Help on setting up and maintaining floyd rose guitar?

[vejichan]

I am finally going to do the one thing I have been dreading this weekend. I am going to setup my guitar. What do you do when you setup/Maintain your guitars?

• do you adjust truss rod?
• use oil/lotion for the rosewood fingerboard or maple fingerboard? for the body?
• Change strings with the same gauge as whats on the guitar and sticking to the same tuning? Do i need to reintonate if the string gauge/tuning stays the same?
• Lubricate the nut?

what else?
What cloth/tools do i need to do these setups?
Keep in mind I used to be extremely paranoid about doing a setup on my guitars but I just need to learn and do it. Any help is appreciated

 

[Andy Eagle]

This is pretty much exactly what I do;

The Floyd part is on top. Set the trem parallel with the string plane. Obviously you need shims to get the nut hight and saddle radius but you can buy both.

 

[vejichan]

This is pretty much exactly what I do;

The Floyd part is on top. Set the trem parallel with the string plane. Obviously you need shims to get the nut hight and saddle radius but you can buy both.

Any oil or lotion? What microfibre cloth and tool do u use

 

[Andy Eagle]

Dunlop lemon oil but it doesn't matter.

 

[TSJMajesty]

This is pretty much exactly what I do

Hey Andy, I have a question for you (not a thread derail; may be relevant info for the OP as well)...
What would be reason(s) for changing how many trem springs are on your guitar? Reason I ask, Majesties come stock with 10's and 3 springs. I added 1 to add more resistance to help when doing unison bends, so the string you're not bending won't go quite as flat, so you don't have to compensate as much. Was I on the right track in doing this?

 

[TSJMajesty]

Do i need to reintonate if the string gauge/tuning stays the same?

If the intonation is correct, and you don't change anything other than strings, no, in theory. But if it was prior to a gig, or recording, I'd at least check it. But you say you want to "set up" your guitar, so that implies changing something, e.g., action height, which should require adjusting the intonation.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Hey Andy, I have a question for you (not a thread derail; may be relevant info for the OP as well)...
What would be reason(s) for changing how many trem springs are on your guitar? Reason I ask, Majesties come stock with 10's and 3 springs. I added 1 to add more resistance to help when doing unison bends, so the string you're not bending won't go quite as flat, so you don't have to compensate as much. Was I on the right track in doing this?

Yes you are right, more springs loose makes for a stiffer trem action and more resistance to unison bends causing the trem to tip up and go flat.
Also setting the baseplate of your trem exactly parallel to the string plane helps too.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Yes you are right, more springs loose makes for a stiffer trem action and more resistance to unison bends causing the trem to tip up and go flat.

Cool. Thanks.

Also setting the baseplate of your trem exactly parallel to the string plane helps too.

Yeah, I definitely had to adjust the trem springs after adding one, to get the trem back to parallel.

 

[Milgromsegal]

I am finally going to do the one thing I have been dreading this weekend. I am going to setup my guitar. What do you do when you setup/Maintain your guitars?

What cloth/tools do i need to do these setups?
Keep in mind I used to be extremely paranoid about doing a setup on my guitars but I just need to learn and do it. Any help is appreciated

There are a number of great Youtube tutorials for setting up your guitar, the above linked one by @Andy Eagle (with John Suhr, no less!) is very good.

I do basic setups for my guitars, the fretwork and nut slot cutting etc. I leave to the professionals. When getting a new guitar, a basic setup would include setting the neck relief, action height, nut height, trem angle if needed and finally intonation, pretty much in that order. After this, it's pretty much just restringing and fretboard maintenance that suffices to keep my guitars in perfect playing condition. The winter air here is pretty dry, so some guitars require a truss rod tweak about once a year. I do check the neck relief for every restring just to see if anything is needed.

With regards to changing string gauges, sometimes if the change is very slight (1 gauge +/-) you may get away with not having to reintonate the guitar, but it's always worthwhile to check anyhow. A truss adjustment is very likely needed there.

As to learning how to set your guitar up, if you work methodically and not under a time crunch it won't be super stressful. One really important thing that I cannot emphasize too much is this: use the proper tools for the job! As in, the right size Allen wrenches, screwdrivers etc. There's nothing that adds stress more efficiently than working with the wrong size tools, that are almost guaranteed to slip at critical points, causing you more problems.

 

[Fizz]

While on the subject, anyone got a recommendation for a tool to make changing the intonation on a FR easy?

 

[secondwindow]

This is pretty much exactly what I do;

The Floyd part is on top. Set the trem parallel with the string plane. Obviously you need shims to get the nut hight and saddle radius but you can buy both.

Thanks for posting that video! I've been setting-up my own guitars for years and it never occurred to me to set the intonation other than by comparing the open strings and 12th fret.

 

[TSJMajesty]

As in, the right size Allen wrenches, screwdrivers etc.

Good point. And I'll add, even if the Allen wrenches are the correct size, if they are rounded off at all at the end, grind it down, either with a grinder or a file, until you have true corners. And always make sure they're fully seated into the screw before you start to turn them.

 

[vejichan]

Alittle intimidate to take off all the strings on a floyd. I usually change strings one at a time. The floyd is blocked via tremstopper in the back but recessed. How can i oil the rosewood fb? Can o oil the rosewood with rhe strings on during string change? Please advise.

 

[Rex]

Here's what I do. (Note: nut adjustments are a step beyond a basic setup. That can require tools or parts that may not be readily available to you. If this is your first setup, and you suspect your nut isn't right, you might want to consult a pro.)

1) If your fingerboard is unfinished wood, oil the fingerboard — strings off. Wipe it on with a paper towel. Wipe it off with another. Finished fingerboards, such as most maple ones, won't benefit from oil.

2) Set the fine-tuners a little above center. This allows you some wiggle room as the strings stretch in, and gives you room either way for seasonal changes.

3) String the guitar, and tune it to pitch. Don't lock the nut yet.

3) Adjust the claw to bring the knife edges parallel to the strings. The common wisdom is to make the trem body parallel with the strings, but that doesn't work in all cases. It's the knife edges that you want to be parallel. Example: an Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge has a sloped body. If you make that parallel to the strings, the knife edges will be angled, and they will suffer premature wear.

Tip: adjust the claw to correct the angle only halfway as much as you think you need. Then re-tune, and check the angle again. This will save you a lot of frustrating back-and-forth as you dial in the springs.

4) Adjust the truss rod nut to get the relief you want.

5) Set the action at the bridge.

6) One more tune-up, then lock the nut.

7) Fine-tune with the fine-tuners.

8) Intonate.

9) Set pickup heights.

 

[Milgromsegal]

How can i oil the rosewood fb? Can o oil the rosewood with rhe strings on during string change? Please advise.

Just oil as per usual, with your choice of fretboard oil. Most will do the job just fine. I wouldn't try oiling the board with strings on, because for me, if I'm oiling the board it usually means I want to clean the fretboard beforehand and perhaps polish the frets if needed, and there any strings would just be in the way. If you want to save time during the tuning process on a locking bridge, try to block the bridge as close to neutral position as possible.

The quickest method of getting access to the board on a locking trem is to pop the bridge off with strings still attached, but I'm guessing you might not want to do that

 

[unix-guy]

While on the subject, anyone got a recommendation for a tool to make changing the intonation on a FR easy?

This for standard FR:

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-too...e&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2021-10-gp

For my Ibanez Edge trems, this works great (it also works for my Gotoh 1996 on my Suhr):

Amazon product ASIN B01AZBFJOU

 

[fractalz]

Ideally you'll be using the same string gauge and tuning. If so, replace one string at a time, stretch it and tune to pitch.

No shims, trem should end up the same as where you started.

For stretching:
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-too...OfUvXXczj798CKo7O2rt4yrCTO_T0hwhoCEGIQAvD_BwE

 

[vejichan]

Here's what I do. (Note: nut adjustments are a step beyond a basic setup. That can require tools or parts that may not be readily available to you. If this is your first setup, and you suspect your nut isn't right, you might want to consult a pro.)

1) If your fingerboard is unfinished wood, oil the fingerboard — strings off. Wipe it on with a paper towel. Wipe it off with another. Finished fingerboards, such as most maple ones, won't benefit from oil.

2) Set the fine-tuners a little above center. This allows you some wiggle room as the strings stretch in, and gives you room either way for seasonal changes.

3) String the guitar, and tune it to pitch. Don't lock the nut yet.

3) Adjust the claw to bring the knife edges parallel to the strings. The common wisdom is to make the trem body parallel with the strings, but that doesn't work in all cases. It's the knife edges that you want to be parallel. Example: an Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge has a sloped body. If you make that parallel to the strings, the knife edges will be angled, and they will suffer premature wear.

Tip: adjust the claw to correct the angle only halfway as much as you think you need. Then re-tune, and check the angle again. This will save you a lot of frustrating back-and-forth as you dial in the springs.

4) Adjust the truss rod nut to get the relief you want.

5) Set the action at the bridge.

6) One more tune-up, then lock the nut.

7) Fine-tune with the fine-tuners.

8) Intonate.

9) Set pickup heights.

How do you keep the floyd stabilized with the strings off? wouldn't the bridge just fall off the cavity?

 

[Rex]

How do you keep the floyd stabilized with the strings off? wouldn't the bridge just fall off the cavity?

I usually start taking off springs, one at a time, as I remove the strings. Eventually, I can just lift the bridge out altogether.

Another option is to change the strings one at a time. That's perfectly valid. Makes it a bit more of a hassle to oil the fingerboard (even trickier if you want to clean it), but it's still doable.

A third option is to block the trem with a piece of wood or some such. That will hold the trem in place.

 

[vejichan]

Just oil as per usual, with your choice of fretboard oil. Most will do the job just fine. I wouldn't try oiling the board with strings on, because for me, if I'm oiling the board it usually means I want to clean the fretboard beforehand and perhaps polish the frets if needed, and there any strings would just be in the way. If you want to save time during the tuning process on a locking bridge, try to block the bridge as close to neutral position as possible.

The quickest method of getting access to the board on a locking trem is to pop the bridge off with strings still attached, but I'm guessing you might not want to do that

How do you keep the floyd stabilized with the strings off? wouldn't the bridge just fall off the cavity? can't i just oil with strings on?