Help! JPX floating bridge intonation

[lczegel]

Hi guys, I got a JPX over the weekend, and I absolutely love it, it's the best neck that I've ever tried, and that's the most important part of a guitar for me.

I'm not used to a floating bridge, and I'm wondering what it the best way to minimize strings going out of tune when bending another string"

I'm thinking to possibly add the two extra springs that were included with the guitar, and then backing out the tremolo claw screws. I don't mind the tremolo being stiffer if the strings stay in tune better during bends. Or is there a better way?

I've looked all through the forums and the FAQs, but I couldn't find this being discussed, so I apologize if this has already been covered.

By the way, I've been reading this forum for the past few weeks, as I've been deciding which guitar to buy, and I really enjoy the humor mixed in with great information!

 

[Slowlicks]

Mine is set up with 4 springs... 2 on top and 2 on the bottom..
Slinky regulars, 1mm over 1-6 and the plate is flush with the guitar top. Outstanding!

 

[lczegel]

Hi Slowlicks, thanks for the quick response. I don't understand "1mm over 1-6", is 1mm the amount you had to loosen the screws to accommodate the extra spring?

 

[lczegel]

Or is 1mm the string height at the 12th fret?

 

[littlephil]

Adding a spring will help, but you'll never really be able to stop it happening without blocking the trem. Probably the next best fix (after adding a spring) is just to grab the trem arm and when you start bending, pull up on the bar lightly to keep the trem in place. It might take a while to get used to, but if you keep doing it you wont even need to think about it after a while.

 

[lczegel]

Thank you, Phil, I'll give another spring a try and keep your suggestion in mind.

Les

 

[aleclee]

The real trick is to learn to bend the "non-bent" strings as they go flat.

A Tremol-No would be a less technique-intensive solution.

 

[straycat113]

If you have most of your guitars non floating just have it set where you can only dive and not pull up, unless you are expanding on your trem work.

 

[Slowlicks]

Or is 1mm the string height at the 12th fret?

Yes....

 

[lczegel]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm going to add an extra spring and I think that will probably be OK.

I'm loving the JPX, it's the first EBMM I've owned. I'm thinking about selling my 1995 Les Paul Gary Moore signature (original, not the BFG). The sound is amazing but I just don't like Les Paul necks, same as I don't like PRS necks, probably because I've played Strats most of my life. I love my Strat necks, but the JPX is even better.

 

[Laguna]

Hi, same problem with floating bridge setup, there is solution: "TremSetter"
now I bend string in tune and have floating bridge on my Luke.

 

[Laguna]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvl0fLOzwi8]YouTube - ‪Installing the Hipshot Products Tremsetter‬‎[/ame]

 

[littlephil]

Hi, same problem with floating bridge setup, there is solution: "TremSetter"
now I bend string in tune and have floating bridge on my Luke.

You can get things very similar to the TremSetter that are a lot better, the Tremsetter needs to have a hole drilled in the trem cavity (towards the neck pocket) to fit, but the ESP Arming Adjuster and Göldo BackBox work better and are easier to install.
The Last Word in Tremolo Stabilization
Here's a good comparison of a few different trem stabilisers.

 

[lczegel]

Laguna and littlephil, thanks for the info, I forgot that these types of products are available. I've been researching all day, and it seems the Goldo Backbox would make the most sense for me.

I'm also considering combining this with a Tremol-No, so I can put the guitar into dive-only mode to easily use alternate tunings. Does anybody have experience combining one of the tremolo stabilizers with the Tremol-No?