Help! No tuning stability with my JP12

[TheTrooper]

I'm experiencing really weird problems with my JP12: i have absolutely no tuning stability. Everything is perfect: the neck, bridge, saddles.....flawless. Me and my luthier checked everything, and it stayed pefect in tune when it was with my tech, he tried the trem a LOT and nothing, perfect. I tried it today with him, and was perfect, then i used the trem and went completely out of tune, then using the trem again other few times, went back in tune nearly. I broght my guitar to him many times, and we never experienced sometingh like that before, i used the trem a lot, with wild dives and pull ups, and was perfect; just recently started to do this. I'm currently using Ernie Balll Coblat 10-46 and i've been using them for a year and + now; can it be a bad stock of strings? We will try with a set of D'Addario just to see if it's a string problem. The guitar started to do some very strange sound with the springs, like a "squeaky gate sound", but we changed 2 springs and no more bad sound. I noticed that when i dive with the trem, it reaches a point where the bridge kinda "stops" and touches something (like the wood underneath), but i can continue to dive a little bit after that point...it's normal? i use a pretty low action (1.5mm on the low E 12th fret and 1.0-1.1 ont the high E 12th) but never experienced something like that.

 

[Spudmurphy]

well it seems like there is some friction issue. I doubt if it'sthe strings as you say that on occassions it will return to tune.

Take the trem cover off and see if the block is fouling in any way. You shouldn't really feel any "stop" when you use the trem and that makes me think that it's not pivoting on the trem posts as well as it should. Over a period of time you may notice that the chrome plating may wear slightly on the friction points. Make sure that there are no burrs - and lubricate.

This should be a "common" bread and butter fix for a good guitar tech.

 

[TheTrooper]

Thank you Spud for the reply; Yes, my tech lubricated everything he could lubricate: nut, bridge and studs, and nothing seems to being "stopped". I don't see parts where there was "wearing" (sorry for the joke) due to friction (i don't have the guitar with me right now, but i can check). Everything is new, nothing rusted and anything like that, just this strange problem that i have never experienced. I just remember that some time ago i had contacted EB to ship me a screw for the spring of the trem arm, and i tightened it, but i don't see how this can create this problems since it's not interfering with the knives of the bridge or other "moving" parts.

 

[Spudmurphy]

No, the screw surely can't be the problem. If you use the trem and it doesn't return to pitch all the time then it has to be a friction/binding problem - there's no bad mojo with your guitar - just a "physical" problem. I'm sure Dr K will chip in on this.

I'm still putting my money on a friction/binding issue on the trem posts.

Keep us informed how this progresses?

 

[Kenji20022]

My JP's all return to pitch just fine, sometimes my Low E/D might go out by a bit but I never had problems when I still used my Trems. Nowadays I just block them all except my Koa and PDN, I use them for recording and like any floating trem, if I start slouching during recording suddenly the guitar track is a few cents sharp/flat

But that's inherent with floating trems.

As far as your trem, make sure your nut is actually cut for 10's. Depending on what year or month you got yours, JP might have been using a different gauge of string. He recently JUST changed to 10's, so depending on when yours was made you might have to widen your nut slots. Healthy dose of nut sauce or graphite to each nut slot doesn't hurt either.

 

[TheTrooper]

Yes i know about the nut slots, but i have always used 10s and when i bought it JP was using 10s, and was strung with 10s so it's not a string problem. I have never had this thing happen, this guitar stayed in tune even too much! Just recently started to do this, but i don't really understand why since i didn't nothing different; sure is not a nut problem, it's the bridge, but can't be the knives, they're too new, and i'm not Mr.Steve Vai (unfortunately ). I don't know if it's my "mind" or suggestion, but i feel, when i do a dive, like if the trem baseplate is "scratching" the wood underneath, but can be just a "feeling". Strange because i have never changed the height of the trem, it just remained as it was, so this thing happened on suddenly. I will talk with my luthier and i will ask him to remove the bridge and see if there is scratching on the paint underneath; i will keep you updated. And thank you all for the answers!

 

[beej]

Drop EBMM customer service a line- they can help you diagnose what it might be. That's what they're here for

 

[TheTrooper]

Beej, you are absolutely right, but i didn't want to bother them too much, even if it's their job; i wanted to try on the forum because i thought someone might have experienced my same problem, but of course, i will contact the CS if i can't solve by myself

 

[ksandvik]

Whatever you find, post it here so search engines could pick it up as future reference.

 

[TheTrooper]

All right, here're the news: I spoke on the phone with my luthierand he told me that he changed the strings with a set of D'Addario 10-46, and that now, even with a superwilddivewiththetrembaralaSteveVaiwithstringstouchingallthefretboardbecausethere'snotension (sorry for the joke, but i really wanted to do) everything returns to pitch. I think that what i wrote before is completely wrong: the bridge can't touch in any case the wood underneath, because it's FLOATING of course! It's suspended on the pivot or studs however you call that, the routing it's done counting the movements that the bridge should do. Now seems everything ok, and that the problems was a strings problem (maybe i had a bad stock, who knows). I will update the post if anything goes wrong or if there are news; for sure the problem of the squeaky springs was due to the fact that one or two spings were worn-out or something like that. Thanks to everybody for the helps!

 

[ksandvik]

Most 10-46 sets should be OK so maybe it was a bad batch of strings, happens from time to time. Reminds me to re-test D'Addario strings, been a long time since I last tried them out.

I had something similar happening this week, a brand new set of 9-42 GHS boomers didn't want to stay in tune, even after stretching them out. Then a week later, just when I was about to restring my Luke, they stay OK in tune now.

 

[TheTrooper]

These things happen in the strange world of the guitars hahah

 

[Spudmurphy]

Well, thanks for letting us know the answer.
Gotta watch those worn out springs!!

 

[TheTrooper]

Yep, now everything is perfect: strings changed to D'Addario 10-46 (Nickel Wound), lubricated nut with a LOT of guitar grease from StewMac, perfect setup. Stays in tune wonderfully, although D'Addario aren't my favourite strings (i am just used to Cobalts, but these Nickel Wound sounds pretty good to me really), but a friend is currently in the US and i told her to bring me a good 10 packs of EB M-Steel, so really excited to try them out; for now Cobalts are my favourite, even if i have to changed them every 21 days (i worn them out pretty quickly).