Jazzmaster Owners:Do you Remove Tremolo Arm?

[octagon]

When you put you Jazzmaster back in it's case do you remove the tremolo arm or do you leave it in?

[sloop_john_b]

No way! Love the Jazzmaster vibrato, always leave it on.

[antipodean]

G'day Mitch,

I always take the tremelo arms off my Jag and bass vi when I store them in their cases. Call me obsessive... I've been called far worse!

[lennon211]

Off in the case...on when playing.

[brianeharmonjr]

Off in the case...on when playing.

+1 (before I traded it for my first Ric bass)

[sloop_john_b]

Misread original post, i'd always take them off when putting it back in the case.

[jingle_jangle]

On in the case? When it takes a second to remove it? That's not obsessive. It's common sense. I also rotate the arms on my Gretsch Bigsbys and Accents...

[sloop_john_b]

I also rotate the arms on my Gretsch Bigsbys and Accents...

Absolutely +1.

[paologregorio]

On in the case? When it takes a second to remove it? That's not obsessive. It's common sense. I also rotate the arms on my Gretsch Bigsbys and Accents...

+2!

I also remove the arms from my Stratocasters.

[octagon]

Thanks for the replies.I was just wondering because it is so hard to remove the trem arm.I lock down the trem and then I have to hold the guitar body down with one hand and pull with the other.It come out but takes alot of effort.The guys at my guitar store had as much trouble as me but they said thats how to do it.Is hard to pull out because it is new or am I doing something wrong?It works fine when I put it back in,just a hassle to get it out.

[jingle_jangle]

Guitar laying flat in case. One hand on vibrato plate, holding guitar down. Other hand holds vibrato arm. Twist arm in socket slightly while pulling. It will pop out. If it's stiff, it's because it's new and hasn't worn much.

[dain]

i'm gonna be the odd one out here and say "dont worry about it too much" I've got a 63 jag, 64 jag, and a 67 bass VI all with trems identical to yours and if you look in the cases they all have wear in the lining from the trem arms being left in. i figure if they lasted for the 40+ years being left in its not gonna kill them to do it some more.

also don't be scared of that trem, once you pop it open and understand how it works, its easy to fix any problems you might have. its actually a very elegant design if set up properly.

[antipodean]

Dain - do you have any quick cure for the opposite of Mitch's problem - the all-too-ready-to-fall-out-at-any-moment trem arm? My '64 Jag suffers from this so much I play without the arm (sacrelige?).

[paologregorio]

Dain - do you have any quick cure for the opposite of Mitch's problem - the all-too-ready-to-fall-out-at-any-moment trem arm? My '64 Jag suffers from this so much I play without the arm (sacrelige?).

Paul W. does:

So now Fender copies MIJ offsets in Mexico. Well, OK, fine, I guess. I would have hoped for better colors. The TOM bridge is a huge diasppointment to a Jag/JM traditionalist like me...pickups should be better, though. The original bridges, which get such heat from players, are easily fixed in 5 minutes with a sharp knie-edged file so strings stay put. Properly centered and adjusted, they don't buzz; Loctite is the key here to getting all of those Allen screws to stay put.

I was never all that happy with the pop in tremolo arm. I had a MIJ `62 RI and the arm would not stay put; it would flop around loose. I know they're not supposed to do that, but mine did. I bought it used, so I couldn't return it. At least I was able to sell mine back to the original owner for even money.

This problem with MIJ and CIJ arms is very easy to fix. I simply put the arm into a vise, short end first, about 1/2" in, and give it a tweak to put a kink into the short end. A very slight kink. A less than 2° kink. This results in an interference fit of the arm into the socket, with just enough grab to be useful. Also, the socket threading into the plate, needs a drop of red Loctite, or it will unscrew and render the arm worthless, usually in mid-gig.

[dain]

i don't know why fender let those go out. i've never met a cij with a trem that would stay put. bending the arm is the easiest fix, but the real reason this happens is because the collet (the sleeve the arm is pushed into) is set too wide. next time you change strings pop the trem assembly out of the body and use pliers to (nicely) push the fingers of the collet together. once you get it open you'll see what i mean.

this will solve the problem until the cheap metal the arms are made out of wears down and you have to do it again (should be at least a couple of years.)