Model 6 JT-6 sustain

[Joe_L]

First post guys, hello to the forum. Ask me if you have amp issues, I'm an electronic tech.

I have a Model 6 that has always had sustain problems in the upper registers. In the late '80s when I was still gigging, I built and used a Mesa Mark III which had tons of gain and I relied on it for the lost sustain in the "6".

Recently, I upgraded the JT-6 to an all steel Floyd copy from Guitarfetish.com. I was shocked at the improvement in sustain and tone but also not surprised that it wasn't the "wood" causing the problem. The GFS (guitarfetish) bridge would have been the final solution except for the fact the width is 53mm instead of 50mm and the centering was off by .035" putting the sixth string near the edge of the fingerboard. Also, the tuning stability is not nearly as accurate as the JT-6 which was fantastic.

My question is, has anyone experienced this problem with the JT-6 and found a solution? Are the big block sustain blocks the solution?

..Joe L

[darrenw5094]

Can't say for deffo. But all the JT6 seem to be 50mm for some reason. The skinny e string on mine was about 4mm inside the fret edges, the new 53mm would probably sort out. I never noticed any difference in sustain though.

But you tuning problem is the quality of the bridge. Probably not as good as a Schaller or Floyd or Gotoh. Those 3 and the Ibanez bridges are the only ones i would trust to stay perfectly in tune.

[Axewielder]

If the sustain issues are only in certain areas on the fingerboard, it was probably fretting out slightly. My guess is that when you put the other trem on, the action jumped up due to trem differences and it was resolved because of that. I have several JT6 strats that are sustain monsters.

[straycat]

What gauge strings are you using?
The Floyd sustain blocks are appox the same size as the JT-6 block so a swap may work.
I have a Schaller floyd and a JT6 sitting here so I will try a swap and get back to you.
My JT-6 equipped guitars have no sustain issues at all.They are set on a std width and the floyds string spacing is wider.
You will push the two E strings to the fingerboard edge when you use a floyd on a model six.
I have a low regard for anything GFS offers pick ups, trems what have you very low grade products IMO.You get what you pay for.

[DonP]

I have a few JT-6 axes but haven't found the need to upgrade the trem block yet. I say go for it and tell us what you think. It's cheaper than an all steel GFS Floyd copy. Just make sure you get the JT-6 one not the one for Floyd's.

[straycat]

Don have you tried a direct swap of a Scaller floyd block to a JT-6 and it didn't line up?
I don't want to take them apart if I don't need to.

[Joe_L]

Thanks for the replies!! The thread has been quiet until yesterday so I will answer the questions all in one.

darrenw5094: But your tuning problem is the quality of the bridge.

It has stabilized. With only one set of strings so far on the GFS, and a lot of tweaks to the action, relief and intonation, the tuning has gotten much more stable.

straycat: What gauge strings are you using?

I am using 10-46. And I agree on the low quality of the pickups from GFS but I have two guitars that are excellent for the money and the GFS FR bridge is pretty darn good for a bit over 80 bucks. The only thing I don't like so far is the screw-in whammy bar but I can fix that.

straycat: I have a Schaller floyd and a JT6 sitting here so I will try a swap and get back to you.

Thanks! If the big block makes the difference I wouldn't mind switching back to the JT-6.

Axewielder: If the sustain issues are only in certain areas on the fingerboard, it was probably fretting out slightly. My guess is that when you put the other trem on, the action jumped up due to trem differences and it was resolved because of that.

I setup the action, relief and intonation whenever I change anything major. While the action is low and does have some buzz, it doesn't fret out. It isn't my favorite thing to do, but I have refretted, leveled and dressed frets on a neck before. My model 6 is on its second fret leveling but both jobs were done by top level luthiers. I do feel like it could use a bit more fallaway from the 15th fret up but it is liveable.

[tomanyjacksons]

I swapped a JT6 in a model 2 with a TS-101 and a big brass tone block I got off of the bay. Sounds good and plays good.

[straycat]

I like the screw in FR bars better than the collar type I guess because thats what I grew up using I always know where it is when I need it and don't have to fish around to find it.

[Rich#6]

I like the old screw in bars myself, they stay where you want them(until they get turn too far and get new grooves).

[straycat]

I keep mine loose and pointing straight down.If it starts to move time to tighten the arm stud. I blue loctite mine.haven't had one move in a long time.

[pro-fusion]

Every JT-6 I've ever played had very little sustain and no tone. It's a tone-sucking piece of garbage and should be junked on any guitar that has one. I don't believe a better block is going to fix that, and it's just a waste of money to upgrade such a POS bridge.

An Original Floyd or a Schaller Floyd is a direct retrofit with no spacing problems, but I recommend getting replacement trem studs from Frets On The Net, since the beveling on the existing studs doesn't match up to the shape of the knife edges on an OFR or Schaller Floyd. If it's money you're worried about, you can get a used Schaller Floyd (probably even a Jackson-logoed JT-590 version) for under $100. A brand new Schaller Floyd is only about $140.

Edit: I missed the part where you already have a Schaller Floyd. Get that baby on there, pronto! You will find that trem movement isn't right unless you get the replacement studs, though.

[///MK]

[QUOTE=pro-fusion;1570466]Every JT-6 I've ever played had very little sustain and no tone. It's a tone-sucking piece of garbage and should be junked on any guitar that has one. I don't believe a better block is going to fix that, and it's just a waste of money to upgrade such a POS bridge.

^^I couldnt agree more. every guitar I bought with a JT6 has been upgraded in tone and sustain by a OFR swap.

[toejam]

Every JT-6 I've ever played had very little sustain and no tone. It's a tone-sucking piece of garbage and should be junked on any guitar that has one. I don't believe a better block is going to fix that, and it's just a waste of money to upgrade such a POS bridge.

An Original Floyd or a Schaller Floyd is a direct retrofit with no spacing problems, but I recommend getting replacement trem studs from Frets On The Net, since the beveling on the existing studs doesn't match up to the shape of the knife edges on an OFR or Schaller Floyd.

Never had a problem with the JT6, but there are spacing "issues". The JT6 has normal string spacing, whereas a Schaller and OFR are F-spaced, so your strings will be aligned slightly different.

[Joe_L]

Edit: I missed the part where you already have a Schaller Floyd. Get that baby on there, pronto! You will find that trem movement isn't right unless you get the replacement studs, though.

I hear you about the studs. So far, that hasn't been a problem.

And that was the other gentleman that had the schaller. I have a Gotoh I just got in a couple of weeks ago and it looks fantastic with genuine improvements over the OFR. But you remove those improvements of the Gotoh and you have the GFS at half the cost. The steel plate is the same thickness, the fine tuners tilt back and are more out of the way than an OFR. I got the black version of the GFS and the finish is perfect.

All that said though, the indexing edge of the steel plate on the GFS is not to the spec of the OFR. It places the high E string almost 1/4" in from the fret edge at the 24th fret and the low E is just a tiny bit more than 1/16" in from the edge.

So, thinking about this, I am going to install the Gotoh on the 6 and use the GFS to upgrade the bridge on my GFS Xaviere XV-880 which is my living room guitar. That guitar was cheap enough to not worry about filling and redrilling the posts if the bridge doesn't fit properly.

Thanks guys!

..Joe L