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Post subject: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help!
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 2:41 pm
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I have no clue why this guitar doesn't have a manual or information about it somewhere. I noticed there are two ways of changing the height of the bridge. Two flat head screws near the high and low e, and two round flat disc type things you can twist that are located under the flat head screws on their posts. I unknowingly messed with both of them and now I have a guitar that I can't intonate properly or so it seems. Any info about this bridge and which method is the proper one to change it's height would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 3:40 pm
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marty moore1012 wrote:
I have no clue why this guitar doesn't have a manual or information about it somewhere. I noticed there are two ways of changing the height of the bridge. Two flat head screws near the high and low e, and two round flat disc type things you can twist that are located under the flat head screws on their posts. I unknowingly messed with both of them and now I have a guitar that I can't intonate properly or so it seems. Any info about this bridge and which method is the proper one to change it's height would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


In every Adjusto-Matic/Tune-O-Matic style bridge I've disassembled, the flathead screw and the thumbwheel disc are the same piece, so they don't turn separately.
Seems to be the same here: CP Jag/JM bridge, Fender part number 0076230000
A screwdriver can easily scratch the guitar or the bridge. Using the thumbwheel won't, and it also guarantees you don't use excessive force. Remember to loosen the strings before you adjust the action - and adjust the relief (truss rod) before action.

You might want to consider taking the guitar to a good pro for a setup, especially if it's a new guitar.
Or you can learn to do it yourself - in this case, I quote myself from an earlier topic (quote with some edits):

If you DIY, start from these:
webrocker Jag Trem
webrocker Jag JM setup
In case you didn't get the little "Owner's Manual" leaflet with your guitar, download the
"Fender® Guitar Setup Guide - Setup information for Fender guitars including Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Mustang and other models."



And: Ask again if you run into problems - Jags (Jazzmasters, Mustangs) can be a bit tricky if one is more used to setting up Teles and Strats.
(My "additional hints" would be to check the nut grooves, use at least a .011 string set and consider shimming the neck. :wink: )


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Post subject: Re: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:01 pm
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Thank you so much sir. I will use your advice to the best of my abilities. I had a guitar tech set it up once already. but a lot of the chords just sound off still. I did it myself and I saw vast improvement, but it seems that I have to set the bass E A and D intonation lower than the G B and E. not sure why that is. But a power chord on the E A and D still sounds kinda bad. I thought that the flat head height adjuster and the other I mentioned moved independently but I'm not exactly sure. I can post right back whether they do or not. Again, thanks so much for your time and advice. It is greatly appreciated. I've been having trouble getting it to sound good since I bought it 6 months ago and it's been a headache.


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Post subject: Re: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:48 pm
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Jmattis thanks again sir. I believe you are correct. I turn one and they both move. Boy do I feel kinda silly. I am going to look through the info you posted and try again. I will post and mention how it went. Thank you again and have a great day.


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Post subject: Re: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 3:23 am
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You're welcome, and there's no need to feel silly - every one of us has their share of mistakes when learning.

But back to the subject:
The thumbwheel/flathead screw poles are for adjusting string height, or as it's often called, action.
The intonation (= relative tuning of a string played open vs fretted) is adjusted by altering the strings' free lenght from nut to saddle. That's done by moving the individual saddles; they are adjusted with the (flathead) screws located "under the strings" (on the side of the bridge farther from the neck).

I'm a bit confused on which (action/intonation - or maybe something else wrong with the setup) is your problem, but I'll say your tech didn't do a very good job.
Might be time to ask for your money back, and take the guitar to another one that knows Jags. :wink:

Edit: "a lot of the chords just sound off still" could also hint to nut problems, if you refer to open chords. The nut grooves may be too high or too narrow for the strings. Have you changed your string gauge?


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Post subject: Re: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 2:58 pm
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Well thank you. I'm not sure why I was under the impression that they did different things. But yeah, I asked the tech at guitar center in Greenville SC if he could give me a price to set the intonation and he said he would do it for free. So I guess I can't really complain ya know? But it just sounded off when I played it at home afterwards. I bought it new from zzounds.com and when I first played it I was extremely disappointed and worried that the neck was warped or crooked. But I did some reading up about it and a lot of people said new guitars sometimes need to be set up properly before they are in good playing shape. So that helped my worries a bit. Then I got it intonated and it was still off. And after a month or so of playing it like that I finally just got tired of it sounding bad and developed the courage to set the intonation myself. Like I said, it sounded much better after that. But it still sounds off. I think there might be too much or not enough neck relief, or the neck is in fact warped. After checking it over so many times I have noticed a couple things. If I set the intonation on all strings dead on pitch every string is perfect and sounds great in chords except a couple. I've noticed that when the bass E and G strings are intonated perfectly, when fretted (with the right amount off pressure) they are sharp going up the neck up until the 7th to 9th, and then they fall almost a quarter step flat. Not sure what that means but yep. Past the 12th fret every string sounds pretty flat as well.
But back to the bass E, it seems like it sounds better when intonated a bit flat as opposed to the other strings. The same with the G. I set those flat and it seems to sound better. But it's tough to get a good setup on it. I've tried setting the intonation at least 50 times in the 6 or 7 months I've owned it. Definitely frustrating. I get a lot of ringing while you palm mute as well. I've heard it's best to use higher gauge strings but I haven't yet because I've heard you might need to tighten the truss rod a bit to compensate for the added string tension. And I didn't really want to take the neck off. lol. I've been playing 9's or 10's. 10's I think though. Whichever gauge that's recommended by fender. Sorry for the book by the way, and for taking so long to respond. I have an 8 month old son and he's been with me for the past couple days, lol. Thanks for the help again.


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Post subject: Re: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:47 pm
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First of all, a disclaimer: there is no "perfect intonation" where each string plays in perfect tune on every fret.

Your symptoms [sharp on lower, flat on higher frets, worst on lowE and (unwound) G] are typical, but the amount you mention (1/4 step flat) is a lot. You could try intonating fretted (like fret 2 to fret 14), occasionally it gives a better balance, but the main cause is elsewhere.

New guitars may have been set up somewhat in the factory, but there's no guarantee the setup survived the travel to the final customer. So, it needs a full setup - again, I recommend a pro; it's a lot easier to maintain a proper setup than to create it yourself.

If you go DIY, measure your starting points (string length, nut height, relief, action, pickup height etc...) and make notes of what & how much you adjust, so you can return to the present setup if needed.
There are many possible causes to overly poor intonation, so internet diagnosing ain't easy. Just as examples; the neck may not sit properly in the pocket, strings may be bad, action and/or relief may be too high, nut grooves wrong, bridge tilted etc. - and of course there is the distant chance the neck is faulty.

On that truss rod adjustment: heel adjusting is of course trickier than headstock adjusting. Then again, it really ain't a biggie. Plus you don't need to do it every day - not even every string change (checking recommended, though).
See the video for instructions (from 3:50 forward): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKtlsps4SqY


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Post subject: Re: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:51 am
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Right. I may be reaching for perfection to a fault, I'm not sure. I play and write a lot of hard rock/punk rock stuff so power chords are bread and butter ya know? I want to believe that I'm not reaching for the unattainable. I've played numerous guitars that sounded really good in most every chord, and mine sounds great or good enough to live with on every string except that bass e. I hate that wavering sound when you strike a chord with it. It takes a lot of power away from the sound. But I will use your advice. I can tell you know your stuff. And I'm very glad I decided to start this topic. I'm going to get a pro to do a complete setup on it. That sounds like the way to go. I will also check out your link. Again, thank you so very much for your time bud.


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Post subject: Re: Fender jaguar HH classic player bridge setup please help
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:06 pm
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I just wanted to post an update saying thank you man. I purchased a new set of strings yesterday and tried to set the intonation again and the E A and D strings seem to still pull sharp a bit while fretted but I think I've reached a point where I can be satisfied. Again, thank you for your time and all your help. You rock man.


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