Mustang on a Jaguar

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Hans kung
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Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Hans kung » Fri Jan 04, 2019 8:38 am

I have a Fender Mustang American Special, 24 inch scale, which I really like, especially the oval C, 9.5 inch radius neck and jumbo frets, but alas it has no whammy bar. I also have a Johnny Marr Jaguar, which is nice but it just does not have the Sustain that the Mustang has, and I'm on the fence about vintage frets, but it does have whammy bar. I put 11s on the Jaguar yesterday but it still lacks the Sustain, I attribute this to the 7.25 radius on the Jaguar, the guitar was set up nicely by Sweetwater. I play blues and Hawaiian tunes, mostly the older stuff, like Gabby Pahunui.
Question.....Since both necks are 24 inches, can I put the Mustang neck on the Jaguar?

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Con-Tiki! » Fri Jan 04, 2019 8:52 am

yes, but I don't know if you can adjust the radius on the Marr bridge to match.
You might have to grab the bridge off your Mustang also.

You're kinda messing with two expensive instruments, though.
I have a Marr jag, built from Stratosphere parts. stock, but for a Mastery bridge.
Everyone who's ever played it has commented on how much sustain it has. It's as solid as my Tele.

Personally, I don't think the radius is your issue.
(Christopher, also)
I've been to one World's Fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing i ever heard come out a pair of headphones.

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Hans kung
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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Hans kung » Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:03 am

Actually I was just going to put the Mustang neck on the Jaguar....and not do any thing with jag neck.....but you dont think the radius is the issue? Maybe your right because it doesn't fret out with bends, no buzzing either, it has a nice bright tone...I guess I'll just have to chant the serenity prayer when I play the Jaguar..

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by 601210 » Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:16 am

I've never heard of radius affecting sustain... maybe it's the bridge/vibrato setup, or the pickups?

I played a JMJM with the mismatched bridge and neck radius for years, never had a problem with it. I guess you won't be able to get shredder-low with your action but I never tried to anyways. I only really realized the difference when I tried a staytrem bridge with the proper heights. I think some people are more sensitive to it than others.

That's the opposite situation, though, flatter bridge on a rounder neck.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Embenny » Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:20 am

The mustang neck will fit.

With a tighter radius on the bridge than the neck, the low and high E strings will have lower action than the D and G strings and the A and B will be in between. Not by a massive amount, and many people play on radius mismatched guitars without noticing, but if you love getting action as low as possible, those inner strings will be a bit more limited in how low you can go.

(Edited because I wrote it backwards at first, for a small radius neck on larger bridge when it was the opposite).
Last edited by Embenny on Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Hans kung » Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:26 am

601210 wrote:
Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:16 am
I've never heard of radius affecting sustain... maybe it's the bridge/vibrato setup, or the pickups?

I played a JMJM with the mismatched bridge and neck radius for years, never had a problem with it. I guess you won't be able to get shredder-low with your action but I never tried to anyways. I only really realized the difference when I tried a staytrem bridge with the proper heights. I think some people are more sensitive to it than others.

That's the opposite situation, though, flatter bridge on a rounder neck.
Hell I don't what it is ..maybe I'm used to a strat.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Hans kung » Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:29 am

mbene085 wrote:
Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:20 am
The mustang neck will fit.

With a tighter radius on the neck than the bridge, the low and high E strings will have higher action than the D and G strings and the A and B will be in between. Not by a massive amount, and many people play on radius mismatched guitars without noticing, but if you love getting action as low as possible, those outer strings will be a bit more limited in how low you can go.
Oh now I see what the problem might be.... different radius, duh! I'm not going to mess with it, I'll buy a compressor pedal, thanks everyone who posted. First time I've posted here, very interesting site, Aloha and Mahalo.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Hans kung » Fri Jan 04, 2019 12:05 pm

I got hold of a Fender compressor pedal, I think it's called "anti-gravity" and I think I've found the answer for greater Sustain on my Johnny Marr Jaguar with 11's. ::)

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by jeff m. » Fri Jan 04, 2019 2:31 pm

Is this the first time Gabby Pahinui has been listed an an influence ? :)

Years back, I read an interview with Ry Cooder in which he talks about the first time he went to Hawaii to track down Gabby, & was knocked out by the sound that Gabby & his band were getting out of 'cheap Tiesco electric guitars'..he went back to California & enlisted the help of David Lindley - another 'cheapo' guitar fanatic - to track down a few Teiscos of his own.

Ironically, ( certain models of ) Teisco guitars are now anything BUT 'cheapo's', due to Cooder/ Lindley & a few others use of them..funny the way that works, innit ?

I had a cassette dub of 'The Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band' years ago, where everyone was playing electric..lost many moons ago, but tried to find it on one & only trip to Hawaii..bought lots of acoustic Gabby & Sons of Hawaii, but couldn't find that particular one !

Do you know that album, Hans ?

Aloha nui loa..( from Australia ! )
Jeff.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Hans kung » Fri Jan 04, 2019 4:22 pm

jeff m. wrote:
Fri Jan 04, 2019 2:31 pm
Is this the first time Gabby Pahinui has been listed an an influence ? :)

Years back, I read an interview with Ry Cooder in which he talks about the first time he went to Hawaii to track down Gabby, & was knocked out by the sound that Gabby & his band were getting out of 'cheap Tiesco electric guitars'..he went back to California & enlisted the help of David Lindley - another 'cheapo' guitar fanatic - to track down a few Teiscos of his own.

Ironically, ( certain models of ) Teisco guitars are now anything BUT 'cheapo's', due to Cooder/ Lindley & a few others use of them..funny the way that works, innit ?

I had a cassette dub of 'The Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band' years ago, where everyone was playing electric..lost many moons ago, but tried to find it on one & only trip to Hawaii..bought lots of acoustic Gabby & Sons of Hawaii, but couldn't find that particular one !

Do you know that album, Hans ?

Aloha nui loa..( from Australia ! )
Jeff.
. That's a very interesting story you tell. I am familiar with the album you speak of ....you can listen to parts of it on YouTube, seems like you could get on iTunes. I think there is a tune on that album we do "Pu'uanahulu". We do lots of Gabby tunes,
......and now that my Jaguar sustains and sings like a sweet bird, it's all good.
Mahalo

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by MayTheFuzzBeWithYou » Fri Jan 04, 2019 5:51 pm

+1 on the 7,25" radius got no influence on the sustain. set up and bridge do!

Jaguars were never known for having great sustain in the first place. Especially with the original bridge design. that's even something that may define their tonal character and might even be "missed" by some when an upgrade is done.

But: missing sustain was also the one thing that bugged me most!
Before I found my Thinline Jag (also a 7,25") I mostly played Les Pauls and a Hagström Viking - and so the transition to the Jag was a bit hard. I couldn't even bend notes on the 10th-12th fret on the G and B strings without the tone dying away (well that was a mixture of the unknown radius and the missing set up... it had sort of "dead spots"... and really hardly any sustain... with a proper set up both improved, still little sustain and then I finally got a Mastery Bridge. It is a sustaining beast now! So that would be my way to go!

Also I wouldn't mess with the Mustang special. Such a nicely playing thing. In fact the first Mustang I really enjoyed playing! The lack of a Trem-system is a pity - I'd love to see that design (3 way switches, Wide-Range-Pickups) with a traditional mustang trem/bridge combination! If you have a skilled technician around or know how to properly do it yourself, you could possibly add a strat-like trem system with some routing.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by cjs » Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:16 am

the sustain you're enjoying on that mustang thing is due to its adjustonatic bridge and anchored tail piece. nothing is lost and it just rings, like an gibson.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by MattK » Sat Jan 05, 2019 4:22 am

You can always try the neck seating trick - with the Jag strung to pitch, undo the 4 neck plate screws just a quarter turn or so - the strings will pull the neck heel into the body harder. You may hear a crack or a thunk, or nothing may happen. Tighten them up again (not too tight) and re-tune before trying it out.

Also, not to be condescending, but humbuckers are radically different pickups than Jag single coils and of course the notes are going to ring longer.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by dren68 » Sat Jan 05, 2019 6:29 am

cjs wrote:
Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:16 am
the sustain you're enjoying on that mustang thing is due to its adjustonatic bridge and anchored tail piece. nothing is lost and it just rings, like an gibson.
I was going to say the same. Not to mention, the Mustang has humbuckers. Other than the 24" scale, they're 2 very different guitars, so it just depends on what kind of sound you're going for. I had an Am. Special Mustang for a while, and sometimes I regret selling it. It definitely had a lot more sustain than a standard Mustang and my Jaguar.

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Re: Mustang on a Jaguar

Post by Hans kung » Sat Jan 05, 2019 6:43 am

MayTheFuzzBeWithYou wrote:
Fri Jan 04, 2019 5:51 pm
+1 on the 7,25" radius got no influence on the sustain. set up and bridge do!

Jaguars were never known for having great sustain in the first place. Especially with the original bridge design. that's even something that may define their tonal character and might even be "missed" by some when an upgrade is done.

But: missing sustain was also the one thing that bugged me most!
Before I found my Thinline Jag (also a 7,25") I mostly played Les Pauls and a Hagström Viking - and so the transition to the Jag was a bit hard. I couldn't even bend notes on the 10th-12th fret on the G and B strings without the tone dying away (well that was a mixture of the unknown radius and the missing set up... it had sort of "dead spots"... and really hardly any sustain... with a proper set up both improved, still little sustain and then I finally got a Mastery Bridge. It is a sustaining beast now! So that would be my way to go!

Also I wouldn't mess with the Mustang special. Such a nicely playing thing. In fact the first Mustang I really enjoyed playing! The lack of a Trem-system is a pity - I'd love to see that design (3 way switches, Wide-Range-Pickups) with a traditional mustang trem/bridge combination! If you have a skilled technician around or know how to properly do it yourself, you could possibly add a strat-like trem system with some routing.
Did you say "sustains like a beast"? Are these hard to install yourself? Yes, the American Special mustang is a great guitar, Someday I'll have one built with whammy bar.

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