Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster pickguard upgrade

[@charlie-obrien]

I just picked up one of those 40th Anni Vintage JMs that come with an anodized gold pickguard. It's a nice fearure, but I feel it clashes too much with the Sea Foam Green finish. So I am all in on changing out the Pickguard just the same way you did it. Great instructional video! On a side note, you look and sound exactly like my High School chemistry teacher, who also spoke with a monotone. I spent so much time being lulled to sleep in his class...Lol But he was personally a great guy and ended up vouching for me and my 3 piece punk band to gig at a bar that his brother owned. We had a 6 song set (3 Clash songs and 3 Ramones) and when he came to watch us play, he walked in with the most stunning red head, I've ever seen in my life. Way to go, Mr Busenlangher! Landon, I'm gonna slam out a "Blitzkrieg Bop" in his and your honor when I get that pickguard on my Jazzmaster!

[@landonbailey]

wow this is an oldie! have fun

[@TheGael128]

im on the same boat! the 40th anniversary are on sale right now and the neck is beautiful but i feel like the pick guard really doesn't suit it, going to get an aged white one instead

[@jameshealey6123]

Tortoise shell and fender guitars/ colors = badass every time

[@alexk3088]

My favorite color scheme for the Jazzmaster 😎

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: My white JazzMaster was tortoise but now wears a white pearl pick guard. BTW if a guy is a little tight on money, the stock bridge can be improved with a jewelers size three corner file.. Once you are sure which groove you want the string in, a few passes with the file makes it deep enough to stay where it needs to be. I am running 9-42 strings with no problems. The Mustang bridges do work fine. The 7.25 tp 9.5 difference is close enough. The middle strings set about 1/64" higher, I could never notice anything wrong.

[@landonbailey]

thanks for the tips Leo!

[@craigladeroot642]

I really like that new pickguard. You did a good job.

[@landonbailey]

hey thanks! ya the tortoise shell looked really great on this guitar

[@HC_GUITAR]

Tortoise shell every time! Cool video Landon, really enjoying the channel content. Cheers!

[@landonbailey]

ah hey thanks Hugh!

[@Jodyrides]

I have the same guitar same color, Squier jazz master vintage modified..I am trying to find out if a USA fender jazz master scratch plate is a direct easy swap. Now I know. There is not a big selection scratch plates for squire JazzMasters, but there are many for the USA JazzMasters. I had a 1959 jazz master that I bought in a pawnshop for $175 in 1966 when I was 14 years old. The paint was well on its way to looking like Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s guitar, all chipped off, the headstock had cigarette burns on it, the finish on the back of the neck was completely worn down to the wood. In 1969 I invested four dollars in a spray can of white epoxy paint, and I painted the body white because it looked terrible, and in 1969, patina was not Acceptable.I had that guitar up until 2017. I didn’t like it after I got my first Gibson in 1969 which i still have, a 330TDC..I my jazzmaster actually sat in the case at one time for over 25 years without me even opening the case. I saw prices skyrocketing on eBay,I sold it on eBay, it is now in Moscow Russia.. my 1959 jazz master was the first year for the tortoiseshell pick guard. Just a note, the body cavity was lined with a copper perfectly fitting lining about as thick as a dime for shielding from the factory..

[@kevinpaul1719]

Nice guitar no matter. I just built a Jazzmaster and I used the Squier pickups because I heard good stuff. They are very loud. I have a " Buzz Stop" on the way just in case I encounter some Jazzmaster problems. I am going to use it this Friday and Saturday nights. I really hope that I did great work. Looks great with the ebony fret board and I put clear knobs on it. You enjoy your guitar.

[@nazmoking3171]

Kevinpaul curious if you are still using the Buzz Stop and do you like it? Some people have said that it tends to affect the sound somewhat?

[@hiroprotagonitis]

@@nazmoking3171 i use a buzz stop on mine with the stock bridge, the difference in sound and "resonance" (i ended up with a pretty "dead" body) is negligible compared to the benefits in feel, playability, and stability with the buzzstop.

[@TheClockworks]

Great video, thanks! Very helpful. No souldering necessary? Pots just screw out?

[@landonbailey]

Ya that's right, no soldering for this job. And yes everything (pots, dials) just screw apart.

[@eternallearner8185]

As i understand Mustang bridges only come in 7.25 radius, the squier necks are 9.5. I fitted an excellent tort guard off eBay from china or such, lined up perfectly cost under $10. Like your instructional very much, will look for more.

[@landonbailey]

thanks for checking out the video!

[@nazmoking3171]

eternal learner curious what you did about your bridge? You are right - the Mustang bridges are a mismatch for the radius.

[@eternallearner8185]

That was about a year ago, i searched eBay and found a cheap roller bridge that is sold as a replacement for Tune o magic bridges, bought two differing types , very cheap, and set it up with one of them. That guitar Sqier masks jazz master has moved on since. You can search on the Offset Guitar forum.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Cool man:-) Great vid!

[@landonbailey]

thanks, I'm liking the tortoise style.

[@hiroprotagonitis]

how's the string spacing? whenever i measure 55.5mm on my stock bridge, the high e ends up hanging off the fretboard

[@landonbailey]

I really don't recall. this one is long gone! 😊👍

[@nazmoking3171]

I looked at your link to the Mustang bridge and it’s designed for a 7.25 radius rather than the 9.5 radius that your Squier uses. Do I have that right or does Allparts also have a 9.5 radius version?

[@landonbailey]

I believe that's the only one. The upgrade was a recommendation from Anderton's Music in the UK. They demonstrated the guitar and recommended the part

[@Mr.Steve-O]

How did the 9's work out, was hoping you were going to test them. I have this exact guitar in the Sonic Blue as well. Would love to hear back on how the new strings worked out or if you have alot of string buzz ... thx !

[@landonbailey]

Steve Pena hi, they worked out ok!

[@Mr.Steve-O]

Thanks, just wonder how much adjustments needed to be done for the 9's to be playable? I did not like the stock 11's that mine came with as they were very stiff and dry. I think Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalts 10's at least for me would be a nice enhancement. I also have the same Mustang bridge in mine you do, and yes push the vibrato down until you hear a click, it's not going anywhere once locked into place. Thanks for the great video!

[@landonbailey]

Steve Pena I don't recall anymore, it was almost 2 years ago. thanks for checking out the video!

[@ioncewasmikey]

great video! quick question, did all the other screw holes on the body of the guitar line up with the holes in the new guard? Awesome color choice btw

[@landonbailey]

ioncewasmikey hi there! I did the upgrade a few months ago, and from memory I think one or two holes did not line up perfectly. but being a soft basswood body, it wasnt a big issue to make new holes

[@ioncewasmikey]

lando27music cool, did you pre-drill them?

[@landonbailey]

I honestly can't recall, but if I did it again today I would pre-drill a little hole. So I'm guessing I did that in the past as well.

[@ioncewasmikey]

lando27music thanks for the tips! Getting either this guitar or the J Mascis model, but making changes as soon as I get it. Waiting on the VM to arrive at guitar center before I make the choice, but I gotta say the J plays really well!

[@landonbailey]

+ioncewasmikey cool! I really like the J Mascis model and I hear great things about it

[@Wabin22]

Hey bro, I've had mine for about 2 weeks now and I love it :) I do want to ask you how the Mustang bridge is working out? I went down to my local shop and wanted to order one but the guitar dude told me that it seems to not be a good option. He said something that you couldn't adjust the string height and such? He did some Google searching and came up with that the Kurt Cobain Jaguar bridge would be better, so he ordered one for me without me having an obligation to buy one, which was pretty nice of him. But I want to hear your opinion and experience here?

[@landonbailey]

+Wabin22 I think you did the right thing. it's true you can't adjust individual string heights. if the one you ordered works then thats awesome. the one I used was from a recommendation from Rob Chapman's channel, and may not be the best solution. lwt me know how it goes

[@Wabin22]

Oh okay. But do you like it? You can adjust the string heights but not individual? Yeah he went through some work to find a good bridge and he said that the Kurt Cobain Jaguar bridge was suppose to be adjustable, and that the internet told him it was one of the better options and he managed to order the last one XD Thanks for the quick and nice reply man, really appreciate it :) I'll try to remember to let you know ;)

[@landonbailey]

+Wabin22 on the stock bridge you can adjust each individual saddle. The bridge I installed doesn't have screws to adjust each saddle. Overall it worked well to stop strings from jumping. I do like it.

[@RobertNolan]

Wabin22 just a heads up, graph tech has an excellent set of saddles which are height adjustable. I threw them on my Jaguar and will be putting them on my Jazzmaster when it arrives. I'm doing the same pickguard upgrade a this one!

[@landonbailey]

+Robert Nolan cool ya I thought the tortoise looked better than white

[@javiersanz29]

Man, that's exactly what I want if I buy the Vintage Modified Squier. Same color and same pickguard change. Is the bridge working good? Nice video!

[@landonbailey]

Thanks for checking out the video. the pick guard is beautiful and the bridge works well. I like the bridge more than the stock version

[@javiersanz29]

Thanks, man. Definitely I'm getting the Jassmaster VM

[@MrThx3876]

Original Jazzmaster bridges work just fine if you use the heavier gauge strings it was designed for. Also, the Mustang bridge string spacing is too wide.

[@landonbailey]

cool thanks for the tips!

[@jltrem]

Yes, when he put the EB Hybrids on it (which I use for strats) I thought, nope, too light a gauge.

[@TheloniousBosch]

Did you get the selector switch fixed?

[@landonbailey]

yes it just needed some deoxit I believe

[@TheloniousBosch]

Lando27Music excellent. I assumed so but the mystery was driving me nuts 😂

[@chrisgarceau9282]

I think you should've went with the Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom 10 to 52

[@legendoftheblack]

I'm actually looking for a white pickguard to put onto my vintage modified jazzmaster, do you still have yours?

[@landonbailey]

Ryan Luz sorry! long gone. what model/colour do you have?

[@legendoftheblack]

lando27music The three color burst with the tortoise pickguard. I just love the look of the white pickguard on the burst.

[@landonbailey]

+Ryan Luz nice! pretty much the opposite of what I had

[@Wabin22]

Hey, I'm getting the Sunburst one too, but I'm gonna replace the tortoise pickguard and the pick up covers to black. And you can find some pretty inexpensive pickguards on Ebay so check that out :)

[@Wabin22]

Oh, and Lando.. thanks for this video! I hate the tortoise pickguard but on that "Sonic Blue" guitar it looks pretty nice so stick with it :)

[@kitesproject-c2b]

Be careful with your tremolo arm, if you take it in and out too often it might start to rattle

[@landonbailey]

+Rosteam2000 I've only taken it out a couple times. Thanks for the tip!

[@andrelecouteur2135]

Unfortunately, your new bridge does not allow for individual string height adjustment.

[@landonbailey]

ya I realized that after the fact. I've managed to set it up nicely though. No buzz on any frets.

[@aromano8945]

you know 9s are way too light for a JM they really like 11s or 12s

[@francisbegbie1008]

Why not make 2 new holes save all the hassle

[@landonbailey]

hey there! from memory, I don't remember. 😁👍🎸

[@davidmiller2923]

Bbanjo