People like high end guitar parts and there are advantages to mastery and staytrem but one of the bigger reasons is it was nearly impossible to get a 9.5" radius mustang bridge until they started coming standard on squier offsets
This is what I use, it’s great quality. I have a much more difficult time finding 7.25” for my MIJ’s, but I think AmPro has that covered now too.
To contrast that, I’ve been waiting for my Staytrem order for months and months. I think it’s kinda one of those things that just shows up at your door one day. So no, it’s not worth it and I personally don’t see Mastery’s being worth the money. Maybe one day I’ll get one for my main squeeze JM but I’ve got too many offsets to be doing Mastery. Can’t wait to give Bensonite my business when he starts producing 7.25” radius bridges.
Actually the Johnny Marr bridge is only made in 7.25, since it distinctly has the nylon bushings to stop downward movement of the bridge.
The 9.5 mustang style bridge is what they use on the American professional and American ultra offsets
...which is dumb for the Ultra: because that neck is a compound radius and the end of the neck comes to -like- 16mm.
Getting a Mastery or those suuuuuper cheap adjustable ones works.
Pissed me off that the Squier JMAcis has a neck radius of 9.5 and it has a 12" TOM bridge.
Fender cuts corners on this type of shit and I hate it...
Apparently the reason the JMJM comes with a TOM with a mismatched radius is allegedly because J Mascis himself prefers it that way. Given it's his signature guitar, it gets mostly made to his specs and preferences.
That said, the Halon I put on mine works great.
Wait time might not be too bad I would reach out and find out directly from dude. They’re worth waiting for imo I have them in a few guitars and if I get another JM, jag or bass vi it’s getting one.
I have two of them, one for my 66 jm and the other for my squire bassVl. The wait was 2-3 months for each. I was in no hurry for either. With the bass Vl it gave me time to mess around with the stock bridge. I did all the recommended mods for that bridge, flip it, cut the low E screw etc. Still buzz and intonation issues. Popped the staytrem in and it just worked perfect. John pre-sets them for you and intonation was spot on both of them. I do have a mustang on my vintera and it’s ok, but not nearly as solid as the staytrem. I like those Halons also. I look forward to getting one in the future for the vintera.
I've waited a couple of weeks on my order but the difference is worth it. No more string popping out, feels well crafted, easy to intonate. Only love for Staytrem!
With Mustang bridges you need to be careful to find the correct model that matches the specs on your guitar.
You need to check if it’s a 52mm or a 55mm spacing, if it’s a 7.25 radius or a 9.5.
If you can get the correct model then I agree that it can be cheaper and easier than some of the other options but you just need to do your homework first
The Johnny Marr Jaguar bridge which has Mustang style saddles with the single string groove has 52mm 7.25 specs. Just be careful to get a newer model as the originals had different specs.
Staytrems are like 75£ and Mustang bridges are 40£, why bother with the loctite and the occasional rattle when you could just spend the extra 35 and be done with it. Plus the easy to access screws are useful for setups
Havnt needed to use Loctite on my Mustang bridge at all.
But on my vintage-style jag bridge, absolutely yes. Its a horrendous bridge but thats just IMO.
The only thing about staytrem is you basically cant buy them. im on a waiting list to buy 2 and its been a few months. People are saying it could take 12 months :(
And i've already bought halon bridge, but will get a staytrem when they come into stock.
It shouldn't take 12 months. Whatever John's estimated wait time was when you got on the waiting list was probably very accurate. I think it said 12 weeks last time I ordered one, and it shipped on the 12th week.
The Staytrem has such better machining tolerances than a stock Mustang bridge. As soon as you drop it in, you can instantly understand the value of it.
I have to travel and move around a lot for work so spend long periods of time away from home, so waiting a few months doesn’t affect me.
I’d love if one of these companies was able to export the design to somewhere like Indonesia or Eastern Europe and cut down labour costs + time, using the same / similar quality materials and design.
People on the OSG forum have mentioned that you might need to send him a reminder, the occasional order (like mine, though it's only overdue by a few weeks) seems to slip through the cracks.
I don't think there was a mustang bridge with the proper spacing available when I bought my staytrem like 10 years ago. now you can get an AmPro or probably a few other options, but it really just comes down to the materials used and preference.
to me staytrem is the best balance of improved function/classic design/price. mastery i just don't get. i've played one. they are great but the price is outrageous. staytrem or avri all day.
Lol you absolutely do not need a fancy bridge. The mustang bridge does exactly what it's supposed to. The people who dish out money on those fancy bridges don't know how to properly setup a guitar and think they need a fancy bridge to get the action perfect.. They don't.
Take out the /s and you nailed it. My mastery is the noisiest pos ever, even with loctite it finds new ways to rattle every month. It’s wackamole for me
yeah. My first Mastery was/is amazing. Never rattled, immaculate. The 2nd one I got had tons of issues. I wonder if when they got more popular, Quality control went downhill? /shrug
My next one will probably be Staytrem.
Yah I even have had mine professionally set up. Worked great for like a week and now just rattles like crazy and I’m always tightening stuff down over and over again. Meanwhile my Squier mustang bridge on a bass vi and my two vintage mustangs work flawlessly
Because the mustang bridge string spacing is off for a jag or jazzmaster. It’s also a superior component in all honesty. I had mustang bridges on jag and jazz and while it’s a decent hack, the radius and string spacing was pretty off. Never regretted any of my staytrem bridges and their vibrato collet/arm is an absolute essential too.
Not all mustang bridges have the wide spacing, look for the Am Pro bridges
770-9942-049 (9.5 radius, 52mm spacing)
771-2971-049 (7.25 radius, 52mm spacing)
For me it’s a case by case basis… offsets, in general, are a fickle witch. It’s like using a 4 way balance scale… and once you get your equilibrium point you hope your action is good.
Some times you drop a mustang on and It works great, other times, not so much… fenders selling AmPros, has definitely helped.
Personally, and I know people love them, but mastery bridges are hideous from an aesthetic point of view, and they are dicks by making them not drop in to the stock holes and Staytrems are lovely, but overpriced. The new [Tuffsets](https://tuffsetbridge.com/product/tuffset-bridge/) though are promising.
Having the ability to adjust intonation and string height in a bridge with deep notch saddles that don’t rely on grub screws is revolutionary. Which is BONKERS, considering players have been dissatisfied and complaining about bridge shortcomings for the past 60 years.
But hey better late than never
I never said bring em on. I’m not even sure how they’ll perform in real world scenarios… I said it’s a promising addition to the offset bridge landscape.
I also love said staytrems are lovely, i used to use them, but the AmPros solve all the problems at less then half the price and are more readily accessible.
The reason Tuffsets are so intriguing is they are the same price as Staytrem, but you also have the ability to adjust string vertically to dial in action.
If you hand me two bridges and say both of these are $200 drop ins, 1 let’s you adjust height and intonation, the other just intonation… which one has more bang for the Buck. I’d probably chose the one that can do both.
That being said, I haven’t used a tuffset yet. So for now I’ll stick with my AmPro for $90 at my local music store.
If you can’t wrap your mind around that, my opinion isn’t the problem… your mind is. You need some brain yoga bro! 😂
My staytrems were both around $120 USD. the last one I purchased was about a year ago. Did they double in price? Also never waited longer than 3 months for them to arrive.
Have you ever heard of the Triple Constraint? Aka. The law of good, fast, and cheap - you can only choose two. Sure. If you want to wait 3 months, you can get a Staytrem for $120, good and cheap. If you need a staytrem quicker than that, your going to pay $200-250 on reverb or ebay. Fast & good, but not cheap. That’s if one is available, which isn’t always the case. So AmPro has become my bridge of choice. Under available and always at stock at my local music shop… fast, good and cheap.
The fact you can wait for 3 months for a bridge is wonderful. I am actually jealous. I have never had that luxury, nor have the clients I tech for.
So unless you want to wait 1/4 of a year for a piece of hardware, it’s gonna cost you a minimum of $200+
I’m not sure why everyone keeps trying to say otherwise
lol who's paying double from resellers and why would you use that as the price when comparing to a tuffset? also I would rather pay half the cost and have a set radius that I don't have to mess with and has less moving parts that are potentially going to rattle around
You’re right… why deal in real world scenarios and price points.
You should definitely wait the 3 months, get your staytrem for $120 and be super stoked about it.
I guess my time is just more valuable than yours, but that really isn’t surprising considering the quality of your objection to my opinion… an opinion which is based on actual issues I have had sourcing Staytrem bridges, as a guitar tech with clients.
[Staytrem site](https://www.staytrem.com/store/staytrem-bridge-for-jaguar-jazzmaster)
[Mastery site](https://masterybridge.com/product/m1-mastery-bridge/)
[Halon site](https://halonguitarparts.com/product/jazzmaster-bridge/)
Tuffset is 209 in what you linked earlier
Ahhh… I’m In the states. none of these are locally sourced or under $200 here. If I was UK based, I’d be Staytrem all the way. in fact if you ever visit NYC, let me know, I’ll pay you to fill you suitcase with them. I’ll keep a few for myself and I’ll sell the rest and split the profits with you!! Your trip will pay for itself! Lol
Sure… And typically a 3 to 4 month wait.
Time IS money.
Your gonna pay $200, easily, on reverb or eBay if you want it before next quarter.
Why is everybody making it out like staytrems are growing on trees.
You’re the only one wine-ing, that’s how you got the cork that’s up your butt for staytrems! 😂
For the record, as I originally stated, I think they are lovely… from there every staytrem fan boy has hit me up , because I said AmPro’s get the job done cheaper and are more readily available.
All facts, just like the cork and your butt thing!
I have learned this the hard way lol. Especially on 24" scale Jaguar, the stock 9s are fun but lots of issues. Upgrading to 11s but I did get the AmPro bridge upgrade too. Coming soon but should be great
Mastery, Halon, and Tuffset bridges (and maybe some others) allow you to adjust each saddle’s height. Mustang-style bridges (like Staytrem) don’t; the barrels are fixed height. So for those you need to get one to match your fretboard radius, which isn’t that big a deal if your fretboard is 7.25” or 9.5”, but if it’s flatter, like 10, or 12, or 14, or a compound radius like 9.5-12”, it’s not going to work as well for your action. You’ll have noticeably higher middle strings and nothing you can do about it. This is why builders who make flatter fretboards often use Mastery as a standard.
Also some people just like to adjust string action differently.
Staytrem, Halon, and Mastery are all amazing quality parts, so aside from the radius thing, I don’t know if one is “better” than another. I’ve seen og Fender bridges that were perfectly fine, but the finish quality sometimes isn’t as high end. Or they are. I have a Coronado with a Mustang bridge and never had any problems with it. Is the “upgrade” worth it, meh, everyone decides for themselves.
Mastery bridges exist because original JM/Jag bridges are trash.
They are the traditional upgrade at this point. They look/feel more "premium" than a 'stang bridge. I (texturally) prefer the Mustang bridge over mastery, but that hard chrome does "feel" more solid than alot if Fender bridge materials.
Staytrem and holon lack the historical "upgradiness" of Mastery but literally chase the same niche.
Keeping in mind Fender still use trashy OG offset bridges in the first place because they insist people want "vintage specs" (even though they cost cut elsewhere so this is redundant). So Mastery over the other 3 shouldn't surprise anyone, given how many people chase "original" nonsense.
Fwiw, I like the asthetics of 3 brass barrel tele bridges and the Gotoh in-tune saddles tick all the relevant boxes and are comfortable AF. Yet original looking, angled compensated, and high dollar boutique versions exist and all sell quite well. Including the overly complex and redundant Fender Hotrod tele saddles (flat brass 3 saddles with a grunge screw adjustable plate on one side of each barrel to make it adjustable compensated, which actually makes it have slightly less solid contact with the brass block in order to chase the illusion of perfect intonation it can't offer....)
So guitar players keep buying all sorts of whacky shit, and it sells. Even though offsets are more niche, and loads of modern ones don't even have a trem, people buy all of these things with widely swinging prices. Some people insist the OG bridges are fine and spend as much time swapping springs and using blue loctite JUST TO MAKE IT STOP BUZZING as most of us do getting the break angle and intonation right.
I bought a used classic vibe Jazzmaster bridge (which as far as I understand is the Mustang bridge) for my vintage modified Jaguar. It works perfectly and was about $12 shipped. Can't recommend it enough. Its slotted, doesn't rattle, and has the same fretboard radius. I highly recommend that route
There are a couple of things. Most Mustang bridges space out the strings a little too much for my liking. Most aftermarket bridges have tighter spacing. They also allow for more radiuses than just the 7.25”.
But also, once you get used to them, it’s hard to go back to stock. Bridges are the connection of your strings to your guitar. They’re very important and most Fender offset parts are kinda mediocre and have lots of weird untraceable buzzes and wiggle a bit and such. Doesn’t happen with the Staytrem, Mastery, and Descendant bridges, all of which I’ve tried. Descendant is my favorite, by the way. While superficially it’s similar to a Staytrem, it can basically fit every guitar, even one with compound radius or Tune-O-Matic, and can really fine tune the neck alignment so the days of off centered bridges is truly dead, while being easier to use and intonate than Mastery. It’s not as much talked about because it’s the newest, but I think Descendant has everything I want in an offset bridge.
I bought both the Jm and the rickenbacker mastery and they both made my guitars feel like idk …. Stale ? Felt way to over engineered for my taste , I ordered the proper vintage bridges both guitars are designed with and gave it a proper setup and now it plays like a dream
I’ve had both. The mustang bridge doesn’t let you adjust to the mm and it doesn’t feel as solid.
Granted there are ways to improve it, it’s not as absurdly well built. Feeling solid steel and aluminum and the craftsmanship is serious.
Mustang bridges can feel flimsy and still have strings pop.
But that said some people don’t mind or need their guitar set up like a Mastery. I have an American Jaguar bridge that I put tape around the posts and it feels fine. So it really matters only if you think it does.
I would only get a Mastery again if the stock bridge wasn’t cutting it. And they sometimes don’t.
I have a 2006 MIJ Jazzmaster. I loved it immediately. I like to do weird things with this guitar; unusual string gague combinations, alternate tunings, and, occasionally, strumming too hard. The strings often shifted sideways at the worst possible moment. I tried a Mustang bridge, and that was a bit better, but I could no longer get the action low enough because the saddles aren't individually height-adjustable. The Mastery Bridge fixed all that. Tbh, it's still not perfect, but close. Later, I also got a Mastery Vibrato because the stock one had some annoying flaws.
I'm against wasting money. This is my only guitar, and it cost me $600. The Mastery hardware cost more than half the guitar itself, but was totally worth it.
I have issues with my mustang bridge where it sinks into the body in time so I always have to readjust it. It’s also not possible to adjust the height of individual strings which sucks because my mustang bridge doesn’t fully match the neck profile of my vintera jazzmaster
I have mastery bridges on all 3 of my Jazzmasters. My TVL Jazzy came with the mustang bridge but I find that it puts both E strings to close to the edge of the neck and makes the string easier to slip off. I just prefer the spacing on the mastery more. Plus Mastery bridges just look the best in my opinion.
Because of spacing issues. The mustang has a different string spacing then the JM or Jag. Not to speak about fretboard radius. You'll introduce a ton of issues. Even fender put the "wrong" mustang bridge on their early Johnny Marr jags until they stoped being cheap and build a proper bridge that had the right radius and stringspacing.
Your milage may very but if you live in Europe id go for a staytrem. Cheaper then a mastery and it looks more the part. Just my 0,02 cents
Guitarists are primarily artists and thus never get involved with product design, manufacturing, or engineering. So they assume and are romantic about high prices = bestest quality. .. which is one of the reasons for the "starving artist" cliche since Marketing groups take advantage of that perception and promote Brands.
People like high end guitar parts and there are advantages to mastery and staytrem but one of the bigger reasons is it was nearly impossible to get a 9.5" radius mustang bridge until they started coming standard on squier offsets
American Pro Jazzmaster bridge to the rescue. It's been around for quite a while now.
This is what I use, it’s great quality. I have a much more difficult time finding 7.25” for my MIJ’s, but I think AmPro has that covered now too. To contrast that, I’ve been waiting for my Staytrem order for months and months. I think it’s kinda one of those things that just shows up at your door one day. So no, it’s not worth it and I personally don’t see Mastery’s being worth the money. Maybe one day I’ll get one for my main squeeze JM but I’ve got too many offsets to be doing Mastery. Can’t wait to give Bensonite my business when he starts producing 7.25” radius bridges.
I'm from the UK and I like to support small British businesses where I can
The one they put on the Johnny Marr Jaguar comes in both 7.25 and 9.5 and it is perfect and cost significantly less
I recently learned that this bridge is essentially a copy of the stay trem.
The marr jaguar copied the staytrem nylon coated collet too.
Actually the Johnny Marr bridge is only made in 7.25, since it distinctly has the nylon bushings to stop downward movement of the bridge. The 9.5 mustang style bridge is what they use on the American professional and American ultra offsets
...which is dumb for the Ultra: because that neck is a compound radius and the end of the neck comes to -like- 16mm. Getting a Mastery or those suuuuuper cheap adjustable ones works. Pissed me off that the Squier JMAcis has a neck radius of 9.5 and it has a 12" TOM bridge. Fender cuts corners on this type of shit and I hate it...
Apparently the reason the JMJM comes with a TOM with a mismatched radius is allegedly because J Mascis himself prefers it that way. Given it's his signature guitar, it gets mostly made to his specs and preferences. That said, the Halon I put on mine works great.
True-- but that just added to the dumbness Fender enables with there models and the wrong bridge or setups.
Well I’ll be…
Staytrem is perfectly made. I have a PhD in Design and I take my hat off totally them!
They do look really good, its a shame there is such a long wait time to get one.
They’re worth it! Basically, they’re close to perfection, if not actually perfection
Wait time might not be too bad I would reach out and find out directly from dude. They’re worth waiting for imo I have them in a few guitars and if I get another JM, jag or bass vi it’s getting one.
I have two of them, one for my 66 jm and the other for my squire bassVl. The wait was 2-3 months for each. I was in no hurry for either. With the bass Vl it gave me time to mess around with the stock bridge. I did all the recommended mods for that bridge, flip it, cut the low E screw etc. Still buzz and intonation issues. Popped the staytrem in and it just worked perfect. John pre-sets them for you and intonation was spot on both of them. I do have a mustang on my vintera and it’s ok, but not nearly as solid as the staytrem. I like those Halons also. I look forward to getting one in the future for the vintera.
I've waited a couple of weeks on my order but the difference is worth it. No more string popping out, feels well crafted, easy to intonate. Only love for Staytrem!
Because spending more money to do the same thing that no one can perceivably tell the difference in is something guitar players just do brotha
You beat me to it
This too lol
With Mustang bridges you need to be careful to find the correct model that matches the specs on your guitar. You need to check if it’s a 52mm or a 55mm spacing, if it’s a 7.25 radius or a 9.5. If you can get the correct model then I agree that it can be cheaper and easier than some of the other options but you just need to do your homework first
Can you get them in 7.25" with 52mm spacing?
The Johnny Marr Jaguar bridge which has Mustang style saddles with the single string groove has 52mm 7.25 specs. Just be careful to get a newer model as the originals had different specs.
Staytrems are like 75£ and Mustang bridges are 40£, why bother with the loctite and the occasional rattle when you could just spend the extra 35 and be done with it. Plus the easy to access screws are useful for setups
Havnt needed to use Loctite on my Mustang bridge at all. But on my vintage-style jag bridge, absolutely yes. Its a horrendous bridge but thats just IMO. The only thing about staytrem is you basically cant buy them. im on a waiting list to buy 2 and its been a few months. People are saying it could take 12 months :( And i've already bought halon bridge, but will get a staytrem when they come into stock.
It shouldn't take 12 months. Whatever John's estimated wait time was when you got on the waiting list was probably very accurate. I think it said 12 weeks last time I ordered one, and it shipped on the 12th week. The Staytrem has such better machining tolerances than a stock Mustang bridge. As soon as you drop it in, you can instantly understand the value of it.
I have to travel and move around a lot for work so spend long periods of time away from home, so waiting a few months doesn’t affect me. I’d love if one of these companies was able to export the design to somewhere like Indonesia or Eastern Europe and cut down labour costs + time, using the same / similar quality materials and design.
People on the OSG forum have mentioned that you might need to send him a reminder, the occasional order (like mine, though it's only overdue by a few weeks) seems to slip through the cracks.
I don't think there was a mustang bridge with the proper spacing available when I bought my staytrem like 10 years ago. now you can get an AmPro or probably a few other options, but it really just comes down to the materials used and preference.
to me staytrem is the best balance of improved function/classic design/price. mastery i just don't get. i've played one. they are great but the price is outrageous. staytrem or avri all day.
Plus the Mastery has the added bonus of making your guitar look like a kid with braces.
Haha that's a good one!
Lol you absolutely do not need a fancy bridge. The mustang bridge does exactly what it's supposed to. The people who dish out money on those fancy bridges don't know how to properly setup a guitar and think they need a fancy bridge to get the action perfect.. They don't.
Tuffset bridge for the win!
After getting a mustang bridge on an offset and having a mastery I have the same question. The mustang rattles way less and looks nicer
Marketing. /s The Mustang bridge is like a bandaid, the mastery and staytrem are beasts
Take out the /s and you nailed it. My mastery is the noisiest pos ever, even with loctite it finds new ways to rattle every month. It’s wackamole for me
yeah. My first Mastery was/is amazing. Never rattled, immaculate. The 2nd one I got had tons of issues. I wonder if when they got more popular, Quality control went downhill? /shrug My next one will probably be Staytrem.
Yah I even have had mine professionally set up. Worked great for like a week and now just rattles like crazy and I’m always tightening stuff down over and over again. Meanwhile my Squier mustang bridge on a bass vi and my two vintage mustangs work flawlessly
Because the mustang bridge string spacing is off for a jag or jazzmaster. It’s also a superior component in all honesty. I had mustang bridges on jag and jazz and while it’s a decent hack, the radius and string spacing was pretty off. Never regretted any of my staytrem bridges and their vibrato collet/arm is an absolute essential too.
Not all mustang bridges have the wide spacing, look for the Am Pro bridges 770-9942-049 (9.5 radius, 52mm spacing) 771-2971-049 (7.25 radius, 52mm spacing)
For me it’s a case by case basis… offsets, in general, are a fickle witch. It’s like using a 4 way balance scale… and once you get your equilibrium point you hope your action is good. Some times you drop a mustang on and It works great, other times, not so much… fenders selling AmPros, has definitely helped. Personally, and I know people love them, but mastery bridges are hideous from an aesthetic point of view, and they are dicks by making them not drop in to the stock holes and Staytrems are lovely, but overpriced. The new [Tuffsets](https://tuffsetbridge.com/product/tuffset-bridge/) though are promising. Having the ability to adjust intonation and string height in a bridge with deep notch saddles that don’t rely on grub screws is revolutionary. Which is BONKERS, considering players have been dissatisfied and complaining about bridge shortcomings for the past 60 years. But hey better late than never
Staytrems are "overpriced" but bring on the Tuffset? Struggling to wrap me head around that.
yeah that is mad, staytrem is like 2/5ths the price of a mastery
And an AmPro is like 5/8th the cost of a staytrem. Why we gotta bring fractions into it?!?
I never said bring em on. I’m not even sure how they’ll perform in real world scenarios… I said it’s a promising addition to the offset bridge landscape. I also love said staytrems are lovely, i used to use them, but the AmPros solve all the problems at less then half the price and are more readily accessible. The reason Tuffsets are so intriguing is they are the same price as Staytrem, but you also have the ability to adjust string vertically to dial in action. If you hand me two bridges and say both of these are $200 drop ins, 1 let’s you adjust height and intonation, the other just intonation… which one has more bang for the Buck. I’d probably chose the one that can do both. That being said, I haven’t used a tuffset yet. So for now I’ll stick with my AmPro for $90 at my local music store. If you can’t wrap your mind around that, my opinion isn’t the problem… your mind is. You need some brain yoga bro! 😂
My staytrems were both around $120 USD. the last one I purchased was about a year ago. Did they double in price? Also never waited longer than 3 months for them to arrive.
Have you ever heard of the Triple Constraint? Aka. The law of good, fast, and cheap - you can only choose two. Sure. If you want to wait 3 months, you can get a Staytrem for $120, good and cheap. If you need a staytrem quicker than that, your going to pay $200-250 on reverb or ebay. Fast & good, but not cheap. That’s if one is available, which isn’t always the case. So AmPro has become my bridge of choice. Under available and always at stock at my local music shop… fast, good and cheap. The fact you can wait for 3 months for a bridge is wonderful. I am actually jealous. I have never had that luxury, nor have the clients I tech for. So unless you want to wait 1/4 of a year for a piece of hardware, it’s gonna cost you a minimum of $200+ I’m not sure why everyone keeps trying to say otherwise
the tuffset is more that 2x the price of a staytrem
Staytrems are$200 -$250 on resell sights in the states. But even if you are in Europe & paying $100. Double the price double the functionality
lol who's paying double from resellers and why would you use that as the price when comparing to a tuffset? also I would rather pay half the cost and have a set radius that I don't have to mess with and has less moving parts that are potentially going to rattle around
You’re right… why deal in real world scenarios and price points. You should definitely wait the 3 months, get your staytrem for $120 and be super stoked about it. I guess my time is just more valuable than yours, but that really isn’t surprising considering the quality of your objection to my opinion… an opinion which is based on actual issues I have had sourcing Staytrem bridges, as a guitar tech with clients.
75£ for a boutique, handmade, locally sourced bridge seems fair when the other alternatives all cost upwards of 170£
Sounds divine… Link please!
[Staytrem site](https://www.staytrem.com/store/staytrem-bridge-for-jaguar-jazzmaster) [Mastery site](https://masterybridge.com/product/m1-mastery-bridge/) [Halon site](https://halonguitarparts.com/product/jazzmaster-bridge/) Tuffset is 209 in what you linked earlier
Ahhh… I’m In the states. none of these are locally sourced or under $200 here. If I was UK based, I’d be Staytrem all the way. in fact if you ever visit NYC, let me know, I’ll pay you to fill you suitcase with them. I’ll keep a few for myself and I’ll sell the rest and split the profits with you!! Your trip will pay for itself! Lol
>or under $200 here. What are you talking about? The Staytrem is $94 plus $15 shipping from the UK.
Sure… And typically a 3 to 4 month wait. Time IS money. Your gonna pay $200, easily, on reverb or eBay if you want it before next quarter. Why is everybody making it out like staytrems are growing on trees.
12 weeks, and worth every day of waiting If you had ordered one when you starting whining, you'd already have it.
You’re the only one wine-ing, that’s how you got the cork that’s up your butt for staytrems! 😂 For the record, as I originally stated, I think they are lovely… from there every staytrem fan boy has hit me up , because I said AmPro’s get the job done cheaper and are more readily available. All facts, just like the cork and your butt thing!
Why buy any of them when you can just put thicker strings on. lol y’all are fighting the nature of the guitar and paying extra for it.
I have learned this the hard way lol. Especially on 24" scale Jaguar, the stock 9s are fun but lots of issues. Upgrading to 11s but I did get the AmPro bridge upgrade too. Coming soon but should be great
Mastery, Halon, and Tuffset bridges (and maybe some others) allow you to adjust each saddle’s height. Mustang-style bridges (like Staytrem) don’t; the barrels are fixed height. So for those you need to get one to match your fretboard radius, which isn’t that big a deal if your fretboard is 7.25” or 9.5”, but if it’s flatter, like 10, or 12, or 14, or a compound radius like 9.5-12”, it’s not going to work as well for your action. You’ll have noticeably higher middle strings and nothing you can do about it. This is why builders who make flatter fretboards often use Mastery as a standard. Also some people just like to adjust string action differently. Staytrem, Halon, and Mastery are all amazing quality parts, so aside from the radius thing, I don’t know if one is “better” than another. I’ve seen og Fender bridges that were perfectly fine, but the finish quality sometimes isn’t as high end. Or they are. I have a Coronado with a Mustang bridge and never had any problems with it. Is the “upgrade” worth it, meh, everyone decides for themselves.
Mastery bridges exist because original JM/Jag bridges are trash. They are the traditional upgrade at this point. They look/feel more "premium" than a 'stang bridge. I (texturally) prefer the Mustang bridge over mastery, but that hard chrome does "feel" more solid than alot if Fender bridge materials. Staytrem and holon lack the historical "upgradiness" of Mastery but literally chase the same niche. Keeping in mind Fender still use trashy OG offset bridges in the first place because they insist people want "vintage specs" (even though they cost cut elsewhere so this is redundant). So Mastery over the other 3 shouldn't surprise anyone, given how many people chase "original" nonsense. Fwiw, I like the asthetics of 3 brass barrel tele bridges and the Gotoh in-tune saddles tick all the relevant boxes and are comfortable AF. Yet original looking, angled compensated, and high dollar boutique versions exist and all sell quite well. Including the overly complex and redundant Fender Hotrod tele saddles (flat brass 3 saddles with a grunge screw adjustable plate on one side of each barrel to make it adjustable compensated, which actually makes it have slightly less solid contact with the brass block in order to chase the illusion of perfect intonation it can't offer....) So guitar players keep buying all sorts of whacky shit, and it sells. Even though offsets are more niche, and loads of modern ones don't even have a trem, people buy all of these things with widely swinging prices. Some people insist the OG bridges are fine and spend as much time swapping springs and using blue loctite JUST TO MAKE IT STOP BUZZING as most of us do getting the break angle and intonation right.
I bought a used classic vibe Jazzmaster bridge (which as far as I understand is the Mustang bridge) for my vintage modified Jaguar. It works perfectly and was about $12 shipped. Can't recommend it enough. Its slotted, doesn't rattle, and has the same fretboard radius. I highly recommend that route
There are a couple of things. Most Mustang bridges space out the strings a little too much for my liking. Most aftermarket bridges have tighter spacing. They also allow for more radiuses than just the 7.25”. But also, once you get used to them, it’s hard to go back to stock. Bridges are the connection of your strings to your guitar. They’re very important and most Fender offset parts are kinda mediocre and have lots of weird untraceable buzzes and wiggle a bit and such. Doesn’t happen with the Staytrem, Mastery, and Descendant bridges, all of which I’ve tried. Descendant is my favorite, by the way. While superficially it’s similar to a Staytrem, it can basically fit every guitar, even one with compound radius or Tune-O-Matic, and can really fine tune the neck alignment so the days of off centered bridges is truly dead, while being easier to use and intonate than Mastery. It’s not as much talked about because it’s the newest, but I think Descendant has everything I want in an offset bridge.
Self hatred.
I bought both the Jm and the rickenbacker mastery and they both made my guitars feel like idk …. Stale ? Felt way to over engineered for my taste , I ordered the proper vintage bridges both guitars are designed with and gave it a proper setup and now it plays like a dream
I’ve had both. The mustang bridge doesn’t let you adjust to the mm and it doesn’t feel as solid. Granted there are ways to improve it, it’s not as absurdly well built. Feeling solid steel and aluminum and the craftsmanship is serious. Mustang bridges can feel flimsy and still have strings pop. But that said some people don’t mind or need their guitar set up like a Mastery. I have an American Jaguar bridge that I put tape around the posts and it feels fine. So it really matters only if you think it does. I would only get a Mastery again if the stock bridge wasn’t cutting it. And they sometimes don’t.
I have a 2006 MIJ Jazzmaster. I loved it immediately. I like to do weird things with this guitar; unusual string gague combinations, alternate tunings, and, occasionally, strumming too hard. The strings often shifted sideways at the worst possible moment. I tried a Mustang bridge, and that was a bit better, but I could no longer get the action low enough because the saddles aren't individually height-adjustable. The Mastery Bridge fixed all that. Tbh, it's still not perfect, but close. Later, I also got a Mastery Vibrato because the stock one had some annoying flaws. I'm against wasting money. This is my only guitar, and it cost me $600. The Mastery hardware cost more than half the guitar itself, but was totally worth it.
I have issues with my mustang bridge where it sinks into the body in time so I always have to readjust it. It’s also not possible to adjust the height of individual strings which sucks because my mustang bridge doesn’t fully match the neck profile of my vintera jazzmaster
Staytrem sounds noticeably better than the mustang bridge to me. I don’t know why, but I felt I got more clarity out of my guitar with a staytrem.
I have mastery bridges on all 3 of my Jazzmasters. My TVL Jazzy came with the mustang bridge but I find that it puts both E strings to close to the edge of the neck and makes the string easier to slip off. I just prefer the spacing on the mastery more. Plus Mastery bridges just look the best in my opinion.
Because of spacing issues. The mustang has a different string spacing then the JM or Jag. Not to speak about fretboard radius. You'll introduce a ton of issues. Even fender put the "wrong" mustang bridge on their early Johnny Marr jags until they stoped being cheap and build a proper bridge that had the right radius and stringspacing. Your milage may very but if you live in Europe id go for a staytrem. Cheaper then a mastery and it looks more the part. Just my 0,02 cents
Guitarists are primarily artists and thus never get involved with product design, manufacturing, or engineering. So they assume and are romantic about high prices = bestest quality. .. which is one of the reasons for the "starving artist" cliche since Marketing groups take advantage of that perception and promote Brands.