Question regarding blocking a Floyd trem.

kennedydream1980

Okay so I have a Charvel pro mod, one of the newer Mexican models with the floating Floyd.

I blocked it off using a stack of coins taped using electrical tape. Put 5 springs in the back and tightened them as far as they will go. So my makeshift blocking mechanism (coins) is holding tightly in place, the trem certainly won’t budge back, and takes an almighty effort to push it forward, so everything seems solid.

The trem is perfectly parallel to the body so no issues there.

im still having an issue with the top e and b strings drifting sharp. This is with the locking nut slackened off. Anyone know what could cause this? Do I just need to let it settle for a while?

kennedydream1980

I think it may be down to the fact the strings on the guitar are pretty old. Although it does seem to be settling down a bit. I’ll re-string it tomorrow and see if that sorts it out.

hollywoodrox

Be interesting to see if you sort this as I like dive only trem’s and a lot of guitars I like have floyds , I had a lovely Jackson with one of those L brackets but it clunked when you used the trem 

dbphoto

New strings, properly stretch them, set the fine tuners around half way, make sure the knife edges are sitting properly against the posts, then once good tighten the string clamps at the nut.

If the Floyd won’t physically move in either direction with it setup as you have described then all should be good, and using the fine tuners is probably the only thing I like about Floyd’s.

Wonky

I'm thinking maybe your issue is with the nut if the trem is blocked as you say.  Old strings often hold tuning better than new ones with a floyd tbh.  The nut is not designed to be unlocked and therefore drag over the nut is higher than on a conventional nut.  If it were locked, as designed, there'd be zero drag, but with it unlocked you're trying to get it to act like a normal nut which it isn't.
I'm not saying you can't get it to work mind, maybe with some sort of lubrication.
With all that said, wtf do I know. I could be talking out my arse again.

ICBM

If only two strings are going out of tune - and especially as it's two under the same clamp - the issue is definitely with the nut. If the bridge was moving then all six would go out.

kennedydream1980

I got up today and when I really thought about it the nut isn’t designed to function in a conventional way, it’s designed to be locked down.

Then I seen the comments above!!

So that would explain why the 2 strings were drifting sharp, they must have been dragging ever so slightly on the nut.

Once I’ve locked it down it’s all stable and staying in tune so all is well again.

Thanks for everyone’s help.

Wonky

kennedydream1980 said:

I got up today and when I really thought about it the nut isn’t designed to function in a conventional way, it’s designed to be locked down.

Then I seen the comments above!!

So that would explain why the 2 strings were drifting sharp, they must have been dragging ever so slightly on the nut.

Once I’ve locked it down it’s all stable and staying in tune so all is well again.

Thanks for everyone’s help.

I know there's a load of people, especially on here gonna tell you otherwise, but in my experience a good floating floyd is a very stable thing. 
I've got a schaller floyd on one guitar and a couple of Ibanez floaters too and staying in tune is totally not an issue.  They go into the case in tune and come out the same way.  Obviously more hassle changing strings, but once it's up and running, no problem at all.
I own a guitar with a floating Kahler flyer and a few few conventional strat type trems and out of all of them its the strat type trems that are the hardest by far to keep in tune.
Just saying like

kennedydream1980

Wonky said:

kennedydream1980 said:

I got up today and when I really thought about it the nut isn’t designed to function in a conventional way, it’s designed to be locked down.

Then I seen the comments above!!

So that would explain why the 2 strings were drifting sharp, they must have been dragging ever so slightly on the nut.

Once I’ve locked it down it’s all stable and staying in tune so all is well again.

Thanks for everyone’s help.

I know there's a load of people, especially on here gonna tell you otherwise, but in my experience a good floating floyd is a very stable thing. 
I've got a schaller floyd on one guitar and a couple of Ibanez floaters too and staying in tune is totally not an issue.  They go into the case in tune and come out the same way.  Obviously more hassle changing strings, but once it's up and running, no problem at all.
I own a guitar with a floating Kahler flyer and a few few conventional strat type trems and out of all of them its the strat type trems that are the hardest by far to keep in tune.
Just saying like

It was very stable when it was floating and I had to issues with it, apart from the fact I found I never used the trem and also I started to get paranoid about the idea of breaking a string on a gig. So for those reasons I decided to block it off. 

Wonky

kennedydream1980 said:

Wonky said:

kennedydream1980 said:

I got up today and when I really thought about it the nut isn’t designed to function in a conventional way, it’s designed to be locked down.

Then I seen the comments above!!

So that would explain why the 2 strings were drifting sharp, they must have been dragging ever so slightly on the nut.

Once I’ve locked it down it’s all stable and staying in tune so all is well again.

Thanks for everyone’s help.

I know there's a load of people, especially on here gonna tell you otherwise, but in my experience a good floating floyd is a very stable thing. 
I've got a schaller floyd on one guitar and a couple of Ibanez floaters too and staying in tune is totally not an issue.  They go into the case in tune and come out the same way.  Obviously more hassle changing strings, but once it's up and running, no problem at all.
I own a guitar with a floating Kahler flyer and a few few conventional strat type trems and out of all of them its the strat type trems that are the hardest by far to keep in tune.
Just saying like

It was very stable when it was floating and I had to issues with it, apart from the fact I found I never used the trem and also I started to get paranoid about the idea of breaking a string on a gig. So for those reasons I decided to block it off. 

Honestly get where you're coming from.  I've not broke a string in years and I'm not easy on the trem.  I'm full of flutters and dives and pull ups (I know its odd for a jazzer, but I'm all about the original sound and I loves a bit of fusion).
One of my guitars now has a Schaller Trem Stop on it.  Bloody ugly thing, but locks the trem in case you break a string or want to do some double stop bends.
https://images.app.goo.gl/EwvboEs5KBDEJfx1A

ICBM

Wonky said:

I know there's a load of people, especially on here gonna tell you otherwise, but in my experience a good floating floyd is a very stable thing.

A properly-set-up, proper Floyd (not one of the lower-quality versions) is the most stable bridge there is - more than any hardtail, in fact.

The only thing that can beat it is an Evertune, and that's really a totally different approach to stability.

skullfunkerry

ICBM said:

Wonky said:

I know there's a load of people, especially on here gonna tell you otherwise, but in my experience a good floating floyd is a very stable thing.

A properly-set-up, proper Floyd (not one of the lower-quality versions) is the most stable bridge there is - more than any hardtail, in fact.

The only thing that can beat it is an Evertune, and that's really a totally different approach to stability.

As I said in the other thread about Floyds recently, at the Hendrix thing I went to while everyone was passing round the tuner, I got my guitar out of the gig bag, strummed a chord to check it was in tune and I was good to go

Wonky

ICBM said:

Wonky said:

I know there's a load of people, especially on here gonna tell you otherwise, but in my experience a good floating floyd is a very stable thing.

A properly-set-up, proper Floyd (not one of the lower-quality versions) is the most stable bridge there is - more than any hardtail, in fact.

The only thing that can beat it is an Evertune, and that's really a totally different approach to stability.

I must get round to trying on of them evertune things out.  I'm wondering if there's an impact on tone?  What I mean is, like the difference between a floyd and a fixed bridge (bit less sustain(same with any trem really) and maybe not so sparkly bright)?