I got my first Soloist, a 2010 SL1 in June of this year and I was so impressed with it (particularly the ergonomics) that last month, I swapped my Gibson Les Paul 2008 Standard for a 2007 Burnt Cherry Sunburst SL2H.

The SL1 is perfect in every respect, I have not had to tune it since the last string change – at all. The SL2 however is another story. It will not maintain tuning, on any string - even for five minutes.

When I tighten the locks on the SL1, the tuning as expected goes a little sharp. On the SL2 is goes flat. I have changed the obvious variables – the strings and springs, but with no effect.

To play the SL2, I have to use it unlocked. This way it behaves a little like a Strat, loosing a few cents of pitch after every play. But if I lock the strings – the it looses 50 to 100 cents of pitch straight away.

Any ideas as to what is causing this?
Do I need a new Floyd Rose?

Do you know if your guitar has the Takeuchi JT 580 LP tremolo? Well my DK2M has one and I am having a similar problem except that the strings on my guitar go sharp. Very frustrating. I have done a lot of research online and that JT 580 LP receives almost universal scorn as being a piece of crap and the culprit of these tuning problems. I read a post by a guy in another forum who sounded like he knew what he was talking about where he said something to the effect that the JT 580 Lp will never be stable enough to hold a tune for very long. From reading about these bridges I get the idea that there is a wide variation in quality, i.e., some of them will hold a tune longer; that how much you use the whammy is also a factor; and that they are made from soft metal so the blades go bad quickly especially if you whammy a lot.

Another post said that they had the same problem but that after they disassemled the bridge, cleaned and oiled it, that it was okay and held a tune. I am skeptical.

Another post said that the knife blades or the pivot points on the posts and the bridge are very critical and if they are not perfect the bridge wont return to the "neutral" in tune position.

So I am going to disassemble the floyd, clean and oil it, inspect the blades, and then see if that works. the only other alternative is a new $200. trem. The same guy who sounded like he knew what he was talking about said that bothe the OFR (Official Floyd Rose) and the GOTOH Floyd Rose are drop in replacements. Another guy who replaced his JT 580 LP with a OFR said it made a big difference.

Well, this is what I have learned about this problem. I'd like to hear what you find out.

Me, personally... I wouldn't go diassembling the floyd. BTW... did you change string gauges recently?

Sounds like a setup issue in that it could be that the neck, floyd, and springs are out of balance. It happens with string guages, weather changes, etc... You tune it, then over a brief period of time it settles back out of tune. It's not balanced. I've had this happen with my Sl2h too, it's frustrating, but not uncommon at all with neck thru floyd equiped guitars.

Take it to a luthier and have them set up the guitar. It will make you happier in the end. I'd bet it's simply a small adjustment to the trussrod, or the springs. But let a pro let you know if it's a bigger issue.