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Hello All-
Prior to getting my Model 3, I had asked ALOT of questions on this board about the different Floyd's available on the various vintage Charvel's...mainly the JT-6 (mid to late 80s) and the Schaller (late 80's and on). I was really reluctant to purchase an old Model Charvel with a JT-6 because of what I had read (here and elsewhere).
So, just in case this may help the next guy out, thought I would post a quick review on my experiences with the JT-6 so far.
1) This forum seems split on whether the JT-6 is nice or a total piece of crap. To this point, I would have to say it is a very nice trem and stays in tune extremely well.
2) There have been posts about how many people do not like the Kahler-type locking nut that comes with the JT-6. Having set up my Model 3 myself, I would have to somewhat agree with that statement...I would prefer a different style-nut for two reasons:
a) Live and learn. When I first set-up my new Model 3, I took every metal part off I could so I could oil up everything...including the locking nuts. What a mistake! The E/A and the B/e locking nuts were no problem putting back together after I completely removed the locking screw, but the D/G was nearly impossible. Because of where the truss rod cavity is located, the plate that the screw goes into dropped into that cavity and I spent a good 30 minutes trying to put it back together. Lesson learned - DO NOT completely remove the locking screw from the D/G nut.
b) The nut seems to cause the strings, especially the high e, to bend at an extreme angle at the nut. Whether this will cause string breaking issues or not is yet to be seen, but so far so good.
3) I have not owned a Schaller-equipped guitar, but a friend had a Predator back in the day, but I do think (and based on my friend's feedback) having the fine-tuners on top of the trem would be a little easier to manage (like on the Schaller) than the fine tuners on the JT-6, which are at the back. This is a small "issue" and with my fine-tuners oiled, the spin very easily...although having a little more room for large fingers between the tuners and guitar body would be nice.
4) I am not a Luthier, not even close, but I found setting up the JT-6 very easy and user-friendly. All I did to "set it up" was to adjust the springs and claw to get the trem level with the guitar and get the action nice and low. I have not sent intonation or anything else, so cannot speak to those points.
So, to make this short, I have had mostly good experiences with my JT-6. I should note that it came blocked so it can only dive domb (I did have to sand the block to get the trem set-up), and this seems to work very well...and the E can be tuned to D without the other strings going out! So, in one man's opinion, the JT-6 is a great Floyd...just DO NOT completely remove the locking screw from the D/G nut
Prior to getting my Model 3, I had asked ALOT of questions on this board about the different Floyd's available on the various vintage Charvel's...mainly the JT-6 (mid to late 80s) and the Schaller (late 80's and on). I was really reluctant to purchase an old Model Charvel with a JT-6 because of what I had read (here and elsewhere).
So, just in case this may help the next guy out, thought I would post a quick review on my experiences with the JT-6 so far.
1) This forum seems split on whether the JT-6 is nice or a total piece of crap. To this point, I would have to say it is a very nice trem and stays in tune extremely well.
2) There have been posts about how many people do not like the Kahler-type locking nut that comes with the JT-6. Having set up my Model 3 myself, I would have to somewhat agree with that statement...I would prefer a different style-nut for two reasons:
a) Live and learn. When I first set-up my new Model 3, I took every metal part off I could so I could oil up everything...including the locking nuts. What a mistake! The E/A and the B/e locking nuts were no problem putting back together after I completely removed the locking screw, but the D/G was nearly impossible. Because of where the truss rod cavity is located, the plate that the screw goes into dropped into that cavity and I spent a good 30 minutes trying to put it back together. Lesson learned - DO NOT completely remove the locking screw from the D/G nut.
b) The nut seems to cause the strings, especially the high e, to bend at an extreme angle at the nut. Whether this will cause string breaking issues or not is yet to be seen, but so far so good.
3) I have not owned a Schaller-equipped guitar, but a friend had a Predator back in the day, but I do think (and based on my friend's feedback) having the fine-tuners on top of the trem would be a little easier to manage (like on the Schaller) than the fine tuners on the JT-6, which are at the back. This is a small "issue" and with my fine-tuners oiled, the spin very easily...although having a little more room for large fingers between the tuners and guitar body would be nice.
4) I am not a Luthier, not even close, but I found setting up the JT-6 very easy and user-friendly. All I did to "set it up" was to adjust the springs and claw to get the trem level with the guitar and get the action nice and low. I have not sent intonation or anything else, so cannot speak to those points.
So, to make this short, I have had mostly good experiences with my JT-6. I should note that it came blocked so it can only dive domb (I did have to sand the block to get the trem set-up), and this seems to work very well...and the E can be tuned to D without the other strings going out! So, in one man's opinion, the JT-6 is a great Floyd...just DO NOT completely remove the locking screw from the D/G nut
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