Floating Bridge Fixes
Here are a couple of quick fixes for problems you
may have with Floyd Rose type floating tremolo systems. The problems
will mainly relate to tuning stability.
This is a very high level checklist but I will
write more detailed manuals on this topic later.
So lets start with the easy things...
- New Strings. Fresh strings are always a
good idea when you do a setup job or are having a tuning problem on
the guitar.
- Fit the strings properly. Make nice tidy
winds around the tuning pegs, and make sure that if your guitar
requires it, that you cut the ball ends off entirely. I won't go
into any detail at this point about the re-stringing process because
the Net has some good resources about that already.
- STRETCH your new strings. Stretch them
well both before and after locking the nut. Do this by fretting each
string in turn at the first fret while pulling the string up and
away from the fret board at the 12th fret. (Be careful with the high
e, don't break it) Be gentle and take your time with this, you don't
want to kink or otherwise damage the strings as you stretch them.
- Tuning Head condition. As you restring,
check your tuning heads and make sure they are not loose on the
headstock or faulty.
- Nut. Make sure that there is no movement
at the nut where it is mounted onto the neck. It must remain
perfectly still.
- Locking nut condition. Check for
deformity and any big grooves that could lead to the string clamping
being bad.
- Neck Joint. Make sure that the neck does
not move in the neck pocket. If you suspect a problem here, see a
good repairman.
- Tremolo Springs. Try replacing them.
They are subject to fatigue
- Tremolo Studs. Make sure they are not
worn
- Tremolo Knife edges. Check them for
wear, and if necessary have them re-conditioned
- Check for movement between the tremolo
body and the inertia block (also called trem block or sustain block)
The trem block connects to the trem body by a couple of screws, and
sometimes it may be necessary to tighten them.
- Check for slippage at individual
saddles. (you will pick this up reasonably easily)
- Lightly lubricate the moving parts of
the trem.
- Lightly grease the knife edges and trem
studs.
NOTE: Do not let grease and oil onto the
wood of the guitar.
Expect to tune a number of times with the locking
nuts unclamped.
When the guitar is at pitch, clamp the nuts.
Expect to tune some more. ;-)
Follow the process of Whammy (up and down on the bar) and Tune, Whammy
and Tune a number of times until the guitar stays in tune.
If these pointers don't at least improve your floating bridge tuning
problems, you should see a qualified repairman for advice.
Some folks would fit an accessory like the Trem-Setter (more on this
later) and other people simply choose to block the floating bridge. This
is a relatively easy modification and basically stabilizes the trem
entirely.
NOTE: String retainer at the nut. The purpose of this little bar
is to try and keep the guitar in tune when the nuts get clamped. It does
this by pressing the strings down over the nut at the headstock end so
that when the nuts are clamped, they don't put any tension on the
strings making them sound sharp
More articles on Floyd Rose Type Floating bridge repairs and maintenance
later.
If you would like a column or article on any topic above sooner, please
drop me a mail at talk@trueguitar.com
and we will see what we can do!
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