Just how bad is the Adjusto-Matic bridge on a JM?

[soul1]

Baffled by a lot of this! My Classic Player Jag is the best-playing guitar I own!

Same with my CP Jazzmaster, it's so easy to play!

It's totally fine to have our preferences when it comes to these details, but there's a lot of noise on here about what is "right" and "wrong", and it's best to tune most of it out.

[Mechanical Birds]

Some dudes like them, including J. Mascis, but I think the only reason why they ever caught on at all is because it was the only alternative (aside from a Mustang bridge) for a long time.

Yeah I’m like 99% sure that’s the case. Thurston uses them too, sometimes still, somehow.

[LVC]

It's definitely a thing that happens, especially on TOM setups with stoptails where people like to really crank down on the stoptail and create lots of downward pressure.

They can collapse but it takes a long time, and is usually caused by a stop tail that is cranked down too low, causing too much downward pressure on the bridge. The only time I've dealt with it was on an SG from the 70s owned by a friend. I have to imagine it probably takes decades to happen, and is thus usually seen on older guitars.

Thanks for the clarification. I've had Danelectro bridge plates collapse before — a pretty common occurrence — but I never suspected that could also happen to TOMs.

[Snowmonkey]

Pretty interesting discussion. But it hasn't helped me make my mind up one way or the other

[Ceylon]

Pretty interesting discussion. But it hasn't helped me make my mind up one way or the other

If you think you'd like the modernised Vintera JM in general, there are ways to get other bridges with other radii later, so don't let that dissuade you.
People were sceptical towards the Classic Player Jazzmasters, which is essentially the same as the Vintera, for a long time. But especially in later years everyone who's had one or played one on here has seemed very happy with them. They're meant to nail the "classic" tone pretty well, if not perfectly, and either way to sound good.

[Surfadelphia]

A luthier can easily adjust the saddle radius on a TOM style bridge...just a bit of filing. Guild seems to go the extra mile on their MIK Newark Series guitars that have a 9.5" fingerboard radius by providing a TOM style bridge with a matching radius. In fact, you can actually order a TOM style bridge with a 9.5" saddle radius on the Guild website. I have had guitars with TOM style bridges and vibrato tailpieces (typically Bigsbys) and haven't had significant tuning problems ..... however it does help to smooth and polish the saddle notches and make sure they are not cut too deep. All that being said, I am not a big fan of TOM's on Fender offsets. IMO, the modified Mustang style bridges are a better alternative.

[timtam]

Puisheen recently measured the radius on a Classic Player with 9.5" neck's AOM bridge (007-6230-000) at 14" ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la8Od6Zi35A&t=869s

[Jan Deal]

Pretty interesting discussion. But it hasn't helped me make my mind up one way or the other

My only comment on this is that I prefer a Mustang bridge, as an adjust-o-matic is a bit "stabby" on my hand when I mute the strings.

[tune_link]

Puisheen recently measured the radius on a Classic Player with 9.5" neck's AOM bridge (007-6230-000) at 14" ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la8Od6Zi35A&t=869s

This is all of the problems I experienced on my old CP Jag summed up nicely. The bridge on it was the most rattling thing on any offset I ever owned.

[hexes]

It took me a lot of time to make the AOM on the cobain mustang playable with vibrato use. like, a LOT of time. i had to completely disassemble the bridge, clean every part, lubricate every moving part, do a full setup from top to tails and then, only then, does the mustang return to pitch with vibrato. and still
not quite as well as any of my other offsets with more traditional bridges.