Hey, rich! Trem post question, please help

davester1234 · #1 05-12-2003, 12:46 AM

Hey bro, I bought a 7vwh for myself, and have trouble keeping it in tune, particular the a and low e strings, seem to keep going off on me, mostly sharp, I notice it a bit on the other strings to.

I want to tighten the trem posts, but I've never done it before, and I'm not quite sure how. I checked your site, but before do anything, I want to know if i got it all straight:

all I have to do is stick the allen key deep down into the posts by the pickups and tighten them up (do both)??

Please help me dude!

Rich · #2 05-12-2003, 01:28 AM

Please people, if you have a question directed to me just drop me an email and don't waste the forum space

Heard you bought the VWH [you have your own thread], what year is it? Are the set screws tight? Are you talking about locking the stud threads after the set screws are tight?

davester1234 · #3 05-12-2003, 01:32 AM

first off your right, i am wasting space....sorry all!

its a 2001 (uh oh)

I just wanted to fasten the bridge to make sure its not moving cuz of a loose part.
i think i'm just talking about the set screws

if those are the screws you mean, I dunno if they're tight, haven't checked them, not sure how.

thanx rich, you'll always be da man

Rich · #4 05-12-2003, 01:36 AM

Check to see if it has the studs with the line groove around them, but....

Take your smallest Allen [1.5mm] stick it in the hole and tighten it. Then take your largest Allen [4mm] and apply "1 finger torque" to lock all the threads together. [about 1/16 - 1/8 of a turn]

davester1234 · #5 05-12-2003, 01:48 AM

okay rich, i'll do as you said.

however, i'll have to do it tommorrow, gotta work in the morning.

consider yourself a saint, dude.
above and beyond regardless. thank you.

I'll email you 2morrow to let you know.....

Rich · #6 05-12-2003, 01:55 AM

Might as well just report here now that we're already wasting the space

It was around mid year 01' they started using the redesigned studs, somewhere around 30000 but I have no idea what the exact serial # would be when they started using them. Sometimes you will find exceedingly wide knives that will still bind enough in the new studs to throw pullup stability off, but that's another chapter

davester1234 · #7 05-12-2003, 09:00 PM

hmmm.....

I finally got a chance to pick up my guitar today, and guess what, the problem was literally half as bad as it was yesterday. less than half as bad

I haven't tightened the trem post as a result....perhaps its the springs just getting accustomed to being used....

i think i'll wait another day before I tamper to see the progress.

Whatcha think rich?

Rich · #8 05-12-2003, 10:12 PM

I find that after a half hour of whammy abuse there is no change in the way the springs react in a tuning sense. When I get done a setup it's either right or needs something, springs are blamed far too often where they shouldn't be.

davester1234 · #9 05-14-2003, 12:55 AM

hey rich, the trem posts were loose, I tightened them.

But the problem is still persisting....especially with the 2 lower strings, and sometimes the g string.
more often than not, they go sharp, but not always.

I have also tightened the neck and locking nut bolts with no luck.

should this be a cause of concern?

Rich · #10 05-14-2003, 01:28 AM

Like I said earlier, check the studs to see if the have the line grooves around them

davester1234 · #11 05-14-2003, 02:04 AM

yes, the trem posts do have the groove under the v. (thank god)

davester1234 · #12 05-14-2003, 02:19 AM

k, just to be sure,
the knife edges are the part of the bridge that pivots on the body, and which are indented and appear to 'house' the trem posts right? (As opposed to the outer most extremities of the bridge, ie the part that is further out than the tremposts)

jeepers i hope that makes some sense, just trying to get my mind straight.

Whats your take on my situation?

PS, i'll be taking the guitar into a tech tommorrow,
any advice on what to say?
I know I've asked a lot of questions, hope you can answer them

Rich · #13 05-14-2003, 02:33 AM

If you gave the studs the extra 1/16th turn to lock the threads it's probably fine and you're expecting it to be 1000% [which is extremely rare]

Rich · #14 05-14-2003, 02:36 AM

The knives are the only part of the trem that touch the studs.

davester1234 · #15 05-14-2003, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

If you gave the studs the extra 1/16th turn to lock the threads it's probably fine and you're expecting it to be 1000% [which is extremely rare]

Well, i know that you can't expect perfection, but nonetheless the notes often fall off pitch a half to 3/4's of a semitone, sometimes a full semitone.
Put it this way, my girlfriend can hear it go off-pitch. you can imagine thats pretty aggravating.

Like i said, I'm noticing more and more that its happening specifically when I do pull ups with the bar. I usually have to flatten 2 or 3 strings.
sometimes dipping the bar puts it back to the desired pitch when only a small difference is heard, not always. when there is a significant de-tuning, only playing with the fine tuners helps.

[sometimes I do pull ups and it doesn't go off pitch at all

]

By the way i did do the tweak with the huge allen key

.

It seems like the knife edges may be wide.
GRRR! is there any way to diagnose their health while keeping the bridge on the guitar....I'm not good enough to pull off a bridge.