JF-30

[schoolie]

My 1995 JF-30 (AJ300627) arrived today, all 5.7lbs. Overall, I'm happy with it, but the bridge is very thin and the saddle is very high. I don't see evidence of a neck reset, but the bridge is 0.282" and the saddles is 0.181". It's leaning a bit which is hitting my OCD. Maybe I'll replace the bridge in the future. The frets are in good shape but a little low for my taste. Looks solid inside. I really like the top which has some bearclaw and silking. The back and sides aren't the nicest maple, but they're fine.

Sounds nice so far. We're still getting acquainted.

 

[chazmo]

Nice schoolie. Is the guitar even playable with that saddle?

 

[schoolie]

Thanks Chazmo. Yeah, the action is actually a bit on the low side.

 

[chazmo]

Thanks Chazmo. Yeah, the action is actually a bit on the low side.

That's pretty wild, schoolie. I wonder if there's back bow in the neck...

 

[Cougar]

I don't see evidence of a neck reset, but the bridge is 0.282" and the saddles is 0.181".

Well, that adds up to 0.463", so 0.037" less than the ideal 1/2". That's 37 thousandths. I'd say that's not too bad. And you've got a heck of a break angle!

Sounds nice so far.

I'm not surprised! JF30s are monsters! Major congrats!

 

[3C4S]

Nice acquisition. I picked one up recently as well, and also just getting used to it...I checked and my saddle is also high, which I took as a good sign as I can lower if action gets too high...i am also trying to get a JF-30 12, and it also has a high saddle...I wonder if this is common with JF 30's...Happy strumming...Here is my saddle. (Not a great photo)...Dave

 

[schoolie]

No backbow, 0.008" relief. The neck geometry is almost perfect. Just a bridge that appears to be shaved down.
They didn't ship this for 3 weeks. They said that the bridge was lifting and needed to be reglued,and the guitar needed to be humidified. I wonder if they had to sand the bridge flat before they reglued it. Darn just noticed a repaired crack at the soundhole. Looks recent.

 

[schoolie]

Nice acquisition. I picked one up recently as well, and also just getting used to it...I checked and my saddle is also high, which I took as a good sign as I can lower if action gets too high...i am also trying to get a JF-30 12, and it also has a high saddle...I wonder if this is common with JF 30's...Happy strumming...Here is my saddle. (Not a great photo)...Dave

I remember your photos. Yours is beautiful!

 

[GGJaguar]

A beauty, congrats!

 

[bobouz]

No backbow, 0.008" relief. The neck geometry is almost perfect. Just a bridge that appears to be shaved down.
They didn't ship this for 3 weeks. They said that the bridge was lifting and needed to be reglued,and the guitar needed to be humidified. I wonder if they had to sand the bridge flat before they reglued it. Darn just noticed a repaired crack at the soundhole. Looks recent.

A very nice looking JF-30, but the bridge & saddle are puzzling. To my eye, the bridge doesn’t look outrageously low, but the saddle height & break angle to the strings seem quite extreme, and far beyond 45 degrees. This risks a heavy pull on the front of the bridge, as well as difficulty keeping the saddle straight in the slot. It also will most likely alter tone to some extent (but the result of that is, of course, subjective). Additionally, the narrow saddle width is significantly thinner than the saddle on my ‘94 JF-30, and that makes me wonder if the original bridge was replaced with a less than ideal match. If you enlarge the photo below of mine, the difference in saddle width is clear (allowing greater intonation tweaks & ramping the saddle towards the pins - but my older Guilds have similarly narrow saddles). If you decide to keep the guitar, a new bridge & saddle would create the opportunity to dial everything in & enhance structural stability. Hope it all works out!

 

[schoolie]

Thanks, bobouz. I decided to return it, but I think it would be fine with a new bridge. It's just an expensive repair.

 

[E-Type]

Was this on Reverb? I remember showing it to my luthier and his thought was that someone overcorrected a neck reset. If the action is low with THAT saddle, I think he might be right.
One of my D-25s has a bridge that had been shaved to 0.23”, so while 0.28 is low, it could have been worse!

 

[chazmo]

Thanks, bobouz. I decided to return it, but I think it would be fine with a new bridge. It's just an expensive repair.

schoolie keep us posted in your hunt. we'll be happy to provide you with any feedback before you buy... good move returning that other one... Like E-Type says, I think that looked like a bad neck set... No saddle should ever look like that unless you're playing slide.

 

[schoolie]

Thank you, Chazmo and E-Type! I found this one on the website of a big store in Wisconsin Staff were very cool about the return.
My initial measurements were off. The bridge height was 0.272" and exposed saddle was .239". I think with the 3/8" bridge, the exposed saddle would be close enough to 1/8".
Think I'll hold out for an F-50 or F-55 in the future.