2: The string clamp blocks are for the string ends and hold them tight. After i set up the floating tremolo, i noticed the action was a little bit high. Adjust action with the saddles. One advantage is that the pitch can be modulated both above and below zero, or pitch. I wail on the bar doing EVH and Pantera stuff and it still stays in tune. If it is not or is excessively tight, adjust both screws again. How To Set up a Strat Floating Tremolo | Two Pivots Tremolo | Whammy Bar - YouTube to set up my trem. Then tune the guitar to pitch. Remember, you need to fully stretch out your guitar strings and keep re-tuning until they hold tune. If this happens you will need to screw in the back claw that adjusts the trem springs to counteract the string tension. The wedge should be held in place by the force of the tremolo pushing down on it. Tremolos (or, technically, vibratos) are great when they’re working, but a nightmare if you don’t look after them. Another is that the action of the trem is really nice, especially if you use a tremolo bar to sweeten up chords, like … Maybe that’s true in some cases but if you can visualize what you’re about to do and can borrow a tool here & there, you can get this job done on your own. This guitar is designed to have a “floating” tremolo, which means it should have been level with the body. By Jack Ellis 10 March 2020. Now string up your guitar with a fresh set of strings and then tune them up. Usually three springs are recommended for a balanced feel, but some can get away with two — depending on string gauge and playing style. Guitar setup 101: how to set up your tremolo. How to Set Up a Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo By Joseph Cortese Debuting in 1977, the Floyd Rose tremolo was the first of its kind to accomplish a feat that had been not attained by other tremolo systems. Slide the coaster/wedge in and move it until the guitar looks as though it is in the (I)position. If the tremolo is angled backwards towards the body, you’ll need to loosen the springs a bit. -Mike-----It seems like people sort of shrug away from installing a full floating tremolo on a guitar not currently set up for one because it’s too scary or you need too many tools. The setup for both of these styles is almost the same, with the exception of step 5 (below), which will be clearly defined when the time comes. Press down on the whammy bar to raise the tremolo. 4: Saddle lock bolts: Undo these to set the intonation. Gravity causes the back of the trem to rest on the body, low (but NOT zero) spring and string tension gently pulls the tremolo into the pivot screws. Here are the parts you’re working with: 1: The height posts are responsible for setting the entire tremolo’s height. A floating tremolo has both advantages and disadvantages. Shares. So i decided to lower each saddle to bring down the action. Now adjust those screws so that the FRONT of the plate also just barely sits down on the body. Fender's set-up guide says to set these up so that "For a two-pivot model such as the American Series bridge, use your tremolo arm to pull the bridge back flush with the body and adjust the two pivot screws to the point where the tremolo plate sits entirely flush at the body (not lifted at the front or back of the plate)." Then NEVER ADJUST THEM AGAIN (under normal circumstances). On the G it goes up 1 and a half steps, on the B it goes up 1 step, and on the high E it goes up a half step. The action was very high and the tremolo was tilted back against the body (Fig. To set up a floating trem, adjust the springs so the bridge sits parallel with the top of the guitar. 3: Fine tuner thumb adjusters. First, setup all other factors of the guitar (intonation, action, neck curve) before setting up the tremolo (see the setup tips and the troubleshoot-list if unsure). Do so by using a screwdriver and turning the spring screws counter-clockwise. If your bridge isn’t floating correctly, go ahead and remove the whammy bar, as well as the back plate of the spring compartment. With this set up it sounds really nice and stays in tune good. 1). Learn how to balance floating, two-point style Stratocaster systems. We are going to walk you through the steps in order to set it up correctly and alleviate the headaches and frustrations you have probably already experienced just trying to restring your guitar or failing to get all the strings in tune. This procedure will possibly make your trem lift up into the air. The time has come to dive in to the world of the Floyd Rose double locking tremolo system. 5: … The guitar appeared to have been previously set up (and I use that term loosely) for a .010 set of strings. That feat was to make a tremolo that could alter the pitch to be higher and lower, but not affect the tuning of the guitar. Here are the steps we will go through to set up the tremolo: 1.