Jem Maintainence Questions

[BluewookieJim]

I've got a bunch of questions about various aspects of maintaining my Jem.

For now, I'll start with this one.

How do I keep my bridge from looking like this? ...

http://jemsiteforum.com/sharefiles/i...rg570_trem.jpg

That is the trem on my 89 RG 570, obviously it's been well played, but if I remember correctly it didn't take long at all for the low E saddle to end up in the state that you see in the picture, worn and deteriorated. It also has the requisite ptting on the upper side of the saddle.

Also, seeing as the Jem 7VWH has 'gold' hardware, has anyone run into problems with the finish tarnishing? If so, what can I do to prevent that as well.

[kennydoe]

Originally Posted by BluewookieJim

How do I keep my bridge from looking like this? ...

Also, seeing as the Jem 7VWH has 'gold' hardware, has anyone run into problems with the finish tarnishing? If so, what can I do to prevent that as well.

Two choices:
1. Don't play it. Ever.
2. Wear rubber gloves
3. Don't rest your hand on on the bridge when you play.

~K

[BluewookieJim]

Originally Posted by kennydoe

Two choices:
1. Don't play it. Ever.
2. Wear rubber gloves
3. Don't rest your hand on on the bridge when you play.

~K

#1, out of the question
#2, that sounds kinda creepy
#3, I know this, and I don't always do it, but anytime I need to palm-mute something thats where my hand ends ups, That would be a hard habit to break after 16 or so years of playing that way.

[kennydoe]

Then my advice to you is simply...
Play the sh!t out of it. When it starts to look ugly, replace it.
If you can't find aftermarket parts, there's always a couple of reasonably priced RG5xxs on Ebay you can buy, then resell with your old cruddy hardware on it.

Or you could try to undo 17 years of playing with your hand on the bridge. It's not a great habit with a floating bridge anyway. Everyone complains that you're sharp all the time

~K

[jeff l]

About once a year I take my edge's off my guitars, put 'em in an old coffee can and soak them with WD-40. I let it sit overnight and then wipe it down. I'll also take a nice, wide, soft-bristle modeling paintbrush (a soft-bristle toothbrush can also be handy for scrubbing out loosened rust/grunge) and clean out all the nooks and crannies and then finish the job with some compressed air.

I don't have any gold hardware, though, so I'm not sure if this would adversely effect the gold finish. It works great for the standard cosmo black edges and it's definitely kept my stuff from looking like the bridge in that pic.

BTW, I'd say that wiping down your guitar after each use would be a good idea to help keep some of that corrosive sweat from soaking into the tremolo. I've been wiping down my new baby (DBK) after each use.

[Rich]

Looks like you keep it clean, no blistering or pimpling to speak of. Just plain wear, rub it enough and it will wear away

[BluewookieJim]

Originally Posted by Rich

Looks like you keep it clean, no blistering or pimpling to speak of. Just plain wear, rub it enough and it will wear away

I've always done what I feel to be a good job of cleaning the hardware, I was just curious to see if there was anything else I can do.

My RG's are definately WELL played, so I'm not concerned about them, and they function fine (of course I wonder where all that material that is gone ended up, in my hand maybe ), but now that I've finally decided to treat myself to a Jem and a JS I just wanted to see if maybe there is something I wasn't thinking about.

[Rich]

You could always put a handrest on there and wear it instead

[BluewookieJim]

if I had the good fortune of finding one.

And I imagine I'd be really hard pressed to find one in gold to put one the 7VWH

[Rich]

There's a member here that makes them now, go search

[6828]

What about spraying a clear coat of automotive clear over each saddle of your trem ? It would set almost glass hard and you could clean out the groove where the string rests afterwards with a small bit of wet and dry paper wrapped around a jewlers screw driver.

Just a thought.

Tony

[sniperfrommars1]

Originally Posted by 6828

What about spraying a clear coat of automotive clear over each saddle of your trem ? It would set almost glass hard and you could clean out the groove where the string rests afterwards with a small bit of wet and dry paper wrapped around a jewlers screw driver.

Just a thought.

Tony

Dont think it would look right unless you could wet sand it. It would look all glumpy and reflect light weird, plus youve gotta think about all the threaded areas of the saddle and stuff

[BluewookieJim]

Originally Posted by Rich

There's a member here that makes them now, go search

I've ssen his threads, but if I remember correctly, he as still in the prototyping stage