I just spent 2 hours tuning mine because i changed the gauge and i (stupidly) cut all the strings at once. Thanks for your help, i would have never got it right
Don’t want to tune the guitar a million times to balance the trem??? If you first loosen the spring claw and put a tapered block in the backside between the trem and body (on the other side of the springs) you can then set the angle of the bridge to where ever you want with the taper block to hold it in place.. tune to pitch... then bit by bit screw the claw back until the block slips away of its own accord.. it saves a bundle of time and you only need to tune it once.. no matter what gauge or tuning you want.. may need to change out a spring or add one depending on what you’re trying to do..
@@JohnnnyGashno problema, you cut em off at once, put all strings in place no tension, the use something to elevate the Floyd near the level, see the bridge moves, then tension thicker first, and if release the Floyd, and goes up lose string and move the screws. o goes down do the opposite. it's easy but you'll spend some hours with it for sure and it's normal.
Put off changing string because this knucklehead thought it would be a good time to clean, file frets, and having worked for years on fighter electronic systems this should be easy. Ummm, why is guage scale different? Why is larger actually smaller? So to show dumassery, purchased 10s thinking there were a smaller guage like, every, other. Industry. Still fun and this knucklehead may one day be a better player. Thanks
Another tip, if you plan on unscrewing the claw screws, DETUNE the strings first, make them slack, otherwise your strings will pull the claw out after a while.
Easiest and quickest way I found to set up a floyd rose is to purposely tighten the springs a bit too tight so the bridge goes in, then find something like a piece of cardboard or whatnot to place underneath the bridge to block it at parallel position. After that, you can tune your strings and adjust the intonation like a fixed bridge. Once it's all done, you can lock the nut and remove the piece of cardboard or whatever you used to block the bridge. Bridge will go in (as if was before). Now you take a tuner and loosen those springs until the strings get back to the correct pitch.
Hey brother, quick question, I put Elixer 9-42 on my Jackson Dinky and the strings are super hard to bend, if I used just two springs would bends be easier? Been playing 40 years and know how to use my wrist for bends/vibrato, but never had a guitar so hard to bend the strings on. Please help. (I am not talking about using the trem bar to bend, just finger bends)
@@KevinVenturePhilippines maybe you're used to play with 24.75" scale length (a Les Paul for example) with 9-42 strings, while a Dinky is 25.5", so strings will be a little tighter with the same strings. A rule of thumb is to use 1 set thinner on 25.5, so you'd be looking at a set of 8's. Looks like you like light strings. (nothing wrong with it, just a preference)
@@HCkev Thanks so much for your time! The neck length may indeed be a reason. But if I take a spring off the trem in the back and just use two, that would not make the bending easier?
@@KevinVenturePhilippines yes, but it would also make other strings getting out tune when bending more easily (not really a problem most of the time because the other strings typically aren't being played). For the most part, it will affect how easily you can divebomb. Typically, you add or remote springs to match the tension of the strings (if you play standard tuning with very thick strings, then you'd need to add springs, otherwise the spring screws would most likely be screwed all the way in). Since you play with light gauge, you may try with one less spring (I'm assuming you have 3 springs, try removing the middle one and tightening the screws). You can also re-arrage the springs in a V shape to get a little more tension with those two springs
Thank you Chris, this was a life savior! I have a Jackson DXMG for 15 years and never knew I could tune the springs. I was so upset with my guitar for not being able to handle thicker strings (I couldn't tune beyond D) but now I happy again thanks to you! Quick and on point! Cheers from Romania!
I once had a 7string Ibanez with Floyd Rose and i remember it as horrible nightmare back in my beginner days, i ended up not using the guitar until i sold it. But now i enjoy Tremolos like Bigsby a lot, just ordered a 6string Dean with Floyd Rose from Thomann to give it another chance, i'm a bit scared but with this guide i already feel safer, guitar hopefully arrives this week. Thanks Kris and all Thomann staff, greetings from Austria!
Owned a Floyd Rose for 5 years as my first guitar; there was so much I didn't know, and tbf maybe didn't need to because I didn't have a tremolo arm, but the time has come to learn and this video is so useful
This is so helpful! I picked up a used RG for a steal of a deal that needs some work. It is my first FR and set up has been a little tricky, but getting it dialed in. Thanks Kris!😎👍
This is a great vid, thanks to this I just completed my first string size upgrade on my Tom Morello Sig Strat with Floyd Rose locking tremolo, it was easy thanks to your tips man, freakin' awesome! There is no way I would have been successful without your pointers; and listen people, these are pointers, use your brains to figure the rest out as you tune and adjust, be logical and you will end up with same great results that I did. w00t!
I was looking for a way to decrease the tension on my floating system from Ernie Ball because I was having trouble getting the aggressive vibrato that I like, and this video saved me. Y’all are dope!
Thanks. I really need to learn this. I am afraid to set up my own guitars 😂 because I am so scared to mess it up. But I had 2 different guitar store screw up on 3 of my guitars last year. It's time I do this myself.
Setting up a double locking system can be a REAL pain so the fear there is understandable, fixed bridges are so much easier to set up I definitely experiment with other tunings on those.
Exactly what I was looking for!! I don't know how many of these types of videos I've watched over the past but none of them that I've seen show exactly how to level that tremolo bridge section. What I mean by that is that, sure, they always say make sure it's not too high or too low. But I never knew if you were to judge that by the screws that are hanging out (which is what I went by and ran into issues on one of my guitars which led me here) or the flat section which you described here. Thanks a bunch!!!
Thanks! Your quick vid pointed me in the right direction. I couldn't remember what gauge of strings were on my Jackson and when I tuned it up, UH OH, my bridge was pulling forward. ARGH! What do I do? You vid gave me the confidence to adjust my Floyd Rose. TY!
Super Format, cooles Video, ein sympathischer Typ, der nicht erstmal 5 Minuten in Selbstdarstellung rumlabert, bevor er zum Punkt kommt, astrein, Danke big T ! Andere Themen: Halseinstellung, Ein Vintage-Tremolo einstellen (!), das es nicht alles dauernd verstimmt, Humbucker splitten, richtige Potis, löten, Schaltbilder für bestimmte Gitarrentypen (LesP, Tele, Strat, Powerstrat usw.) usw.
My new HB 620 with FR arrived yesterday, of course little bit out of tune, (the sequence to tune the strings is 6-1-5-2-4-3). Without to know anything ,I started 4-3-5-2-6-1 ,from the center, you know, but it didn't work :-)) , so i started the opposite way (which is the right way) and it worked. Some small tuning adjustments i had to do on FR for each string seperately (these big round bolts), absolute balance, perfect sound! Took me around two hours, carefully and with patience. Till then i only knew that the tuning of one string affects the other (sounds Horrible!!!) and some small adjustments may needed at the end on the FR for every string, it worked, finally it's not so hard as it seems. The sound is perfect, the FR is amazing, soft to use ( i tried the tremolo of my older guitars but i never used it, garbage, hard to use and out of tuning in 2 seconds..). I only face little difficulty on picking (i used to bridge-picking) but i will get use to it. I will buy one more guitar without FR but not for this reason, FR offers stability, balance and great sound. It gives sensititivy to the sound, colour, romance, expression in whatever you play. So go for it! Don't forget to push and pull the FR from time to time during tuning, it helps the new strings and the new FR to sit on the right position, tune one-two strings, play something, use the FR, tuning, and again... Have fun!
Had a floyed rose for 12 years and never had this happen until yesterday. Thats what i get for changing my preferred string. Thanks for the video dude saved me a trip to the shop.
Thank you so much for this video! I just got the Ibanez Jem Jr and the bridge on the high E side was lower than the other side, Also the bridge was facing downwards. So I followed your instructions and now its working great. and don't need to spend $150au on a Guitar service at my local Guitar store :)
Love my Ibanez s420 there is a wheel at the back for tension tuning. No need to unscrew anything. And have a Jackson, yeah you have to spend some time to make it aligned.
Thank you for this video! Did you detune the strings first before turning the two screws? From what I'm seeing as you do each repetition, you're turning the screws first then retuning the strings each time. If detuning the strings isn't needed before turning the screws each time, then that'll save a lot of work.
Important: On some Edge tremolo design, the top of the tremolo is not parallel to the knife edge, so the knife edge needs to be parallel to the body of the guitar and not the top of the tremolo. You can see the knife edge on the side of the tremolo.
Got an RG a couple months after starting to play and this exact thing pissed me off. Everyone says "make it parallel" and I was screaming "make WHAT part parallel" because if the face of the bridge is parallel with the body it's way too far back. Now that I have a Jackson with an actual Floyd Rose I see what they mean, the body of the bridge does actually sit flush with the guitar body
oh, my string guage on these new strings are too low that thats why i taught my guitar was broke. Thank you for shedding light on how the tension springs and string guage interact with each other. now back to the guitar store to buy 9s
Tightening the screws on the claw doesn't always flatten the tremolo. I have an 89 hm strat with a kahler spyder...have 4 new gotoh springs, 10's and tightened the screws. Still slightly forward though not like it was, but it will never sit flush without the whammy bar being unusable since it sits so far in the cavity. Sometimes, you just have to make the best of it.
Nice setup man!!! I did dat and it works great!! Onley he is way to stiff,, I even pulled out 1 spring,, I got 2 springs now… I don’t get it.. do you got a tip chris?
So a little confused here...the issue with tuning a Floyd is that each time you tune a string, it will de-tune the remaining strings and you will have to keep going around in circles forever...UNLESS you block the bridge to keep it from moving while you tune each time. I dont see that you have blocked the bridge here so how are you able to get it back in tune each time you tighten the claw?
Thanks man, I was having problems with when I first strum my strings, they would sound out of tune until you let it ring out for a while then it goes back into tune. But you told me about the in the video you say that's a Floyd Rose has to be flush with the body mine leans forward because of probably the string tension. So I guess what I'm getting out of your video is that I need to either tighten the screws in the back to the springs, while the lock nuts are unlocked just to make it flush with the body, do I have that correct?
Hey man, some of these tech videos are a few years old by now but we always check for comments. These subjects don't get old. :) If you want the tremolo to be flush you have to tighten the screws holding the springs in the back, so yes. Don't forget to re-tune the strings after every little screw adjustment. You'll only hear and see what changed, once you tuned them. What you're saying about the strings is probably a different issue though: you might want to check if the string gauge is right for your picking style. You usually have this "picking strings out of tune" issue, when the strings are too thin for your playing style. Or of course if the tremolo flutters too easily, that can also cause this problem. In that case an additional spring would help (but then you need to turn out the screws quite a bit, otherwise the whole tremolo just leans to the back). Cheers //Kris
Hey. Man thank you for answering the questions you know someone would get ton speaking with you. I bought a Jackson Dinky arch top natural wood oilm I only ke how Iit plays but it doesn't seem to be as loud as my Ibanez. Maybe that's how fender china be has decided to make them. I'm sorry I didn't get back to see them when they were still made in Japan. But the ps-et shark fin I had was still the guitar I loved playing.im not sure what it is about how Grover aJackson used to make the guitars so much but those were the days people would talk about getting used to playing a Jackson but know that I am, I don't think I want to play another guitar. I try to describe it seems like I was reaching over the fretboard mo and Evans I played riffs that on my other guitars it was an effort but I played that Jackson and I was soaring like a hawk not trying to flap my wings like that old film footage of the first aeroplanes. The one that collapsed on itself trying to flap it's wings. Do you rememembe when peopl would say now that I'm used to a Jackson? He passed two years after I bought my first Jackson in 2000. Now that fender makes them they never got his secret formula to be able to make those Jackson's the way aGrover adid. And since I've bought this will whatever did to the guitars be done again or was it howbtheybdesigned the guitars in 2000 that made them play differently than acharvels I've owned two of the this is my 14th guitar but that 2000 ps-3t I sold it 🤔 NG no to bed gonna take me serious playing a bat of hell. But I miss that guitar. Can my new Jackson he seet up like that again and how many people still around remember how it was SET UP and ARE'N'T guessing?
Thanks for the video. i just bought a Charvel Henrik- It's standard 9-42. If i change a 9-46 will i need a full set up or will you're tips on the video be enough (intonation etc...) Thanks.
Hi my good sir, I’m aiming for that flutter effect, I just wanted to ask what string gauge did that Jackson have when you did the flutter effect with the bar? thanks a bunch 🙏🏼
I watched your video and it seems very informative. I'm not sure if my adjusting spring screws are just not working right or if the bridge is damaged. No matter what I do unless I loosen the strings this bridge curves up like it's going to fly off. I wish I could send a picture but there doesn't seem to be an option for that. What gauge of strings would I need to use to bring the bridge back down if that's the problem? Thank you
I had the same problem. In my case the springs were tired, so they changed them in a guitar work shop and that helped. I think you can change them at home but I had no idea it was a spring problem, so I went to a local guitar work shop.
I’ve never was familiar with using a Floyd rose but I bit the bullet and bought me a Jackson Kelly with one and I got to say it seems intimidating but I’m always up for a good challenge and to learn something new! Thanks for this video! It will definitely help out
See myself personally I would leave the bridge just a TOUTCH higher than the body in the back side adjust total height with my two front screws “closest to the pickups” To my desired height from the pickups then ever so slight down curve in my neck. Of course mine was the setup of the edge 3 trem on an Ibanez never the less very very similar in setup and playability. Just my personal favorite set up worked great for me.
After restringing I used to pick up my guitar by the whammy bar and shake it violently😂. So many devices to “enhance” a floating trem, zero point returns like Ibanez or a tremel no even a dtuna I’f your decked maybe a demo of some of these add ons. It may take a while but once you get in tune it stays there 🤘🏽!
Don’t want to tune the guitar a million times to balance the trem??? If you first loosen the spring claw and put a tapered block in the backside between the trem and body (on the other side of where the springs slot in) you can then set the angle of the bridge to where ever you want it.. tune to pitch... then bit by bit screw the claw back until the block slips away of its own accord.. it saves a bundle of time and you only need to tune it once..
For some reason the springs I use can hardly handle 46-10s. I even bought floyd rose noiseless springs and put them in a triangle shape, and I STILL almost had to to screw them all the way in to balance right.... I should have just bought the heavy duty springs. Maybe I have a short tremolo cavity? It took me a week to figure this out and I don't want to touch it now.
Hi again! I have just received my first thoman guitar with floyd rose. A jackson s32. I think i have it verey good adjusted but some doubts. Now all trings perfectly tuned. E,A,D,GB,E. then I play guitar I use the whammy bar... Evereything good and tunned, but If I pull thar towards the neck and I leave the bar, all strings stay tuned between them but a litle bit flat with respect the correct tune (E, A, D, G, B, E) so if i pull to the other side then the strings stay all tuned but they keep sharp with respect the initial tune. Then a pull toggleing a litle bit and then it stays perfectly tuned. Which is the reason? Still bridge not perfectly parallel? Maybe springs from the backside not well aligned? Some component of the bridge with some defect? I thing everything is perfect... But as being a new floyd rose user, this kind I do not know what the reason for this kind of thing is? Note: no matter how many times and strong I pull, always all the strings stay tune between them.
Great video. I didn’t work for me. My bridge is still high. I already put in V configuration. I think I have to buy new ones, right? Or it can be something else? What are the specification for the springs? Can I use them for any Floyd rose or I need a specific for my Ibanez RG?
Hey man! I changed the strings on my Floyd Rose today for the first time and the bridge ended up like yours is in the video but even a bit more then that, do I tune the guitar before I start to adjust it like you did in the video? Very thankful for a reply.
I'm trying to figure out if the shop tech I took my FR guitar to could have broken the system by cutting the strings off all at once .. My guitar and Floyd seemed fine before that and now one of the two posts on the bridge is bent all the way up so that the action is permanently broken .. I don't know what to do .. he gave it back to me and said I can still play it and insisted it was already broken
I tried the different spring placement,but I had to screw the screws in all the way and when I tune it it’s still way up in the air…what am I doing wrong?
What if the Floyd is not flat, but it has been previously blocked with a piece of wood in the back to allow for a D-tuna… Will adjusting the screws have any effect then?
Hi, if the tremolo is blocked the screws shouldn't be moved. Otherwise the pull of the springs might become too low and the wood block might fall out (unless it's glued / screwed in there, which I hope it isn't, haha). So if you want to tilt a blocked tremolo you have to modify the width of that block. If it's thinner the tremolo leans more forward, if thicker, the tremolo leans more to the back. Cheers //Kris
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Would a tremol-no be a better option respect to a wood block in your experience? Not only for bridge alignment but also for tuning stability (still with a d-tuna).
Hi. I just bought an Ibanez Jem Jr. The bridge is low on the high E side (screwed into the body more than the other side), but level with the body on the low E side. Is this normal? Should I unscrew the high E side of the bridge so that it is level with the other side? Thanks for any advice.
So my Floyd was leaning too far back and with some adjustment I got it parallel but kept going out of tune and when I finally got it in tune it went back to leaning too far back what do I do
I have a non floating trem double lock with plate bolts high and it leans towards bottom of guitar (away from pups) I can’t seem to keep it in tune. Kramer 1984 brand new and won’t stay in tune
Hey, I don't think there are any disadvantages, unless you go way back with it. It's less metal in the way whist playing, so why not. I would imagine you have a little more tension when pushing the whammy bar forward due to it, but that not bad at all. //cheers, Kris
My guitar always out of tune faster due to heavy palm muting. For Floyd rose setting, which one is better, straight or triangle? Currently I’m using 3 springs.
Hey I got a question, some guys are fixing the intonation by tuning a string to its standard tuning and then checking the 12th fret for accuracy, then you adjust the saddle for the intonation adjust... Now how about if I tune the high e string(for example) to a lower reference note then check the 12th fret if it’s in the same tuning as its open string note... tuning it to standard for the reference pitch before adjustment gives too much stress for the new strings in my opinion.
There is a process called an octave check on a guitar. You play the open string then play the note at the twelfth fret, this is to ensure your guitar is not out of aliment and that the intonation is sound. The saddles adjust string tension and hight, by unscrewing them you give the string slack by tightening them you create tension. The small rods are for hight, you can rase the hight of your strings by adjusting them up or down. The octave check allows the player to assure his guitars intonation is true. When you play the twelfth fret of say the top E string you are producing the same note as the E string open only one octave higher same with the rest of the strings. Setting your saddles will effect intonation but only slightly, these are more for hight and tension. Your friends are not fixing anything as this technique only provides you with an octave check and tells you if your neck is warped. The saddles also allow compensation for string thickness, the strings of a guitar should arch slightly like a violin but very slightly, these saddles allow the stings to be adjusted to their natural positions.
What about Edge III bridge from Ibanez? Which part of the plate should be parallel to the top of the guitar? When bottom plate is parallel the top one is at an angle and the opposite is true when top is parallel. I bought a used RG370DX and can't make the string go completely loose when bottom plate of the bridge is parallel because I don't have enough space to push the whammy bar far enough to make them loose.
So I just got my first guitar with a floyd rose. Completely inexperienced with then for the most part. If I wanted to put strings gauged at .10-.52 would I need to add a 4th spring for the bridge? I'm assuming mine only has 3 lol. Havent taken the back plate off to look yet.
Hey, good luck with you Floyd Rose guitar! With which tuning do you wanna use the 10-52 strings? If you don't want to tune very low, you might need a 4th spring, yes. //Kris
Hi, yes, most probably. Intonation changes when you radically change the string gauge. It's also dependent on the tuning though (in case you change that too) so you have to check what changed. Cheers //Kris
Some non Floyd Rose trems are okay it’s just they need to be set up right and balanced. I have a Edge Pro II trem made by Ibanez in my JS100 and it works as well as my Floyd Rose licensed trem. Any floating trem with a knife edge is good. The main thing is having it balanced right, your bridge should be flat and flush with the surface of your guitar not sticking out at all.
I could never do country style double bends or pedal steel effects without my open strings going out of tune. Can you do that with this setup ? Thx for sharing.
Lately I starting to have some finger pain, wondering if I can use lighter strings 8-38 on a floating bridge (Ibanez js) or it won’t work ? As good as it could be?
