RR doesn't feel balanced to me... any help?

[snakeboy]

Hello,

Until I recently got an RR, I had exclusively played a classic strat shaped guitar. Though I very much love my Jackson guitar, I'm having difficulty getting the guitar to feel balanced. When I let it go (with the strap on, of course) it wants to take a bit of a nose dive. With the center of balance so far forward, my fretting hand ends up also acting like a support, which slows me down when I switch positions from fret to fret. To counteract this, I find myself trying to use my right arm to pin the upper fin to my hip, but it's not comfortable for very long.

I've noticed that in the Jackson catalog, a few people playing this style of guitar (Randy and a member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra) play in a more vertical positon. Is this perhaps to make it more centrally balanced, or to simply look cool?

Perhaps I should be choking op on the strap or giving it more slack? I'd very much love some advice.

thanks,

~Paul

[Nazgul]

I presume it's somekind of a bolt-on RR, right? That's EXACTLY how I felt with my RX10D until I moved front strap button like this:


You can use the original neck screw and it will fit. Takes less than 5 min to do it .

[vondran]

Moving the strap button on the V part of the guitar has a hugh effect on balance. While standing, unhook the strap from button in the V part and hold it at different spots along the inside of the V to find where it feels balance. Then simply move the button to there.

My first flying-V had the strap button on the point of the V and it did a nose dive whenever I stood. It balanced real well once I moved the button mid-way along the inside of the V part, with the strap routed behind the guitar rather than across the front or around the point.

[Nazgul]

Moving the strap button on the V part of the guitar has a hugh effect on balance. While standing, unhook the strap from button in the V part and hold it at different spots along the inside of the V to find where it feels balance. Then simply move the button to there.

Yes, but that would require drilling, my method doesnt and is easier because of that.

[AlexL]

What model RR?

I found the RR5 to be the best balanced Rhoads I've owned. I found it PERFECT with no nose dive.

The RR1T comes in a very close second.

The RR1 comes in last. I found it to be nose heavy, to the point where I had to sell it because it was too hard to compensate for it. I didn't feel like turning it into Swiss cheese by drilling a bunch of new strap button holes in it.


- E.

[777]

Just buy a nice 3 or 4 inch leather strap, no need for button moving, and it wont nose dive...........

[Special-K]

Yap, leather straps rule...
No nose dives

[snakeboy]

It's an RR-3

I had no idea that the RR's varied that much, or else I would have specified, sorry. Yes, it is a bolt-on, an RR-3 to be exact.

Is the idea of a wide leather strap to prevent slippage? I currently have a thin nylon one (perhaps 1-1/2"). Geez, now I can actually justify that slightly overpriced strap I'd been lusting Thanks, guys!

I'll give the strap a try, and if that fails I'll move on to the other suggestions.

Much appreciated!

777, you have quite the rack of killer axes!!

[snakeboy]

while I have you and we're on the subject... any thoughts on straplocks? Are they advised for this guitar, and if so, can anyone reccommend any?

thanks,

~Paul

[shadowcat]

Straplocks are ALWAYS recommend.
I use Schallers on all my guitars without any problems so far.

I also second moving the strapbutton to the neckplate screw, that should help quite alot. If it still doesn't balance correctly, you could try to hang something heavy around the other side of the strap.

I use a wrapped up power cable with my KVX10... did the strap button movement, but the body is so light (yet resonates like crazy), it still did a little nosedive. The power cable provides the extra weight needed for it to balance. Might look a bit goofy, but whatever...

[Sunbane]

"Just use a wide leather strap"...

Sorry, but this doesn't work for everybody. Even if you find a strap that prevents any slippage, the neck heaviness will cause the guitar to swivel around the front strap pin. Even though it will no longer nosedive, it will still be neck heavy and require you to support the neck while playing (i.e. = suckage).

[Phantom Hawk]

Hmmm, never had any balance issues with my RR1. Maybe I just got lucky. As far as strap locks , I really like the Schallers, too.

[shadowcat]

I've never had any balance problems with neck-thru Rhoads models, either. It is the bolt-ons (KV, RR, KE) that are prone to neckdiving.
Especially the string-thru KVX10, because it often has a very light body and the lightweight string-thru bridge.

[xenophobe]

Straplocks are ALWAYS recommend.
I use Schallers on all my guitars without any problems so far.

Avoid the Dunlops at all costs. With everyday use, they will wear out and your guitar will take a dive.

I've worn out two sets. The first time I caught my bass as it was flying downwards. The second time I did not and a $2200 custom bass hit the commercial carpeting/slab concrete and split from the top all the way to past the first fret. IT's fixed now, but never again will I use Dunlop straplocks. I have kept the 'dual use' strap button, as it does hold straps just nice, but the bearings tend to wear the edge inside the strap button where it is supposed to grab. Steel vs. brass, and in the end, you and your guitar lose.

[snakeboy]

Schaller is is, then!

Thanks for the advice!

I use a wrapped up power cable with my KVX10... did the strap button movement, but the body is so light (yet resonates like crazy), it still did a little nosedive. The power cable provides the extra weight needed for it to balance. Might look a bit goofy, but whatever...

By 'wrapped up" do you mean the curly kind of cables?