Vigier Escalibur special Bridge adjustments

[FictitiousFreedom]

First off let me say that i recieved a special in mysterious red with a rosewood fretboard a few days ago and it is the most amazing thing i have ever touched, truley. Im over the moon, best guitar i have ever played by a mile.

My question is about the action, but moreso how to get it as even as possible from the first to the twenty fourth fret. I had heard in my research that they come setup from the factory with the trem set against the body or dive only. I guess the shop i bought it from sets them up differently because the action is much higher in the higher frets than the top frets and the trem setup to float. I actually like the trem floating but if it means that i can get the action lower in the higher registers than ill change it. I just wanted to ask before i start messing with it because i had read that an advantage to the 10/90 system is that the action is more even down the neck, which is sometthing ive always struggled with on guitars with truss rods. I did already lower the bridge a good bit, i could get it almost all the way before the high e string started buzzing but the action is still a little higher than id like starting around the twelve fret So, if i change the trem to dive only will it make the action more even?

 Thanks! 

[ztevie]

Without being an expert on thios matter, I can't imagine a trem set to dive only would effect the string action being more even across the board?

I mean, you seem to have plenty of headroom to adjust the height of the trem up and down.

Did you buy it used or new? Awkward if the shop changed setup on a new guitar, since one of Vigier's trademarks is the precision of the setup before the guitar is shipped out. If you bought a used one, did the previous owner do any fretwork? Maybe filed/polished the frets and took a little too much somewhere along the board?

If this was a guitar with a trussrod myu first advice would be to check the relief and then adjust the trussrod accordingly. SInce this is a Vigier you can't adjust that, but still, check the relief. It should be somewhere between dead straight to very small.  If it's no relief at all, or too much, there's really nothing to do but to have a fretjob done on it. The only other alternative is that the neck is not straight, which should be pretty much impossible because of the carbon strip.

But don't go and have anything done on it until someone else witth some more knowledge chime in here, maybe someoen from Vigier can tell you what relief they usually have when making the guitar.

Sometimes people put shims on their bolt on necks to put more angle on the neck but this is done to get lower action if the bridge can't be adjusted lower, which really doesn't apply to you.

[FictitiousFreedom]

I bought it new. Maybe the specials come setup with the term floating now Or maybe they always have? I thought it was strange that the shop would change the setup. It's not a huge deal, like I said I'm in love with this guitar and the action is already pretty much perfect for me I just was under the impression it would be more even then it is. It's not super high on the higher frets just higher than I expected. If there is no way to get it even it will not change my feelings bout this guitar, it is by far the most amazing guitar I've ever touched, I just want to be able to get The most out of the setup. Thanks for your input it is very much appreciate.

[ztevie]

I just know that my  Shawn Lane and the Bumblefoot signature is setup as dive only from factory. The others i don't know about.

Still, i think you should lower the trem as much as possible while still having a nice tone without  buzz. Then measure the action on 12th fret, 1st and 6th string. Also check your relief and post all your findings here.

I'm sure someone from Vigier, maybe Patrice himself, will eventually see this and confirm if it seems normal or not? 

I know my Shawn Lane has very even action across the board, but  it's impossible to have the same action on every fret, it's just the nature of the guitar neck. The Shawn Lane is a bit special though, due to its completely flat radius. It makes it possible to have extremely low action. 

[FictitiousFreedom]

Well I originally was planning to get the Shawn lane, so maybe that's why I thought it was dive only. I'll measure everything and post it soon, thanks for your help.  im sure all of the Vigier team is super busy with NAMM  at the moment and it's not very important i just want to make sure everything is setup the best possible way.

[ztevie]

Oh forgot about NAMM... 

Of course you should get it to play as great as it possibly can! :) 

[Ben]

The Excalibur Special is factory set-up with the term floating slightly (about 1 1/2 step pull back) - ztevie was correct, the Shawn Lane and Bfoot are the only models factory set-up dive only from the trem (Bfoot being a Floyd trem). As every customer likes a different and personal 'feel' to his/her guitar, you should be able to change the set-up to suit, just follow the instructions in the manual and enjoy! 

[FictitiousFreedom]

thanks, It Was pretty much setup how I like. I just lowered the action and pickups a bit. I don't know why I was expecting the action to be the same down the neck, I watched a lot of videos on the Shawn lane so I think that is why I had that in my head. I've been playing my vigier everyday for atleast 4 or 5 hours and  still feel it is the most amazing instrument ive ever seen.