I recently purchased a 2017 American Pro Jazzmaster. It came with the 56mm bridge, which puts the E strings too close to the edge of the fretboard, in my opinion.
I wanted to get a Staytrem with the 52mm spacing, but I can’t order a new one since I’m not in the UK. I have a Staytrem on my Classic Player Jag, and absolutely love it.
After searching around online, I saw that Darren Riley and Guitarpartsfactory were selling replacement Fender American Pro bridges.
I contacted Guitarpartsfactory and they confirmed that the bridge has a 2 1/16 “ / 52 mm string spacing with a 9.5” radius.
I ordered one, and it solved the problem of my E strings falling off the board. But it creates a new issue, my high E now touches the trem collet ever so slightly. I fixed that by placing a thin piece of clear plastic between my E and B saddles.
So apparently Fender did address the string spacing issue on the newer American Pro guitars.
Mastery v Staytrem Bridge Comparison
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Re: Mastery v Staytrem Bridge Comparison
^^^This is my experience with a Mastery bridge on my Marr Jaguar. Full, thick sound without losing the basic Jaguar character........and I was able to remove the one degree shim that I had put in for the stock bridge with ridiculous 56 mm string spacing. Three strings putting pressure on each saddle solves, I think, the fundamental issues inherent in the other choices. (for me).armchair_spaceman wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2019 4:19 pmMastery or Staytrem for an American Professional JM?
I bought an AmPro JM a couple of monthe ago. There’s a lot to like about the guitar but I’m used to 52mm at the bridge (I have a Staytrem on my CIJ Jaguar) and just couldn’t adapt to the wider spacing on the Ampro. So what to do about that?
Just to see how it would fit, I swapped in the Staytrem off my Jag. It dropped straight into the nylon grommets in the JM. Ok the action was a bit off due to wrong radius but string spacing was right in the happy place. I could source another staytrem out of the UK with a little bit of hassle but being impatient went out yesterday and bought a Mastery M1 locally.
Early impressions:
Fit - Mastery website says their thimbles are required. The M1 dropped straight into the stock thimbles for a snug fit. Nice to not have to buy thimbles on top of the (scandalous in Australia) price of the bridge;
Setup - some adjustment required for bridge height and action but this was pretty easy really. Easier than a Strat IMO. I was able to set a nicer action (for me this means lower) than with the stock bridge.
Intonation - tuned up to pitch and intonation was spot on straight out of the box. Maybe I got lucky(?). The guitar is currently strung with Thomastik flatwounds (10-44) and no issues, even on the wound G.
Stability - I don’t go silly with the trem but no issues there. I did drop a little nut sauce on the contact points but I’d do that anyway.
Sound - this is where it gets interesting. The tone seems a bit ‘fatter’ to my ears with the new bridge, which I think I like. It was a bit ‘zingy’ with the stock bridge. Notes seem more clearly articulated. Sustain has definitely changed up quite an bit, which I also like.
Appearance and comfort - TBH I don’t care, it’s not a ‘vintage’ instrument anyway. I wondered if it would be comfortable to rest my hand on but it’s fine, no issues there.
YMMV but I’m happy with the Mastery bridge - fits well, setup was pretty easy and I like what it’s done for action and tone. Overall two thumbs up from me.
I also prefer a bridge that doesn't rock with the trem bar.
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Re: Mastery v Staytrem Bridge Comparison
I installed a Mastery on my JMVM. I did not like it at all. The strings felt "'stiff" in a weird way and the added sustain made the guitar sound unbalanced and just plain wrong for a Jazzmaster After a few weeks of playing I replaced the Mastery and returned to my old Schaller roller bridge solution.
However on my other VM i have a Staytrem, i really like the tone but I would prefer a slightly flatter radius than the "correct" 9.5.
However on my other VM i have a Staytrem, i really like the tone but I would prefer a slightly flatter radius than the "correct" 9.5.