Help! Tuning stability question on EBMM JP model

[benoa]

Had a gig last evening. Strings were 1 week old, 10-46 tuned to Eb...

I had a real hard time keeping the guitar in tune the whole show.

I've been owning that guitar for a few weeks. It's my second gig with it. And, I'm not really impressed by the tuning stability of it.

Am I the only one? Any tricks or things I could be doing wrong?

I'm planning seeing a local tech I trust with it...

Don't get me wrong, I really really like the tone and playability of this guitar but how come it so easy to get this guitar out of tune. And trust me, I don't abuse the whammy bar on it.

Any help welcomed!

 

[Spudmurphy]

Ok let's see if I can be of help - I'll run off a quick synopsis over the next 10 mins.
Click on the JP 6 link in my sig, and you'll see that I have had one of these apart down to the last nut and bolt!!

 

[Spudmurphy]

Let's take it from the tuner post down to the trem step by step.

Tuners - make sure that the screws are tight in each tuner also the locking nut on each tuner.
When you restring the guitar have the hole in the tuner post at 6 & 12 o'clock, pull the string through the post as tight as you can, then lock off using the knurled locking thumbwheel. That way you will have no windings on the post that slacken if/when you dive on the trem.

Nut - make sure that there is no debris in the nut slot - I always scrape some graphite from a pencil into each nut slot.

Trem plate - this should sit flush with the body - not like a Luke trem plate. Use a 6 inch steel rule resting on the body and on the trem plate - it should be flush.

Examine the trem plate and the posts that the trem plate sits on - both should be smooth and have no dings/lumps/bumps. I use a SMALL amount of silicone grease on the trem posts - I use a toothpick to put it on with.

If you look at this thread you will see a very cheap mod I did to my trem cavity
http://www.ernieball.com/forums/mus...heap-reversible-mod-my-john-petrucci-6-a.html
The reason I did this is that when diving hard, the trem claw slackens right off and when the trem returns to rest the claw should also come to rest in the same position - a small blob of silicone grease around the trem claw screws wouldn't go amiss either.

The Ernie Ball RPS strings are very robust and have extra windings around the string ball on the E B G strings (I bellieve?)

The guitar should be stable - but don't - please don't be like the hulk and overtighten the neck screws.

I went from 9's to 10's and it stays in tune pretty good.

See how you get on and let us know?

 

[kneeoh]

The other thing to consider is, does the guitar require a set-up. You said you were tuned to Eb. In that case, a simple tweak of the intonation and the trem claw may suffice. 2 of my JP's are tuned to Eb and this fix corrected the tuning instability for me.

 

[benoa]

@spudmurphy! Awesome reply. I printed it and will follow it step by step. But first, gotta go buy some Grolsch beers!

@kneeoh I'm no pro tech but I know my way around with guitar setups. Thanks for the info but I did made sure the intonation and trem claw/bridge angle were setup properly.

I'll keep ya posted on how it goes with my JP6.

 

[straycat113]

Spud that was some serious help you gave, kudos to kneeoh too as that very easily could of been the issue.

 

[TNT]

Spud, great job!!!

Yeah, once these guitars are set up right, and with a little adapting to the personality of the guitar (patience & a little bonding), it stays in tune "perfectly"!

 

[littlephil]

Did you let the guitar sit on stage before you played? You should always let your guitar settle on stage for at least half an hour before you start, and make sure the strings are stretched in properly and tuned up.

 

[benoa]

@littlephil Yep, we had to be at the venue early for soundcheck. Guitar sat on stage before the show. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Hee hee thanks guys - just don't look at the General Discussion forum where I show my lack of knowledge with Mesa F50's !!!

 

[GHWelles]

I don't know, I totally bottom mine out and it stays in tune. Of course I do all the things Spudman says, but I never messed with the claw

 

[the24thfret]

Nice work Spud! I've had 3 JP models and they all stay in tune perfectly.

 

[benoa]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Haven't yet been able to go throught Spud's grocery list. I'll grab a pack of those RPS strings later this week and will proceed with the setup of my JP6 and will let you all know.

 

[Spudmurphy]

just to confirm
- when I said grease around the trem claw screws I meant at the heads of the screws - tiny amount - helps the claw swivel nicely when it's not under tension - just one of my foibles and nothing that was shown or explained to me.

I put a tiny amount of grease around the threads of the trem claw screws when I re assembled my JP6 - because sometimes they can be really tight to adjust when everything is under tension

 

[benoa]

Sorry to re-bump my old thread. After trying everything above, my JP just doesn't want to stay in tune.

Had a 3 hours rehearsal last evening and had to re-tune in-between almost every tune. Right now, the strings on it are those special reinforced strings by Ernie Ball.

Will grab another fresh pack of these this weekend and will re-do a full set-up this weekend.

 

[Norrin Radd]

I can assure you there is no fault in the design. I will post a video to show you what I mean (sorry to those of you who have seen it before!):

 

[benoa]

@Norrin : Yep saw your vid when I first posted this thread. My JP6 is far from being that stable.

 

[acwild]

A little Chapstick in the nut slots always does the trick for me. It even works wonders for those pesky Les Paul nut slots. After putting a little in the slots, I pull the bar up and down to make sure it's spread well, then I wipe off the excess. Did you have this issue with 9's?

 

[Warg Master]

I can assure you there is no fault in the design. I will post a video to show you what I mean (sorry to those of you who have seen it before!):

I love that video, makes me laugh every time. And I still want that guitar.

Saw it on ebay.... or one like it I can't remember... a long time ago.. had a go at it, but didn't win