Hello - and a Vibrato arm question

ksargent

Hi,

Well, I just came home with my first Jaguar today - a candy apple red MIJ with an "Sxxxxxx" serial number - so my first step was to find the Jag owners forum 😉 I'm a long time Tele and Strat player - so the Jaguar is something new and different. So far, I'm wondering if I should have been playing one all along - I'm really enjoying the sound. I'm playing through a moderately long effects chain into a Vintage Sound VS-20 and I am already getting tone to die for in the first couple of hours!

My question has to do with the Vibrato arm. The one that came with the guitar has a groove on the insert part which one of the guys at the music store said needed something like an o-ring? The problem is the arm is really loose - it's not even tight enough to give a positive feel when using the vibrato. I became confused when I began to read descriptions of the MIJ vibrato arm as NOT having a groove. So I am wondering now: do I need a gasket of some sort, a new arm, or a new vibrato? I am perfect willing to replace the whole thing if I need to - I just want it to work properly as it is part of what I want to use the guitar for.

thanks and I'm looking forward to learning all about Jaguars here.

warm regards

Ken

HNB

Do you have it pushed in all the way? Pressure holds it in place. If you remove the tremolo and look under it, the collet the arm goes in to have teeth. With the arm pushed in, you can use plyers to gently squeeze the teeth inward more to hold the arm more securely.

There re aftermarket products like Staytrem that help lock the arm in place. Some will pick up a classic player collet to swap in because it has a threaded arm and collet like a strat.

Hope that helps! Glad you are liking your Jaguar. I love mine.

hoddyman

Some newer vibrato arms are threaded, and I don't know about those, but the classic Jaguar/Jazzmaster vibrato arm sort-of clips in to it's collet. It's notoriously a bit loose. I've found a "Lock-Tite" product variation ( I've forgotten it's exact name) that creates enough friction to keep the arm wherever I put it. It's some blue liquid in a little tube made to stiffen screws in their threads without making them immobile, and it does the job with my vibrato arm. I've had it on for over a year, now, and I haven't had any difficulties with it, and I haven't even needed to re-apply the stuff yet. Be careful, if you try to squeeze together the four prongs of the collet to tighten the hold on the arm, as they break off easily, and then you'll have to order a new collet from Angela Instruments, or somewhere.

ksargent

Thanks so much for the answers! I used some teflon tape to temporarily help with the problem. I realize that is not the best or most permanent solution so I will continue to explore other routes. What you are telling me seems to be that my vib arm is behaving normally and that helps a lot.

Regards

Ken

robertoriginal

for the tele i built myself years ago i put a u.s. jag vibrato on it, but had a jap arm on hand. i took about 10 mins, grabbed a file and sorta square it off a bit and made a "lip" so when i pushed it into the collet it locked in like a u.s. arm does.

its been that way ever since and that was.... 7 or 8 years ago now.

ksargent

Update - I just received an American Vibrato (from Angela Instrument - thanks for the recommendation) and arm. So - I will put that on when I change strings. Speaking of mods, I see absolutely no reason to do anything with the pickups - they sound fine to me. I know that some disagree - perhaps it's that they are simply well-suited to what I want to use the guitar for. I do hear of people changing the control plates - not sure why. btw, I also put on a Mustang bridge which is working out quite well.

thanks - I am loving this guitar!

Ken

robertoriginal

i have never heard of anyone changing the control plates. that is stupid, metal is metal is metal is metal.

ksargent

sigh - well I got the tremelo assembly (p/n 0054466000) and an American arm (p/n 1766906537) and the arm seems to be too big to fit into the tailpiece. Glad I checked it before I installed it. So - my question now is: how does one know which arm to buy? The arm that I got seems to flare out just a bit at the end and there seems to be no way to get it into the assembly.

Ken

robertoriginal

take the arm, and shove it really hard into the trem. you will hear/feel a click. then it is in place. i have never had an american arm not fit into a jap peice. or vice versa. and the mexican stuff is threaded isnt it? i have no idea about the newer jag stuff, but i would guess its all the same as the japanese stuff.

ksargent

Robert - It's not a matter of the arm simply not getting seated correctly; the diameter of the the arm is larger than the diameter of the opening. I know the click you are speaking of - but this arm will not fit at all. The analogy that comes to mind is trying to fit a 3mm bolt into a 2mm hole. The difference isn't as pronounced as in that example, but you get the idea.

Ken

ksargent

Well measurements don't lie. The opening and the diameter of the bar's flared end are both 0.190" so I guess the solution is more elbow grease. thanks for your answers.

Ken

HNB

You need an American tremolo arm collet. Japanese arms are slimmer so if you get an American arm (which is bigger), you need an American bushing sleeve for the arm to fit in to. 😉

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-USA-Jazzmaster-Jaguar-Tremolo-Arm-Receptacle-Bushing-Sleeve-0054471000-/370666285712?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item564d6eaa90

ksargent

But my tremelo (or at least the one I am trying to use this this arm for is an American one). In fact, taht's the whole point of the exercise - to switch the Japanese original tremelo for the American one. Since this afternoon, I have come to the conclusion that the arm is defective. I've pretty much decided to go ahead and get a StayTrem arm for it. But I have checked the product numbers - the arm I have is supposed to match the tremelo that I am installing.

Ken

robertoriginal

hhhmm, i read that backwords, im sorry.

i would try a good ole file and just make it work. i know i did this years ago, and altho its not the prettiest thing in the world it functions perfectly.

ksargent

Update: I received the StayTrem and installed it and the new Vibrato assembly. I am very happy with the StayTrem - it stays put and moves easily. It was an ordeal getting the stock collet off of the Vibrato tailpiece however. I finally removed the plate from the assembly and turned with a socket wrench while my neighbor held the plate with a set of towel-wrapped vice grips. But - the plate was no worse for the wear and the assembly works well. I seem to hear some more resonance coming from the guitar when I play it acoustically - but it may be my imagination. Whatever - I am very pleased with fix.

Kind regards

Ken