I've had my SE Standard for a little over a year and had never used the tremolo feature of the bridge until recently. So I had never really paid much attention to it. Now that I have started to use it, I've noticed that it floats just a skosh more than 1/32" above the guitar body, maybe 3/64". I understand it's supposed to float at 1/16".
With the strings at tension, I've adjusted the bridge to be parallel to the top of the guitar body with the three trem springs that came in the guitar. I have a fourth in the bag.
My model was made in Indonesia, but I understand they're inspected by PRS here in the U.S. before distribution, so I assumed it had passed such "measurements."
The guitar came with 9 ga strings. I've changed to 10s, for which I've changed the intonation. I can't quite correctly intonate the low E as I've run out of adjustment room with its saddle which is as far as it can go toward the tail. The spring over the saddle's adjustment screw is fully compressed. The saddle needs to move a tiny bit closer to the tail. Other strings are correctly adjusted.
Now that I'm using the trem, I find that the guitar does not come back to tune after even a slight move of the whammy bar (all strings). The high E and B do not seem to be binding at the nut, but the G (unwound) and the wound strings are all binding slightly, so I'm going to file those slots and try some lubricant in all the slots to see if I can get stable tuning.
What is the consequence of the bridge not being at 1/16" other than losing a bit of travel at the extremes of the whammy bar?
Any suggestions about intonating the low E, given the limitation of travel of its saddle? Cut a bit off the adjustment screw's compression spring to shorten it and allow the saddle to move more toward the tail?
Would adding a fourth trem spring (and adjusting the claw screws) affect any of these issues?
Thanks, Rich
With the strings at tension, I've adjusted the bridge to be parallel to the top of the guitar body with the three trem springs that came in the guitar. I have a fourth in the bag.
My model was made in Indonesia, but I understand they're inspected by PRS here in the U.S. before distribution, so I assumed it had passed such "measurements."
The guitar came with 9 ga strings. I've changed to 10s, for which I've changed the intonation. I can't quite correctly intonate the low E as I've run out of adjustment room with its saddle which is as far as it can go toward the tail. The spring over the saddle's adjustment screw is fully compressed. The saddle needs to move a tiny bit closer to the tail. Other strings are correctly adjusted.
Now that I'm using the trem, I find that the guitar does not come back to tune after even a slight move of the whammy bar (all strings). The high E and B do not seem to be binding at the nut, but the G (unwound) and the wound strings are all binding slightly, so I'm going to file those slots and try some lubricant in all the slots to see if I can get stable tuning.
What is the consequence of the bridge not being at 1/16" other than losing a bit of travel at the extremes of the whammy bar?
Any suggestions about intonating the low E, given the limitation of travel of its saddle? Cut a bit off the adjustment screw's compression spring to shorten it and allow the saddle to move more toward the tail?
Would adding a fourth trem spring (and adjusting the claw screws) affect any of these issues?
Thanks, Rich
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