Petrucci Trem Urgent Help

[devster]

Hi all. I bought a JP 6 on the weekend which I fell in love with. It felt fantastic. Strings easy to bend and sweet tone. The guitar was tuned to E in the shop. The store did a bit of a setup (maybe I should have left it alone?) before I took it home.

Our band tunes to Eb so I retuned. Now I notice that the Trem is angled into the body. Also when I bend a string the Trem lifts up. That is ok if I am just bending one string but if I am bending the G string but fret the B string, the pitch of the B string changes as I bend the G. Not ideal !

Please any help would be appreciated. Gig Fri night and I want to play my new axe.

 

[beej]

Hi there-

Congrats, that's a sweet guitar. Playing with a floating trem takes a little getting used to.

Our band tunes to Eb so I retuned. Now I notice that the Trem is angled into the body.

That happens with any kind of floating trem. The trem is balanced by the tension from the strings, and the tension from the springs in the cavity at the back of the guitar.

To level the trem, remove the backplate, and loosen the screws holding the claw in place a bit. That will reduce the tension and the trem will level out. You'll need to re-tune a few times as you do this, as changing the tension will change the tuning. It's an iterative process.

Also when I bend a string the Trem lifts up. That is ok if I am just bending one string but if I am bending the G string but fret the B string, the pitch of the B string changes as I bend the G. Not ideal !

That's how it goes with any kind of floating trem sytem. As you bend a string, the extra tension is going to pull the bridge forward slightly and the other strings will lower in pitch. Just one of those things you have to get used to.

Other option is to block the trem with a piece of wood, etc. so it goes down only (and you can't pull up on it), or get something like the tremol-no that mechanically stops it from moving. Both things involve some worth though.

 

[devster]

I noticed the axe came with 2 extra springs. If I put the extra springs on, then the Trem would go more into the body. If I then levelled it by lossening the screws it may go parallel and the spring tension would make it harder for the Trem to move up (away from recess) when I bend a string ?

 

[Joeoboe]

You have to adjust the springs whenever you change the gauge of guitar strings or if you use an altered tuning. If you think of it, the springs are there to balance EXACTLY the amount of tension the strings are making. If you tune low, you have less tension so you have to have less tension on the springs. Easy and normal adjustment.

 

[SBMM]

Easiest thing might be to take it back to the store and let them know that you play a half step down and have them set it up properly. You want it to be 100%!

 

[CHill]

I play Eb too on my JP6 with RPS10s. It was an easy adjustment. About a full turn loosening the screws then re-tuning. I'd have to open the back to check the springs but I recall 3.

 

[kestrou]

devster,

Are you comfortable doing complete setups on your guitar?

As you can tell, you're going to have to "close one eye and stick your tongue out of the corner of your mouth" to do this right - and then you're quite likely going to have to tweak the truss rod because you've changed the tension on the neck with lower tuned strings too.

If you're comfortable with basic setup procedures, and are the kind of guy who's interested in learning one more tech skill, then this is do-able - but just making sure you know you're in the deep end of the pool on guitar setup here!

Kevin

 

[devster]

Thanks very much for all your feedback. Unfortunately here in Hong Kong some guitar techs are not so good. I have one reliable guy but I'm time constrained for the Fri gig.

I have dipped my toes into the guitar setup waters before. I adjusted the action and relief on my axis. Seemed ok.

I understand that if I loosen the screws then the bridge will return to parallel at the lower tension Eb tuning. I'd be worried though that the lower tension on the trem would increase the trem movement when I bend strings.

Is this a valid concern ? I suppose if the number of springs are the same then the tension should be the same & it's just the neutral point of the trem (I.e where it sits when not playing ) that would change. The resistance to movement would be determined by the number of springs .....


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[tekwerk]

Deviser,
This is a very simple operation to do. All you need is a philips screwdriver, a tuner and some patience. Take the back plate off. If there are only two springs, the guitar was most likely set up with 9's. If three springs, then 10's. I would suggest if you are using anything heavier that 9's to install three springs. Either way, the procedure is the same. Tune the guitar to Eb. Loosen each screw in the tremolo claw one turn each. Retune the guitar to Eb. The bridge should have raised up to a more level position. Adjust the screws again... Maybe a half turn this time. Retune to Eb. Check the bridge again. Keep doing this until the bridge is level with the top of the body. You may at one point have to tighten the screws a touch if you went past the level point. Also check both sides(treble and bass) to make sure the bridge plate is even height in relation to the guitar top. Eyeball is fine for this. If it is not, then the bridge could bind up on the posts and cause tuning instability. There you have it. After you get it dialed in put the backplate on the guitar and let it rip.
Hope this helps.
Maddi

 

[AgustinJP50]

Haha! This forum never ceases to surprise me, Maddi (JP's tech) himself answered this!

 

[devster]

Wow. Thanks all. Great guitars and great community.

I'll give it a go tonight.

If all else fails there will be 1xJP6, very poorly setup, for sale ! Lol


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[Soheil]

This is why I am a proud EBMM family member!!

 

[devster]

Gig report. I ended up putting 3 springs on and having the screws reasonably tight to create enough tension so that the Trem wouldn't move when I did a bend. Liked the stability but it seemed that it may have lowered the strings too much and the high E was kind of choked and didn't ring out as it should.

I have relaxed the screws and raised the Trem back up again so it's just a a bit below (into the body) parallel. Since we are all full time workers, and only part time rockers, have to wait unlit the next opportunity to go to 11 and see how it sounds.

Once again thanks for all the help

 

[Bob123]

In a pinch, yo ucan always cram something in the cavity and jam it up tight. Lose the ability to pull up, but it works!

 

[1neeto]

It's easy to understand how a floating trem works. Think of it as a tug of war, and the players are the strings against the springs in the cavity. When the forces are equal, the trem floats perfectly, but when you decrease the tension of one side (in your case loosening the strings so you can play at a lower tuning) then the other side will pull too much. Loosening the claw screws or removing a spring will do the opposite and the trem will lift up. It's a tedious process because it requires constant retuning as you adjust the spring tension against the string tension. Just have some patience and don't be scared to experiment a bit. Sometimes adding or removing a spring will set that trem just the way you like it. The same principle applies when you bend a string, especially the E A or B E on the top, the increased tension during the string bend will make the strings opposite go sharp. That's why guitars with floating trems are unplayable when a string breaks, the high E breaks, and the low E and A will go very sharp. Good luck!

 

[devster]

Thanks all. Great forum and knowledge base


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