Allen wrench for smallest bridge screw on JTV59

[Indianrock2020]

Five allen wrenches came with this brand new guitar, but the smallest doesn't seem to go into the small screw on the back of the bridge ( which enables you to adjust the larger screw to raise/lower bridge height ).

 

I'm getting a bit of fret buzz on the 5th an 6th strings around frets 5-7.  I did loosen the truss rod just a touch.

 

In other news the Dunlop strap locks were a breeze to install.   Any guidelines on pickup distance from strings?

[cruisinon2]

Any guidelines on pickup distance from strings?

Good luck...this is yet another one of those bits of "sensitive info" that the benevolent despots back at Mother Ship refuse to disclose. Your teeth would fall out if they told you...or something.

[Indianrock2020]

Well, assuming this is very similar to a Les Paul, as far as the mag pickups:
"Gibson’s engineers recommend a 1.6-millimeter distance between the strings and the pickups for the bridge pickup, and 2.4 millimeters for the neck pickup. In the 1950s, it was 1.6-millimeters for both pickups, which may have reflected the lower-output, unpotted standard of the day. However, if your guitar sounds too muddy, add some distance on the bass side. If it’s too bright, do the same on the treble. And adjust to your own sonic desires."

 

Still haven't heard any suggestions on the allen wrench to allow bridge height adjustments.

[psarkissian]

The two screws are for setting a baseline for the intonation, don't

tamper with those.

 

Truss rod,... 1/8-turn (or less) increments at a time (a la Dan Erlewine,

from one of his books),... especially with a 59. Don't go too far or you'll

crack the finish at the neck- heel/body joint. It's what happens when

someone sets the truss rod to a Gibson Les Paul spec. A JTV-59 is not a Gibson.

 

Screws for the straps should be less than an inch long, or you risk going

into the 3-Way toggle and short circuit the electronics.

 

There should be a hex for setting the action at the bridge posts.

 

Do not assume same specs as a Gibson Les Paul. That's where others

have messed up (and I've had to pick up the pieces, it's not pretty). And

Gibson doesn't have to deal with piezo vs magnetic interactions.

 

Just trying to keep your gear from ending up on my bench.

[Indianrock2020]

The two screws are for setting a baseline for the intonation, don't

tamper with those.

 

Truss rod,... 1/8-turn (or less) increments at a time (a la Dan Erlewine,

from one of his books),... especially with a 59. Don't go too far or you'll

crack the finish at the neck- heel/body joint. It's what happens when

someone sets the truss rod to a Gibson Les Paul spec. A JTV-59 is not a Gibson.

 

Screws for the straps should be less than an inch long, or you risk going

into the 3-Way toggle and short circuit the electronics.

 

There should be a hex for setting the action at the bridge posts.

 

Do not assume same specs as a Gibson Les Paul. That's where others

have messed up (and I've had to pick up the pieces, it's not pretty). And

Gibson doesn't have to deal with piezo vs magnetic interactions.

 

Just trying to keep your gear from ending up on my bench.

Thanks for that.  Some post in here mentioned loosening that small allen on the back of the bridge, before the height screw would move.  Thanks for correcting that idea.

 

The Dunlop strap lock screws were the same length as the originals ( originals wouldn't work ).  The new screws were the same thickness as the originals, or possibly a very, very small bit thicker.  In any event they went in fine with a little soap and tightened up good.

[psarkissian]

"Some post in here mentioned loosening that small allen on the back of the bridge, before the height screw would move"---

Used to be a good idea. I get away with it because I know to set it back properly. Some don't. I've done hundreds of JTV's.

 

Some have actually snap or cross threaded the screws, then it comes to me to deal with. One of the reasons we don't post

set-up info,... too many telling us they knew what they were doing, then having to send it to me because they got in too deep

and couldn't get out. That's why we recommend authorized service centers for this stuff, and safe yourselves some grief.

[Indianrock2020]

Makes sense.  I'd guess the nearest to me is in Seattle.

[cruisinon2]

Truss rod,... 1/8-turn (or less) increments at a time (a la Dan Erlewine,

from one of his books),... especially with a 59. Don't go too far or you'll

crack the finish at the neck- heel/body joint. It's what happens when

someone sets the truss rod to a Gibson Les Paul spec.

There are brand-specific truss rod specs now? Tighten the rod too much on anything, and you'll destroy it. Neck relief is either too much, not enough, or just right. Much of it depends on the string gauge and how hard you beat on the strings...and since wood moves, it's gonna change over time. Trying to attach a number to it is pointless. Set up a Gibson in Phoenix so that everything is just right, then drag it to London for week. It's a virtual certainty that the neck will end up out of whack. There go the "specs"...

[psarkissian]

"There are brand-specific truss rod specs now?"---

I don't know where you get this stuff. I'm just informing people of some standard

do's and don'ts of guitar tech info.

 

And if your read Erlewine's books, you'll see that there are players who take tech

with them on the road for that very reason. Phoenix to London,... happens more

often than you think. I used to crew for Iron Butterfly, so it's not unheard of.

 

Not everyone here is as experience as you are or I. ;)

[cruisinon2]

I don't know where you get this stuff. I'm just informing people of some standard

 

do's and don'ts of guitar tech info.

...It's what happens when

someone sets the truss rod to a Gibson Les Paul spec. A JTV-59 is not a Gibson...

 

I "got this stuff" right here...your words, not mine. I certainly didn't conjure it out of thin air

[psarkissian]

What I said was, don't treat the 59 like a Gibson LP, they aren't the same specs.

 

1/8-turn increments on a truss rod is standard practice on any guitar with a truss

rod, not just JTV's.

 

Unfortunately not everyone that does their own guitars knows that, and so they

end up with a warped neck. And that's not me, that's Erlewine, the guy who writes

books on guitar repair.

 

It's like when I inform people that when they change string gauges on their guitars,

they need to have the set-up checked and adjusted. And then they come back with.

"I can't change the strings gauges on my guitar"? Which was of course not what I

had said on that occasion.

 

People take the info I give them and turn it into something other than what it was.

Just cause you quote me doesn't mean I was quoted correctly. That's why I asked

the question.

[Indianrock2020]

1/8 turn did the trick it seems.  Fret buzz on the 6th string is either gone, or good enough.  No modeling issues.  Loving the variations this offers over my 74 strat.  Neck thickness isn't even noticed.  A quick "grab" makes me think the two guitars weigh about the same.    

 

If I need to adjust bridge height in the future, I'll loosen strings on that side and only adjust the  two larger screws on the top of the bridge.

 

Haven't even played with Workbench yet -- not seeing the need so far.  Only the Rick electric 12 string isn't quite where I'd like it to be.       Thanks for all the input.

[psarkissian]

Cool.

"... I'll loosen strings on that side"--- that's one of the ways to do it.

 

Neck sculpting on a 59 is a little different than say, a JTV-69. I own

two 59's, I like that different feel.

 

Ricki 12,... it's close, I own a '66 Ricki 370-12. Has a bit more treble,

but then again, I custom rebuilt it that way. 

[Indianrock2020]

Cool.

"... I'll loosen strings on that side"--- that's one of the ways to do it.

 

Neck sculpting on a 59 is a little different than say, a JTV-69. I own

two 59's, I like that different feel.

 

Ricki 12,... it's close, I own a '66 Ricki 370-12. Has a bit more treble,

but then again, I custom rebuilt it that way. 

So the Ricki 12 model on your 59 was close to the real deal out of the box?  I should add I'm running VDI to POD500x and probably using a fairly plain vanilla AC30 patch with a little reverb and delay.    If there is workbench or other tweaks that can improve the Rick 12 sound I'm all ears.  The acoustic 6 and 12 string models seem very nice.

 

The only somewhat odd configuration I have now is using the fxloop ( footswitch controlled on/off ) first in each patch to send a 1/4 inch cable out and back to a vocal-harmony pedal.

[psarkissian]

I don't have a 500X yet, still enjoying my earlier gear. I go direct into

the board most of the the time with the Ricki or my Variax's (two 59's,

two 69's), so the tone on mine will sound different than through a 500X.

 

The Dreadnought acoustic 12 model is nice, I own an FG230, so it

compares very well to the real thing. I like using. Gives Pink Floyd's

"Run Like Hell" a whole different tone colour, and Zep's "Rain Song"

is really nice too.

 

As a result of being a 12-string player, I use the 12-string models a lot

when I test and check a JTV when I service and repair them.