Members gambit Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 just reading up on this stuff for the first time, and i've got a new Squier Jazzmaster incoming.. i'm wondering if the low break angle with the bridge system would benefit from putting in a shim which i understand would raise the neck/breakange of the bridge also, there's some people saying shims improve sustain, and others who say the opposite. what's your experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vulcaniza P Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 don't do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitardustin Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 I don't really have any jazzmaster experience so this might not be relevant but both of my tele's have a shim I made myself and I don't notice any sustain difference or tonal difference. They're setup much better and play really nice however. I think the key is to just use the right material at the right thickness. It could defitely take a few tries to get it right. I have a credit card strip in one and a business card in another, both seem fine to me. Just make sure you do the neck pocket tightening trick where you tune the strings to tension, loosen the neck screws a quarter turn, then tighten back up all under tention. That seems to make a noticable improvement in sustain for me anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boytbpc Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 I had to shim the neck of an old Kay recently. The thing that I learned is that a very small shim can make a huge difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bkd Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 You can get about 1/32nd" of clearance with just a thin shim in the pocket. If the action is too high beyond the twelfth fret, you can pitch the neck angle back by shimming the back of the neck pocket with a little strip of 150-300 grit sandpaper. The thickness should be just right to pitch it where you need to, and the sandpaper helps solidify the neck joint, instead of having loose business cards pinched in there. Action at the bridge may need to be adjusted, and possible fret leveling at the body joint, but it's better to have a consistent action all the way across the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ibentmywookie Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 I don't think the Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster requires a neck shim for two reasons. Firstly, the tremolo system is positioned closer to the bridge so the break angle is already pretty decent compared to the "vintage/original" tremolo position. Secondly, the J Mascis Jazzmaster uses an adjust-o-matic bridge which doesn't have the many setup issues the original offset bridge has, which might benefit from a larger string break angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gambit Posted July 21, 2012 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 I don't think the Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster requires a neck shim for two reasons. Firstly, the tremolo system is positioned closer to the bridge so the break angle is already pretty decent compared to the "vintage/original" tremolo position. Secondly, the J Mascis Jazzmaster uses an adjust-o-matic bridge which doesn't have the many setup issues the original offset bridge has, which might benefit from a larger string break angle. sure. but i'm getting the new Squier with the vintage-distanced plate and goofy bridge/saddles.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Urinate Forever Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 the goofy bridge saddles are a pain in the ass. the placement of the tremolo matters not, my young padawan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theelectic Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 There's an online neck angle calculator, which I can't find right now, where you plug in your scale length and a bunch of other numbers, and it calculates the proper neck angle for you. With my Strat, it came out to something like 0.03 degrees (essentially flat) so no shim for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ibentmywookie Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 sure. but i'm getting the new Squier with the vintage-distanced plate and goofy bridge/saddles.. Whoops, my bad! I have to learn to reread the original post before posting. Please share your thoughts on the differences between the Mascis Squier and the Vintage Modified Squier when you get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gambit Posted July 21, 2012 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 Whoops, my bad! I have to learn to reread the original post before posting. Please share your thoughts on the differences between the Mascis Squier and the Vintage Modified Squier when you get it. i'll try and get a decent video up asap. maybe monday night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 I'll never shim if it's unnecessary, and in my experience, a shim isn't necessary if you're running .011s on a Jazzmaster. If you're running a smaller string gauge, you may then benefit from bridge swaps, neck shims, buzzstop, etc. I prefer the simple solution, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V Posted July 21, 2012 Members Share Posted July 21, 2012 Jazzmasters actually come (and came originally) stock from the factory with shims in the neck pocket. I don't know if the Squiers are the same way or if, perhaps, they have angled the neck pocket a bit, but my AVRI can't really set up properly without the shims. The bridge just doesnt go low enough. With them, however, it plays quite nicely. I think I have like part of a popsickle stick in there that happened to be the right thickness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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