Floyd Rose Help

punchlinechar

punchlinechar

New member
Hello all! About 9 months ago, I replaced the horrible Floyd on my Jackson Dinky with a Gotoh GE1996T trem. It's been an improvement, but I can never seem to get the thing to stay in tune. I've lubricated the posts and the saddles, and even replaced the nut, but it still goes way out after using the bar. I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference, but I'm not using the Gotoh studs, because I have to drill out for them. I've been using StewMac studs, so I don't know if that is having a negative impact or not.

I've considered getting a kahler hybrid, but at this point I've spent more than the guitar cost to upgrade it. If I can't get the Floyd to stay in tune, I'll probably just block it off and buy a better floyd guitar for my whammy needs further down the line.

Can anyone help me out?
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

How out of tune does it go? Do the knife edges or posts have visible wear? The worn Floyd Special on my SLX responded very well to a light filing of the knife edges, dry (no need for chapstick/lube ;) )
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

The system is black, and some of the finish has come off, but it's still smooth. The usual issue is the plain strings, they go both ways, but it sometimes has trouble returning to zero. I wonder if installing the proper studs will alleviate this at all.
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

PUT THE STUDS IN!!! If those existing studs are not an exact match or have burrs on them from the old unit they could be ruining your knife edges as we speak. Get all of the string and spring tension off that guitar RIGHT NOW until this is resolved. Pull the old sleeves (it's easy!) and drill new holes.
 
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Re: Floyd Rose Help

It is. My only concern is that the Gotoh ones are deeper and wider, so I don't know how easy it would be to drill
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

punchlinechar said:
It is. My only concern is that the Gotoh ones are deeper and wider, so I don't know how easy it would be to drill
Click to expand...

Easy... it's only a problem if it's narrower than the old one. Tape you drill bit for length... that's critical. Make sure you're holding your drill straight; ideally you'll use a drill press but I get that it's not always feasible.
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

I guess I'll install the new posts sometime this week, hopefully I'll be able to do dives to my heart's content after

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

punchlinechar said:
I guess I'll install the new posts sometime this week, hopefully I'll be able to do dives to my heart's content after

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Normally you should, when using the Gotoh posts that came with the Gotoh unit, you shouldn't experience any tuning problems, the Gotoh's are very nice units in my opinion!
Like 2ndhandband has suggested already, be careful with drilling, be sure to drill straight and mark your drill! If you know some business in the neighbourhood who has a drill press and would be open to drilling your new holes at an acceptable fee, I'd take it there. If there is no such option, just be very careful when drilling by hand and follow 2ndhandband's instructions!
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

I'll see if my local guitar shop can do it. I'm just hoping the StewMac studs didn't damage the knife edges.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

And please folks, if you DIY this, use a drill press. Find a buddy that has one and go over to his place if you have to. Do it right
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

I drilled down through a deep well socket into a scrap piece of 2x4. The socket steadied the drill bit and kept it straight, and when I was done I simply used the 2x4 as my new guide. Marked my bit depth with tape, and proceeded. Not really for the faint of heart but it can be done without a "pro" or a drill press.
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

If its just the high strings and they consistently either go sharp or flat every time, then adjust the high side trem claw a slight turn in what ever direction it needs to go. You can also try raising or lowering that side of the bridge just a tad. It seems like its not quite a straight pull or its fighting itself...
Gotohs are awesome units though!
Also, what gauge strings/tuning and how many springs do you have, and in what configuration? There's a lot of variables that can throw the whole thing off just enough to give the impression that problems lie elsewhere. Just trying to help with ideas before you go drilling it, but I would use the biggest diameter post/bushings I had...
Unless there's a lot of slop in the trem studs it shouldn't be them really, but they aren't the best things to use...
 
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Re: Floyd Rose Help

Your studs suck, it seems (most stewmac stuff does)

A good Floyd - OFR, Schaller, proper Gotoh or Ibanez Edge-branded Gotoh - stays in tune forever.

I had a guitar I hadnt picked up in a couple years, then played for like 100 hours, broke a string, replaced that with an exact match.... rest of the strings? STILL IN TUNE
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

Well yes same here, I have some that do not vary much if any and hold great. He just needs to tweak a few things to find that sweet spot.
Its so hard to diagnose what something could be by a description, so I'm just tossing ideas out there. Isn't there a YouTube video that's like everything ever about a Floyd? No? Well there should be.
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

I just put one of these trems on my ESP M-II and used the Original Floyd Rose studs and I am not having issues with tuning. Sounds like the posts are the culprit. Hopefully that will resolve your problem.

Cole
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

ColeJustesen said:
I just put one of these trems on my ESP M-II and used the Original Floyd Rose studs and I am not having issues with tuning. Sounds like the posts are the culprit. Hopefully that will resolve your problem.

Cole
Click to expand...

Was the OFR tired and trashed? Or did you install it as an upgrade over a functional OFR??
 
Re: Floyd Rose Help

Adieu said:
Was the OFR tired and trashed? Or did you install it as an upgrade over a functional OFR??
Click to expand...

The saddles were rusted and didn't move freely with the fine tuners. The knife edges were also a bit flattened out, probably due to adjusting the bridge height under tension. I was going to replace the saddles and rusted parts, but for the cost I could replace the whole unit with the Gotoh one. I like both systems a lot, but the Gotoh has a slight edge in feel against my palm. They both work fantastic!

Cole
 
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