ShortScale.org

So, i got my first jag a while ago and really love everything about it except the bridge.
As we all know the strings tend to pop off, but the biggest problem i have is, that i cant adjust the spaces between the strings correctly.
I read that if you setup the bridge correctly, its great, but however, i'm obviously not capable of doing so. Thats why i decided to change the bridge.
What kind of bridge should i get? I haven't found a place yet that sells Mustag bridges here in germany, so i was close to getting a tune-o-matic. But first i want to ask you what you think about it.

Thanks
and sry for my bad english, but i'm kind of in a rush.

Rawaraps

I currently have a Mustang bridge on my hardtail jag and had it on my '64 for a while. Strings can still pop off if you play hard/have lighter strings. I'd say get a cheap mustang bridge off of ebay or something. Mastery Bridges are cool but jesus thats a lot of money

Mustang bridge is best bought via ebay USA (dotcom) from USA. It will cost 25-28 €, including shipping, for a Standard Fender Mustang bridge. see here: http://shop.ebay.de/?_from=R40&_trksid= ... Categories I think they sell in Germany for nearly 40 € + shipping.

Other options:

TOM rollerbridge (Schaller or so). Will be made for 9.5 radius which can annoy on a vintage style Fender neck. But it increases sustain.
warmoth modified Mustang bridge. Order from USA too. Same as 1st, but with additional height adjustment screws.
Mastery bridge: damn expensive. they say it's good but can't be as good as it is expensive
Buzz Stop. Increases string tension. may help your current bridge working better.

If you absolutely don't want to buy overseas, the only shop I know that sells these bridges in Germany in Deimel Guitar Works here in Berlin. You can find them through google.

What Jag do you got? Which strings do you use? 24' guitars tend to work best with 11' s or above. Thinner strings are always a pain on short scales.

Don't get a Tune-O-Matic unless you really want the wrong radius on your bridge and for your whammy to not work properly.

You should be able to buy Mustang bridge/saddles for not all that much.

kypdurron wrote:Mustang bridge is best bought via ebay USA (dotcom) from USA. It will cost 25-28 €, including shipping, for a Standard Fender Mustang bridge. see here: http://shop.ebay.de/?_from=R40&_trksid= ... Categories I think they sell in Germany for nearly 40 € + shipping.

Don't you guys get taxed on imports from out side the EU? In the UK we'd have to pay both import duty and Value Added Tax. If so he'd be better off ordering from within.. such as from HERE or any EU eBay or shop.

i'd actually check out our wiki on jag setup before you go spending money. if you get the right instructions, that might be enough for you to achieve the optimum solution which is fixing it yourself and learning a lot in the process. you can always come here to ask questions should you get stuck or have something continue to bother you.

if, however, you just can't get it to work, try taking it to a guitar shop for a professional setup. that will be cheaper than replacing parts, and they might be able to catch other problems that could arise later.

short of that, yeah, try mustang saddles in your jag bridge. i had a tom in an '63 avri, and it sucked. biggest mistake i've ever made in guitar setup. the radius is wrong, and it's just plain weird. . . doesn't feel/look right.

Once I played around with it and learned how the Jag bridge works, I get along just fine with it. It's a good design. The only issue I have with it now is tha occasionally one of the height adjust screws might come loose and rattle... but that's an issue I've experienced with several bridge designs with height adjustable saddles. Comes with the territory.

Stuart wrote:Don't you guys get taxed on imports from out side the EU? In the UK we'd have to pay both import duty and Value Added Tax. If so he'd be better off ordering from within.. such as from HERE or any EU eBay or shop.

Postal import from oputside the EU is free if the parcel value is below 26 € or so. So if the retailer states the value at around 25-30 $, there is no tax to pay. In case of a single Mustang Bridge that isn't even cheating. But even if you throw in some pickups and other hardware that add to a value of maybe 60 $, paying 5 € tax is often much cheaper than buying the stuff inside EU. I can order a new Fender Tele Pickup, play it for a year and then still make money with it in a local sale at the current €/$ rate.

It's also worth checking out Fran's videos on the subject of setting the stock bridge up.

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honeyiscool wrote:Don't get a Tune-O-Matic unless you really want the wrong radius on your bridge and for your whammy to not work properly.

Works fine on my CP Jag! Maybe strings might break easier but so far i've only broken one behind the actual trem string retainer with heavy trem use.

Maybe if there was such a thing as a radius correct roller bridge this would make the most sense. Some 60's Yamahas like the SG-2 had a roller bridge...maybe they were vintage radius and could be dropped in. Will ask WorkOfFire as he's building one.

That being said I'm not at all convinced the Classic Player Adjust-o-matic is actually 9.5 radius. I held it up against a Tonepros 12R TOM and sighting along the slots they all lined up to my eye. Still the discrepency between 9.5 and 12 is a lot less than 7.25 and 12.

TOM saddles are easy to file down with a needle file. Just do it incrementally and bit by bit test with the string regularly. Also make sure you have set the nut and the truss for your preferred action BEFORE filing the saddles. Then set the bridge height so that the two uppermost middle strings play at the required action and then file down the saddles either side.

yup, the classic player models have a flatter radius. I had a roller bridge TOM on my japanese JM, and it sounded much better and also stayed better in tune. But string height was a problem due to the radius mismatch. If there was a 7.25 TOM roller bridge I would so use it, it would be a really convenient solution.

Thanks for the help, guys. Great Forum.
I noticed that i haven't tried heavier strings yet. Mostly because i still got like 25 sets of my .009 left, from my pre-jag years
And i will then try again to set up the bridge correctly. If it still doesn't help i will get a mustang bridge.

Thanks

I hear that the best way to get a Jag bridge to work right is to use .013 flatwound strings with a wound G. O_o

Really, my Mustang can take .009 but feels much, much more stable with .010. The Jag with the Mustang bridge seems to be fine with .009s though. I have a buzz stop but never used it.

Anyway, I like 0.010s all around. They sound good, they feel good.

honeyiscool wrote:I hear that the best way to get a Jag bridge to work right is to use .013 flatwound strings with a wound G. O_o

Really, my Mustang can take .009 but feels much, much more stable with .010. The Jag with the Mustang bridge seems to be fine with .009s though. I have a buzz stop but never used it.

Anyway, I like 0.010s all around. They sound good, they feel good.

Have you tried 0'11s on your Mustang? i have 0'11s on mine, and it plays great!

I used to use .011s all around but I moved down to .010 and certainly prefer it.

mastery bridge. its the only thing that will work for jaggy so prettay

I put a mustang bridge on my MIJ Jaguar, it didn't have a bridge when I got it, so I can't compare it to the Jag bridge (my other jag has a TOM). I CAN say that it doesnt go out of tune too bad when i use the trem and I love that height adjustment is done TOM style, by just raising the hex screws on the sides.