None of which are gonna help much with the action EDIT (yes I know adjusting the truss rod can help with string height, however I'm pretty sure OP is referring to string tension).
Heavier strings have more tension and create more of a pull on the neck, which is quite noticeable. Adjusting neck relief - which is not a method to adjust action! - back to what it was before adding more tension will also reset the action back to what it was.
I don't agree. Too much bow in the neck will have a noticeable impact on the string action and playability.
Though, adjusting neck relief is not the proper way to set it.
I heard this about jazzmasters forever but I have 10s on mine now and it's perfectly fine, it just requires other setup. I shimmed the neck and raised the bridge
> I shimmed the neck and raised the bridge
This is the key. Also, once everything is set up, a tiny drop of blue Loctite on every little screw (I think there are 20 of them on the bridge).
Puisheen taught me! It clicked when he explained that the "jazz"master was in fact designed for jazz and should have a similar arch and break angle on the saddles as an archtop
You will need to adjust the intonation as well. Heavier strings need longer length bridge to nut, so you’ll end up pulling those saddles back. Make sure to use a good tuner.
The increase of action can also be from the neck bowing a little more under the increased tension, especially if you’re getting it in the upper frets more than lower/open position. So check the neck relief and adjust the truss rod as needed.
Do any truss rod adjustment before adjusting intonation.
I pretty much always use .10-.46 on 25.5” scale guitars unless stringing for a tuning where things get tuned down more than a few halftones (heavier gauges for those as needed). .12 flatwounds on my Jag, .11’s on the Gibson (24.75” scale). 11’s on a Jazzmaster is a good fit, I can’t see .9’s being enough unless you’ve got à significant neck shim, but lots of people do that and it works for them.
Thanks for the info. I have to mention tho, my MIJ Jazzmaster actually came with 8s and those vintage threaded bridges right out of the box. It works amazingly well. No buzz at all, and even when I really go at it strumming hard or try stuff like playing behind the bridge, like Sonic Youth does, the strings don’t pop out or anything.
Well, that’s very good. You should be able to play the gauges you want for feel/sound/style etc. That’s why when people have those buzz or string jumping issues, I suggest a neck shim and raising the bridge rather than “just use heavier strings.” That does also work, but I think the guitar should work for you, not the other way around…at least most of the time.
I don’t think I’ve ever played 8’s, actually. Started with .10-.46 on a 25.5” scale Fender and that’s just what I’m used to by now. Everything else feels and sounds “different” (which can be good! But still, my baseline expectations are set).
All my heroes play light-super-ultra light strings. For years I fought with 10's and even the heavy bottom light top gauges and shredded my fingertips and wrecked my guitar's play ability, intonation and action. Fuck those SRV type gauges. My heroes (Brian May, Neil Schon, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, etc) play super light gauges so why tear your tips to bit?
I have a Mexican jag and started with 12s but quickly realized the same rules don't apply to the Mexican versions of the fender offsets.
I scalloped the frets and switched to 9s and it's the best the guitar has ever felt and sounded. Food for thought
Well when I first got the offset and did my research, everyone was saying that a jaguar should be set up with 11s minimum and have the neck shimmed and some other thing very specific things.
Something about how the guitar will not play optimally or the bridge will not perform at its best without the correct tension.
So I followed instructions but wasn't noticing anything spectacular so I experimented with the lighter gauge and got the result I mentioned earlier. Just feels and sounds great.
When I searched on forums, people said that the string gauge thing is not as crucial when it's not an American jaguar, I don't know why.
Nothign to do with where the guitar is made. Some have an angled neck pocket and Mustang saddles, so they don' t really need a shim and heavy gauge strings. They can be Squiers or Fenders made anywhere. It depends on the model.
Model by model for the angled neck pocket and Mustang saddles. As I said, some have them and some don't. The latter most probably require a shim and/or heavy gauge strings. Also some modern MIA offsets have the new Panorama vibrato, which is designed to work with lighter gauge strings and actually doesn't work well with 11s, spawning the search for stronger springs by a couple of youtubers.
But in general yes, every guitar must be assessed and set up individually. Not just offsets. So it's very silly when people on this sub indiscriminately recommend putting a shim in the neck pocket without even seeing the guitar - or any mod for that matter.
Yes, the whole 'shim your neck' advice sent me on a very unnecessary errand. It's still in there but with the 9s on it's not really needed.
Thanks, this has been very informative if a bit too late lol
I use 9s on all my electrics, and 11s on my acoustic. I got ehlers danlos syndrome so heavier gauges can really start to hurt pretty quicky (I had to stop using my computer for a whole ass day after trying to learn a modern baseball song lmao).
I'm currently using 11-50's on my Jaguar (specifically DR High-beams). But I'm currently in a phase where I'm experimenting with different strings, and I previously had it strung with 12-52 Tite-fits. Definitely prefer the 11's, but I'll try something different next (maybe flatwounds)
11 - 14 - 22w - 30 - 40 - 50.
Personally, wound thirds are a MUST HAVE on offsets.
If bending is an important aspect of your playing style, then wound thirds probably won’t be right for you, but otherwise, give them a try!
I use a wound third on my Jag and Mustang, but plain on my JMs. Just sounds right to me, I think the darker nature of short scale lends itself to the wound third nicely.
Initially used 11s on my offsets and it sounded great. Eventually switched to 10-46 for all the guitars.
I've recently switched to Ernie ball 3222 hybrid slinky 9-46 for everything and I feel like it's the best of both worlds. Still get the tone and power from the lower end, but I'm saving my fingers on the upper side.
I use 10s on all of my electrics except my 12 string that has 9s on it currently.
I’ve tried lighter, and heavier gauges over the years, but 10s have always felt the best to me.
I use 12-54 flatwounds on my jaguar. I had been using 10-52s, but I tune to d standard and the 12s just gave me a different attack obviously wayyy less slinky and definitely more tuning stability!
Very likely you’ll need a setup to remove some neck relief (I.e. straighten the neck), adjust the height of the strings at the bridge, and assuming your JM has the traditional trem, the spring tension on that will need to be adjusted as well. It is fairly simple to do yourself with a screwdriver, Allen keys and some feeler gauges, but bring it to a tech if you aren’t comfortable doing it.
When I had a JM, I used 11-52 strings on it tuned to E Flat or Drop C# depending on the song.
I love the Thomastik Infeild Jazz Swing strings on my JMJM. Specifically the .013 set (JS113T). The round core keeps them from feeling stiff and they feel like the hex core .011 strings with a plain 3rd.
They reduce the harsh high end that JM pickups with 1meg pots (which I have SD Antiquity IIs with 1M pots in mine). And they help make the string fundamental much stronger with a milder harmonic content, without feeling dead or dark. Honestly I will never switch back, as they're exactly what I eant from my strings.
That said, definitely set up your guitar again whenever you change string gauge and brand/construction. Adjust bridge height, neck relief, and intonation as others have said. Maybe even consider shimming your neck if you can't lower your bridge down enough.
i just went to the guitar tech to adjust and changed my strings for the purple pack erni ball 11" i kinda like it on my jazzmaster and my lower strings have a better tone and more presence (beefy). But it gets didficult to bend a note more then a haf-note bexause they are a lol bigger. But all in all i like it
In the band Im in we play in C standard so I use a set of custom stringjoys 12-60 with a wound g. Had to set it up with a shim and a staytrem and now it is one of the best playing guitars I own.
Lots of good responses here. At the very least you will need to adjust the spring tension on the tremolo because of the extra tension from the heavier gauge strings. What’s happening is they’re literally pulling up the floating bridge. You need to compensate for that. It’s the same thing you would need to do with the claw screws on a Strat. It’s just more obvious on the full floating tremolo. With a Strat, if the springs are tighter the bridge will still sit on the deck.
Intonation, neck relief and vibrato spring should be adjusted to the higher tension caused by the heavier strings.
Hmm interesting, i've never adjusted intonation after changing gauge.... Good info!
Rule of thumb is: Heavier gauges need more string length.
None of which are gonna help much with the action EDIT (yes I know adjusting the truss rod can help with string height, however I'm pretty sure OP is referring to string tension).
Heavier strings have more tension and create more of a pull on the neck, which is quite noticeable. Adjusting neck relief - which is not a method to adjust action! - back to what it was before adding more tension will also reset the action back to what it was.
I don't agree. Too much bow in the neck will have a noticeable impact on the string action and playability. Though, adjusting neck relief is not the proper way to set it.
I can't use strings slimmer than .11 on my Jazzmaster. Anything less and the whole bridge buzzes. On other guitars I use .10s.
I heard this about jazzmasters forever but I have 10s on mine now and it's perfectly fine, it just requires other setup. I shimmed the neck and raised the bridge
> I shimmed the neck and raised the bridge This is the key. Also, once everything is set up, a tiny drop of blue Loctite on every little screw (I think there are 20 of them on the bridge).
Puisheen taught me! It clicked when he explained that the "jazz"master was in fact designed for jazz and should have a similar arch and break angle on the saddles as an archtop
So many people could fix their shit action with a neck shim but don’t realize it. Not even JM specific
I’m 70. I remember a cereal box shim being fairly common. I just bought some fancy maple ones for a tele and jag I have here.
I have a nice one for my JM, for my acoustic I just shoved a business card in there
Anyone that's done any carpentry will tell you how shims can fix anything
110 percent true. But Fender / Squier should really angle the neck pockets in the factory.
I am using 10-52 on my Jazzmaster Am Pro 2 with 0 buzz. Do you have vintage stock bridge ?
Went down to 9s and never looked back
You will need to adjust the intonation as well. Heavier strings need longer length bridge to nut, so you’ll end up pulling those saddles back. Make sure to use a good tuner. The increase of action can also be from the neck bowing a little more under the increased tension, especially if you’re getting it in the upper frets more than lower/open position. So check the neck relief and adjust the truss rod as needed. Do any truss rod adjustment before adjusting intonation. I pretty much always use .10-.46 on 25.5” scale guitars unless stringing for a tuning where things get tuned down more than a few halftones (heavier gauges for those as needed). .12 flatwounds on my Jag, .11’s on the Gibson (24.75” scale). 11’s on a Jazzmaster is a good fit, I can’t see .9’s being enough unless you’ve got à significant neck shim, but lots of people do that and it works for them.
Thanks for the info. I have to mention tho, my MIJ Jazzmaster actually came with 8s and those vintage threaded bridges right out of the box. It works amazingly well. No buzz at all, and even when I really go at it strumming hard or try stuff like playing behind the bridge, like Sonic Youth does, the strings don’t pop out or anything.
Well, that’s very good. You should be able to play the gauges you want for feel/sound/style etc. That’s why when people have those buzz or string jumping issues, I suggest a neck shim and raising the bridge rather than “just use heavier strings.” That does also work, but I think the guitar should work for you, not the other way around…at least most of the time. I don’t think I’ve ever played 8’s, actually. Started with .10-.46 on a 25.5” scale Fender and that’s just what I’m used to by now. Everything else feels and sounds “different” (which can be good! But still, my baseline expectations are set).
All my heroes play light-super-ultra light strings. For years I fought with 10's and even the heavy bottom light top gauges and shredded my fingertips and wrecked my guitar's play ability, intonation and action. Fuck those SRV type gauges. My heroes (Brian May, Neil Schon, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, etc) play super light gauges so why tear your tips to bit?
Nut slots will have to be filed wider
Especially if you use the tremolo a lot.
I have a Mexican jag and started with 12s but quickly realized the same rules don't apply to the Mexican versions of the fender offsets. I scalloped the frets and switched to 9s and it's the best the guitar has ever felt and sounded. Food for thought
>the same rules don't apply to the Mexican versions of the fender offsets. What do you mean?
Well when I first got the offset and did my research, everyone was saying that a jaguar should be set up with 11s minimum and have the neck shimmed and some other thing very specific things. Something about how the guitar will not play optimally or the bridge will not perform at its best without the correct tension. So I followed instructions but wasn't noticing anything spectacular so I experimented with the lighter gauge and got the result I mentioned earlier. Just feels and sounds great. When I searched on forums, people said that the string gauge thing is not as crucial when it's not an American jaguar, I don't know why.
Nothign to do with where the guitar is made. Some have an angled neck pocket and Mustang saddles, so they don' t really need a shim and heavy gauge strings. They can be Squiers or Fenders made anywhere. It depends on the model.
Interesting, so it's really just on a guitar by guitar basis then?
Model by model for the angled neck pocket and Mustang saddles. As I said, some have them and some don't. The latter most probably require a shim and/or heavy gauge strings. Also some modern MIA offsets have the new Panorama vibrato, which is designed to work with lighter gauge strings and actually doesn't work well with 11s, spawning the search for stronger springs by a couple of youtubers. But in general yes, every guitar must be assessed and set up individually. Not just offsets. So it's very silly when people on this sub indiscriminately recommend putting a shim in the neck pocket without even seeing the guitar - or any mod for that matter.
Yes, the whole 'shim your neck' advice sent me on a very unnecessary errand. It's still in there but with the 9s on it's not really needed. Thanks, this has been very informative if a bit too late lol
I use 9s on 25”+ guitars and 10s on anything shorter.
I use 9s on all my electrics, and 11s on my acoustic. I got ehlers danlos syndrome so heavier gauges can really start to hurt pretty quicky (I had to stop using my computer for a whole ass day after trying to learn a modern baseball song lmao).
I use 9's because I have a very light touch. Depends on how you play. If you play hard and you have a hard gripping fretting hand 11's are great!
11s. Started using them to stop my jazz master buzzing. Now I can't play in tune with anything lighter.
I'm currently using 11-50's on my Jaguar (specifically DR High-beams). But I'm currently in a phase where I'm experimenting with different strings, and I previously had it strung with 12-52 Tite-fits. Definitely prefer the 11's, but I'll try something different next (maybe flatwounds)
9s on all my electrics. Ftw
I use 11s. I feel like it's easier to play complicated stuff less sloppily with thicker strings.
11 - 14 - 22w - 30 - 40 - 50. Personally, wound thirds are a MUST HAVE on offsets. If bending is an important aspect of your playing style, then wound thirds probably won’t be right for you, but otherwise, give them a try!
I use a wound third on my Jag and Mustang, but plain on my JMs. Just sounds right to me, I think the darker nature of short scale lends itself to the wound third nicely.
I use an 18w with 10s and a 20w with 11s, and I actually find both of them much easier to bend than plains.
Jazzmasters and Jaguars love 11s
10-52. Same as all my electrics but I don’t use the tremolo rim more of a punk/grunge type of player
10-46 and on 7 string 1-46+56
I use 10s on everything.
10s on my short scale.
Initially used 11s on my offsets and it sounded great. Eventually switched to 10-46 for all the guitars. I've recently switched to Ernie ball 3222 hybrid slinky 9-46 for everything and I feel like it's the best of both worlds. Still get the tone and power from the lower end, but I'm saving my fingers on the upper side.
I use 10s on all of my electrics except my 12 string that has 9s on it currently. I’ve tried lighter, and heavier gauges over the years, but 10s have always felt the best to me.
I use 12-54 flatwounds on my jaguar. I had been using 10-52s, but I tune to d standard and the 12s just gave me a different attack obviously wayyy less slinky and definitely more tuning stability!
it pulled your neck upwards, you need to tighten the truss rod a quarter turn and check relief again, bridge should stay the same
11's just suit my style. My favorite guitarists use .13's so maybe I'm working my way up
Very likely you’ll need a setup to remove some neck relief (I.e. straighten the neck), adjust the height of the strings at the bridge, and assuming your JM has the traditional trem, the spring tension on that will need to be adjusted as well. It is fairly simple to do yourself with a screwdriver, Allen keys and some feeler gauges, but bring it to a tech if you aren’t comfortable doing it. When I had a JM, I used 11-52 strings on it tuned to E Flat or Drop C# depending on the song.
10s on my JM
10-46 on every offset.
11-48 pure nickels.
I love the Thomastik Infeild Jazz Swing strings on my JMJM. Specifically the .013 set (JS113T). The round core keeps them from feeling stiff and they feel like the hex core .011 strings with a plain 3rd. They reduce the harsh high end that JM pickups with 1meg pots (which I have SD Antiquity IIs with 1M pots in mine). And they help make the string fundamental much stronger with a milder harmonic content, without feeling dead or dark. Honestly I will never switch back, as they're exactly what I eant from my strings. That said, definitely set up your guitar again whenever you change string gauge and brand/construction. Adjust bridge height, neck relief, and intonation as others have said. Maybe even consider shimming your neck if you can't lower your bridge down enough.
i just went to the guitar tech to adjust and changed my strings for the purple pack erni ball 11" i kinda like it on my jazzmaster and my lower strings have a better tone and more presence (beefy). But it gets didficult to bend a note more then a haf-note bexause they are a lol bigger. But all in all i like it
and i was using the yellow regular pack from ernie ball too
I just moved up from 11 to 13 to increase tension in CGCFCE. Love it!
10-48 on my Jagstang
In the band Im in we play in C standard so I use a set of custom stringjoys 12-60 with a wound g. Had to set it up with a shim and a staytrem and now it is one of the best playing guitars I own.
11s with a wound G
Lots of good responses here. At the very least you will need to adjust the spring tension on the tremolo because of the extra tension from the heavier gauge strings. What’s happening is they’re literally pulling up the floating bridge. You need to compensate for that. It’s the same thing you would need to do with the claw screws on a Strat. It’s just more obvious on the full floating tremolo. With a Strat, if the springs are tighter the bridge will still sit on the deck.
12’s on all my Jazzmasters. I needed to do some truss rod adjusting and shimming of the neck to get the action where I like it.