Jul 13, 2003 07:23 pm Block the bridge, open the back, and wedge a block of wood between the body and the tremolo block.
The guitar i bought...
Posted on Jul 13, 2003 07:10 pm
Jason
Member Since: Feb 17, 2003
I know this is a forum about recording, but i need to know some info, and you guys are the only ones i know of. The problem is that i just bought a ESP LTD KH-502 electric guitar (kirk hammet) and was wondering a good way to keep it in tune while i drop tune and things like that. since i dont use the tremelo bridge, i was wondering if i put the bridge all the way against the body of the guitar, if it will stay in tune while i change the tuning on my top string. I plan on gettin a second guitar for the different tunings, but i just have the one right now, and i need to keep tuning times to the minimun.
The only problem is that when is this:
i am tuned a whole step down.
when i tune the top string to a c, the others get out of tune. i just need to know how to stop this, even if it prevents me from using the trem bar ( i dont use it anyways).
Thanks
Jason
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Jul 13, 2003 07:23 pm Block the bridge, open the back, and wedge a block of wood between the body and the tremolo block.
Jul 13, 2003 07:29 pm oh man, floating trems. I'm no expert, but I've *never* had any luck tuning those things back and forth from "dropped" tunings. I've got a B.C. Rich Warlock with a Floyd Rose and that thing LOL all you have to do is adjust one string and all the rest go haywire. I eventually decided to leave the Warlock in drop C (or "System" tuning as I call it, since that's what System of a Down rocks) and use my fixed bridge guitars for standard and drop D tunings.
I'm not sure if you can tighten the bridge springs all the way down and force the bridge against the body or not... I'm sure it will work, but I'm not sure sure it's safe for your bridge, body, springs, strings, etc. If it breaks, don't blame me.
But one things you might think about is getting some thinner strings to alleviate some of the string tension on the bridge. This will let you tighten the bridge down against the body, if that's really the course you want to take. Like for instance if you've got .011's on there now, switch to .010's. But please understand the *entire guitar* will need set-up again. because that bridge will behave entirely differently with different strings on it.
Please don't mess up a brand new ESP LTD, I love those silky things. It'd be safer to risk a $100 eBay find.
Jul 13, 2003 08:09 pm If you drop the tuning to a "c" you are gonna find it tough to retain the rest of the strings tune, that is taking a lot of tension off the neck, so the tuning problems are more than just a floating bridge...buy a 7-string.
Jul 13, 2003 08:34 pm dB, the whole guitar is dropped a whole step. the tunings are relative.
Jul 13, 2003 08:53 pm Oh, I thought he meant just a dropped E string...in any case, that is even more a prob, if you n eed to tune a guitar odwn to C all the way across, you still need a second guitar and have the truss rod set accordingly. That is totally taking tension off the neck, even worse if it's every string. You'll end up with fret noise from the neck bowing back and all kinds of funky stuff...
Jul 13, 2003 08:57 pm Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins used Drop C tuning on the Album Machina: The Machines of God, and he said he went through several guitars in that tuning and ended up have one custom made just for that tuning. Since there is so little tension it is very difficult to keep that in tune. Guitars are made to have resistance and when you cut down on that you will have a few problems.
Jul 13, 2003 10:38 pm here is what i am doing. my standard guitar tuning is dgcfad. then when i drop, i drop the top string to a c. so it would cgcfad. how would i put that wood under the trem? do i take the back plate off?
thanks
p.s. i may have to use this guitar as a standard tuning and a different guitar for dropped.
thanks
Jul 14, 2003 12:19 am or
if you dont plan on using the trem, you might take it to a repair dude. i used to have a tremolo bridge, and the dude undid it and made it flush with the body.
Jul 14, 2003 08:10 am the tension problem is easily fixed by bumping the string gauge up. I have a 6 string tuned B to B that I had to pick a custom set of .014's for. Took me months to perfect that custom set.
i finally settled on:
.014 b
.018 Gb
.026 D
.044 A
.056 E
.068 B
but now none of the guitar shops in this town carry a "68", so I'm hoping it don't snap on me anytime soon.
Jul 14, 2003 08:17 am exactly the reason i have a five string, cos going down to a c on a bass creates loads of problems.
our guitarists used to down tune to a c, one used charvel and one used a ***** warlock, what a guitar!!
they both had the truss set differently, so they could both use the whammy (very necessary for the death metal we used to make, not unlike system).
Jul 14, 2003 08:33 am Any musicians is well served learning to adjust their truss rods and intonation, I have done all my own adjustments for a few years now. It saves money and time.
Ya, pixie, that is what lead me to buy a 5 string too. The band I was in last had a couple tunes that I really wanted that low C for so I had a second bass I tuned down it even with a second instrument to do it with it was problematic. I got the 5 and have never looked back, I am now looking into 6's...I can find a benefit in that extra high as well...but those necks is soooooo wide.
Jul 14, 2003 09:03 am Yeah, doing your own ajustments can be great. My les paul is in the shop getting intonated while I'm stuck playing my "franken-strat" that is sub-par as far as I'm concerned. It won't stop cutting out and just doesn't quite stay in tune.
Jul 14, 2003 09:04 am Odds are a little intonation and truss rod adjustment would help the frankenstrat too...
Jul 14, 2003 11:28 am and the "cutting out" might be a bad selector switch or output jack. easy to identify and replace.
Jul 14, 2003 01:13 pm Actually the cutting out is a direct result of it being wired completely with telephone wire and having elecrical tape instead of soldering, and the tuning problem has to do with old tuning pegs that slip every once and a while.
I know what's wrong with it... I just really have no desire to fix it since I rarely ever play it.
Jul 14, 2003 11:26 pm i have a strat and i tune to drop A (AEADGbB) getting that thing tuned is crazy. i've been trying more and more different things but what worked best for me was to have a .068 for the A string. and then for the rest of the stings they have there standerd string gadges so i just stip the .056 it makes it alot easyer to control the sound to. i also put as many springs in the tremelo as i could so it dosn't move as much...some advice for tuning with tremelo is keep tuning till its perfect and if you make any ajustment check every other stings to...its kindof like a rubex cube ..i think thats waht thee called anyways
Jul 15, 2003 05:10 pm "tuning with tremelo ...its kindof like a rubex cube"
LOL! Except a rubicks cube doesn't take as long! And it's only half as frustrating!
Jul 16, 2003 11:51 am if you know someone who's trying to do one of those rubix cube things (ideally someone you dont like) peel off some of the stickers and swap em about a bit.
once youve moved a couple then it'll NEVER go back as it should!
Jul 16, 2003 11:52 am NOTE : flametheband does not condone the willful and intentional defacing of rubix cubes, or anything else for that matter, and therefore cannot be held liable in a court of law..blah blah blah
Jul 16, 2003 11:53 am The rubiks cube really isn't that hard, we used to have contests in school in solving it. My personal best for the cube was somewhere around 5 minutes or so. The "Pyramix" the pyramid shaped knockoff of the cube I actually solved in 17 seconds once, but only me and two of my buddies were there...no way to prove it or I would be in a record book...
I doubt I could do the cube quickly these days, but back when they were the in thing I could very well.
Now at work an Oracle DBA has a Homer Simpson head that woprks like a cube and none of us can get it back to normal...
Jul 16, 2003 11:58 am ya, and it was downhill from there until I was about 25 or so :-)
Hey flame, IM me...I am on a different PC so you aren't on my Trillian list anymore.
Jul 16, 2003 12:09 pm youre not online according to this...email me whatever address youre using, assuming you are on at the mo...
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