Why did Staytrem discontinue the adjustomatic drop in?

[timtam]

There's also the simple 'conversion' ... cup-bottom grub screws inserted upside-down into the existing AOM bushings (taken out for insertion using the screw trick). Gives you a base for any rocking bridge. Or drill out the posts on a rocking bridge and sit it on top of the AOM screw posts. Or a roller TOM (with excenter bushings to adjust post spacing if necessary).

I have one guitar that I took the posts off of an American Pro bridge and drilled out the holes. There's a bit of a gotcha with this. The posts will easily come off the cheaper bridges, but removing the posts from the American Pro can cause the baseplate metal to bend - or at least it did in my case. I can't say for sure this causes any problems, but I don't think I'm getting as solid of a metal-to-metal contact because of it. Additionally, there's not really a "home position" for the bridge, as it leans forward slightly on the AOM posts and this lean kinda varies with tremolo use.

By contrast, I really thought the Staytrem model that I bought in 2018 was a genius design - I ended up getting two of them. You put these threaded screws in the existing AOM holes, then the bridge pivots on a rounded lip that sticks up from those screws. Zero tuning issues and a lot of vibration transferred to the body.

I agree the Staytrem AOM drop-in was a clever design ...

I believe there was a second design too ... ?

I can't recall if I've seen anyone here do the version I described above (bolded). I think I saw it in the reddit offsets group. It's just basically off-the-shelf parts (upside-down cup-bottomed grub screws, M8 in size IIRC) to create something close to the Staytrem screws, that go into the existing AOM bushings, and on top of which you mount the offset bridge of your choice (vintage- or Mustang-style).

[alexpigment]

I’ve never seen the second Staytrem design but I don’t know which of the two would be objectively better. Definitely smoother pivoting but maybe the pivot range of the bridge is too great (and possibly some unwanted horizontal shifting). Would love to try it out though.

And yes, when you mentioned your idea about the cup bottom screws, I googled them and was kinda surprised about the off the shelf nature of that solution. This also has a huge advantage regarding pickguard choice since you don’t have to worry about the AOM insert thumb wheels clearing the pickguard holes. Having said that, most AOM JMs and Jags have a stupid pocket angle so it probably only affects me because I do reverse shims on them to keep the bridge height reasonable.

[pikmin]

I’ve never seen the second Staytrem design ...

I got that one on my JMJM ...
It works great . No problem .

[Mechanical Birds]

Because fuck the Tune-O-Matic bridge on Jazzmasters and Jaguars, that's why. If you made such a stupid decision to buy one of those awful instruments then you should have to live with what you've done and no one should ever help you.

How's that. Let's get a thread going.

... But the Mascis is like the best guitar Squier ever made or will ever make.

I haven’t read past this post in the thread but I whole heartedly feel like at the very least, they should have kept making those conversion thimbles that made the TOM guitars infinitely easier to switch over to what they should have been all along. I think I still have a set I’d got for a project a couple years ago that I didn’t end up finishing and I wonder how different they are compared to stock Fender thimbles or whatever.

I know Staytrem did two TOM versions, the first one that I have that just has holes instead of posts, and then the other one that had the special posts made to drop into the threaded TOM thimble things and I don’t think I’ve actually seen any of that second one in use. Though I wish the Mascis body had the typical trem route instead of the ‘modern’ one and also would rather it had traditional thimbles, that first version Staytrem drop-on Bridge is great. I’ve never really seen what the big deal was w/r/t SUSTAIN in electric guitars because a thousand times out of a thousand bands aren’t writing songs that sound like SunnO))), but I can definitely say that guitars with the moved trem route and TOM bridge setup have significantly more of it if it’s something you’ve talked yrself into caring about.

I have that first drop on Staytrem with the holes and it’s fine, definitely changes the feel and sound of these guitars though and it’s not necessarily bad. Having said that though yeah fuck a TOM on any Fender guitar, let alone Offsets. It’s funny to think that for decades these guitars were shit to most people so because a huge gap in options a lot of people just chucked TOMs in them and found it to work. I assume that finding a spare Mustang bridge in its own right was probably pretty hard considering how different things were way back w/r/t just ordering spare parts from Fender and the fact that the Mustang wasn’t being produced. Like, to fix your jazzmaster you have to fuck up a Mustang somewhere.

Has anyone gotten Staytrem dude to license the design over here yet?

[alexpigment]

... But the Mascis is like the best guitar Squier ever made or will ever make.

I don't know... I think it's tied with the Squier Deluxe JM In all seriousness, they are on par with the others made in China (aka the "real" Classic Vibe guitars), but the Mascis neck really does take it to a new level.

Though I wish the Mascis body had the typical trem route instead of the ‘modern’ one and also would rather it had traditional thimbles, that first version Staytrem drop-on Bridge is great. I’ve never really seen what the big deal was w/r/t SUSTAIN in electric guitars because a thousand times out of a thousand bands aren’t writing songs that sound like SunnO))), but I can definitely say that guitars with the moved trem route and TOM bridge setup have significantly more of it if it’s something you’ve talked yrself into caring about.

I actually think moving the trem forward was the right thing to do. I guess traditionalists would disagree, but it just makes the guitar more solid without having to worry about buzzstops or shims for increasing the break angle. I see absolutely zero downside here. I do think they shouldn't have angled the neck pocket though - it makes the bridge sit way too high and your palm can't easily rest against the guitar.

Has anyone gotten Staytrem dude to license the design over here yet?

Honestly, with the existence of the American Professional bridge now and the clever methods of using them on an AOM/TOM guitar mentioned in the last few posts, it's not a huge deal. It would be nice if someone licensed it just to have a "kit" you could buy if the price were right though.

[601210]

I do think they shouldn't have angled the neck pocket though - it makes the bridge sit way too high and your palm can't easily rest against the guitar.

It isn't on mine, as far as I can tell... the bridge is a pretty normal level of low and I'm usually pretty sensitive to that sort of thing.

If you're positive yours is, maybe there were at least 2 different runs of the JMJM? I know the pickguard was changed at some point, at least, and there were JMJMs that popped up with CV stickers.

[alexpigment]

I do think they shouldn't have angled the neck pocket though - it makes the bridge sit way too high and your palm can't easily rest against the guitar.

It isn't on mine, as far as I can tell... the bridge is a pretty normal level of low and I'm usually pretty sensitive to that sort of thing.

If you're positive yours is, maybe there were at least 2 different runs of the JMJM? I know the pickguard was changed at some point, at least, and there were JMJMs that popped up with CV stickers.

My low E string on my Squier Deluxe is less than 1/2" above the pickguard (a 3-ply pickguard, so it's a little thicker I suppose). I don't think the AOM will even let you get that low due to the metal at the bottom. Anyway, I reverse shimmed the neck to fairly-straight and that was the only way to get it to play well at this bridge height.

I also have an early JMJM with the same pocket angle. If you're not sure, set the guitar on a flat surface and measure the height of the E string from the surface of the table at the 1st fret and also where it meets the body. I suspect the latter will be much higher.

[Mechanical Birds]

Honestly, with the existence of the American Professional bridge now and the clever methods of using them on an AOM/TOM guitar mentioned in the last few posts, it's not a huge deal. It would be nice if someone licensed it just to have a "kit" you could buy if the price were right though.

If I had... literally any money, it’s something I’d pursue hard and expand to also making VI bridge covers and mutes to go with them. The metal is just better on those things than the fender stuff. I dunno if I’m as concerned about the bushings and plastic things that replace the springs on a Mustang bridge, though I’m sure either thing is better than stock. There’s like a definite difference in feel, and to me personally, sound, it’s something I really like.

Though I definitely agree wrt the American Pro bridge becoming available to buy almost in unison with Staytrem scaling back is an awesome and lucky thing for us. I’ve yet to RealAudio try one of those - excited to check one out eventually

[hwestman]

I had Halon Guitar Parts do their bridge without posts with holes to fit the Adjustomatic studs.

Worked our REALLY well. There are pictures on their Facebook page.

[timtam]

I can't recall if I've seen anyone here do the version I described above (bolded). I think I saw it in the reddit offsets group. It's just basically off-the-shelf parts (upside-down cup-bottomed grub screws, M8 in size IIRC) to create something close to the Staytrem screws, that go into the existing AOM bushings, and on top of which you mount the offset bridge of your choice (vintage- or Mustang-style).

I've since found several references to this or similar methods here at OSG ...
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... p?t=103658
https://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vi ... =8&t=55339

You remove the TOM bushings (so that the grub screw can be inserted in them from underneath, upside down) as shown elegantly here ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ppKxEIF1M
... or less elegantly here ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykWHdRypMUM

[601210]

My low E string on my Squier Deluxe is less than 1/2" above the pickguard (a 3-ply pickguard, so it's a little thicker I suppose). I don't think the AOM will even let you get that low due to the metal at the bottom. Anyway, I reverse shimmed the neck to fairly-straight and that was the only way to get it to play well at this bridge height.

I also have an early JMJM with the same pocket angle. If you're not sure, set the guitar on a flat surface and measure the height of the E string from the surface of the table at the 1st fret and also where it meets the body. I suspect the latter will be much higher.

Realized you're absolutely right, btw, just that the angle is way bigger on my other guitar so the JMJM felt like nothing in comparison. Thanks for the idea of reverse-shimming, too, I tried that on said guitar and it's the first time it really clicked with me as a guitar.