66' Jag sounding dull

[nateflanigan]

I've been feeling that my beloved 66 Jag is sounding a little dull especially the rhythm channel.  Some of the switches are a little wonky at times.  I'm not the kind of person that thinks a vintage ceramic cap or pot is some great tone treasure, but knowing that other people feel that way I'm thinking I might pull out the entire wiring harness save it for a rainy day and put all new parts in.

Is this heresy?  The guitar plays amazing but I think the tone could be improved.

[G._Hoffman]

Is this a new thing, or has it always been this way?  If its a new thing, is it related to the last time you changed the strings?  Because every now and then you will get a bad string.  Try changing the strings, and see if that is the issue.

If it has always seemed that way, I wouldn't jump right to the pickups; there could be a lot of culprits.  You could have worn frets, or the neck could be out of whack.  The bridges on those things suck, and that is a very possible perpetrator.  And there is a solution for all of them, including the bridge.  Bad frets or neck problems are a problem for your local reputable repair shop (hopefully you have at least one). 

For the bridge, a lot of Jag and Jazzmaster players these days are switching to a Mastery Bridge.  It requires no modification to the guitar, so you can easily switch back if you ever sell the guitar, and it makes the guitar work a LOT better.  They are being used by a lot of JM/Jag players, including Nils Cline and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Sonic Youth, Bill Frisell, and many others.  The basic idea is the Mastery Bridge posts fit the thimbles tightly, so the bridge doesn't rock at all.  This not only improves the tuning stability, but it will also help to transfer the vibration to the guitar more efficiently, which should improve the tone.  They really are great bridges, though, and I highly recommend them. 

(In the interest of full disclosure, the Mastery Bridge is made by one of my shop's employees - I have no financial stake in it, though, I simply think it may be helpful.  We do keep them in stock at my shop, so I guess I could have a financial stake in selling you one, but you can order them directly through Mastery Bridge. They are frequently back ordered though, as the bridges are quite popular, and we almost always have them in stock due to our relationship with the company.)

As for the electronics, if you DO decide to replace them, then the nature of the Jag and Jazzmaster makes it reasonable to remove the electronics and replace everything.  For a 1966 Fender, the silliness of the vintage market means that re-soldering things will make a significant difference in the value of the guitar.  That assumes that everything works, of course.  If there is something broken, it is still better to fix it most of the time.  If it were a`50's, that might be different, but I find that concept really...uh...silly.  But if you are going to do it, you need to do everything, including the pickups, because if any of the solder joints are new the vintage market will go batty.  I'm afraid I'm not real familiar with Jaguar pickups, but there are a lot of good ones out there these days.


Gabriel

[nateflanigan]

Wow thanks for the input.

Insert Quote
Is this a new thing, or has it always been this way?  If its a new thing, is it related to the last time you changed the strings?  Because every now and then you will get a bad string.  Try changing the strings, and see if that is the issue.

I would say my awareness of it has been a growing thing, when I got it about 3 years ago I loved it.  I didn't even realize it was set up really ass backwards.  I took it to Dipinto's (local shop, makers of the very surfy Dipinto Guitars) and they did a great job adjusting everything and I loved it even more.  The channel selector switch was failing, they were able to repair the switch itself though.  I don't really remember what they said about but I think they just pressed it back together or something.  Recently I picked up an eastman and have been playing that a lot the past few months.  It's not that the "dullness" came about in comparison, it's that having some time away from it gave me a little more perspective.

That bridge sounds really interesting.  As far as the electronics go that's really the kind of advice I'm looking for.  I have no plans to sell the guitar, I hope I never have to, but things change and that's life.  I find the idea of absolute complete vintage fanaticism absurd and some how offensive, but knowing that even the solder would effect the value of the guitar, replacing everything seems like a good idea.  I thought I might look into getting the pickups re-wound but it seems I should just replace them.  I'll give it some more thought, but I really think a great guitar deserves nothing more than to sound it's best.  Sentencing it to a prison of bad caps and worn magnets is sadistic.

 

[G._Hoffman]

That bridge sounds really interesting.

Not to sound too much like an ad here, but they really do work nicely, and they are also appealing because they are really well designed and well manufactured.


Gabriel

[P Batty]

Just curious, but how clean is it inside? Perhaps just a careful cleaning with tuner cleaner of all switches, pots, and solder joints might get rid some oxidation/smoke/sweat/crud which could cause small capacitances to build up, dulling the sound.  I'm with Gabriel on the bridge idea, Sonic Youth is the final authority on Jazzmasters and Jaguars, IMHO.

[nateflanigan]

That's a good idea, baby steps, no need to go bananas.

Sonic Youth is the final authority on Jazzmasters and Jaguars, IMHO.

I've been a die hard SY fan since the moment I saw the cover of Goo in a record store when I was 15, I'd eat my guitar if they said it was cool.  Nels Cline seems to know a thing or two about them as well.

[G._Hoffman]

Nels Cline seems to know a thing or two about them as well.

One hopes.  I believe his current count is 20 Jazzmasters and Jags - mostly Jazzmasters, most of them old, though most of them also beat to hell and back.  He's got one that belonged to Roy Rogers! 


Gabriel