OffsetGuitars.com

Hi guys,
I recently got a beautiful Vintera Jazzmaster (the vintage style 60s IBM). It sounds great and plays quite well (still have to get the setup better, but I'll get to it) but I can't work with the stock bridge. I don't really mind the rattling but the unscrewing screws are really a pain in the neck. I used to change it for a Staytrem in the other offsets I had in the past, but since Staytrem isn't offering the non-rocking bridge anymore, I found this bridge on Thomann (which should be the American Pro I think): link
Do you know if it is a drop-in replacement for the Vintera stock bridge?

f__P wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:17 am

Hi guys,
I recently got a beautiful Vintera Jazzmaster (the vintage style 60s IBM). It sounds great and plays quite well (still have to get the setup better, but I'll get to it) but I can't work with the stock bridge. I don't really mind the rattling but the unscrewing screws are really a pain in the neck. I used to change it for a Staytrem in the other offsets I had in the past, but since Staytrem isn't offering the non-rocking bridge anymore, I found this bridge on Thomann (which should be the American Pro I think): link
Do you know if it is a drop-in replacement for the Vintera stock bridge?

Fender now calls that Mustang-style 7.25" radius bridge an "American Professional" bridge, even though it's never been on an Am Pro series guitar (they also sell a 9.5" Am Pro bridge, which is on those guitars). It's actually the Marr jag bridge - 52mm E-E, 7.25" radius, and nylon anti-sink bushings (not anti-rocking) on the bottom of the bridge height posts.

EDIT: Turns out that Fender tricked us - the bridge doesn't fit. Riley (below) is right). Ignore the rest of my post.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

It should work fine on the Vintera 60s JM (not the Vintera Modified which has a fixed AOM/TOM bridge).

The only curious thing is that Riley says "Does not fit Vintera series models.":
https://darrenriley.com/homepage/fender ... 712971049/
Fender do not say that:
https://www.fender.com/en-US/parts/brid ... 71049.html

The only reason for Riley's statement I can think of is that he's talking about the Vintera Modified. No one here has reported that the bridge does not work on the regular Vintera 60s AFAIK.

Thanks, so it should work with the Vintera bridge thimbles, right?
Also, I thought Johnny Marr bridge was non rocking, am I mistaking?

f__P wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:33 am

Thanks, so it should work with the Vintera bridge thimbles, right?
Also, I thought Johnny Marr bridge was non rocking, am I mistaking?

It should be fine ... unless Riley is right about all Vinteras - which is unlikely, since Fender don't mention anything.

And the Marr bridge has always rocked freely (the nylon bushings on the bottom of the posts are only there to prevent the bridge sinking by the screws shaking loose, not to stop it rocking). So this "Am Pro" bridge - which is the Marr bridge - rocks too. The only offset bridges I can think of that don't rock are the AOM/TOM (as on the Vintera Modified), and the Mastery, and some Halon and Descendant variants (and some old Staytrem variants).

Ok, so I'm not sure if it's what I'm lloking for. But I have to add also the Vintera 60s bridge is a non rocking one (the only nice thing about it). Maybe the thimbles are narrower?

The stock Vintera 60s threaded-barrel, vintage-style bridge does have a new part number we hadn't seen before (7705076000), and is curiously described in the parts manual as a 'Mustang bridge with threaded saddles' ... which the diagrams, product web site, and users say it isn't (Mustang-style). It's the same part number on both the Vintera 60s jaguar and jazzmaster. Reports suggest it is a metric Asian import bridge (possibly made in Korea).
https://offsetguitars.com/forums/viewto ... 2#p1623502
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=126198#p1790545

And as a vintage-style bridge it should certainly rock. If yours doesn't it would be good to see pics and measurements of the bridge post outer diameter and the thimble inner diameter. Did you buy the guitar new ?


https://www.fender.com/en-AU/electric-g ... 53305.html

From what I can remember from my (sold) Vintera 60s Jag:
a Staytrem fits, a Mastery M1 does not. The thimbles are the smallest I have encountered so far.

I never tried the (9,5“) Am Pro that I have because of the wrong radius - but I have it in another guitar. I‘m not using the plastic sleeves and without them it‘s a perfectly working rocking bridge in the thimbles I‘m using it.

MayTheFuzzBeWithYou wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 06, 2024 12:25 am

From what I can remember from my (sold) Vintera 60s Jag:
a Staytrem fits, a Mastery M1 does not. The thimbles are the smallest I have encountered so far.

I never tried the (9,5“) Am Pro that I have because of the wrong radius - but I have it in another guitar. I‘m not using the plastic sleeves and without them it‘s a perfectly working rocking bridge in the thimbles I‘m using it.

Interesting. The bridge posts on the 9.5" Am Pro bridge are 6.4mm diameter. Those on a relatively recent Staytrem are 6.2mm. Just happen to have both on the bench at the moment. If anyone has the 7.25" "Am Pro" (7712971049)/Marr bridge maybe they can measure the diameter of their bridge posts.

timtam wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:55 pm

The stock Vintera 60s threaded-barrel, vintage-style bridge does have a new part number we hadn't seen before (7705076000), and is curiously described in the parts manual as a 'Mustang bridge with threaded saddles' ... which the diagrams, product web site, and users say it isn't (Mustang-style). It's the same part number on both the Vintera 60s jaguar and jazzmaster. Reports suggest it is a metric Asian import bridge (possibly made in Korea).
https://offsetguitars.com/forums/viewto ... 2#p1623502
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=126198#p1790545

And as a vintage-style bridge it should certainly rock. If yours doesn't it would be good to see pics and measurements of the bridge post outer diameter and the thimble inner diameter. Did you buy the guitar new ?


https://www.fender.com/en-AU/electric-g ... 53305.html

Yup, the guitar was new and the bridge doesn't rock at all. As soon as I change strings I will post measurements

Just apply Loctite blue or purple [*] thread-locking compound to the screws on the existing bridge if it's otherwise serviceable?


[*] Or similar 'low to moderate strength' thread locking compound available in your region.

f__P wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:27 am

...
Yup, the guitar was new and the bridge doesn't rock at all. As soon as I change strings I will post measurements

This is definitely an original Vinteras 60s series right ? The sneaky, un-announced change to a non-rocking but otherwise vintage-style bridge has been noticed for the Vintera II 50s JM (but that doesn't come in IBM like yours) ...
https://offsetguitars.com/forums/viewto ... 3#p1798463

AFAIK this would be the first report of a Vintera 60s whose stock bridge doesn't rock.

timtam wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:20 pm

f__P wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:27 am

...
Yup, the guitar was new and the bridge doesn't rock at all. As soon as I change strings I will post measurements

This is definitely an original Vinteras 60s series right ? The sneaky, un-announced change to a non-rocking but otherwise vintage-style bridge has been noticed for the Vintera II 50s JM (but that doesn't come in IBM like yours) ...
https://offsetguitars.com/forums/viewto ... 3#p1798463

AFAIK this would be the first report of a Vintera 60s whose stock bridge doesn't rock.

Yeah, it's an original Vintera 60s. That's weird anyway

timtam wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:20 pm

f__P wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:27 am

...
Yup, the guitar was new and the bridge doesn't rock at all. As soon as I change strings I will post measurements

This is definitely an original Vinteras 60s series right ? The sneaky, un-announced change to a non-rocking but otherwise vintage-style bridge has been noticed for the Vintera II 50s JM (but that doesn't come in IBM like yours) ...
https://offsetguitars.com/forums/viewto ... 3#p1798463

AFAIK this would be the first report of a Vintera 60s whose stock bridge doesn't rock.

I wish I could get my hands on one to break out my calipers and measure what's different, whether it's the thimbles or the posts.

UPDATE

I ordered a Fender American Pro bridge and it doesn't fit in the thimbles as they are too tight. So it's as I thought: Vintera thimbles are actually tighter than standard JM ones. Feel kinda bummed but it's no biggie anyway

Doesn’t the American Pro bridge come with its own thimbles? If so, does it work if you remove the existing ones and replace them?