The easiest and quickest way to change strings on your Floyd Rose or other floating trem based Guitar.
Floyd Rose, Kahler, Ibanez Edge, Stratocaster floating, Wilkinson 2 Point floating Trem etc...
So, last time you took the strings off your guitar to fit that shiny new set you just bought, the tremolo pulled back into the guitar and you spent an hour just trying to get it back only to be presented with a load of buzzing frets and a guitar that just didn't work any more. You might have even taken the guitar to a professional to have it set up, costing you more than the strings.
Have you been told "Floyd Rose guitars are too much work" "Sell it and get a fixed bridge"?
Well there is another, much easier, way to get the job done and done right with a few simple tips.
What's more, it takes no longer than a fixed bridge, then you can enjoy rock solid tuning.
Tip #1 - Do not remove all the strings at once.
Flip the guitar over and look at the back. You see that plastic plate? That is where a a set of springs are pulling the trem back into the body and the only thing that's keeping them from doing that are the strings providing tension against the springs. If you don't have the slots in the plate then trust me they are under there. But let's leave them for now.
If you remove the all strings, the tremolo will lose it's balance and fall into the body.
So what we want to do is, change the strings one at a time.
Tip #2 - Have all the tools you need to hand
The key to a frustration free string change is prior preparation and that means having everything you need to hand. Here are the tools I use to do the job.
Strings (duh!)
Allen Key (Sometimes called a Hex Key/wrench)
Clippers
Screw Driver
Truss Rod Allen Key
String Winder
A safe surface that won't scratch the Guitar (A cheap floor mat is perfect)
You can grab any of these you need from www.pmtonline.co.uk in the UK
"Prior preparation prevents p**s poor performance." – Some dude in the US Military, maybe
Tip #3 - Follow these steps for success
Follow the steps one at a time and repeat for every string.
Make sure the guitar is in tune to begin with.
Remove the first locking clamp at the guitar nut end. (Low E and A string) (Fig 1)
Unwind the string a bit then pull the trem arm up a bit to loosen the string.
Loosen, but do not remove the locking clamp at the tremolo end. (Fig 2)
Pull the string out of the block, take care that the block does not come out too.
Snip the ball/ring end off the string. (Fig 3)
Push the string in the block on the tremolo end where you removed the old string.
Tighten the clamp to where it stops turning, do not over tighten or the block will split.
Put the string in the tuner where you removed the old string and turn with a string winder.
Allow enough slack that the string goes round the post 3 times on the wound and 5 on the plain.
Tune the string and stretch in the normal way.
Repeat till all strings are in tune.
Clamp all the strings at the nut, tight but not too tight.
Tip #5 - What to do if it all goes wrong
PANIC!!
Not really, you can end up with a slightly raised bridge or maybe a bit low in the body, no bother.
This can be a result of a different brand of strings or maybe you moved up or down a gauge.
Not to worry, that's what the strews in the back are for.
To pull the bridge back into the body, give them a tighten
To lift the bridge out of the body loosen them a bit.
You don't need to move them much, maybe a 1/2 turn or so but you will need to retune a couple of times to get back to pitch and check again. But if you stick to the same gauge and brand than you shouldn't have any problems.
Right oh, that's all done then..
Ok, do this a few times and you'll see how easy it is to do and so totally worth it.
One last piece of advice, in all the years I have been doing this for myself and professionally I have never seen any benefit to tying or looping a string on a post.
The only thing that does, is make string removal a complete chore next time.
If you find this in anyway useful please consider sharing this or leaving me a comment.
Matthew Speed (The Guitar Ninja) www.guitardojo.org
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