Jazzmaster tips and tricks?

[PFDarkside]

I have a Cranberry flake Jazzmaster body and a neck on order with matching headstock. I need to order everything and just want to make sure I’m not making any mistakes, and looking for tips and tricks.

Neck is easy, like any other Fender style.

I am thinking of doing a prewired harness like GunStreet and Duncan’s Silencers to make the wiring a bit easier. I know I need a Warmoth Pickguard as the Warmoth Jazzmaster shape is unique. I think I’ll order the bridge from Warmoth as I assume that’s the one they plan their bodies for. Does the bridge need inserts? Is a drill press the best way to press them in? I am thinking of mounting the neck, then using yarn (like Pusheen) to align the bridge, tremolo, pickups and Pickguard.

Am I missing anything and does anyone have any tips or tricks for a Jazzmaster newbie?

Also I’m torn on the Pickguard…. Pearl, Vintage Pearl, Parchment, Mint or Black.

 

[Rick]

On the pickguard, the classic on a deep red would be, black or tortoise. Have you asked for some swatches? Then you can hold them up to the picture and see how they look. Flake seems to also benefit from some sort of pearloid. And in the spirit of the UW, think about a red pickguard? I think warmoth only has ruby red pearl now, which probably is even better then the normal red, if you want to be matchy-matchy.

What I typically do, before mounting the pickguard, is mount the bridge and trem, then mount only the pickups in the pickguard, don't do any soldering, place the pickguard on the body put don't drill, 'cause you want to see how things line up, use tape to hold down the pickguard, mount the tuners on the neck, then put the neck on and string up the two E strings. After it's strung up make sure the strings align nicely on the neck, sometimes there's a little bit of wiggle left and right in the neck, and then lock down the neck so the strings are where you want, hold down the pickguard with tape. Then make sure the pickups align nicely with the strings, then drill and affix the pickguard.

Also if you're going with a standard jazzmaster bridge, then have Warmoth insert the inserts. Saves you the worry of damaging the finish. If you haven't done that, then I make sure the holes are clear of paint, and then carefully, knock the inserts in with rubber mallet till they are flush with guitar top. Others here may of better methods.

That will be a solid guitar!

 

[Tretgeraet]

I think I’ll order the bridge from Warmoth as I assume that’s the one they plan their bodies for. Does the bridge need inserts? Is a drill press the best way to press them in?

I have no experience with the Jaguar/Jazzmaster bridge, but from the looks of it, it uses the same aluminium mounting cups as the Mustang bridge.

For pressing those into my Mustang, I used my thumb. I'm serious, they were very easy to push in. Also, the cups are not recessed, their rim completely covers the hole, in case you have to clear them of paint.

 

[PFDarkside]

I’ve for

I have no experience with the Jaguar/Jazzmaster bridge, but from the looks of it, it uses the same aluminium mounting cups as the Mustang bridge.

For pressing those into my Mustang, I used my thumb. I'm serious, they were very easy to push in. Also, the cups are not recessed, their rim completely covers the hole, in case you have to clear them of paint.

That’s a big relief as I orders as quickly as possible so someone didn’t snatch it out from under me!

 

[PFDarkside]

On the pickguard, the classic on a deep red would be, black or tortoise. Have you asked for some swatches? Then you can hold them up to the picture and see how they look. Flake seems to also benefit from some sort of pearloid. And in the spirit of the UW, think about a red pickguard? I think warmoth only has ruby red pearl now, which probably is even better then the normal red, if you want to be matchy-matchy.

What I typically do, before mounting the pickguard, is mount the bridge and trem, then mount only the pickups in the pickguard, don't do any soldering, place the pickguard on the body put don't drill, 'cause you want to see how things line up, use tape to hold down the pickguard, mount the tuners on the neck, then put the neck on and string up the two E strings. After it's strung up make sure the strings align nicely on the neck, sometimes there's a little bit of wiggle left and right in the neck, and then lock down the neck so the strings are where you want, hold down the pickguard with tape. Then make sure the pickups align nicely with the strings, then drill and affix the pickguard.

Also if you're going with a standard jazzmaster bridge, then have Warmoth insert the inserts. Saves you the worry of damaging the finish. If you haven't done that, then I make sure the holes are clear of paint, and then carefully, knock the inserts in with rubber mallet till they are flush with guitar top. Others here may of better methods.

That will be a solid guitar!

I have three samples coming, and I wouldn’t mind having about 9 more! I don’t know how many I can issue before sales says no. However based on Aaron saying that Pickguards are one of the most returned items, it makes sense why samples are free.

I think it needs to be more neutral than red pearl or tort, since the cranberry is a very specific color that’s halfway between red and purple. I think black and parchment with aged white/cream plastics is the safest path. We’ll see….

Also, a Jazzmaster pickups are direct mount right? So there are a lot of “moving pieces” that need to be aligned. Definitely going to tape them all down before proceeding!

 

[Tretgeraet]

Also I’m torn on the Pickguard…. Pearl, Vintage Pearl, Parchment, Mint or Black.

With a body color as vibrant as that, you won't be in any danger of overshadowing it with a flashy pickguard. So IMO you could go wild with something like saphire or ruby pearl, or black sparkle.

If you want something simple, more focus on the cranberry flake, I'd go with black/white/black or maybe black/red/black.

Tastes are different there, but I wouldn't go with anything too bright. I would be afraid it would kinda look like a napkin or a bib.

Edit: Damn, I was too slow!