Jazzmaster Rythm Circuit for Player Jazzmaster which has been "pre-routed"

[keshin]

Hey everyone,

I bought this guitar (when it was on sale for 650) and it is my first guitar. Once this quarantine is over, I would like to take it to a guitar tech and have the rythm circuit wired in.

Just curious as to what you all think it might cost and what to request.

Any other thoughts or comments on the guitar are welcome too

Been playing for 6 months now, before this using my best friend's guitars... until i was playing for 8 hours a day during quarantine and felt bad for hogging his guitars

https://reverb.com/item/24012435-fender ... -exclusive

[Embenny]

Whoah, I had not seen those CME exclusive models. Ice blue metallic, proper JM pickups, and a 4 way switch? That's a fantastic setup, right there.

[Steadyriot.]

Looks great Keshin! It looks like they just used the Vintera body for this FSR. In that case a tech could easily wire it in. There's no way of telling what a tech local to you charges so I'd call and shop around to know for sure but I'd venture a guess that with parts (pickguard, bracket, pots and wire) and time (assembly and soldering, possibly setup) you'd be looking at a $100+ job.

Vintera:

[timtam]

I think these are really cool guitars ... they're how the Am Pro JM should have been wired. That got short changed compared to the Am Pro jag, which got more mods - lost the rhythm circuit, got the 4way, and a phase switch. The Am Pro JM lost the rhythm circuit and got nothing new. Previous discussion ...
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 6&t=112535

While CME imply that this guitar is an easy mod platform, there are some barriers that an amateur or tech would have to tackle ...
- there is no pickguard that has the 4way plus the rhythm circuit cuts. It might be easier to get a vintage-style guard (assuming the screw/bridge holes align) and cut for a Marr/AmPro jag 4way plate (or Wronski plate). EDIT: The 3way toggle on the vintage guard is not where the 4way plate would go ... so that's not a good option.
- there is no published circuit for this guitar, so that would have to be worked out first, then figure out how to add the rhythm circuit (not that difficult, just means time and money ... and custom-JM-wiring-savvy techs are not thick on the ground). As stock it should be basically the published Am Pro jag circuit, without the phase switch.
- there is no 3rd party harness you can buy already wired that way. You could swap the pickguard and harness out for vintage style, but you would lose the series option on the 4way, one of this guitar's major selling points.

In any case, have you played JMs with the rhythm circuit ? And decided that you need it in your life ?

If not, you could consider adding the Am Pro jag's phase switch as a slide or mini toggle switch. That would turn it into a full brother to the Am Pro jag. Another option might be to swap the 4way for the 5way superswitch (if it fits) and add the phase option there - making it like the 5Tone Tele (someone really needs to do a JM like that at some point).

You could swap for the AVRI or Am Pro trem. If I had this IBM JM that's possibly the only change I would make.

[keshin]

I think these are really cool guitars ... they're how the Am Pro JM should have been wired. That got short changed compared to the Am Pro jag, which got more mods - lost the rhythm circuit, got the 4way, and a phase switch. The Am Pro JM lost the rhythm circuit and got nothing new. Previous discussion ...
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 6&t=112535

While CME imply that this guitar is an easy mod platform, there are some barriers that an amateur or tech would have to tackle ...
- there is no pickguard that has the 4way plus the rhythm circuit cuts. It might be easier to get a vintage-style guard (assuming the screw/bridge holes align) and cut for a Marr/AmPro jag 4way plate (or Wronski plate).
- there is no published circuit for this guitar, so that would have to be worked out first, then figure out how to add the rhythm circuit (not that difficult, just means time and money ... and custom-JM-wiring-savvy techs are not thick on the ground). As stock it should be basically the published Am Pro jag circuit, without the phase switch.
- there is no 3rd party harness you can buy already wired that way. You could swap the pickguard and harness out for vintage style, but you would lose the series option on the 4way, one of this guitar's major selling points.

In any case, have you played JMs with the rhythm circuit ? And decided that you need it in your life ?

If not, you could consider adding the Am Pro jag's phase switch as a slide or mini toggle switch. That would turn it into a full brother to the Am Pro jag. Another option might be to swap the 4way for the 5way superswitch (if it fits) and add the phase option there - making it like the 5Tone Tele (someone really needs to do a JM like that at some point).

You could swap for the AVRI or Am Pro trem. If I had this IBM JM that's possibly the only change I would make.

Hey thanks for linking the other thread, and thanks to everyone for their thoughts.

I haven't played any JMs with a rythm circuit, definitely not something I need urgently at the moment.

What's the reason you suggest switching the tremelo? Do you mean just switching out the trem arm or something else?

[sciuri]

I'd love to hear if others are planning to mod the CME player JM. I was thinking of using a vintage pickguard with rhythm circuit, then add a push-pull (or S1) volume pot for series/parallel, a push-pull tone pot for phase, and a treble bleed.

Is the combination of all of that even possible?
Would any of those mods or combinations negatively affect the tone?

I know nothing about wiring so hopefully could find a luthier who could, so this is all fantasy right now... It'd be almost like the American Ultra but retaining the rhythm circuit, which I actually really enjoy. Thanks!

[timtam]

I'd love to hear if others are planning to mod the CME player JM. I was thinking of using a vintage pickguard with rhythm circuit, then add a push-pull (or S1) volume pot for series/parallel, a push-pull tone pot for phase, and a treble bleed.

Is the combination of all of that even possible?
Would any of those mods or combinations negatively affect the tone?

I know nothing about wiring so hopefully could find a luthier who could, so this is all fantasy right now... It'd be almost like the American Ultra but retaining the rhythm circuit, which I actually really enjoy. Thanks!

Here is Shadoweclipse13's circuit for those mods:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=112418
It shows regular push-pull style switch layout, which IMO is much easier to work with than the CTS style push-pulls. But as always with push-pull pots, you need to be sure that everything can fit in the available cavity space.

As far as getting them done is concerned, those mods are relatively straightforward, but more common in other guitars than jazzmasters. So you might find a tech used to working with jazzmasters who understands the vintage circuit and has added push-pulls to other guitars for series and phase. Wiring harnesses are easily shipped so that could be anywhere in the world. But one uncertainty is that we don't know which vintage-style pickguard will fit this CME guitar exactly, as MIA/MIM/MIJ guards vary a little (you might want to ask CME).

[sciuri]

Thanks! Those schematics look amazing, and thank you for the tips!

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Sage Green was already a quite cool color - so was the Jaguar's Tidepool. But this is easily the best looking of those player models.
The hint with the Vintera-body seems logical. Contrast-wise I'd also go with a Pickguard like that instead of Tortoise on a IBM Vintera.

Play one with a rhythm-circuit to check if you really need one on this one. If you do - you might lose the cool 4-way switch for a regular toggle - or you have to ask someone like pickguardian or WD.
Warmoth also has this option for a 5 way blade switch! But I don't know how exact their fitting would be... does anyone already has experience with that?
https://www.warmoth.com/Pickguard/Jazzm ... guard.aspx this way you might already get lucky for 40 bucks plus shipping (and the parts and wiring-job of course).

What's the reason you suggest switching the tremelo? Do you mean just switching out the trem arm or something else?

These would just be upgrades if you turn out to be a hardcore vibrato user! Better metal parts, one to put in, the other to screw in. Very good action and tuning stability. A staytrem collet+arm would also already be an upgrade (but you'd need a friend in the UK to order for you - or a ton of luck to find one to a suitable price)

Anyhow: congrats! have fun with that guitar - with or without the mods you thought about!