Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.



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Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby julius_deane » Wed Jul 12, 2017 11:45 pm

I've been looking at the Squire VM Jaguars pretty much since they were announced, but I never pulled the trigger, partially because I was more focused on other things, and also because some of the ones I tried in stores didn't impress me.

But recently, I found a good deal on one on eBay because it needed a new nut. A few days and some fretboard damage later, I'd changed my first nut and had the guitar playable.

I switched out the bridge with a cheap Mustang-style bridge and made some cosmetic changes to complete the all-white look I've been GASing for.

However, there are a few issues I'm still having a few minor problems that I'd like to address.

First, I'm still getting some buzzing from the bridge, sometimes because the strings are hitting the end of the intonation screws, other times because the height adjustment screws are loose.

I think I've got most of the issues adjusted well enough, but I'm still having some imperfections in the intonation. The saddles need to be moved back farther, but this will push the screws up to cause an issue again.

I've thought about getting a different bridge again, but I worry I'll just have similar issues. I've also considered trying to find bigger saddles, shorter screws, etc.

Also, the main volume pot is basically unusable. Any setting less than 90% might as well be off: the volume and tone both drop excessively.

I considered upgrading the pots, but I wonder is a treble bleed mod would be a more efficient project to tackle first.

Anything else I should consider? I don't think I've ever figured out exactly how to set the floating trem adjustment.

edit: I should have mentioned that I like the standard Jaguar switching and have no desire to change it. Although I'd love suggestions for how to *add* switches!

Now the fun part: pics!

Image
Image
Image
Image
more here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4jWjre
Last edited by julius_deane on Thu Jul 13, 2017 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby drolo » Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:07 am

That volume knob looks killer ! Where did you find that?

For your height/intonation issues you might want to try to shim the neck.

As far as the volume and tone tapers go, try indeed to put in a bleed cap (and resistor perhaps) for the volume. Depending on the value of your pot you will need to test what values work best.

For the tone knob, try a smaller cap value.

If you still have issues with the rattling screws you could use loctite. Or what I usually prefer is just inserting a bit of sewing thread in the holes before I put in the screws.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby oscillateur » Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:11 am

My Fender Japan Jaguar looks quite like that (slightly different whites though) :thumb:

There are a couple of useful wiring-related mods that only cost you some time and a bit of wire :

- Wiring the two on/off switches so that you get both pickups in series when they're both down (instead of no sound)
- Replacing the strangle switch by a phase control for one of the pickups (which changes the sound when they're both on, series or parallel)

I did that on mine years ago using this diagram as a base, it worked fine :

JagSeriesMod.jpg
JagSeriesMod.jpg (63.92 KiB) Viewed 6597 times


Also, while you're at it, shielding the pickup/controls cavities with copper tape is a good thing to do. Get the tape type that is conductive on both sides so that you can make them overlap to keep continuity, and don't forget to make the copper tape overflow a bit on the top to that it gets in contact with the bottom of the pickguard. You want a continuous ground connected box around the pickups for shielding...
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby oscillateur » Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:14 am

Also, about the bridge : I also used a Mustang-type one and it works fine. Are you sure the radius of the bridge you used fits the one of your guitar ?
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby julius_deane » Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:55 am

drolo wrote:That volume knob looks killer ! Where did you find that?


https://reverb.com/item/3146644-endangered-audio-research-ad4096-knob-1in-white

I got the tip from Skully / Dirgey.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby julius_deane » Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:02 am

oscillateur wrote:My Fender Japan Jaguar looks quite like that (slightly different whites though) :thumb:

There are a couple of useful wiring-related mods that only cost you some time and a bit of wire :

- Wiring the two on/off switches so that you get both pickups in series when they're both down (instead of no sound)
- Replacing the strangle switch by a phase control for one of the pickups (which changes the sound when they're both on, series or parallel)
[/attachment]

Also, while you're at it, shielding the pickup/controls cavities with copper tape is a good thing to do. Get the tape type that is conductive on both sides so that you can make them overlap to keep continuity, and don't forget to make the copper tape overflow a bit on the top to that it gets in contact with the bottom of the pickguard. You want a continuous ground connected box around the pickups for shielding...


I've seen some of these mods, but I like the way all the Jaguar switches work. I think I'm one of the only people who doesn't see the Jaguar's original design as a collection of things that need to be "fixed".

I appreciate the tips, tough, and I'll keep them in mind if there's something I feel is missing down the road. I do like the idea of phase switches, but not if I have to lose what's there now.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby julius_deane » Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:19 am

oscillateur wrote:Also, about the bridge : I also used a Mustang-type one and it works fine. Are you sure the radius of the bridge you used fits the one of your guitar ?


Good question. Which bridge did you buy?

I just assumed it was 9.5, but the listing doesn't say.

I could just replace the saddles in the original bridges, but I don't want to spend $20 for another fix that might not totally work.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby julius_deane » Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:24 am

drolo wrote:For your height/intonation issues you might want to try to shim the neck.

As far as the volume and tone tapers go, try indeed to put in a bleed cap (and resistor perhaps) for the volume. Depending on the value of your pot you will need to test what values work best.

If you still have issues with the rattling screws you could use loctite. Or what I usually prefer is just inserting a bit of sewing thread in the holes before I put in the screws.


I should have mentioned that my intonation is a bit flat on most strings. I see a lot of people saying shim the neck on these, but I've been hesitant to do that for some reason.

Thanks for the other tips. I happy with how the tone knob works now. But that might change with other mods?
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby repoman » Thu Jul 13, 2017 2:12 pm

The two mods I did to mine that were well worth it was a Staytrem bridge ($100) and some AVRI pickups ($70)
The AVRI pickups make an incredible difference and they are very cheap brand new. Stock pickups are way too hot and super treble heavy.

An AVRI tremolo unit is worth it if you can find one used for a decent price, the MIJ Tremolo is junk and not really an 'upgrade'

I also did the Johnny Marr wiring which is imo much more useable than the standard Jag wiring, its not too difficult to do, but there was an error in the diagram available on the Fender website that took me a while to find to get it to work right.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby julius_deane » Thu Jul 13, 2017 2:33 pm

repoman wrote:pickups are way too hot


unpossible

repoman wrote:The two mods I did to mine that were well worth it was a Staytrem bridge ($100).


I was just looking at these, but I'd need to find a deal on a used one. I'm not spending half what the guitar cost on a piece of metal to fix what, to me, is a minor issue. I do see why it's a great upgrade, though.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby Ghost Hip » Thu Jul 13, 2017 2:54 pm

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/ ... rs-jaguars

This article was published recently. I read it on a lunch break at work and it enlightened me on how to set up Jazz/Jags. I was a bit baffled I was not aware of certain aspects of the bridge/tailpiece.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby oscillateur » Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:51 pm

Even if you like the way the Jaguar works buy default, wiring it so that the two pickups switches down give you both in series is a good thing to do. You don't remove anything, you just add a new sound.

My bridge was 7.25" radius, just like my MIJ Jaguar's neck. There are several types of bridges I think so it's worth checking..
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby julius_deane » Fri Jul 14, 2017 9:52 pm

Thanks, everyone.

I watched a video about a full Jaguar setup and learned a lot. I'll read that article, too.

https://youtu.be/JmdLbZzJyhE
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby odontophobia » Sun Jul 16, 2017 8:56 am

I'm pretty sure the neck radius on the VM stuff is 9.5" so your bridge could be a little wonky.

I upgraded my JM with a lot of stuff (basically scrapped everything but the body) so I'm a bad judge of this. Heh.
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Re: Finally got a VM Jag! Recommend some [affordable] mods.

Postby mathias » Sun Jul 16, 2017 9:16 am

Better bridge seems necessary, but I agree about the bridge costing as much as the rest of the guitar. That's why I started collecting parts for (and finally after 2.5+ years, built) a parts Jazzmaster for a Mastery bridge.

This is a tangent, but has anyone tried the new American pro bridges on other guitars? I see loaded bodies for Am Pro jags and Jazzmasters on Reverb, so shops are already parting them out.. I'm not sure whether the radius or the bridge thimbles are the same on those, though.
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