Adjusting the Trem King
Radius and Intonation
Adjust Radius and Intonation of saddles:
1. Remove vibrato arm.
2. Make sure tone block and tension bar are resting together
with right and left arms.
3. Tune to desired pitch.
4. Remove Harness Bar.
5. Use allen wrench provided to set individual saddles to desired
height to match radius of fretboard.
6. Re - Tune guitar to desired pitch.
7. Intonate saddles by adjusting saddle adjustment screws.
Tip: make sure all intonation screws are firmly
against the bridge plate after finding the correct intonation
spot. Use a small hammer to gently tap the screwdriver while
it is positioned on the screw.
8. Replace Harness Bar.
9. Re-check intonation.
Adjustment of Springs for Tension Bar and Tone Block:
NOTE: These instructions assume you are using 10 gauge
or less strings and there is one (1) spring on the Tone Block
and one (1) spring on the Tension bar.
1. Insert Vibrato Bar into Tone Block.
2. Tune guitar to desired pitch.
3. With back plate removed and looking at the spring cavity,
press the Vibrato Bar all the way down to the body.
4. SLOWLY let the Vibrato Bar come up until it stops by itself
and you can remove your hand without the Vibrato Bar moving
any more.
5. Note the position of the Tension Bar - is should be firmly
against the right and left arms and the Tone Block.
6. Then, still looking at the spring cavity, SLOWLY start pulling
the Vibrato Bar away from the body. ONLY the Tone Block should
move. Did the Tension Bar move? It should not. If the Tension
Bar moved, tighten the screw on the claw for the Tension Bar.
If that spring is all the way in, tighten the spring on the
Tone Block a quarter turn at a time.
7. Repeat until the Tension Bar does not move after coming
to rest on the right and left arms as Tone Block moves away.
8. Then do the reverse; pulling up from the body and SLOWLY
let the bar back down until it comes to rest by itself.
9. Note position of Tone Block - it should be firmly against
the Tension Bar. If it is not, LOOSEN the screw for the tone
bock spring. Loosening this spring lets the string pressure
pull the Tone Block back to the Tension Bar.
10. Repeat until the Tone Block comes to rest firmly against
the Tension Bar and does not move as Tension Bar moves away.
Tip: Use the Vibrato Bar during tuning. Tune
to the desired pitch on the string, then push the Vibrato Bar
down a little and let it come back up, keep tuning to pitch
and pushing the bar down until after pushing the bar down,
the string is still on pitch. Go to the next string and repeat
process. After repeating the process, re-check previously tuned
string to make sure it is in tune. It should be. Continue until
all strings are tuned and stay in tune when using the Vibrato
Bar.
NOTES:
In order for the unit to return to the neutral point, you must
achieve a balance of string and spring pressure.
Light oil, like sewing machine oil is good on the saddle pins
and the nut. I would NOT use liquid graphite. It gets sticky
and gummy.
Make sure vibrato arm is all the way down in the hole and the
set screw is tight. REF: #9
If just one or two strings are going out of tune, it is something
other than the vibrato. Check tuning gear, NUT slot, string
tree, neck bolts, and anything else that might be out of alignment.
Tuning gear are notorious for becoming loosened. Check the
screw in the button of the tuner, the screw on the back of
the headstock (if there is one) and the nut on the top of the
headstock that holds the tuner down.
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