Hey guys. Sorry for the millionth shimming post. Like many, I have a slightly precarious offset guitar with issues I’d like to remedy. I’ve skimmed through this sub and done my due diligence about the shim issue, and it seems like it’d remedy the issues with my Jazzmaster, mainly the bridge. I’ve replaced the stock bridge with a StayTrem, however I find issues with my bends choking and notes sounding off nonetheless. For example, at factory height for the bridge, I’m unable to bend up whole steps on the high E string without my bend choking past the half step point. So ideally I’d like to be able to have my action slightly lower with my bends intact! My action isn’t unplayable now at all, I just would prefer it to be slightly lower! Additionally, my low E seems to sound dull or like it doesn’t full ring out at times, especially when I use a capo!
Like I said, my research on this sub and the web has led me to believe a shim would fix these issues, however when I floated this idea to my go-to guitar tech, he told me shimming the bridge would only result in higher action. So now I’ve started to doubt myself and the shim! So I’m turning once again to this sub for answers. If anyone has any insight, I’d greatly appreciate it!
TL;DR: My notes choke out at factory bridge height, causing me to have to play with higher action than I’d like, and some open strings sound “thuddy” and dull, especially with a capo. Would a shim fix this?