Bridge Plate Mounting Position Question.

[vtny]

Hi,
Forgive me if this is a silly question cause I'm like triple new to this. 1st time PRS owner. 1st guitar with a floating trem (All others have Bigsbys), and 1st time posting in this forum. Just bought a 2021 S2 Standard (22) and it seems like the trem arm has much more play to go down and very little room to pull up or tighten. When I open up the back plate it seems like the trem block is flush against the front wall of the routed space with nowhere to go, but there is endless empty room behind it towards the back of the guitar. Could my plate have been mounted too far forward towards the pick up? Is this something that is adjustable, or has it been mounted so far forward that I might have to remount the plate taping extra screw holes into my brand new guitar? Thanks.

 

[Erick_S]

Hi,
Forgive me if this is a silly question cause I'm like triple new to this. 1st time PRS owner. 1st guitar with a floating trem (All others have Bigsbys), and 1st time posting in this forum. Just bought a 2021 S2 Standard (22) and it seems like the trem arm has much more play to go down and very little room to pull up or tighten. When I open up the back plate it seems like the trem block is flush against the front wall of the routed space with nowhere to go, but there is endless empty room behind it towards the back of the guitar. Could my plate have been mounted too far forward towards the pick up? Is this something that is adjustable, or has it been mounted so far forward that I might have to remount the plate taping extra screw holes into my brand new guitar? Thanks.

Your description is a little hard to understand, but I will try...from what I can discern you have two questions: 1) Is the bridge plate installed (at the factory) too far forward; and, 2) Does the tremolo arm have play in it because of the bridge position?

#1 is an easy answer - it is 99.99% likely that your bridge is correctly installed! The route and drilling in performed via CNC machines, so the tolerances are very good. Before finishing, one of the build team measures and marks the bridge location for installation (you can see it in various PRS videos). That measurement is checked and re-checked before drilling. After finishing and hardware installation, all that is checked and re-checked again.

#2 is tougher, but depends on the explanation - if you mean there is 'play' in the trem arm, that is an easy adjustment...just grab the 0.050" hex key from your accessory kit and slightly tighten the little grub screw that squeezes the trem arm bushing (the black plastic sleeve that hold the trem arm). It should only need a tiny adjustment - it's just plastic, so overtightening will just chew up the bushing. If you can see the adjustment screw, look directly behind the tremolo top plate and you'll see a small screw hole directly behind where the trem arm inserts into the block.

 

[vtny]

Hi Eric, Thanks for helping me sort this out. Maybe the link below to a picture of the back of my guitar can help me explain. It seems like I can dive bomb all day but when I pull up on the trem my ability is limited because the tone block hits the wall it is encased in. Pulling up on the trem just presses the tone block further against the wall with nowhere to go. It seems like my trem can mostly only go one way. Maybe this is by design and it is supposed to work only one way or maybe there is some adjustment that I am unaware of. If you can’t see the pic. I’ll have figure another way of posting it here.
-Vince

507147-AD-B567-4-E1-D-8-BBB-1-FDBE0-D8-E09-D

Image 507147-AD-B567-4-E1-D-8-BBB-1-FDBE0-D8-E09-D hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[Erick_S]

I couldn't see the picture, but the description makes sense. There is greater range in pressing/diving the trem, than there is in pulling the trem arm. That is by design. The regular PRS trem bridge is a floating bridge, but closer to a Fender-style bridge than to a Floyd Rose floating bridge. The PRS bridge may only have 3/8, maybe less, between the bridge top plate and the deck of the guitar body. They aren't for made for wild tremolo dynamics. For that, you would need to get a PRS with a Floyd Rose (Core Custom 24 Floyd, bolt-on Dusty Waring CE-24 Floyd, or SE Custom 24 Floyd).

I found this - it is the only S2 Floyd I've seen, but it could have been a retrofit. I don't know of any production S2 Floyds:

PRS S2 FLOYD ROSE MCARTY SUNBURST | Reverb

This is a ONE OF A KIND PRS S2 Custom 24 (made in Maryland not Korea) that I've had an original Floyd Rose installed into. In addition a big brass block was installed on the floyd. The pickups have been upgraded with Dimarzio Crunchlab (bridge) and D'activator pickups as well as a locking nut, cl...

reverb.com

In this PTC article, you get a good idea of the extra routing required to fit a Floyd onto a conventional PRS slab-style body like you have on the S2 (in this case it's Vernon Reid Vela):

PTC Guitar Overhaul - Vernon Reid's S2 Vela!

The Paul Reed Smith Tech Center (PTC) is in the business of making your guitar dreams a reality. In addition to standard PRS repairs and maintenance, the…

prsguitars.com

 

[Rider1260]

PRS guitars ( except ones with an uproute option ) have limited ability to pull up on the trem as the trem hits the body.

 

[vtny]

I couldn't see the picture, but the description makes sense. There is greater range in pressing/diving the trem, than there is in pulling the trem arm. That is by design. The regular PRS trem bridge is a floating bridge, but closer to a Fender-style bridge than to a Floyd Rose floating bridge. The PRS bridge may only have 3/8, maybe less, between the bridge top plate and the deck of the guitar body. They aren't for made for wild tremolo dynamics. For that, you would need to get a PRS with a Floyd Rose (Core Custom 24 Floyd, bolt-on Dusty Waring CE-24 Floyd, or SE Custom 24 Floyd).

I found this - it is the only S2 Floyd I've seen, but it could have been a retrofit. I don't know of any production S2 Floyds:

PRS S2 FLOYD ROSE MCARTY SUNBURST | Reverb

This is a ONE OF A KIND PRS S2 Custom 24 (made in Maryland not Korea) that I've had an original Floyd Rose installed into. In addition a big brass block was installed on the floyd. The pickups have been upgraded with Dimarzio Crunchlab (bridge) and D'activator pickups as well as a locking nut, cl...

reverb.com

In this PTC article, you get a good idea of the extra routing required to fit a Floyd onto a conventional PRS slab-style body like you have on the S2 (in this case it's Vernon Reid Vela):

PTC Guitar Overhaul - Vernon Reid's S2 Vela!

The Paul Reed Smith Tech Center (PTC) is in the business of making your guitar dreams a reality. In addition to standard PRS repairs and maintenance, the…

prsguitars.com

E,
I forgot that since I’m new I’m not allowed to post links for three days. But you pretty much nailed the jist of it without the picture. Thanks again.

 

[alantig]

Rider and Erick pretty much nailed it - most PRS trems are set to have a limited pull up range. I think it's about a step/step and a half on the low E string. The Tremonti has a rout that gives a greater range, as do the models with Floyds. The Silver Sky is decked, similar to yours, so you can't pull up. If you want to have the floating experience, making the adjustment shouldn't be too difficult - there are several trem setup videos that should help w/the process, but basically, it's backing out the screws on the plate and returning until you get the bridge to the right position.