ok well i didn't know where else to put this....but my question is this. i'm looking at purchasing a Schecter Damien V FR which has a locking-floyd rose and i play in C standard for the most part (C-F-Bb-Eb-G-C). anyways i don't know much about Floyd Rose Tremolos besides they're "floating" or something and they're operated by tension between the strings and springs inside the body of the guitar. i know that if you change the tension of the strings like with detuning the guitar to C the bridge will rise or drop ( i forget which one ) but anyways i don't really know what needs to be done to set the Floyd Rose up to play in a lower key. any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Ian
When you lower the string tension you will also need to lower the spring tension for the trem to keep the proper balance. It takes quite a bit of work, because you'll be tuning, adjusting the trem, tuning, adjusting, tuning.... but once it's set it'll be stable and you won't need to worry about it again (until next time you change tuning/tension).
You really do want to stick with one tuning and one set of string gauges with a Floyd Rose.
There are lots of tutorials online on setting up a Floyd Rose.
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well i normally play in the key of C (C-F-Bb-Eb-G-C) exclusively. and i always use Ernie Ball Not Even Slinky's (56-44-32-24p-16-12). i was just basically wondering will i need to put more or less springs in the Trem to even the bridge with the tension of the stings being lower in the lower key? and if i'll need more springs will holes need to be drilled or not? like i said all i know about the Floyd Rose is that it's "floating" and operated from tension between the strings and the springs in the body. that and i forget to say before i know there's a plate that you and back out or screw in 2 screws to raise or lower the bridge. besides that i don't know much. i'm just trying to figure if it'll be more of a hassle than it's worth to buy a guitar with one with me playing in the lower key of C or not. there's another version of the same guitar without the Floyd Rose and it just has a basic bridge/string through body with Grovers. i just don't wanna buy something and be disappointed.
thanks Ian.
When you get the guitar it will probably come with 9-42s and be adjusted accordingly. It's hard to tell how it will respond to 12-56 strings tuned down to C, but I can hardly imagine you will need to do any modifications besides adjusting the tremolo springs to balance the trem with the heavier strings and lower tuning. It should come with three springs installed, and I doubt you will need to remove or add any. Use the screws holding the spring "claw" to adjust the tension, retune, and keep at it until you have a proper balance. Just be patient,- as I wrote earlier it's a lot of work, but once it's done you won't need to worry about it again.
ok thanks. and yes 9-42's are what the guitar comes with. i actually went to the local music store here and talked to the guy who sets up all the guitars there and he said something about it needing more springs because something about "the strings getting really really loose in such a low tuning" and i couldn't understand that seeing how my Dean is in C now and the strings are fine but then again my Dean doesn't have a Tremolo. but thanks for the help. and i have heard that all floyd rose equiped guitars come with 3 springs but some come with only 2 installed and the 3rd in the case or gigbag it comes in. would you recommend installing the 3rd spring if it isn't already??
he said something about it needing more springs because something about "the strings getting really really loose in such a low tuning"
That's backwards - looser strings/lower tension means you'll have to decrease the spring tension, not increase it as you would by installing an additional spring. Think of it this way - the Floyd Rose balances between the tension of the strings and the tension of the springs, pulling in opposite directions. So if one tension gets lower, you will need to lower the tension pulling in the other direction to keep the Floyd Rose balancing properly. Lower string tension needs lower spring tension, higher string tension needs higher spring tension, that's the basic principle.
Personally I would have used three springs, alwyas have for floating tremolos, but there's nothing wrong with using two or four if that works for you. Using two springs means you'll have to tighten the "claw" screws (compared to using three) to get a good balance, using four means you'll have to losen the "claw" screws. Different feels,- two springs will make the trem feel more "wobbly".
Here are some links to setup guides for Floyd Rose trems:
http://www.glowingtubes.com/p/FloydTuning.htm
http://www.modguitar.com/ModGuitar.com%20Floyd%20Rose%20Tremolo%20Set-up%20Tutorial.html
http://www.shredguitars.com/showthread.php?t=34808
http://www.printerscats.com/Floyd-Rose-Tremolo-Setup-English__P1c-7-VMY_w.html
If you're going from 9's to 12's, I would think that you're going to have to have the nut checked. I don't think that a nut, cut for 9's, would have enough width in the cuts to handle 12's. I think that they strings would bind terribly and make tuning a nightmare
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i looked up the set of strings they come with and they're D'Addario Medium Guages (10-46) i know going from a 10 to a 12 isn't much less of a jump than the 9 to 12's. but i just wanted to be accurate on what i was telling you. and i've never had a problem before playing with 12-56's in C before on my other guitar. but that didn't have a floyd rose so i don't know. i don't know about adjusting the nut or anything i normally just pick up a guitar and play it so this is the first time i've really done any research on adjusting guitars period. but again just wanted to tell you the rights strings.
