Tremolo not staying in tune...

Updated
jefzilla
Hi all...I have an MH100 & MH50 & have the same problem with both. Push the tremolo down toward the guitar body for divebombs & it comes back in tune. But if I pull UP on the tremolo to sharpen a note, the tremolo comes back to rest slightly sharp. I tried graphite on all moving parts to no avail. I have 2 Ibanez's & a strat that don't have that problem at all. Do you guys think the problem might be where the blades meet the posts? There's little wear there on both, but I've heard people filing the blades down to improve performance if there's some wear. I'm not sure if it's because of the tremolo blade is designed to wrap around the post a bit, as opposed to being kind of straight across so there's a minimum of blade touching the posts. Thanx to anyone with suggestions! Jeff
jefzilla

Damn; the knife edges look like they're in such great shape tho...just a little wear on 'em.

Is there anything else you could think of that would cause this? Could the springs be tired & need replacing?

$90 is reasonable tho; do you know if the FR special kit comes with the posts & if so, will they fit the MH100 without modification?

Thanx in advance.

1point8t

Yea everything should fit just fine. Those Specials are WAY better than pretty much any licensed Floyd I've seen come stock on Asian guitars... Schaller and Gotoh are the only two that seem any better.

The springs might be a bit tired, but the problem lies where the cheap metal used in those bridges is just too soft... the edges wear and you get the problem you explained... flat tuning after dives and sharp after pulling up.

Metahead

flat tuning after dives and sharp after pulling up.

but that wasnt the problem, only sharps after pulling

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cfhmachado

The specials are great. I have one on my ninja 600fr ,and it stay in tune perfectly

cfhmachado

and you can get the flutter sound. maybe not as well as a OFR but you can still acheive it. How often does anyone really do this in there playing?

jefzilla

Ok. I'll get a FR Special & hope that does it. Thanx soooo much guys, your input is greatly appreciated!

johnny00

jefzilla. if the knife edges look good, could be the posts. is the tremolo rubbing anywhere? is the height even across? is the trem level, not cocked back or forward? sometimes if one post is higher than the other, it'll bind a bit. locking nut tight?
if you get the FR special and still have the problem, send your guitar to me and i'll fix it :) it's prolly not the springs.
a floating trem is a delicate balance, so it doesn't take much for it not to work properly.
i have a guitar with the FR special and one with a real FR. the real floyd fluttters like CRAZY. the special doesn't for some reason, but it's still great for the money.

jefzilla

The post heights both measured the same & the trem is not cocked back or forward. Locking nuts are nice & tight.

I did notice after I pushed the trem down real slow...looking very closely at the low E side where the blade rests in the post, that as I pulled up slowly, I heard a slight 'pop'...and I could see the blade was catching somehow on the post & it's height changed relative to the post. To me, this means the blade/post is catching/rubbing in two places...right? Is the blade supposed to move up & down against the post slightly? Shouldn't it touch the post in only one spot & just pivot...not move up & down the post?

I hope that made sense...

Metahead

just wondering if it is the EXACT same problem as mine... when you push down it goes back in tune, when you pull up it goes sharp. if you push down after pulling up does it go back in tune, does pushing down correct the sharpness?

btw, does the FR special have any of the problems that lfrs seem to typcialy have? like not being able to be effectivly tightened down?

johnny00

yeah, that "pop" doesn't sound right. did you look from the trem cavity in the back of the guitar to make sure nothing is rubbing?

i guess i would try replacing the posts with higher quality posts 1st. that would be the cheapest way to go...anyone know the thread size of the post?

thx

jefzilla

Yeah Metalhead; pushing the trem back down puts it back in tune.

johnny00...cavity is clear, the slight pop sound coincided with the blade moving up & down on the post, so it seems to me that's what's causing the noise. The blade moving on the post instead of pivoting on it.

Good idea about replacing the posts...certainly would be cheaper than replacing the entire trem. I don't know the thread size at this point, but could find out in a few days or so...unless someone else already knows.

jefzilla

For anyone else who may be planning on replacing the tremolo on thier MH-100 with a Floyd Rose Special:

I went ahead & bought a Floyd Rose Special from GPD USA & went to install it. The only problems I had was the new posts have a different thread size than the original posts (so you can't just screw the new posts into the existing post holders), so I had to painstakingly pull out the post holders (not sure what you call 'em) where the original posts screw in (they appear to be glued in...you can't push them out from the bottom) so I had to put the old posts back in until I couldn't turn them anymore, loosen the post holders & pull them out. Then I was able to push the new bases in & screw in the new posts. I dropped some glue in there for a better hold.

Also, the holes for the springs weren't drilled well on the new trem block & the springs wouldn't go in at all, so I had to re-drill them to accomodate the springs. Just an inexpensive trem build issue I guess.

I wanted to use the new spring holder (the claw-looking thing) & screws, but the screw holes on the holder didn't line up to the existing holes drilled in the guitar, so I had to re-use the original spring holder & screws. No tragedy, but it obviously would've been nice to use the new hardware.

One final note...the Floyd Rose Special is narrower on one side than the original tremolo, so now there's a little gap (smaller than 1/4") where the tremolo doesn't completely cover the trem cavity. Not a big deal, but may matter to anyone who's looking for a perfect fit.

The good news...the trem now stays in tune...and that's the bottom line.

Thanx to everyone for their help & advice!

Pushead

The only problems I had was the new posts have a different thread size than the original posts (so you can't just screw the new posts into the existing post holders), so I had to painstakingly pull out the post holders (not sure what you call 'em) where the original posts screw in (they appear to be glued in...you can't push them out from the bottom) so I had to put the old posts back in until I couldn't turn them anymore, loosen the post holders & pull them out.

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jefzilla

Now I feel like an idiot...lol! Great method!

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