Player Jazzmaster HH, moving bridge

[Snowmonkey]

Hi all,

Great forum, I have been browsing for some time. Now it is time I posted what is probably a really dumb question.

I bought a nearly new Player Jazzmaster, the recent model with two humbuckers and it is a great guitar (I am having fun and games with bridge buzz but that is another topic).

Anyway, I had to take the pic guard off today to clean the tone pot as it was a bit crackly. Job done, put everything back together. I didn't change any of the bridge settings, just moved the strings, took it off, put it back when done.

Now when I use the tremalo, I noticed the bridge rocks. I hadn't noticed this before (been playing it for quite some time...so perhaps not very observant). A quick google showed that the older jazzmasters had a rocking bridge. Is the cheap player jazzmaster bridge also meant to rock?

What I am asking is, have I cocked up putting the bridge back on, or am I just deeply unobservant and it has always rocked?

Thanks in advance!

[timtam]

Welcome ! And your Player JM's bridge has indeed always rocked. As they do on most jazzmasters, new and old. That's how Leo Fender designed it - it sits on the conical ends of the bridge height grub screws in the base of the thimbles, and moves with the strings as the trem changes their length. After trem use, it should come back to exactly where it started if everything is set up correctly.

[Snowmonkey]

Thanks so much for your quick and helpful answer. I can't believe I have never noticed this before...

I love this guitar, sold a Les Paul to buy it and never looked back. With the HH / SC combination, there doesn't seem to be any sound I can't get!

[jorri]

As long long as set up correctly,it does this so it can stay in tune. In fact nothing stays in tune like it.
Rather than have strings drag along the saddles, potentially meaning friction would return them to a different resting point; the whole thing pivots, whilst strings stay same relative point on bridge.

[ChrisDesign]

The rocking trem design is flawed, but workable.

Some say the rocking bridge never works properly because it needs gauge 12 strings. Gauge 12 strings have higher tension pushing down on the bridge, so a higher friction to make it work. This may be true.

Sketchy Setups (https://hazeguitars.com/sketchysetups/) says always try a higher string gauge to improve the Jazzmaster/ jaguar. Gauge 12 is probably too hard to play. Yet you can try hybrids. I started at Gauge 10 (10 - 48), and I’m now in hybrid 10/11 (10 - 52). Hybrids give the thin high strings for bending and thick low strings for chugging. The string tension is lower than 11’s and higher than 10’s. It’s something and the playability is ‘better’ for me.

I say Leo Fender’s ego causes the problem. Leo spent months travelling to gigs and giving prototype Telecasters and Stratocasters to musicians at gigs. The feedback shaped the guitar. Leo even worked with a young Dick Dayle, saying “we won’t release this guitar until Dick is happy with it”. The Jazzmaster has no such stories. Leo designed the Jazzmaster in his workshop without any such real musician feedback. He thought he knew enough. I’m sure if the Jazzmaster has been developed with jazz musicians it would be better. I wish Fender would redesign the Jazzmaster with musicians, re-engineer it, and call it a Jazzmaster 2.

[Embenny]

The rocking trem design is flawed, but workable.

Some say the rocking bridge never works properly because it needs gauge 12 strings. Gauge 12 strings have higher tension pushing down on the bridge, so a higher friction to make it work. This may be true.

No, it's really not. With a decent break angle (from a shim when necessary), the floating bridges on my 24" scale Jaguars work perfectly with 10-46 strings. It's a pervasive myth that these guitars "need" heavy strings.

[Snowmonkey]

I haven't even thought about changing strings. I usually play on 9-42 super slinky strings, and have done the same with my JM. Although, I haven't yet encountered an issue which makes me think I do need to change strings...other than the famous buzzing bridge which I am slowely sorting out one screw at a time...