Luke with 10's

[mandolinnut]

Hello,
I switched to 10's on my Luke and it sounds pretty good. It's more full sounding and tighter for sure. I had to re-intonate it and adjust the truss rod just a little. Not sure about the springs on the tremelo though. With the extra tension from the 10's, the tremelo bowed more forward at rest. I put an extra spring on and it pulled the tremelo flat against the body. The only problem with that is that you can only dive bomb with the tremelo. Is there any way to make the tremelo sit like it did with the 9's? That would be the bomb!!!!

 

[Butch Snyder]

I have EB Reg. Slinkies on all my 25.5" guitars. I came from Super Slinkies about 12 years or so ago. The only time I go different is with 24.75" guitars. Then I'll use Power Slinkies (11-52). I found the same thing you did. The guitar was louder and resonated better. It did take me awhile to be able to bend like I wanted though...

 

[Roubster]

10s are the way to go. If Morse uses them than there is no argument hehe. But seriously u guys are right. The tone is fatter, more resonant and defined. I can't play anything else other than 10s...literally I cant play.

 

[Phazer]

I've been playing 10's for over a year and a half now, used to be a 9's guy.
I must say that even though I've got used to the feel of 10's, I'm thinking about going back to 9's

 

[the24thfret]

Is there any way to make the tremelo sit like it did with the 9's? That would be the bomb!!!!

I don't have a Luke, from what I've heard it is setup from the factory with a slight forward inclination so that it is kind of "floating". If you want to achieve this with 10s on it, I am sure it is possible, but you'll have to use a "trial and error" method to see which combination of springs and claw (screws) adjustments work.

My guess is you should go back to the original number of springs (3?) and then tighten the claw screws in back until you achieve a similar float in the tremolo. If you can't make that work, then add your extra spring again and loosen the trem claw springs (careful not to go too far!) until you achieve what you're looking for.

Good luck!

 

[ShaneV]

The two ways to accomplish what you want would be:

1: Leave the extra spring that you just added and loosen the trem claw (be careful to use the correct screwdriver so you don't strip the screws, I love right-angle screwdrivers for this job).

2: Go back to the number of springs you had before (guessing 3) and tighten the trem claw.

Whichever way you go, it's a process of trial and error. Make a small adjustment, retune and check if the bridge height is to your liking, then adjust some more.

 

[mandolinnut]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I also noticed when I was looking at the tremelo that underneath it has what looks like a piece of "felt" attached to it. Is that normal? Should I remove it or leave it?

 

[Roubster]

That's there so that the back of the bridge wont damage the finish. I have my Silo Special set up to float with 10s. I use 3 springs and u just have to play a little bit with the trem claw to get it the way you like.