Still Need Lower Action - My action is like 3 mm, can you he

[nickjm]

Ok, I am STILL trying to get this thing working right.. I have the neck shimmed on the body side of my RG520QS, a tiny to the left of the body side bolt on screw holes. The shim is a business card, 3/8" wide by 3" long, folded in half.

The lowest action I can get before I get terrible buzzing at the 10th fret and up is just about 3mm on the bass side and 2.5mm on the treble side. I am trying to get 2mm but this is a pain. At times where I think the action is great playing lead parts, when I strike a chord with any kind of pressure at the 10th or 12th fret (like a G5 or A5), I get buzzes. The bridge is high enough so that the sides of the plate in the trem that the saddles screw into is just about the body. It's the piece of metal about 8mm wide, the bottom of it is just about the body. Is this too high or low??

My best guess is that the neck is not angled right. I need help figuring out where it should go. I real all of the Jemsite info, but I am still blind or dumb.

Thanx for the help.

[jemsite]

what gauge strings are you using? 009-042? If so action should be easily lowered. The buzzing at fret-10 up the fretboard means you need to correct the neck angle, probably using a thinner shim. But first you need to tidy up the setup as per the TECH SECTION online here. For example, if the nut is too high, action will be raised everywhere and you can overcompensate trying to lower action (and hence get buzzing) ...glen

[Rich]

A doubled card is alot of shim thickness, way more than you need, and why the trem is so high on the body.

I'd be checking for a high fret that may be giving you problems just to rule that out first.

[Skaught]

Congrats that you're trying this yourself, I think by the time you have it right you'll have an excellent setup, as well as an in-depth working knowledge of your guitar. I personally find that if you know your guitar inside and out (easily done with the technical setup portion of this site) that you can save yourself a whole lot of money on setups and get a better setup than handing it over to a technician (who sometimes can't get the job done right)

[Patrick Deno]

I am having a simillar problem but mine's almost happy as compared. I have about the same amount of action as stated above but my problem is that the trem won't screw down any farther! I know I could go farther if the trem would let me. *I don't know what I am doing wrong .... the posts just won't go down any farther. Is there something I need to take out? Some mod I can make?

LJ

[jemsite]

Quote: from Patrick Deno on 8:38 pm on June 1, 2001
I am having a simillar problem but mine's almost happy as compared. I have about the same amount of action as stated above but my problem is that the trem won't screw down any farther! I know I could go farther if the trem would let me. *I don't know what I am doing wrong .... the posts just won't go down any farther. Is there something I need to take out? Some mod I can make? LJ

Assuming you unlocked the locking screws for the posts you need to shim the neck on the body side of the neck joint. See the SETUP GUIDE in the Guitar area. This will allow you more adjustment to lower the tremolo relative to the fretboard... glen

[Patrick Deno]

Aaaaaaaaaaalrighty then,

Here's where I look like a total fool to everyone here and get a (probably deserved) barbequing but I honestly don't know so I'm going to have to stick my foot in it. Ok guys, I have heard A LOT about these locking post screws but I'll be dammed if I can find them. Where are they located and how do I get to them? I HAVE read the setup but couldn't figure out where they were.

Anybody got a picture lying around that depicts these things and where they are?

One thing, I own a JEM7DBK so this is what I will be working on ... on your mark ... get set ... steady now ...

LET THE INFERNO BEGIN!!! :shoot::bash:

:angryfire: LJ

[jemsite]

in the center of the tremolo post there is a locking screw you loosen with a small allen wrench, typically supplied with a new JEM/UV, RG, etc... glen

[Patrick Deno]

Thanks for the quick answer Glen,

Obviuosly I'm not getting something. Is it on the top or the bottom of the post? At the top I only see a hole in the center. No screw. Is there something missing? Or is it at the bottom of this hole?

LJ

P.S. I got NO tools with my JEM.

[Rich]

It's a 1.5mm wrench. The screw in at the bottom of the hole.

[jemsite]

blurry photo here showing the small allen wrench adjusting the locking screw which protrudes from the bottom of the post.

on top is the small lock screw removed from the post.

[Patrick Deno]

Excellent, thanks guys ... it truly is appreciated. I'll get right to work on that and see if it helps. That's probably what I have been overlooking.

LJ

[nickjm]

Hi, its me again... Well, after trying about every possible position of a neck shim, I am still having NO luck.. The lowest possible action I can get at the 12th fret from bridge height is 3mm. The only thing that changes when neck shim changes, is it is either more than 3mm and/or the bridge is higher above the body.

Right now, the shim is about 1/2 way between the the two sets of bolt on screws, and is a business card cut to size.

The action can be lower than 3mm slightly, but I get terrible buzzing on the 10th fret. I looked at the frets and none are loose or bad as the guitar is only a year old and in good shape.

I guess what I want to know is what will make my action lower?? Less neck angle?? A thicker shim?? Where do I put the shim??

Please keep in mind, I am working with an RG520QS, which I believe the setup is the same 100% for Jems also.

I am using D'Addario EXL120 Strings (09 - 42) and they are new.

Any info is helpful.. thanx...

Nick

[Rich]

Did you check for a high fret around 11 or 12??

[Patrick Deno]

Glen, you da man! Those little invisible screws were the problem. Thanks bunches. Can you say "painted on strings" boys and girls? I knew you could! :biggrin:

He he he

LJ