550 xl arrived

[savatage]

I'll take pictures when I can. It plays like a dream, really.. it plays better than my 85 mij strat and my Gibson SG. It sounds great too. The bridge pickup is like a sharper Duncan JB and the neck rails humbucker sounds better than the hotrails in my strat.

For about thirty minutes after it arrived it wouldn't stay in tune at all, but now it seems to be fine. I can do all kinds of crazy bends and it stays in tune. I'm not brave enough to try out the floyd rose yet though.

[Axewielder]

Grats! Another satisfied customer.

[VitaminG]

nice. Congrats on the new acquisition.

Now....if you can stop to post on the JCF, you can take some pics of the new axe

[savatage]

I'll take pictures soon. For some reason it goes out of tune really fast when I use the trem. The floyd physically appears to be fine, and the guitar was recently set up (prior to shipment). The action is nice and low but without any buzz. The locking nut is locked. When I bend the strings like crazy it doesn't go out of tune. Any ideas why the floyd is making the strings go out of tune?

[VitaminG]

does it return to tune when you pull back on the trem? It could be that the springs are worn out so that they aren't returning to zero, or that the locks at the nut are grooved and not clamping down properly on the strings. Or that the knife edges on the trem are dulled, or need a bit of lubrication

[Tricky]

Is it going sharp or flat?

[Sunbane]

Also check so the bushings for the pivot posts aren't loose.

[Grandturk]

Welcome to the world of 20 year old guitars!

[savatage]

Welcome to the world of 20 year old guitars!

Haha tell me about it. It took multiple trips to the luthier to get my 85 strat's system I to stay in tune, but it was worth it. Now I can live out my 80s fantasies

It looks like my charvel hasn't been played in a very long time. I'll bring it buy my luthier's shop to see what he can do. He's a big fan of 80s guitars so I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it. As for pics, I've got none as of right now. Here is the link to the ebay auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=110479374907

In person it's a very dark blue. The colors are kind of blown out in those photos.

[savatage]

Is it going sharp or flat?

I think both. It's really random. Some strings are effected sometimes while others aren't.

[Grandturk]

That sounds like the nuts not locking the strings - possibly worn out string lock blocks.

[savatage]

That sounds like the nuts not locking the strings - possibly worn out string lock blocks.

If that's the case, where can I find replacement lock blocks?

[Sunbane]

It's a JT-590 right? It is identical to the Schaller "Floyd Rose II" unit, so you can use parts for/from those.

[Tricky]

Have you lubed the knife edges & saddle pivots?
Are the saddles screwed down tight & pivoting freely, knife edges good & are the post inserts tight in the body?

I know this has been mentioned, just wandering if you have done/checked these.
If so, and all is good, try adding another spring if you have any extras lying around.

Might save you some cash.