Setting up an Axis Trem.

[Hyster]

Hello folks, I'm looking for a little advice

I'm trying to set up a trem on a second hand Music Man Axis guitar, the trem was set to float when I bought it, I bought a a D-tuna and thought I would fit that and set the trem to sit against the body.

I adjusted the trem so it was parallel to the body and touched down but then the strings were too low and touch the frets, I had to set the action very high to get the guitar to fret properly.

I suspected there was a shim in the neck pocket and when I checked there was, a rather professional looking wooden wedge (I presume factory fitted).

I removed the wedge, refitted the neck and then tried to set up again, with the action set properly the trem looks like this....



So, where from here, make a shim half the thickness?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Wahoonc]

Have you tried loosening the claw screws? How many springs are attached?

 

[Hyster]

Have you tried loosening the claw screws? How many springs are attached?

Nah, then it would still sit off the body.

The more I think about this, the more I think it needs a thinner shim than the one from the factory.

 

[Tollywood]

Hello Hyster, and welcome to the forum.

Your bridge posts are raised up too high. Having a factory ebmm neck shim is common and if it was put in the pocket, it is because it was necessary. If you lower those bridge posts and your strings are on the frets, then maybe that wasn't a factory shim. The factory shim has holes in it. Try setting it up without the shim after you lower those posts. Your neck may need to be tweaked by turning the truss rod up toward your face if you are standing; 1/4 to 1/2 turn.

I hope this helps.

Bryan

 

[Hyster]

Hello Hyster, and welcome to the forum.

Your bridge posts are raised up too high. Having a factory ebmm neck shim is common and if it was put in the pocket, it is because it was necessary. If you lower those bridge posts and your strings are on the frets, then maybe that wasn't a factory shim. The factory shim has holes in it. Try setting it up without the shim after you lower those posts. Your neck may need to be tweaked by turning the truss rod up toward your face if you are standing; 1/4 to 1/2 turn.

I hope this helps.

Bryan

So if the shim is a factory shim, I should be able to set it up to sit on the body level with the shim fitted?

 

[Tollywood]

View attachment 26367

So if the shim is a factory shim, I should be able to set it up to sit on the body level with the shim fitted?

That is not the factory shim. I would put the neck on without a shim and lower those posts. See the rough area on the posts? That part used to be inside the body of the guitar. You need to lower those posts to get the string height at the bridge correct.

The posts are just a hair more than 1 cm out of the body. The tremolo should sit flat on the body.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Nice one Tollie - I'm not a FR trem user - and learnt from that. What you say makes sense to me when I think about it on a MM classic trem.

 

[f550maranello2]

do this, set the bride parallel to the body, go to menards and buy some of this
http://www.menards.com/main/home-de...x-4-x-24-craft-basswood/p-2202080-c-12188.htm

make a shim like you have now, under the whole neck not just the back part ( that is no good, no matter what anyone says)
i had the same problem you do, i used this basswood in the whole neck pocket and now the guitar is perfect.. ( removed the plastic shim ebmm had in there from the factory)

also adjust the trussrod so you have some relief.

 

[djlynch]

Get those posts lowered and work on getting correct tension with strings and trem springs. The shim is a separate issue

 

[ksandvik]

I have a quick question about the posts, what's the correct tool (size) to be used for those? Did not find the info when I did a Google search recently. If there's a web site with the correct tools for adjusting the poles for other EBMM guitars, even better.

I have the dilemma that if I loosen the tremolo springs for loose action the poles need to be adjusted, otherwise the action goes up. Or then I get used to playing with stiff tremolo springs (hey Jimi Hendrix used five springs in his Strats...)

 

[djlynch]

Hex wrench?
I like to adjust a floyd rose trem to just start to rise slightly when I bend beyond a whole step. I read that somewhere and it feels right.

 

[Bob123]

ksandvik -> you must balance the string and spring tension. Since these are body mount floyd's , you can favor too much spring tension if you so desire, but the spring MUST always be AT LEAST the string tension or greater.

When you have the springs too loose it pulls the floyd up at an angle. This will drop it out of tune, and you retune it, doing this over and over until it "catches" somewhere. What you're left with is basically the opposite of the OP's picture, where you have the bridge angled the other way. As Tollie showed, make sure your bridge is parallel to the body in all scenarios. String action is a combination of nut and bridge height (shims and post height), and a function of how much back bow you have (truss rod adjustment). If your frets arent level, or your bridge isn't set up properly, or you have too much or too little back bow, you wont have "good" action.

Send me a pm if you need more in depth help.


edit: nice! I almost forgot EB actually cares about their customers Nice in depth stuff here.

http://www.music-man.com/faq/music-man-guitars.html

 

[Tollywood]

I have a quick question about the posts, what's the correct tool (size) to be used for those?

4 mm

 

[ksandvik]

Thanks for the info. I moved the spring screws back closer to the top end body for more tension and I'm getting used to the higher tension (compared with let's say the Morse floating Floyd Rose) so I think for me it's just a matter of getting used to a more stiff Floyd Rose system compared with other guitars.

 

[DrKev]

I have a quick question about the posts, what's the correct tool (size) to be used for those? Did not find the info when I did a Google search recently. If there's a web site with the correct tools for adjusting the poles for other EBMM guitars, even better.

Bryan is correct, 4 mm.

See here...

http://forums.ernieball.com/music-m...sic-man-faq-volume-pedal-info.html#post920311

 

[Tollywood]

Bryan is correct, 4 mm.

See here...

http://forums.ernieball.com/music-m...sic-man-faq-volume-pedal-info.html#post920311

I'd like to give the credit to A.J. He taught me that. Thanks, bro.

Thanks for the info. I moved the spring screws back closer to the top end body for more tension and I'm getting used to the higher tension (compared with let's say the Morse floating Floyd Rose) so I think for me it's just a matter of getting used to a more stiff Floyd Rose system compared with other guitars.

You're welcome. Yes, you just need to use a heavier hand with this one. You can back off your spring tension to just before the base of the trem lifts off the body if you want to lighten it up some. But, then you get those issues you mentioned.
I like to use two springs like this:

 

[Razzle]

Factory Axis shims huh... hadn't heard of that.

Anyone got a pic of one of these?