PRS Silver Sky - Whammy improvement

P

pauly

Fractal Fanatic
Hi,

I have a PRS Silver Sky SE, which is a way better guitar than my Fender USA Strat ironically. It has its issues, but (for the price), it puts me in the ballpark of the Strat sounds I've always had in my brain, but couldn't get with a Fender.
Anyhoo - One thing about it is the Trem, whammy, whatever you want to call it.. Just looking at it puts the guitar out of tune.. (well its not that bad, but you get the point). Id like to replace it if at all possible with something that keeps the guitar in tune ever when the bar is used. Is there anything you experts reccommend?

Thanks
Pauly
 
pauly said:
Hi,

I have a PRS Silver Sky SE, which is a way better guitar than my Fender USA Strat ironically. It has its issues, but (for the price), it puts me in the ballpark of the Strat sounds I've always had in my brain, but couldn't get with a Fender.
Anyhoo - One thing about it is the Trem, whammy, whatever you want to call it.. Just looking at it puts the guitar out of tune.. (well its not that bad, but you get the point). Id like to replace it if at all possible with something that keeps the guitar in tune ever when the bar is used. Is there anything you experts reccommend?

Thanks
Pauly
Click to expand...

$5 says the nut is more of a problem than the trem....
 
If my memory serves me right the Silver Sky comes with zero upward trem - in rest position the ridge plate sits hard on the body. With Fenders this almost 100% of the time results in a guitar that will go flat with the slightest string bending - ironically a floating bridge with the back of the plate sitting about 2mm or so (I'm Australian, okay, we just can't do that imperial measurement stuff!) stands much, much more chance of returning happily to in tune at the rest position. Otherwise, nut is most likely culprit and also try NOT using the string tree - that can make a huge difference as well.
 
David McCarroll said:
If my memory serves me right the Silver Sky comes with zero upward trem - in rest position the ridge plate sits hard on the body. With Fenders this almost 100% of the time results in a guitar that will go flat with the slightest string bending - ironically a floating bridge with the back of the plate sitting about 2mm or so (I'm Australian, okay, we just can't do that imperial measurement stuff!) stands much, much more chance of returning happily to in tune at the rest position. Otherwise, nut is most likely culprit and also try NOT using the string tree - that can make a huge difference as well.
Click to expand...

My Strat and my Ibanez trems are pulled flat on the body and they stay in tune with bending. No locking nuts on those either. I use lube at every string change. I’m an official boomer so I like my bends.
 
In my experience after owning/swapping/having over 100 guitars, I have had far more issues with saddles than guitar nuts. One of the biggest binding points is the 90 degree bend at the saddle leading around to the back of the block. Under vibrato use, the string will migrate and not fully reset. Of course, different guitars preset different inherent issues. I'm a fan of EBMM and the fact that their headstocks present the tuners pin straight and not far away. Never had a single nut problem with an EBMM. In any case, after switching to the Wilkson WLS130 saddles on almost all of my guitars, all of my tuning issues went away. You can try graphite powder or vaseline/nut sauce in the nut first but if it isn't that:

1711473748199.png


There is also a new kid on the block now that I may eventually try which presents an opposing solution. Not sure I believe the sustain argument below.

1711473842695.png
 
rzjd said:
In my experience after owning/swapping/having over 100 guitars, I have had far more issues with saddles than guitar nuts. One of the biggest binding points is the 90 degree bend at the saddle leading around to the back of the block. Under vibrato use, the string will migrate and not fully reset. Of course, different guitars preset different inherent issues. I'm a fan of EBMM and the fact that their headstocks present the tuners pin straight and not far away. Never had a single nut problem with an EBMM. In any case, after switching to the Wilkson WLS130 saddles on almost all of my guitars, all of my tuning issues went away. You can try graphite powder or vaseline/nut sauce in the nut first but if it isn't that:

View attachment 137581
Click to expand...

I have several sets of these waiting for a string change to go on guitars here, after having good results with them on my main Strat and my PRS Standard 24 SE, as well as my Sterling Cutlass:
20240326_104825.jpg




rzjd said:
There is also a new kid on the block now that I may eventually try which presents an opposing solution. Not sure I believe the sustain argument below.

View attachment 137582
Click to expand...

Has anyone here tried these?
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
I have several sets of these waiting for a string change to go on guitars here, after having good results with them on my main Strat and my PRS Standard 24 SE.
Click to expand...
cool. Originally I bought a set a few years ago and tested only the problematic strings. Then I went all in. Saw Pete Thorn/Suhr was using them. Oh, the power of advertising.

Joe Bfstplk said:
Has anyone here tried these?
Click to expand...
I'd be interested to know as well. I'd be concerned that the roller would develop flat spots over time or become loose. I can't imagine how a moving part would increase sustain.
 
rzjd said:
cool. Originally I bought a set a few years ago and tested only the problematic strings. Then I went all in. Saw Pete Thorn/Suhr was using them. Oh, the power of advertising.
Click to expand...

They make an immediate impact on the feel of the trem, making it feel more responsive and less laggy, which suggests to me the lag/slop was the string moving between saddle and ball-end, which invites stuff re-settling in a different spot, screwing up the tuning....

rzjd said:
I'd be interested to know as well. I'd be concerned that the roller would develop flat spots over time or become loose. I can't imagine how a moving part would increase sustain.
Click to expand...

Yeah, a LOT of noise was made about the roller saddles in the old cam action Kahler trems back when dirt was rocks, about how the roller saddles would kill sustain and not move as freely as expected....
 
pauly said:
Id like to replace it if at all possible with something that keeps the guitar in tune ever when the bar is used. Is there anything you experts reccommend?
Click to expand...
Check into John Mann's bridges. https://www.johnmannsguitarvault.com/parts/bridges/

I have four core PRS with the factory tremolos, and they're all very stable.

In my experience, the nut and the saddles are the two most likely trouble spots with tremolos, but the bridge plate's screws have to be set right too.
 
rzjd said:
In my experience after owning/swapping/having over 100 guitars, I have had far more issues with saddles than guitar nuts. One of the biggest binding points is the 90 degree bend at the saddle leading around to the back of the block. Under vibrato use, the string will migrate and not fully reset. Of course, different guitars preset different inherent issues. I'm a fan of EBMM and the fact that their headstocks present the tuners pin straight and not far away. Never had a single nut problem with an EBMM. In any case, after switching to the Wilkson WLS130 saddles on almost all of my guitars, all of my tuning issues went away. You can try graphite powder or vaseline/nut sauce in the nut first but if it isn't that:

View attachment 137581


There is also a new kid on the block now that I may eventually try which presents an opposing solution. Not sure I believe the sustain argument below.

View attachment 137582
Click to expand...
I have something incoming and will keep the wilkson in mind, but Im not a heavy trem user so not too worried just yet.
 
rzjd said:
In my experience after owning/swapping/having over 100 guitars, I have had far more issues with saddles than guitar nuts. One of the biggest binding points is the 90 degree bend at the saddle leading around to the back of the block. Under vibrato use, the string will migrate and not fully reset. Of course, different guitars preset different inherent issues. I'm a fan of EBMM and the fact that their headstocks present the tuners pin straight and not far away. Never had a single nut problem with an EBMM. In any case, after switching to the Wilkson WLS130 saddles on almost all of my guitars, all of my tuning issues went away. You can try graphite powder or vaseline/nut sauce in the nut first but if it isn't that:

View attachment 137581


There is also a new kid on the block now that I may eventually try which presents an opposing solution. Not sure I believe the sustain argument below.

View attachment 137582
Click to expand...
The Wilkinson saddles are very good.
Forget a roller giving more sustain ,BS Troll Physics at it's snake oil worst.
 
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