Question Majesty owners: How to make sure your bridge is level?

[Nafaryus]

Hey guys,

This is a follow-up to a thread that I had posted a while back regarding tuning stability issues that I have been having with my new Majesty Artisan. I asked JP's tech Maddi about it, and he suggested that since I swapped out the high strings with 9's (it came strung with 10s) that I will need to readjust the spring tension of the tremolo bridge. He said that my bridge is most likely pulling up into the body a tiny bit, and that he places a business card between the low E saddle and the bridge cover which then tells him how level the bridge is with the top of the body.

I was wondering if any Majesty owners here would be able to further elaborate on this, or perhaps share some of your own methods for measuring how level the bridge is. I'm not much of a techie, so pictures and visual aids are much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Lou]

The bridge plate should be level with the guitar top. I just eyeball it. It's a balancing act as once you monkey with the trem claw screws, the guitar will go out of tune and you will need to go back and forth adjusting he tuning and springs until you've got it right.

 

[DrKev]

Yep. Eyeball is good enough. Does not need to be absolutely perfectly level. And yes, if you adjust the trem screws you'll need to retune, then check the bridge for level, then adjust re-tune again, etc. Easy to do, just takes a little time and patience.

 

[Nafaryus]

Update: I adjusted the trem claw and was able to get the bridge flush against the body. I have already noticed a signifigant improvement in tuning stability. My next step will be to apply some Big Bends Nut Sauce the next time I change strings.

 

[DrKev]

Honestly, lube is more than half the battle. Lube and fresh strings well installed. Tuning stability is all about reducing friction so the strings go back accurately the position they were originally at. Music Man trems pivot on a knife edge so assuming that edge is good condition there is not a lot of friction at the trem posts and the angle of the bridge shouldn't make too much difference. If you look at the Luke model guitar and see how that trem is set up at the factory, it is *not* parallel to the body and the tubing stability is just fine. Most of us here with the music man vintage trem set it up to float that way (see photo in my profile). It works a treat.

BTW, no need to go for a speciality product (though by all means do if you wish). Grab a soft pencil and rub some of the graphite into the nut slots. No need to wait for a string change - Just detune the string and lift it out of the slot, lube, retune. Chapstick and vaseline work fine too. I use white lithium grease. Whatever you choose, you'll only need a small amount (I apply with the corner of a sheet of paper or a toothpick). i use paper of card to clean the old gunk out of the nut slot with each string change, relube, string up, and you're good to go.

Good luck and enjoy!