JP XI - tunning stability and trem arm ?s

[mrpingua]

Few quick questions for the EBMM collective:

JP XI guitar:

1) My guitar stays in tune but i find that it doesn't take much to bring it out tune. It stays in tune more then a Gibson or a Fender but nowhere near what a floyd rose will do. Is this fairly normal? Side note that maybe relevant: I recently made some minor tweaks to guitar: string change from 10s to hybrid 10s top/9 bottoms and i switched tuning from 1/2 step down to E regular. all at the same time I adjusted the string tension so compensate the floating bridge staying level. Now the tuning thing could it be that the neck shifted or bowed and I need to adjust? I know how to adjust bridge and intonation but clueless on adjusting neck. Could it be the neck position shifted?

2) The trem arm swivels around way too loose for my like. I'm referring its ability to spin around. Is there a way to tighten it up some? I removed the plate and didnt see a screw or bolt to adjust on the bottom side.

Thank you!

 

[dibart77]

1) Big Bends Nut Sauce in the nut slots will fix this. Amazon.com: Big Bends Lil Luber Ultra Nut Sauce Applicator: Musical Instruments

2) Dive bomb the trem and look for the little hex set screw underneath (see attached photo). Tighten that with one of the included allen wrenches and you are good to go!

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[DrKev]

What Jeff said!

Tuning stability is about reducing friction. When we play the string move a little though the nut slots, especially on tremolo-equipped guitars where they can move quite a lot! Getting the strings to perfectly return to their original position is the key to tuning stability and that means reducing friction.

The Floyd Rose approach is locking the strings at the nut and saddles, thus totally eliminating friction. That's pretty much as good as it gets. Second best is locking tuners and a good two-point tremolo, as we see on Music Man guitars. (And of course fresh strings in good condition, properly installed and adequately stretched in).

A little lubrication in the nut slots helps. You can use graphite (pencil lead), vaseline, chapstick, lithium grease, custom made nut sauces. I would just avoid using liquid lubricants and only use the smallest amount necessary

 

[mrpingua]

-1) just to clarify on this point about using graphite. So I would get something like a mechanical pencil - i would rub the tip into the slot where in the nut where the string goes. And essentially the pencil stains on the nut would serve as lubricant is that right?

-2) Resolved - thanks for the info!

 

[DrKev]

-1) just to clarify on this point about using graphite. So I would get something like a mechanical pencil - i would rub the tip into the slot where in the nut where the string goes. And essentially the pencil stains on the nut would serve as lubricant is that right?

Yes. The nut slots are mostly too narrow for the actual pencil lead to get in there but rub the tip across the slot a few times and the graphite dust that comes off is what works. Better using a darker pencil (B grade or darker, rather than H or lighter) go get more graphite.

 

[mrpingua]

Thank you.