Axis Sport Setup

[automatic_slim]

Hi - Proud new owner of an NOS Sport (MM-90s, vintage trem, blue pearl, maple) here. It's great! I have a couple of questions:

1. Action seems a little high in the mid-upper frets. Is the bridge adjustable, or should I go directly to a truss rod tweak?

2. Is it OK to take off all the strings for cleaning, or should I go a couple at a time?

3. Can the trem be blocked (not that I necessarily will, but if there's even more woody tone in there...)?

4. The trem seems set for dive only - is that adjustable?

Thx!

 

[spkirby]

First rule of help on this board....post pictures...we love 'em

Answers:

1. Truss rod...on the axis the trem goes down only so you cant lower it beyond the surface of the guitar with the bridge screws!

2. I do, others dont. My guitars still work! I'm sure for short periods of time there will be no problem!

3. You can block a trem by going through the back plate, and using something such as a chunk of wood (or similar!) to stop it moving. Might be more tone...never tried.

4. Under the back plate you can find some springs attached to a claw. Loosening the springs should cause the trem to float. +'s and -'s with this...you can pull up notes with the trem but tuning becomes a hassle!

 

[Jimi D]

Welcome to the board automatic slim!

I second spkirby's request for pics - they're well received around here... In regards to your first question, I just wanted to add some of my own take on the issue: a guitar's action is defined by a lot of things - the vintage trem on your axis lets you adjust individual string saddle heights as well as the over-all bridge height, so once you've tweaked your truss rod to perfect relief for the string guage and action you like, you can lower the strings a touch more adjusting the saddles without having to lower the entire bridge. IME, however, you can't get the action as low on the trem-equipped models as on the hardtails... I have a H/H equipped hardtail Axis that I keep set up with an action so low that bending is difficult!

 

[automatic_slim]

Thanks for the tips - I got my action dialed in this weekend and cleaned up the fretboard and neck. The truss adjust wheel is great, I just have to stop tweaking a hair up & down and play some! I should have my camera back from the shop in the next week & I'll put up pics.

I don't know how common this is, but when I bought my Sport I was going in to the shop buy one of my 2 dream guitars - sat down to make up my mind between a 52 Reissue Tele & a V-neck US Deluxe Strat. I was about to plunk down the money for the Tele & decided to check out this NOS Sport that had been put on sale. The neck felt so comfortable that I decided to try it through a Super Reverb RI like mine (w/o the JJ's and SS rectifier), and the MM-90s really made the amp shine. I decided to give it a couple of days to sink in, went back and again I liked the feel and tone of the MM best and walked out with it.