Glad to be able to have given you some suggestions, and that you have found a solution you like. Your strings will detune slightly if you force the neck forward or backwards while playing and is often used as a technique similar to a whammy bar effect. And adding the extra springs should minimize it coming from the trem if that is where you think it origionates from.

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GUITAR: Fender USA JazzMaster.
BASS: Fender USA 58'AVRI
AMP: Fender USA SuperSonicTwin - Blonde.

I installed the 5 new springs... they are the stainless type and I do believe they are a bit stronger than the black. After going through the claw screw tightening again I believe the 3 black springs also docked the bridge fully but the screws were almost all the way in the guitar body. Now the screws are set to about when they were for normal trem operation, maybe a little further in. I tightened the screws a little further than where I thought the trem no longer contributed to detuning other strings when doing a stretch. The detunig I do detect (using an electronic tuner) seems to come from neck bending- it is very minimal and tightening the claw screws did not reduce the detuning.

I am now satisfied with the docked bridge... I'll be looking at more fine adjustments in the future to tailor the guitar to my playing style.

One quick questions... does the type and/or number of springs used to dock the bridge affect the sound characteristics in any meaningful way?

Thanks everyone for your help! Tom

I am sure the type and number of springs will somehow affect the acoustic resonance of your guitar, BUT whether you will hear the difference is debatable. On these sorts of things you really need to just experiment and find what you are most happy with. I am sure with those new stainless harder springs you could probably go back to having 3 on the trem, but find what you prefer and go with it.

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GUITAR: Fender USA JazzMaster.
BASS: Fender USA 58'AVRI
AMP: Fender USA SuperSonicTwin - Blonde.