OffsetGuitars.com

So I got a Squier CV Jaguar in silver sparkle like 6 months ago from Thomann (I live in Europe). Got it because I've wanted a Jaguar for years and the silver sparkle with matching headstock was just right up my alley. Anyway...

When I first got it, it was just awful as it wasn't set up and there were a couple of peculiar things. The upper strap button wasn't centered (it was closer to the rear of the guitar), the frets were like sandpaper, the pickguard and some of the plates had small markings (left by the protective films and some factory dust etc.) and overall the guitar felt "finicky" and it didn't have that much sustain. I could look past these as they were mostly cosmetic, I was planning on making some upgrades and I was prepared for offsets and setting them up.

However...

Pretty much as soon as it arrived, I also noticed that the neck pocket seemed a bit uneven. At the joint, the corners seemed to have a bit of air between them and from the side, I could see under the neck, between the neck and the body. Me being me, I still wanted to do a setup to it before making decisions and when I took the neck out, I deemed that there was some uneven finish buildup that I could even out with a small file when I applied a shim. This I did and the neck seemed to fit better.

So I set the guitar up, somewhat polished the frets and put heavier strings on it (which required filing a bigger nut slot). All the offset-setup things. It definitely got better and I've been playing the guitar on and off since. But...

The sustain didn't seem to get any better and especially the higher strings just die off. I guess this could still be because the frets aren't perfectly crowned or something like that, but I'm not sure.

And now the real reason why I wanted to make this thread...

I was once again inspecting the guitar and thinking about the sustain issues. I was looking closely at the guitar and then I noticed: is the freaking vibrato crooked?

I'm really not sure and asked a couple of friends. It's kind of hard to see from pictures, but I think I'm noticing it especially on the high-E. I think it's crooked by just a millimeter or two, but still! If I'm not seeing things, I really don't know how this could happen. You would think that the factory is so quantized that you couldn't f*ck up the route for the vibrato without f*cking up the other routes too!

Please chime in your opinions as I really think I might just be paranoid and might be blaming some other issues on the vibrato unit. The bridge and neck are lined up, that's for sure as the strings are evenly spaced on the neck. I'm not sure what I should do if the vibrato route really is crooked as I've had the guitar for longer than 30 days (the Thomann return-period) and I've done some minor modifications to the guitar when I set it up (filed the nut, put loctite on the bridge and put a shim) so I'm not 100% sure they would accept it back under warranty (haven't asked yet as I want to be sure about this).

And for the record, I have a J Mascis Jazzmaster that is just mint and properly set up, so I have that to compare to. Compared to that, the Jaguar has been a big dissappointment as I like its sound way better but I just can't get it to play like the JMJM and it seems to be riddled with qc issues. Now I kind of just want to get rid of the guitar as it has been a hassle, but man... I just really want to like it and I really want to have a Jaguar that is good to play.

I'll try to attach some pictures here. I hope you can open them.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/16A12oezBqQSfd9z6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DBn8ff1DjgrvZNpA6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jnd9Bkm4m4pBybyi7

I tried poorly measuring from the bridge posts to the middle screws on the vibrato plate and I seemed to get a 1 mm difference. Again, I'm not sure as I couldn't achieve any better measurements.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dmbicb1U9cHinzRW6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6DErujm2AcPwozPd6

Here are the same angles on my JMJM and the Jaguar and *I think* you can see on the Jaguar, the strings go to the right and don't form a "V-shape" as they do on the JMJM

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HU52UzLeBYSRXEAi9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jzu1PxBDDRU3yzHf6

So. Overall I wish to get some opinions. Even if the vibrato was crooked, would it affect anything? Do you think I should contact Thomann? What would you do?

Thanks and sorry for such a long post!

Vibramate wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 06, 2023 6:34 am

And for the record, I have a J Mascis Jazzmaster that is just mint and properly set up, so I have that to compare to. Compared to that, the Jaguar has been a big dissappointment as I like its sound way better but I just can't get it to play like the JMJM

That's probably your main issue.

The vibrato does 'look' like it might be slightly off alignment wise. The lasting fix would be to fill/redrill those holes.

And once that's done you'll find the 'lack' of sustain (comparatively) remains. It's a Jaguar.

andy_tchp wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 06, 2023 3:01 pm

And once that's done you'll find the 'lack' of sustain (comparatively) remains. It's a Jaguar.

Yeah, I think my first question would be, "have you ever played a Jaguar whose tone and feel you absolutely loved?"

Because unless you've confidently established that you love Jaguars, you might just be learning firsthand how different they are from Jazzmasters.

I've played various Jaguars as my either "main" guitar or close to it for 21 years now. I've never encountered a Jaguar that sounded or felt like a Jazzmaster. They just don't. They're their own thing. Maybe you like that thing, maybe you don't. But if your idea of the perfect Jaguar is a Jazzmaster with chrome plates, then that's what you should go about procuring.

The biggest difference is, and always will be, the scale length. It feels totally different, and it sounds totally different. That's not to say that yours isn't janky; maybe it's a truly crappy-playing example of a Jaguar. But unless you go out and play a Jaguar and think, "man, I love this guitar," then you might just be chasing a theoretical experience that doesn't exist.

I know I went through periods of frustration in my early days, because I was asking my Jaguar to be something it's not. I eventually figured out what aspects of Jags I liked, and when I should just be picking up a different kind of guitar to do the thing I wanted to do.

Embenny wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 06, 2023 3:57 pm

andy_tchp wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 06, 2023 3:01 pm

And once that's done you'll find the 'lack' of sustain (comparatively) remains. It's a Jaguar.

Yeah, I think my first question would be, "have you ever played a Jaguar whose tone and feel you absolutely loved?"

Because unless you've confidently established that you love Jaguars, you might just be learning firsthand how different they are from Jazzmasters.

I've played various Jaguars as my either "main" guitar or close to it for 21 years now. I've never encountered a Jaguar that sounded or felt like a Jazzmaster. They just don't. They're their own thing. Maybe you like that thing, maybe you don't. But if your idea of the perfect Jaguar is a Jazzmaster with chrome plates, then that's what you should go about procuring.

The biggest difference is, and always will be, the scale length. It feels totally different, and it sounds totally different. That's not to say that yours isn't janky; maybe it's a truly crappy-playing example of a Jaguar. But unless you go out and play a Jaguar and think, "man, I love this guitar," then you might just be chasing a theoretical experience that doesn't exist.

I know I went through periods of frustration in my early days, because I was asking my Jaguar to be something it's not. I eventually figured out what aspects of Jags I liked, and when I should just be picking up a different kind of guitar to do the thing I wanted to do.

Thanks for the replies!

Yeah, could be partly that I guess. But I do like how Jaguars sound and feel. I like a bunch of garage rock so the "carboard" sound is kind of perfect for that! It's just that the upper strings seem to be playing a lot worse than the bottom ones and overall the guitar really feels kind of dead. This could be because of many things and I'm sure my cardboard shim could be a bit better, but I played the guitar before the setup and even then it felt kind of... well, dead.

I was mostly concerned about the vibrato and needed a bit of a reality check. I still kind of think that the guitar is a bit janky and will look into it.

Anyway... Thanks for the input!

andy_tchp wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 06, 2023 3:01 pm

The vibrato does 'look' like it might be slightly off alignment wise. The lasting fix would be to fill/redrill those holes.

And once that's done you'll find the 'lack' of sustain (comparatively) remains. It's a Jaguar.

Doesn't it, right! I have never encountered this so I really thought I was tripping. You think I should take it to somebody for a better installation? If something, I think that would break the warranty so I'm not sure if I would be into doing that. But then again, the warranty might already be compromised and if I got them to trade, who knows how the next guitar would be.

I'm kind of in between "yeah, the guitar is cheap-ish and there was bound to be some upgrading" and "should this level of qc issues get a pass and should I just try to return it".

One thing is also that I really don't know if I have the energy to go through the process of returning it as then it would mean that I'd have to take my shim out (de-setup the guitar) and do a complete overhaul of the possible new guitar. Worst case scenario, they would just get the guitar back and deem it "passable" or "not acceptable for the return" (maybe because of the filed nut) and just send it back.

I don't know... What do you think? Am I just overthinking this?

This run of Squiers had notorious quality control issues...we saw some truly horrific examples come through so I wouldn't be surprised if yours was the same.

And, yes, as previously mentioned...Jaguars aren't known for having lots of sustain (which is an overrated 'quality' anyway). They're punchy and immediate...that's what they do - and they do it well.

You are not the only one with the same problem: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=124581

Excactly the same issue with a crooked vibrato. It seems the 2022 run of CV Jaguars had heavy qc issues. It seems even their factory machine settings for routing the vibrato were erroneus. It is mind boggling how this could be but it was.

I'd bet the route isn't off, just the mounting of the trem. I can't imagine the CNC file being wrong here; just the QC. It may look wrong but that 1mm won't make any difference in usability or sound.

As per the sustain: as others have said, Jaguars aren't known for their sustain. That being said, have you tried unscrewing the neck screws a half turn (under string tension) and re-tightening them? This sets the neck firmly in the pocket and can help with sustain.

Other things to check in your setup: Bridge height, string thickness and neck shims. Offsets like a little more downward pressure on the bridge so adding a shim (as I believe you did) and thus jacking up the bridge will help, as will heavier strings.

I'd be mildly curious to see if it's the route or just the mounting screw holes. Either way a decent retailer should be accepting that as a return.

Shit/non-existent QC.

Flammable wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 07, 2023 1:32 am

You are not the only one with the same problem: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=124581

Excactly the same issue with a crooked vibrato. It seems the 2022 run of CV Jaguars had heavy qc issues. It seems even their factory machine settings for routing the vibrato were erroneus. It is mind boggling how this could be but it was.

I also have a silver sparkle CV 60s Jaguar from Thomann and mine is pefect . Not a single flaw .
I mod all my squiers and I just changed the pickguard on that one .

Crooked hardware, crooked and/or twisted neck, lifted frets, tooling marks, large gaps in the neck pocket, too deep or off-center nut slots are the things I look at as soon as I open the box. If I notice any one of those issues, it's an automatic return, as sad and annoying as that is, because I know that guitar is a dog that will never play right.
If none of the above are present I attempt to set up the guitar with the stock strings, without removing any tags, stickers and protective films. I give it a couple of days to see if any issues arise and then I decide if it's a keeper or not. If the guitar just doesn't feel right I return it.

So in your case I'd have returned it immediately before even trying to set it up.

It looks like you're past that already, it's been 6 months and you've done permanent mods to the guitar (the nut). Find a competent tech who cares and knows offsets and make the best of what you have.

I can't tell if the vibrato is in the wrong place from the pictures. I don't think it would affect the playability that much. Improperly cut nut slots and cheese grater frets, however, have a major impact on it.

I hope you get the issue sorted so you can enjoy your Jag!

It’s a shame that things like this happen, but they do. My advice would be to work towards a solution you can live with, even if it’s Fender’s fault. I’d start by removing the tailpiece and seeing how far out of plumb it is. If it can be moved into position without changing the route, it might be simpler to drill new holes and live with the minor imperfection.

I recently bought a GC-only Jaguar, in Daphne Blue. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality and playability. It’s an inexpensive instrument, but it is quite well made.

Synchro wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:35 pm

I recently bought a GC-only Jaguar, in Daphne Blue. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality and playability. It’s an inexpensive instrument, but it is quite well made.

You must have gotten really lucky! I've been eyeing the one at my local GC for a bit over a year now, but every time I try it out I can't even test it to see I like the feel because the strings hit the frets unless you are playing above the 9th fret.

shoegaze_head wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 24, 2023 10:50 am

Synchro wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:35 pm

I recently bought a GC-only Jaguar, in Daphne Blue. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality and playability. It’s an inexpensive instrument, but it is quite well made.

You must have gotten really lucky! I've been eyeing the one at my local GC for a bit over a year now, but every time I try it out I can't even test it to see I like the feel because the strings hit the frets unless you are playing above the 9th fret.

It’s almost puzzling. Usually, GC is not famed for well-setup guitars, but other than the tailpiece, mine has been as well setup as any guitar I’ve ever bought.

I’m waiting for parts to build a Jaguar using a Warmoth body and neck. The idea is to make the ultimate Jaguar for my tastes and to have it be as playable as this Squier. How’s that for irony; building a custom Jaguar and hoping that it turns out as good as a Squier?