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Setting up a bridge

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(@systasis)
New Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 1
Topic starter  

I have an Alexi-600 with a floating tremolo. When i bought it from the store, it was set up to be in E-Standard.
The music me and my band play is in Drop - C. For some reason, whenever i tune it DOWN, the high E string snaps / gets very tight OR the bridge is almost vertical. Could someone please explain how to set up the bridge so I can play in Drop C?


   
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(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

that's a major drawback with floating trems. changing to alt tunings on the fly is going to be a nearly impossible process. if you are going be changing tunings, you will either have to block the trem to a fixed position, so it does not shift when you change the tuning (and thus the tension) on one or more strings, or at least partially block it to permit only down bending. but I'm going to assume you want to use the trem and skip the explanations for those, so …

if you are going to permanently stick with drop C tuning on this guitar, then you can keep the trem floating, but you will need to open the back of your guitar and adjust the trem springs to lower the tension. this is because dropping the low E to C lowers the string tension, and to re-balance the tension (so the bridge stays horizontal) with lower spring tension. you have two ways to adjust spring tension: 1) small/fine adjustments are done by tightening/loosening the screw that attaches one end of the springs (via the "claw") to the body of the guitar. 2) large/coarse adjustments are done by adding, removing or changing out the springs. you nearly always will need to do (1). doing (2) depends on how big the changes are going to be -- usually when going up or down a couple string gauges (the whole set)

Oh right -- and it occurs to me that if you are going to stay in drop C, you may want to consider upping the gauge of that string only. (big plus: it'll improve that floppiness problem.) that gauge change alone may return the tension close to that of the original E tuning and minimize trem tension adjustments -- tho you may need to file the nut slot for the wider "C" string. yes -- there is always something more to do.

good luck.

-=tension & release=-


   
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