Do anyone else have this trem 'problem'?

[Pooliefritz]

I seem to have a problem with my JS1000 BTB where when I lower the pitch using the arm, it won't go all the way down 'till the strings are 'flapping in the breeze' like my other Floyd-equipped guitars do, because the arm hits the body and won't travel down any further.

In addition there's very little clearance between the volume pot and the underneath of the trem arm when it's in the normal (i.e. resting) playing position - about 2mm or so. And in fact if I use the trm arm from my RG520qs in the JS then the arm actually connects with the top of the pot as it's moved across.

I remember reading somewhere that Joe likes to have his trem arms bent in a particular way, and was wondering if Ibanez supplies similar spec arms with the JS series, if so then maybe I got a 'regular' arm (bought my JS second-hand)? Or maybe all you JS players out there have the same issue?

I'm happy with the other setup aspects of my trem & action which seem pretty 'on spec' as per the Ibanez manual.

What do you reckon folks?

[hanban]

I own a JS1000BTB and have the exact same problerm.

From what i understand from rich, alot of guitars from that model need a neck shim, because the trem gets stuck in the cavity step, and getting more room for the trem means freaking high action. (if you dont do the shim thing).

so take it to someone to shim the neck, that way the trem will be free all the way and u'll have low action.

and if i may add you need to send a formal "you suck" to ibanez for making 1000 dollar axes that needs their neck to be removed to make them play good. it almost seems like they just wrap it up and ship without testing it.

another lesson is to buy the guitar from some1 who can fix it before the customer gets pissed, i.e Rich.

p.s , dont think its helpfull to lookj at joes setup in that case, because joe uses the original edge bridge, wich is totally different than the edge pro.

[Pooliefritz]

Thanks for the reply hanban but I don't think I should go down the 'shim' route (I read your earlier thread on this topic BTW), as I'm more than happy with all other aspects of the current setup; action is great, I don't have any problem with the trem getting stuck in the cavity step, I can raise pitch no problem etc., etc.

Shimming just seems to be going to more trouble than is necessary, it seems to me the simplest fix is to just bend the trem arm in a vice so that it's a suitable shape; just wondered if anyone else had the same issue really or if it was a common thing amongst JS owners to bend the standard-issue bar.

Cheers.

[nlinny]

Hi Pooliefritz,
Be careful when you're bending the arm. They don't take much before they snap (material is rather brittle). Also, don't clamp the short end. The tip will break right off. Ask me how I know...

Nelson

[frankfalbo]

I don't know where you have the trem sitting, but if you're happy with your pullup range and want more dive range, you could set the tilt of the trem a little more into the body. That would also elevate the trem arm when in the neutral position. You don't want it tilted way back, because that can affect the life of the studs and knife edges. But if you adjust the springs so that the back of the trem is about 2mm more recessed into the body, it should solve all your problems.

BTW, for all I know your trem is already deep into the cavity, but since you said you have plenty of pull up I think you can go more.

[Rich]

Which assumes the angle is correct now.

You always want to keep the angle at 0 neutral. Not only for return tuning, but for bridge/fretboard radius. This assumes also the bridge is radius matched to the fretboard which in many cases needs to be done anyway

[Pooliefritz]

Thanks for all the replies folks, much appreciated!

[cusplaya]

Originally Posted by nlinny

Hi Pooliefritz,
Be careful when you're bending the arm. They don't take much before they snap (material is rather brittle). Also, don't clamp the short end. The tip will break right off. Ask me how I know...

Nelson

How do you know?

[evil_k666]

i already knocked the tip of my trem arm... just while pulling it said goodbye! my face must have been ridiculous... material isnt that good for bending, so be careful!