OffsetGuitars.com

Returning to OSG after a several year layoff -- howdy -- and wanted to share this insight because sharing is caring.

I bought my Squier JMJM around 2012/13. Beyond a Wilkinson roller bridge and a new vibrato assembly with the lock button, it's stock.

One challenge I've always had was adjusting the guitar's pickup heights. The adjustment screws were always difficult to turn, and when they did turn they seemed to do little to change the height. I'd tried new foam spacers underneath, moving wires around underneath to make sure they weren't blocking the movement, etc. but I just couldn't figure it out. Mildly irritating, but after awhile I just let it be as the pickup heights seemed good enough.

A few weeks ago I decided to replace the adjustment screws because the stock ones were nearly stripped. Bought a pack of new Fender p/u screws from Angela's, patiently got the stock screws to turn out, and screwed in the new ones.

Lo and behold, it's a ton easier to turn the screws and super-smooth up and down movement to both pickups, a lot easier to turn the screws. My hunch is that the original screws were just a tad larger diameter and were binding on their holes in the pickup covers.

I should have spent that $7 and replaced those dumb little screws years ago.

Hey! I know this is an old post but I’m encountering the same exact issue on my JMJM and wondering if you recall what screws you ended up buying? Want to replace mine.

Fender Jazzmaster Pickup Mounting Screws (one dozen) did the trick for me.

I don’t know if the JMJM uses the same screws as the VMJM but I hope not. My gripe with the VMJM was the pickup mounting screws tendency to strip. I’m careful as the next dude but yeah, they strip easy. They also aren’t the same size as the AV screws, so I’d have to fill n drill new holes. I haven’t done that in all these years with my VM, but I might have to if I get rid of these Novaks.

Sometimes I do get some cover ‘sticking’. Now whenever I adjust the pickups in a major way, I push them down first, level as possible with the guitar body. Next I back out all four screws, and let the cover meet them. The cover won’t meet every screw head, so you screw those down first. Sometimes I have to grab the cover and pull it up. I adjust the pickup by moving the pickup down, if I can help it.

There are a couple things affecting the cover stick. One is the way the screws were located at the factory. Off in any way, there will be some binding in the cover. Another is the pickup angle, as if there is any pitch in the neck, then angling the pickups is cause for sticking too. Finally there’s the screw diameter/cover hole diameter thing. For that last thing, an alternative to buying new screws is the ream the cover a bit for more play.