Hi all,
I recently purchased a Fender American Professional II Jazzmaster. They come standard with 9 gauge strings. Has anyone upgraded this model guitar to 10's? I find the stock position of the whammy bar is too high for my liking. Will the increased tension of 10's pull the Whammy bar down a bit or, will I need to give it a slight downward bend? Any other strange effects generated by using 10's?
Appreciate any and all thoughts!
Apparently, no one plays a Jazzmaster. lol Too bad, they are a great guitar. In any case, a quick update.... I replaced the original 9's with a set of 10's. My thinking was correct. The additional string tension did pull the whammy bar down to an acceptable level. I thought I may have to replace the spring inside of the tremolo but, no need for that. Whammy bar is in the right place and I have almost an octave difference when I divebomb! Not that I do that often on this guitar. I did have to tighten the truss rod a bit to remove some of the relief the 10's created. Neck is now perfect (for me) and all is good! Not sure why Fender designed this guitar for 9 gauge strings. Most Jazzmaster players use 10 and above. Usually, 11's. I myself prefer 10's. That is what I use on all of my guitars and am quite used to the tone and feel of those strings.
Captain Bob,
Sorry, I missed this post about the Jazzmaster.
I have owned my 1962 Jazzmaster since 1965 and loved it the whole time.
I have no clue what gauge the strings were that came on it. I remember they were flatwound strings and very thick. I removed the top E string and moved all the strings down one notch, so it was top (heavy E) to bottom, A - D - G - B - E - E.
I don't remember having a large choice for strings back in 1965. At some point in time they started making sets from .010 - .046 and I have used that string gauge on all my guitars since then. I did have a 30 year break in playing and played bass for the last 10 years of my active playing, ending in 1983.
The Fender website indicates that the American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster comes with .010 - 046 strings and (like yours) the American Professional II Jazzmaster comes with .009 - 042 gauge strings. The other models of Jazzmaster come with either gauge, I don't know what the determining factor is for the difference.
Jerry
Last edited by jmallard; 05-02-2024 at 05:30 PM.
IIRC that would've been Fender's "150L" set, introduced circa 1967. I remember installing them on my Teisco Del-Ray when it was time for its first re-string.Originally Posted by jmallard
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Thanks phantomman, I knew you would know that.
Just happened to remember, I had this empty container in my Jazzmaster case. I don't know why I kept it, nor how old it actually is.
Jerry
The Strat shown in the illustration is a CBS-era instrument with the large headstock, bullet truss-rod adjustment, and dual string trees -- I'd guess that packaging represents the early/mid '70s.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember those strings! lolThanks phantomman, I knew you would know that.
Just happened to remember, I had this empty container in my Jazzmaster case. I don't know why I kept it, nor how old it actually is.
Jerry
The only reason I can think of why fender is using 9's on the Pro II is to enhance the "jangliness" of this particular model Jazzmaster. I guess this is great for Indy or Shoeglaze style music. It clearly has the jangles.... Heavier gauge strings warm it up a bit.Captain Bob,
Sorry, I missed this post about the Jazzmaster.
I have owned my 1962 Jazzmaster since 1965 and loved it the whole time.
I have no clue what gauge the strings were that came on it. I remember they were flatwound strings and very thick. I removed the top E string and moved all the strings down one notch, so it was top (heavy E) to bottom, A - D - G - B - E - E.
I don't remember having a large choice for strings back in 1965. At some point in time they started making sets from .010 - .046 and I have used that string gauge on all my guitars since then. I did have a 30 year break in playing and played bass for the last 10 years of my active playing, ending in 1983.
The Fender website indicates that the American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster comes with .010 - 046 strings and (like yours) the American Professional II Jazzmaster comes with .009 - 042 gauge strings. The other models of Jazzmaster come with either gauge, I don't know what the determining factor is for the difference.
Jerry
Light strings do one thing - they tighten up the bottom end. JM's can get a bit "swampy" on the bottom and the lighter strings should Archie Bell and the Drells it.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
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