Considering the era back when this trem was devised, musically it was only meant to be pushed maybe one or two half steps down only and back in tune if you're lucky and pulling up was more of a risk than an option. It was more about getting that "trem wiggle" effect. Leo Fender had no concept of "dive bombing" with his design. But Hendrix did...
That was so helpful. Having dismantled my Jazzmaster Pro II tremolo I wasn't sure on the correct way to get it setup again. This is my first Jazzmaster and was having trouble getting it to work properly, so I dismantled it to get my head around understanding how it works. Unlike a Strat or Bigsby the workings of a Jazzmaster are a hidden mystery. Thanks for doing the complete walk through on setting up a Jazzmaster Tremolo.
I just wish to express my gratitude and to give thanks to you! I've had my Fender Modern Player Jaguar for 6 years, thought it was broken but just needed to loosen the screw as you said at the end! Keep rocking'!
I have an American Professional Jaguar that recently started giving me all kinds of extra noises when I played unplugged. Eventually, the noise grew sufficiently unsubtle that I was able to locate the source as vibrations from the tremolo arm's sleeve. (I almost never have the arm screwed in.) When you mentioned the lock, I said "So that's what that is" and tried it out. And now, as far as I can tell, no noise. Cool :). To sum up: Great video. Thank you!
Wow! Hands down, the BEST explanation of that trem system EVER. Every Jazzmaster/Jaguar should come with a link to this video. I’ve used Floyd’s for years and was never as intimidated by those as I was this trem. LOL I guess it’s because I can see what’s going on with the FR. As the proud owner of two Jazzmasters and a Jaguar…I’m now understanding how it all works. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
Oh man, you helped me a lot with this video. I was not aware of how the system worked. After playing many years with fixed bridges and only having played on a bigsby equipped guitar for tremolo effects I bought a jazzmaster, very happy with it... only something was buzzing on the tailpiece all the time... it was the spring which was to loose... so after seeing your video I could fix that! Makes sense!
Great vide pretty well explained on the Tremolo plate. that's how mine works The main feature of the locking tremolo is case you break a string the guitar will not go out of tune and still be playable until the song is over and replace the broken string an ingenious design by the great late Leo Fender.
Livlos if the trem is locked, and you do a blues bend where you hold a note and bend another, will the trem still make it so that the note you dont bend will be out of tune?
Except that it doesn't lock the trem. It just stops it going up. The idea is to set it so that when the switch is engaged it's at the same level as when you tuned it. Break a string, engage the lock. The trem still goes _down_. Just as normal. It just no longer goes up. You can still use the trem but you don't go out of tune from the release of string tension.
Thank you!! I bought a new (2018) Jazzmaster, played it without the tremolo tailpiece for several months. Yesterday I put the tremolo in, it was awful. I've played and worked on guitars for many years, but never had a JM before. Your explanation was perfect - simple, to the point, and ACCURATE. Fixed it in 15 minutes, didn't lose the strings, and it plays great now. Great job, hope you keep the videos up.
Just got my kcjag today... Fender's behind on them and of course, she was way out! Tune, d string intonation, and I had a floater that was too unstable LMAO! I will say this being my first Jaguar, the thing has crazy sustain! Preamp on my amp was going off like I had a tube screamer in front... I'm impressed by just how loud it is unplugged and that sustain, beats any strat I've owned! That screw will save me some time, thanks!
Thanks man , very interesting video , you taught me how to set up my KC jag trem , now i want to find another video that shows how to set up the rest of the guitar . Greetings from Beirut
Thanks a lot for the video. I just got a Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI, and I being an Ibanez Original Edge floating trem guy I was looking at this thing like "huh??" But your video helped me to understand what I was dealing with without having to tear everything apart. I just ordered a Staytrem bridge for it and when it arrives I'll tear everything apart and get it set up and lubed per your explanation. Thanks again! I love YT!
Hey friend I just got my Staytrem and I've got the VI exploded on the bench. Question- my locking switch is difficult to move back and forth and I was wondering how to remedy this?
Brother you just helped me so much. Now my issue is the crappy bridge and intonation issues. Those saddles don’t have enough room to get it right but at least my floating system is working now. The guy I bought it from did the same exact thing you were talking about with over tightening everything.
Thank you so much! I've successfully set up my tremolo system on my jaguar and along the way also found that my lock piece has a defect which is a pain, but I can live with it. Even with the spring piece completely disassemble and removed from the tail piece plate, the lock piece sometimes gets stuck in it's own edges cavity, it can happen when sliding to both lock and unlocked positions. When analysing the lock piece I realised that between it's top exterior part and the tail piece plate sits a double wave spring coil washer*, this washer is what causes the problem, the washer is somehow deformed and sometimes gets stuck stopping the lock from sliding. I thought about somehow disassembling the lock from the tremolo plate and replacing the defective washer. I found I am unable to disassemble the lock because it's bottom part (nut), the one that sits under the tail piece plate, has the bottom end of a screw inside it, no cavity for a screwdriver to fit in it and unscrew it from this end, looks to me like the head of the screw is the lock button itself, I realized no tool can unscrew the lock piece, it seems Fender wants it to be this way, I read somewhere Fender apllies a Loctite type compound on the screw threads, so it's no easy task. I did try to unscrew it somehow though, as both top and bottom (nut) of the lock piece are round, I tried holding both ends with pliers, used cloth in between not to scratch the lock, I know that doesn't help with getting a good grip, but I don't wanna scratch the parts, apllied a good amount of strength, but with very little grip it didn't unscrew at all. I found a workaround for the problem, when the washer gets stuck I spin the button with my fingers and eventually it's released and I can slide the lock button, until the next time it happens... It's difficult to jam your fingers between the strings and spin the button, but buying a new tremolo system to replace this defective one costs me about 109€, best retail price in Europe, I don't slide the lock button so often to spend this amount of money, so I'll continue spinning the button until the day I die! 🤣 *some older lock piece models seem to use a simple white colour, maybe plastic, washer between the lock piece nut and the tremolo plate, other models seem to have no washer at all.
The above described one of the issues I had with a new mexican fender kc jaguar guitar, a few days later I had more issues and ended up returning it. Later I purchased the same guitar again and fortunately it had zero issues, this time it took 2 minutes to set up the tremolo system, so thank you so much for your video, it's awesome!
So if you set it up to floating, can you do double stop bends and all that without going out of tune somewhat like on a strat?( Without holding hand on bridge of strat...) I have found bigsbys don't really lose tuning say if I do a wholestep bend on a g string and play low e at same time,...how does this compare?
Here's a question. I have an Am Pro 2, and when the vibrato tops out, it makes the click noise, when the 2 plates meet, I reckon. I have the vibrato lock engaged, and have it so I can dive bomb from E down to about A. Another video uses gaffer or duct tape in between the 2 plates to dampen the metal contact noise, but others say it's a matter of adjusting the vibrato tension screw. If it's down to how tight or loose the tension screw is, how much so, so that the 2 plates don't meet so forcefully, to make that noise?
Are there different grades of trems? I see yours is snapping in? I have a Jag MIM HH, mine screws in and has too much backlash (play) in it before it actually engages. I am looking for a replacement that has minimal play and backlash.
I have the same guitar and had the same problem. You need one of these (www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334042684527?epid=2254807784&hash=item4dc67edc6f:g:GCkAAOSwTe1dssj0) - super easy to fix.
Thanks a lot for the video and explanation! I am looking for a way to "permanently" lock the trem. Wouldn´t it be possible to replace the spring with a solid metal tube or something so there would be no give at all? I don´t need a trem anyway, so that´s why I want to do this. Also worth mentioning I want to apply this to a Bass VI which is pretty much the same thing, besides the 30" scale Any thoughts on this?
You technically could....but you would still be able to dive...but not pull... And would pretty much end up the same as engaging the lock and tightening the spring a bit more. This works well enough imo. There might be 3rd party replacement bridges with no trem...but never looked. Sorry took so long to reply...
@@Livlos no worries! I guess I´ll end up with the Jazzmaster Baritone, 30" scale but has a set bridge. Don´t really want to mess up a a nice bridge if I can get there in another way
greetings sir. i would just like to consult you of my jazzmaster. when its switched to its rhythm circuit (slider up) I notice that the volume drops when I turn down (counter clockwise) the tone wheel. the tone seems to affect the volume not like when I do it on the lead circuitry? thanks . I just wanted to ask the experts.
I don't care WHAT Fender says - it's a vibrato. That said... this video was comprehensive enough even if everything was reduced down to 'pieces of metal' and 'no big deal'.
So can I take out the spring if I don’t have a lock button. My squire Jaguar cv dose not have a button and I want to lock it in place . I don’t want anything floating. I don’t use trem bars on jaguars. Thank for the video.
My first JM bridge, (an import without a lock) let me snap the whammy bar into it, so it will stay in place, but my new one (Fender with lock) won't keep the whammy bar in place. The bar I got is smooth.. no notch. Do I have the wrong bar, or is there a way to set it so the bar will stay in?
Ozarkana I’ve been having the same problem, I guess the only way to fix it is to open it up and screw it harder. But I couldn’t be bothered doing that so I just taped the bar, works just fine and it saves you the time
On my second JM I got the new model bridge from Fender that has the typical screw in whammy like the Strats. Works fine now but it has the same issues. If i screw it in too much, the nut on the back side of it loosens up.
I don’t have a Jaguar or Jazzmaster, so maybe that’s why I am confused about the lock mechanism. When it’s locked, it’s not really locked? If you want the tension of one string not to affect the other strings, does the lock accomplish this? Thanks.
Such a great video! Would you know if the Mastery version is any different? Just ordered a guitar and got the Mastery upgrades for the Bridge/OMV, but I've never used this sort of system before. This was super informative and a great stepping stone for learning how to take care of it when it arrives!
@@Livlos thanks for the reply! The mastery was the only JM/Jag styled vibrato option they had so I ran with it. I much prefer it over a bigsby, which was the only other vibrato option available.
@@Michael_Is_Avg building a guitar from parts? The bridge is a mandatory upgrade on a jm or jaguar. But the tail piece I just don't see anything wrong with the original.
@@Livlos I'm having a custom semi hollow JM-esque guitar made from a company called Jennings. Two dudes in California making pretty cool stuff you can customize to your hearts content (and are relatively affordable). I got the mastery bridge and omv. If I was building it myself from scratch, or upgrading an existing guitar, I probably would have made sure it had a good bridge and used a traditional fender tailpiece. But I guess if there's only one option, Mastery isn't too bad (and the upgrade wasn't too much either, so no biggie)
Any suggestions on how to loosen that lock? Mine does not move as freely. It’s on there pretty tight. I can move it but I have to put some force behind it.
it cuts cost on material to have those two plates instead of one thicker piece. Thicker material would probably require high carbon steel with special attention during the tempering process in order for it spring back with out being so brittle with hardness that it potentially cracks. metal is a little like wood in this case comparible to plywood in the sense that it's more structurally sound than a solid piece.
Livlos, I was wondering if you could do a video on just setting the tremolo lock alone. I had a tough time following along. I have an American Professional Jaguar I bought new but had someone install a snap in tremolo bar. After I got it back the tremolo lock just moves freely back and forth. I reinstalled my prior tremolo bar and examined the procedure of your video that addresses the tremolo lock. Much to no avail, it still moves freely. I’m at wits end. Help!
by lock I presume you mean the button you can slide back or forwards to allow the trem to be pulled "back/up/to higher pitch" or not? if so..sure, you just need to make sure the trem is set up correctly.
Lock is for “String Memory” So if you break a string(tension changes), everything doesn’t completely go out of tune. Lock keeps the spring from pulling harder.
I'm sorry to ask but do you have any advice on how to set up the Squier trem that doesn't have the lock? Just picked one up from Reverb and the trem wont pull upwards at all. The tension screw doesnt seem to do anything. Im aprehensive about taking it to bits.
I'm not really familiar with the squier ones, but USUALLY they should work the same just minus the lock...it;s odd that the screw doesn't do anything though... If you bought it new, a lot of shops used to offer a free set up...no idea if some still do... Sorry I couldn;t help more
@@Livlos hey, thanks for taking the time to get back to me. It does sound as if your set up guide should work. Might just pay someone who knows what they're doing though! Thanks again.
@@Livlos Hey, it's working now! I was thinking about what you said about the tension screw. I'd been carefully using half and quarter turns in fear that I'd either over tighten it or have it drop out of the spring ( I'm new to Jazzmasters and trems ) and it was having no effect at all. Decided to try loosening it a lot and now it's all good. The previous owner must have had it tightened as far as it would go. Thought I'd let you know. Thanks again!
I've just taken my JM trem apart after realising the trem lock slider switch didn't seem to be working and found that it doesn't slide far back enough to reach the plate/the plate isn't long enough to reach the slider... It's like it's just been built wrong....
This really seems like common sense but this is the first time I have ever heard to do this and I have been playing guitar for a few years now. I will always do this. Thanks.
Thanks a lot. Just bought a MIJ and The arm was so low! And The lock didnt work. After This The lock works, and The arm sits Way higher with a curvature to it which allow me to use The trem as it should be. But now i Got a severe rattle, coming from either below The bridge, or below The trem plate. Another problem to fix i guess. But Thanks for The video.
My jazzmaster came in the mail. The part where you put the term arm was scraping against the high E string. I physically adjusted it a little to the side by bending the arm a bit and it was good. Then, this morning I start playing my guitar and the trem is completely stuck. Took the whole kit off and the arm is like completely stuck and unable to turn at all,,,, helpppp
Thank you for the video! My Squier Jaguar does not stay in tune when using the trem. I eliminated all the usual suspects (nut, strings, bridge, shim). Can it be the trem?
I wonder if it may just be a problem with Squires in general - My Mexican-made Fender Jag always stays in tune, but my dad has a Squire strat that won't hold tune; a friend of mine had a Squire Mustang that wouldn't hold tune but my Japanese Fender Mustang was fine. Idk, that's just my experience...Btw, great video, Livlos, I learned a lot man.👍
I have a Squier Classic Vibe Jaguar. It doesnt have a locking mechanism... however everytime i use the trem it knocks the guitar out of tune. What is happening?
The Jaguar/Jazzmaster vibrato system is far superior to the Strat system for moderate playing, however, unless you set it up correctly, you have to re-tune from the locked to unlocked. Dive bombing? Floyd Rose.
@@Livlos Yeah, that makes sense, i just adjust the tension until it feels right. I don't really understand why people are so intimidated by this trem tbh. The J Mascis model also has a tuneomatic bridge, similar to that seen on a Les Paul, does that make any difference?
