New member and need help

[SilvaB]

Hi everyone. I'm a new member in these forums and have been playing guitar for 10 years now. I have 9 guitars (two acoustics). I also dabble in bass, keyboards and drums. Blues rock is my main genre, but I'm pretty diverse with most other genres.

I have a problem that has been plagueing me for a while now. I own a John Petrucci 6-string model guitar w/ piezo from 2007. An excellent, well-built guitar, no doubt, but when I bend a string (let's say the G string at the 14th fret) and while it's still ringing I play the B string at the 15th fret, the B is noticeably flat in tune. When I bring the G back down, the B is in tune again. I can't for the life of me remember if it did this with factory strings because at that time I was focusing on other types of styles that didn't require too much bending. This problem is easier to notice on the G, B and E strings, but happens on all six. I would assume that bending a string is pulling the bridge towards the neck, making any other played string flat, but how can I stop it from happening?

Well, I hope someone knows what I'm talking about and can help in any way. I'd really appreciate.

 

[beej]

Welcome! First off, I'm moving this topic to the guitars section since it's more relevant there.

What you're describing is the effect of a floating bridge. It's exactly as you put it, "I would assume that bending a string is pulling the bridge towards the neck, making any other played string flat," and has nothing to do with the type of strings that are on there. Simply an issue of string tension (pulling the bridge forward) vs. spring tension (pulling the bridge back).

The only way to prevent something like this is to "block" the bridge, which entails physically preventing it from moving forward (using a block of wood in the tremolo cavity or a third-party device that locks the bridge in place). The downside to this is that you won't be able to pull up on the bridge when it is blocked.

It's something most of us just get used to with floating bridges. You learn to compensate.

Hope that helps.

 

[SilvaB]

Thanks beej. Now I know why my PRS tremelo can't be bent "up". What baffles me is my Strat's bridge doesn't do this, and it has a similar setup as the JP.

 

[robelinda2]

I dont have any of my strat or AL bridges that high off the body, so its fine for bending without the problems you are having, with the JP you are asking for trouble! My PRS bends fine too, up and down, depends how you set it.

 

[WalterLacayo]

When it comes to that issue, I've noticed that I mechanically leave my palm on the bridge and apply a little pressure towards the body while doing the bend so that I relatively hold the bridge in its standard position.

Try how that feels to you.

 

[shredhed]

If your Strat is a 6-screw vintage type, it won't really detune much when bending other strings, the way you described the MM. It's just the geometry. If you were to put a tuner on it when you bent a note and checked the open note, you'll find that it does detune just a tad, but really not enough to be a bother.

One thing you can try on your JP is to add springs to the tremolo. It will make the trem stiffer, but it won't deflect as much. It's a trade off but like beej said, you learn to compensate

 

[SilvaB]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I tried adjusting my style to hold the bridge in place, but that's just uncomfortable for me. So I added two springs and that helped alot. Still detunes, but nowhere near as much. Thanks again.