Son of a...

[V-man]

The title referred to the problem I'm having with my KV2. Now it refers to the fact that the board ate my damned thread I spent 15 min writing before I could post.

Rehash:

My pinky contacts the bezel on the whammy bar while playing from time to time and works it loose where it falls to the floor. I tightened the hell out of it last time it fell and this isn't working. I want a fix, not a compromise, so leaving the bar off is not a solution for me. The best I can think of is loctite on the threads, but I was wondering if this has happened to you and whether you have a better idea. Thanks

[Grandturk]

That's odd because you would have to turn the collar counter clockwise to loosen it - i.e. your picky would have to be turning it on the upstroke. I guess if your picky was on the other side of the bar, it could do it on the downstroke as well.

That's a lot of turns on the collar to loosen it all the way though. Maybe tighten it down between songs?

[atdguitars]

Switch the collet to a screw in bar.

[wilkinsi]

Wierd. I never had this problem on an OFR, only the Fulcrum Point-2 and on some JT-580's. Someone once suggested putting a small spring in, then putting the tremolo arm in.

[atdguitars]

Wierd. I never had this problem on an OFR, only the Fulcrum Point-2 and on some JT-580's. Someone once suggested putting a small spring in, then putting the tremolo arm in.

That works too. The spring from a ballpoint pen is enough to hold tension against the threads. Just have to cut it to size and keep spares in your case since they will be a bitch to find on stage.

[Spivonious]

I don't think it's your pinky. On my Kelly the bar will work itself loose whenever I use it. One of these days I'll get around to lubricating the collar a bit.

[V-man]

I don't think it's your pinky. On my Kelly the bar will work itself loose whenever I use it. One of these days I'll get around to lubricating the collar a bit.

I am starting to believe your point. I started picking consciously and it doesn't appear that I have much contact with that area. That makes this situation even more absurd. :think:

I think lube (alone) would only make the situation worse though. Either the spring trick or some loctite seems the successful path of least resistance.

[atdguitars]

I am starting to believe your point. I started picking consciously and it doesn't appear that I have much contact with that area. That makes this situation even more absurd. :think:

I think lube (alone) would only make the situation worse though. Either the spring trick or some loctite seems the successful path of least resistance.

Locktite will only make it to where it won't fit in your case.

[V-man]

They have a lot of loctite flavors these days, including those which permit breakdown without tools. This does raise an interesting concern while gigging, however.

[stevieb91]

How about some good ole teflon thread tape? No stain, no fuss, and the roll will fit in the guitar case.

[salmonella]

+1 for the Teflon fix, great stuff whenever there is a thread involved

[84sups]

I work on cars and the blue loctite will make it stay tight and will be able to be taken back apart it just depends on how tight you want to put it. Also lubing just the bar and not the threads will work too. Teflon tape wwill have to be reapplied evrytime you put the bar back on and is messy.

[Newc]

Teflon tape goes around the threaded insert once and is not messy. You're using the wrong tape.

It sounds like every time you let the bar go it swings down and turns the collar. After a few minutes, this will in fact cause it to loosen up and fall off.

Your best bet is to tighten it up between songs.

Or you can oil the bar where it enters the collar to reduce the friction there.

Or get some electrical tape and punch a hole in it, then tape the collar to the baseplate.

I do not suggest screw-in bars. Those can also come loose (and did for a lot of people, hence the swap to collared bars) but they're harder to fix as you need two wrenches.
Pop-in bars ala Ibenhad are generally very cheap pseudo-metal which will break with heavy use.