JoeyBones
My nephew was givin a Cort Viva. He sent it to a music shop to have it setup, but they didn't do a good job. It keeps going out of tune really badly. It looks like the neck is slightly warped. It has a floyd rose locking trem which I think needs to be re-setup. Who would you guys suggest to do the job in P.E.
AlanRatcliffe
I don't know anyone out your way - you'll have to ask around the shops in the area.
Don't assume the neck is twisted, as it's difficult to judge unless you know exactly what to look for. A lot of things like the nut and saddles can easily give a false impression - there's a kind of optical illusion when sighting down the neck that you have to learn to ignore. A lot of people confuse relief with twisting, and you actually need relief in a neck.
A Floyd-equipped guitar going out of tune is almost always down to one of a few things. They are simple devices in their own way because they do away with nut, saddle and tuner problems. Look at the following - even if you are not going to do it yourself, it's good to know what needs to be done:
I'm assuming the strings are OK, and not too old, or so new they are still settling in.
Make sure the clamps in the locking nut are the right way round - there is usually an angle on the top that lets the clamp adjust for the two different thickness strings it holds. If you have it the wrong way round (turned 90 degrees), it only holds the thicker string properly. The ridge on the top of the clamp should be parallel with the string direction. Many locking nuts are designed these days so that the clamps can only fit in the right way round, but not all. Also make sure the bottom surface of the nut where the strings rest is not badly grooved - if it is, smooth out the surface with a small file.
The most common reason for Floyds not to return to pitch - especially on cheaper models - is wear on the knife edges or posts. The post tends to get grooves in it and the knife edges tend to flatten out. This causes the bridge to hang up and not always return to pitch. A dead giveaway for this is if the bridge "clanks" or "pings" when used. The knife edges can be "sharpened" with a small flat file and the groove in the posts can be smoothed out with a small triangle file.
