Tremonti Se Custom - Tremolo issue

[spawn2031]

Hey guys, picked up this beauty a while back and only really picked around on it a little but am now starting to use it a lot more regularly. I have since noticed that when I do a dive bomb or similar technique on the tremolo, when it comes back up, I can hear some of the strings being slightly out of tune. Pull up on the Tremolo a little bit and release and it seems to sound fine. Like the Tremolo isn't 100% returning to it's original resting position. Is there anything, short of replacing the whole tremolo that I can do to solve this? I use pretty heavy strings on it.. could they be getting caught in the nut a little? Would a lighter gauge be better for this one?

Strings... Power Slinky (11,14,18p,28,38,48)
Tuning... Currently standard but soon to be changed to drop Db
Guitar.... She's a beaut..

 

[sergiodeblanc]

. could they be getting caught in the nut a little?

Yes. Get your nut re-cut for those 11’s

 

[spawn2031]

Yes. Get your nut re-cut for those 11’s

How do I go about doing that?

 

[garrett]

That's pretty normal. The strings are hanging up in the nut. You're spot on by giving the arm a little upward tug to sort them out. I do the same or I'll use the side of my hand to push the strings down in between the pickups real quick.

A good luthier can widen the nut slots for you so the strings don't get caught up as much. Since you plan to make it your go-to for drop Db, now would be a great time to have a new nut installed and a proper setup done. Consider a core PRS nut, bone nut, or Graphtech Tusq XL nut.

 

[spawn2031]

That's pretty normal. The strings are hanging up in the nut. You're spot on by giving the arm a little upward tug to sort them out. I do the same or I'll use the side of my hand to push the strings down in between the pickups real quick.

A good luthier can widen the nut slots for you so the strings don't get caught up as much. Since you plan to make it your go-to for drop Db, now would be a great time to have a new nut installed and a proper setup done. Consider a core PRS nut, bone nut, or Graphtech Tusq XL nut.

Thank you very much for the info and I will most certainly consider upgrading the nut. Being an SE I know there's a couple things that could really use an upgrade. One other question that begs to be asked though, if it's getting caught in the nut due to the heavier gauge, what if I just went to 10s? What's a standard gauge for ppl to use for a drop Db tuning?

 

[Opunaesala]

I had a similar problem on my Tremonti Custom SE, but switching from the SE to a core nut sorted it out. I only use 10's though, and the core was slotted for them. I can't really say about the drop tuning, as the lowest I usually go is half step.

 

[garrett]

Thank you very much for the info and I will most certainly consider upgrading the nut. Being an SE I know there's a couple things that could really use an upgrade. One other question that begs to be asked though, if it's getting caught in the nut due to the heavier gauge, what if I just went to 10s? What's a standard gauge for ppl to use for a drop Db tuning?

10's would work better with the nut as-is, but I think those guitars come with 9's, so the slots may still be a little tight.

Use whatever size strings you like best. You might find the feel a little loose with 10's tuned down, but it's all personal preference. Adjusting the nut is just part of the deal to get the best performance with your preferred strings.

 

[JimmyDee]

Ya, as most have stated; the Tremonti SE comes from the factory with 9-42's, and that's what the nut is setup for.
You'll either need to file the nut out a bit (if you're comfortable doing it yourself), to accept those 11-48's... or take it to a luthier, and have them do it.

I'd recommend just trying a set of 10-46's first. They're still a bit big for the stock nut, but they have a really nice sound on that guitar.
I have the same rig... but I did a few modifications: https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/ngd-tremonti-se-full-rebuild.30507/