Intimidated by the Tremolo

mountain2012

I'm thinking about buying an American 62 Jaguar Reissue because I love the short scale, offset waist, and nitro finish, but the tremolo is freaking me out. I would like to make it as hardtail as possible.

This site states: "If you don't want the Jaguar to be a tremolo guitar, you can simply lock it by turning the adjustment screw round clockwise until it bites. After this, the Jaguar will be completely hard tail."

Would I need to engage the Trem-Lock and then tighten the tremolo until it bites? Or just tighten it without the lock?

http://www.fenderjaguar.net/setup.htm

SmutVendetta

Doing this is a crime against humanity. Don't even think about it.

gilmourish

SmutVendetta said: Doing this is a crime against humanity. Don't even think about it.

this

the tremolo is fine... once its set up its all cool.. much like bigsbys and floyd roses... tis also muchhh cooler

mountain2012

The active tremolo is not an option. I severely dislike the things.

gilmourish

then dont get a guitar which is loved for its tremolo >.>

mountain2012

^ But the short scale and offset waist are oh so comfortable!

Richie

So get a Japanese HH Jaguar instead.

DONE.

Fran

Tightening the tension screw means the slider lock wont work anyway and can be dismissed.

You should consider a HH model though like Richie said, true hard tail.

Earth

Alternatively you can do what kurt cobain done, put a block of hard rubber in there between the knife plate (the piece that is inside and moves) and body and tighten the screw so the knife plate is flush against the tremolo plate so its 100% hardtail, wont move at all. (the knife plate is sandwiched between the tremolo plate, the top bit that says fender, and the block of very hard rubber.)

That way you get the cool jaguar tremolo look, which I absolutely love, and the benefits of a stop tail set up.

I just have my trem set up correctly and dont use it, its stable as...unless a string breaks then all the other strings go up in pitch (if the trem-lok is off like on mine as it makes some noise a bit when on) but I never break strings anymore anyways. But even if you do break one, just put a new one on, tune it up and all the other strings will come back to correct pitch.

Jaguar trems have a steep learning curve compared to a strat but they really are the most simplistic design and very easy to adjust/manipulate once you know how.

mountain2012

Earth said: Alternatively you can do what kurt cobain done, put a block of hard rubber in there between the knife plate (the piece that is inside and moves) and body and tighten the screw so the knife plate is flush against the tremolo plate so its 100% hardtail, wont move at all. (the knife plate is sandwiched between the tremolo plate, the top bit that says fender, and the block of very hard rubber.)

Cool, where did you hear about this?

Also, why would someone prefer a Jaguar tremolo over a Strat one?

Fran

Earth said: Alternatively you can do what kurt cobain done, put a block of hard rubber in there between the knife plate (the piece that is inside and moves) and body and tighten the screw so the knife plate is flush against the tremolo plate so its 100% hardtail, wont move at all. (the knife plate is sandwiched between the tremolo plate, the top bit that says fender, and the block of very hard rubber.)

Because its better lol.

Matter of taste, the Jag trem seems smoother and more gradual, the Strat trem is more dramatic.

SmutVendetta

Earth said: Alternatively you can do what kurt cobain done, put a block of hard rubber in there between the knife plate (the piece that is inside and moves) and body and tighten the screw so the knife plate is flush against the tremolo plate so its 100% hardtail, wont move at all. (the knife plate is sandwiched between the tremolo plate, the top bit that says fender, and the block of very hard rubber.)

Soo very true. Its much easier to grab while playing, than a Strat trem as well.

I vote you get Jag w/ a hard tail as well...Or a Mustang cos their vibrato units suck anyway, unless ofc someone can inform me on a method of keeping that grub screw in there.

Earth

I read it in an interview when kurt was alive.

Why a jag trem is better than a strat trem? it sounds better, looks better, and just is allround better IMO if you are looking for a good trem.

Try play dinosaur jr songs without a jazzmaster trem, you cant (the songs that use the trem that is), its very unique and even mascis tells you this. You just cant imitate mascis trem use on another trem style guitar.

You have 100% control of a jazzmaster trem, where with strats you only have to tap it and the pitch changes dramatically. Not that cool stylish gradual change like on a jazzmaster trem.

A jazzmaster trem can imitate strat trems but the reverse cannot be done.

Fran

Earth said: Why a jag trem is better than a strat trem? it sounds better, looks better, and just is allround better IMO if you are looking for a good trem.

zemonsta

jaguar tremolo pwns.

Kevin Shields will tell you so himself. 😳

sonicmansuperb

Some people argue that the Synchronized trem is more/less stable than the Floating Trem and the Dynamic trem. I've got a cyclone with the tremolo stable enough to be used like a floyd rose, and stay in tune. Then you have Mad-Mike who has used the Dynamic and Floating tremolos in the same way. It's not the style of tremolo you are using that determines stability, it's the setup. Sure some are easier to get to the point of stability than others(I.E. Floyd Roses) but every tremolo offers the potential to be stable, except the gibson vibrola, that is just a bad design.

Mad-Mike

I use the two for slightly different things....

The Mustang Trem is my replacement for a Floyd Rose in my arsenal. I like the feel better, I like that it's slightly less responsive, and because the bridge moves, I have a few Steinberger Trans Trem type things I can do with it (like I can bend the pitch of the Low E down 3 whole steps and hold a power chord in tune enough to use it in a song), plus if I'm covering Van-Halen I don't need to switch to a guitar with a Gibson style bridge setup to play "Running with the Devil", because I already have the strings behind the bridge, AND the Whammy Bar. The Mustang trem is like having your cake and being able to eat it too. I don't need bloody hex keys to unlock the nut to tune, and if the string path is that stable to keep it in tune, I don't need any of that hex key crap anyway. I even found modifying one to take a foreign thread Strat bar means you can use the excess coming out the other side as a trem lock when restringing. Last time It took me about seven minutes to restring.

However, the Mustang Trem does go out of tune if you drop tune (because it floats and is more responsive), that's where my Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars come in. I notice that the tuning changes very little or not at all when I'm using drop tunings on those, and when running a Jaguar or Jazzmaster at double drop C (C,G,D,G,B,E), dive bombs like a vintage Strat trem are very possible - on my Jaguar the strings almost go as limp as they do on a Floyd Rose. I've never had one that went out of tune - on ANY Jaguar or Jazzmaster I've ever played - with a TOM or a Stock bridge. I get around the "moving string" issues on the low E by shortening the screw and adding tighter springs on the high and low E String saddles to make things more stable. I also aid this by keeping my palm near/on the bridge most of the time, holding the strings down.