Fender (Mexico) Standard Bass Bridge String Spacing NOT 19mm

[lowstar]

hello fellow TB´ers,
i recently bought a japanese 75 PJ jazz bass (LTD 2013), and while i am generally very happy with it there is one issue:
it has the classic bent L shape bridge, but i believe it is the mexico standard bridge, not the vintage 75 jazz bass bridge, since it has allen screws and not slotted ones. the plate (at the bent part where the strings go through) measures 1.6mm in thickness (0.06")
the issue is that the spacing of the strings is not full 19mm, it is 18.66. that is too narrow for me, i´m not imagining cause if it wouldn´t have felt a little odd, i would not have started measuring. it adds up to a string spread of 56mm (2.20") vs 57mm (2.25").

has anybody else ever measured these bridges, are they really not full 19mm ?
also i´m surprised that fender japan does not use the "real" jazz bass ´75 bridge on theses models; the sibling japanes 66 jazz uses the correct vintage fender bridge with the threaded saddles.

i solved the problem for now by inserting 0.4mm washers between the barrels, but that is just a workaround until i can get either a vintage bridge with the threaded saddles or a real 75 jazz bass bridge (if that one has a real 19mm spacing).

still, it´s kind of a bummer.

cheers,
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[Tom Cileski]

I've got a couple Jazz MIM's with standard bridge and the spacing is 19mm.

 

[eno50]

Ya your best bet is to replace the bridge with a threaded saddle one, then you can set your string spacing the way you like it .
Yes there is different string spacing on different fender models and do not have a reason why , but changing out the bridge will solve it and you will be back to what you like.
Take a look here , someone may have a bridge they are selling.

Eno

 

[walterw]

the japanese ones (gotoh?) are a pinch different than the usa/mex ones.

just slap a set of threaded saddles on there and you're golden.

 

[lowstar]

ah, that is interesting.
i´m actually in the process to get the threaded saddle bridge (might be faster to get the whole thing than just the saddles on my side of the pond), but it will take some time.
other otions are the "real" 75 jazz bass bridge (if it has exact 19mm spacing), the gotoh 201 or a badass.
i understand that the gotoh and the badass might change the sound of the bass, maybe i´ll give it a try.

thanks and cheers,
lowstar

 

[Tom Cileski]

angela.com has the '75 jazz bass bridge (slotted saddle screws, 19mm spacing etc.) for $36.00. The Gotoh 201 and Badass are good bridges but they have thicker base plates. Even with the saddles all the way down, neck tilt adjustment may become necessary if you like low action.

 

[lowstar]

that 2013LTD PJ has a very shallow neck pocket, the saddles on the stock bridge are sitting very high on their adjustment screws, so there should be plenty space for the thicker baseplates of the aftermarket bridges.

but yeah, i´ll maybe try out one of those 75 jazz bridges. gonna order locally, though.

cheers,
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