Is this normal - 1st time user

[amateur007]

Hi all...so i bought my very first jem last week - jem77v. It is SWEET!

So here's my problem...when the guitar came in from the factory it was tuned a few pitches lower (like half a semi-tone). So the standard tuning wasn't perfect in pitch.

Looked at all the youtube vids but nothing covered this and i'm too scared to mess things up. anyway, i wanted to get the tuning to the perfect pitch. So I didn the following

1) i made sure the fine tuners were all in the middle (was previously tightening them).
2) unlocked the locking nuts.
3) Tuned the guitar to perfect standard tuning (used a guitar effects unit to tune). So I thought it was as simple as that. Locked the locking nuts. Strummed the guitar and it was fine.
4) Started doing crazy stuff w/ the whammy - END OF my HAPPINESS!!!!

The 3rd string dropped from a "D" to a "Db" The other strings lost their perfect tuning - Please tell me if this is normal??

I've used the fine tuners to get them relatively close to standard tuning (about 1/4 semi-tone off) but its not 100% perfect.

Question - have i done something wrong and is it possible to get a 100% accurate tuning on these jems. Everytime i use the whammy it goes slightly off pitch (i'm not talking about going up/down a semitone but when i use my guitar effects unit to check the tuning it doesn't show perfect pitch)................PLEASE PLEASE ADVISE...

I'm not sure if maybe i have a faulty guitar and have to get the local dealer to return this and get a new one (sorry if this sounds stupid...i really have no clue).

[Viper-sfm]

First of all, do note I don't have a floyd guitar to be sure of this, but it sounds either that the strings are new and weren't stretched properly, or the setup isn't well done. For the first one, it's very simple to try. Unlock the nut and stretch the strings. Tune to pitch, stretch them again...do this until it stops going out of tune. Then tune to pitch and lock the nut. Do your crazy stuff and see if it holds up.

If not, then it might be a setup related problem which you can send to a guitar tech, or if you are up to an adventure, you can set it up yourself. There's a great guide here: http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/grunge/grunge_1.htm

If you are unsure though, best take it to a tech.

[kotornut]

Yes it is completely possible to get a JEM into perfect tuning (as far as a guitar can) and to use the whammy bar and remain in tune up to a point, eventually it will go out and the more agressive the use the more difficult to stay in tune for long periods of time.

It would be good to go to the link provided by Viper, but I recommend taking it to a tech and having them set it up and then referencing the website mentioned above for maitenance. There are a lot of things you have to do to get a trem equipped guitar set up properly. After you do it once it shouldn't be that hard to maintain it.

[Foulacy]

follow these steps. unlock the nut. put the fine tuners wherever you want them. fully dive the whammy bar as far as it can go (make the strings slack) and let it back to neutral nice as easy. tune the guitar to pitch with the normal tuners. lock the nut and you're good to go!

[Vinco]

You can also check if the saddles screws are properly tightened. If it's not the case, the saddles will move during pull up giving flat open strings note.

I had this issue to fix on a RG2550 bought in 2004.

[TAorama]

Might not have enough tension on the trem springs if it's constantly going flat after using the trem.

[j45m16]

or knife edges may be dull try some silicone based oil for firearms such as rem oil little goes a long way

[GuitarBizarre]

Originally Posted by j45m16

or knife edges may be dull try some silicone based oil for firearms such as rem oil little goes a long way

Its a new guitar, they won''t be dull enough to cause problems, even if they're dull at all.

Also, chapstick works better than oils because its waxy and its easier to keep it where it needs to be.