Mastery Bridge- Some movement?

[RoséBear]

Hey guys,

So I have a mastery in my jaguar and I just noticed that it rocks back and forth just a little when I use the trem heavily. I’m wondering if this is normal. Obviously, the posts pretty much are filled by the bridge, but there’s some movement there. The saddles not move, just the bridge itself slightly.

I tried removing the shim, which honestly didn’t do much of anything except make me lower my action.

[Debaser]

I’ve owned several Mastery bridges, including a 4.1. They all move, even with the Mastery thimbles.

Since my tuning is stable, I don’t see it as a ‘defect’. It seems some movement is just what bridges do when you violently flail a vibrato.

[timtam]

As long as things stay in tune with trem use, a little movement shouldn't be an issue. But it does mean that the strings are gripping the saddles. That's what strings should do to a rocking bridge, but a fixed bridge should allow the strings to slide. Mastery makes a big deal of their low-friction 'self-lubricating' saddles. But it wouldn't hurt to add some lubrication to a fixed bridge. Downforce increases friction, so to some extent a more stationary Mastery would be achieved by reducing break angle.

[RoséBear]

As long as things stay in tune with trem use, a little movement shouldn't be an issue. But it does mean that the strings are gripping the saddles. That's what strings should do to a rocking bridge, but a fixed bridge should allow the strings to slide. Mastery makes a big deal of their low-friction 'self-lubricating' saddles. But it wouldn't hurt to add some lubrication to a fixed bridge. Downforce increases friction, so to some extent a more stationary Mastery would be achieved by reducing break angle.

When I pull up on the bar, it doesn’t stay in tune as well. Dropping the bar, no problem. So I have a thin shim in the heel of the neck pocket now. Is it worth removing this for less friction? Will this mess up my setup at all I.e. introduce more buzzing at the first few frets? I was having issues with buzzing and I think I got it to a good spot. Just don’t want to open a can of worms!

[boytbpc]

Try loosening the strings, setting the bridge vertical, and retuning. This should correct the problem of the guitar going out of tune when you pull up on the bar.

[andy_tchp]

Try loosening the strings, setting the bridge vertical, and retuning. This should correct the problem of the guitar going out of tune when you pull up on the bar.

It's a Mastery Bridge, so always 'vertical'.

[timtam]

As long as things stay in tune with trem use, a little movement shouldn't be an issue. But it does mean that the strings are gripping the saddles. That's what strings should do to a rocking bridge, but a fixed bridge should allow the strings to slide. Mastery makes a big deal of their low-friction 'self-lubricating' saddles. But it wouldn't hurt to add some lubrication to a fixed bridge. Downforce increases friction, so to some extent a more stationary Mastery would be achieved by reducing break angle.

When I pull up on the bar, it doesn’t stay in tune as well. Dropping the bar, no problem. So I have a thin shim in the heel of the neck pocket now. Is it worth removing this for less friction? Will this mess up my setup at all I.e. introduce more buzzing at the first few frets? I was having issues with buzzing and I think I got it to a good spot. Just don’t want to open a can of worms!

I would try some extra saddle lubrication first (eg graphite). And also look at the other common culprit in de-tuning, ie string binding in the nut slots. And good string stretching to pull all the slack out of the string interfaces. I just threw the lower downforce => lower friction thing out there because we have to consider that the physics of fixed and rocking bridges are different. But if your overall setup is good with the shim I wouldn't mess with that.

[RoséBear]

As long as things stay in tune with trem use, a little movement shouldn't be an issue. But it does mean that the strings are gripping the saddles. That's what strings should do to a rocking bridge, but a fixed bridge should allow the strings to slide. Mastery makes a big deal of their low-friction 'self-lubricating' saddles. But it wouldn't hurt to add some lubrication to a fixed bridge. Downforce increases friction, so to some extent a more stationary Mastery would be achieved by reducing break angle.

When I pull up on the bar, it doesn’t stay in tune as well. Dropping the bar, no problem. So I have a thin shim in the heel of the neck pocket now. Is it worth removing this for less friction? Will this mess up my setup at all I.e. introduce more buzzing at the first few frets? I was having issues with buzzing and I think I got it to a good spot. Just don’t want to open a can of worms!

I would try some extra saddle lubrication first (eg graphite). And also look at the other common culprit in de-tuning, ie string binding in the nut slots. And good string stretching to pull all the slack out of the string interfaces. I just threw the lower downforce => lower friction thing out there because we have to consider that the physics of fixed and rocking bridges are different. But if your overall setup is good with the shim I wouldn't mess with that.

No I get it! Thank you all for all your help. I ordered “zero tolerance” mastery thimbles to minimize bridge movement. I think if the bridge was binding anywhere, it wouldn’t stay in tune with constant divebombing and huge bends. But it does! So I think I’ll leave that shim

[Gonkulator]

Did you make sure that the bridge posts themselves are tight? Typically when you install the Mastery you loosen those posts, place the bridge on and then tighten them up once you get the proper height you want.

[MechaBulletBill]

if you set the bridge plate very low and raise saddles to get the desired string height, i think you would get less rocking movement in the thimbles. is this still how mastery advises users to set up?

[northernlights]

mastery bridges move just a little bit when trem used. I think your problem is on the nut, it's needed to be adjust. Take rounded strings and slide over their each slot. see if it's free to move. Find a really good tech, nut is also easy and very hard job to do.

[Pelicashka]

Is this too much movement?

https://youtu.be/hNUK63XOeaw?si=02IvFnZSDckWmgI6

I just realized that my luthier has not installed the thimbles that shipped with the M1 mastery bridge Kit and just stuck the bridge into the stock ones. It’s a new MIJ Jazzmaster HH.

Some of the strings go a bit out of tune, especially the low E, which goes sharp after using the vibrato just a couple of times.

Should I ask him to install the Mastery thimbles?

[Fuzzbuzz]

Is this too much movement?

https://youtu.be/hNUK63XOeaw?si=02IvFnZSDckWmgI6

I just realized that my luthier has not installed the thimbles that shipped with the M1 mastery bridge Kit and just stuck the bridge into the stock ones. It’s a new MIJ Jazzmaster HH.

Some of the strings go a bit out of tune, especially the low E, which goes sharp after using the vibrato just a couple of times
Should I ask him to install the Mastery thimbles?

Id probably stop calling him a luthier if he worked on replacing your bridge and didn’t make sure your guitar would stay in tune.

[Pelicashka]

Okay, should I ask the guy, who installed the bridge Into the original thimbles on an MIJ JM to replace them with Mastery thimbles supplied with the M1 kit?

[Pelicashka]

I think this is too much movement

https://youtube.com/shorts/1IiyAQWBwbY? ... FWH6pehRgA