ankhanu]

AFAIK, pretty much only the pickguard doesn't line up perfectly... everything else should basically drop in/out.

[paul_]

I respectfully disagree with everything said so far, unless very recent CIJ Jags (like, the red and blue ones from the 00's) have changed big-time. The control plates' switches, roller knobs and potentiometer shaft holes are all different sizes between US/import, and most of the control plates are different shapes with a different screw layout which are not interchangeable. The components are largely non-interchangeable for the same reason, I know the bracket and slots for the roller knobs are totally different on US spec, and everyone knows you have to drill pickguards/plates for CTS pots on an import spec guitar.
The AV plates are made in the Corona metal shop and the asian ones are made in Asia from tooling used by those who used to copy Fender and now work for them. American ones are nickel-plated steel, Asian ones are chrome-plated zinc, a tad thicker... they interact with the pickguards differently... think about it, how could the plates be the same when the pickguards aren't, and every plate has to jigsaw puzzle it's way into the pickguard?

Only Mexican Strats and Teles have a high compatibility rate with US parts, in my experience. And those are the recent Mexican ones, the earlier ones used metric specs and import shapes like Japan.

My short version of this post: "the trem and the pickups".

[Kyle]

What would you suggest then mate?

I intended to change out the whole of the electrics on my jag eventually. The button control plate would be easy to drill out for the cts pots, but how will I go about changing the top plates switches?

I intended to change my wiring to how johnny marrs wiring, having a 4-way tele switch on the pickguard plate instead of 3 switches, and the mid-cut on the top bout. Will the control plate on the pickguard not be interchangeable aswell then?

[MattK]

I've done a few mixes and matches on my 93 MIJ as I've swapped parts in and out with other projects.

At the moment it has an AVRI bridge pickup, AVRI saddles, and rhythm controls plus switchplate from a Classic Player. Although these are MIM and not MIA, they are the same dimensions (and the same parts?) as the AVRIs. They fit with some minor persuasion. The pickup was quite a tight fit and I used the MIJ cover, which has slightly different polepiece spacing (like maybe 2mm across the entire six poles).

The larger CP control plate (with the output jack on it) will NOT fit against the edge of the MIJ pickguard no matter how I position it, so this still has its original jack plate. The CP plates are nicer quality than the MIJ - thicker and with better chrome.

[Kyle]

When you say the switch plate that fits, do you mean the upper switch plate with the rollers, or the one on the pickguard with the 3 switches?

[MattK]

Both of them fit on mine, using the same screw holes. There is maybe an 0.3mm gap between the edge of the pickguard and the top plate, and the edge of the plate is about 1mm misaligned with the top edge of the pickguard. Both these things are visible in the photo. Even the stock MIJ plates don't align perfectly with the edges either, anyway. The switch plate was a tight fit but no cutting was required.

[MattK]

Oh yes, and it has the CP electronics - switches and roller pots that were on the plates, and the vol/tone/jack from the CP installed on the MIJ jackplate. The latter needed minor enlargement of the holes using a round file. The MIJ electronics will go on my "Mustang VI" whenever I get around to resurrecting the project.

[Kyle]

Thats good, as im going to get a custom switch plate made for a 4 way tele switch, so at least I wont have to make new dimensions for the maker.

I didnt realise it was going to be so much work, but I suppose thats why we get ourselves in modifying, so looking forward to it. Thanks for letting me know, I may aswell look out for classic player electronics.

[MattK]

American ones are nickel-plated steel, Asian ones are chrome-plated zinc, a tad thicker.

My turn to respectfully disagree, the MIJ plates are thinner than the American ones, and are most definitely not zinc, but steel. Zinc would never be used for that kind of application anyway, it's too soft and too expensive. Both the MIJs and the American ones are chrome plated - nickel has a warmer tone to its colour and is nowhere near as hard and scratch-resistant as chrome.
I'm prepared to eat my words if you can point me to a source that says otherwise, but having worked with both kinds, and filed and drilled MIJ plates, I trust my direct experience.

[iglue]

mij ones are stainless steel and mia ones are chrome.

[MattK]

Again, not correct. Both American and MIJ plates are chrome plated (non stainless) steel, although the American ones have thicker plating. If you scratch through the chrome, the underlying steel rusts. Also chrome and stainless steel have different surface properties which are obvious if you're used to their appearance.