Everything works fine in bend-down-only mode but as I'm prepping to redo the electronics and otherwise give the old girl a tuneup, I'm wondering if this is something I can address as well.
I've included a few pictures if they're helpful:
Stuck Tension Wheel- '97 Classic
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parkinthepark
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- Posts: 6
- Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2025 2:27 pm
Stuck Tension Wheel- '97 Classic
The vibrato tension wheel on my '97 Classic has been stuck for years. Did I overtighten it at some point? Possibly! But the inciting incident was probably 10+ years ago so who can say.
Everything works fine in bend-down-only mode but as I'm prepping to redo the electronics and otherwise give the old girl a tuneup, I'm wondering if this is something I can address as well.
I've included a few pictures if they're helpful:
Everything works fine in bend-down-only mode but as I'm prepping to redo the electronics and otherwise give the old girl a tuneup, I'm wondering if this is something I can address as well.
I've included a few pictures if they're helpful:
Re: Stuck Tension Wheel- '97 Classic
Ken would recommend Kroil (or Liquid Wrench), but I suppose anything that can penetrate that area and loosen up whatever’s binding would be helpful. You might not need a lot, so maybe use a q-tip to apply it.
Keep us posted, @parkinthepark!
Keep us posted, @parkinthepark!
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parkinthepark
- New Member
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2025 2:27 pm
Re: Stuck Tension Wheel- '97 Classic
TL;DR: Not an issue with seized/frozen parts, but a too-long strap pin screw impeding the wheel's motion.
So I ordered a bottle of Kroil from Amazon and lubed up the wheel, and waited. After an hour or so to let it penetrate, I tested the wheel and got the same thing I've always got- very slight wiggling but a lot of resistance. Repeat.
After a few rounds, I thought maybe I was getting somewhere (maybe it's wiggling a little more now?) and thought maybe it just needed a bit of extra force to get moving. So in the process of finding the right angle to bear down on the wheel, I realized I needed to remove the Dimarzio ClipLock strap end from the lower strap pin in order to get the right grip.
And as I started to back out the screw... Eureka.
I installed the ClipLock maybe 20 years ago, right around the time I first bought the guitar! Maybe at one point I over-tightened that screw and drove it a little too deep, or maybe I replaced the screw at some point (I have vague recollections of this) with one that ended up being too long. So be careful with your strap pin screws, y'all.
So I ordered a bottle of Kroil from Amazon and lubed up the wheel, and waited. After an hour or so to let it penetrate, I tested the wheel and got the same thing I've always got- very slight wiggling but a lot of resistance. Repeat.
After a few rounds, I thought maybe I was getting somewhere (maybe it's wiggling a little more now?) and thought maybe it just needed a bit of extra force to get moving. So in the process of finding the right angle to bear down on the wheel, I realized I needed to remove the Dimarzio ClipLock strap end from the lower strap pin in order to get the right grip.
And as I started to back out the screw... Eureka.
I installed the ClipLock maybe 20 years ago, right around the time I first bought the guitar! Maybe at one point I over-tightened that screw and drove it a little too deep, or maybe I replaced the screw at some point (I have vague recollections of this) with one that ended up being too long. So be careful with your strap pin screws, y'all.