Help! Majesty Bridge Big Gap Tight whammy Bar

[larehan]

Hello everyone, Yesterday I purchased the new Paradigm strings (Yellow 10-46) for my Majesty guitar. I replaced them following a youtube video where basically I had to replace them 2 by 2 and when I was done I felt the whammy bar kind of tight and that's when I noticed that there was a huge gap between the bridge and the body (Click on the dropbox link below to see a picture of the condition). I tried to adjust the Truss rod but is not getting any better. Any ideas on how can I fix this issue?

Dropbox - IMG_0837.JPG

 

[fbecir]

Hello

I think that the strings you put (10-46) are heavier than the factory strings. Thus you have more tension. You have to increase the tension of the springs (screw them a bit) or add another spring. Or you can buy other strings (9-42 or 9-46).

 

[larehan]

Oh ok, I'll try to adjust the springs. I'm not really sure which strings were the factory ones. This was the first time I changed strings on this guitar and I actually installed the 9-42 ones first but then I got a totally different feeling (very loose) comparing with the factory strings. Inside the guitar case, I found a card with the yellow slinky strings picture (10-46). Additional to that, I checked the music man web page and within the Majesty Specifications Matrix it says they come with 10-46 so I'm assuming those are the factory ones so I replaced the 9-42 right away with the 10-46 and I got the same feel I had the first time I purchased the guitar, the only difference is that these are paradigm strings.

I will adjust the springs and I'll let you know how it went.

Thank you for the help.

 

[DrKev]

Yes, Francois is correct.

1) Detune slightly
2) Tighten the springs.
3) Retune and check the bridge angle.
4) If bridge is parallel to the top, you are good to go.
5) If bridge is not parallel, return to step 1.

It may take a little time and patience but you'll get there. Assuming you have not adjusted the bridge saddles, if your action is higher than it was before, tighten the truss rod a little.

 

[fbecir]

Yes, you're right : the factory strings are normally 10-46 (I just check the Music Man website).
In any case, just a few turns with a good screwdriver should correct the problem.

Enjoy your Majesty !

 

[CaseyBall]

Hello everyone, Yesterday I purchased the new Paradigm strings (Yellow 10-46) for my Majesty guitar. I replaced them following a youtube video where basically I had to replace them 2 by 2 and when I was done I felt the whammy bar kind of tight and that's when I noticed that there was a huge gap between the bridge and the body (Click on the dropbox link below to see a picture of the condition). I tried to adjust the Truss rod but is not getting any better. Any ideas on how can I fix this issue?

Dropbox - IMG_0837.JPG

Just wanted to get a little more in-depth on the 'why' of this happening:

When dealing with a trem bridge it is important to be aware of which gauges your guitar is set up with. Guitars from our factory will be set up with a signature artist's preferred set or what we find works the best for a particular non-sig model, and if equipped with a trem the guitar will have a desired amount of float (a la Luke models) or parallel to the body (ex: Albert Lees, STVs).

When changing gauges the amount of tension being placed on the bridge can change drastically, therefore leading to the issue you had. Majesty/JP guitars do come with Regular Slinky 10-46 strings, but perhaps changing from 10s to 9s back to 10s threw everything off. DrKev's explanation should get you on your way to a properly set up guitar.

Be sure to also check intonation if you've had to work on the bridge and adjusted the truss rod. Action/intonation could be changed.

 

[larehan]

Yes, Francois is correct.

1) Detune slightly
2) Tighten the springs.
3) Retune and check the bridge angle.
4) If bridge is parallel to the top, you are good to go.
5) If bridge is not parallel, return to step 1.

It may take a little time and patience but you'll get there. Assuming you have not adjusted the bridge saddles, if your action is higher than it was before, tighten the truss rod a little.

This worked 100000% thank you very much!!! At the end I had to adjust the truss rod as you said and now is perfect. Thank you!

 

[DrKev]

You're very welcome, and well done you!

 

[Magnus]

I remember the first time i had to change the strings on my Luke II - never previously having owned a guitar with a floating trem... It was so frustrating, and it took me hours before i figured it out (Also, i didn't know about this lovely forum back then)

It's an art to keep a floating trem the way you prefer it. At least, it took me A LOT of trial and error

Good job on you for fixing it!

 

[jones4tone]

I remember the first time i had to change the strings on my Luke II - never previously having owned a guitar with a floating trem... It was so frustrating, and it took me hours before i figured it out (Also, i didn't know about this lovely forum back then)

It's an art to keep a floating trem the way you prefer it. At least, it took me A LOT of trial and error

Good job on you for fixing it!

I SO relate to this! When I went to put new strings on my new JP-15 (which had been on display at GC for an unknown time before I picked it up), I decided I wanted lighter gauge strings. I had never had an electric guitar before, let alone one with a floating bridge. That was a learning experience, but a big first step to understanding what I was getting into.