FretFriend.co.uk | Complete Floyd Rose setup inc. intonation / action... 

NOTE: I no longer use a metal strip to hold a tremolo level. I was lucky with this one and did not mark the guitar but it can happen. Nowadays, I use a stack of paper business cards to hold a tremolo block where I need it to be. Regards, Victor...

If its sharp you go right / 5 letters If its flat you go left / 4 letters Love this. Thanks for the video

NIce, I've been fighting with these for some time, finally EXPLAINED!!! Plain and simple, front to back.

thank you for your amazing video , it has helped me fix and set up my Floyd Rose on my old Wasburn WG - 580 for neo classical metal and various other music

This is the best vid out there by far, thank you my friend. Awesome

Cheers Vic, I've had my guitar for two years (second hand) and would always shy away from giving it a proper clean because of the setup, this was really helpful and my bridge is nice and clean and guitar keeps tune perfectly!

Amazing tutorial, so much time put in for such a beautiful result. Cheers mate

I came back to this video again. String stretching cannot be emphasized more. I have a little tool for it now too. Thanks for the video.

This video helped alot! I have a schecter demon 7 which was unplayable, now its perfect!

On the tremolo spring claw behind the cover to adjust the height, I use a black sharpee to mark a tiny spot on each of the two silver screw heads on one of the phillips screw slots. This ensures that I know how far I've turned each screw in an equal fashion. Thank you Victor for uploading this video. It's tremendously helpful for anyone wanting to learn this tedious process when dealing with these tremolos.

Thanks for the video I've been messing with my action and truss rod for like a week after watching this I got it right in a day instead of paying the guitar shop to go it!

Nice one mate, I have struggled with my S770Pb since new ... it sent me nuts doing a setup even having viewed a lot of vids ...now I may start to love it again

Absolutely the best explanation on the Internet. The only way to set up your Floyd Rose correct. Thank you very much!

Great video, very interesting and helpful, I’ve never had a FR and was considering one but after watching this i’m gonna give it a miss lol too many moving parts.

Best 45 minute spent today. Have a great day Fret Friend!

Thank you! You are the man! Getting my first Floyd rose guitar in the mail in 3 days. Going to perform my first real setup with this video as a guideline. Appreciate your time partner

Man i am so glad i found your video!! You just saved me tons of frustration. I had just picked up an old fender stagemaster. Never had a floyd rose guitar before. I had went with a heavier set of strings. I went with 11-52 i think it was. So everything got thrown off when changing them. I had gotten it close a few times but was never happy with my intonantion. Finally sat it down. After your vid and did it exactly as you did and the results were wonderful. I was dreading going ro the shop and being like yep i tried and failed. Here fix it for me. Damn old pride made me not give up 😂 but hey i got theough it. Thank you sooo much for this video.

Very good video! I set mine up just a tad different, I pull the claw all the way out first so it's easy to get the springs on, I use a feeler gauge on the tone block from the opposite side, tune down all the strings, level the bridge. Then stretch/tune them. After that comes the intonation part and then I remove the feeler gauge then tighten the screws until it comes in tune. Some guitars I have tried to do the opposite and the screws just were not long enough to pull out far enough.

Earned my sub. Thank you for the informative video and great camera positions.

Cringing at the sight of seeing metal objects on the finish, but this method was helpful. Cheers.

It's all about balance, thank you for the brilliant tips my friend!

Great video, im happy you left in the b string problem, because, ive rarely have don a floyd set up without running into some minor problem. And if im done in under 45 minutes im happy.

Watched your video last night finally sorted the tuning out on my Ibanez Jem thanks great video 👍👍👍

When you adjust the fine tuners the other strings detune as well. This system is maddening!

Well done, I bring to Life my Ibanez gio after years... Thanks a lot!

Wow what a process. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Victor,,,thaaaank yoooou!!!!!! Very much!! I'm going to watch the video Step by step when setting the Floyd Special on my Mitchell hd 400,, guitar center brand.

Outstanding video!! I have been playing guitar for 20 years and I never knew this. I purchased a new Floyd Rose for my guitar and it would never stay in tune. The string guard was sitting too high, the intonation was sharp on 4 strings, and I never knew about the spring holder clamp. When ever I pulled out the block, all the strings went sharp. I always thought it was something I was doing wrong, I just never knew to do the magic part and it would bring everything back in tune. That was awesome!!

Thanks for making this informative and elaborate video. I want to point at two things that I really didn't like. One is the use of a metal bar or screwdriver as a stop. It can easily damage the finish. I had a second hand 90' RG570 once with some finish scratches that I didn't know what caused them when I bought it. Now I know that it is a result of lifting the bridge with a sharp hard object of sorts. The other thing is the adjustment of the studs while springs and strings are in tension, it wears either the studs or the blades prematurely. With a worn mechanism you get all sorts of problems. The right way to do that is to measure and calculate how much you want to lift or lower the bridge (you can measure or guess at the 12 fret and double it), release the tension, adjust, and put tension once again. Doing it several times until you reach the point when your'e happy with the action.

Question what is the amount of neck relief you have ? how are you measuring it?

Thanks a bunch for this . Straight forward and comprehensive .

Surprised you didn't show the truss rod adjustment.... Folk could benefit from seeing that doing too. Good vid

Wooden paint stirrer wrapped in a piece of felt, hands down the best thing to support the trem. 100% no body damage.

Thank you so much, I just started playing seriously again after over a decade away and was going through hell setting up my new Jackson. I was wondering how different the process of adjusting a FR is when going down 3-4 gages of string? THANKS IN ADVANCE!

When did u remove the two extra springs? While action adjustment, I could see only ur elbow and shoulder. Otherwise it's ok

Nice one. And very useful, too. Having a shop do this can cost you 100 euros. Knowing how to do some of this stuff yourself is definitely an investment in yourself.

Awesome video!! Thanks for the knowledge. You just saved me money, by doing it myself.

Dude, your the fricken' man. I honestly dont think i could've gotten my Jackson together without this video man. Thanks my brotha!

I just changed a Floyd Rose... watching your vid... thanx

Excellent video. A friend just asked me to work on his BC Rich guitar with Floyd Rose hardware. I’ve got no experience with these, but will use your video as my guide. Thank you!

Hey man awesome video great info I just have a question,this is is something you skipped on the video, but how do you remove the block from the back of the tremolo without losing the tention, is there another video in which you explain this more in detail? Again thanks

Oh i used my tc electronics bh250 bass head as my tuner. It has a strobe type tuner built in. Plus it has a mute switch and also a headphone output so i dont drive folks crazy

Always hated this job! Top video dude

thank you sir

My heart stops every time u turn that bloody High E string

Thank you for the video after watching this I will definitely do my own maintenance and not leave it at a shop

@3:05 That block is made out of Lolly-sticks. Popsicle sticks or candy apple sticks found in produce or I've found them in Walmart's arts/crafts section.That appears like a total of 3 at the center to make that tool for the correct width.

A couple problems i see, first you have to remember when a set of .009s when in tune to A440 (standard tunning) the strings pull about 90lbs of string pull so if you pretend there are 2 kids on a teeter totter the strings are a 90lb kid so the springs have to match that tension you need another 90lb kid to get the teeter totter to float or be level. SO now you have 180 TOTAL lbs of pull on the center pivot point which are your lag bolts that he adjusted with the lowE and highE were strung up he was adjusting those to rasie the action you have t be careful doing this because cheap tremolos dont have as good of hardened steel as higher end tremolos have and cranking those screws under tension can trash the knife edge were the bridge pivots on and you will cause stability issues. The knife edge will bur and grind flat spots in the knife edges and there the whole bridge is pretty much no good for floating. Second if you look closely the 2 main pivot bolts the low E side is starting to collapse when you have that much tension on the bolts the tremolo pivots on the wood has to hold all that tension and after time soft body woods causes the bolts to tilt twards the nut the low E side has the most tension and its usually the first side to fail.

hi I have a cort guitar with their branded Floyd rose rose..mine goes flat and sharp while pushing the bar down and up simultaneously...my studs don't move at all this guitar is new so why is this happening any solution please let me know.

My biggest question, is how do i know where exactly to adjust the saddle to. I stripped one and im replacing it now with the new one. So i dont know exactly how to adjust it? is that part of intonation? very frustrated.

It's a Miracle wow 😉 thumbs up 👍🏼 great job and skill you have thank you 😊

I already set it perfectly...but some of my strings buzz when fretting above the 12th fret. Would that need the string action to be raised or would that be a truss rod adjustment?

Excellent video! Couple suggestions. 1. Use something other than a screwdriver across the top of the body of the guitar (like a gallon paint can wood strip supplied free at Home Depot for mixing up the paint...they are as large as that screwdriver and flat) as that screwdriver can/will damage the body/finish of the guitar...especially with 5 springs pulling down on the screwdriver. 2. Use a spring puller/hook (available at Stew Mac) so you don’t slip the screwdriver off the spring claw (like you did several times) and possibly gouge/damage the body/finish.

Thanks for your videos. I have a Washburn KC42V, about 25 years old, with a very similar Floyd rose licensed tremolo. I have stripped the whole Floyd down and it is currently soaking in a WD40- type solution as some of the locking nuts etc were ceased and covered in gunk. These videos have given me confidence to rebuild it. Thanks buddy. Should I become unstuck and need you to set up the guitar where are you based. Is it NG17 as in Sutton/Mansfield as your channel suggests. PS I'm NG9. Thanks buddy

I watched another video on how if the tuning suddenly goes flat then the two screws in the back of the neck holding the nut aren't snugged down properly. If the tuning suddenly goes sharp when you tighten the nut clamps the the string tree must be adjusted so that the string follows the nut countour.

Thank you for making the video sir 😍😍

And... maybe a dumb question... but could you do the tuning adjustment this way? Start by getting your intonation set up as you did. Once done, then “detune” each string by 2 half steps. Then, remove the bridge block, and finish the tuning with fine adjustment screws. Assuming that the additional tension would bring the strings from “detune” to near pitch. That way, you would not have to adjust the spring screws...?? Just wondering if that method would achieve the same end without changing the spring fastener screws. Thoughts?

Thanks for the tutorial. What do you do if intonation of a string is still sharp but you can't move the saddle any further back towards the bridge (it's reached it's stop)? This has happened to me on the low E string of two guitars.

I always use low tack painters tape around my work area. Paint mixer beneath the Floyd

The guitar bridge I’m working on is slightly different. The strings pass through the bridge tubes, and are held in place via the string barrel, vs the way described in your video. My guitar is a 1989 BC Rich NJ Series - with the same configuration as your guitar. I’m planning to use your technique for set up. Have you seen a guitar bridge as I’ve got?

Thank you sir making the video

Cool nice video just one question is it ok to use 10 to 52 gauge strings skinny top heavy bottom strings on a set up on a floyd Rose guitar

What are the ODDS. I came here to watch a video and start to learn how to set up a FR. End of the video and I finally realize... you're setting up the same guitar as me! Mine's midnight blue, only difference!

I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR SOME CRAFTSMEN, BUT MATE A PIECE OF AL ,OR A SCREWDRIVER. I HAVE A 1982 KRAMER FLOYD ROSE SIGNATURE SERIES ,I FELL OFF ME CRAPPER.I TALKED TO PEOPLE IN YOUR CONTINENT ON 15 & 11 METER BANDS IN THE MID 60'S TO THE LATE 70'S ON MY YAESU FT-101-EE & FL-2100 B WITH A 6 ELEMENT BEAM AND GP 5/8 WAVE ONMI.GOOD LUCK FRIEND

Question: I have had my guitar restrung and setup professionally, but they still go out of tune easily, can you give me a hint on why?

Springs in the back, i decided to take one out and only have 2 in there in the hope it would make the strings a bit easier to bend on the low string and to use heavy vibrato more easily. Is this a good idea or are 3 springs better for tuning purposes?

What would cause my floyd rose equipped guitar to take so long to tune? Would adding an extra spring enable more stable tuning. Seems like my strings are stretching but they are old strings. Also what cause a guitars tuning to raise pitch after i pull it from its case after not playing for a few days. Ahh the guitar troubles never stop haha

How do you know how many springs to add? I have a hybrid set of strings I'd like to put on. The thinnest being 10 and the thickest being 60.

Hey, i tightened the springs as much as i could but the bridge is still pointing to the sky The tune keeps dropping, and as i tune it back up again the bridge raises even more, then the tune drops yet again, and so forth What am i missing please?

I thought you weren’t supposed to adjust bridge height with tension on the bridge because you will ruin the sharp pivot points?

Thank you very much for this video, about to replace the strings on my first Flyod Rose trem guitar. Wish me good luck XD

I thought the truss rod was supposed to be the last thing adjusted in a set up. Once the guitar is tuned up and everything as desired?

Very well done👍👍

Is this set up the same with most tremolos?

There are a couple different ways. I use Wilkinson. Not extreme metal but ezpz

for keeping the bridge stable when restringing and tuning couldn't you just balance the floyd rose, then use a shredneck tremblock to keep the bridge stable? Any help would be appreciated

Great video, how did you remove the block?

Nice video, thanks....let me understand how setup with more details.

So... Is it a myth that if you turn the posts in order to raise/lower action while the guitar has string tension, it will damage the knife edges on the floyd?

I’m wondering if you can take a neglected Floyd Rose and clean it in an ultrasonic cleaner? Anyone know?

Nice example. They can be a major pita.

Cool

What is that thing called that you use to measure the truss rod adjustment of the neck at 23:02 and where can I get one?

Can you please help me with my guitar, the action is super high and I have the pegs all the way down and it’s still super high idk what wrong 😐

thanks !

Clue, Set up Floyd rose with guitar in playing position, the deck of guitar vertical or it will never fall level or intone will not work out.

thanks but this is too complicated maybe if i have multiple floyd rose guitar i can experiment on one to get better but for now i'm just going to get a tech to do it. awesome video though!>

you're incredible !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you so much so much so much !!!!!!!!!!

I have a old Charvel neck thru...When the floyd is set flush with the body and I restring, the strings are bottoming out hard at the lower frets, truss adjustment doesn't improve it, I have to raise the bridge 5mm off the body to get a decent action, any tips people? thnx

Perfect video except for the action part, never touch the action screws with the floyd under tension. You can fuck up the "blades / knifes" (idk the word in English for this) of the floyd wich can cause instability to the tuning when you use the floyd, the floyd will not correctly go back in position if you abuse this too much. Not hating as i said this video helped me a lot :)

Thank you Sirr.

Thanks for this

Thanks for the tutorial, however what I've learned is to never intonate a guitar laying down! Always intonate/tune a guitar in playing position. The strings gravity is why you should intonate/tune in playing position!

you know its a good spring when you got to fight it to put it on the trem claw

Why cant you over tighten the little screws for adjusting intonation

Sir i have garg 250 p guitar and its bridge setting tell me a little about it please

HI I have a question I had Ibanez JS100 model( I know it's one of the cheapest and oldest)and had same tremolo bridge as this one I think, but had a problem with it, because when used excessively it was loosing tuning. Is it because it was not made very well or it just needed adjusting. Apparently it was set up in e shop. will every tremolo keep its tuning if setup correctly or I need to really invest in the most expensive one?

I do appreciate this video instruction but would offer some suggestions. Use a guitar tuner so we can see what is happening. You can hear if the sound is slightly sharp or flat but most of us can't. Also have an amp on so we can hear the sound of the guitar better. Finally, when doing the action adjustment, mention that the measurement is in millimeters. I do have a question. Why do the fine adjustments with the screw driver under the tremolo? Once the screwdriver is removed, wouldn't the pitch change? ....guess I needed to watch the last three minutes.

I have guitar with floyd rose. Im gonna sell it. It drives me crazy setting up this thing.

Good video, but your hand is in the way when you're adjusting the intonation, so I can't see what you're doing.