Are you using/not using a shim w/ your Staytrem?

[BobL]

I have a .5 degree StewMac shim in both of my AV Jazzmasters, and Staytrem bridges on both as well.

This results in the bridge being pretty damn high, which I think is causing me two issues:

1. I can't get the pickup as close to the strings as I think would be optimal, and trying to get close introduces annoying rattles as the bridge pickup cover gets loose, and;
2. I think I get extra buzz from the bridge because of the extra leverage working to always pull the posts back to the edge of the thimbles.

So... I'm curious how much luck people have had with a Staytrem and no shim. About to take one of these apart to put on a new spitfire guard later today, and I'm considering pulling the shim at the same time. I'm not particularly heavy handed these days.

I suppose the other option is going to a .25 degree shim. I guess that only drops my bridge about 3/64"... maybe that's 'enough', hrm...

[Telliot]

I’ve never found my choice of bridge to have any effect on the break angle. It sounds like your shim might have too severe of an angle, and the .25 might be the better option.

[BobL]

Yeah, I am not expecting the bridge to affect break angle, just wondering if people run into issues w/o a shim w/ this bridge, or if strings tend to stay in the slots and you don't end up with a tone suck...

[adamrobertt]

I had a shim in my last Staytrem equipped JM with no issues.

[Telliot]

I had a shim in my last Staytrem equipped JM with no issues.

I have a shim in my Staytrem-equipped JM right now with no issues.

[AtomicPumpkin]

Just the traditional bridge in my classic 60s Jazzmaster. I, too, have the Stewmac 0.5 shim and I have the same problem of not being able to get the pickups close enough to the strings. I also think that it’s affected the tone of the guitar some because of the increased pressure due to the higher break angle. I definitely need a shim, but I’m going to try the 0.25 shim. I’m guessing I’ll have good results with that.

I had a VMJM a long time ago that had no shim and a Staytrem and it seemed to work okay. No string slippage, but the thing that drove me crazy was the fact that the entire bridge would slide towards the bridge pickup and wouldn’t stay centered. The stock bridge didn’t seem to have that problem.

[BobL]

I pulled it briefly and retightened the strings before taking it apart to replace the pickguard... it actually seemed fine, and pickups were definitely in a better sounding place. Guess I'll leave it shimless for a while and see how it goes.

[BobL]

I'd been liking it shimless in practice... but at the gig last night, I popped both the high E and B strings out of the saddles... guess I'll put a .25 in there.

[gusgorman]

I'd been liking it shimless in practice... but at the gig last night, I popped both the high E and B strings out of the saddles... guess I'll put a .25 in there.

What gauge strings are you using?

[BobL]

10s... for the first time in 20+ years. I've been doing a lot of pedal steel licks in my country band, and I just can't pull some of them off with 11s. That would definitely help, but... yeah, bends.

[Embenny]

Half of my Staytrem-equipped guitars have shims and the other half don't. Each respective guitar already did or didn't have a shim with its previous bridge (and those were all manner of bridges...some originals, some Mustang bridges, one had a Mastery). That is to say, all my guitars either needed a shim to get the setup I liked or didn't, irrespective of bridge type.

[Telliot]

That is to say, all my guitars either needed a shim to get the setup I liked or didn't, irrespective of bridge type.

This was my point, above.

[Embenny]

That is to say, all my guitars either needed a shim to get the setup I liked or didn't, irrespective of bridge type.

This was my point, above.

Fair enough. I just meant to reassure the OP that I have switched all manner of bridges to Staytrems specifically without changing the need for a shim.

[Telliot]

That is to say, all my guitars either needed a shim to get the setup I liked or didn't, irrespective of bridge type.

This was my point, above.

Fair enough. I just meant to reassure the OP that I have switched all manner of bridges to Staytrems specifically without changing the need for a shim.

No, no, please don’t misunderstand!

I wasn’t saying anything negative, only agreeing with you and pointing out my parallel experience.

[Embenny]

I wasn’t saying anything negative, only agreeing with you and pointing out my parallel experience.

No worries, gotcha.