tremolo problems

[ohm-men]

I had the same problem, so I got the nut fixed, used graphite and all, worked on the trem, only to find out that the bridge "rocked" to much. So I taped some "Duct" tape arround the bridge posts, not too much, so it still can rock a bit back and forth. It works great now.

As far as AV RI trem's go, they are nice, but they are costly, especially if you reside over the Big pond (being in Europe)
So, what can be done to a stock MIJ/CIJ tailpiece, simple...replace the trezm arm and trem nut with AV RI parts (available from angela.com) and swap 'em with the stock parts, this is BIG improvement. (don't forget to use some locktide on the trem nut's thread as it does fit in the stock MIJ/VIJ baseplate, but it has imperial thread rather then metric thread)

I did this on one of my MIJ/CIJ Jazzmasters and it really improved it a lot. (and it's not as costly as getting a whole AV RI trem assembly)

And, geting a used Jazzmaster over here for a fair price is very difficult. I tried a few times, but hey....they go cheaper new in the US. And paying over 1800 Euro for a new AVRI JM here is pure madness. Try to get one from the US, if you know someone who's willing to ship it too you.
A friend of mine did and he got a brand new AV RI Jag for 1200 Euro (including shipping)....and that's one FINE jaguar....

So far I stick with MIJ/CIJ's..... I paid 170 Euro for one and 500 for another. But nowadays everyone thinks his guitar is worth a fortune....
Last I saw was a guy asking 2500 Euro for a worn '63 Jaguar  .....They guitar didn't even play well or sounded good....One guy even considered getting this Jag....(but now we are drifting fromthe origial post

[Sauerkraut]

I had the same problem, so I got the nut fixed, used graphite and all, worked on the trem, only to find out that the bridge "rocked" to much. So I taped some "Duct" tape arround the bridge posts, not too much, so it still can rock a bit back and forth. It works great now.

As far as AV RI trem's go, they are nice, but they are costly, especially if you reside over the Big pond (being in Europe)
So, what can be done to a stock MIJ/CIJ tailpiece, simple...replace the trezm arm and trem nut with AV RI parts (available from angela.com) and swap 'em with the stock parts, this is BIG improvement. (don't forget to use some locktide on the trem nut's thread as it does fit in the stock MIJ/VIJ baseplate, but it has imperial thread rather then metric thread)

I did this on one of my MIJ/CIJ Jazzmasters and it really improved it a lot. (and it's not as costly as getting a whole AV RI trem assembly)

And, geting a used Jazzmaster over here for a fair price is very difficult. I tried a few times, but hey....they go cheaper new in the US. And paying over 1800 Euro for a new AVRI JM here is pure madness. Try to get one from the US, if you know someone who's willing to ship it too you.
A friend of mine did and he got a brand new AV RI Jag for 1200 Euro (including shipping)....and that's one FINE jaguar....

So far I stick with MIJ/CIJ's..... I paid 170 Euro for one and 500 for another. But nowadays everyone thinks his guitar is worth a fortune....
Last I saw was a guy asking 2500 Euro for a worn '63 Jaguar  .....They guitar didn't even play well or sounded good....One guy even considered getting this Jag....(but now we are drifting fromthe origial post

thanks for your advice. After working on the nut and tightening the spring it's still not quite as stable as I hoped it would be. So I was thinking the only thing left to do was to replace the whole tailpiece, but now I'll just order a new trem arm and nut (you do mean the nut on the neck with trem nut right?) from angela.com, saves a lot of money.

[Sauerkraut]

I just went berserk on 'the Diamond Sea' and much to my surprise all strings but one were perfectly in tune afterwards!



The 4th string was slightly out of tune but not much.

thanks you all for your advice, it seems I only had to adjust the nut and spring, maybe I got lucky and got a pretty decent CIJ tailpiece.

[fullerplast]

Glad the forum is working out for you!

Aint it grand?

[Sauerkraut]

Glad the forum is working out for you!

Aint it grand?

going off-topic: it's a shame you had to sell the JM in your avatar, it was gorgeous. And that's a great picture too, I  like the way the sky reflects in the tailpiece.

[fullerplast]

Thanks!

Yeah, that would have been a good one to keep. I bought it really cheap, like $1150 or something. It was filthy and the setup was horrible. Plus some minor stuff like strap buttons and some hardware had been changed, wrong knobs, etc. I happened to have everything it needed, and spent an evening dismantling, cleaning, polishing, filing the guard, and reassembling with correct hardware... and setting it up. I was amazed how nice it was for the price I paid! The seller listed it as if it was a real junker. And the finish was not only original, but was at that stage where you could tell the thing had been played and played... lots, but it wasn't trashed. All honest to goodness wear. The sure sign of a great player, a "road warrior".   :)

My avatar was one of the pics  from my ebay auction, my attempt at being "artsy".  There's some more pics around here in another thread...

[Sauerkraut]

Thanks!

Yeah, that would have been a good one to keep. I bought it really cheap, like $1150 or something. It was filthy and the setup was horrible. Plus some minor stuff like strap buttons and some hardware had been changed, wrong knobs, etc. I happened to have everything it needed, and spent an evening dismantling, cleaning, polishing, filing the guard, and reassembling with correct hardware... and setting it up. I was amazed how nice it was for the price I paid! The seller listed it as if it was a real junker. And the finish was not only original, but was at that stage where you could tell the thing had been played and played... lots, but it wasn't trashed. All honest to goodness wear. The sure sign of a great player, a "road warrior". 

My avatar was one of the pics  from my ebay auction, my attempt at being "artsy".  There's some more pics around here in another thread...

how much did you get for it?

here's my only attempt at making an artsy picture of my gear: http://public.fotki.com/sauerkraut/gear ... .html 

you did a much better job

[Johno]

Found this article re seting up your temolo peroperly, may be of use.


Tremolo

Your guitar may have one of two different types of bridges. There is the vintage style "synchronized" tremolo, found on the Cyclone™ and Toronado™ guitars. And, there is the Jaguar® /Jazzmaster® tremolo bridge.

Let's start with the vintage style tremolo bridge. First, remove the tremolo back cover. Check your tuning. Here's a great tip to enhance the performance of this bridge: Using your tremolo arm, pull the bridge back flush with the body. Loosen all six screws located at the front edge of the bridge plate. Raise them so that all of the screws measure approximately 1/16" (1.6 mm) above the top of the bridge plate. Finally, tighten the two outside screws back down until they are flush with the top of the bridge plate. The bridge will now pivot on the outside screws, leaving the four inside screws in place for bridge stability.

Allowing the bridge to float freely (no tension on the tremolo arm) using the claw screws in the tremolo cavity, adjust the bridge to your desired angle (Fender spec. is 1/8" (3.2 mm) gap at rear of bridge). You will need to retune periodically to get the right balance between the strings and the springs. If you prefer a flush bridge to body, adjust spring tension to equal string tension, while the bridge rests on body (you may want to put an extra 1/2 turn to each claw screw to ensure that the bridge remains flush to the body during string bends). Caution: Do not over-tighten the springs as it can put unnecessary tension on the arm during tremolo use. Finally, you may wish to apply a small dab of Chapstick® or Vaseline® at the pivot contact points of the bridge for a very smooth operation.

For the Jaguar/Jazzmaster bridge, adjustment is a simple process. Slide the tremolo lock button back into the locked position. Tune the guitar to pitch (if you use an alternative tuning, drop "D", tuned down a 1/2 step, etc., you will need to tune the guitar to that tuning). Slide the tremolo lock button into the unlocked position. Using the tremolo tension adjustment screw, tighten or loosen the screw to return the tuning back to pitch. The end result should be that whether the tremolo lock button is in either locked or unlocked position, the tuning remains constant.

[Sauerkraut]

Found this article re seting up your temolo peroperly, may be of use.

For the Jaguar/Jazzmaster bridge, adjustment is a simple process. Slide the tremolo lock button back into the locked position. Tune the guitar to pitch (if you use an alternative tuning, drop "D", tuned down a 1/2 step, etc., you will need to tune the guitar to that tuning). Slide the tremolo lock button into the unlocked position. Using the tremolo tension adjustment screw, tighten or loosen the screw to return the tuning back to pitch. The end result should be that whether the tremolo lock button is in either locked or unlocked position, the tuning remains constant.

I just did that and it keeps perfectly in tune but now it's hitting the body, the cavity isn't deep enough.. the trem arm is also really close to the strings, keeps falling out (guess I'm going to need some tape) and I can't do dive bombs anymore 

[fullerplast]

here's my only attempt at making an artsy picture of my gear:

http://public.fotki.com/sauerkraut/gear ... .html 

you did a much better job

I like it! The TWIN REVERB lettering is nice and crisp, nice angle,  and the B&W really makes it...

[eyesadrift]

huh weird i have a cij and a mij jazzs and they keep tune pretty well
but i also put a mustang and a tom in them* i like the tom bridges better*
but i have to say i like the later cij jazzs better they just feel more soild thinker necks
or i just scored good one dunno
BUT i did have to replace the tremolo bar and retainer cause they worn out and it wouldnt stay in right or just fall in to the bridge it was so anoying

[rabidhamster]

what you do to keep it from bottoming out is to route or gouge a small area out in the tremelo cavity for the arm.  CIJ JMs are shallower than US ones I think was the reason for this, but a nice little divot in the wood there fixes it all up.  Most people Ive heard of doing it used a dremel tool or the like. 

If the arm wont stay in, its possible the collet has bent/stretched out.  This is also someone common on CIJ offsets I understand, and can either be pinched back into place, or more permanently, replaced with the AVRI collet and arm. 

Hope this helps