Vintage Trem G String

[Kesmi]

I'm kind of new with non-locking trems, so I had a lot of trouble setting up my Silo to stay in tune after changing string gauge. I had a good chat with AJ at CS yesterday, who helped me set my guitar back up close to factory spec. So far I've got 5 of 6 strings to remain rock solid when I use the trem, but my G still ends up sharp.( but will snap back in tune with a good bend) I've lubed everything up with Nut Sauce, but maybe I'm missing something- anybody have any advice for a newbie? Or is it just the nature of the beast, to get used to giving the string a pull to bring it back in tune after a bar wiggle, as I've read that Eddie used to do?

 

[Slav123]

Thanks for posting this thread. I too have issues with the G string from time to time (it's bizarre that it's always the G string) and would love to get some feedback/info from our fellow ballers.

Slav

 

[brokenvail]

You know the G is an issue on all guitars for me. About a year ago I started using a wound G. My main reason was I was trying to thicken up my piezo tone. It is helping with the G string issue as well funny enough. I am using 10-46 by the way. I am actually going to switch to a hyrid guage next. I am going to go with 11-46 so that my 3 high strings are from an 11 guage (except I will use a wound G again) and my 3 low string will be from a 10 gauge. It will thicken up my notes and I suspect a thicker G string will continue to help my cause in keeping that tring tuned.

 

[Dr. Lemonator]

The best way to solve this problem I've found is to replace your saddles and go with a graphtech nut. I know that sounds like a whole lot, and it is, but if you love your trem and you love playing in tune, that's the best way to go. Don't expect perfect results though, you will never get them sadly.

For a good temp fix, you could always check to see if the nut is grabbing the G string. If it is file the gap a small bit wider (for the love of god don't go any deeper ) and re-lubricate. The reason that it is mostly the G-string on guitars is because of the different string gauges and types that you purchase. For some reason I have noticed that the G-string fluctuates in size between string sets more than any other string. Since I run Power Slinks on all my guitars, I have done this fix about a 4 million times. It works wonders.

 

[lukather101]

My Luke is the same; I’m beginning to think I can't tune a guitar properly.
I just put up with it now , I get a similar problem with my Axis(same string) but my morse is rock solid (fixed bridge)

Don't think i'll buy second hand again because i've had nothing but problems with both of them.

It kind of makes me feel better knowing it's not just my guitars with the problem.

 

[straycat113]

There is a great DVD called -Tremolo Bar Techniques- by Mike Casswell from Licklibrary and he shows you how to set up everything from a 2-point, 6-point to a Floyd and shows you all these inside tricks of the trade to keep your trem running as smooth as possible. He also states that the G string is usually a problem no matter the trem.

I am not a wiz by any means in fact far from it, because outside of a Floyd I have always had problems keeping them in tune after a little abuse but also let me say these were all on Fen####. But I have to say the trem on the Petrucci is the best non locking trem out there. I actually have fun with it and it can withstand a good amount of abuse and hold its tuning, it really is amazing.

 

[azazael]

This guy has some videos on it but I havent tried his methods out yet...

Not sure if this is the one but have a flick through them.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgfMyJ76p4o"]YouTube- Set up your strat for best tremolo use part 1 - www.frudua.com[/nomedia]

 

[Kesmi]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I watched one of the videos Azezel tipped me off too, some good ideas. But our Italian friend tunes his guitars AFTER knocking them out with the trem, so that any bending pulls them flat, but then uses the arm to settle them back in tune. Kind of backwards to what most people probably do- bending to flatten tremolo-sharpened strings, as I imagine most players bend strings more often than use the trem. Interesting, maybe there is an in-between spot (tempering?) a little sharp after whammy, a little flat after bends that one is able to live with...

 

[patpark]

The reason the G string slips is cause of the tension of that string is looser than the other strings when tuned to pitch. when you depress the bar the G string saddle moves. Its not a defect and happens on a lot of other guitars.

tune that G string up to a B and it'll stay in tune. It's the physics of the tension of the string and the saddle moving.

 

[douglasspears]

The reason the G string slips is cause of the tension of that string is looser than the other strings when tuned to pitch. when you depress the bar the G string saddle moves. Its not a defect and happens on a lot of other guitars.

tune that G string up to a B and it'll stay in tune. It's the physics of the tension of the string and the saddle moving.

so a thicker gauge G string would be a step in the right direction for addressing this?

 

[Kesmi]

The reason the G string slips is cause of the tension of that string is looser than the other strings when tuned to pitch. when you depress the bar the G string saddle moves. Its not a defect and happens on a lot of other guitars.

tune that G string up to a B and it'll stay in tune. It's the physics of the tension of the string and the saddle moving.

Great point that is new to me. Would it be possible then to somehow block or inhibit the saddles from moving?

 

[patpark]

so a thicker gauge G string would be a step in the right direction for addressing this?

could help, but you'd have to go to a much thicker gauge to get the same results. It's all about the tension of the string when its tuned to pitch. The G string is the loosest of the plain strings in tension.

A quick thing to od is tune the G to a B and see what happens. there could be other issues too like dirty nut slot, loose tuner etc.

But if everything is in working order and the G slips, its just physics that you can't really solve. Nothing at all wrong with the guitar itself or the parts, its just the way it is.

 

[patpark]

Great point that is new to me. Would it be possible then to somehow block or inhibit the saddles from moving?

if you look at a Floyd trem, the saddles are locked and do not move. If you used a Floyd bridge with locking tuners the G wouldn't slip.

BTW- this is not my discovery and i don't want to take credit for it. I found this stuff out at another forum Beej and I hang out at. t's not related to EBMM so I don't want to publicize it. Just wanted to add my 2 cents to this age old mystery of why the G string always slips with a vintage style trem.

 

[Kesmi]

I think my next EBMM will be a hardtail! Though a trem sure can be fun sometimes. Maybe when the novelty wears off I'll use it more subtly (and sparingly).

 

[Zippoman]

A bit off topic. The last time I went on a thread that said G string on here ... well you guys know.

 

[threeminutesboy]

I have own 3 EBMM with a vintage trem and one with Floyd

I never had an issue with any of those

The Axis was a 96' model, The Axis Sport is 97' , The Axis SS 00' and the Luke is 07' so I guess is just a matter of setup

I'm using 9-42 Ernie Ball RPS and was using 10-46 on the ASS

I'm using the trem but never abuse it