JCF, you are my only hope

[Cursed Lemon]

So I have an RR1, circa 2004, with the good ol' OFR.

It has a tuning problem. Specifically, if I dive down on the whammy, when I resume position the guitar is noticeably flat.

When I yank up on the bar afterwards, it will return to its perfectly tuned original position.

This is, obviously, somewhat inconvenient as I can't just yank up on the bar all the time while I'm playing...

I have replaced the nut, the nut clamps, the insert blocks, the springs, the strings about six or seven times, the pivot posts or whatever you want to call them, and I've filed down the knife edges.

1. The neck is fine, it doesn't need adjusting.
2. The springs and strings are stretched. Not the problem.
3. Intonation is fine.
4. No I did not change gauges, yes I restring the guitar properly.
5. The nut is lubed. The saddles are fine.

I don't feel the bridge "catching" on a burr of some kind.

Does ANYONE have ANY idea as to what could be the problem with my guitar?

[Newc]

Needs a Floyd

Seriously, you may be filing the knife edges, but sometimes they just won't do the job any more.

[CKJ]

How flat does it go, 1/2, 1/4, full step? Just trying to get an idea on how serious the changes of things are.

Have you inspected your saddles on the inside where the block pushes the strings against? Making sure there aren't groves being wore into the saddles by the strings?

Are all the strings flat when this happens or just a few?

[jsuttjackson]

Check to see if your nut is moving when you go up and down with the floyd.Could be you need to tighten that down.

[PHILBERT]

Check to see if your nut is moving when you go up and down with the floyd.Could be you need to tighten that down.

I have seen that. There is a lot of tension on the nut when you dive because the strings are still tight behind the nut.

And why in the world would you lube the nut? That is the last thing you want...slipage in the nut.

[ulijdavid]

I know some people disagree with me on stretching the strings on a guitar with locking nuts......But, you might want to stretch the strings really well BEFORE locking the nut. After stretching enough to allow the guitar to be stable during average string bends and general playing (no tremolo use), then tighten down the nut clamps. Once clamped, Fine tune and play with alot of string bends and still no trem antics. If it does not stay in tune at this point, I don't know what your problem can be. If everything is OK try doing smooth trem motions and "feel" and listen for anything that doesn't feel smooth - squeaky posts and springs, any pops, or anything that seems to have a lot of friction. Other than that, it sounds like everything you have done is correct. A properly set up Floyd should be rock solid - and it sounds like you have done everything.
Let us know.

[MetalHeadMat]

Just tighten it until you nearly break the allen key.

[Scooter]

Check to see if the locks on the nut are turned correctly.

edit-
Lemme 'splain, the peak of the lock should run parallel (sp? Help me RacerX!) to the strings. If they are turned 90 degrees, they don't work the way they're supposed to. This is assuming you have a Floyd nut, and not a 'behind the nut' Kahler lock, which I assume you don't.

[Argos]

Could you list individually the gauges of the strings you're using, and which tuning? It's possible for this to contribute to the problem.

Assuming none of the other suggestions have worked, try tightening the nut down as tightly as possible and then releasing the tension behind the nut by loosening the tuners (while keeping the nut clamped). This can help diagnose anything slipping. Which nut size are you using/did you replace the stock one with?

As NewC said though, this screams "your knife edges are fucked up". You might want to replace the baseplate. Or post us a picture.

Or buy an RR1T.

[Hellbat]

Have you lubed the knife edges? A very little bit of grease or chapstick will help that issue. Also check to make sure the posts are loose in the studs. If the posts are shifting around they can cause this problem. If you do find they are moving you can tighten them up by putting a little teflon tape around the bolts before re-insterting them.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

My floyds all do this to some degree, even brand new... It's just a little flat returning from a dive, and it can be seen with a really acurate tuner. However you'll get the same or more variation by leaning the guitar forward or backward due to the weight of the tremolo bar... It is never EXACT, so, if that's what you're talking about, well... :dunno:

Slippage at the nut will cause it to return sharp from a dive, or return flat from a pull-up. A loose/rocking/unstable nut will do the same thing.

About the only things I can think of that could cause this to a (by ear) noticeable degree is a binding spring or the knife edges.

[Cursed Lemon]

The detuning obviously varies by string - it's enough to make chords sound awful. It doesn't sound like individual strings are slipping but rather something that's affecting all of them. There aren't grooves in the saddles.

The nut does not seem to be budging at all, nor do the anchors for the posts.

ulijdavid, I make it a point to stretch the strings vigorously before I clamp the nut down, so that's definitely covered, and like I said, there's nothing "unusual" about the way the trem behaves that I can perceive, other than the tuning issue.

My strings are Ernie Ball heavy bottoms at the moment, 10-13-17-30-42-52. The nut is an R4.

I'm gonna try going at the knife edges again, I guess. We'll see what happens.

[Newc]

parallel (sp? Help me RacerX!)

Yes, this is correct. "Parallel" is an odd word not only because it contains the double "L" in the middle and not (or instead of) the end, but also because it is one of only a few words in the English language that is not separated into syllables by splitting the two "L"s.

I always tend to pronounce it (to myself, in my head) para-la-lel to remind me the two Ls go in the middle :P