Please help me see if my guitar needs fixing (PRS SE Tremonti Custom 2014)

[VStratto Music]

Hello ladies and djents of PRS Forums, I would like you to help me solve some stuff with my PRS guitar so she can be my perfect girl again, this is a 3-4 year old guitar, a PRS SE Tremonti Custom from 2014, I replaced it's nut to USA PRS nut, and tuners replaced to Phase II locking tuners, I did this 2 years ago and since then I've been playing with 10-46 with the guitar setup in it's sweet spot. However recently I switched to 10-52, and while doing the setup again the other day, I found some...worrying things.

Let me show you in pictures:

1 has been like this for a while, I'm missing that piece that holds the trem arm, and I can't use the trem without it, I've looked in a lot of stores, in person, in different countries (when I get the chance) and nobody has a clue where to find one

2, the bridge seems to be leaning to the treble side a bit, the trem springs are set equal on both sides though.

3, I remember I learnt somewhere that those are supposed to be set in a way that follows the neck curve, well, no way this is going to happen here if I want my setup to feel any good, is there any way I could fix that? If it helps I have some relief on the the guitar's neck, not much, but some. The action is set 2 mm on C and G, 1'5 mm on C and F, 1 mm on A and D. Tuning is Drop C.

Those screws, with the knive edge tech it was called I think, I adjusted them 2 years ago to lower the bridge (which is still not low enough according to PRS setup guide), looking at them again, it looks like the last 2 (right to left) are higher just a tiny bit higher than the rest, but I've never had any problems? I played the hell out of this guitar, if there was anything wrong with those things in particular I would have found out already? Or should I change it?

And to finish, with time, the pickup switch stopped working well, the pots are noisy too but I haven't done anything about it, today I did change the pickup switch though, replaced it, and since I never ever did any soldering before today I accidentally burnt the plastic on the grey and green cables a bit, but it's working fine, should I do anything else about this?

Anyway, if you would help me resolve any of these questions, I would be very grateful, I won't be taking it to a shop because there's no techs who are savvy with PRS guitars around here and I'm a cheap bastard, besides I really like doing this stuff by myself, I've been doing it since I was a kid.

Thank you for reading!

 

[toothace]

I'll do my best...

1) talk to John Mann for the part http://www.mannmadeusa.com

2) and 3) no clue, but if it plays the way you want and the action is where you want it...does it matter?

As for the screws...maybe that's why the bridge looks cock-eyed in (2)?

leave the burnt wires alone if it's not affecting anything.

 

[VStratto Music]

I'll do my best...

1) talk to John Mann for the part http://www.mannmadeusa.com

2) and 3) no clue, but if it plays the way you want and the action is where you want it...does it matter?

As for the screws...maybe that's why the bridge looks cock-eyed in (2)?

leave the burnt wires alone if it's not affecting anything.

Hi, thanks for your reply! I'm mostly worried about it because I think I read somewhere that those should be that way, I'm afraid I might be screwing up the guitar eventually by not doing it right, I'll probably end up buying a USA trem eventually though. About the screws, if that was the reason the bridge looks that way then it would be leaning the other way because the screws look higher on the side the bridge is leaning towards. You're making me think though, maybe the screws look like that to me because the bridge is leaning towards that side. Why though? And how am I not having a ton of issues? I thought those things are supposed to be really fragile?

 

[gush]

I think we need better pics but your trem seems to be sitting pretty high to me. Only adjust those fulcrum screws with strings and springs off.

 

[Rider1260]

A simple set -up will sort you !!!!

1- Call PRS or John Mann or most any PRS dealer to a Trem set screw
2- The knife edge screw should be level , John Mann has a nice setup video on youtube. easy job

3- the saddles should be set to the fretboard radius ( 10" ) you can get a radius gauge at Stew Mac or use a 1/32" safe ruler to set each string height
This video will also get you in the ballpark

As for the melted wire a bit of electrical tape will solve that !!!

 

[VStratto Music]

Okay, gentlemen, thank you for your replies, I changed the pickups the other day on the PRS to Seymour Duncan SH2 and SH4, while doing this I fixed the leaning bridge bridge problem, the screws were indeed set up wrong, I looked at the knife edge and it's a bit worn/messed up but it wasn't giving me any problems, it's 1mm low now and perpendicular to the body, nvm with the trem, I'm blocking it with a Tremol-no. Scary how it's lasted like this for almost 2 years without giving any obvious signs.

Rider1260, I really wish I had seen those vids earlier. I'll save them in case I buy a trem for John Mann in some time.

Excuse my mini personal rant, but never again I'm buying a PRS with a trem, it's a lot of bother for nothing, and replacements are insanely hard to find where I live and very expensive. Seriously, once I get past my own fanboyism of Mark Tremonti, PRS Guitars and my personal attachment to this guitar, there's no reason at all why I should be struggling this much with a guitar when it would be so much easier with other guitars.

 

[bodia]

I've never had much issue with PRS trems. Best out there, I think.

 

[jxe]

i don’t play surf music, but i had a custom 22 and the trem was like a tank.

 

[VStratto Music]

I'm not saying it's not durable, or steady, it is very durable and steady, like I've explained to you, I've had it set up wrong for 2 years and it never gave me tuning problems, this has been my go-to guitar to record 3 EPs and hundreds of demos, particularly because of it's tuning stability (after installing Phase II and USA nut) and how it easy it was to play. But it is an absolute PAIN to set up, and to me that's very important because I like to try new tunings, string gauges, and setups.

Like this is my favourite guitar ever, but it's given me a ton of work to make it so. 3 years ago, out of the box it was horrible, trem unsuable, super high off the body, high action, can't strum a chord without going out of tune. This had been my dream guitar for at least 3 years so I didn't want to just return it and give up on it, I really wanted to make it work, and I did half a year later when I got into recording and ordered the USA parts.

This is her a while ago, 2 days ago I changed the pickups and switched back to the cream pickup rings.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Sounds like you need multiple PRS (PRSi) to have alternative string gauges and tunings!

 

[jxe]

no argument, just meant i don’t see any design flaws (having used butchered pawnshop ‘strats’ and sad vox/tiesco trems of the early 60s). sorry about it!

I'm not saying it's not durable, or steady, it is very durable and steady, like I've explained to you, I've had it set up wrong for 2 years and it never gave me tuning problems, this has been my go-to guitar to record 3 EPs and hundreds of demos, particularly because of it's tuning stability (after installing Phase II and USA nut) and how it easy it was to play. But it is an absolute PAIN to set up, and to me that's very important because I like to try new tunings, string gauges, and setups.

Like this is my favourite guitar ever, but it's given me a ton of work to make it so. 3 years ago, out of the box it was horrible, trem unsuable, super high off the body, high action, can't strum a chord without going out of tune. This had been my dream guitar for at least 3 years so I didn't want to just return it and give up on it, I really wanted to make it work, and I did half a year later when I got into recording and ordered the USA parts.

This is her a while ago, 2 days ago I changed the pickups and switched back to the cream pickup rings.