Here's the problem- i have an esp ltd m100fm, its a gr8 sounding guitar wid a ***floyd rose*** now, i want to tune my guitar to drop c whenever i try doing that my low E string doesnt sound good at all n becomes very loose, almost unplayable, the bridge becomes unparallel to the surface I use 9 gauge strings can anyone post a link to some tutorial, maybe a video or just simply give me an idea on how to proceed with th procedure of drop tuning ???? shoud i change strings to higher gauge, maybe 10 or something or do i have adjust the spring system ANY help wud be appreciated rock on people
Your problem. Nine is ridiculously light. Atleast use 10. (I do). Also, the floyd rose is to do trills, whammies and dive bombs. Not drop tune. That is done by unlocking the nut, making the strings D,A,F,C,G,C respectively and locking the nut again. alpha1, you are most unhelpful.
^ unet, i do the same thing, but my low E string sounds .....erm... it doesnt sound at all nywayz so,if i change strings to upper gauge, i wud succesfully get drop c *widout doing any changes with the spring tension, right??* n what abt my bridge getting lowered everytime i tune down?????
Your action might be too low then. A lot of PRS's have the same problem too. Google "increase guitar action" and you should find out how to do it. So first, increase action and try. Then try in a heavier gauge. If you keep you string action the same and increase gauge, you'll be screwed. I dont know much aboot spring tension....ask furtado's themselves. The'll tell you.
Floyd rose bridge has to be setup for the tuning. Maybe a drop D could be handled with the same setup as the standard. But you may have to change the bridge every time you change c to standard..
Even drop D for prolonged period is too much. The purpose of floating bridge is to allow you to change the tunings for a brief time. In effect when you lower/increase the tremolo lever, you are shortning/lengthning the strings and changing their tension. If you do this temporarily and then get back to your original intended tuning, then its fine, however if you intend to keep this way for long - the strings need to be tuned again - because they were NOT tuned for the new length and tension.
I'm starting to hate that floyd rose .... it seem that if today i want to play drop c n tommorow i want to play standard .... then i will have to change the whole goddamn setup .... gr8, the least thing i wanted to hear .... nywayz, thanx 4 the help
Hi ZW... If you plan to change your tunings a lot, Floyd Rose will be a big pain but otherwise it is quite cool... Check on https://www.vai.com/LittleBlackDots/lessons1984.html, especially the "wierd noises" section for inspiration... It is best to use only one tuning for you FR Bridge, else it will need a lot of adjusting each time. Use the same gauge of strings and if possible the same brand to minimize setting up. Setting up the bridge isnt too great a deal once you get used to it. Just understand that your bridge is floating between a set of stretched strings on the front of your guitar and springs on the back side. Now if you tune one of your strings down, the tension on the front side is reduced while the spring tension remains the same. This will cause your bridge to shift towards the spring side and make the bridge recede into the guitar body. To correct this, open the spring cover on the back of the guitar and loosen the springs until the bridge is slanting slightly outwards. Now as the springs have lost tension, all your strings would have dropped pitch. Tune it back to your desired tuning again. The bridge should now be a lot more parallel than earlier. Repeat this till your bridge is parallel.. 2 to 3 rounds of adjusting should do it. When you want to drop tunings, it is advisable to go for thicker strings in order to maintain the tension levels as well as the intonation for any guitar. Eg. I use 9 gauge for E Std. When I go to Eb Std, it is better to switch to 10 gauge to avoid the notes sounding flabby/off-pitch and bends going too wide. This can sound pretty bad if you drop a whole step or more.
