NGD - American Pro Jazzmaster 2018

[Larsongs]

I feel for you. I know hat it's like. I had all my Guitars, Amps, Recording Gear, PA, Mic's, Stereo Equipment, Mic's & Mic's Gear stolen. Some of it was irreplaceable. They never recovered any of it. Insurance paid me 10 cents on the dollar.

It's taken years to get back to a comparable level...

I'm glad you recovered some of ypur Gear & got that awesome Jazzmaster.. All the best..

Lars

[carron]

Sorry to hear about it Larsongs. We develop such a relationship with our instruments that losing them is crushing.

I was very lucky to be able to trace some of my gear to a couple local pawnshops. I think I recovered about a third, maybe less. The police did not find anything by themselves. I have not gotten back to my gear situation pre-theft, but I am happy with what I have now, life is good.

By the way, for anybody thinking about changing pickups in this model. I should note that I had to add extra foam underneath the pickups. The v-mod pickups are taller. When changing to AV65 pickups, extra padding is necessary to reach a reasonable pickup height.

[hearnoise]

Just wanted to follow up after finding this thread this week. I have the exact same guitar, haven’t swapped pickups yet, but something else was just weird about it.

Took out the plastic sleeves, yeah that was it. No idea why Fender is including these, my only guess is for people who dont use the trem. I have always thought Leo meant for that bridge to sway with the motion making the entire tremolo movement seamless. You can just look at it happening and listen as you bend back and forth. It’s really a thing of beauty in its design.

Am wondering though as i have it pretty dialed in....

Explain to me on this particular jazzmaster what the microtilt is going to do. Do i loosen something else before tightening or loosening the microtilt?

[timtam]

Am wondering though as i have it pretty dialed in....

Explain to me on this particular jazzmaster what the microtilt is going to do. Do i loosen something else before tightening or loosening the microtilt?

If everything is dialed in there should be no need for micro tilt adjustment. The Am Pro already has an angled neck pocket, so effectively like a shimmed neck.

The microtilt has always struck me as an odd thing. It's essentially Fender saying you don't need good wood-to-wood contact between body and neck. With the microtilt in action you have an air gap and the heel of the neck sitting on the flat tip of a 1/4" allen screw through the body dialled up hard against a metal plate on the back of the neck (the truss rod anchor). With the neck screws driving the screw into the plate. While switching the microtilt design from the original 1970's 3-bolt neck version to the current 4-bolt neck version may have improved stability, it's still not wood-to-wood contact.

The only thing I can imagine using it for would be testing whether a neck tilt solves any bridge problems. And if it does then putting in a permanent tapered shim.

In any case Fender say you can adjust the micro-tilt just by loosening the lower two neck screws. While leaving the two top ones tight (and the strings on). It may be a very small movement, but that doesn't fill me with confidence either. But I guess whether you loosen the top screws or not you're going to slightly distort those screws and/or the wood when the microtilt is dialled in. Much the same as with a shim in place. So maybe that aspect is no big deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ekS4KBMpVY

[hearnoise]

Am wondering though as i have it pretty dialed in....

Explain to me on this particular jazzmaster what the microtilt is going to do. Do i loosen something else before tightening or loosening the microtilt?

If everything is dialed in there should be no need for micro tilt adjustment. The Am Pro already has an angled neck pocket, so effectively like a shimmed neck.

The microtilt has always struck me as an odd thing. It's essentially Fender saying you don't need good wood-to-wood contact between body and neck. With the microtilt in action you have an air gap and the heel of the neck sitting on the flat tip of a 1/4" allen screw through the body dialled up hard against a metal plate on the back of the neck (the truss rod anchor). With the neck screws driving the screw into the plate. While switching the microtilt design from the original 1970's 3-bolt neck version to the current 4-bolt neck version may have improved stability, it's still not wood-to-wood contact.

The only thing I can imagine using it for would be testing whether a neck tilt solves any bridge problems. And if it does then putting in a permanent tapered shim.

In any case Fender say you can adjust the micro-tilt just by loosening the lower two neck screws. While leaving the two top ones tight (and the strings on). It may be a very small movement, but that doesn't fill me with confidence either. But I guess whether you loosen the top screws or not you're going to slightly distort those screws and/or the wood when the microtilt is dialled in. Much the same as with a shim in place. So maybe that aspect is no big deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ekS4KBMpVY

Thanks, great explanation, ive had it on a couple of telecasters and have never utilized it because of the exact point that you made. The neck should be flat on the pocket or its just hosed, thats my opinion.

I just didn’t understand why the ampro had the microtilt.

Double checked it today, its spot on, no need for adjustments. Ive already hit the truss rod a couple of times going to 11’s back to 10’s.

Now that i took out the plastic shims on the bridge I’ll probably go back to 11’s, seriously can’t believe how much of a difference taking those out made

[timtam]

Now that i took out the plastic shims on the bridge I’ll probably go back to 11’s, seriously can’t believe how much of a difference taking those out made

That's interesting. I wasn't sure how effective they were in stopping rocking. And what difference taking them out would make.

I guess Fender may have been trying to head-off some buyers' concerns by putting them in. There will be a segment of the market who are scared of what they read about offsets' rocking bridge 'problems'. And those who have taped offset bridge posts in the past to stop them rocking. But you don't really notice the flanged bushings before buying unless you look for them - they're not in the Am Pro marketing AFAIK.

It will be interesting to see if they reappear in Fender's future 'premium', non-vintage RI offset offerings.

[hearnoise]

True, i saw them in there but thought it was all 1 piece

I could tell from the beginning that something wasn’t correct with the way it should have been resonating and on top off that, the trem movement being stifled. Again, for someone who barely would use the trem, or someone completely unfamiliar with the necessary quirks that add up to the overall sound of the jazzmaster, I think that is who Fender aimed the ampro too. Which is why they added the plastic sleeves on the bridge, microtilt, took out the rhythm circuit etc...

I probably will eventually swap pickups. The neck and seafoam green is just too rad to get rid of it

[carron]

I think fender wanted to avoid intonation problems if the bridge slips, but it sounds better without the plastic sleeves.

If you change pickups you will need to get some extra foam to use under the pickups.

Cheers.