there's been a lot of discussion here about the various alternatives to the stock JM bridge, including an entry from a new contender called Tuffset. Further reading can be had at the most recent discussion which starts here and might be worth a gander. I think we came to the conclusion that all of them have pros/cons and none are perfect all-rounders but one of those three should fit an individual's needs well enough and certainly all are better than stock. Kinda same as where we're still at here.

Expense is always going to be a thing for any aftermarket solutions of course, but most of the alternatives still feel ridiculously overpriced for what they are & knowing what can be done in a machine shop.

I'm forever struggling w/ setups on JM. clients generally don't want neck shims or aftermarket mods. Sometimes you end up w/ buzz, ring or rattle that is un-resolvable.

For my money, regardless of the make or model, the best solution is a Mustang bridge to stabilize strings and facilitate proper radius and the buzz-stop roller to provide better break angle/tension.

I am learning to live w/ the bigsby on my guild and my enthusiasm for rollers has never been higher.

c jury wrote: Mon May 13, 2024 2:58 pm Sometimes you end up w/ buzz, ring or rattle that is un-resolvable.

I've played a JM as my main guitar since 1992 and have basically come the conclusion that weird sounds is part of what a Jag or JM is for. If you don't want weird buzzes, resonances from behind the bridge, other weird quirks, a JM isn't the guitar for you. Get a strat. It's kinda how all nylon string guitars have weird fret buzz and little things about them. It's part of what they are for to me. That said, yeah, pretty much any and all the after market upgrades can help the situation if it really bugs you. I never had as much of a problem with string slippage as much as when my bridge was floating in the bobbins it would slide forward and not move back to position. Mastery fixed that issue completely so I stuck with it. They are just weird guitars with weird hardware.

I once played a little Japanese offset guitar that had a bridge a lot like a JM but the saddles were literally little ball bearings with a notch carved in the side, so imagine a smaller skateboard wheel bearing with a groove carved in the side for the string to ride on as you yank the bar. It was genius and always stuck with me as such. Zero friction. Cannot for the life of me remember what it was, but I think it might have been a Magnatone or something.

Kniferide is correct. If buzz bothers you, this style of trem is not your friend.

Can you describe the exact type of sound you are trying to eliminate? Some people hate the ring. You can eliminate that with a shoelace interlaced through the strings anywhere behind the bridge. The other bridges mostly solve the string jumping around on the saddles. Or eliminate the rocking. More break angle helps with that as well.

I have a Buzzstop that came on a used guitar that you are welcome to if you want it. Super easy to install and doesn’t add any holes. Let me see if I can find it. $20 and I’ll ship it to you. If you find yourself in Chicago you can have it for free.

Well the real solution was hinted in the first post, to use the type of strings these bridges were designed for - 12s with wound G, preferably flatwound. They sound great then!

matttkkkk wrote: Mon May 13, 2024 7:33 pm Well the real solution was hinted in the first post, to use the type of strings these bridges were designed for - 12s with wound G, preferably flatwound. They sound great then!

For what it is worth, bigger strings is usually what made my bridge while floating push forward towards the neck and stay there, not moving back to "zero" if I used the bar. When it does this you are as out of tune as a guitar can get. Pretty fun stuff. Locking it in place with a Mastery or at least taping around the spindles is the only thing that solved that for me, but hey... tape is cheap. I do think the shim trick looks promising to fix some of the issues though. Easy thing to try out. I an vicious with the trem on a JM. Sometimes I don't even touch the bar I just smash the stem where it goes into the body with my fist. This is the correct way to play a fender offset, IMO.

Frankie99 wrote: Mon May 06, 2024 3:35 am I have resorted to taking the saddles I like from a bridge that doesn't fit, and swapping them out one by one into the bridge that does fit in mine. Did so in phases over the last 5 nights or so when I've had the time and inclination.

I just restrung it tonight and might see if I can get it set up here in an hour or two if I have time.

So I set it up and got it all intonated, strung with 56's and tuned to D standard. I had to file the saddle on the 56 a little bit, and I think that the tailpiece/saddle bridge holes from the body might not align well with the nut. There a significant difference in the width at the top of the neck from the nut to the 22nd fret if that makes sense. It's visible to me.

That said, it plays pretty OK and has stayed in tune so far.

Chalk up another fan of the Staytrem bridge here. I have them on my Jaguar and Bass VI, and installation is a piece of piss. They drop right into the bridge thimbles and ship set up so intonation tweaks are pretty quick.

tommy wrote: Mon May 13, 2024 5:48 pm Kniferide is correct. If buzz bothers you, this style of trem is not your friend.

Agreed. But customers want what they want, regardless of the sensibility.

I actually was able to resolve this particular buzz in an unusual way. Although it was a brand-new guitar, the neck screws were not completely seated. so tightened those, re-set the action and we were good to go.