Now I know why every guitar I ever owned had a ToM bridge. Anyway.....are there any good websites on the net that give step-by-step instructions for maintenance? What about stuff like string changes?I'm also never going to use the trem....so would blocking it help? Any help would be appreciated. I didn't want to start searching Google and get lost in a billion different websites.
The tutorial is designed specifically for the Ibanez LoPro, but almost all the rules apply universally: www.ibanezrules.com Click on TECH
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/5082_floyd-rose-tremolo.htm I got a bunch of hits when I googled Floyd Rose maintenance or Floyd Rose setup.
One thing I always do on my own Floyds is put the strings in backwards so the ball end is up against the tuning peg without it wrapping around at all. Not everyone likes this but I think it increases the stability and makes the initial tuning go faster.
It would probably be easiest to just block the trem and not worry about it. Is there some reason you don't want to just sell the guitar and get something more suited to your playing style? -Austin
No...I just bought it. It's going to be a backup guitar for some stuff and my #1 for other things. I hate trems....but needed that specific guitar...so I'm going to have to learn to live with it. I'm just going to pay a tech to set it up, and show me how to do it so I can see first hand and will hopefully not let something like this happen again.
one thing a tech told me to do for a floyd guitar, is change 1 sting at a time. and to balance the changing, meaning if you change the Low E string, the next string you should change is the High E string. to balance. he says many people take all the strings off at once, and it completely screws everything up.
He's right about the one string at a time. Balancing as described doesn't make any sense. How could it make any difference which order you change the strings.
Ouch! Yeah, that's a big no-no with any floating trem guitar unless you use something to block the trem before hand so it doesn't get pulled all the way back by the springs (possibly damaging the top finish). Plus, it's easier to get everything in tune going one string at a time (as long as you make sure to strech them out as you go). -Austin
Your guitar won't fall apart if you take all the strings off, however. I do this every other time to clean and oil my fretboard.
Why would you buy a Floyd Rose equipped guitar and not want to use it? www.floydrose.com has set up instructions.
If you have a locking trem you might as well use it. Not really too different than having a floating stratocaster trem with the added complications of a locking nut and more of a pain to intonate. The common trick of leaving the ball end at the tuner has been mentioned above. If you have plenty of wraps on the string you can have enough downpressure on the nut so that tightening the lock won't change the tuning- this will vary depending on whether your headstock is angled or uses a bar string tree across all 6 strings on stocks with no back tilt. Extra wraps also mean if you bust a string at the bridge you can just unwrap more string and reclamp. You can test the clamps at the nut by pressing on the string behind the nut to make sure they are holding. In general overtightening the nut locks and string clamps at the bridge isn't necessary and can create problems. Using King Kong like strength leads to busted parts. If the bridge floats and you have room between the bridge and guitar body, you can slide something string(edit:strong) between the bridge and top of the body to keep the bridge in place to change strings ,removing them all if you want .When the strings are replaced and tuned up you remove whatever you used. If you don't have room you can do a similar thing inside the trem cavity, using a temporary block so the trem stays in place as you change strings. Then there are the various aftermarket devices that can lock trems. Usually you want the bridge to float parallel to the top of the guitar ,especially if the body is routed for pulling up. Of course ,if you bust a string your tuning is shot. If the guitar isn't backrouted you can adjust the trem so it is tight to the body but then you can't pull up but will stay in tune with a broken string. This is similar to a strat fulcrum trem, likewise the need to equalise string pull with the number of springs/claw tightness in the trem cavity. Heavier strings will pull the bridge up just like on a strat.
that's what I do too. I'm not sure what the big deal is - seems to me like another gadget to tinker with. probably a key piece of advice: don't adjust your trem height w/ tension on the knife edge.
I'd like to know what he means by "completely screws everything up." I'm a tech and have never had any problems with changing strings on a Floyd Rose bridge by removing them all. That's how I always do it. Sure, it takes longer to tune up a set of strings when you change them this way, but it certainly doesn't knock everything for a loop.
