Asking for some help. I'm thinking of using a JMJ bridge on a bass I'm modding and I've tried to find dimensions for the bridge with no luck. Can someone with a JMJ bass please measure the size of a JMJ bridge for me? I'm looking for overall width and length. TIA.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Fender Mustang Club
- Thread starter FlyingPigSound
- Start date
It might take a lil perseverance, but there are definitely a number of JMJ owners hereabouts. The bridges on 'em are mighty cool, too
Length is 3-5/8" (92mm), Width at widest point is 4-6/32" (102.5mm).
String spacing at the saddles (center-to-center) is 17mm.
My Mustang brothers and sisters: I have a Mustang PJ and I really dislike the round string tree/retainer on the headstock. Anything out there in the aftermarket field that looks better? TIA.
I like the look of the fender round trees. But if I were to switch I’d probably go with rollers (function over form), such as:
There are some folks that sell less plasticky ones:
Of course I can’t seem to find ones precisely like that now! That was on a Westone bass. I know I’ve seen ones like it on eBay.
You can do searches on ebay and google for bass barrel or roller string guide, string tree, or string retainer. The problem is most of what you see are for guitars, so it is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Yeah, I have been searching for a whiles now and the haystack is pretty big and it's full of guitars!
Update: here is about all that I have managed to find so far:
https://reverb.com/item/29842654-ap-0718-023-tiger-bass-roller-string-tree-guide-and-screw
https://hipshotproducts.com/products/bass-string-retainer
https://reverb.com/item/29842654-ap-0718-023-tiger-bass-roller-string-tree-guide-and-screw
https://hipshotproducts.com/products/bass-string-retainer
Last edited:
Can anybody explain the difference in sound between the American Performer pickups and a p/ J? While I'm well aware of price differences and quality checks I do think the p/js are great and do enjoy my MIM basses. I do not own a MIM Mustang p/J and want to hear from an owner what it's like. I do have a Squier mini that I upgraded the pickups and bridge on and it's a blast now and I was wondering if the sound is similar. Plus a j obviously.
She has balls and sounds and feels great I just have to make my amp work a little harder and I get some hum.
~
Turning up an amp is no biggie, but the hum of a Mustang American Performer is due to pickup design as well as how the pickups are externally connected.
Ironically, in this, their most expensive current Mustang model, Fender chose to wire the halves of the small split pickup IN phase with each other, so that the signal of one half does not cancel with the added Jazz pickup.
However, in doing this, they destroyed the split pickup's way to cancel hum when soloed.
Yes, many of the less expensive [and the earlier] Mustangs only have the small split pickup, so the halves of the small split pickup are instead externally wired out of phase, resulting in no hum - but no extra pickup can be added, as the signal from two of the strings of the split pickup would be out of phase with that of the extra pickup.
The larger split pickup, such as that of a Precision bass, is built differently, with the magnet polarity and winding direction each reversed internally in the one half, which makes it unnecessary to externally reverse the the connection of one half of the pickup, so the hum is still cancelled, and an extra pickup can be added without signal phase problems.
But in a PJ bass, Mustang or otherwise, the Jazz pickup generally is of single coil design, so when soloed, it can still pick up hum if any is available in the room.
Also ironically, there have been some reports [earlier this year in this TalkBass thread or in others specifically about their pickups] that in some lowest priced Mustangs [such as Squiers], and in the Japanese Mustangs, that the small split pickup might be constructed and connected like that of a P bass, which could allow an extra pickup to be added without any problems of signal phase.
From my browser bookmarks, here is a link to one of my previous posts on this issue in the current thread :
Mustang Bass Pickup Wiring, My Summary - Fender Mustang Club, Page 219, Post 4370 - TalkBass
Also, here are some links to some of the other threads where we have discussed it earlier :
Pickup upgrade for American Performer Mustang Bass? | TalkBass.com
Replacement Pickups for Fender Mustang Bass | TalkBass.com
Mustang American Performer Bass, Split Pickup Design - Post #36, KenB, Pickup upgrade for American Performer Mustang Bass - Page 2 - TalkBass
Picked up a jmj and wondering about the AweSome tone control mod | TalkBass.com
There may be other related posts just before or after each of these.
Hopefully, all of this sheds some light, rather than causing further muddying of the waters.
~
Last edited:
Am not an expert by any means re Mustang pickups and their different kinds of wiring... I do know however that my Squier CV60s Mustang has absolutely NO hum coming from it's small split pup. So after reading this I'm guessing it's because the pup splits are wired out of phase on the Squier, which it seems is actually the better way to go?
-That's sorta funny to me because while I did buy the Squire CV version because I wanted a smaller, lighter, Mustang-style bass, one of the main reasons I got it was I just liked the simpler look of it's smaller split pup better than the appearance of the Fender PJ! -True, the Squier was a bit less costly than the Fender PJ (and that didn't hurt of course) but I did seriously consider the PJ regardless of cost, and it simply lost out on looks!
I didn't worry at all about tone as I'd already read up on the older small pup Mustangs and how good they were, so I figured how bad can a Squier version be? (-And now I think I pretty much lucked out here with that decision...)
~Am not an expert by any means re Mustang pickups and their different kinds of wiring... I do know however that my Squier CV60s Mustang has absolutely NO hum coming from it's small split pup. So after reading this I'm guessing it's because the pup splits are wired out of phase on the Squier, which it seems is actually the better way to go?
-That's sorta funny to me because while I did buy the Squire CV version because I wanted a smaller, lighter, Mustang-style bass, one of the main reasons I got it was I just liked the simpler look of it's smaller split pup better than the appearance of the Fender PJ! -True, the Squier was a bit less costly than the Fender PJ (and that didn't hurt of course) but I did seriously consider the PJ regardless of cost, and it simply lost out on looks!
I didn't worry at all about tone as I'd already read up on the older small pup Mustangs and how good they were, so I figured how bad can a Squier version be? (-And now I think I pretty much lucked out here with that decision...)
Yes, you did well.
Bear in mind that there are two ways to make a split pickup not have hum, one like how Precision basses do it, and the other like the original Mustang basses, as I mentioned in my last post.
And if it was not for the narrow nut width of the Squier CV60s Mustang, I too would prob'ly own one already.
I like their looks, and IIRC, at least some of them also have a Maple fretboard.
The lowest priced current model with a wider nut width and just the small split pup is the Fender Vintera, though without a Maple fretboard.
Only some of the original 70s Mustangs seem to have all of what I prefer, though rare and expensive.
Or I could buy two current Mustang basses and swap parts around.
I'm still thinking about it all.
~
You must be thinking of the Squier Vintage Modified Mustang bass.
Currently, there's only two CV Mustangs (that I know of).
Invalid Link Removed
Here's one on Reverb now with a maple neck... Invalid Link Removed
They were only made 2011 to 2013 and rarely show up for sale... The nut is 1.5", but it might have everything else you're looking for?
Last edited:
