Squier Jaguar Short Scale Club Part 3

[SoulReflection]

I have Jaguar VM SS arriving at my house tomorrow. It's the Candy Apple Red finish which is a nice color but I'd really like to have a sunburst finish on it. Has anyone stripped the factory color off and finished in either a natural or sunburst finish? I saw a sunburst that apparently came from the factory in a post from last year but I would like to see if the underneath wood is decent enough for a sunburst. I'll post a photo when it gets here and request a club number than.

Thanks in advance.

So I did some hardcore elbow hurting sanding.
The Agathis body isn't the most beautiful, but I'm satisfied.

Check out this post from last Wednesday. It has pics of the bare body from a similar Squier.

I, too, am a softy for burst bodies. A few years ago, I had a local luthier strip the green body of a Mustang PJ and apply a burst finish. The wood grain wasn't perfect the result was, to me, well worth the $250. If the agathist body of the Squier is not that good, a solid burst of black, red and yellow should be fine. Here is a pic of my Mustang...

 

[Tubamark]

BACK TO THE PICK-UP TOPIC

I don't have OCD or anything, but I feel like the J pickup should be doing something because it's just there. It just sits there in the off position, and something inside me feels like there's some kind of imbalance or something. Plus, it might be nice to have the J-Bass sound for certain occasions.

If I turn the stock bridge pickup on, it provides nothing to the sound unless I turn it up all the way, which mostly serves to drain power from my P pickup.

Thank you.

I think if you keep the P dialed back a bit, you'll discover plenty of tonal variations using the J pot. It's just the nature of many PJ setups.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

....If I turn the stock bridge pickup on, it provides nothing to the sound unless I turn it up all the way, which mostly serves to drain power from my P pickup. - So, I asked here a while back for advice about buying a pair of PJ pickups, but most of you responded by saying that, since I'm content with the stock P pickup, I could simply buy a single low-noise J pickup. - That sounds like a good idea, because I like the prospect of playing without extra noise from the J. - Considering I might go this route (keeping the stock P pickup and installing a new J), has anyone done this with true success? Which model worked out for you? - Thank you.

~
[ Pretty sure that I have posted words to this effect somewhere on TB previously : ]

If it was MY bass with a passive PJ pickup arrangement, and if I planned to use the J bridge pickup at all, I would shop for one which is :

1) is hum cancelling on its own,

and

2) has enough turns of wire in its coils that it will not load down the signal of the P pickup, given that both pickups will be passive. - To achieve this, the DC resistance of the J pickup ought to be the same or more K than the combined DC resistance of the both halves of the P pickup wired in series, as P pickup sections usually are.

There are other factors which may influence output, such as magnet types and construction, but not loading down the P pickup when the J gets turned up is mainly dependent upon their respective DC resistances, at least when both are passive pickups wired straight to the controls, without any preamps first.

So you will need to measure the DC resistance of your P pickup with a meter, before going shopping.

Tips :

Measure with the P volume at max, and the J volume off, if there is no pickup selector switch.

You should be able to do this without opening the bass, from the other end of a cable plugged into the output jack of the bass, on a passive pickups, standard VVT wired instrument.
~

 

[BigAndyA]

Check out this post from last Wednesday. It has pics of the bare body from a similar Squier.

I, too, am a softy for burst bodies. A few years ago, I had a local luthier strip the green body of a Mustang PJ and apply a burst finish. The wood grain wasn't perfect the result was, to me, well worth the $250. If the agathist body of the Squier is not that good, a solid burst of black, red and yellow should be fine. Here is a pic of my Mustang...
View attachment 4338073

Thanks, I missed that post last week. Your Mustang looks great. If I decide to go down this path I'll post some photos.

 

[BigAndyA]

This just arrived this morning from Reverb. Can I get a member number please?

[ATTACH=

 

[Kijekuyo]

Check out this post from last Wednesday. It has pics of the bare body from a similar Squier.

I, too, am a softy for burst bodies. A few years ago, I had a local luthier strip the green body of a Mustang PJ and apply a burst finish. The wood grain wasn't perfect the result was, to me, well worth the $250. If the agathist body of the Squier is not that good, a solid burst of black, red and yellow should be fine. Here is a pic of my Mustang...
View attachment 4338073

One of the prettiest Mustangs I've seen.

 

[BigAndyA]

So I played my newly acquired Jaguar bass today at rehearsal for the first time. Loved the feel, balance, neck, weight, etc. It felt great.

Sound? Not so much. The E and A strings sounded fine, the D and G were quite a bit brighter. It was like I was playing half of one set of strings and half of a completely different set. These are the strings that came with the bass so I'll be changing those soon to some flats. I've been using D'Addario XL Chromes on other guitars but I'd be interested in hearing what others are using.

Also, the P pickup sounded harsh to me when turned up. Not sure if that was the funky strings, the P pup, pots or what but I need to figure it out. Like I said I loved playing the bass I just need to get it sounding a little better.

 

[SoulReflection]

So I played my newly acquired Jaguar bass today at rehearsal for the first time. Loved the feel, balance, neck, weight, etc. It felt great.

Sound? Not so much. The E and A strings sounded fine, the D and G were quite a bit brighter. It was like I was playing half of one set of strings and half of a completely different set. These are the strings that came with the bass so I'll be changing those soon to some flats. I've been using D'Addario XL Chromes on other guitars but I'd be interested in hearing what others are using.

Also, the P pickup sounded harsh to me when turned up. Not sure if that was the funky strings, the P pup, pots or what but I need to figure it out. Like I said I loved playing the bass I just need to get it sounding a little better.

I love my LaBella SS flats on mine but, I am a flats person. I adjusted the p pups height to balance out the volume of the strings. The big improvement came when I moved a Player P pup to the Jag. It was a difference between night and day...

 

[DavesnothereCA]

I love my LaBella SS flats on mine but, I am a flats person. I adjusted the p pups height to balance out the volume of the strings. The big improvement came when I moved a Player P pup to the Jag. It was a difference between night and day...

~
That reminds me....

It's time to do a shoutout.

I am looking for an original pickguard for a Jag SS bass.

With so many of y'all changing PGs, I would expect that some still have their original stashed, and will never put it back on.

Mine is a black unit, from the factory which produced those which came in black, red, and silver, in case the sunburst production was different [who knows ?].

Also, I wish to snag an original metal control plate.

This might be more difficult to source, but how similar are they to the ones of Jazz basses ?

Someone [two owners ago, for reasons which I cannot fathom] changed mine to a combined plastic PG and control plate, removed the P pickup, and allegedly changed the J pickup to one from a MIM Jazz, according to the last owner, who bought it with those mods already done.

I wish to physically restore the hardware of my bass to stock, and then possibly change the pickups again.

And I will HAVE to put something where the missing P pickup should be anyway, so it might as well be an upgrade, and I do have some stray active EMGs kicking around, as mentioned at some point previously [also a few old Fender and DiMarzio passives, if I can find them].

Thanks.
~

 

[SoulReflection]

~
That reminds me....

It's time to do a shoutout.

I am looking for an original pickguard for a Jag SS bass.

With so many of y'all changing PGs, I would expect that some still have their original stashed, and will never put it back on.

Mine is a black unit, from the factory which produced those which came in black, red, and silver, in case the sunburst production was different [who knows ?].

Also, I wish to snag an original metal control plate.

This might be more difficult to source, but how similar are they to the ones of Jazz basses ?

Someone [two owners ago, for reasons which I cannot fathom] changed mine to a combined plastic PG and control plate, removed the P pickup, and allegedly changed the J pickup to one from a MIM Jazz, according to the last owner, who bought it with those mods already done.

I wish to physically restore the hardware of my bass to stock, and then possibly change the pickups again.

And I will HAVE to put something where the missing P pickup should be anyway, so it might as well be an upgrade, and I do have some stray active EMGs kicking around, as mentioned at some point previously [also a few old Fender and DiMarzio passives, if I can find them].

Thanks.
~

I would like help you out on the original black pickguard but, I don't know if I might want to return it to all black. Sorry, but it's such a comfortable bass and I want to keep my options open. Good luck in your quest.

 

[kjp360]

I've been using D'Addario XL Chromes on other guitars but I'd be interested in hearing what others are using.

My new to me Jag SS just went into the shop for a setup and I decided to put Chromes on it. It had the original strings on when I got it sadly. I had really wanted to try Pressurewounds or Brite Flats but could not find a short scale set in Canada. I went with the Chromes because I wanted something a bit brighter than the Labella flats on my #1 Mustang (for variety without losing the flat feel). I have Chromes on my reg scale P clone and they sound and feel great (still brighter than the Labella even though years older). It will be a couple weeks before I get it back but will post my thoughts after.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

My new to me Jag SS just went into the shop for a setup and I decided to put Chromes on it. It had the original strings on when I got it sadly. I had really wanted to try Pressurewounds or Brite Flats but could not find a short scale set in Canada. I went with the Chromes because I wanted something a bit brighter than the Labella flats on my #1 Mustang (for variety without losing the flat feel). I have Chromes on my reg scale P clone and they sound and feel great (still brighter than the Labella even though years older). It will be a couple weeks before I get it back but will post my thoughts after.

~
Here is where I've been buying my Brite Flats, since no physical stores seem to carry them without ordering them in, even mighty L&M :

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$25.99 USD, and the shipping to Canada is reasonable, by post office.

They do not list the short scale Pressure Wounds, but could special order them in, IIRC.

Their lookup filter system is pretty decent too :

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And they sell some singles as well.
~

 

[Kijekuyo]

I know I've read this before somewhere in these forums, but it's hard to search for the posts for this topic. I turn to you folks for help.

Tonight I had a problem that I'm sure a number of you know so well: my bridge-end strap anchor pulled out. Luckily, I was sitting at the time. I'm not sure if the threads got stripped, or if it simply loosened first. I was able to screw it back in and continue playing, but I'm going to want to strengthen it. I would be kind of surprised if my Jag SS has very soft (light) wood in the body because I have little or no head dive, indicating to me a relatively (for agathis) dense wood.

So, what is the best technique for reinforcing the screw hole so it will anchor properly--something I can have confidence in? Super glue maybe? Home Depot stuff for carpenters? I think toothpicks are only a temporary fix.

If there is a comprehensive post somewhere you can link to, that's great too.

Once I have a good solution, I'm going to install strap locks. I would have already, but I didn't want to weaken the holes by backing the stock ones out and tightening them again.

Thank you.

 

[Bugeyed Earl]

I know I've read this before somewhere in these forums, but it's hard to search for the posts for this topic. I turn to you folks for help.

Tonight I had a problem that I'm sure a number of you know so well: my bridge-end strap anchor pulled out. Luckily, I was sitting at the time. I'm not sure if the threads got stripped, or if it simply loosened first. I was able to screw it back in and continue playing, but I'm going to want to strengthen it. I would be kind of surprised if my Jag SS has very soft (light) wood in the body because I have little or no head dive, indicating to me a relatively (for agathis) dense wood.

So, what is the best technique for reinforcing the screw hole so it will anchor properly--something I can have confidence in? Super glue maybe? Home Depot stuff for carpenters? I think toothpicks are only a temporary fix.

If there is a comprehensive post somewhere you can link to, that's great too.

Once I have a good solution, I'm going to install strap locks. I would have already, but I didn't want to weaken the holes by backing the stock ones out and tightening them again.

Thank you.

A lot of people like to use toothpicks, but I think that's a bit of a hack and doesn't inspire much confidence that it won't pull out again. I'd drill it out and glue in a hardwood dowel, then drill a pilot hole in the dowel, and reassemble. I usually use a very sharp wood chisel to trim the end of the dowel flush, and paint it with a matching nail polish after drilling the pilot hole, but it's not really even necessary - the strap peg will hide everything.

 

[BAG]

A lot of people like to use toothpicks, but I think that's a bit of a hack and doesn't inspire much confidence that it won't pull out again. I'd drill it out and glue in a hardwood dowel, then drill a pilot hole in the dowel, and reassemble. I usually use a very sharp wood chisel to trim the end of the dowel flush, and paint it with a matching nail polish after drilling the pilot hole, but it's not really even necessary - the strap peg will hide everything.

That is definitely the best practice method to permanently fix it.
In saying that, I've got instruments where I've used toothpicks to pack out the hole that have held perfectly for over 10 years. I will say, if you do go down the dodgy route like me to use toothpicks and not matches. Generally toothpicks are a harder wood and more fibrous whereas matches are usually a much softer wood.

 

[Kijekuyo]

That is definitely the best practice method to permanently fix it.
In saying that, I've got instruments where I've used toothpicks to pack out the hole that have held perfectly for over 10 years. I will say, if you do go down the dodgy route like me to use toothpicks and not matches. Generally toothpicks are a harder wood and more fibrous whereas matches are usually a much softer wood.

Tonight, I'm going to try toothpicks and Titebond II. The toothpicks are Asian, so I think they're bamboo.

 

[Kijekuyo]

A lot of people like to use toothpicks, but I think that's a bit of a hack and doesn't inspire much confidence that it won't pull out again. I'd drill it out and glue in a hardwood dowel, then drill a pilot hole in the dowel, and reassemble. I usually use a very sharp wood chisel to trim the end of the dowel flush, and paint it with a matching nail polish after drilling the pilot hole, but it's not really even necessary - the strap peg will hide everything.

Thanks. This is a good idea, but I'm not very confident that I can drill out straight into the body. I think if I try the toothpick solution, I can always try again with another method.

 

[Kijekuyo]

I took my strap anchors off to replace them with quick-release strap locks. I didn't have to buy them because I had strap locks from my '83 Precision. Surprisingly, the screws from my Jaguar were too large to fit through the hole in the strap lock anchor.

If I use a smaller size screw to fit through the anchor, it will be too small for the hole in the Jaguar.

Is there more than one size of anchor screw among basses? Maybe the previous owner of this guitar replaced the smaller anchor screws with larger ones? If so, how did they fit through the holes in the current Squier strap anchor?

I'm confused.

 

[BlueTalon]

Not sure about the answer to your question about different size screws for different strap pins, but does it really matter if you're filling the holes with toothpicks and Titebond? You should be able to use the screw that comes with any strap pin.

 

[Kijekuyo]

Regarding my strap button problem (Posts 4213, 4216-4218):

So, I still have a dilemma. I have played my bass on its strap a couple of times without doing any modification, only tightening the same screw in the unmodified hole, and the screw seems to be staying solidly in place. I wonder if maybe it worked its way out as I played and eventually fell out. The screws are one size too large, probably replaced by the original owner.

Perhaps the current screws will stay in place if I keep them tight (who knows). My preference would be to replace them with my strap locks. Unfortunately, I order to do that, I have to use the toothpick-and-glue or other technique to constrict the size of the holes for the smaller screws. That could be weaker than the present situation, so I'm hesitant to do it.

What would you do? Do I leave it be and hope they stay in place or replace the large screws with smaller ones and equip the strap locks?