RG520 - Edge tuning problems

[RobV]

Hi,

This is my first post to this forum.

I just bought an RG520. It has the Edge tremolo. It is also equipped with an EMG81 in the Bridge and an 85 in the neck. It's great guitar, but I just can't keep this thing in tune.

I have gone through the complete step-by-step setup procedure on this site. I also made sure and checked all of the points in another article that may cause tuning problems.

I did have some bad knife edges so I filed them down nicely and they look great. I did see some improvement but the guitar still goes out of tune.

when I take the bar down, the strigns go flat. When I pull up, they are pretty close to "in tune". I know I can tune it in the reverse (so they're in tune when I bring the bar down and release), but that's not the point. I want it to be in tune no matter what I do (within reason).

I also have a Charvel Model 5 with a Jackson Floyd licensed trem. I can beat the crap out of that thing and it stays in perfect tune.

So I'd like to know if there's anything else I can do. I really love this guitar (the trem feels way better than the other) and I want to make it work. But this is driving me crazy!

Thanks

Rob

[Gresh]

First thing I would try would be to really abuse those trem springs. Work the devil out them for several minutes, severe whammy usage taking the bar as low and as high as it will go repeatedly for about 10 minutes. Do that a couple of times to really break in the springs.

Every guitar I've owned needed this treatment. I had the same issues as you have now with each of them and this did the trick every time. This assumes that nothing else is wrong with your setup.

[NickFlyMan]

Originally Posted by Rob V.

Hi,

This is my first post to this forum.

I just bought an RG520. It has the Edge tremolo. It is also equipped with an EMG81 in the Bridge and an 85 in the neck. It's great guitar, but I just can't keep this thing in tune.

I have gone through the complete step-by-step setup procedure on this site. I also made sure and checked all of the points in another article that may cause tuning problems.

I did have some bad knife edges so I filed them down nicely and they look great. I did see some improvement but the guitar still goes out of tune.

when I take the bar down, the strigns go flat. When I pull up, they are pretty close to "in tune". I know I can tune it in the reverse (so they're in tune when I bring the bar down and release), but that's not the point. I want it to be in tune no matter what I do (within reason).

I also have a Charvel Model 5 with a Jackson Floyd licensed trem. I can beat the crap out of that thing and it stays in perfect tune.

So I'd like to know if there's anything else I can do. I really love this guitar (the trem feels way better than the other) and I want to make it work. But this is driving me crazy!

Thanks

Rob

I was just about to ask the same question about the same guitar... i just tried the trem springs workout, and its working. thanks Gresh

[sniperfrommars1]

You may have pinched post as well as bad knife edges (even though you sharpened them you may not have gotten them right. Obviously something is slipping. That said make sure your neck joint, and everything else is tight (especially the studs), stretch your strings out thoroughly and have a go at it.

[RobV]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll try the trem spring workout you suggested. That's one thing I haven't tried. With this thig so touchy right now I'm hesitant to use the bar as much as I normally would (I'm usually a whammy freak that's why I was so pleased when I first got this guitar. It felt so nice).

I did check the neck joints, and nut, and posts. I've made sure everything is tight. I'm waiting for some "new cut" posts to get here. If this is still a problem, I'm going to install the new posts. I modified (actually re-cut the current posts on a lathe) so that they look like the new posts. It's about 50% better than before, but still not perfect.

Thanks again,

Rob

[jetfixer]

I had the same problem with my 540PII, found out by a pro guitar tech that it needed a neckset, got it done and now it works great, perfect pitch, all the time!
Good Luck!
Jetfixer