Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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audiopablo
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Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by audiopablo » Wed Sep 30, 2020 12:29 pm

Just an update on my earlier thread about what bridge for a player jag.

I took it to a local shop here (13th Street Guitars in SoCal) and that made all the difference.
  • Got rid of the sharp frets (slightly rolled now, even)
    Fixed the issue where open chords were out-of-tune, no matter the intonation
    Setup properly with the American Pro Jag bridge I added
    Dropped in a 65 reissue jag pickup in the neck
Image

Image


Seriously love playing this guitar now. I could definitely see taking it out live and covering lots of ground between the splittable HB in the bridge and the much-better-for-me neck pickup.

Now I'm going to have to decide what bridge to put in my am pro jag. Also, might have to finally deal with that too-widely-spaced bridge on my Marr.

Anyway, it's a real player for sure now. For the price of a set up, a big open box (what box!!?!?!) discount on the jag, and some spare pickups I had lying around, I have an excellent jag.

p.s. the strat switch cover is better than that barrel that never stays on anything!

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Beltone
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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by Beltone » Wed Sep 30, 2020 12:47 pm

That's cool. I found a pro setup made a world of difference for my Player even without the upgrades. Still looking at changing the trem though. I like the switch cover you added. I ripped my tele switch cover off and was just using the exposed metal blade. Hadn't thought of using a strat switch. Thought my only option would be a top hat.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by papa_hotel_delta » Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:08 pm

These get a lot of hate from the pure-of-heart, but I have a MIM player neck on my part-guar and I love it. One of the chief complaints (aside from the decal) is the fret ends, but it took me all of 45 minutes to fix that. I see these for sale regularly well discounted, they make a great mod base.

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audiopablo
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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by audiopablo » Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:31 pm

papa_hotel_delta wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:08 pm
These get a lot of hate from the pure-of-heart, but I have a MIM player neck on my part-guar and I love it. One of the chief complaints (aside from the decal) is the fret ends, but it took me all of 45 minutes to fix that. I see these for sale regularly well discounted, they make a great mod base.

I understand that. While I've never had the pleasure of an AVRI 62 or 65, I really liked the classic switch config when I had the classic 60s jag (and the nitro). But for me, I don't need all the tones, but the right ones. I like my bridge to sound like the bright pickups on a 60s baja tele, I like my jaguar neck to sound like it did on my mim classic 60s (don't have it anymore) and although the series option is nice on an am pro jag or jm jag, it never hits your amp or pedals like a humbucker on maybe an LP or even the atomic HB on another Fender.

I don't know how long I'll love it, but it's really good option for the places I used to play live. I stopped playing a couple years back when we had our kids, but before that, guitars went to baggage claim, were left between soundcheck and showtime at the club/venue, and routinely fell out of janky transportation from the airport to hotel. When your guitar is in a few different elevations in a few days and you have the federal police of 3rd world countries wanting you to take off your neck in the underside of an airport because some dog caught a whiff of something, you don't really want to take out a guitar you'd be gutted to lose. But with the way this plays, I think I would be sad to lose it.

The only thing that bothers me now is the plastic truss rod cover, but that's entirely psychological and a character fault of my own. I just might have to get more guitars set up by pros instead of my own sub-par setups.
Last edited by audiopablo on Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by MrJagsquire » Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:33 pm

Good to hear it's all sorted out now with a bit of work. I'm guessing the out of tune open chords were down to the nut not being cut deep enough? I found the same things as you with my player Jaguar, just waiting for a needle file set just to tidy the last few sharp frets as I've smoothed the main parts of them and the PF fingerboard too. Haven't changed my bridge (yet) as I've just used thread lock to sort the slipping screws and rattles; will see how it goes.

Is the '65 reissue pickup much different to the stock one? I'd actually planned to make my Jaguar like an Esquire and was going to remove the neck pickup and make a custom pickguard without the neck. Trouble is I've found I really like the neck pickup alone or when it's combined with the bridge. :whistle: I also like the plainer pickguard with fewer switches on the Player too.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by audiopablo » Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:51 pm

MrJagsquire wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:33 pm
Good to hear it's all sorted out now with a bit of work. I'm guessing the out of tune open chords were down to the nut not being cut deep enough? I found the same things as you with my player Jaguar, just waiting for a needle file set just to tidy the last few sharp frets as I've smoothed the main parts of them and the PF fingerboard too. Haven't changed my bridge (yet) as I've just used thread lock to sort the slipping screws and rattles; will see how it goes.

Is the '65 reissue pickup much different to the stock one? I'd actually planned to make my Jaguar like an Esquire and was going to remove the neck pickup and make a custom pickguard without the neck. Trouble is I've found I really like the neck pickup alone or when it's combined with the bridge. :whistle: I also like the plainer pickguard with fewer switches on the Player too.
Yes, I think it was the nut slot depth. It was good you pointed that out so I could discuss that with the shop. It was primarily the Low E and A. I don't have the skills or steadiness to trust a nut cut, so your advice (thank you!!) and their execution did the trick. That shop has a plek machine. I don't think I paid for that, but I wonder if they don't use it to help out if they have it there. But whether man or machine, I was surprised at how playable it all is now,

I thought the stock pickup on the player wasn't bad at all. It's just I already had the 65 pickups laying around - I had a jag converted to JM pickups (see below) - looked cool, but didn't sound like I hoped at all, so sold it - and I thought I might as well. For me, I like that sound. Btw, I don't know if there is a difference between the neck and bridge, so I brought them both and asked them to figure it out. It all worked out for me the right way. It is a little darker than I remember, but good. I might now put the leftover one in the am pro jag. Mine is beat up, but has a comfortable neck. It's just I remember the 65 bridge pickup to be too bright. Bridges are always bright, but mine was on the edge of shrill, even with height adjustments. Again, I don't know if the neck and bridge on the set were different, though. Someone on here surely does.

Oh, about less switches: the switch on the player jag makes the most sense to me (for my use and brain) out of all jag options now. It's pretty simple: want to play a song with a song with the neck and a single coil bridge? Flip the switch. Want a humbucker and the neck for the next song? Flip the switch. Like a bright single coil and want a power chord chorus? Stay on the neck and flip the switch. And the middle position is equally useable for HB or split. I've got guitars with pull ups for splits, some with S1 switches and various other schemes. This one is a good solution to me. I love the Johnny Marr switching because every position sounds great. The problem is can never decide what I want to play when, so the options are resulting in analysis paralysis when I should be practicing and playing.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by Mondaysoutar » Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:27 pm

Really nice Jags these man, really like the orange one. Looking at your photo’s, is the bridge on backwards? Maybe it’s my daft phone, can’t see the picture properly, if so, ignore me.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by manwithtitties » Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:40 pm

Glad to hear it plays well now! I would genuinely love these if fender were less lazy with them. Im not opposed at all to a HS jaguar and the tidepool color is great, but i feel like they couldve put the CV bridge and the american pro chrome plates on them. The jaguar decal on the headstock is also a bit lame.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by Zeus » Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:41 pm

Mondaysoutar wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:27 pm
Looking at your photo’s, is the bridge on backwards? Maybe it’s my daft phone, can’t see the picture properly, if so, ignore me.
Looks that way to me too.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by audiopablo » Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:05 pm

It was backwards. I turned it around (when this forum told me my mistake) and sold it maybe a few years back. Kind of wish I’d kept it, but it didn’t sound great. Not bad, but it was like I sacrificed all that jangle and didn’t get the time of the Jazzmaster.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by Zeus » Wed Sep 30, 2020 6:12 pm

Oh no, I meant the OP's bridge is backwards.

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audiopablo
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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by audiopablo » Wed Sep 30, 2020 7:02 pm

Yikes. The shop put it on backwards? Yikes sounds good. Any harm in keeping it?

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by timtam » Wed Sep 30, 2020 7:09 pm

The specs on the stock Player jag's neck pickup (7712269000) say its DCR is 10k/AlNiCo 2/South polarity. PV65 neck is 6.8k/AlNiCo 5/North polarity. So as far as DCR is an indication of relative output, PV65 is less hot (assuming magnets not too different). Stock Player's neck pickup is not quite as hot though as the Classic Player jag's MIM pickups, which I believe were 14k/12k.
https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Orig ... _Rev_A.PDF
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by MrJagsquire » Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:49 pm

I can relate to fitting pick ups that you already had as I did the same with a Tele I bought. :)

I like the single switch as a function, but my plan is to wire it to a pull tone knob like I've done on my Esquire (which has a tapped pick up). Then I can cut a new pickguard without any extra hole for the switch, 3 way or neck pick up if I make it into the 'Jagsquire' I had planned when I bought it. Depending on how easy I find it cutting the new pickguard, I might then make another with the neck pickup and 3 way switch holes as the original guard is pretty roughly cut round the edge on mine (very wavy). That way I can swap back and forth between the original pickups and a single bridge humbucker whenever I fancy a change, without having to buy another guitar. I suspect I might end up with an SS Jaguar at some point though. ;)

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Re: Player Jag is back from shop and better than ever.

Post by barryd » Fri Oct 02, 2020 8:26 am

Delighted to hear the positive vibes on the Player Jag. My tidepool has had a few mods and is waiting for one more:
- yes the pick up switch fell off and i just have the blade so might look at the solution above
- i tried a mustang bridge but radius was wrong then just took saddles out of it and installed them in the stock bridge and while not quite an AM Pro Bridge it's a cheap alternative and better fit than mustang with no rattle.
- i replaced tremolo with AM Vintage reissue and it is more solid
- finally i am waiting on my Jag '64 neck pick up from Creamery Pickups (any day now...) to improve that neck sound and will look to get any set up tweaked when this is installed.

i love this guitar

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