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I’m interested in purchasing the fender vintera 60’s Jazzmaster modified.

I’ve read a lot about issues with the Jazzmaster bridges in general and thought that the vintera modified may be a good option as it has an adjusto matic bridge. Does anyone have any experience with this bridge on a Jazzmaster? Does it have the same issues as an original Jazzmaster bridge?
After looking around, most people tend to upgrade the adjusto matic bridge, even though fender advertise it as being a solution to the original Jazzmaster bridges. Shall I go for the vintera?

Or shall I go for a Squier classic vibe with a view to upgrade the bridge to a staytrem? It seems as though I can upgrade to a staytrem from an original JM bridge but NOT from an adjusto matic bridge!

Hey lewysg!
To my understanding the Vintera Modified is more or less JUST a classic player Jazzmaster. You could get one of those waaaayyyyy cheaper on the used market! Or a Squier J Mascis...with a superb neck and otherwise similar specs.

Depending on YOUR NEEDS the tuneomatic Bridge could be just what you need...or not.
But upgrading to a Staytrem means a lot of work - and also with the other options around - like Roller-Bridges - not everyone is happy with the results!

If you happen to live in the UK I‘d personally go the Staytrem (upgrade from a classic Bridge) way - but I also prefer either of the two colours of the Vintera „classic“ Jazzmaster (Ice Blue Metallic and Olympic White, both with matching headstocks - if you like them of course - also you‘d get one of those + a Staytrem for the price of the Modified Vintera).

Do you have a guitar-store close to you?
Trying a few out and actually being able to choose what FEELS BEST FOR YOU not minding if it‘s the cheaper Squier or the spec-wise expected to be nicer Vintera...

MayTheFuzzBeWithYou wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:04 pm

Hey lewysg!
To my understanding the Vintera Modified is more or less JUST a classic player Jazzmaster. You could get one of those waaaayyyyy cheaper on the used market! Or a Squier J Mascis...with a superb neck and otherwise similar specs.

Depending on YOUR NEEDS the tuneomatic Bridge could be just what you need...or not.
But upgrading to a Staytrem means a lot of work - and also with the other options around - like Roller-Bridges - not everyone is happy with the results!

If you happen to live in the UK I‘d personally go the Staytrem (upgrade from a classic Bridge) way - but I also prefer either of the two colours of the Vintera „classic“ Jazzmaster (Ice Blue Metallic and Olympic White, both with matching headstocks - if you like them of course - also you‘d get one of those + a Staytrem for the price of the Modified Vintera).

Do you have a guitar-store close to you?
Trying a few out and actually being able to choose what FEELS BEST FOR YOU not minding if it‘s the cheaper Squier or the spec-wise expected to be nicer Vintera...

Hey,
Thanks for the advice! I’ll have a look on the used market but I kind of wanted to go brand new as I plan on keeping the guitar for a long time.
What advantages or disadvantages will the adjusto matic bridge have? I don’t know whether I’m fussing too much as I’ve read so much information on the internet lately and I’m pretty overwhelmed! I don’t tend to use vibrato a whole lot in my playing so I don’t know exactly the advantages the adjusto matic will have for me.
I just want a bridge that performs well, ie the strings don’t pop out, it holds the tune well and doesn’t sink into the body (like I’ve read that all often happen with traditional JM bridges)
I live in the UK so a staytrem bridge will be the ideal solution if I went down the classic JM route.
I want to try out the guitar in person but with the lockdown, not many music stores are open. I’d probably buy off a site that offers easy returns if needed.

As said previously, The Vintera JM Modified is basically the same as the Classic Player model.
(The pick ups might be different but I’m not sure - they are definitely hotter than trad. JM pickups)
It has an AOM bridge and the main difference is the tremolo is closer to the bridge than on “traditional” Jazzmasters and Jaguars.
Fender did this on some Blacktop JMs and also the J Mascis Squier JM. See also the Classic player Jaguar and the 50th anniversary Jaguars.

Fender's reasoning for the closer tremolo position and AOM bridge are : The Adjusto-matic bridge offers stable saddles and better intonation, while moving the tremolo closer to the bridge provides a better break angle and reduces ringing.

I own a Classic Player Jaguar HH featuring the AOM and closer tremolo position and I’ve never had any problems with rattles, tuning or intonation and the whammy bar works fine. Ive been thinking about getting a roller bridge for it but it’s not out of necessity.

If you don’t use the tremolo anyway then the Vintera Mod or a classic player should be just right for you.
Of course the great thing about the Vintera 60s Modified is it comes in Surf green!

Fixed bridges like the AOM/TOM can be problematic if you use the trem a lot. The original and Mustang-style rocking bridges use high string-saddle friction to 'grip' and rock the bridge as the strings move back and forth with trem use. A fixed bridge can't do that. So the strings instead have to slide over the saddles, which needs low friction. But the AOM saddles are not designed for that - they have narrow bearing points that create high friction. So with trem use the strings may bind there or the bridge may be forced to move enough to affect tuning. Mastery tackles that problem in a fixed bridge by using wider bearing surfaces made with low friction treatment. But Masterys are not without their own issues. If you have an AOM and want to use the trem a lot, the common suggestion is to switch to a roller TOM bridge (either Wilkinson-style or non-Wilkinson style). However TOMs come in a number of variants, and finding one that has the right size posts requires a little homework (Fender has used AOMs with several different post types).

Some people do get by fine with a stock AOM, sometimes if they do other things to keep the string sliding friction low - eg don't use the trem much, don't shim the neck, use lower gauge strings.

I know all that sounds complicated. But it's similar to getting a strat floating trem to work well. Some people don't want that hassle and just block it. Others enjoy tweaking their guitars to make them work better. In some ways the AOM is easier to deal with than the rocking bridge, especially if you don't use the trem much (but then you're also less likely to run into issues with a rocking bridge). The AOM/TOM's use started in the era when people didn't know how to set up the rocking bridge. The (different) principles for optimizing fixed and rocking bridges for trem use are now well understood (here at least).

IMO a Tune-O-Matic style bridge is by far the worst option for a Jazzmaster or Jaguar for the reasons that timtam explained above. I have no idea why they are a common option. I guess I can see them working if you never use the vibrato... but I always ask myself why even get a Jazzmaster or Jaguar if you don't want the vibrato? That's half the appeal to me.

The Mastery has its place and can give good results, but they also fall victim to some of the very same problems that the original bridge is maligned for (screws that vibrate loose, weird sympathetic ringing coming from the saddles, etc).

In my opinion (and experience), the best bridge for a Jazzmaster or Jaguar is a high quality Mustang style bridge. The "American Professional" offset bridge from Fender is an excellent quality bridge, but is locked at 9.5'' radius. If you have a 7.25'' radius, I'd strongly recommend a Staytrem bridge if you can get your hands on one.