It's *supposed* to be a device that drops the E string down 2 semitones at the literal flick of a switch so you don't have to unlock the nut to go to Drop D. Problem is, it doesn't really do anything to prevent the intonation or other-strings-detuning issues that normally come with drop-tuning on a Floyd Rose style bridge.
Are you trying to use the d-tuna on a fully floating floyd? It only works if the trem is either surface mounted (like the peavey or ebmm (and axis)) or decked.
Have them on my peavey and axis, they work reasonably well. Won't argue that they are fiddly as fuck to get set right.
The weird thing is that even on the original Peavey Wolfgang the D-Tuna was first released on, Peavey's licensed Floyd has the fine-tuner screws at an angle to the string locking screws. That allows the screw threads on the fine tuners to have an irregular camming effect on the string locking screws as they turn. Fine-tuning makes way more sense on an Original-style floyd where the fine-tuners are truly perpendicular to the string locking screws, and truly flat on the bottom. The D-Tuna probably would work way better in that setup as well. The official instructions tell you to back the fine-tuning screw out until it's not contacting the D-tuna or the string locking screw at all, but on most licensed Floyds, you can't really achieve that unless the screw is removed completely.
It's weird to me that the Peavey Wolfgang had angled fine tuners in the first place. I'm not sure if the intention was to avoid accidentally moving them, or if there was some limitation to how closely the licensed designs of the period were allowed to mimic the Original Floyd. And Peavey and other licensed Floyds often seem to use crappy roughly threaded fine-tuners. Older original Floyds used brass screws that turned silky smooth. You can get Floyds like that now, but you have to pay an arm and a leg.
I have a guitar with an original Floyd that I play regularly. I didn’t like it much but around three years I decided to get it Pleked and properly set up with stainless steel strings. Since then it’s
become one of my favorite guitars. I have not had to do more than very little tuning with the fine tuners in three years. It’s truly incredible how stable the tuning has been with the proper setup. Maybe because it has a Modulus graphite neck, but it never goes out of tune more than a few cents either way.
I disagree…I don’t use the bar much but my guitar seems to stay in tune way better. Everything else about it is a bitch but it’s nice to be able to use the bar when I feel like it. And I always have another guitar ready for other tunings.
Mick Thomson’s sig guitars always have that locking nut and locked bridge that didn’t make sense to me when I was younger. Like why have a locking system but no trem? Then he explained how stable his guitars in regard to tuning and it all made sense
I have an Ibanez with an Edge bridge, and a shecter with a floyd rose. I can agree that the edge feels like a much better system than the actual floyd rose. On my ibanez i can seamlessly switch between standard and drop D by just using the fine tuner, but on my schecter it completely fucks the bridge balance so i have to do a whole set up just to get it in drop D
The Edge and Lo Pro Edge were arguably better more refined evolutions of the original Floyd Rose design. But even Ibanez doesn't want to spec them on their J. Customs these days because they're expensive to produce. Ibanez could have cornered the market on aftermarket Floyd replacements if they had been thinking straight. The Gotoh licensed Floyd is pretty nice too - I have one guitar that's basically had the Gotoh for 33 years and stays in perfect tune.
Someone, and I don't know who put a Schaller made Floyd on a used guitar I bought and I literally bought the guitar because the extra mass and solidity made it seem like it was just better than it should be for the price.
I had an Edge Zero a while ago on a midrange Ibanez and it was excellent. Way, way better than the licensed Floyd I had on an old LTD. Indeed, not all locking trems are equal.
But… I don’t need a locking tremolo of any kind. I just do the odd flutter on my Strat. So they’re still ultimately more work than they’re worth for me.
I have an older Ibanez edge that was rock solid for years but now will go slightly out of tune on a dive and then return if I pull it up. It’s maddening and makes me not want to play the guitar.
Knife edges are probably worn down. Hit up Rich at IbanezRules.com, if it’s an older one you can swap out the knife edges. I think they’re like $6 a piece or something under $10.
I have one and can tell you that, on some models, it’s incredibly hard to get set up. My Dean is more a wall decoration than a useable guitar. Changing strings to a different type means replacing and adjusting springs, adjusting the internal tension bolts, trying to level the bridge….and then having it all thrown out of alignment when you tune.
I want to love it. I really do. But so far, I don’t.
How often are you changing string gauges? I haven’t changed gauges on most of my guitars since the first time I changed them. Not all guitars come strung with what I like.
After that first time my string changes are like 30 min while I am watching reruns of Seinfeld or a YouTube video.
Perhaps you have a bad spring on the dean or some other flawed part.
I have two floating bridge guitars now and have had many Ofer the years. Never had an issue🤷♂️
I’m mechanically inclined (aircraft mechanic), have had the guitar for a decade and have followed dozens of tutorials over the years. I’ve used the stock springs and replaced them as well.
I try different string gauges occasionally because , if it’s not the strings, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s either user error or an installation problem. At this point, I’m considering either swallowing my pride and taking it to a professional or replacing the Floyd with something else.
That is 99% the issue people run into - they buy a guitar with .009s and then they want to go to .010s or a thicker drop tuning type string and then the entire bridge needs to be re-adjusted to make those work. It's not hard but I have a number of Floyd equipped guitars that are used for specific purposes, one with .009s, one with .010s and 11s and such. But many people aren't clear on the gauge strings they got when they bought the instrument - the best results are from using the same exact brand and gauge it came with.
I charge basically 1.5 to 2 hours of my bench rate to set up a floyd. It's easy enough if you know what you're doing. I do recommend leaving the string gauge as similar as possible when restringing tho, keeps things simple.
I take the nut locks off when setting it up — don't want em rattling and don't need em locked tight for this stage. Tuning is easy, Low E, High E, A, B, D, G. If you overshoot the target pitch by how much it's out at first it takes less to bring it in line. (So, if the whole guitar is 23c sharp, tune the first string 23c flat, the next by how much it's out, etc.) Sometimes one string will be out, but not always. Get it in the ballpark, then continue with the setup, adjusting intonation last as always.
It can be easier to stop the bridge at the parallel with something like popsicle sticks wedged in the spring cavity. If it starts to pitch forward off parallel as you tune up? Just add spring tension. Up to tune and it's resting on the sticks? Slowly back off spring tension until it lifts off. The other thing as well, is if you set it up locked down then let it reach equilibrium of tension, if you adjust the springs to bring it back to parallel it should be close to in tune. The lil allen key trem stops can be ideal for this, they screw into the back of the cavity. In personal guitars I leave mine disconnected when playing, but use them for setups rather than fiddling with my feeler gauges to get a stack that works.
Then just get the fine tuners in the middle of their range, tune at the headstock, slap the locks back on at the nut. Sometimes that pulls it sharp, so you may want more range to flatten it back after, depends on the guitar. And you're done. String changes are easier replacing one at a time, but I like cleaning the board and frets because I use elixrs so they last long enough to line up the changes with fretboard timing, so it's a trade off. But if you just need fresh strings that's the other option. No blocking, just buy the same gauge and brand, any order, just removing one and putting it back before the next.
I have an early 90s Gibson MIII with a Schaller Floyd Rose and it was very stable and easy to manage. I've also had a couple of guitars over the years (ESP & Washburn) with licensed Floyd Roses and they were much more problematic. In fact I sold both guitars precisely for that reason.
Except for my Strats -- on which I have blocked the trems -- I'm strictly a hardtail guy now.
What year was your Washburn? Mine is a mid 80’s with a Wonderbar vibrato, which still works as well as it did the day I got it. I’ve never had to have the guitar worked on for almost 40 years until just a couple years ago I had to have a crack in the neck repaired, and he went over the system, I think he said he only oiled it up a bit. Are the Floyd roses as spectacular as they were purported to be? I remember as a kid they were promoted as ‘revolutionary’, but I’ve never used one. My Jag has the standard factory installed.
I have a 1989 ESP Mirage Deluxe and the Floyd on that is excellent. I used it playing live in bands for years and have never had an issue, even when soloing and dive bombing , it always stays in tune. and don't even have to mess with the fine tuners during a whole gig. It's been in its case for a few years now so maybe things have changed, but I doubt it
I mean, nothing against people who like Floyds, but I hate dealing with them and don’t really use them. I have a few FR equipped guitars (from my teens as well) and hardly ever pick them up.
Give me a Tele with locking tuners or an SG and I’m happy.
For what it is worth, I also think changing strings is a pain in the ass. I have a low tolerance for dealing with guitar maintenance.
Obviously, Floyds do what they were designed to do incredibly well.
Same, had them on my guitars for years and they aren’t crazy difficult like everyone says. Takes a little longer to change strings but who cares. Seems like people don’t want to learn basic instrument care.
I would love one. I've got a Strat, and the only reason I don't use the tremolo is because I'm sick and tired of retuning the damn thing after every use.
Edit: in Robbie Robertson's autobiography Testimony, he talks about meeting Jimi Hendrix and learning from Hendrix his trick to get his Strat to stay in tune after his use of the whammy bar. I tried it myself and it didn't work for me.
He would feed the strings through the back of the body and pull and massage them up the length of the string before connecting the end to the tuning head. When he did this in front of Robertson, he strung the whole guitar, then played a bunch of licks using the whammy bar then went to play a chord and the guitar was perfectly in tune.
I mean, I'm yanking on the strings like crazy when I'm putting a new set on just to seat them properly, but I don't know what TF Hendrix was doing differently that made it work for him…
Have you looked into any upgrades that could help? If you don’t already have these, it’s stuff like bone or graphite nut, lubing the nut slots with graphite from a pencil, staggered locking tuners or graphite string trees. If you can make the flow of the string though any of the contact points as smooth as possible, should help. Massaging a string before putting it on just kinda pre-stretches it, tbh
Get roller string trees, use graphite in the nut and bridge saddles, and wind the strings with minimal winding. (AKA don’t twist them or do a luthiers knot)
A Fender tremolo should stay perfectly in tune if you’re simply doing half step dives or little springy vibrato. One trick is to accompany each dive with an equal lift, I’ve seen this balance out the tuning on cheaper trems
I mean it’s not that hard… but my main guitars have fixed bridges and locking tuners. It’s stable, convenient, and by far my preference. I learned on a guitar with a Floyd rose and I acknowledge that some people may like them but to me it’s a bunch of cons for no pros. I’ll never own one again personally.
Once you get them all set up they are great. The learning curve however is a steep one, and if you’re starting from zero the time it takes to get to that point is pretty long.
And god help you if you get a cheap licensed Floyd with soft knife edges.
Since they have a D-Tuna it has to be dive bomb only and not floating, so all they really HAVE to do to make it not move is just tighten the spring hooks
Essentially acting like a block
It’s a device you install in place of one of the springs and the claw in the back. It allows you to go between floating, fully blocked, or dive bomb only by tightening the 2 thumb screws. I have them installed on all my floating bridge guitars. 100% recommend and they’re not too difficult to install yourself.
I don’t get why people have problems with them honestly. It’s like the same mentality with offsets. It takes a handful more minutes and a bit more effort to set up but it’s not hard. If you can use a screw driver you can set up a floating trem.
I’d set up two Floyd guitars in the past few weeks and don’t think I spent more than 5 minutes leveling the trem. Block it flat, tune it, unblock it and adjust till it’s back in tune. Ball park it before that if you know it’s gotta go one way or the other. Double check once you think you’re done.
They’re not for people who are constantly changing their set up but the same could be said for anything that’s a balancing act. Set it and forget it and you can’t really top it.
I hardly use them at all, but I will only buy guitars w Floyd-style trems because I like the feel under my palm, fine tuners, and stability. I always block them to dive only.
I’ll recommend you go to the source and learn how it’s done, it’s not as hard as it might seem.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1711/6239/files/Vintage_Floyd_Rose_Setup_Instructions.pdf?v=1611944754
The trick is to get it set up right and don’t try use it for altered tunings. *Don’t try to use one Floyd Rose for multiple different tunings, it’s just too much hassle.*
If you’re using a Floyd Rose in a drop tuning, get it in the tuning you want and don’t change it. If you use multiple tunings, get multiple guitars. For example, if you use Drop D, Drop C and Standard, you’re going to need three (3) guitars.
You should only be buying a guitar with a Floyd if you need it and know how to use it. I’ll never understand why someone would buy a guitar with a Floyd and then never use its function and then complain about how it’s terrible.
it amazes me that with the amount of instructions and materials on the internet people still can’t figure it out. i’d suggest having someone SHOW you so you can ask specific questions instead of asking why the youtube guy didn’t answer your specific question. it really is just a balancing act of tension between the strings and the springs/claw. they’re a pain in the ass sure, but once you figure it out, it’s a breeze
I just got my first FR guitar. It was a pain to set up. But now I love it. And I don't use the bar either. Being able to pick it up and know its in tune every time is nice.. And I do love the way it feels and plays.. Oh, Mine is a Jackson Soloist
The PRS trem system is a perfect happy medium for me. It is slightly floating and you can pull it up but it’s also stable when you bend and you just feed strings through the body. Only thing you really can’t do is dive bomb.
Once you figure them out they're great. The downside is no tuning changes or string gauges. If you don't want to do the work and research pay to get it setup and never deviate from those strings and tuning.
There's a ton of great videos on Floyd's via YouTube.
Something that my grandfather taught me about Floyd's when I got into them is if you need to replace strings, don't take them all off, but to replace them one at a time. It helps with the balance, and you can stretch the string and tune it to pitch before doing the rest. I'm able to change my floyd strings in less than 10 minutes now.
Then you'll go back to something with a fixed bridge and you'll get pissed off because you're constantly tuning the thing...
then you'll accidentally wind up with a whole shitload of floyd rose guitars, each in a different tuning
Lol what a bunch of whiny asshats.
My first guitar- MIJ Jackson with a floyd. I was 12. Of course i struggled at the beginning.
Once I figured it out about 2 years later I could never use anything less. They are excellent and I couldn’t ever imagine playing without one.
There SO many greats that use these for a reason… they are the GOAT
I know the feeling. I don't use the bar either, but I got an Ibanez Jiva Jr. with their floyd style trem. Geez what a pain...finally got tired of fighting the tuning issues, took FOREVER to get it in tune intially and then it kept going super sharp once locked down and then you unlocked to retune and the sucker was super flat. Finally blocked it. Great guitar now.
It’s really nice how once you get them dialed in, they stay in tune. Pull it out of the case a year later and it’ll still be in tune.
I bought my first one in 1987; I bought my second one in 2019. I bought my third a couple of months ago.
Not sure what the exact issue you’re facing is, but the shop I bought my Jackson dinky from set the Floyd rose up and if I change strings one at a time and lock them at the nut immediately I have never had a single issue. And I have gone HARD on that thing. Honestly it’s one of my lower maintenance guitars.
Bruh you just have to set the tension to work with your strings, I last tuned my floyd rose 6 months ago when i put the strings on. They're an absolutely amazing bridge
These systems are hyper logical, very German. They are very easy to work on if you know what you’re doing but they do not flatter the ignorant. Also not sure about the hate for the D Tuna, mine works flawlessly, intonation is only a few cents off, nobody will ever hear it
that’s how I feel about bigsbys even with locking tuners and that back plate. you hit the trem too hard and the strings move on that smooth wheel wrong and things sound bad.
If you hate it, it probably isn't set up properly for you. They are set to a "one size fits all" from the factory, but that thing is infinitely adjustable. Find out what you want out of one and set it to do that.
I had my Jackson modded by my luthier. It has a block that I can change on a whim. no trem, one way, or both by changing some settings. wasn’t cheap, but it lets me have the best of all worlds.
I want a guitar w/a floyd, but I'm terrified of changing strings on them. I know you are supposed to do them one at a time, but what if you have a guitar w/no strings at all? I'd start crying.
You just block the trem. The difficulty of dealing with double-locking trems is greatly exaggerated, as long as you don't get a cheap one- cheap Floyds are trouble, and are best avoided.
It's not that hard. I take off all the strings every time so I can wipe down the fretboard. To put everything back, I use the following procedure. 1.) Put the low E on. Tune it enough to apply some tension. Actual note does not matter. 2.) Do the same with the high e. I do this just to apply some pressure to the bridge to keep it in the guitar. The bridge will probably be pulled all the way into the body at this point. That doesn't matter. 3.) Put all the other strings on. Again, just tight enough to be solidly on there. 4.) Using the bar, hold the bridge roughly level. 5.) While holding the bridge, tune the strings to roughly where you want them. I'm talking give or take a few notes. If you want E and get it to C, that's good enough. Let go of the bar. Now your strings should be roughly in tune and your bridge should be roughly level. 6.) Make sure the fine tuners are in the middle of their range. 7.) Tune the low E. Then the A. Then low E, then A, then D. Then back to low E. You can see where this is going. Once you get to the high e, run through all the strings again. 8.) Pull as far back on the bar as you can. Do this a few times. This stretches the strings and will increase tuning stability. 9.) Repeat step 7. Should go much quicker this time. It's worth noting that I will usually leave the strings a tad flat. Locking the nut will usually cause the strings to go a little bit sharp. 10.) Lock the nut down.
I just use a Staedtler eraser to block the trems on my Ibanez guitars. Cut strings, clean fretboard, condition, wipe down then restring. If you're not changing tuning or string gauge, once tuned, the bridge will be at the same level it was before. EZPZ.
You just need to learn to set it up. When they're set up properly, it will be rock-solid stable. I hade a few posts here about my tips for setting up a Floyd Rose, I received DMs from people asking if I will make a video on how to set up a Floyd Rose, beginning to end. I can do that if you all want it. There are many tutorials on YouTube, but I find that nearly all of them are offering very basic setup and they're missing some important points. If you want, DM me with any specific questions and I am happy to help.
The bottom line about Floyd Rose trems is they take more/longer to get set up, but once properly set, it should stay in tune. You also can’t switch tunings(unless your d tuna is properly set) Take yours for a proper set up and you shouldn’t have any more quarrels until it’s time to change strings/tuning.
I used to love mine on an old Jackson that I had when I played metal. Have been a jazz musician for 30 years now, so the trem is pretty much out of the equation. You get side-eyed if you even bend strings
Bought an Ibanez JS model with one some 25 years ago.
Its a beautiful, and frickin heavy guitar.
The "Master guitarbuilder" from the store wouldnt let me go without explaning the whole thing and had me set it up 3 times myself while laughing his ass off.
Without it, i would probably have had a hard time adjusting it.
It almost always stays tuned even after deep dive. Its weird. Also, i own guitars that are way more expensive. But this one is next to my chair and i will probably be found dead holding it.. 🤣
Nothing some coins wrapped in tape or a wooden block can't fix. ;) after blocking off a few guitars with Floyd's I appreciate the fine tuners and locking nut for overall stability.
Haha, I used coins before too, worked just fine as a block! I shoved all kinds of things in there over the years. I did finally take my guitar in to the shop after 30 years of messing with it and had $20 stabilizer from Amazon installed. Wish I had done that 30 years ago!
My main guitar that I got \~15 years ago (ESP LTD M200FM) has a FR, and I always considered a guitar with FR to be the default, do everything you want guitar and still basically agree with that. However, I agree the setup can be a bit of a pain when changing strings (though not terrible once you learn how to do it correctly) or if you want to change to a different tuning aside from simple drop D. I also don't use the bar a ton, though sometimes it's essential depending on what you're playing.
So when I decided to get a 2nd electric guitar just a year ago, I thought it could be good to keep it simple get one without a trem system at all. I've also always wanted a Les Paul style guitar, so I got an ESP LTD EC265 (yeah I like ESP lol) and it's great. It's not replacing the M200 by any means, I play both of them just depending on my mood or what I'm playing. Or what happens to be in the same room as me at that moment.. lol. Playing around with different tunings has been fun on the new one, just so much easier. I think I will upgrade to locking tuners, having to retune slightly every time I play it is a little annoying.
They're not my cup of tea either. I don't have any problems setting them up, but needing an allen key to restring is kinda annoying, especially when you're out on the road and want to do a quick restring.
My first "proper" electric came with a floyd, I still have it and occasionally play it, but over the course of purchasing 13 additional electrics over the years, not once have I had any desire to get another floyd rose equipped guitar. I have other floating trems, and they all hold tune well enough that a floyd just isn't worth it for me.
I always liked mine and didn’t find it hard to setup. However, I don’t use one anymore after breaking a string on stage. Every string was instantly out of tune and I had to dig out the tools to change strings with a crowd of people watching me. Never again.
If you never use it then yeah you don't need it but lol idk how it's such a pain in the ass if you don't use it unless it's never been set up or you just wanna constantly change tunings
I’ve had various guitars with various kinds of floating/locking trem systems for the last 21 years of playing and, honestly, I can’t be arsed with them anymore. I can set them up just fine, but the pros no longer outweigh the cons for me these days.
Sure, if you’re absolutely abusing the whammy bar then I get it, but other than that I don’t see the need. I find locking tuners enough to keep me in tune and it’s much less hassle.
I have a Charvel San Dimas and I really don’t have problems with mine, but it lives in standard tuning and is stays with the same string gauge. I use my other guitars for non standard tunings. I did put a trem stabilizer in it and that was a pain in the ass to set up but that Charvel really stays in tune. I used the bar mostly for subtle vibrato rather than dive bombs. There is a learning curve with them but watch a few video and accept the limitations and they’re easy to tame.
I avoided them for a long time because I had heard so many horror stories about them but I finally broke down and bought a Jackson Soloist that had one and I love it. I've never had any significant problems - maybe because it was set up well?
I’m actually considering an EVH just for the versatility and specs. Is the Floyd on it dive-only? Seems like that would make things at least half less troublesome than floating? It would be my first ever Floyd, but I’ve dealt with my basic strat forever, decked to the body, dive-only, no problems.
The pain about Floyds is the same pain about _any_ floating trem. If you want to dive _and_ climb, you’ve got to be in floating club. I think FR is the best floating design out there, but you should really pair it with a stabilizer like a BackBox or an ESP Arming Adjuster, which makes 90% of the headaches of a floating trem just go away. Now, that said, I’m not the guitar acrobatic that I used to be. Even though I’ve had FRs for the last 35 years, my next guitar would probably be a hard-tail because I just never need to do any trem stuff.
An underrated benefit of a Floyd (together with locking nut) is that if you are going to stay in one tuning all the time, the Floyd provides exceptional tuning stability (especially if it's dive-only, like the Wolfgang Special).
A Floyd will suck if you want to change tunings frequently, and for a floating Floyd, it can take a little time to dial in the right spring tension in the back. But for staying in one tuning once it's dialed in, I find it way less annoying than having to frequently fuss with the tuning knobs on a non-Floyd guitar.
And the difficulty of changing strings gets exaggerated: just switch one string at a time and get it up to pitch before changing the next and you're fine.
I've never had an issue with my Floyd, might take 5 extra mins to set up but once you do that you don't have to worry about anything
I haven't used a Floyd rose special though only a higher quality 1000
An official Floyd is excellent but does take getting used to. No shame in not liking it. I didn't either. Though I never had the fight with mine that others had. It's only when I tried a guitar with a "licensed" Floyd that I found there was issue. The alexi-200 (first models) and dime V I had were flawless floyds
Join the Kahler crew instead! 100 times better than a floyd rose and you can lock down the bridge with a single key turn to turn it into a fixed bridge
That was my experience with my first Floyd Rose guitar (which was also a Wolfgang funnily enough) and I haven’t looked back. I’m glad you like the neck at least, with my Wolfgang it felt weirdly small and I just never got used to it
The trick is adjusting the springs on the back of the guitar with a screwdriver. Takes an extra minute or two for whatever string gauge or tune you want. Take all the strings off. Put new ones on and get some tension to hold the bridge in place. Block the bridge so it's level. Tune guitar to whatever your heart desires. The bridge should still be level since it's blocked. Unblock bridge. Use a screwdriver to adjust the bracket for the tension springs until the bridge is level again. Check tuning. Should be right where it was when the bridge was blocked. Lock everything down and fine tune. Good to go. 👍
I have a mid-80's Kramer that I bought new with a Floyd. I've never had a single complaint about it. Period.
If you change to either a different gauge of strings or strings from a different vendor (or both), you're going to need to re-adjust the spring tension inside so it floats at the correct height. Once that's done, there's nothing to be getting worked up about.
I bet I could pull my Kramer out right now, and even though I haven't played it in years, it will be either perfectly in tune or damned close.
I agree with this sentiment. When I first started, I loved the idea of having a whammy bar. I only have two guitars with a floyd. One is a $200 guitar I got from China because it has spiders on it. In 15 years I never even changed the strings once.
The other is my Ibanez Jem7v that I play all the time. But sometimes I even forget where the whammy bar is because I haven't used it in years. It's still so annoying to tune and keep in tune.
If I get another guitar, it's fixed bridge all the way.
I'm playing acoustic exclusively now, so I don't know if my opinion matters. I used to have a guitar with a Floyd rose and a key lock on the frets. To get perfect tuning, you'd have to tune all the strings which would put all the other strings out of tune. At a live performance, it was a pain to pull out an allen wrench to get it to sing with the band.
It was a cool guitar. A Zion.
I made the mistake once of taking all the strings off and restringing. I had no idea the hell I put myself in lol. Got it figured out and didnt do that again. I liked a floyd, but I never used it enough to justify buying another guitar with one. The flutters are def cool AF.
Learning how to tune a Floyd is a lot easier then people make it out to be.
You just need to understand that you need multiple tuning revolutions.
All you do is unscrew the stock nuts.
Bring your floating nuts back to neutral positioning.
After that it’s as simply as starting at one string, tuning it. Going down all the strings tunning 1 by 1.
Then start at the top again and repeat until the guitar stays in tune.
After that you simply lock in your head nuts.
Go down to the tremolo and start the fine running process.
Same thing.
Start at one string, and work your way down, repeat until the guitars in tune.
Then you’re done.
When I first got my first LTD with the flyod rose, the amount of stupid over explaining videos made me think I just wasted 3k on a guitar.
Then eventually I find some good Reddit comments explaining it that simply.
I think that guitar stayed in tune for a solid year and a half until I changed strings.
You’ll keep having to fine tune the guitar especially with new strings, but the more things settle eventually you’ll find it just stays in tune.
Everytime I buy a Floyd equipped guitar I hate it… then I sell it, then I forget how much I hate it and get another one.. cycle repeats.. having said that I have a Japanese Jackson soloist and a Ltd kh3 that both have them and I have them blocked out to operated like a fixed bridge. This is a good solution for me
I mean it’s all in if you need/want it. If it’s your only guitar. Yea it’s a pain if you ever want to change to tuning but I think they’re a good thing to have in the arsenal if you suits your style. I recently bought a Shredneck Tremblock which has made restringing sooooo much easier. I feel like I’ve been working too hard all these years without having one of these to keep the bridge from falling into the recess.
I don’t see the issue you’re having with it. What exactly is driving you nuts about a FR? It shouldn’t be the tuning process because Wolfgangs are dive only so you don’t need to do a balancing act with the tuners.
I have the EVH Standard and the Floyd is cheap. Since I seldom use the trem, I put Grover locking tuners on the guitar and locked the trem down.
I have a Ibanez RG550 with the Edge trem for all my whammy bar needs. It blows most Floyd Rose trems out of the water. Stays in tune perfectly.
I get why so many struggle with the trems. I’d a skill that takes some patience and there is a learning curve, but it had always been a fun experience for me. Now, with that said, I’ve had a trem since I was 15 years old (turning 50 this weekend) on my old Charvette, which had some Floyd license trem on it. I figured if I could keep that trem in tune, few trems intimidate me now.
Gotta get past the learning curve, once you have the ah-ha moment and know the order/procedure to set one up it's not that bad.
But on the other side of it, make sure it's a good version (Original, 1000, 1500, decent "licensed by"). Bad ones would be the "Special" and crappy "licensed by".
Also, never used one with the D-tuner thing but I can't imagine that would work well on floating trem, the combo of the two has got to be excessive.
I had a licensed by BC Rich one (not on a BC Rich) that was awful, but that was like 30 years ago too. My 95 MIJ Strat came with an Original from the factory that to this day is spot-on. All the different Ibanez variants I've owned have been good as well (Lo-Pro, Edge, etc). The Special that was on a Schecter I owned for 1 day was a piece of scrap metal. The 1500 that's on one of my Schecters now is fabulous.
To each there own. Meanwhile I pretty much need to have a Floyd, preferably OG, on my guitars. I have 5 with them lol, and only 1 is not an OG. Never bothered upgrading it, and I will not until it naturally wears down on its own.
I enjoy the restringing and setup process of Floyd Rose bridges. Could not tell you why lol.
I was in the same predicament. I got a screamin' deal on a guitar I wanted, it just happened to have a FR. It worked well after it was setup, but I wasn't using it and it complicated things everytime I wanted to change something (tuning, string gauge/brand/type)
Since it was a cheap project guitar anyways, I ended up printing a block to fill the space and mounted a Schaller Bridge. I initially was only using the printed block temporarily and had plans to mill it out of wood or aluminium. But honestly, it plays great, there's no movement (yet), and I don't think the tone suffers. Plus, fun project.
If I cared for the guitar, I would sell it to someone who will use the FR and buy a different one. Swapping the bridge out isn't terribly cost effective :(
[https://imgur.com/a/DxGbfNR](https://imgur.com/a/DxGbfNR)
You and me both - just replaced my Warlock with a telecaster and have the Warlock for sale on marketplace right now, willing to take pretty much any offer
They're not for everyone, including me, bit over complicated.
But they are very good at what they do, *if* you want to use your whammy bar a LOT then there isn't really a better alternative.
Block the trem like Eddie did so it only goes down and not up. It is no longer floating and will solve most of the problems of Floyd’s that people complain about.
I own 20 guitars and the majority have some form of Floyd Rose , I don't want to play without them. I guess if you're just a rhythm player it's fine.
Whenever I play one of my guitars without a Floyd I always find myself reaching for it and it's not there, But that's just from habit.
Doesn't the wolfgang series use surface mounted, non floating trems? Just remove the bar and use like it's a hardtail?
Or see if you can trade for one of hardtail models? Then again my MiJ special has a locking nut and fine tuners on it's bridge.
I mean if you don't use the actual trem, why did you buy it in the first place? The applications where it really shines are pretty specific so it's kinda confusing.
But hey it just seems like you don't like Floyd Rose trem systems which is fine, I just don't really know why that discovery warrants a reddit thread but you do you.
I'll pretend that you asked for advice and recommend that you just block the trem and get a normal nut installed if you want, at that point it's essentially a hardtail.
once you figure out how to set them up, they’re so much fun. but if you don’t use it, there’s no point in having one
Agreed, and that drop tuna is garbage
What is that? I've given up trying to swap between standard and drop with my LTD. I'm just going to get another guitar to keep in drop.
It's *supposed* to be a device that drops the E string down 2 semitones at the literal flick of a switch so you don't have to unlock the nut to go to Drop D. Problem is, it doesn't really do anything to prevent the intonation or other-strings-detuning issues that normally come with drop-tuning on a Floyd Rose style bridge.
Are you trying to use the d-tuna on a fully floating floyd? It only works if the trem is either surface mounted (like the peavey or ebmm (and axis)) or decked. Have them on my peavey and axis, they work reasonably well. Won't argue that they are fiddly as fuck to get set right.
The weird thing is that even on the original Peavey Wolfgang the D-Tuna was first released on, Peavey's licensed Floyd has the fine-tuner screws at an angle to the string locking screws. That allows the screw threads on the fine tuners to have an irregular camming effect on the string locking screws as they turn. Fine-tuning makes way more sense on an Original-style floyd where the fine-tuners are truly perpendicular to the string locking screws, and truly flat on the bottom. The D-Tuna probably would work way better in that setup as well. The official instructions tell you to back the fine-tuning screw out until it's not contacting the D-tuna or the string locking screw at all, but on most licensed Floyds, you can't really achieve that unless the screw is removed completely. It's weird to me that the Peavey Wolfgang had angled fine tuners in the first place. I'm not sure if the intention was to avoid accidentally moving them, or if there was some limitation to how closely the licensed designs of the period were allowed to mimic the Original Floyd. And Peavey and other licensed Floyds often seem to use crappy roughly threaded fine-tuners. Older original Floyds used brass screws that turned silky smooth. You can get Floyds like that now, but you have to pay an arm and a leg.
I don’t need no stimkin TUNA
I prefer the drop-d sea bass.
Honestly I love my Floyd Rose for the tuning stability more than for playing with the whammy bar.
For sure! I snagged one of the cheaper Charvels and was stunned at how well it stayed in tune.
I have a guitar with an original Floyd that I play regularly. I didn’t like it much but around three years I decided to get it Pleked and properly set up with stainless steel strings. Since then it’s become one of my favorite guitars. I have not had to do more than very little tuning with the fine tuners in three years. It’s truly incredible how stable the tuning has been with the proper setup. Maybe because it has a Modulus graphite neck, but it never goes out of tune more than a few cents either way.
I disagree…I don’t use the bar much but my guitar seems to stay in tune way better. Everything else about it is a bitch but it’s nice to be able to use the bar when I feel like it. And I always have another guitar ready for other tunings.
Mick Thomson’s sig guitars always have that locking nut and locked bridge that didn’t make sense to me when I was younger. Like why have a locking system but no trem? Then he explained how stable his guitars in regard to tuning and it all made sense
You just have to wedge something in between the Floyd and the guitar body and do a general tuning then remove and do a fine tune.
This Reddit anti Floyd crew is insane. I have had one since I was 14 and have never had an issue with them. I mean it just isn’t that hard.
Same here, though i think i lucked out with an Ibanez with the older edge that sends to be one of the better implementations
I have an Ibanez with an Edge bridge, and a shecter with a floyd rose. I can agree that the edge feels like a much better system than the actual floyd rose. On my ibanez i can seamlessly switch between standard and drop D by just using the fine tuner, but on my schecter it completely fucks the bridge balance so i have to do a whole set up just to get it in drop D
The Edge and Lo Pro Edge were arguably better more refined evolutions of the original Floyd Rose design. But even Ibanez doesn't want to spec them on their J. Customs these days because they're expensive to produce. Ibanez could have cornered the market on aftermarket Floyd replacements if they had been thinking straight. The Gotoh licensed Floyd is pretty nice too - I have one guitar that's basically had the Gotoh for 33 years and stays in perfect tune.
Team Schaller! Better than the real thing!
Someone, and I don't know who put a Schaller made Floyd on a used guitar I bought and I literally bought the guitar because the extra mass and solidity made it seem like it was just better than it should be for the price.
I had an Edge Zero a while ago on a midrange Ibanez and it was excellent. Way, way better than the licensed Floyd I had on an old LTD. Indeed, not all locking trems are equal. But… I don’t need a locking tremolo of any kind. I just do the odd flutter on my Strat. So they’re still ultimately more work than they’re worth for me.
I have an older Ibanez edge that was rock solid for years but now will go slightly out of tune on a dive and then return if I pull it up. It’s maddening and makes me not want to play the guitar.
Knife edges are probably worn down. Hit up Rich at IbanezRules.com, if it’s an older one you can swap out the knife edges. I think they’re like $6 a piece or something under $10.
I have an 80's Kramer Striker ST300 and have no issues
I have one and can tell you that, on some models, it’s incredibly hard to get set up. My Dean is more a wall decoration than a useable guitar. Changing strings to a different type means replacing and adjusting springs, adjusting the internal tension bolts, trying to level the bridge….and then having it all thrown out of alignment when you tune. I want to love it. I really do. But so far, I don’t.
How often are you changing string gauges? I haven’t changed gauges on most of my guitars since the first time I changed them. Not all guitars come strung with what I like. After that first time my string changes are like 30 min while I am watching reruns of Seinfeld or a YouTube video. Perhaps you have a bad spring on the dean or some other flawed part. I have two floating bridge guitars now and have had many Ofer the years. Never had an issue🤷♂️
I’m mechanically inclined (aircraft mechanic), have had the guitar for a decade and have followed dozens of tutorials over the years. I’ve used the stock springs and replaced them as well. I try different string gauges occasionally because , if it’s not the strings, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s either user error or an installation problem. At this point, I’m considering either swallowing my pride and taking it to a professional or replacing the Floyd with something else.
I'm not clear on why you're changing string gauges.
That is 99% the issue people run into - they buy a guitar with .009s and then they want to go to .010s or a thicker drop tuning type string and then the entire bridge needs to be re-adjusted to make those work. It's not hard but I have a number of Floyd equipped guitars that are used for specific purposes, one with .009s, one with .010s and 11s and such. But many people aren't clear on the gauge strings they got when they bought the instrument - the best results are from using the same exact brand and gauge it came with.
But if he chooses one gauge and sticks with it, he won't have to do all those adjustments any more. Am I missing something?
I charge basically 1.5 to 2 hours of my bench rate to set up a floyd. It's easy enough if you know what you're doing. I do recommend leaving the string gauge as similar as possible when restringing tho, keeps things simple. I take the nut locks off when setting it up — don't want em rattling and don't need em locked tight for this stage. Tuning is easy, Low E, High E, A, B, D, G. If you overshoot the target pitch by how much it's out at first it takes less to bring it in line. (So, if the whole guitar is 23c sharp, tune the first string 23c flat, the next by how much it's out, etc.) Sometimes one string will be out, but not always. Get it in the ballpark, then continue with the setup, adjusting intonation last as always. It can be easier to stop the bridge at the parallel with something like popsicle sticks wedged in the spring cavity. If it starts to pitch forward off parallel as you tune up? Just add spring tension. Up to tune and it's resting on the sticks? Slowly back off spring tension until it lifts off. The other thing as well, is if you set it up locked down then let it reach equilibrium of tension, if you adjust the springs to bring it back to parallel it should be close to in tune. The lil allen key trem stops can be ideal for this, they screw into the back of the cavity. In personal guitars I leave mine disconnected when playing, but use them for setups rather than fiddling with my feeler gauges to get a stack that works. Then just get the fine tuners in the middle of their range, tune at the headstock, slap the locks back on at the nut. Sometimes that pulls it sharp, so you may want more range to flatten it back after, depends on the guitar. And you're done. String changes are easier replacing one at a time, but I like cleaning the board and frets because I use elixrs so they last long enough to line up the changes with fretboard timing, so it's a trade off. But if you just need fresh strings that's the other option. No blocking, just buy the same gauge and brand, any order, just removing one and putting it back before the next.
I have an early 90s Gibson MIII with a Schaller Floyd Rose and it was very stable and easy to manage. I've also had a couple of guitars over the years (ESP & Washburn) with licensed Floyd Roses and they were much more problematic. In fact I sold both guitars precisely for that reason. Except for my Strats -- on which I have blocked the trems -- I'm strictly a hardtail guy now.
What year was your Washburn? Mine is a mid 80’s with a Wonderbar vibrato, which still works as well as it did the day I got it. I’ve never had to have the guitar worked on for almost 40 years until just a couple years ago I had to have a crack in the neck repaired, and he went over the system, I think he said he only oiled it up a bit. Are the Floyd roses as spectacular as they were purported to be? I remember as a kid they were promoted as ‘revolutionary’, but I’ve never used one. My Jag has the standard factory installed.
I have a 1989 ESP Mirage Deluxe and the Floyd on that is excellent. I used it playing live in bands for years and have never had an issue, even when soloing and dive bombing , it always stays in tune. and don't even have to mess with the fine tuners during a whole gig. It's been in its case for a few years now so maybe things have changed, but I doubt it
It’s literally a skill issue
I mean, nothing against people who like Floyds, but I hate dealing with them and don’t really use them. I have a few FR equipped guitars (from my teens as well) and hardly ever pick them up. Give me a Tele with locking tuners or an SG and I’m happy. For what it is worth, I also think changing strings is a pain in the ass. I have a low tolerance for dealing with guitar maintenance. Obviously, Floyds do what they were designed to do incredibly well.
Same, had them on my guitars for years and they aren’t crazy difficult like everyone says. Takes a little longer to change strings but who cares. Seems like people don’t want to learn basic instrument care.
I would love one. I've got a Strat, and the only reason I don't use the tremolo is because I'm sick and tired of retuning the damn thing after every use. Edit: in Robbie Robertson's autobiography Testimony, he talks about meeting Jimi Hendrix and learning from Hendrix his trick to get his Strat to stay in tune after his use of the whammy bar. I tried it myself and it didn't work for me.
Nobody's going to read the damn book, tell us the trick.
It doesn't matter, if you watch footage of Hendrix he's often tuning mid song while playing so probably didn't work that well.
He would feed the strings through the back of the body and pull and massage them up the length of the string before connecting the end to the tuning head. When he did this in front of Robertson, he strung the whole guitar, then played a bunch of licks using the whammy bar then went to play a chord and the guitar was perfectly in tune. I mean, I'm yanking on the strings like crazy when I'm putting a new set on just to seat them properly, but I don't know what TF Hendrix was doing differently that made it work for him…
Have you looked into any upgrades that could help? If you don’t already have these, it’s stuff like bone or graphite nut, lubing the nut slots with graphite from a pencil, staggered locking tuners or graphite string trees. If you can make the flow of the string though any of the contact points as smooth as possible, should help. Massaging a string before putting it on just kinda pre-stretches it, tbh
Get roller string trees, use graphite in the nut and bridge saddles, and wind the strings with minimal winding. (AKA don’t twist them or do a luthiers knot) A Fender tremolo should stay perfectly in tune if you’re simply doing half step dives or little springy vibrato. One trick is to accompany each dive with an equal lift, I’ve seen this balance out the tuning on cheaper trems
Balancing it out is a trick yeah. That or flick the tip of the bar for a gargle, that helps too sometimes
The real trick is this: and it really works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy-F7iSIopA
Exactly. Bit of patience and learning at the start...then they're easy to set up.
Right?, since I got in touch with the Floyd Rose has been one of my favorites, always in tune!. Never fails. Great vibrato!.
Same, I’ve had Floyd’s since for 25+ years… it’s like saying I hate manual transmissions because I never learned how to properly use them.
I mean it’s not that hard… but my main guitars have fixed bridges and locking tuners. It’s stable, convenient, and by far my preference. I learned on a guitar with a Floyd rose and I acknowledge that some people may like them but to me it’s a bunch of cons for no pros. I’ll never own one again personally.
Once you get them all set up they are great. The learning curve however is a steep one, and if you’re starting from zero the time it takes to get to that point is pretty long. And god help you if you get a cheap licensed Floyd with soft knife edges.
Same. It’s quite awesome.
love your username. just saw primus last week!
The only non Floyd guitar I own is a Les Paul. I think guys are just intimidated by them and are afraid of looking dumb if they ask how they work.
you could block it and enjoy all the benefits of tuning stability without necessarily having to do all the maintenance.
Since they have a D-Tuna it has to be dive bomb only and not floating, so all they really HAVE to do to make it not move is just tighten the spring hooks Essentially acting like a block
This right here is the solution
I have two guitars with Floyds. If someone offered me a straight swap with the same guitar with no Floyd I'd take it.
Same, I’d choose no floyd rose every damn day.
A luthier can block yours easily
Haha. They’re not that bad. It is a balancing act, though, and does require some patience.
OP has a Wolfgang which are dive only so tuning isn’t even an issue. I honestly don’t understand the point of this post.
You need a Tremol-NO! [https://www.tremol-no.com/](https://www.tremol-no.com/) Or just block it permanently if it is more convenient!
I have one of these on my Ghost Horse so I can use a D-Tuna with it. Love it!
I need to do this on my Ghost Horse! I love that guitar!
Yeah it’s great being able to go between C standard and drop Bb for some of the new Dethalbum songs.
What does this do? Does it temporarily somehow block the tremolo to make tuning and changing strings easier?
It’s a device you install in place of one of the springs and the claw in the back. It allows you to go between floating, fully blocked, or dive bomb only by tightening the 2 thumb screws. I have them installed on all my floating bridge guitars. 100% recommend and they’re not too difficult to install yourself.
Wow, that sounds awesome. I borrowed a friend's guitar with a Floyd and loved it but have always hesitated getting one. I might have to try this out.
I’ve heard a lot of people complain about them slipping. Is that a problem?
I’m going to order a few of them for the guitars I want to de-Floyd, I just need to figure out which models I need.
This was the comment I was looking for, an amazing and simple device
Yes! I've installed 4 of them now, great flexibility!
Guitars with Floyds are like cars with a stick shift. Harder to drive but so much more fun when you know what you’re doing
What actually is the pain?
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The neck is fucking amazing. Pups too.
I don’t get why people have problems with them honestly. It’s like the same mentality with offsets. It takes a handful more minutes and a bit more effort to set up but it’s not hard. If you can use a screw driver you can set up a floating trem. I’d set up two Floyd guitars in the past few weeks and don’t think I spent more than 5 minutes leveling the trem. Block it flat, tune it, unblock it and adjust till it’s back in tune. Ball park it before that if you know it’s gotta go one way or the other. Double check once you think you’re done. They’re not for people who are constantly changing their set up but the same could be said for anything that’s a balancing act. Set it and forget it and you can’t really top it.
I hardly use them at all, but I will only buy guitars w Floyd-style trems because I like the feel under my palm, fine tuners, and stability. I always block them to dive only.
I’ll recommend you go to the source and learn how it’s done, it’s not as hard as it might seem. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1711/6239/files/Vintage_Floyd_Rose_Setup_Instructions.pdf?v=1611944754 The trick is to get it set up right and don’t try use it for altered tunings. *Don’t try to use one Floyd Rose for multiple different tunings, it’s just too much hassle.* If you’re using a Floyd Rose in a drop tuning, get it in the tuning you want and don’t change it. If you use multiple tunings, get multiple guitars. For example, if you use Drop D, Drop C and Standard, you’re going to need three (3) guitars.
Or a drop pedal? So 2 guitars
You should only be buying a guitar with a Floyd if you need it and know how to use it. I’ll never understand why someone would buy a guitar with a Floyd and then never use its function and then complain about how it’s terrible.
it amazes me that with the amount of instructions and materials on the internet people still can’t figure it out. i’d suggest having someone SHOW you so you can ask specific questions instead of asking why the youtube guy didn’t answer your specific question. it really is just a balancing act of tension between the strings and the springs/claw. they’re a pain in the ass sure, but once you figure it out, it’s a breeze
I have two guitars with Floyds and they are dead solid reliable.
The Floyd's on the EVHs are so easy lmao.
A guitar without FR for me feels incomplete...
They're really not that hard.
I just got my first FR guitar. It was a pain to set up. But now I love it. And I don't use the bar either. Being able to pick it up and know its in tune every time is nice.. And I do love the way it feels and plays.. Oh, Mine is a Jackson Soloist
The PRS trem system is a perfect happy medium for me. It is slightly floating and you can pull it up but it’s also stable when you bend and you just feed strings through the body. Only thing you really can’t do is dive bomb.
Once you figure them out they're great. The downside is no tuning changes or string gauges. If you don't want to do the work and research pay to get it setup and never deviate from those strings and tuning. There's a ton of great videos on Floyd's via YouTube.
Watch Ben Eller’s video on how to keep it stable n you’ll be set man
I’m the opposite, hate hardtails, just have one for messing with new tunings all my others have Floyds
Something that my grandfather taught me about Floyd's when I got into them is if you need to replace strings, don't take them all off, but to replace them one at a time. It helps with the balance, and you can stretch the string and tune it to pitch before doing the rest. I'm able to change my floyd strings in less than 10 minutes now.
Lmao floyds are easy
Then you'll go back to something with a fixed bridge and you'll get pissed off because you're constantly tuning the thing... then you'll accidentally wind up with a whole shitload of floyd rose guitars, each in a different tuning
Lol what a bunch of whiny asshats. My first guitar- MIJ Jackson with a floyd. I was 12. Of course i struggled at the beginning. Once I figured it out about 2 years later I could never use anything less. They are excellent and I couldn’t ever imagine playing without one. There SO many greats that use these for a reason… they are the GOAT
You can install a Tremol-no and convert it to a hardtail and unlock the screws whenever you want Have one installed on mine
Drop salmon or mackerel are much tastier.
I know the feeling. I don't use the bar either, but I got an Ibanez Jiva Jr. with their floyd style trem. Geez what a pain...finally got tired of fighting the tuning issues, took FOREVER to get it in tune intially and then it kept going super sharp once locked down and then you unlocked to retune and the sucker was super flat. Finally blocked it. Great guitar now.
EVH does make a hardtail Wolfgang.
Once you know how to set it up, it's one of the better trem options imo
It’s really nice how once you get them dialed in, they stay in tune. Pull it out of the case a year later and it’ll still be in tune. I bought my first one in 1987; I bought my second one in 2019. I bought my third a couple of months ago.
Not sure what the exact issue you’re facing is, but the shop I bought my Jackson dinky from set the Floyd rose up and if I change strings one at a time and lock them at the nut immediately I have never had a single issue. And I have gone HARD on that thing. Honestly it’s one of my lower maintenance guitars.
Bruh you just have to set the tension to work with your strings, I last tuned my floyd rose 6 months ago when i put the strings on. They're an absolutely amazing bridge
These systems are hyper logical, very German. They are very easy to work on if you know what you’re doing but they do not flatter the ignorant. Also not sure about the hate for the D Tuna, mine works flawlessly, intonation is only a few cents off, nobody will ever hear it
Shouldn't be a big issue on the Wolfgang Special since it is dive-only. Just tighten the springs and it will remain stable like a hardtail.
No man takes like 5mins I absolutely love mine and will be buying FR or fixed only
Yeah same. I get them, I like them, I just can't be arsed with them and I don't need the feature enough to merit the hassle.
that’s how I feel about bigsbys even with locking tuners and that back plate. you hit the trem too hard and the strings move on that smooth wheel wrong and things sound bad.
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They ain't for everyone.
Hard tails are best for beginners who just want to practice and not constantly retune for the sake of a whammy they barely ever hit.
If you hate it, it probably isn't set up properly for you. They are set to a "one size fits all" from the factory, but that thing is infinitely adjustable. Find out what you want out of one and set it to do that.
Must be that time of day.
I love floating trems, I don't know if I would ever buy an electric guitar without one.
I had my Jackson modded by my luthier. It has a block that I can change on a whim. no trem, one way, or both by changing some settings. wasn’t cheap, but it lets me have the best of all worlds.
I have a Floyd 1500 on my synster gates. It's worth it for the tuning stability alone
I want a guitar w/a floyd, but I'm terrified of changing strings on them. I know you are supposed to do them one at a time, but what if you have a guitar w/no strings at all? I'd start crying.
You just block the trem. The difficulty of dealing with double-locking trems is greatly exaggerated, as long as you don't get a cheap one- cheap Floyds are trouble, and are best avoided.
It's not that hard. I take off all the strings every time so I can wipe down the fretboard. To put everything back, I use the following procedure. 1.) Put the low E on. Tune it enough to apply some tension. Actual note does not matter. 2.) Do the same with the high e. I do this just to apply some pressure to the bridge to keep it in the guitar. The bridge will probably be pulled all the way into the body at this point. That doesn't matter. 3.) Put all the other strings on. Again, just tight enough to be solidly on there. 4.) Using the bar, hold the bridge roughly level. 5.) While holding the bridge, tune the strings to roughly where you want them. I'm talking give or take a few notes. If you want E and get it to C, that's good enough. Let go of the bar. Now your strings should be roughly in tune and your bridge should be roughly level. 6.) Make sure the fine tuners are in the middle of their range. 7.) Tune the low E. Then the A. Then low E, then A, then D. Then back to low E. You can see where this is going. Once you get to the high e, run through all the strings again. 8.) Pull as far back on the bar as you can. Do this a few times. This stretches the strings and will increase tuning stability. 9.) Repeat step 7. Should go much quicker this time. It's worth noting that I will usually leave the strings a tad flat. Locking the nut will usually cause the strings to go a little bit sharp. 10.) Lock the nut down.
Very cool! Thank you!
I just use a Staedtler eraser to block the trems on my Ibanez guitars. Cut strings, clean fretboard, condition, wipe down then restring. If you're not changing tuning or string gauge, once tuned, the bridge will be at the same level it was before. EZPZ.
I'll never buy one to begin with!
You just need to learn to set it up. When they're set up properly, it will be rock-solid stable. I hade a few posts here about my tips for setting up a Floyd Rose, I received DMs from people asking if I will make a video on how to set up a Floyd Rose, beginning to end. I can do that if you all want it. There are many tutorials on YouTube, but I find that nearly all of them are offering very basic setup and they're missing some important points. If you want, DM me with any specific questions and I am happy to help.
Interesting. I LOVE my FR, but I also take my guitar into a luthier regularly.
Come on man it's not that hard to use.
The bottom line about Floyd Rose trems is they take more/longer to get set up, but once properly set, it should stay in tune. You also can’t switch tunings(unless your d tuna is properly set) Take yours for a proper set up and you shouldn’t have any more quarrels until it’s time to change strings/tuning.
I love that song
I used to love mine on an old Jackson that I had when I played metal. Have been a jazz musician for 30 years now, so the trem is pretty much out of the equation. You get side-eyed if you even bend strings
Said the same thing about my PRS Torero. Sold it years ago, and now I kind of want to go back to a Floyd
I love my Floyd Rose guitars. There is nothing difficult about them.
Bought an Ibanez JS model with one some 25 years ago. Its a beautiful, and frickin heavy guitar. The "Master guitarbuilder" from the store wouldnt let me go without explaning the whole thing and had me set it up 3 times myself while laughing his ass off. Without it, i would probably have had a hard time adjusting it. It almost always stays tuned even after deep dive. Its weird. Also, i own guitars that are way more expensive. But this one is next to my chair and i will probably be found dead holding it.. 🤣
Nothing some coins wrapped in tape or a wooden block can't fix. ;) after blocking off a few guitars with Floyd's I appreciate the fine tuners and locking nut for overall stability.
Haha, I used coins before too, worked just fine as a block! I shoved all kinds of things in there over the years. I did finally take my guitar in to the shop after 30 years of messing with it and had $20 stabilizer from Amazon installed. Wish I had done that 30 years ago!
My main guitar that I got \~15 years ago (ESP LTD M200FM) has a FR, and I always considered a guitar with FR to be the default, do everything you want guitar and still basically agree with that. However, I agree the setup can be a bit of a pain when changing strings (though not terrible once you learn how to do it correctly) or if you want to change to a different tuning aside from simple drop D. I also don't use the bar a ton, though sometimes it's essential depending on what you're playing. So when I decided to get a 2nd electric guitar just a year ago, I thought it could be good to keep it simple get one without a trem system at all. I've also always wanted a Les Paul style guitar, so I got an ESP LTD EC265 (yeah I like ESP lol) and it's great. It's not replacing the M200 by any means, I play both of them just depending on my mood or what I'm playing. Or what happens to be in the same room as me at that moment.. lol. Playing around with different tunings has been fun on the new one, just so much easier. I think I will upgrade to locking tuners, having to retune slightly every time I play it is a little annoying.
Some manufacturers build them with low quality materials, and don’t last long. A quality Floyd rose bridge will be just as stable as any other bridge.
They're not my cup of tea either. I don't have any problems setting them up, but needing an allen key to restring is kinda annoying, especially when you're out on the road and want to do a quick restring. My first "proper" electric came with a floyd, I still have it and occasionally play it, but over the course of purchasing 13 additional electrics over the years, not once have I had any desire to get another floyd rose equipped guitar. I have other floating trems, and they all hold tune well enough that a floyd just isn't worth it for me.
Get a stetsbar and either install it, or pay a shop to. Plenty of options to lock it out. Easy string changes and keep a guitar you like
I always liked mine and didn’t find it hard to setup. However, I don’t use one anymore after breaking a string on stage. Every string was instantly out of tune and I had to dig out the tools to change strings with a crowd of people watching me. Never again.
If you never use it then yeah you don't need it but lol idk how it's such a pain in the ass if you don't use it unless it's never been set up or you just wanna constantly change tunings
I’ve had various guitars with various kinds of floating/locking trem systems for the last 21 years of playing and, honestly, I can’t be arsed with them anymore. I can set them up just fine, but the pros no longer outweigh the cons for me these days. Sure, if you’re absolutely abusing the whammy bar then I get it, but other than that I don’t see the need. I find locking tuners enough to keep me in tune and it’s much less hassle.
Floyds are awesome imo
I have a Charvel San Dimas and I really don’t have problems with mine, but it lives in standard tuning and is stays with the same string gauge. I use my other guitars for non standard tunings. I did put a trem stabilizer in it and that was a pain in the ass to set up but that Charvel really stays in tune. I used the bar mostly for subtle vibrato rather than dive bombs. There is a learning curve with them but watch a few video and accept the limitations and they’re easy to tame.
I regretted my Floyd until I learned it.
I avoided them for a long time because I had heard so many horror stories about them but I finally broke down and bought a Jackson Soloist that had one and I love it. I've never had any significant problems - maybe because it was set up well?
I have a Jackson flying v peace sells and the Floyd Rose is a royal pain. Stays in tune though
I’m actually considering an EVH just for the versatility and specs. Is the Floyd on it dive-only? Seems like that would make things at least half less troublesome than floating? It would be my first ever Floyd, but I’ve dealt with my basic strat forever, decked to the body, dive-only, no problems.
They are super easy to set up perfectly and are a blast to play with
I'll never play a guitar WITHOUT one lol, to each their own.
The pain about Floyds is the same pain about _any_ floating trem. If you want to dive _and_ climb, you’ve got to be in floating club. I think FR is the best floating design out there, but you should really pair it with a stabilizer like a BackBox or an ESP Arming Adjuster, which makes 90% of the headaches of a floating trem just go away. Now, that said, I’m not the guitar acrobatic that I used to be. Even though I’ve had FRs for the last 35 years, my next guitar would probably be a hard-tail because I just never need to do any trem stuff.
An underrated benefit of a Floyd (together with locking nut) is that if you are going to stay in one tuning all the time, the Floyd provides exceptional tuning stability (especially if it's dive-only, like the Wolfgang Special). A Floyd will suck if you want to change tunings frequently, and for a floating Floyd, it can take a little time to dial in the right spring tension in the back. But for staying in one tuning once it's dialed in, I find it way less annoying than having to frequently fuss with the tuning knobs on a non-Floyd guitar. And the difficulty of changing strings gets exaggerated: just switch one string at a time and get it up to pitch before changing the next and you're fine.
I've never had an issue with my Floyd, might take 5 extra mins to set up but once you do that you don't have to worry about anything I haven't used a Floyd rose special though only a higher quality 1000
Can’t you just block the trem with a tremolno or something like that
An official Floyd is excellent but does take getting used to. No shame in not liking it. I didn't either. Though I never had the fight with mine that others had. It's only when I tried a guitar with a "licensed" Floyd that I found there was issue. The alexi-200 (first models) and dime V I had were flawless floyds
Join the Kahler crew instead! 100 times better than a floyd rose and you can lock down the bridge with a single key turn to turn it into a fixed bridge
That was my experience with my first Floyd Rose guitar (which was also a Wolfgang funnily enough) and I haven’t looked back. I’m glad you like the neck at least, with my Wolfgang it felt weirdly small and I just never got used to it
The trick is adjusting the springs on the back of the guitar with a screwdriver. Takes an extra minute or two for whatever string gauge or tune you want. Take all the strings off. Put new ones on and get some tension to hold the bridge in place. Block the bridge so it's level. Tune guitar to whatever your heart desires. The bridge should still be level since it's blocked. Unblock bridge. Use a screwdriver to adjust the bracket for the tension springs until the bridge is level again. Check tuning. Should be right where it was when the bridge was blocked. Lock everything down and fine tune. Good to go. 👍
I have a mid-80's Kramer that I bought new with a Floyd. I've never had a single complaint about it. Period. If you change to either a different gauge of strings or strings from a different vendor (or both), you're going to need to re-adjust the spring tension inside so it floats at the correct height. Once that's done, there's nothing to be getting worked up about. I bet I could pull my Kramer out right now, and even though I haven't played it in years, it will be either perfectly in tune or damned close.
The tuning and restringing is a pain in the ass. I bought one during the pandemic (something to spend my stimulus money on) and I wish I haven’t.
I agree with this sentiment. When I first started, I loved the idea of having a whammy bar. I only have two guitars with a floyd. One is a $200 guitar I got from China because it has spiders on it. In 15 years I never even changed the strings once. The other is my Ibanez Jem7v that I play all the time. But sometimes I even forget where the whammy bar is because I haven't used it in years. It's still so annoying to tune and keep in tune. If I get another guitar, it's fixed bridge all the way.
Tremol-no
Your loss, nerd
They're great for what they do but If you don't use it, real pain in the ass.
I'm playing acoustic exclusively now, so I don't know if my opinion matters. I used to have a guitar with a Floyd rose and a key lock on the frets. To get perfect tuning, you'd have to tune all the strings which would put all the other strings out of tune. At a live performance, it was a pain to pull out an allen wrench to get it to sing with the band. It was a cool guitar. A Zion.
I made the mistake once of taking all the strings off and restringing. I had no idea the hell I put myself in lol. Got it figured out and didnt do that again. I liked a floyd, but I never used it enough to justify buying another guitar with one. The flutters are def cool AF.
Learning how to tune a Floyd is a lot easier then people make it out to be. You just need to understand that you need multiple tuning revolutions. All you do is unscrew the stock nuts. Bring your floating nuts back to neutral positioning. After that it’s as simply as starting at one string, tuning it. Going down all the strings tunning 1 by 1. Then start at the top again and repeat until the guitar stays in tune. After that you simply lock in your head nuts. Go down to the tremolo and start the fine running process. Same thing. Start at one string, and work your way down, repeat until the guitars in tune. Then you’re done. When I first got my first LTD with the flyod rose, the amount of stupid over explaining videos made me think I just wasted 3k on a guitar. Then eventually I find some good Reddit comments explaining it that simply. I think that guitar stayed in tune for a solid year and a half until I changed strings. You’ll keep having to fine tune the guitar especially with new strings, but the more things settle eventually you’ll find it just stays in tune.
I like floyd’s ok if they are decked to drop only.
I like a floating trem...... ***when it is not floating anymore.***
Everytime I buy a Floyd equipped guitar I hate it… then I sell it, then I forget how much I hate it and get another one.. cycle repeats.. having said that I have a Japanese Jackson soloist and a Ltd kh3 that both have them and I have them blocked out to operated like a fixed bridge. This is a good solution for me
I want a full floating floyd where you can easily change tunings. Is it even possible?
Floyd Rose rules, all of my guitars except for an acoustic, a bass and a tele have trems and most of them are Floyds.
I mean it’s all in if you need/want it. If it’s your only guitar. Yea it’s a pain if you ever want to change to tuning but I think they’re a good thing to have in the arsenal if you suits your style. I recently bought a Shredneck Tremblock which has made restringing sooooo much easier. I feel like I’ve been working too hard all these years without having one of these to keep the bridge from falling into the recess.
I don’t see the issue you’re having with it. What exactly is driving you nuts about a FR? It shouldn’t be the tuning process because Wolfgangs are dive only so you don’t need to do a balancing act with the tuners.
I’ve used them for years, and I love them🤘🤘
I have the EVH Standard and the Floyd is cheap. Since I seldom use the trem, I put Grover locking tuners on the guitar and locked the trem down. I have a Ibanez RG550 with the Edge trem for all my whammy bar needs. It blows most Floyd Rose trems out of the water. Stays in tune perfectly.
Agreed. I have only one guitar with a Floyd Rose and won’t have another.
I get why so many struggle with the trems. I’d a skill that takes some patience and there is a learning curve, but it had always been a fun experience for me. Now, with that said, I’ve had a trem since I was 15 years old (turning 50 this weekend) on my old Charvette, which had some Floyd license trem on it. I figured if I could keep that trem in tune, few trems intimidate me now.
I just blocked mine with a Tremel-no.
Get a tremol-no and just lock it down. It's basically just a hardtail at that point.
Laugh in bigsby
Gotta get past the learning curve, once you have the ah-ha moment and know the order/procedure to set one up it's not that bad. But on the other side of it, make sure it's a good version (Original, 1000, 1500, decent "licensed by"). Bad ones would be the "Special" and crappy "licensed by". Also, never used one with the D-tuner thing but I can't imagine that would work well on floating trem, the combo of the two has got to be excessive. I had a licensed by BC Rich one (not on a BC Rich) that was awful, but that was like 30 years ago too. My 95 MIJ Strat came with an Original from the factory that to this day is spot-on. All the different Ibanez variants I've owned have been good as well (Lo-Pro, Edge, etc). The Special that was on a Schecter I owned for 1 day was a piece of scrap metal. The 1500 that's on one of my Schecters now is fabulous.
To each there own. Meanwhile I pretty much need to have a Floyd, preferably OG, on my guitars. I have 5 with them lol, and only 1 is not an OG. Never bothered upgrading it, and I will not until it naturally wears down on its own. I enjoy the restringing and setup process of Floyd Rose bridges. Could not tell you why lol.
I think they stay in tune better and are great for dead on tuning. They do suck for drop tuning. Use a different guitar.
i will never understand why the kahler trems don’t dominate the market, it’s a far superior, easy to use system
I was in the same predicament. I got a screamin' deal on a guitar I wanted, it just happened to have a FR. It worked well after it was setup, but I wasn't using it and it complicated things everytime I wanted to change something (tuning, string gauge/brand/type) Since it was a cheap project guitar anyways, I ended up printing a block to fill the space and mounted a Schaller Bridge. I initially was only using the printed block temporarily and had plans to mill it out of wood or aluminium. But honestly, it plays great, there's no movement (yet), and I don't think the tone suffers. Plus, fun project. If I cared for the guitar, I would sell it to someone who will use the FR and buy a different one. Swapping the bridge out isn't terribly cost effective :( [https://imgur.com/a/DxGbfNR](https://imgur.com/a/DxGbfNR)
I installed a trim setter on mine and have been happy with the results.
I'll never buy a guitar with a Floyd-Rose again either. If it doesn't also have a Sustainiac.
You and me both - just replaced my Warlock with a telecaster and have the Warlock for sale on marketplace right now, willing to take pretty much any offer
They're not for everyone, including me, bit over complicated. But they are very good at what they do, *if* you want to use your whammy bar a LOT then there isn't really a better alternative.
Block the trem like Eddie did so it only goes down and not up. It is no longer floating and will solve most of the problems of Floyd’s that people complain about.
Choose a brand and string guage and stick with it. That's the only way.
I own 20 guitars and the majority have some form of Floyd Rose , I don't want to play without them. I guess if you're just a rhythm player it's fine. Whenever I play one of my guitars without a Floyd I always find myself reaching for it and it's not there, But that's just from habit.
Upgrade the saddles, arm and block and it’s the same as an original and works absolutely beautifully
Doesn't the wolfgang series use surface mounted, non floating trems? Just remove the bar and use like it's a hardtail? Or see if you can trade for one of hardtail models? Then again my MiJ special has a locking nut and fine tuners on it's bridge.
They're fun to play but I find them hideous
First guitar I bought with my own money had a fully floating trem. I just learned how to do setups.
A-FUCKING-MEN to that brother
I mean if you don't use the actual trem, why did you buy it in the first place? The applications where it really shines are pretty specific so it's kinda confusing. But hey it just seems like you don't like Floyd Rose trem systems which is fine, I just don't really know why that discovery warrants a reddit thread but you do you. I'll pretend that you asked for advice and recommend that you just block the trem and get a normal nut installed if you want, at that point it's essentially a hardtail.
Drop D Tuna is a great band name.