NGD - First PRS In love but...

slinky005

slinky005

Power User
McCarty CE 24

After lurking here for years and YouTubing and going to my local guitar store I finally made the plunge.
Amazed at the craftmanship and attention to quality. Sounds stellar.
Has locking tuners and keeps tune great....until I touch the trem bar.
Even a slight push will put the G and B sharp. gets worse with harder dives.
Springs are very very tight.

The documentation states that if you change string gauge you may need to re-setup the guitar.
I have zero capability of doing this well. I always bring it to my luthier.
Since I just bought this on Friday, any setup adjustment will be done free of charge. I assume I will need to do this.

Since going from regulate light PRS strings to Hybrid slinky, the difference is:
.10 to .9
.13 to.11
.17 to .16

All the lower strings are the same gauge.
I am assuming a small change in gauge would not affect the trem system?

Is this a common issue?

PRS.jpeg
 
if you don't like the trem being so tight, you can remove some springs. if it has 5, i would remove 2. the trem will then need to be rebalanced by tightening the claw. do this after you change string gauge. you can try scraping some pencil lead into the nut slots to lubricate them, but you may find that going to a smaller gauge might actually help. the strings are just binding in the slots. nice guitar!
 
The CE24 is my favorite PRS guitar. Mine does not have the problems that you do but with it having '10s' out the box, it's what converted me to that gauge. Yours is a beauty. I hope you get yours fixed and that you get enjoyment out of it.
 
I personally don't like vintage style trems with anything under 10s. Two pointer on knife edges or roller bearings and you can get good performance out of a set of 7s, but vintage trems really want to have 10s or greater to function reliably.
 
AtomicJeff said:
The CE24 is my favorite PRS guitar. Mine does not have the problems that you do but with it having '10s' out the box, it's what converted me to that gauge. Yours is a beauty. I hope you get yours fixed and that you get enjoyment out of it.
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I hope so too. If I had to ditch the trem I would still be in love. But I hope its fix-able.
 
Musikron said:
I personally don't like vintage style trems with anything under 10s. Two pointer on knife edges or roller bearings and you can get good performance out of a set of 7s, but vintage trems really want to have 10s or greater to function reliably.
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The PRS trems have knife edges that sit in grooves below the screw heads. It only looks like a vintage Strat bridge screws setup. As a result, you should not turn those screws without slacking or removing the strings and removing the springs, or you're risking spoiling the knife edge. The 6 screws have to have those slots aligned perfectly, also, so the knife edges work as one....
 
If you went with lighter strings (even on a few) the angle of the bridge has change slightly. Also, the relief of the neck has changed slightly. You want the bridge level with the body. Although the main culprit is probably at the nut. I like using nut sauce or similar lube. Graphite is good, but makes a mess. Here’s a link to some info about setup, but if you haven’t done this and want it working quick taking it to a tech would be best. Eventually, I would search through the net on setting up floating trems and guitars. There’s plenty of information out there. Much of it is about equilibrium and eliminating binding points. Also as someone mentioned using 10’s does make everything much easier. Although anything is possible with the right setup.
https://support.prsguitars.com/hc/en-us/categories/4407425254427-Electric-Guitar
https://support.prsguitars.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408309706779-PRS-Tremolo
 
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slinky005 said:
I had very limited choice here in Montreal. Tons of SEs to choose from but only a smattering of US. This across a number of stores.
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How far is ottawa and toronto again? Worth the drive at the price point of a new CE (i was pretty surprised to see the $3350 they want now).

Most likely nut needs filing for the tuning issue. Enjoy the guitar!
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
The PRS trems have knife edges that sit in grooves below the screw heads. It only looks like a vintage Strat bridge screws setup. As a result, you should not turn those screws without slacking or removing the strings and removing the springs, or you're risking spoiling the knife edge. The 6 screws have to have those slots aligned perfectly, also, so the knife edges work as one....
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I bought a new 06 Singlecut trem. Out of the box there was 1 screw set higher than the others. Slacked strings and fixed it. Other than that no issues. I was surprised to see they missed it. The trem works good unless it’s dive bombed with 9’s or 10’s.
 
@GitGuy513 pretty much covered everything, especially about using lube. You mentioned the springs being tight. You may find that after using it for a while with your preferred gauge of strings, you'll want to alter how the trem feels, which has to do with the # of springs, as that also affects how much a string goes flat when you bend another string. So it may be a good idea to learn how to set up these types of guitars yourself, so if you want to try something different, you don't have to take it to a tech each time. It's not that hard to do, once you understand how the string gauge and # of springs and how tight they are all relate to each other.
 
I've had 3 CE-24's, the one I currently have is a 2004 and set up for 9-42. The tuning and trem response on all of the trems has been incredibly stable including my current PRS. Usually all that's needed when going thinner on the high strings, like you're doing, is an adjustment of the trem claw. A bit looser to compensate for less tension in order to get the back of the trem to the recommended height from the body - 1/16" if I recall correctly for PRS trems.
 
JoKeR III said:
I've had 3 CE-24's, the one I currently have is a 2004 and set up for 9-42. The tuning and trem response on all of the trems has been incredibly stable including my current PRS. Usually all that's needed when going thinner on the high strings, like you're doing, is an adjustment of the trem claw. A bit looser to compensate for less tension in order to get the back of the trem to the recommended height from the body - 1/16" if I recall correctly for PRS trems.
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Yep:
https://support.prsguitars.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408309706779-PRS-Tremolo
 
I can tell a difference when just switching brands of the same gauge.
FYI:
I like this guys stuff. Makes life much easier if you own many (or one) guitars with floating trems and Floyd’s. Or just like doing your own guitar work.
https://skyscraperguitars.com/
https://skyscraperguitars.com/store/#!/Tremolo-Setup-Tools/c/25043259
(RE: Trem Wedge Blocks…Yes there are other cheaper ways to block Trems, but these are incrementally cut so you can get it perfect no matter the distance from block to pocket, and the Pick Pocket FR intonation tool has been very helpful)

Edit:
Disclaimer:
I don’t know this guy or have any affiliation with the business other than exchanging my money for their stuff.
 
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slinky005 said:
$2950
Of course too low end for a hardshell case. Jeez.
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I remember around the time I was looking prices here in Alberta were about $2800-3000 ish now they are at about $3500 depending on finish. I've lost interest at this point but I ended up with an S2 594 DC that scratched my PRS itch so its all good and I got a great deal on it
 
I have a big block of wood on my 2001 Custom 24. :) Floating tremelo hasn't moved for years. I have one on my strat if I need one. It's very easy to stop it from moving.
 
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