Tremolo bar differences

[ProtoChicken]

The reason I'm posting this is when trying to explain myself to AJ today, I like usual, given my hyper personality spoke too fast, rambled and didn't explain myself well. I get real anxious and excitable sometimes when I'm on the phone for some reason. AJ said he had never heard of this issue and I thought the picture might help. I think I may have sounded like a lunatic imagining things. I also didn't quite figure out why what I was describing was happening until I lined the bars up about 10 minutes ago.

When I got my two guitars yesterday I noticed that the tremolo bar in my BFR, even snapped firmly into place was at really odd angle. It was very high and almost pointed at the ceiling, making it difficult to grab and it looked rather awkward. The 6 strings bar was perfect. When I swapped them with each other it became obvious that something was different.

Now that I've figured it out I'm not sure if it was an issue at all or if the there is supposed to be a difference. This has nothing to do with the quality of, or a problem with the guitar, it just appears the two parts have been manufactured differently, resulting in two very different outcomes. I don't know if perhaps a 3rd party manufactures the bars and has changed something.

Anyway, the bars are actually different, even the little knobs at the end that lock in are different. One is rounded, the other more trapezoidal, and one is a shiny chrome the other more of a matte chrome. AJ sent me a new a bar, but I'm curious if perhaps this is just how the 7 string BFR bars are supposed to be in the first place, though I assumed they would be uniform since the bridge is the same. If so I'm sorry for wasting your time AJ, if not I hope this pic helps explain what I was trying to convey but had trouble doing since I wasn't exactly aware of what was causing the issue (if it even is an issue).

You can see in the picture why the BFR's bar, which is on top, ends up at such a high angle. The bars are aligned perfectly with each other in this shot.

 

[ProtoChicken]

Follow up question:

If there was an intentional change in the bars and that new angle that results in the very high bar is supposed to be like that, and the new bar AJ sends me is the same, how would one go about bending the arm so it's the same shape as the other one? Is that even possible or would I need to be a Jedi?

 

[Jack FFR1846]

*warning....this is just what jack would do.....*

I would wrap the bar with a rag, put it into a vice and bend it back down a bit.

*warning....this is just what jack would do.....*


But look at my Sublhoette thread......and you'll see that I'm not shy to go screwing around with things and taking risks. I will say that I've seen the opposite issue on guitars in used guitar stores. The bar is so low, that you can barely bend down 1/2 a tone before hitting the guitar body. In those guitars (usually under $200), I'd just literally grab the bar and pull it up bending it to where it should be.



jack

 

[ProtoChicken]

*warning....this is just what jack would do.....*

I would wrap the bar with a rag, put it into a vice and bend it back down a bit.

*warning....this is just what jack would do.....*


But look at my Sublhoette thread......and you'll see that I'm not shy to go screwing around with things and taking risks. I will say that I've seen the opposite issue on guitars in used guitar stores. The bar is so low, that you can barely bend down 1/2 a tone before hitting the guitar body. In those guitars (usually under $200), I'd just literally grab the bar and pull it up bending it to where it should be.



jack

Well I figure since AJ has already sent a new bar out to me it can't hurt to give your solution an attempt. Now I guess I need to go buy a vice. I love going to Home Depot anyway. I pretty much don't know what anything there is used for but always come up with wacky ideas that I would use it for if I could actually build anything.

 

[BobMac]

if your gettin a new one id say leave off the vice purchase.

 

[ProtoChicken]

if your gettin a new one id say leave off the vice purchase.

But my wife just loves when I spend money for no reason

Actually there have been many occasions where a vice would have come in handy. I'm always breaking things which means there is a lot gluing that goes on in my house. A vice could be a good purchase if they aren't too expensive.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Here's a lefty bench vise for you!

 

[Luc]

I'm having the same situation with the trem bars of my 2 Lukes..

 

[leftyguitarblue]

Here's a lefty bench vise for you!

Pete, you're always thinking of us lefties. Thanks pal.

 

[ProtoChicken]

I was able to get it to bend a bit but it doesn't have much give. It's built well like everything is on these guitars. The end of the trem bar is still almost a half inch higher above the body than the other one. I'll keep working on it and see what happens.

 

[ProtoChicken]

Success!!!! I was clamping it too low. Once I changed the position of the bar in the clamp it was no sweat. In fact I over bent it and had to unbend a bit. I measeured using both bars and they are now the exact same height above the body.

Thanks for the advice Jack.

 

[ProtoChicken]

Just as a follow up. The replacement bar arrived today, thanks AJ, and it is perfect. Identical to the bar that came with my JP6. I guess the one that came with my BFR was just one of those fluke things.

And again thanks for the great customer service.

 

[bkrumme]

I see you've already resolved this, but I did the work so you get the pic.

Mine are identical. Maybe it's because you're a mutant...

 

[Roxy]

How do you remove the bar on a JP? Do they pop in and out? I need to apply a little Big Bends Nut Sauce to remove a slight squeak that I'm hearing. Thanks!

 

[bkrumme]

How do you remove the bar on a JP? Do they pop in and out? I need to apply a little Big Bends Nut Sauce to remove a slight squeak that I'm hearing. Thanks!

Yup. Just pops out.