Ruin Floyd posts by adjusting height under tension?

[vklobucar]

Can you ruin Floyd posts by adjusting height under tension?

I have often wondered if I should actually detune considerably before raising or lowering the posts height.

[AlexL]

Considering the workout the posts and knife edges get from regular use, I can't imagine that rotating the posts a few turns is going to ruin them if it is under tension.

I think you'd be worse off adjusting them if the strings were loose so the trem was tilted back. And the only way to adjust them with no tension would be to remove the strings and the trem completely. And that would suck, if you had to repeat the adjustment several times to get the action set right.

But I'm no expert on the matter.

- E.

[dangerous_dave]

If it is made of plastic, probably.

[Sunbane]

Can you ruin Floyd posts by adjusting height under tension?

Yes, definitely. I have done it.

Depends on what bridge you have. I wouldn't worry about an OFR, but as for the JT-580LP - yes, been there, done that.

[dg]

This subject comes up from time to time, and it's always a good place to recommend lubricating your posts & knife edges to help cut down on the wear. Any good lube will do. Some recommend the new super lubricants that supposedly "bond" to the metal, but I don't know if that's necessary. I've used anything from WD-40 to a little bit of Mobil 1 synthetic oil on a Q-tip, and I've had great results. I think some people even use Chap-Stick. I definitely agree with Sunbane that the quality & hardness of the metal is probably the most important thing. Licensed trems have problems way more often than an OFR.

-edit- Just to add, I'll adjust my OFRs under tension, but for the couple of guitars that have JT-6 posts I take the tension off, especially since I've swapped the trems so they've got OFR knife edges (much harder metal) riding on them.

[Foulacy]

If you adjust your action 5x a day for a year you could potentially dull the knife edges etc... it makes sense since your rubbing metal on metal but really it's not worth the hassle of slacking the strings or removing them just to adjust action...

[quiksilver]

My Dan Erlewine book says it will cause no damage, and I've done it for years, on lots of different guitars, with no problems.

[metalchurch79]

This subject comes up from time to time, and it's always a good place to recommend lubricating your posts & knife edges to help cut down on the wear. Any good lube will do. Some recommend the new super lubricants that supposedly "bond" to the metal, but I don't know if that's necessary. I've used anything from WD-40 to a little bit of Mobil 1 synthetic oil on a Q-tip, and I've had great results. I think some people even use Chap-Stick. I definitely agree with Sunbane that the quality & hardness of the metal is probably the most important thing. Licensed trems have problems way more often than an OFR.

-edit- Just to add, I'll adjust my OFRs under tension, but for the couple of guitars that have JT-6 posts I take the tension off, especially since I've swapped the trems so they've got OFR knife edges (much harder metal) riding on them.

Awesome post DG! I too add some lubricant to my posts. Usually a dab of grease on the posts about twice a year does ok for most of my guitars. More often for my regular players.