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Skinny1

Active member
Joined
Dec 3, 2010
Messages
25
Location
Lander,Wyoming
I just bought a new luke and was wondering how to set it up so its not a floating trem.I love the trem on my axis and would like to set my luke trem the same.Is this something I can do?
 

LilSteve

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Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
461
Location
TX
Whats not to love about a floating trem? IMO makes for a more musical instrument. Just tighten the claw down in the back to preference. Adding springs will help also.
 

Tollywood

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Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
4,195
Location
Rhode Island
The hillbilly method...You could put a piece of plywood cut to fit in there. One spot of glue will hold her in.

Or go to floydupgrades.com to purchase a Trem Stopper/Stabilizer and do it right. Much better choice.

Good luck...

Brass Tremolo Stopper
$24.95
The tremolo stopper is not just an efficient way to block your bridge from floating. It plays a huge part in the overall tone of your guitar. As the string vibrates through saddles, base plate and block – you now have a direct contact point to the block that goes straight to the body adding additional resonance. It is just another link in your “chain of tone”. The brass Tremolo Stopper adds another level of warmth and sustain in addition to stabilizing your bridge.
 

Slingy

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Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
1,526
Location
Fair Oaks, CA
I also like my Luke to go down only. It will take a little work to get it perfect so take it to a tech if you need to.

I have 3 springs on the back in this postion /|\ and the claw adjusted so it is not to hard to push down. Also I use 10's on this guitar so that also adds tension towards the neck.
 

denny99

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Joined
May 20, 2010
Messages
197
I have my Luke setup for dive only, too. Love it.
It requires some springs claw tightening (I have two springs), and minor bridge saddles adjustment, you should be able to leave truss rod alone. Just check it, it only takes 1/4 turn to adjust in most cased.
 

Coffeemug

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Oct 30, 2008
Messages
1,457
Location
K-Town, Germany
Had my Luke's trem sit flush with the body until recently...did not need to fool around with the trem claw at all. I simply added a third spring and made very (!) slight adjustments to the truss rod and saddle height. It played like a dream!
I've now set it back to float (by simply taking out the added spring) which only took a couple of minutes to get the right amount of float. I'd say try adding a spring and see what it does.
 

Roubster

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Aug 20, 2005
Messages
2,639
Location
Crooklyn, NY
I personally like the vintage trems floating slightly to be able to have a nice natural vibrato on chords and such. I also think that the trem stays in tune better when it is floating. Play around with it and see what works best for you.
 

straycat113

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Aug 17, 2009
Messages
2,506
Location
Born and bred in Brooklyn NY
I have all my trems set to dive only except one and they are set the way LilSteve explained- fast and simple. I have a heavy hand on the bridge which causes a floating trem to go sharp or flat on accident and just prefer to dive anyway though the Trem design on the JP is great and prevents that, so that one stays floating.
 

Roberto Matheu

New member
Joined
May 10, 2012
Messages
2
Location
Guatemala
Hi, I just bought a Luke and it was setup perfectly, floating trem, but I changed strings (from 9-42 to 9-46) and now the low E and the G string keep going out of tune. How could I fix this? or should I go back to 9-42's? Thanks in advance
 

mikeller

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Jan 11, 2007
Messages
2,800
Location
Central Ohio
Is the bridge still setting level, front to back, side to side?

Hi, I just bought a Luke and it was setup perfectly, floating trem, but I changed strings (from 9-42 to 9-46) and now the low E and the G string keep going out of tune. How could I fix this? or should I go back to 9-42's? Thanks in advance
 

Roberto Matheu

New member
Joined
May 10, 2012
Messages
2
Location
Guatemala
Thanks for the reply Mike, its a tiny bit higher on the high e string side. When I opened the back piece, the plate that connects the springs to the bridge its tilted at an angle (the screw is more into the wood on the lower strings spring). Thanks again
 

Steff

Member
Joined
May 2, 2013
Messages
5
Hi all.
I'm glad I found this thread as i do have a little issue with my new LIII. The tremolo is set to floating using 2 springs. Even after dive bombing the guitar stays well in tune. - Grat! The only issue I have is that if i bend e.g the G- string on the seventh fret and add the G on the B- string it sounds pretty much out of tune. I do assume that the tremolo moves a bit forward due to the string bend. Could this going out of tune be avoided or at least minimized by adjusting the tremolo?
Any help greatly appreciated!!
 

fbecir

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
3,032
Location
Paris, FRANCE
Hello and welcome Steff

Indeed, when you do a double stop with a bend, you are out of tune if your guitar has a floating tremolo.
With the palm of your right hand, you have to put some pressure on the tremolo, thus it cannot move and you stay in tune ...
The other solution is to have a tremolo setup only for "dive bombs" with several springs. In this case you have a lot of tension, thus your bend does not move the bridge.
 

Steff

Member
Joined
May 2, 2013
Messages
5
Thx so much fbecir!
Putting pressure on the trem with the right hand was my kinda solution so far. Not very comfortable but works quite well. Just thought there is another magic tric :) However, love my Luke. What a great instrument!
 
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