stuck bar pulled trem right out

[jim777]

I just got a 7620 yesterday (wonderful instrument) and was changing the strings on it today. I went to pull the tremolo arm out of the bridge, and the whole side of the bridge came out of the guitar! I loosened all the strings hoping it wouldn't be damaged, but I still had to push down on the bridge with one hand and pull the arm out with the other to get the arm out by itself. The same arm goes in and out of my other guitars without a problem.
Do I need to replace some parts, or what? The RG is a '99

Thanks,

jim

[Ankhnaten]

I know that with new bushings, my arms are usually pretty tight and hard to get in and out. But if it's going into other guitars with less effort, that throws me. Maybe the retainer spring inside is bent?

[Fry]

I put a little grease on the bushings and it makes it easier to pull in and out when they are new. I never would've thought they could be so hard to pull that that would happen to you though.

[jim777]

I think I'm going to look for a bit of that silicon spray at a hardware store. I'd rather not go through that "coming apart" panic again!

jim

[Jeff]

When I usually put new bushings on, a little part of them shaves off.
...Talk about tight.

[MicJustMic]

I've had bushings/bars so tight that it seemed like it wasn't going to go in, or come out, at all.

When you pull up on a tight bar be sure to grip it right at the bend and brace your hand against the body of the trem, so you're pushing down a bit on the trem as you pull the bar up.

How I do this is to wrap my fingers around the bar, right at the bend, and brace my thumb against the high E saddle, or right behind the high E stud on the flat of the plate. This way I can apply even pressure so I'm not really pulling the trem with the arm.

This makes getting the arm out easier, and you're not pulling the bridge at an odd angle since you're bracing it, thus holding it in place while most of the upward force is applied where you really want it, on the arm.

If this worries you simply sand the bushings a little to ease the fit, though after pushing and pulling it out a few times it should be loose enough that this wouldn't be needed anyway.

Mic