Frudua method for setting up Floyd Rose

[moku]

his method is flawed b'cuz the strings are not stretched, so after the guitar is played it continue to go out of tune.
also, his method would not allow one to control string tension while keeping the floyd floating perfectly. so the floyd may be tight, making it hard to use the trem arm. ideally you want to be able to push and pull the trem arm down or up with relative ease.

the only way to do this is to do everything he says, except screw the claw all the way up near the wood (intensify the tension of the springs). then once the guitar is in tune while being parallel to the body with string tension balancing the spring tension, you unscrew the screws on the claw--loosening the spring tension. at this point the strings will go flat. but once you tune them back to pitch, what you are left with is less string tension yet the perfect tune. setting floyds up this way will make your floyds easy to use.

oh, and of course stretch your strings before you attempt to tune them to pitch.

[chuckbat]

Using his approach, you wouldn't really be repeatedly screwing the trem screws. Once you've got it set up, unless you change tunings over and over or string gauges over and over, the trem should float roughly the same with routine string changes.
For string gauge changes and tuning changes, you should just have more guitars!

+1,+1,+1

[Dannibal Corpse]

I couldn't watch more than a minute of the video with the guys accent so I don't know what he's saying to do. But if it's tuned to the pitch you want and the back of the trem is still in the air, you simply need more spring tension. No other physics or rocket science about it. Either screw the claw in more or add more springs to balance spring tension and string tension. That's all there is to leveling the base plate at whatever tuning you want.

I understand this but the problem I'm having is that I can't seem to tighten the screws further. There's plenty of screw left but the tension is very high (screws hard to turn).

[Dannibal Corpse]

...and yes, more guitars would be better.

[RobRR]

Chances are the screw holes arent deep enough. Simple solution, either deepen the holes a bit, or add one or two springs. There are no other options, this is not out of the ordinary.

[Dannibal Corpse]

Thanks

[Scooter]

Sorry for not getting back sooner, but Warlock and RobRR are right. Add another spring, see how that is, if it's still up after tuning, add another. If that isn't enough, deepen the holes. It's a balancing act and takes a bit of time to get right, but once you get it, you won't forget. If you keep the same gauge strings only minor adjustments are needed after the initial setup. Don't forget to intonate either.

[Dannibal Corpse]

The extra spring did it! Thanks for all the help! I definitely feel like I'm understanding this system better. Unfortunately I now believe the truss rod requires adjustment haha

[chuckbat]

The extra spring did it! Thanks for all the help! I definitely feel like I'm understanding this system better. Unfortunately I now believe the truss rod requires adjustment haha

Dude, be careful..Don't turn too much at once.

[Dannibal Corpse]

To be honest I have no idea how to access the truss rod with the strings on!

[Larz]

Use the pink eraser while changing strings

[Dannibal Corpse]

Not looking to change strings. I just put these strings on.

[warlok]

Strings will move over enough to get to the truss rod cover screws and the truss rod nut. Not knowing your level of experience, and not looking to offend at all, do you know how to check the relief? I capo the first fret, fret the 17th fret, and check the clearance over the 8th fretwire. I just adjust for minimum space. If there's any clearance at all, I'm happy. Just do a 1/8 turn at a time and play for a bit for the neck to settle before adjusting again. As you adjust the rod, you'll have to tweak the other adjustments as well. Like was said earlier, you'll only have to do the setup once and then tweak here and there in the future. So grab a beer, have some riffs in mind to play, and go at it for a while.

[Dannibal Corpse]

Thanks, man. I'm new to the whole Floyd rose thing, so your advice is helpful. I have checked and there's definitely some relief in there, but without a feeler gauge, I can't quantify it. Ok, so I can get to the truss rod plate with the strings on...what about the intonation nuts?!

[decadence5423]

Unfortunately I now believe the truss rod requires adjustment haha

Adjusting a truss rod isn't difficult, nor dangerous as long as you do small turns at a time. I would make absolutely sure that you need to adjust the truss rod and rule everything else out before you touch it. I've only ever had one guitar that needed a truss rod adjustment. The neck should bow outwards slightly.

If you watch this video and skip to like 2:50 you can see how to check your neck bow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GD7zXzkrdM