Frequently Asked Questions about Swope Guitars & Descendant Vibrato

1. Can a custom guitar be ordered from Swope Guitars?

As a guitar builder might expect, I often get asked about custom orders, placing advanced orders, getting on a waiting list, color requests, special wiring etc. These are all things that I used to do. But the Descendant side of the business now keeps me so busy that I only build guitars when I can find the time. So, this is how I answer almost any question: I build what I want, with what I have, when I have time, and when I’m done I post them for sale. I no longer have guitar dealers for this very reason. Available guitars are posted on my website.

2. Does the Descendant Vibrato fit my original Fender factory built (insert specific model here) Jazzmaster/Jaguar?

Yes. The Descendant Vibrato is made to be a direct, drop-in replacement for all factory-made Fender JMs and Jags regardless of country of origin. The key word here is factory. The mounting hole layout, relative to the route, is crucial, because there is so much going on “under the hood” of the Descendant Vibrato. All Fenders, including original pre-CBS models, share the same hole placement. Whatever tooling they were using back in the day was very consistent and modern Fenders still maintain that same location.

3. I have built, or had my luthier/friend build, a guitar with a licensed Jazzmaster/Jaguar body made by, (insert name of your favorite 3rd party guitar wood mill operation). Will the Descendant Vibrato fit?

Perhaps, perhaps not. If the holes were drilled on the body exactly where Fender locates them, then yes. But it is likely that whoever built/assembled your parts guitar “eye-balled” the location. This is fine for a vibrato that is basically a copy of the original. But since the Descendant’s design has the ball ends of the strings sitting below the plane of the body, there needs to be ample room for both the installation of the strings, (which are front-loaded), and the space required between the ball ends and the back of the route. Worst case scenario, you would have to plug your holes and redrill in the proper location. If that is the case I can email you a pdf of the hole layout relative to the route.

4. Do you make a polished steel version of the Descendant Vibrato?

No. I am a small shop and I am super busy with the brushed steel stuff right now.

5. Do you make a chrome or gold-plated version?

Please see answer #4.

6. How about anodized finishes?

Please see answer #4.

7. I would like a different tip. I would like a black/mint/tortoise/metal tip.

I only ship with parchment tips but you can get tips all day long online. Inexpensive ones as well as some lovely boutique ones. The Descendant Vibrato arm is a 10-32 thread count, for the record. Inexpensive plastic ones are typically not threaded. I just drop those in a cup of really hot water for 90 seconds or so. This softens the plastic enough to allow the arm’s threads to tap the inside channel of the tip. Even tips that are a loose fit, initially, work out fine as they tend to shrink a bit when cooling. I have had no problems with this method.

8. Do you ship internationally? And how much to ship to my country?

Yes, while I do have a few International “dealers” I still ship all over the world. As for the cost, you will just need to add your desired item(s) to the cart start the checkout process. You will be able to choose between a couple of carriers and you will find out the price. You can then consider whether you would like to complete the purchase.

9. Would you tell me more about your international dealers?

There are three shops abroad that sell the Descendant. James’ Home of Tone in the UK James' Home of Tone , Pedal Empire in Australia Pedal Empire - Australia's Premier Guitar Pedal and Pedalboard Shop and the Guitar Bar in Belgium/EU The Guitar Bar While I do ship to these countries, as well, I encourage folks to reach out to these shops first. The How to Purchase page has links to each of these shops

10. What bridges do you recommend?

Well.... I am partial to the new Descendant Companion Bridge. Of course, there are a couple of well-established high-end replacement bridges on the market and both are very well made.

11. My budget only allows for purchasing one Descendant product right now. If you were purchasing just one, as a replacement component for a stock model guitar, which would you recommend? Vibrato or Companion Bridge?

Generally speaking, if you have budgetary concerns, I would recommend purchasing the vibrato, first. I maintain that most of the historic ills associated with Leo’s premier offsets (JM and Jag) stem from this application of a two-piece bridge/tailpiece, (better suited for an arch top guitar design), on a slab body guitar. As a result, there just is not enough downward pressure on the saddles. I feel the Descendant Vibrato will improve the performance of any bridge, to a degree.