Help setting trem on Petrucci after re-string

[proddy]

I've just bought a EBMM John Petrucci (JP6, Mystic Dream w/Piezo) that I guess has been hanging up in a guitar shop for 1-2 years.

I restrung the guitar, string-by-string with EB Slinky's 10-46 and now the bridge is angled by about 30% as if there's too much tension. The trem is set with the 2 springs horizontally as standard.

I am doing something wrong?

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

You should have 3 springs, ||| , and the bridge should be parallel to the body.

 

[MikeVt]

Hmmm...are you sure it had 10's on it when you started? It could have been restrung with 9's and re-set up sometime before you got it - which would explain the missing spring and new bridge angle....

MikeVt

 

[jongitarz]

Good point. It leaves the factory with 3 springs, and strung with 10's

 

[OrangeChannel]

MMM....ten's

 

[proddy]

my mistake sorry - it has the standard 3 (|||) strings. And originally stringed with 10's. Any other ideas why the trem is high? Shall I take all the strings off and restart?

 

[jbert]

With 10's on, if you have properly streched the strings, tuned to pitch and checked for any obstruction in the bridge area, you most likely just need to adjust the spring tension to bring the bridge back to level.

 

[Warg Master]

Oh yeah, 10s rule.

Love the 10s.

I had to put a damper in the cavity behingd me springs though.

 

[proddy]

thanks for the replies. I've adjusted the string tension on the 3 springs by about 1cm which has leveled out the bridge. I also had to considerably lower the bridge to improve the action which is still pretty high now.

The picture below is what it looks like now - how does that compare with other Petruccis? Should the bridge plate be parallel with the body?

The FAQ mentions "the top of the bridge should be parallel (both front to back, bass to treble side) to or slightly higher than the body with the bottom still recessed". Not 100% sure what that really means

 

[OrangeChannel]

It means that you're aces as per your picture....it looks good.

 

[jongitarz]

thanks for the replies. I've adjusted the string tension on the 3 springs by about 1cm which has leveled out the bridge. I also had to considerably lower the bridge to improve the action which is still pretty high now.

The picture below is what it looks like now - how does that compare with other Petruccis? Should the bridge plate be parallel with the body?

The FAQ mentions "the top of the bridge should be parallel (both front to back, bass to treble side) to or slightly higher than the body with the bottom still recessed". Not 100% sure what that really means

I would advise you to adjust string height by lowering the saddles, not lowering the bridge.

 

[proddy]

Jon, how high should the bridge plate be from the body, approx, for this guitar?

I'd love to send it to you (pimp job w/ neck sealed) but I live in Europe

 

[jongitarz]

I always set the bridge plate as close to even with the body as I can....Sometimes it nees to be a bit higher than that. It looks good in that pic, although I would crank the trem springs very slightly to bring the rear of the bridge down, so its perfectly level, but I'm just anal about stuff like that. It looks like you did a good job there.