This article was contributed by Guitar Jam Trax - www.guitarjamtrax.com

Floyd Rose Tuning Tips for Guitarists

Tuning your guitar that has a Floyd Rose can be frustraing if you are not used to it. Fear not, it can be done. It just takes some getting used to.

Here is overview that will get you in tune quickly.

1) Assuming the strings are already on the guitar, make sure they are already stretched.

2) Un-Clamp the three hex-bolt clamps that are at the nut (headstock). Don't remove them, just loosen them so that the strings move freely under them.

3) Adjust the fine tuners on the bridge so that they are in the middle (i.e. not screwed all the way in, but not loosened all the way so that they are ready to fall out)

4) Using a good tuner, tune the guitar. Go back 2 or 3 times and re-tune the guitar, even a 4th time if you have to. This is important because you really wanna make sure the guitar is in-tune as much as possible before you clamp the strings. The trick with a floyd rose is that when you tighten the lower strings in particular, it pulls the bridge forward, which slightly de-tunes the other strings. This is a little maddning, and what makes it worse is that when you de-tune the heavier strings, it tightens the other strings slightly. You will get used to this after a while.

5) Clamp the three hex-bolt clamps that are at the nut (headstock). Dont' go crazy, just tighten it until it's good and snug.

6) Using your tuner, tune the guitar again, this time using the fine-tuners on the bridge to get the strings perfectly to pitch. If you have to overly tighten or loosen any of the fine tuners, un-clump the hex key clamps at the nut and tune with them un-clamped, then clamp them again. The fine tuners should be for fine-tuning only.

That should be it. It may seem like a real hassle, and I remember feeling that way with my first Floy-Rose equipped guitar. But, it will become second nature to you after a short time.

 This article was contributed by Guitar Jam Trax - www.guitarjamtrax.com