NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

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Dinosore_Sr
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NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by Dinosore_Sr » Fri Nov 26, 2021 3:02 pm

Hi All,

This is my first Jazzmaster and my first offset, unless I'm allowed to count my Fender Jazz bass, which was my main instrument for many years when I was a gigging musician. Though I've been lurking on the site for a little while, this is also my first post on OSG, woo-hoo!

After an extended wait due to shipping delays, today I received a 2018 Fender MIJ Traditional 60s Jazzmaster! The guitar looks almost unplayed. The finish is quite spectacular and I also really like the dark gloss on the neck. Setup was good, aside from a bit of buzzing on the low E string, which I remedied. Output jack is crackling, I've applied contact cleaner, but that's still a work in progress.

The other issue I found is that the tremolo arm is very loose, which seems to be a fairly common issue. I took the tremolo plate off the guitar and it's hard to see, but it appears that the sleeve that the tremolo arm fits into has threads, while the arm that came with the guitar does not. I'm assuming that the original arm was lost and replaced with the wrong type.

Question: Can anyone confirm for me that the MIJ Traditional 60s JM comes with a threaded tremolo unit?

Thank you!!!

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by jdr1014 » Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:05 pm

Congrats and welcome! Hopefully someone will come along and help with your trem arm question. If not, perhaps ask the question in a separate post. :)

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by HNB » Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:16 pm

If the arm socket is threaded it is either an American Professional or Classic Player tremolo. Those have threaded arms. Good news is the threading is the same so a classic player arm should fit it just fine. I love having the screw in arm. I used them on all my Jazzmasters.
Christopher
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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by HNB » Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:18 pm

Oh for the jack crackle, the jack tip might need a little bend to make the grip more snug.
Christopher
Lilith Guitars

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by Fiddy » Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:15 pm

Your output jack might need a touch of fresh solder, if you have already used electronics cleaner fluid.

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by Dinosore_Sr » Fri Nov 26, 2021 8:23 pm

HNB wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:18 pm
Oh for the jack crackle, the jack tip might need a little bend to make the grip more snug.
Thanks, that's what I did and it helped a lot. The noise is almost totally gone now.
tribi9 wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:15 pm
Your output jack might need a touch of fresh solder, if you have already used electronics cleaner fluid.
That's what I was thinking, but when I took it apart, the joints looked pretty solid. I'll give it a few days and if it's still crackling enough to bug me, I might just replace the jack.

And on the subject of threaded/non threaded, there are definitely some striations in the sleeve, but they seem pretty shallow, so maybe they're just indentations from wear or something rather than threads? I was expecting the arm to snap in, but it just kind of hangs loose in the sleeve, so that's when I started wondering if I maybe I needed a threaded arm.

Thanks for the replies!

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by HNB » Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:40 am

Do you have the arm pushed all the way in? You press it in until it gets almost to the bend of the arm.
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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by garyfanclub » Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:38 am

If this is the same as my 2017 MIJ Traditional (likely) it's a pop-in unit. It'll do the trick, but you'll see a huge improvement with an AVRI unit that's a drop-in replacement.

Enjoy it, I love my MIJ Traditional JM!

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by Dinosore_Sr » Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:15 am

HNB wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:40 am
Do you have the arm pushed all the way in? You press it in until it gets almost to the bend of the arm.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I pushed it in as hard as I could until I was actually worried I was going to break something, but I could never get it to snap in, it just sits loosely in the sleeve.

At this point, I think either the arm that was included with the guitar is the wrong type for the trem or I need to replace the collet. I was thinking of ordering a Staytrem tremolo, but they're currently out of stock.

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by Dinosore_Sr » Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:32 am

garyfanclub wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:38 am
If this is the same as my 2017 MIJ Traditional (likely) it's a pop-in unit. It'll do the trick, but you'll see a huge improvement with an AVRI unit that's a drop-in replacement.

Enjoy it, I love my MIJ Traditional JM!
Thanks, I'll check out the AVRI as a possible alternative to the Staytrem. Yes, I really like this guitar! It looks amazing, is comfortable to play, and the neck is perfect for me.

When I first plugged it in, the pickups would get a little fuzzy when I would attack the strings with accents, but lowering them seems to have solved the issue. I'm also thinking of changing the pots to something a bit smoother. This guitar is nice now, but I feel like it has the potential to be really special with a few tweaks.

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by garyfanclub » Sat Nov 27, 2021 12:45 pm

Dinosore_Sr wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:32 am
garyfanclub wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:38 am
If this is the same as my 2017 MIJ Traditional (likely) it's a pop-in unit. It'll do the trick, but you'll see a huge improvement with an AVRI unit that's a drop-in replacement.

Enjoy it, I love my MIJ Traditional JM!
Thanks, I'll check out the AVRI as a possible alternative to the Staytrem. Yes, I really like this guitar! It looks amazing, is comfortable to play, and the neck is perfect for me.

When I first plugged it in, the pickups would get a little fuzzy when I would attack the strings with accents, but lowering them seems to have solved the issue. I'm also thinking of changing the pots to something a bit smoother. This guitar is nice now, but I feel like it has the potential to be really special with a few tweaks.
Can't say I've had any issues with the pots, mine still has the stock ones. I actually really like the taper on them - great for volume swells. I did swap the pickups for Pure Vintage '65 ones, which was also an improvement, especially on the neck pickup - richer, bassier tone. The middle position is magic.

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by HNB » Sat Nov 27, 2021 1:18 pm

If it works, keep it. :) No reason to change out something that is working how you like. :)
Christopher
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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by BlueMelody » Sat Nov 27, 2021 5:10 pm

Congrats, GREAT guitars! I have the same one :)

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Re: NGD - First Jazzmaster and first post to OSG!

Post by pikmin » Sat Nov 27, 2021 5:14 pm

Dinosore_Sr wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:15 am
HNB wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:40 am
Do you have the arm pushed all the way in? You press it in until it gets almost to the bend of the arm.
. I was thinking of ordering a Staytrem tremolo, but they're currently out of stock.
They are always out of stock but you can order it and they will say how many weeks your have to wait .

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