Hey guys,

I have a Jackson KE3 that i bought over from the UK about 18months ago. brilliant guitar and everything i wanted! until i changed the strings. it all went downhill from there. for about a year now i just can't face playing it! the action is horrible and i cant play form the 15th fret on any string and ahh its just horrible. i have noooo clue how to fix this or do my own guitar fixing things, so i need a guitar luthier or tech, but problem is i live in port shepstone on south coast.. nowhere near major centres. so if anyone knows of a local place(as far as durban) that i can get my guitar done please let me know! much appreciated!

Tom ?

Hey Tom. I know the resident Mr Fix it has left on holiday, so you won't get a reply from him just yet. Is it a floating bridge or a fixed bridge?

Oi mate ? floating tremolos are beeyatches to work with, maybe check your pivot posts and raise the acion a bit. Also check your neck relief. If it's too much and your action is too low your high notes won't ring out properly.

Yeah, i dont like floating tremelos and i will never get one again. Some people think i hate ibanez and i actually dont, i just dont like floating tremelos and my ibanez has one. Im gonna put a block in it so i can tune it like it want it and it will only go one way.

Hehe, I used to hate tremolos now I actually like them. I played on a Dean Razorback a while back.
DUDE!!! The best tremolo I"ve ever played on, hands down! It's a licenced floyd though so it's expected.
My Xiphos's EdgeIII gave some headaches a while back, but I've been playing it a lot the past while and now it's solid as a rock. . .weird ???

I'm back!

Tomest, Your guitar definitely needs a major setup as just the change from the UK to SA can be enough to throw out the setup on a floating bridge guitar completely. Changing strings to a different gauge or even a different brand can throw things out radically too. On the bright side, once it's set up properly, a floating bridge like a Floyd Rose stays stable and keeps you in tune like nothing else.

I don't know any luthiers out your way specifically, but there must be a few guys. The best thing to do is phone around the music stores closest to you and ask about competent luthiers. Make sure they know you are talking about a guy for an electric guitar with a floating trem, as there are world class acoustic luthiers I would not trust with an electric guitar (and vice versa).

If you want to learn how to set it up yourself, take a look at the following basic guide:
My basic setup guide

...but for the absolute best guides on how to set up a Floyd Rose equipped guitar The Jemsite articles section is invaluable.