Question Sterling Ax40 tremolo setup

[RTN]

Hello guys.

So few months ago I bought a used Ax40 for 300 euros, I thought it was a pretty good deal, I haven't seen these pretty much at all for sale in Finland.

So then I began to scroll this forum and I convinced myself to swap the original tremolo to a Gotoh GE1996T and I installed D-tuna on it. I also sanded the neck and oiled it with Tru-oil. I have never tried a real Music Man so I don't know does the neck compare at all to the real deal but it feels good to me I also ordered DiMarzio EP1111 switch for it, that will be the next upgrade..

But my question is: is it possible to set the tremolo flush and flat to the body? I can't screw the pivot screws any lower or my strings will start to buzz. The front of the tremolo is now about 4 mm up from the body. It feels like this way the tremolo doesnt stay in tune like it should, unless I tighten the screws super tight and that's not what I want..



Thank you!!

 

[beej]

Yeah- it looks like you don't have room to screw the studs down any further.

The quick and easy fix is to put a small block of wood (of the right thickness) in the trem cavity, so the trem block rests on it and the whole thing sits parallel to the body. You can tape it to the block, or trem cavity wall, whichever is easiest for you.

 

[RTN]

Yeah- it looks like you don't have room to screw the studs down any further.

The quick and easy fix is to put a small block of wood (of the right thickness) in the trem cavity, so the trem block rests on it and the whole thing sits parallel to the body. You can tape it to the block, or trem cavity wall, whichever is easiest for you.

Thanks. Do you know is this the way they come from the factory, Tremolo tilted towards the back ? I had the original tremolo adjusted same way. I have seen pictures of Ax40’s that have their tremolo flat against the body, so are there big differences between the guitars or just the setups?

 

[beej]

No idea. I'm sure someone who knows will weigh in.