What shim size?

[Jacob K]

Hey all,

When I got my 540P-II it had a shim in the neck pocket which I removed. There seemed to be no problem, but I did notice that my trem had a tendency to pop out of the locking studs when the strings were loosened.

Yesterday I started expecting it closer, and it seems that the trem is pivoting on the inside of the body route instead of the locking studs - woops! I only noticed this now because I don't use the trem for increasing the pitch very often.

So, I wonder, what size shim (in terms of folded paper or mm) do I need here in order to bend at least a whole-tone up? Something excessive? I like my action very low.

Thanks, hope to hear from you

[stratoskier]

There's no set answer for this -- every guitar is different, including those of the same model. For example, I have a number of Ibanez 540Rs (Radius). Some require no shims and one requires a very fat one. The difference apparently has to do with the tolerances of the production line, how much sanding was done, whether there is any finish left in the neck pocket, and various other things. Experimentation is the only way to get it right. You add the shim, get everything back in order, adjust the trem height, and see what you get. Experience helps to make good guesses about how much shim may be required, but I often get it wrong the first try.

I'd suggest that you try to recall what was originally in there that you took out, and reproduce that thickness. That should be a good start.

Cheers,
Bert

[Jacob K]

Hey,

Thanks a lot for the reply. I actually kept the old shim, but I decided to go with a slightly thicker one that I made from a businesscard, and it seems to do the job perfectly. I raised the bridge quite a bit (and damn, I just remembered that I forgot to do the locking studs), and now I can use the trem freely in both directions.