Hi Nigel,
thank you for your advise. When I find proper washers I will lubricate them.
Cheers
Dan
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Keith Bateman wrote:A problem I have with my Anniversary Marvin is the vibrato unit not returning to pitch fully after depressing it. I keep it fairly tight to the body allowing a raise of only just over a quarter-tone so I'm sure it's not too loosely adjusted. I've lubricated the springs with very light (electric razor) oil and also ensured the nut is clean and lubricated. This was not a problem when new and the guitar is not that frequently used (I prefer my Strat). Does anyone have a similar problem or have a solution to offer?
Keith
David Martin wrote:Keith Bateman wrote:A problem I have with my Anniversary Marvin is the vibrato unit not returning to pitch fully after depressing it. I keep it fairly tight to the body allowing a raise of only just over a quarter-tone so I'm sure it's not too loosely adjusted. I've lubricated the springs with very light (electric razor) oil and also ensured the nut is clean and lubricated. This was not a problem when new and the guitar is not that frequently used (I prefer my Strat). Does anyone have a similar problem or have a solution to offer?
Keith
Hi Keith...
Unlike the Strat, the Burns trem pivots on a knife edge. It's worth checking that the plate with the point, and the plate with the receptacle for it are exactly aligned, and, if not slack everything off and "oitch" it into alignment. Are your springs too tight? Maybe better to have more up bend then adjust the arm height using the allan nut .... And finally, you could introduce a little of that razor oil (I use sewing machine oil on Strats but have never had to on Burns) into the knife edge pivot...
JimN wrote:David Martin wrote:Keith Bateman wrote:A problem I have with my Anniversary Marvin is the vibrato unit not returning to pitch fully after depressing it. I keep it fairly tight to the body allowing a raise of only just over a quarter-tone so I'm sure it's not too loosely adjusted. I've lubricated the springs with very light (electric razor) oil and also ensured the nut is clean and lubricated. This was not a problem when new and the guitar is not that frequently used (I prefer my Strat). Does anyone have a similar problem or have a solution to offer?
Keith
Hi Keith...
Unlike the Strat, the Burns trem pivots on a knife edge. It's worth checking that the plate with the point, and the plate with the receptacle for it are exactly aligned, and, if not slack everything off and "oitch" it into alignment. Are your springs too tight? Maybe better to have more up bend then adjust the arm height using the allan nut .... And finally, you could introduce a little of that razor oil (I use sewing machine oil on Strats but have never had to on Burns) into the knife edge pivot...
Amen to all that.
In the rare event of tuning instability with a real Marvin or Legend, it's best to remove the strings, take off the guard rails, take the springs out one by one and remove the unit completely from the guitar. Clean out the V-section on the pivot bar (it might be necessary to unscrew this from the guitar in order to accomplish that) and make sure that the knife edge in the leading edge of the trem plate is clean and properly shaped. It doesn't need to be razor-sharp, but it must come to a clean point in a straight line right across the width. It must not have a flat edge to the knife-point. That can cause the trem to come to rest in three different positions, with obvious tuning implications. If your instrument is still within warranty, consider applying to have it done by Burns. If it's not, get a Burns-familiar luthier to clean up the knife edge. If you are confident of the job, do it yourself.
The above will almost certainly cure any tuning instability, though it will obviously work best with strings which exert enough tension (ie, not 9s or 10s, and preferably not 11s). The guitar and mechanism were designed for medium gauge strings. None of the gauges I've just mentioned are medium.
One more potential source of trouble is the lateral position of the trem plate. On original UK Marvins (and Legends), it is actually possible to move the trem plate side to side relative to the knife edge (particularly so with unsuitably light strings). If it moves too far to the treble side of the guitar, the boss which attaches the trem arm to the plate has been known to foul the sides of the body recess in which it sits. So make sure the plate and pivot line up perfectly laterally. Some more modern examples of the guitar have a system whereby the knife edge is narrower than the whole width of the pivot bar, and this prevents the trem plate from moving too far sideways (though it can also obviously lead to yet another variety of tuning problem if the trem plate is grinding against the inside of the ends of the V-section.
Phew!
JN
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