Mastery Bridges

[fuzzywolf]

I wouldn't doubt that this has been discussed before, so I'm sorry if I'm late to the party

I'm just curious if anyone has any experience/opinions on the M1/M2 Mastery Bridge for offsets. Their sales pitch seems pretty appealing with claims such as greater tuning stability, the inability of strings to fall out of grooves, eliminating saddle buzz (which I've always noticed on my jag, but never paid much attention to), and "has a dramatic effect on the transfer of string-to-body energy, giving your guitar much greater resonance"

To me, $165 seems pretty steep for a just bridge. But if it's as good as they're marketing it to be, maybe it's really worth that much more than my plebeian adjust-o-matic? What do you guys think?

[backwardsvoyager]

Mastery absolutely destroys an adjust-o-matic. No comparison really.

Depending on which features you're most concerned about there is a chance you might do better with a staytrem though.
The Mastery definitely has this weird kinda subtle enhancement of sustain/resonance on most guitars that is really cool, the strings will probably never fall out of the grooves unless they're really loose and it's not conducive at all to string breakage at the bridge end. Super solid and well-engineered.
The only things i would mention with the Mastery are that the saddles are somewhat sharp/uncomfortable to rest your palm against if you set them too high, but if you set it up with the bridge height higher and the saddle height lower this isn't really an issue. Also, the set-up/tweaking process in general can take a while depending on the guitar.

The staytrem is a good option because it's cheaper than the mastery and requires basically zero tweaking with the preset radius, it's also very comfortable to rest your palm against.
IMO the only reason to get a Mastery over a Staytrem is if you're definitely after that resonance/tonal character and the ability to tweak the setup a bit more. Otherwise the Staytrem is basically the go-to for an offset bridge that fixes all the annoyances of jag/jazz/mustang bridges.

[Strange Tales]

Probably a non issue, but how do Mastery bridge handle Bass VI strings? Not sure if the thicker gauge would actually cause an issue.

Also, anyone ever use the Mastery vibrato? Are they actually worth getting over a standard one?

[DADGBD]

Mastery bridges offer an overall stiffness to offsets that some people like, but others feel alters the character of those guitars. They can also suffer from exactly the same issues (in the same spots) that the stock bridge does. In fairness, I've heard people claim that theirs haven't - but when they do fail (I had two that did) the grub screws come loose and the saddles and bridge posts lower themselves. Not good, in the middle of a show... Ugh. Then, you're back to loc-tite, tape, glue or snot or whatever to stop that from happening. And if that isn't happening, the springs rattle. Of course, you can always glue or tape or shrink-wrap those too... but again... for a bridge that expensive, it should drop in and perform magic for the life of the guitar. Save yourself some hassle and money and go straight for a Staytrem bridge. Had them installed on three different offsets and haven't had a single issue with any of them. The one that's on my Jazzmaster has been there for a couple years and I've not had a single issue with unwanted movements, rattle or buzz.

I should also note, that if you're not a fan of the rocking bridge, by design (I'm not either) - and were looking at the Mastery because it fixes the bridge in place... John (at staytrem) offers bushings that lock the bridge in place, making it fixed - more like the Mastery. It also increases sustain, so by that... it gets even closer to the Mastery, while maintaining the original feel. Whatever you decide, they both have their positives - good luck!

[backwardsvoyager]

Probably a non issue, but how do Mastery bridge handle Bass VI strings? Not sure if the thicker gauge would actually cause an issue.

Also, anyone ever use the Mastery vibrato? Are they actually worth getting over a standard one?

i'm sure someone else who's tried it can chime in but the mastery site says the saddles work with Bass VI strings (although i don't know if they mean just the standard fender gauge as many people end up using heavier strings).
i have a staytrem on my bass vi and it's pretty much perfect though so i'd say just go for that seeing as they make a dedicated bass vi model and it's not too expensive.

i have a mastery vibrato on my purplemaster and it's pretty much perfect, there's a certain stiffness to it that takes a little while to get used to but the smoothness and stability destroys any fender unit i've tried.
obviously they're pretty expensive though so maybe it's not worth the money over an AVRI or whatever. i just went all out cos it was a custom guitar and thought 'fuck it i'll get all of the nice things', but no regrets.

[Strange Tales]

Yea, I'm planning on building a custom Bass VI (because I'm left handed so fuck me) so I'm thinking of going all out.

[backwardsvoyager]

Yea, I'm planning on building a custom Bass VI (because I'm left handed so fuck me) so I'm thinking of going all out.

i would say go staytrem + mastery vibrato (awesome that they make them all left handed as well)
bonus points if you can drill it for the MV style instead of the OMV. the backwards style ones look awesome IMO

[DADGBD]

On a bass VI, I'd go with a proper 1" bridge so it'd intonate without issue. I think the Mastery style saddle would lend itself perfectly to the heavier gauge strings... but again... the Staytrem is a proper 1" (I think he also offers a .75" version on request) and the saddle notches are deeper to accommodate the heavier gauge.

And yes.. THIS vvv

i would say go staytrem + mastery vibrato (awesome that they make them all left handed as well)
bonus points if you can drill it for the MV style instead of the OMV. the backwards style ones look awesome IMO

[Strange Tales]

Ya'll dudes helping me out.

Still need to save god damn around 1k to do this but fuck it man. I'm gonna have the best left handed bass vi

[DADGBD]

Just curious... where are you planning to get the body/neck made? USACG?

[Strange Tales]

Warmoth or USACG. I'm not really sure. I've heard really bad stories about Warmoth, so I guess USACG? I'm really not aware of anyone in the business outside of those two.

[DADGBD]

Same. Check in to the Warmoth necks. I'm pretty sure that - among other things - they only do those wonky multi-radius necks... (in which case, it might not be compatible with a Staytrem - so that might answer the Mastery vs. Staytrem question)
Lots of folks on the offset guitar forum have bought Bass VI bodies and necks from USACG and have had good experiences. I think the biggest complaint, is that once you round off the little point on the end of their headstock shape... it doesn't look EXACTLY like the Fender version. It's a bit smaller.

[HorseyBoy]

Mastery absolutely destroys an adjust-o-matic. No comparison really.

Depending on which features you're most concerned about there is a chance you might do better with a staytrem though.
The Mastery definitely has this weird kinda subtle enhancement of sustain/resonance on most guitars that is really cool, the strings will probably never fall out of the grooves unless they're really loose and it's not conducive at all to string breakage at the bridge end. Super solid and well-engineered.
The only things i would mention with the Mastery are that the saddles are somewhat sharp/uncomfortable to rest your palm against if you set them too high, but if you set it up with the bridge height higher and the saddle height lower this isn't really an issue. Also, the set-up/tweaking process in general can take a while depending on the guitar.

The staytrem is a good option because it's cheaper than the mastery and requires basically zero tweaking with the preset radius, it's also very comfortable to rest your palm against.
IMO the only reason to get a Mastery over a Staytrem is if you're definitely after that resonance/tonal character and the ability to tweak the setup a bit more. Otherwise the Staytrem is basically the go-to for an offset bridge that fixes all the annoyances of jag/jazz/mustang bridges.

Funny, but backwardsvoyager and I talked about this when our guitars got together (and I grabbed a phaser from him). And these are pretty much my thoughts exactly. I've got a Mastery on my Harvester and a Staytrem on my Jazzmaster. Mastery bridges are great but can be fiddly to set up. For me, I had to have the posts low (otherwise they'd keep sinking) and the saddles high. And getting the intonation set right - and especially making sure the intonation screws are snug - takes time. Took me lots of trial and error to get it right. With the Staytrem, I just threw it in when I got it, set the height of the posts and individually adjusted intonation for each string. I haven't had to touch it since. The fixed radius makes everything easy.
So, if you just want to "fix" the problems of an existing offset bridge, the Staytrem is probably the best bet. The Mastery will sound different - and you may well prefer that sound - but it's more expensive and harder to get right.

[fuzzywolf]

Sounds like the consensus is that Staytrem is the way to go unless I wanna pay double the cash to get the black magic resonance/tonal sorcery that comes with Mastery. I mean I like the idea of changing the sound of my guitar with a bridge, but my budget doesn't wanna handle that at this moment in time.

I'm now learning that having an adjusto-matic already on my jag requires some special attention when deciding on a replacement bridge. Staytrem offers two options for this. Option 1 is to buy Staytrem's standard Jaguar/Jazzmaster bridge and also buy conversion thimbles to accommodate this bridge. Option 2 is to buy Staytrem's drop-in replacement bridge that's specifically made to fit on adjusto-matic support posts.

The decision seems like a no-brainer since Option 2 is cheaper and obviously sounds easier to install. But would Option 1 have any advantage over 2 when it comes to playability and sound?

[backwardsvoyager]

I can't think of any reason not to go for option 2. They made the adjust-o-matic drop-in because it's apparently a bit of a pain in the ass to change the thimbles out, i know on the J Mascis jazzy they're stuck in with glue and the Classic Players etc are probably the same. If it drops right in it will be solid and won't rock around, nothing to worry about.
I'm guessing you're using one of these but remember it says "For Classic Player Jaguar / Jazzmaster, Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster and Pawn Shop Jaguarillo only."