Blocking a trem - with a slide?

[Dablues]

Hello all!

Just got my first USA made PRS, a used CE-22! I'm loving it, and after years of G&Ls (great guitars), Fenders and Gibsons (maybe not my favorite brand right now...), I'm loving the logic of the design of this amazing axe.

However, I do have a question. When I got the guitar, it was strung with nines and a floating trem. As nice as the terms are in PRSi (that's the plural, right?), I'm just not a trem guy. When I was switching over to my 11s last night, I noticed that my chrome pinky slide looked like a perfect fit to sit behind the trem and block it off, so I gently but firmly pushed it in there.

It fit great, but now the back of the trem is permanently in the down position and resting on the body, as if I were pulling up on the bar. Doesn't bother me; this is a fairly road worn guitar and any scuffs caused by this are fine. Tuning stability is amazing. However, should I also screw down the six screws in front or just leave them up? I've heard that you should NOT touch them, and by keeping them where they are, I can easily convert back to trem if I so desire. Also, the sound of the slide as a block seems amazing! I've blocked strats before with wood, but this metal tube just somehow adds a resonance to it! Any foreseeable problems you can think of with my blocking arrangement?

Thanks very much! I'm happy to be a part of the community!

 

[Rider1260]

Show us a pic of your mod
If it sounds better for you thats all that matters
I would leave the trem screws , If you do move them be sure to remove all the tension from the strings and trem springs

 

[Dablues]

Show us a pic of your mod
If it sounds better for you thats all that matters
I would leave the trem screws , If you do move them be sure to remove all the tension from the strings and trem springs

I'll get a picture tonight! I just like the feel of a blocked trem, and I really love McGyver fixes with what ever is lying around. Plus, if no one here thinks this is a bad idea in the long run, it's a great fix. The slide is very stable, yet easy to pull out.

 

[bodia]

I'm with Rider. If it works, great! I also would leave the trem screws alone. If you decide to move them, remove all tension or you could snap the heads off.

 

[Dablues]

Will do. Like you said, if it works...

 

[Dablues]

Someone at TDPRI did tell me it would throw geometry off and make intonation hard. Thoughts?

 

[bodia]

Someone at TDPRI did tell me it would throw geometry off and make intonation hard. Thoughts?

It may cause a need to intonate, that's a valid hypothesis. If I were doing it, I would go block of wood, ala Clapton. But, if the slide works, and your intonation is meeting your needs, then you're all good!

 

[Dablues]

It may cause a need to intonate, that's a valid hypothesis. If I were doing it, I would go block of wood, ala Clapton. But, if the slide works, and your intonation is meeting your needs, then you're all good!

Do you mean blocks of wood on BOTH sides of the trem? Because if it's on just the non-spring side, I'm not sure how it would be different. Thanks for the reply!

 

[bodia]

Do you mean blocks of wood on BOTH sides of the trem? Because if it's on just the non-spring side, I'm not sure how it would be different. Thanks for the reply!

Non spring side between the block and the body.

 

[WeFixFlats]

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Congrats on the new CE...and I wouldn't mess with the 6 screws in the front of the trem either.
However, I really like the idea of a chrome, or maybe brass, slide as a trem-block...!!!

 

[gush]

Leave the screws alone. It would only lower your action and maybe too much.

Congrats on the prs. What model will you purchase next???