floyd rose setups......

[Grizzly_Diesel]

So i recently acquired an ibanez rg. it has the edge tremelo system. also recently got a jackson rhoads with a floyd. i love playing on a floyd or and edge but ive never been able to set them up for ****. my two main guitars are bc rich *****es with the tuno-matic bridges. i play ghs 1-60 or ghs 11-70 gauge strings. can i use the 10-60's with the floyd tuned in drop C and not have a rediculous amount of tension? whats the best way to go about changing from a lighter gauge string to a haeavier guage string and keeping it in tune with the optimal amount of tension???

 

[Zarg]

Re: floyd rose setups......

if you dont need it, block it off and all your problems are gone. if you use really heavy strings you might need to add another 2 springs or screw the plate back more. Or try to get used to 10-54 for drop C, that should be manageable too. I went from very heavy gauges down to 10s and I'm really happy, lead playing is so much easier and its not worse for anything

 

[Grizzly_Diesel]

Re: floyd rose setups......

both have 3 springs now. the Jackson is set up in drop b with like 56's or 58's. and it feels great but i want drop c. the rg is in drop c with ernie ball not even slinkies. i believe its a 56 on the low and its terrible. so much tension. and the trem itself is pulled back resting on the body so you cant "pull up" so to speak. i tried to take a spring out but then the trem falls forward and the action is ridiculous.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: floyd rose setups......

If you remove a spring and it pulls too far forward, you have to tighten the claw screws to compensate. Inversely, if the bridge is laying back with 3 springs, you can back the claw out to compensate. In either case, you will also have to retune the strings, which will also affect the bridge angle as you go.

When tuning down with a Floyd that's set up properly (level), reduce string tension about half-way to your target, then release spring tension (the claw) the rest of the way. They'll meet somewhere in the middle and you can tweak from there.

 

[greekdude]

Re: floyd rose setups......

IMHO floyd and drop/down/alternate tunings dont get along very well.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: floyd rose setups......

Like most people nowadays, I think he's confusing "drop" with "everything down xx steps". I see a lot of people who don't know the difference between drop D and detuning a full step.

 

[greekdude]

Re: floyd rose setups......

^^^ the string makers are partially responsible since they advertise interchanging the two terms deliberately.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: floyd rose setups......

"If" there is an upside,generally Floyd's are 1 & done when/after getting set-up...

It's just the dialing in that's a PITA...

 

[dystrust]

Re: floyd rose setups......

So i recently acquired an ibanez rg. it has the edge tremelo system. also recently got a jackson rhoads with a floyd. i love playing on a floyd or and edge but ive never been able to set them up for ****. my two main guitars are bc rich *****es with the tuno-matic bridges. i play ghs 1-60 or ghs 11-70 gauge strings. can i use the 10-60's with the floyd tuned in drop C and not have a rediculous amount of tension? whats the best way to go about changing from a lighter gauge string to a haeavier guage string and keeping it in tune with the optimal amount of tension???

Are the BC Riches 24.75" or 25.5" scale? Many BC Rich guitars are short scale, whereas the RG and Rhoads will both be 25.5" which could explain the increased tension.

 

[devastone]

Re: floyd rose setups......

I use one of these on all my Floyd guitars - http://www.fu-tone.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=70&products_id=222

You lose some "flutter" but it's way more stable.

 

[Grizzly_Diesel]

Re: floyd rose setups......

true. ive never messed with them because of the hassle involed with tuning and changing strings. but i wanna expand and be able to use one effectively.

 

[Grizzly_Diesel]

Re: floyd rose setups......

definitely an option. would that prevent you from pulling up on the bar? or is it more of an accessory to get it back to level faster?

 

[Grizzly_Diesel]

Re: floyd rose setups......

yes both of my bich's are 24.75" scale. and the longer scale would make sense to the increased tension. is it possible to compensate the tesnion and keep the drop c tuning? while still using the 10-60 gauge strings?

 

[Grizzly_Diesel]

Re: floyd rose setups......

im looking to tune the guitar to cgcfad. basically d standard and then drop the low d to a c.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: floyd rose setups......

The EVH D-tuna helps with drop tunings on Floyds, however, there's still the change in tension on that one string, which will affect overall tension. I'm not sure how Ed keeps the rest of the guitar in tune, unless he lays the trem flat on the body for no pullups. I've got a guitar with a D-tuna on it, but haven't got it set up to use yet, so that's all I can think of. I know for a floating Floyd, any change in any string's tension will throw the rest out of whack.

All I can suggest is working with the Floyd and your tuning to find the right settings, as there's no hard and fast rules about "tune strings to exactly X and then back your claw screws out to exactly Y length and be sure your springs have exactly this or that tension and number of wraps", which is probably what it'd take.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: floyd rose setups......

I'm not sure how Ed keeps the rest of the guitar in tune, unless he lays the trem flat on the body for no pullups.

That's my understanding...

 

[dystrust]

Re: floyd rose setups......

yes both of my bich's are 24.75" scale. and the longer scale would make sense to the increased tension. is it possible to compensate the tesnion and keep the drop c tuning? while still using the 10-60 gauge strings?

Unfortunately, no. If you want the same tension in the same tuning with the longer scale, you need to use lighter strings. Your other option (as you've already seen) is to tune lower to reduce the tension.

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: floyd rose setups......

It's a PITA and time consuming process, you'll probably have to make some truss rod adjustments, adjust the height of the bridge, and maybe move some of the saddles forward or backward in addition to changing the spring tension. Unless you go with a Custom set you'll probably be stuck with 10's for the high strings, but IMO 10-52 sets work good for 25 1/2 scale in drop C. It'll take a lot of trial and error to get it all set up right, but once you do as long as you use the same brand and size strings when putting new ones on, there shouldn't be much adjustment needed.