First JS1000 - Couple Quick Questions

[Superman859]

I am now a proud owner of a JS1000, my first JS series, first Ibanez, and first guitar with a tremelo system after many years of owning fixed bridges.

I love the guitar, but have a couple quick questions.

1) The whammy bar feels rather loose when inserted. It seems that many bars screw in and can be tightened or loosened by screwing them in more / less. Since the JS1000 has one that just pops in, is there a way to tighten it? I would like it to be able to hold itself up at least a bit (but still easily move), but right now it instantly falls back down and easily swings in place.

2) My volume knob falls off really easily. Is this the case for other JS1000 owners? It just pulls right out without any resistance at all. If I flip the guitar over, the knob falls right out. The other knob (with single coil switch) does not have this issue.

These are the two questions I had. Other than these, I just need to figure out how to get it to stay in tune after putting on new strings (I think it had 9s, but I used 10s). I've never had to make all these adjustments before and it is a lot harder than a fixed bridge. I've gotten it to stay close, to where the note displayed on the tuner is at least the correct note (may be flat or sharp though).

When I whammy down some notes go flat and some go sharp. It's weird, because they don't all do the same thing. After I whammy up, all notes are pretty much in tune. It seems like after a whammy down it doesn't return quite to the right position, but after a whammy up it does, at least very close.

[garrotte]

hi superman !
i think its a used guitar....if its a new one take her to the dealer !
the volknob has a little srew on the side ..tiden the srew and the knob will stay in place.
the problem with the trem......i think you should take the guitar to a pro-repair man and get a decent setup for the guitar.
all my guitars first get a pro setup- also the new ones. its 35 euro for the basic setup : trem intonation neck ! its worth the money.
or you can take a look here :
http://www.jemsite.com/articles-menu...tup-%26-f.a.q/

sorry for my bad english !
peter

[Superman859]

Yes - I did purchase it used. I will look for the screw on the knob to keep it in place.

But what about the loose whammy bar? Is there a way to tighten it up as well?

As for a setup, I may get one done to it, I may not. It depends if I can get it working. I actually worked at a repair shop for a few months and did many setups on fixed bridge guitars, but only one setup on a floyd rose. The majority of this guitar is setup correctly - if I cannot get everything right then I will take it somewhere. I think it will just take a bit of practice on getting the trem floating just right.

[moebius]

If you do a search you will find there are plenty of threads addressing loose whammy bars. Good luck.

[guitarnoize]

Hi Superman, in regards to the loose whammy bar when you buy new you get a few little plastic rings that fit onto the bar near the base, if you don't have any on or they are worn out you can probably buy some new from Rich (ibanezrules.com). Also with the trem you will need to make a few adjustments to go up to 10's to make sure the knife edges are aligned correctly. Check out Rich's tech section http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/index.htm

good luck

[SHAIBANEZ]

well,as far as the whammy bar its very common for used guitars to be loss, you need to replace the bushing, its two plastic tubes that goes around the bottom whammy bar,
thats sould do it.
you can get it with any ibanez dealer. ask for bushing.

[jb4674]

To resolve the Whammy bar issue:

1. Go to your local hardware store and purchase a roll of teflon tape
2. remove the bushings on the bar
3. cut a piece of teflon tape about 1/4" to 1/2"
4. wrap the tape around the grooves where the bushings go (don't go past 2 turns otherwise the bar won't fit)
5. pop the bushings back in
6. pop the bar back in.

Jimmy

P.S.: edit your location.

[smooth55]

As for the volume knob...do you mean that the knob falls off? If that's the case then you just need to tighten the side screw on the knob. If the whole knob and a shaft going into the pot falls out, you need to replace the whole pot. That can happen if there's been some trauma to the guitar and the result is that the plastic washer that allows for the push/pull is broken. I'm assuming that you would've figured out just tightening a screw before asking the question here, so I'm assuming it's the latter and more involved issue there.
As for the tuning stability, go to Ibanezrules as was suggested and read about the setup of a floating trem. That'll explain most of that issue, and the site in general is a great resource for tech tinkering.

[GLG421]

Originally Posted by guitarnoize

Hi Superman, in regards to the loose whammy bar when you buy new you get a few little plastic rings that fit onto the bar near the base, if you don't have any on or they are worn out you can probably buy some new from Rich (ibanezrules.com). Also with the trem you will need to make a few adjustments to go up to 10's to make sure the knife edges are aligned correctly. Check out Rich's tech section http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/index.htm

good luck

+1


Spend some time on Rich's site. You'll learn a lot about how to adjust and set-up your guitar. He also sells lot's of parts you'll need at some point.

Rich sells the bushings, and a bag is cheap and should last you quite sometime. Jimmy's solution will help you get some extra life out of the existing bushings, but only because it's pushing them out farther creates more surface for the bushing to contact with with the bar cavity. They'll wear down as well and you'll be right back where you are now. At some point you'll need new bushings.

[Superman859]

Thanks for the responses so far.

In regards to the whammy bar - what are the plastic bushings supposed to look like when they are "new"? The ones currently on the bar are wrapped around the bar, but still essentially flush with the main part of the bar (because they are wrapped around a thinner region of the bar). Are they supposed to be flush, or are they supposed to stick out beyond the bar? I have a little bag with two more in it in the case, so I will try popping those on and see what happens.

As for the volume knob - the knob falls out, and there is a metal shaft sticking out of the knob. I assume this is the latter issue described. Is the volume knob supposed to be a push / pull switch though? I thought it was just the tone knob. In any case, does anyone know what kind of pot it is so that I can find the correct replacement?

[smooth55]

The JS1000 has a coil tap on the tone knob and a high pass filter on the volume knob. If the knob falls off with the shaft of the pot, you need to replace the pot. It's a simple wiring job and as with the brushings, Rich can get you the proper part.
The brushings are what they are, and they wear out over time. When new, they will be a little thicker (very slightly) than the bar, despite the recessed cavity they're fitted around. After some uses they'll be roughly the same but will hold the bar for a while. I've had my JS1200 for a little over a year and my 2nd pair of brushings are about worn out to the point where they need to be replaced. It's just the way the bridge is...

[Superman859]

Thanks smooth55. I suppose I need to replace the pot - it seems simple enough and shouldn't be too much trouble once I get the part.

I put the new brushings on (what a pain I tell you! It took forever to get the new ones wrapped around for some reason. I'm too clumsy). The bar is tighter now. It is actually about how I would have liked it - perhaps a little looser than I would like, but not much. I have no idea how those new brushings do it though, because to me they look and feel the same as the old ones and I don't notice a difference when they are on the bar, other than when the bar is in the slot.

[jemaholic]

Remember that any floating trem system will need some major tweaking when you change string gauges. The tension fluctuates a huge amount even between 9's and 10's.
~j