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Lo Pro Edge - Bridge angle after string change

4K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  hexa-db 
#1 ·
Wow it's been a few years since I posted here :)

I decided it was time to treat my RG620QM to some TLC. It was set up a few years ago following Rich's guides on Ibanez Rules. It played brilliantly - nice low action and stable tuning.

Today I restrung it with the same gauge strings (from the same multipack), wedging a wad of card under the trem to keep it somewhere near its normal resting place. I had to remove all the strings to clean it properly.
When I tune up my bridge ends up at a crazy angle. I've seen a mention on the ibanezrules tech page that sometimes this can happen and that the fix is to adjust the angle with the claw screws and go through the cycle of gradually re-tuning & adjusting but I don't get how it could have ended up so far out.

Anyone have any ideas? I've tried slackening the strings off and re-tuning gradually, starting from a propped up bridge, and from a completely slack, angled back bridge. No luck with that. Is the claw adjustment/tuning process the only way to get it back in position?
 
#2 ·
Wow it's been a few years since I posted here :)

I decided it was time to treat my RG620QM to some TLC. It was set up a few years ago following Rich's guides on Ibanez Rules. It played brilliantly - nice low action and stable tuning.

Today I restrung it with the same gauge strings (from the same multipack), wedging a wad of card under the trem to keep it somewhere near its normal resting place. I had to remove all the strings to clean it properly.
When I tune up my bridge ends up at a crazy angle. I've seen a mention on the ibanezrules tech page that sometimes this can happen and that the fix is to adjust the angle with the claw screws and go through the cycle of gradually re-tuning & adjusting but I don't get how it could have ended up so far out.

Anyone have any ideas? I've tried slackening the strings off and re-tuning gradually, starting from a propped up bridge, and from a completely slack, angled back bridge. No luck with that. Is the claw adjustment/tuning process the only way to get it back in position?
Temporarily block the bridge with something (9v battery usually works), tune it in like that, then move the bridge with the bar a little so you can get your temporary block out.

If it suddenly pitches back to an odd angle, its probably spring shock or you inadvertently changed gauge. Likelihood is though, this will balance the trem just fine.
 
#3 ·
Set it up using the claw method as per ibanezrules, stretch strings and tune 'er up.

Leave it there for a day. Let the springs get used to the strings.

Is it a different brand of strings? Even though the gauges are the same, they're still different strings if they're different brands. Every guitar setup reacts differently when you change strings

How drastically did the angle pull up (or back, I don't think you specified)

If it's super drastic, then you probably have the wrong gauge of strings by accident.
 
#5 ·
Ibanez rules method is the way to go, you prob have a bit of spring shock due to taking all the strings off then restringing, If the angle has changed a huge amount then i second the fact that the string gauge is different, the best way i find of restringing is always have the same type of string, then replace one at time, get each string stretched and tuned before moving on to the next one, usually for me this works a treat with only minor adjustments to the trem claw. used to take me hours but now i've got a complete string change and set up down to 20mins
 
#6 ·
I'm pretty certain they're the same strings (I bought a multipack of D'addario 09-42 a while ago and still had a pack left). The old strings were strung with the ball ends at the tuner end too and they still had the colour coded D'Addario ends.

The bridge is angled up by quite a lot. I'd usually do one string at a time but this guitar has been a bit neglected so needed a good cleanup.

I'll try some of the suggestions above and see how it goes - Thanks everyone :)
 
#7 ·
I think I know what newblues is referring to as 'spring shock'. Haven't looked it up, but I think I understand the physics.
You said you put 'a wad of card' under the bridge so you could take all the strings off.
When you did this, I assume the angle of the bridge was off. It's not likely that stuffing cardboard under the bridge would keep it at zero.
When you restrung and tuned up, when you put each string on did you tune the string to pitch, then put the next one on, tune it to pitch and so on?
I believe, if the quick 'thought experiment' I just did is correct, this could pull the bridge up, way up, once you've placed and tuned the last string.
I'd simply de-tune the entire guitar enough so that all the strings are flat, and the bridge is angled back into the body, then gradually bring all the strings to pitch. Don't tune one string all the way to pitch with the others slack. Tighten one string a little, go to the next, a little, and so on until all of them are close and then tune them all to pitch.
If that doesn't work, well... you may have to start all over with your setup. :)
 
#8 ·
Hmmm, I tried loosening strings and bringing them all up to pitch very gradually, one at a time but got the same result.
I left it for a while, and have now tightened the claw screws. I had to tighten them by 2.5 turns and they're almost all the way in now but the bridge is in the right position and it's in tune.

I'm still mystified about why it changed though!
 
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