Trem post set screws - I found them and they fixed my woes!

[bachle7]

I am SO happy!! arty: *I finally found the set screws in my trem posts. *They were way inside the posts. *After I tightened them, they fixed two of my problems:
1. *Pitch change when pushing down on the bar and returning.
2. *Play in the bar when going from down to pulling up.

Now my Edge is more amazing than ever before!!!

I couldn't find any pictures of the set screws on Jemsite; how did I miss this for the past year and half?!

[bob oakman]

Those little buggers are often over looked. They are tiny and way down in there so nobody, unless they hang around here, knows about them.

It requires the correct size Allen wrench to find them. I can’t help wondering how many trem/pitch problems have been a result of these things.

[wyzenhymer]

I still haven't been able to find mine on any of my Jems/UVs. I actually think the heads may be stripped out, because I've used every size allen wrench I have and none of them grab anything, or if they do it doesn't move either direction. What exactly do they do, spread the bottom of the post out? *
G.M.

[toshiro]

G.M.: They push against the bottom of the post hole..

I can kind of make an ASCII drawing for you.. Tuning the post sideways(after removing it from the guitar), it should look something like this:

(Top of post) lllXllllllllllllllllllllll=== (Bottom of post)

The little line (ie: ===) is the post set screw.. If you can't turn yours, my guess is they were pushed into the wood the last time you adjusted the height of your bridge.. It would be best to back the trem post out and adjust this before something bad happens.. I've seen people break their posts by lowering the bridge with these tight, the allen socket on the top just snaps in half from the pressure..

The only real way to lower/raise the edge posts is: loosen set screw, adjust post, re-adjust set screw..

Hope this helps..

[Rich]

The set screw doesn't set into wood, the anchor the post threads into is metal. All you have to do is unscrew the post, you don't have to unlock the set screw to unscrew the post, and usually you need to back the post up a little to unlock them to begin with.

[bachle7]

Whew! *I guess it wasn't just me?!

Okay, for me to find the set screws, I actually unscrewed a trem post from the body of the guitar. *They are like a screw within a screw, but they are MUCH smaller than the trem post. *Use a 1.5mm Allen to get at them (a long one). *I could never see them because the metal was black and there was some corrosion at the top of the trem posts.

They don't spread the base out. *There are actually two threads in the metal anchor in the body. *The big one for the posts and then a tiny one in the center for the set screw.

From the jemsite setup, I thought that the set screws were the kind that screw into the side of the posts (at a 90 degree angle to the posts, but I was WAY wrong).

Maybe Glen could add some pictures of this step in the Setup?

(Edited by bachle7 at 8:43 pm on June 15, 2001)

[Kevan]

Screw the pics! *I did a little movie for everyone! *:-)

http://jemfest.com/setscrew1.mov *
(9 seconds; 1.7MB)

FEEL FREE TO DISTRIBUTE THIS CLIP TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.
Especially guitar techs.

Glen- FTP isn't working right now, so please nab this and put it up in the Tech Section. *I can email you a copy if necessary.

[bachle7]

Kevan, where were you last year when I bought my guitar?!!! *Awesome video!!!! *This should help a lot of people.

[Kevan]

I was right here...in this chair...trying to be Shawn Lane....
:biggrin:

[toshiro]

Quote: from Rich on 9:18 pm on June 15, 2001
The set screw doesn't set into wood, the anchor the post threads into is metal. All you have to do is unscrew the post, you don't have to unlock the set screw to unscrew the post, and usually you need to back the post up a little to unlock them to begin with.

That's strange. I was working on this one PGM100 (the first time I've run into a stuck post, BTW) and after finally removing the post (it took pliers and about 2 full turns to get in un-stuck) I remember seeing wood under there.. Maybe they changed this? Or, am I out of my mind? Could've been a factory fluke, now that I think about it, I'll have to look at mine, though it will probably be metal just to spite me..

[Rich]

The anchor design hasn't changed as far as I know. The set screws would screw themselves right into basswood and never 'set' anything :biggrin: *The anchors are cast, the bottom's are just flat metal, the screw makes contact and jams the threads of the post against the threads of the anchor locking the post in place. The reason you want the threads locked together is so there's no play between them, creating wobble in the post, causing all kinds of problems short and long term.

[toshiro]

Thanks Rich, guess I am out of my mind.. Nothing new there, though..

[chilln2music]

hey guys i didnt see this thread before i started mine...anyway i was wondering if i could get a screw from a hardware store and substitute it for the set screw. i dont feel like ordering the part through ibanez if i dont have to....hey rich (yes you are the tech guy!) *would this work?...if so what size should i get etc...thanks!


by the way kevan the clip was very helpful...thanks!

(Edited by Andrew Amicarelli at 2:01 pm on June 19, 2001)

[Rich]

I wouldn't advise it. I doubt you could order just the screw, get a new post.

[jemsite]

Quote: from Andrew Amicarelli on 1:59 pm on June 19, 2001
i was wondering if i could get a screw from a hardware store and substitute it for the set screw. i dont feel like ordering the part through ibanez if i dont have to....hey rich (yes you are the tech guy!) *would this work?...if so what size should i get etc...thanks!

I have already sent a few people sets of these but i am running out of parts. If you make a minimal amt. donation to the site (see banner ads) i'll mail you two set-screws. The alternate is post a WTB ad for them, or buying two new posts at $20-25.

Of course, this assumes you have the correct Ibanez edge/lopro posts and hole in the post to accept... glen