Is there a certain kind of mod I can do to make it more restrictive so its not so sensitive when i move it. Cause I can hear it hit the switches but I guess I want it to be a little stiff like an american p360, but keeping the that loose feel.
Purchase springs, try getting a few different kinds, mix and match them together until you find the stiffness you desire. We have LS-32, LS-33, LS-56, and JLF springs on our site.
Yes you can use 2 or 3 springs in tandem in your joystick to increase tension, and you don’t have to use the spring from your model joystick. The LS-56 springs are stiffest by the way, buying two of those should satisfy you.
-Nareg
Yeah, what Nareg said. Also, check out www.slagcoin.com, there’s a section there about hybrid joystick mods to change the tension. Good luck.
While we’re on the subject of joystick tension. Does anyone find that 1 sanwa JLF can have a very different stiffness from another? I ask this because I recently got a hrap3sa and the joystick feels a lot more stiff and tight then my TE. I once saw someone claim on another thread that hraps have more tense sanwas then TE’s, could this actually be true?
I would guess that my TE feels looser because it’s been used for around 300 hours while the hori is brand new and not broken in? Anyone know anything about this?
Also for the OP, check out the JLF ultimate mod on youtube, a lot of people seem to be happy with that.
I know from experience that the JLF spring has a tendency to soften up over time. I took a brand new JLF to a lan party once and let my ham-fisted friend play on it for a while, while I compared its stiffness to another friend’s JLF that he’s had for 6 months. While they were strikingly different at first, 3 hours and a bit of joystick pounding later we found that they felt almost identical.
I haven’t actually pulled out the springs and measured their stiffness with scientific tools, but the difference is clear enough that you’d have to be pretty unobservant to not notice. I suppose this is probably one of the reasons why spring mods are pretty popular. 
Thanks for the info
Viagra can also work.
As for the spring mods, I would assume that you want to have it replicating like a Happ stick?
Once you get the springs, remove the C clip and the Actuator and take the spring out. Then grab the new spring and the current one that was on the shaft and combine them together. After that’s done, just put the actuator and C clip back in its place.
Honestly, I think you’re better off just getting used to a stock Sanwa JLF. These JLF spring mods make no sense to me. JLFs aren’t the arcade standard in East Asia because you have to do a bunch of shit to them for them to be playable.
If you really want a stiffer feel, just get American parts and be done with it.
The only problem with American parts is that they’re gigantic, and not everyone wants to lug around a bulky box to tournaments and LAN parties. By modding the springs and switches in Japanese joysticks, you can maintain the American feel while using a slim case.
It’s also important to take into account the cost for a good American stick versus a cheap Japanese stick that can be modded to replicate the American feel. At this point in time, X-Arcade is the only good American-style manufacturer I know of, and despite the fact that American parts are much cheaper, an X-Arcade Solo costs more than a TE. You can take a cheap Hori, Blaze, or Mayflash, and for less than $100 mod it with a stiff bat-top JLF and flat Seimitsu buttons, and you may even end up with a stick that’s better than any authentic American brand.
I laughed.
I don’t know what system you have, but if you know a bit about soldering, you could buy a blank Happ case and build it for around $100-120. Or get a SFAC stick and replace the parts.
X-arcade stock is crap parts earlyberd. The only reason to get an X-arcade is to switch out their shit parts with real HAPP/iL parts. Their PCBs suck too. X-arcade is just a huge waste of money (though my American stick is in an X-arcade case, but everything else is modified).
American parts and Japanese parts both have their place. Personally I use American sticks for nostalgia mostly. I like to play beat’em-ups with it. I also use it as the “guest stick” so they don’t beat up my Sanwa and Siemitsu joysticks. American parts last forever.
What kind of joysticks are the standards in East Asia?
I realize X-Arcade is crap, but the average consumer isn’t going to know that. The average consumer won’t know that most Hori sticks are crap, too. When you compare them to the stuff you can build at home, of course they’re going to seem terrible. What I’m saying is that X-Arcade is likely the only American style brand of sticks that is built and sold commercially, and at least won’t fall apart after a couple days of use. And they’re easy to mod, so that also has to be worth something.
X-Arcade is highly overpriced, though, and that was the other point I was trying to make.
Starcade RIP saying that Sanwa JLF are standard.
The reason they standard is not because the Joysticks require modification.
They standard because they do not need modification; just use stock.
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I just did the “yellow stickie” mod today for my hrap3 and the stiffness/response/throw angle range was way better then it was stock. I didnt bother with the electric tape stuff or adding an extra spring since it might be to stiff for my liking…but the yellow stickie mod worked for me 
I’m assuming your arcade controller has a Sanwa JLF joystick in it. If you’re using a Hori knock-off (or a weaker imitation brand) then that’s probably your answer right there.
TheRealNeoGeo made a video tutorial for replacing the stock Sanwa JLF joystick’s spring with a spare one meant for a Seimitsu LS-33 joystick. It will make your JLF feel a little stiffer.
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Depending on your arcade controller, there’s a good chance you can just swap the whole Sanwa JLF out for a Seimitsu LS-32, which is considered to be very similar but the spring is a little harder and snappier, and the dead-zone is a little smaller.
Of course neither of those things will change the square-shaped movement limitations. To make it feel more circular (like the P360), you could swap out the square restrictor gate for an octagonal one (the Sanwa part name is GT-Y). Be aware that I’ve heard from some people that it’s not recommended. It apparently shortens the distance between the minimum engage and the gate’s stopping edge for the diagonals, and lengthens the same distance for up-down-left-right to an amount that is supposedly “unhealthy” for the microswitches; they may wear out more quickly. Plenty of people have done it and are happy, though.
If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can try and get an optical joystick. The only two I know of are the Sanwa Flash (they haven’t been made for a long time and you’ll never find one), and a verrrry excellent clone of it by the company ASCII (they’re pretty rare but you have a good shot at getting one if you post a WTB thread in the Trading Outlet subforum). This will feel very smooth and almost as round as the P360. Note that you’ll still want to put in a firmer spring.
How long have you been using the Japanese stick for? (DOA players usually just used pad, right? What had you been using for SF4 up until now?) If you’re still pretty new to it, I really recommend that you first give it more time and try to get used to it as-is. They’re really just beautiful little devices once you build up a level of comfort and familiarity with them. Many American OG’s happily made the transition.
No Japanese stick will ever be as tough as the P360… you can drag a whole cabinet around trying to do motions on that thing. Worst comes to worst, I’ll bet that Ohio has a builder who could make you a custom with a proper P360 in it. Heck, you could just use a Competition instead and that will feel a lot closer. This is a problem you can throw money at!
I hear the JLW is the stiffest…of the Sanwa products.
Seimitsu LS-56 with octogate and bat top is the closest you’ll come to an American stick using Japanese parts.
I was just comparing sitting on my bed the JLW, Happ, and LS-56.
My Happ is about 10 years old but the tension in the JLW seems equal to the Happ.
LS-56 is weaker.
If you want a Japanese stick like an American, Get a JLW with a bat top, and a round gate.