Tuning a floating bridge

[werx]

Hey, I bought a jem recently, and I've never used a guitar with a floating bridge before now. Simple newbie question: What do you do when a fine tuning peg goes all the way in or all the way out?

[newbieguitarmaker]

Originally Posted by werx

Hey, I bought a jem recently, and I've never used a guitar with a floating bridge before now. Simple newbie question: What do you do when a fine tuning peg goes all the way in or all the way out?

well either way loosen the nut and set it back to neutral and tune it with the pegs. Then lock the nut back down and it's all good

[werx]

Ah, for some reason all the strings besides the high e are still effected by the fine tuning pegs. Any ideas?

[newbieguitarmaker]

Originally Posted by werx

Ah, for some reason all the strings besides the high e are still effected by the fine tuning pegs. Any ideas?

hm i don't really know, these guitar masters should know... if they wake up and answer >_<

[werx]

Haha, maybe it's because I can't get the nut over the low E and A strings off, though I don't understand how that effects the other strings.

[Dee]

Sounds like some buffoon has tightened the lock nut pad way too tight, but you're gonna have to deal with it sooner or later. Use pliers (wrapped in cloth to avoid damage) around the bolt head and loosen it. As for tuning, just unlock all the pads and retune the whole set, setting your fine tuners to their optimal positions first. Get used to doing this! Some people have taken their guitar to a tech to get this done, and honestly the mind boggles at the thought of paying someone to tune your guitar!

Rich at IbanezRules.com has some good guides which you may have / have not seen already. There might be a few questions you need answering within these.

http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/index.htm

though I don't understand how that effects the other strings.

It affects the balance between the string tension and tremolo spring tension. The tremolo claw screws have to be screwed in at an exact point to counter-act the pull created by the strings, and because the spring vs. string tension needs to be balanced so the bridge sits parallel with the body, strings go out of tune with each other when one string's tension fluctuates.

[RAI6]

Another way to describe it:
If you have a scale with three 2lbs weights (representing the springs) on one side, and six 1lb weights on the other (representing the strings), you have perfect balance.
If you adjust the tension on any element, it's equivalent to adjusting the weights. If you replace one of the "string weights" with a 15oz piece, that's the same as loosening one of the strings. So, even though you only adjusted one element, it changed the whole balance.

[Ironjose]

i have a question ... why does always the higher E string gets more fine tunning than the other ones... i mean i have always tune it as normal... you know keeping them as neutral as possible...

[dlp777]

I'm not familiar with the high string needing more fine-tuning, if anything I have to adjust my 3rd string more during performances. It may have to do with bending and stretching the strings, if you do more with that high string than it may go out of tune faster than the others.

As for the fine-tuners, my only spot of advice, if I understand your question correctly, is to re-set all of them to the middle before tuning. Unlock the bolts near the headstock, set all the fine-tuners to give you leeway sharp or flat, tune normally with the pegs, re-lock the bolt and then check if any adjustments need to be made from there with the fine tuners.

If you play outdoor shows in weather like we have here, be ready to tune regularly and have backups standing by for when (not if) the weather makes all your efforts futile. I usually have to use 3 guitars for a 1 hr 15 min set.