# Floyd Rose bridge way too high... not sure what to do



## Richiban

Hi Everyone,

So, I've got this 7 string Ibanez... It belongs to a friend of mine who hasn't used it in a long time, I expressed an interest in buying it, so he's lent to me for a while to see how I like it.

I've restrung it, (which took me ages - my first time with a Floyd Rose!) and now I've got the guitar perfectly in tune and am playing it, but the bridge is sitting _waaaaaay _too high. I can barely dive one or two tones before the arm hits the body of the guitar.

I read up on what to do in this case, and learned that there are screws in the back that can be tightened to increase the spring tension and lower the bridge. However, even after screwing these all the way in the bridge is still miles up.

I'm now out of ideas - why is this even happening? I'm not using particularly heavy guage strings (.10 - .52). Have the springs worn out because the guitar is old? I've included some photos so you can see just how high up it is...

Any help or tips would be much appreciated.


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## MaxOfMetal

HOLY CRAP! 

Okay, time to start over. 

1) Unlock the nut and detune those strings until the bridge is sitting at this exact angle:





2) Now using some stacks of business cards, block the trem. Place the stacks in back between the sustain block of the trem, like this:




And underneath the fine-tuner assembly on the front. The goal is to make it so the trem will not move from the proper angle, even when adjusting string tension. 

3) Now, tune to the proper pitch.

4) Lock the locking nut.

5) IF the locking nut messes with the tuning, adjust the tuning with the fine tuners. 

6) Now the cool part. Remove what ever you had blocking the trem so it's fully floating. The trem should pop out of it's proper angle, and the tuning should be messed up. Don't worry.

7) Now, adjust the spring tension till the bridge is back at it's proper angle, and the guitar is in tune. 










By the way, nice guitar. I have a Green Dot as well:


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## Rook

All these people with Green Dots!!! SOMEBODY SELL ME ONE!!!

And yeah, you can't change the string gauge without adjusting the trem tension. I assume your friend had 9-56 on there.


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## jymellis

holy shit! dude has a green dot and doesnt even know how to set up a trem? thats like owning a lamborghini and not knowing how to shift the gears


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## MaKo´s Tethan

jymellis said:


> holy shit! dude has a green dot and doesnt even know how to set up a trem? thats like owning a lamborghini and not knowing how to shift the gears



it`s a shame...


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## Johnboy_Ice

The first thing I thought when I saw that picture was "oh man, where's Max when you need him?" and then I saw his post.

But seriously, every time you answer somebody's question about setting up a bridge I get a little more confident in maybe buying a guitar with one and actually changing string gauges myself....


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## MaxOfMetal

Johnboy_Ice said:


> The first thing I thought when I saw that picture was "oh man, where's Max when you need him?" and then I saw his post.
> 
> But seriously, every time you answer somebody's question about setting up a bridge I get a little more confident in maybe buying a guitar with one and actually changing string gauges myself....



To be honest, it is a daunting task at first. The first time you mess with it, if you're not used to it, it'll make you pretty mad, and you'll get quite frustrated. I know I was when I first started messing with floating trems. Though, if you sit down, read through some material, get the proper tools, it's easy as pie, and it'll only get easier as you go. 

Trems are 100% physics. Once you understand the simple principles they work on, you'll be able to quickly and easily set-up, maintain, and troubleshoot issues.


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## TomParenteau

That's a pretty slick way to get the spring tension right.


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## hide

MoM is always right. 

I'll add that if after the procedure the trem still isn't where it's supposed to be, the springs may indeed be worn out: you can add another one or replace them all with a set of new ones, maybe with a higher K.

The trem obviously will feel a little stiffer. But I don't care because I'm Tremol-no-ing it anyway 

And yes, I had the same problems you had the first time I set up a floyd. Once you get used to it, it's a breeze.


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## aslsmm

haha dude i broke 3 high e strings the first time i tried to set up my 550. its a bitch but once you know how to do it its not so bad. beware though, ive had many trem users that are friends of mine that dont know how to set them up. i usually get stuck setting them up for them.


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## Richiban

Thanks for the awesome reply post, MaxOfMetal!

Unfortunately, the guide you've given me is exactly what I did in the first place, but I tried it again just to be sure. The bit I'm struggling with is here: 



MaxOfMetal said:


> 6) Now the cool part. Remove what ever you had blocking the trem so it's fully floating. The trem should pop out of it's proper angle, and the tuning should be messed up. Don't worry.
> 
> 7) Now, adjust the spring tension till the bridge is back at it's proper angle, and the guitar is in tune.



I removed the wooden block I used to stop the trem, and the bridge immediately leapt up, as you said it would. So all that should be left is to adjust the tension screws until the bridge is back in the right place and the guitar is in tune? But I've put the screws in all the way and the bridge is nowhere near where it was with the block in there. And my guitar is now in G# rather than B.

I'm _sure_ that the springs are simply not providing enough tension to get the bridge to its proper place.

Oh, and to the others: go easy on me, it's my first guitar with a tremolo of any sort, let alone a Floyd Rose!


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## Customisbetter

Dude you need more springs... With a straight 10 set i need 4 springs. Using heavier strings will require more spring tension.


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## jymellis

Richiban said:


> Thanks for the awesome reply post, MaxOfMetal!
> 
> Unfortunately, the guide you've given me is exactly what I did in the first place, but I tried it again just to be sure. The bit I'm struggling with is here:
> 
> 
> 
> I removed the wooden block I used to stop the trem, and the bridge immediately leapt up, as you said it would. So all that should be left is to adjust the tension screws until the bridge is back in the right place and the guitar is in tune? But I've put the screws in all the way and the bridge is nowhere near where it was with the block in there. And my guitar is now in G# rather than B.
> 
> I'm _sure_ that the springs are simply not providing enough tension to get the bridge to its proper place.
> 
> Oh, and to the others: go easy on me, it's my first guitar with a tremolo of any sort, let alone a Floyd Rose!


 

i was just bustin your balls maing and im doing it again right now its not a floyd rose. its a floating tremolo licensed under floyd rose patents. just call it my iby or green dot trem. now what you have is in my opinion one of the most bad ass guitars you can possibly ever touch. and what you need to do, is add another spring  move the middle one to one of the outside spotsa, then add another to the other outside spot. this will give you a total of 4 springs 2 on each outside with no spring in the middle. you will have to remove the little plate holding the spings in.after you have added the 4th spring you will need to loosen the screws in the trem claw (the part that you have all the way screwed in . actually do this first, it will make stretching the spring from the block to the claw easier. then just put that little spring plate in a baggie and save it for later, you wont need it


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## jymellis

like so


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