Luke trem won't flutter...

[Dodgeball]

Hey guys, I have a quick question.

So I'm buying a buttercream Luke and went into my local dealer to put some more money down and give it a quick spin. He has another Luke in there besides mine that I have also tried, that one has a real nice light feeling trem that will do that cool flutter when you flick the bar...the buttercream one doesn't do this!

I've mentioned it to my dealer and he assures me he will sort it before I take collection, my question is why is this the case when the two Lukes he has there are set up seemingly identically???

Any ideas what needs to be done to remedy this??

Many thanks guys.

 

[SteveB]

Dodgeball,

Until you get a real answer from someone qualified, consider this:

that sound is achieved from the vibrations of the tremolo springs.

Did both Luke's have the same number of springs installed, and are they connected to the trem claw in the same fashion?

Also, I wonder if the Buttercream Luke is new (and the other Luke is older), perhaps the tremolo springs are still stiff, and once they stretch a bit, they might flutter for ya?

 

[Jimi D]

I'm with SteveB on this one - it could be new springs, it could be the number of springs, or it could be both, but it sounds like a trem setup issue, and one that can be addressed... I know with Jems, a lot of players find they have to stretch out the new trem springs very vigorously over a few weeks before they start to play the way they want...

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Does the buttercream one have the piezo?

 

[tommyindelaware]

i'm sure it's just a matter of adjusting the springs to balance the bridge to where you want it.
if...for instance it was setup by ebmm to float & shipped w/ 10's on it ........then the dealer restrung it w/ 9's......that may be enough to let the bridge plate rest on the body..instead of float.

 

[Dodgeball]

Hi guys, thanks for the replys.

Both Lukes are new (they arrived from EBMM at the same time...I was a waiting! )

Both are setup with 9's and have 2 springs. They have not been tampered with by the dealer.

It doesn't have a piezo (I believe the piezo trem must lie flat to the body so getting any flutter becomes an impossibility anyway...but I may be wrong).

I'm sure it is just a simple setup issue with the trem but was wondering if any of you have the answer. I'm sure it would be useful to some forum members to know how to rectify this should it prove to be an issue with, say, an ebay purchase.

My [EBMM] dealer suggested that the other Luke had a slightly higher set trem than the BC one tho I couldn't really tell. He seems to think that if the trem comes up on the posts a touch and then the action is compensated for by lowering the saddles it should fix the problem. Does this sound viable to you guys?

I appreciate the stretching of the springs to sort it but both guitars are spanking new so it must be possible with new strings???

Cheers

C

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Hi guys, thanks for the replys.
...
It doesn't have a piezo (I believe the piezo trem must lie flat to the body so getting any flutter becomes an impossibility anyway...but I may be wrong).


...
Cheers

C

That's why I asked, just wanted to make sure you knew that the piezo-equipped ones don't come floating from the factory

It could be possible that the tremolo angle is either too high or too low, so like Tommy said - it might take some adjustments to get the balance correct.

 

[Warg Master]

Hi guys, thanks for the replys.

Both Lukes are new (they arrived from EBMM at the same time...I was a waiting! )

Both are setup with 9's and have 2 springs. They have not been tampered with by the dealer.

It doesn't have a piezo (I believe the piezo trem must lie flat to the body so getting any flutter becomes an impossibility anyway...but I may be wrong).

I'm sure it is just a simple setup issue with the trem but was wondering if any of you have the answer. I'm sure it would be useful to some forum members to know how to rectify this should it prove to be an issue with, say, an ebay purchase.

My [EBMM] dealer suggested that the other Luke had a slightly higher set trem than the BC one tho I couldn't really tell. He seems to think that if the trem comes up on the posts a touch and then the action is compensated for by lowering the saddles it should fix the problem. Does this sound viable to you guys?

I appreciate the stretching of the springs to sort it but both guitars are spanking new so it must be possible with new strings???

Cheers

C

It's possible the one what wont flutter has stiffer springs, and wont allow the flutter.

 

[Dodgeball]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I'll let you know how it pans out.

 

[JDouglee]

Wow that's really weird. All my Lukes, and every one I've ever played flutter like crazy.

 

[Dodgeball]

Wow that's really weird. All my Lukes, and every one I've ever played flutter like crazy.

Yeah, maybe this one has dud springs??

I'm hoping Jon may shed some light on things but I'm sure he's uber busy.

I'll get it sorted.