Player Bridge = S##T

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alexpigment
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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by alexpigment » Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:24 pm

ChrisDesign wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:18 am
But you’re adjusting the saddles to a radius gauge and not the actual fretboard….
I think I may have started a setup with a radius gauge exactly once, and never tried again. It's something that makes sense for a quick factory setup before a guitar is shipped out, but once that guitar gets to me, I set it up until it feels right and the notes ring out correctly. I would guess that my own setup never matches what a radius gauge says.

More generally, going by feeler gauges, radius gauges, suggested pickup heights, suggested string heights, etc is more of a starting point. I don't think anyone who really has been playing and setting up their own guitars for a decent length of time follows these suggestions. That's just my assumption, of course.

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by jorri » Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:14 pm

[quote=ChrisDesign post_id=1690238 time=1632162500 user_id=26719]
I disagree. The Mexican Fender bridge is a similar but different design to the Fender USA one of 60 years ago. Different moulds etc.

Shimming makes it worse because the chance of buzzing in the front tray is increased.

BTW, why are individual saddle adjustment screws so desirable? If the saddles are fixed at 9.5”, what is the problem?
[/quote]

Having a different non-standard radius...

What is the Mexican bridge? Its also an issue that i dont live in America and not every part is widely available without ridiculous imporrlt costs.

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by jorri » Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:15 pm

In which case if i did i might find a suitable mustang style bridge

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by timtam » Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:02 pm

Just to avoid confusion about which bridge we're talking about, this the bridge on the MIM Player jaguars and jazzmasters. It's the Korean-made 0081239049 / 0081239001. Spacing E-E is ~56mm. Screws are all M3. Intonation screws are 18mm long but are best swapped for 16mm. Saddle height grub screws (M3) are 8mm and 10mm, but 6mm and 8mm often works better (stick out less so don't dig into hand). Hex key is 1.5mm.
https://darrenriley.com/store/fender-mu ... 081239049/
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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by ChrisDesign » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:59 pm

timtam wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:02 pm
Just to avoid confusion about which bridge we're talking about, this the bridge on the MIM Player jaguars and jazzmasters. It's the Korean-made 0081239049 / 0081239001. Spacing E-E is ~56mm. Screws are all M3. Intonation screws are 18mm long but are best swapped for 16mm. Saddle height grub screws (M3) are 8mm and 10mm, but 6mm and 8mm often works better (stick out less so don't dig into hand). Hex key is 1.5mm.
https://darrenriley.com/store/fender-mu ... 081239049/
Image
Exactly! I wonder why they went for 56mm spacing? Even a trembucker is not wide enough!
"I own a '66 Jaguar. That's the guitar I polish, and baby - I refuse to let anyone touch it when I jump into the crowd." - Kurt Cobain

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by jorri » Wed Sep 22, 2021 4:22 am

Yes thats the one i mean, more that i had forgotten which specific guitars are 'Mexican'.

Well there is another on my Bass VI sqiuer vintage modified that is certainly same-but-different. I dont recall being able to find that.

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by alexpigment » Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:57 pm

ChrisDesign wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:59 pm
Exactly! I wonder why they went for 56mm spacing? Even a trembucker is not wide enough!
I wonder if it's just that there's not a whole lot of room for both the height adjustment screws and the intonation adjustment screw to coexist when you reduce to 52mm. The manufacturing tolerances would probably have to be pretty spot on, and maybe that's difficult when machining metal (I have no first hand experience to confirm). If you look at a strat saddle, you don't really have that problem because those screws don't occupy the same space.

As for a pickups, it is a bit questionable for them to use a pickup with 49mm spacing. The Atomic humbuckers that they throw in a bunch of their guitars is a little over 52mm and would be a much better match, spacing wise.

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by jorri » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:06 am

alexpigment wrote:
Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:57 pm
ChrisDesign wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:59 pm
Exactly! I wonder why they went for 56mm spacing? Even a trembucker is not wide enough!
I wonder if it's just that there's not a whole lot of room for both the height adjustment screws and the intonation adjustment screw to coexist when you reduce to 52mm. The manufacturing tolerances would probably have to be pretty spot on, and maybe that's difficult when machining metal (I have no first hand experience to confirm). If you look at a strat saddle, you don't really have that problem because those screws don't occupy the same space.

As for a pickups, it is a bit questionable for them to use a pickup with 49mm spacing. The Atomic humbuckers that they throw in a bunch of their guitars is a little over 52mm and would be a much better match, spacing wise.
Because strings being directly over polepieces is a non-issue? It could provide some visual harmony but vintage Strats dont line up either. The magnetic field extends 3-dimensionally in a wide enough space so that it would not be sonically significant.
I question why new necks might be so narrow as to cause strings to fall off when chosing 56mm as i would want the option and its preferable for fingerstyle.

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by alexpigment » Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:19 pm

jorri wrote:
Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:06 am
Because strings being directly over polepieces is a non-issue? It could provide some visual harmony but vintage Strats dont line up either. The magnetic field extends 3-dimensionally in a wide enough space so that it would not be sonically significant.
I question why new necks might be so narrow as to cause strings to fall off when chosing 56mm as i would want the option and its preferable for fingerstyle.
I think you may have misunderstood my post. I was really just trying to give an explanation for why Fender doesn't offer a 52mm height adjustable mustang-style bridge (see the question that I quoted in my post). And while I agree with you that lining up with the polepieces is not a huge issue (my #1 guitar agrees with you), clearly you can see in the picture above that the extra-narrow Shawbuckers and wide bridge are quite a bit off from each other, and I do wonder if that level of disparity starts to pose a problem (with the high E string specifically). Historically, some manufacturers have thought that staggered pole pieces provide better string balance, and the overall difference in height is negligible in those scenarios compared to the width difference we're talking about. Still, I prefer flat pole pickups, so I present that as a point of reference rather than an argument in favor of staggered poles.

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by jorri » Fri Sep 24, 2021 4:55 am

alexpigment wrote:
Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:19 pm
jorri wrote:
Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:06 am
Because strings being directly over polepieces is a non-issue? It could provide some visual harmony but vintage Strats dont line up either. The magnetic field extends 3-dimensionally in a wide enough space so that it would not be sonically significant.
I question why new necks might be so narrow as to cause strings to fall off when chosing 56mm as i would want the option and its preferable for fingerstyle.
I think you may have misunderstood my post. I was really just trying to give an explanation for why Fender doesn't offer a 52mm height adjustable mustang-style bridge (see the question that I quoted in my post). And while I agree with you that lining up with the polepieces is not a huge issue (my #1 guitar agrees with you), clearly you can see in the picture above that the extra-narrow Shawbuckers and wide bridge are quite a bit off from each other, and I do wonder if that level of disparity starts to pose a problem (with the high E string specifically). Historically, some manufacturers have thought that staggered pole pieces provide better string balance, and the overall difference in height is negligible in those scenarios compared to the width difference we're talking about. Still, I prefer flat pole pickups, so I present that as a point of reference rather than an argument in favor of staggered poles.
Yes see it now, i wasnt following every post assuming you just had a JM pickup. In humbuckers they are not active polepieces and just direct the field, but still the pic is enough off-- well depends if you hear weaker E strings.

I dont think there is an adjustable option no. But fixed staytrem and descendant. Somebody made a 3-saddle tele style for JM which is a potential workaround. Warmoth did gappy saddles because a) the plate is still 56mm and b) i think they are actually more like under 50mm so gaps are by design if you were to transfer- as with graphtech.

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Re: Player Bridge = S##T

Post by alexpigment » Fri Sep 24, 2021 6:16 am

Just for clarification, I’m not the OP on this thread (it seemed like you were under that assumption). I don’t have the guitar or bridge pictured. I have Staytrems and vintage style bridges on my own JMs, for what it’s worth.

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