Installing A Mustang or other Offset Bridge on Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster ($3 AOM/TOM MOD)

*EDIT FROM THE FUTURE* - in the video I recommended using 12 mm grub screws. Based on my own experience and some comments I’d recommend you go shorter than I did, probably 8 mm, as the 12 is really a bit too long.

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A oft-beaten dead horse in the guitar world: the J. Mascis Jazzmaster is pretty great, but has some real drawbacks - one of which is the 12" radius tune-o-matic/adjust-o-matic style bridge with a 9.5" radius neck.

Common internet wisdom is that Mascis owners are stuck with TOM/AOM, since the standard offset bridges don’t drop into the Masic thimbles like on the usual Jazzmaster. People always seem to say some variation of 1) best you can do is a TOM roller bridge and will have to deal with the radius mismatch, but it’s hard to find one that fits on these posts/you might have to drill out the holes a bit; or 2) Staytrem used to make adapter screws for the Mascis but you can’t buy them anymore so you’re SOL, or 3) you have to chop off the legs on an offset bridge and drill out holes to drop it onto the tuneomatic posts; or 4) the only real fix is to remove the tune o matic thimbles, plug the holes, and redrill for standard thimbles.

These are all not great. However, it seemed pretty obvious to me that if Staytrem made adapter screws, that you can probably find something at a hardware store that could get the same job done. I found maybe two people on the internet who mentioned doing this, and it works perfectly. So here it is, a $3 solution for the TOM bridge, that requires no special tools, and is totally reversible with no damage to the instrument.

If this saves you some headache or money - you know the drill! Like/subscribe/share - I think this channel is approaching where YouTube will send me some pennies and that would be kinda neat. :)

This video is a quick cut from clips of modding a JMJM and setting it up for a baritone B standard tuning. Other mods were a CIJ Fender tailpiece and arm, Pure Vintage 65 pickups, and TUSQ PQ-5000-00 nut.

Baritone tuning works great on this guitar with a careful setup and the right strings - here I am using D'Addario EJ22, 13-56 with a wound 3rd.