well i dont know if you rember but i was having trouble with my squier jagmaster, well now i have a new one now, i was looking through trademe (nz version of ebay) when there was a customised one that looked better and the same price as it would be to get mine up-graded, anyway on jagmaster stock saddles the soft metal breaks down leaving the hard stuff which breaks my strings, on my old jagmaster i bought some new saddles that dont allow that to happen, i put them on my new guitar because i broke a string in the first hour, heres my problem : i havent ajusted the hight or length yet as i was waiting to get them tuned to set them up right, i tune starting big E down to lil e go back up to big E and it has de-tuned down to D so has every other string down an octive or two, so i re-tune as im doing this prosses after three times the bridge lifts right up as if i was bending the wammy bar towards the guitar, i gess that when im tuning, the strings are getting tighter lifting the bridge up but i dont have a clue why and if they were tight a pulling it up why are they down octives!! and im so angery because i just wanna play my new and only working guitar and i cant its the same feeling when you want a cigerette but cant find any.. it sucks!! :cry:
I guess you've got a Floyd Rose floating bridge. Apparently a 9v battery can be put in the gap to stabilise the bridge, then all the strings should be tuned up to tension with the battery in. It will take several times through to tune it, but if the bridge is lifting up like you say, you may gone an octave higher than you should have.
I'm talking from limited experience here, I've got a floating bridge on my main, but I've not had the balls to change the strings yet! :D
im not sure if its floating or not but its the same on like a standard strat i think bit yeah i might be going to high i see if i am :)
If you are tuning the guitar properly and the bridge is too high or comes out too much, it means that there is not enough tension in the springs holding the bridge in place. Don't panic. This is simple stuff we're talking about.
First, the tuning part. I just want to make sure this is done as suggested. I could not determine if you were doing similar or not, so I'll throw out what I do and was suggested to me via barious web sites. For right now, don't worry about the bridge. We'll get to that. Well, actually, make sure that it's not too high to start with. lower the tuning all around so that the bridge looks like it's sitting too far in. Remember, de-tune the smaller strings first. If not, you run the risk of snapping the high E.
When doing the following, do not go back to a previously tuned string until it's time to go back.
#1: Assuming the use of an electronic tuner, I tune the low E and then the high E to about 3/4 the way too sharp. Then tune, in order, the B and the A string to about 1/3rd the way too sharp. Then tune the D and G strings to perfect pitch. This will leave you within close proximity to being in tune.
#2: Adjust the tuning. This is more of a feel thing. There will be some flat strings and some sharp strings. Remember, as you flatten out one string, you sharpen 5 others. With that in mind, I take mine and tweek them bit by bit. If I have an A string flat and G string sharp, I'll tune the A a little bit up and the G a little bit down. Then I check all the strings again and adjust the biggest culprits.
#3: Adjust away in smaller and smaller amounts and you will get into tune.
OK, so for the bridge. If it's not level with the body, the springs behind it need adjusting. Sure, the manuals all say to contact a professional, but it's simple. Take off the backing plate to expose the springs. On the end of the opening that's closest to the neck, there will be 2-3 screws. They need to be tightened or loosened depending on your situation.
If the bridge too high, then it needs to be tightened. It's too loose, as in not enough stength to pull against the strings when they are in tune. De-tune the strings in equal amounts before you do this. Maybe 1/2 a step. Tighten equally and in small amounts (like 1/4 turn), checking your bridge height and tuning after each series of turns. Do not worry about getting the guitar into perfect tuning until after you established your really close point with the bridge.
When your bridge gets to the height you want, re-do the tuning. Remember, though, we got it tuned just before we did this. This means that we should not be very far away at any one time. It's a lenghty process, but following the process does take a lot of guessing out of the equation. If you go back and forth like this, you will end up with the bridge in the proper position and not very far out of tune.
You'll need to learn to do this in the event you ever decide to change string guages.
Anyone, chime in if I've forgotten something.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
floating bridge/trem issues once again. the short story is:
1. use wood and/or plastic blocks and shims to temporarily lock the trem into the correct position (when it floats).
2. do all the tuning, action and intonation adjustments required
3. remove the blocks. trem and/or bridge will very probably move to "improper" angle. now adjust the trem spring tension to bring the trem and/or bridge back to correct angle/position.
4. tweak the tuning ... done
-=tension & release=-
