• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

syko

Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
12
I just realized that when I bend a string on my JP6, the back of the trem raises up slightly, and other strings go out of tune until I release the bent one. Is this normal? I don't remember it happening before...though I suppose I could have just been oblivious...
 

Dead-Eye

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
485
Location
Cologne, Germany
It's a floating trem. A floating trem is balanced by the string tension. If you change the tension of one string by bending it, it moves. It's normal.
 

Adwex

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
379
Location
Long Island, NY
You think that's bad, watch what happens when you break a string. The other 5 go waayyy sharp. Floating bridges are a pain.
 

MusicManJP6

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Messages
1,453
Location
Greenville, SC
They may be a pain, but i wouldn't have a guitar without it. I love my tremolo!

The amount of time that it works like it should WAY outnumbers the amount of time you have to fool with it when it is being problematic. Once it is setup, you usually don't have to mess with it unless you change your string gauge...
 

roburado

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 18, 2005
Messages
6,089
Location
Commerce, MI

the24thfret

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
2,458
This is just physics. There's no way to avoid it.

Anyone know how to get around (or cheat?) the change in pitch when you're bending one note and hitting another? Like in a blues, bending a 4th to a 5th and then hitting the dom7? The 7 then is always flat because of the other string being bent. I mean, it sounds cool, I just try to stay away from holding it too long because then it's noticeable. I don't mind it much, really, just wondering if anyone has any techniques... say, bend the 7th as well? Not sure my fingers have the appropriate dexterity for that. Or maybe punch the trem a bit with the picking hand?
 

Lou

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Messages
1,356
Location
MA
tremolno works great. That is if you want the bridge fixed. If you need to still use the trem, then you need to be creative, like Pete suggested.
 

GHWelles

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2005
Messages
1,375
Location
Rancho Mirage
This is just physics. There's no way to avoid it.

Anyone know how to get around (or cheat?) the change in pitch when you're bending one note and hitting another? Like in a blues, bending a 4th to a 5th and then hitting the dom7? The 7 then is always flat because of the other string being bent. I mean, it sounds cool, I just try to stay away from holding it too long because then it's noticeable. I don't mind it much, really, just wondering if anyone has any techniques... say, bend the 7th as well? Not sure my fingers have the appropriate dexterity for that. Or maybe punch the trem a bit with the picking hand?


I do the bending both strings thing. You might be able to improve this by adding more springs to the trem as well.
 

germangallardo

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
478
Im a little ignorant here, what's the problem with floating tremolos? I play my JP flawlessly excellent tone, intonation and so on..


what's so annoying about it?
 

CudBucket

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 3, 2004
Messages
1,400
Im a little ignorant here, what's the problem with floating tremolos? I play my JP flawlessly excellent tone, intonation and so on..


what's so annoying about it?

You're better off not being made aware of it. Once you hear it, it may drive you nuts.
 

germangallardo

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
478
You're better off not being made aware of it. Once you hear it, it may drive you nuts.

What the hell? really? is it that bad, Im so curious about it. Maybe I can't notice because I do something similar (I think) like Pete does, or Steve morse does, I put my hand to somewhat mute the other strings WITHOUT moving the trem to alter the tone. Its a pain in the ass at first but it has improved my picking in a lot of ways.
 

MusicManJP6

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Messages
1,453
Location
Greenville, SC
It all depends on your playing style and the style of music you play really. The biggest annoyance for me is when i tune from standard to drop D. The other 5 strings go slightly sharp. I just HAD to buy another JP to solve this tuning problem. Honestly, it was a deciding factor (or at least a supporting excuse) when deciding to buy another JP.

Other than that, i have not really worried about the bending problem because the problem is just "the nature of the beast".
 

Dead-Eye

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
485
Location
Cologne, Germany
It all depends on your playing style and the style of music you play really. The biggest annoyance for me is when i tune from standard to drop D. The other 5 strings go slightly sharp. I just HAD to buy another JP to solve this tuning problem. Honestly, it was a deciding factor (or at least a supporting excuse) when deciding to buy another JP.

That's how I justified getting another floating trem guitar (the JP) in addition to my J-Custom...I originally wanted a neck-through fixed bridge, but when I played a JP I had to have one. So the Ibanez will become the Drop-D guitar.
 

Adwex

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
379
Location
Long Island, NY
Im a little ignorant here, what's the problem with floating tremolos? I play my JP flawlessly excellent tone, intonation and so on..


what's so annoying about it?

The problem with floating bridges is that the system is based on the idea that the tension of the strings equals the tension in the springs. If you change the tension in 1 string (maybe it broke, or maybe you're bending it), you will change the tension in the other strings, which will change their pitch.

For example... when putting on new strings, each time you tune 1 string, you have to go back and adjust the other 5. With a hardtail, you don't.

Let's say you're on stage at a gig and you break a string . Let's also say just for illustration purposes that for the rest of the song you don't even need that string (maybe you're playing rhythm and you broke the high E). With a hardtail, you can continue and finish the song because even though you're missing the E, the other 5 are still in tune. With a floating bridge, if you break a string, the whole guitar is useless until you change that string because the other 5 will be waaayyyyy too sharp, because the tension in each of the remaining strings increases to make up for the missing string. Higher tension = higher pitch = way out of tune.
 
Top Bottom