NSD (new Staytrem day)

[neils]

Well I just spent 4 minutes of my day installing the Staytrem bridge into my recent Classic 60's Lacquer Jazzmaster. I had previously (after stuff just moved on its own) reset the radius to 7.5"s, and used a touch of Loctite to keep the saddle height in place. I had also added a 1/2 degree Stewmac neck shim. Those two things alone were a great improvement........

But then the Staytrems were back in stock and only $86 to my door from England. I loosened the strings and pulled the stock bridge, dropped in the Staytrem and tuned the guitar. I'll be damned if the out of the box action and intonation need very very little adjustment. In fact I've been playing for hours and I've adjured nothing so far.

Just a factoid, the diameter of the stock Fender bridge studs that fit into the body thimbles is .260"
The Staytrem is .245" So the Staytrem is an easy fit and allows for a bit of rock as it should.

I went with the Staytrem over the Mastery because it was a drop in, has few parts, preset radius and required no mods to the guitar. It's also $100 less.
That said, anyone got a Mastery and a micrometer and could/would measure the diameter of the studs?

I wonder because for all the AVRI parts on the MIM CL 60's Fender went and spec'd a "different" spec AVRI-ish bridge for the MIM guitars? Why? Fenders Website shoes ONE replacement JM bridge, the AVRI one. No mention of USA or MIM build. Wouldn't it make sense to make ONE JM style AVRI bridge and not a USA and a MIM one? You'd think the accountants would think so.

Note: Since writing this I've had it confirmed by Mike of http://www.mmguitarbar.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; that YES the Fender USA JM bridge and the MIM JM bridge while looking identical do really have different size studs and thimbles which is what everyone says BUT, but the Staytrem site makes no mention that using their bridge on a USA thimble vs a MIM will result in excessive play of a Staytrem in a USA thimble. I'd love to know the diameter of the Mastery stud on their bridge.

Anyone have a Mastery and a micrometer?

Neil

[andy_tchp]

Mastery Bridge posts (on M1 model) are 7.83mm or .308" diameter according to this thread.

The 'M2' posts that some Fender Japan guitars require are slightly larger.

[andy_tchp]

BTW the tension of the strings would make 'excessive play of a Staytrem in a USA thimble' fairly unlikely (define 'excessive'?)

My (stock) bridges don't touch the thimble walls, even with fairly wild tremolo (ab)use.


(There must be dozens of people on this forum alone that have used Staytrem bridges on American made instruments who have nothing but high praise for these products... )

[Gavanti]

I don't think I'd call it excessive either. In fact, the only problem I've had with a Staytrem was a 7.25 on a guitar with narrow but not snug bridge thimbles. The bridge would end up stuck in a position that forced the strings against the edges of the bridge base. However, when fixed or free moving (as in the older US thimbles), I've found the Staytrem to be trouble free.

[Chippertheripper]

I just dropped one into my vi. It took longer than 4m to get it installed, restrung, and intonated though.

[neils]

I found on the Mastery site a .310 diameter mentioned so that would not fit the stock thimbles in my 60's CL. A .245 post in a .310 USA thimble would be a good deal more play than mine has. Compared to a Mastery which is a non rocking design some would call a Staytrem in a USA thimble excessive

I'm 100% satisfied with the Staytrem.

Neil

[Embenny]

I just dropped one into my vi. It took longer than 4m to get it installed, restrung, and intonated though.

I've got one on my VI as well. It was an absolute godsend.

I will admit that both of my Mastery bridges have recently started making some disturbingly loud buzzing/ringing sounds (each for different reasons that I have diagnosed but not yet corrected), but my Staytrem is just as perfect as when I installed it. For that reason, the two new bridges I ordered a month or two ago for my upcoming projects were both Staytrems.

I had a honeymoon period with the Mastery and will still use these two, but I'm having to diagnose and fix as many or more issues as I ever had to on a stock bridge - and more than I ever had to do to a Mustang or Staytrem bridge. The Staytrem is just an impeccably designed and manufactured update to the Mustang bridge design, and will be what I stick with from now on.

[andy_tchp]

I found on the Mastery site a .310 diameter mentioned so that would not fit the stock thimbles in my 60's CL. A .245 post in a .310 USA thimble would be a good deal more play than mine has. Compared to a Mastery which is a non rocking design some would call a Staytrem in a USA thimble excessive

In what way is it 'excessive'?

I believe you're over-thinking this. The Mastery thimbles have close to the same internal diameter as Fender USA thimbles (the replacement thimbles Mastery used to sell before they started making/selling their own in stainless steel were Fender parts...)

Your Classic Lacquer has much smaller thimbles (with regards to internal diameter at least) than vintage-spec Fender USA offerings.

[andy_tchp]

I will admit that both of my Mastery bridges have recently started making some disturbingly loud buzzing/ringing sounds (each for different reasons that I have diagnosed but not yet corrected)

Those bloody intonation springs? I added clear heat-shrink to all of them to stop the buzzing on mine [2].

[neils]

Excessive play was the description by one of the Mikes of mmguitarbar of Staytrem's fit into USA and or Vintage Jazzmasters. .245 into .310.
That would rock far more than a Staytrem into a MIM thimble. A Mastery has pretty much zero rock by design.

That's what I'm saying.

Neil

[BearBoy]

The Staytrem bridge was designed to work with US guitars, not MIM ones. At the time Staytrem started making their bridges there were no MIM Jaguars/Jazzmasters with vintage style rocking bridges, just TOMs.

The amount it rocks in a US guitar is not "excessive" but as per design. If you want a non-rocking bridge then they will supply a modified one but they don't recommend this if you intend to use the trem. These modified bridges won't fit those MIM models that have the newer narrower thimbles.

Mastery approached this differently and designed their bridge not to rock.

[andy_tchp]

Seems a strange description to use - The internal diameter of the thimble doesn't change how much the bridge rocks under normal use of the vibrato (and it's really not a huge amount anyway), unless the thimble is so small that it physically impedes rocking after a certain point, which would be a bad thing for tuning stability; The Mastery is completely fixed and doesn't rock, but by design.

The Staytrem is designed to rock back and forth just like traditional Fender offset bridges, so the use of 'excessive' (implying that something is faulty, sub-optimal or not as the design intended) is bollocks.


EDIT: BearBoy got in first while I was typing this up.

[Chippertheripper]

I thought we all pretty much picked up a guitar to rock excessively.

[neils]

Ok so at this point we are all saying the same thing. One rocks and one doesn't.

As for the experience of the guys at a shop that is Mecca for Offset fans with a Staytrem in Vintage
and USA guitars I just relayed it. Wether you believe it or not is your thang.

Neil

[tammyw]

I've got a pair of Mastery M2 posts and they're about 0.321", although out of all the MIJ and CIJ guitars I've tried, they've never fit.