VERY IMPORTANT and overlooked step occurs at 4:17 and throughout the tuning. When he tunes the sharp notes down, he first makes then flat and then raises them to pitch. Always raise to pitch, never loosen into pitch. This prevents nut binding and string slippage and aids tuning stability. Great pro tip I received years ago that should be passed on to every player.
@@BFHPET always tune up. never tune down. like if it's a little sharp (-2 -1 0 1 2 --- 0 means in tune) e.g. at 1, tune it down to -1 and then get it to 0, don't go from 1 to 0. @UChU3pLATS4yVJQgdvxdXphg I saw this with Joe Walsh too lol
Doug you were a huge inspiration to me when I was starting out. I had your Metal Method VHS tape and watched it till it got eaten. I wonder if kids will read this and wonder what that means. Haha. Anyhow thanks for giving me my start in the world of guitar and it’s nice being a fellow guitar teacher on RUclips with someone like you. 👍🎸☺️
Hey Doug for the longest time I've been looking for the best and easiest methods in tuning a Floyd Rose, I stumbled across your video. Glad I found it, very helpful indeed, much thanks sir!
A lot of people seem to not understand that "How to tune a floyd rose in 60 seconds" doesn't mean "how to tune a floyd rose in 60 seconds explained in 60 seconds"
I don't count speed for FR tuning 😉😉😁 those things are pretty hard to set in game 😎😎 I tuned it and hasn't messed 3 weeks with tuning so had some great hold!
But it can be explained in 60 seconds or 1 paragraph, which ever is faster. How to turn a Floyd bridge: loosen locknut, centre all fine tuning knobs on the bridge, tune all strings to their respective notes by starting with the 3rd string going to the 4th, 2nd, 5th, 1st and then 6th string. Screw in the locknut securely when done. The next day, using the fine tuning knobs on the bridge tune the guitar to the exact opposite pitch on the same note following the 3rd string, 4th sting method. Your guitar should be in turn when finished with the 6th string. 1 paragraph, easy.
If you like to tinker with tuning, make sure you have a Floyd Rose on you axe. It will make you really appreciate the simple stay in tune ways of a normal bridged guitar
I have all 80's Charvel with kahler, and I love them! Fine tuners are horizontal, ( they don't stick straight up), so you cnt " accidentally" turn them, you can adjust the radius, string spacing and set the tremelo from the top, and lock it solid, without " blocks". And it WILL Not go out of tune!
Hey Doug, you were my first guitar teacher back in 1985! I ordered your tapes and and sat in my bedroom as a high school student for countless hours going through your licks and exercises. 30+ years later, I'm still an addict. My wife says I can only have 10 guitars at one time. Buy another...must sell another. Thanks for a great start to my lifelong hobby. Best to you! -Jeff
Got my first guitar with a Floyd Rose today. I knew tuning it wasn't going to be easy and therefore I had watched a few tutorials and thought I knew what to do. Well, yeah, didn't work out so well. I stumbled upon your tutorial, followed it and it worked like a charm. Great job, thank you very much! That PDF is going right into the gig bag ;)
I have to say Doug, for the past 30 years I've had a love/hate relationship with FR tremolos. Your tuning method seems to be working much better for me thanks! Before this it was literally hit or miss. Luckily I have dozens of guitars to choose from so when I'm not it the mood to deal with the high maintenance FR bridge, I just move on to my Les Paul guitars. But lately I've been in the FR mode so again, thanks!
lol Yes, I had some fun with that one. I couldn't find the correct tremolo arm for the Carvin. I grabbed another and stuck it in thinking it would hold for one dive bomb. Nope! Fail. So, I went in search of the correct arm and found it.
Yes, at 2:00 I realized I didn't have the right bar so I just stuck another one in the hole thinking that would be good enough for a single dive bomb. Wrong!
I've been playing an Epiphone Les Paul for 10 years and I got my first Floyd Rose for Christmas. I'd only seen videos of people complaining about the tuning method. This video made it so easy. Many thanks.
Doug, I played a Floyd Rose guitar for years and I've never seen it this way. Thank you for such Insight this will save me much headaches in the future
Incredibly informative and helpful. I’ve owned a FR equipped guitar for the past 15 years, and this tutorial has completely changed my approach to tuning and made it way less of a hassle. Intonation will probably always be a pain though
Doug, THANK YOU! ... bought my first Floyd after owning LP's & SG's for years and the first time it went out of tune I realised I was utterly clueless. Your video has helped massively, especially with you being so clear and straightforward. Thank you so much
Wow, Doug Marks you are my first guitar teacher ever. .... from the early 80's. I learned rhythm guitar from you in 2 weeks and started a hard rock band a month later. I ended up playing bass for the next 15 years in that band because we could never seem to find a bass player willing to write original material. Most of our gigs were at a junk yard after hours a few blocks away from our practice garage. You actually helped ruin my life in a way. lol When that band finally emploded, I went back to guitar and learned about 10 of the 136 licks lesson and that got me good enough to learn/fake cover songs in a long line of mediocure cover bands that solodified my minimum wage status for the next 20 years playing every dive bar in Jacksonville. Now I just need to keep things going until my social security kicks in 8 years from now. Thanks a lot man.....You are my hero. LoL
On topic, your balanced tuning and pitch compensation saves me a lot of time. I was already trying something similar 1-6,2-5,3-4 and it seemed to take forever because I was just tuning to pitch without your compensation method. Thanks Again.
Doug, thank you. You are such a great combination of knowledgeable, generous, and helpful. I've learned a lot from you over the years. Thank you again!
It also helps (while the locking nut is open) to tug the string once it's in tune. This will tighten the wounds on the peg and help take out kinks that would allow it to go flat even more as you tune the other strings, but now you've taken out that slack, tune it back up to pitch again. I know it sounds complex along with all the tricks Doug says, but it becomes second nature as is nearly as easy as with a standard bridge. (I also suggest using the tug on standard bridge guitars to take out slack too).
Doug, thank you for your sincerity and all the contributions you made to the community of guitarists across the world. Over 25 years ago my uncle came home withe the Metal Method VHS tapes and I have never forgotten watching them. Glad to see you're still making a difference all these years later as I'm just getting into making gear reviews.
Doug, wow, man I bought your cassette tapes, in the mail in like 83, 1000 licks or something like that. I owe you a world of gratitude for at that time, no internet to learn from, and I learned a ton from you. May you live long and be blessed.
This has helped me and I've been using a Floyd Rose nearly sense they came out, this is actually amazing to learn after all this time dealing with this problem but just gos to show you your never to old to learn something new, thanks for taking the initiative to figure this out for the rest of us non tech players.
Fantastic tips. I'd given up playing my floyd rose guitars and have left the guitars in their cases for years. I think I will take them out for a play now! Thank you so much. Grrreat Video.
I thought I knew these trems until I made some big adjustments with the claw and trem height one day. Threw everything out of whack and it took me forever to get the damn thing back in balance and tune. This video will help out next time, thank you!
I just bought a Jackson Rhoads with Floyd Rose and couldn't grasp the proper technic to tune it, but your procedure worked like a charm. Followed every step and the result is a fine tuned guitar, thank you very much!
If your guitar is going out of tune you need to have the bridge tuned and maybe the truss rod adjusted. My Floyd Rose stays in tune great and I have no problem with it.
Also may have to tighten or loosen the spring claw in the back cavity if the bridge starts to become tilted too far out of level one way or the other. It's a balancing act between string tension and spring tension.
There is the Tremol-No which fixes the bridge during tuning (and other methods as mentioned). My problem is that this over/under tilting will definitely happen if you are moving to a different tuning (say from standard to 1/2-step down OR vice versa) or a different gauge of strings (ignoring that you should also be re-intonating your guitar in this situation!). With that there is only ONE way to return the bridge tilt to its previous position - tightening or loosening the spring hook. The problem is that the spring hook is held by 2 screws (1 would be nice but we can all see how that would be a terrible idea). So you have to adjust each one and check your tuning until it returns to what it was while the bridge was locked in place. Arduous and you need to count turns on each screw. I am trying to come up with a way (a device) which will allow you to simultaneously turn both screws - then you turn and check tuning until it is on target. No back and forth and sloppiness.
Change to heavier strings and not only will the springs need adjustment, but after a few days you might notice the arch in the neck is now increased, and you need a neck rod adjustment. Most of the guitars that don't play well that come into my shop have heavy strings someone read about being better on the internet so they made their guitar worthless by throwing the setup out of spec. Also you need a micrometer to measure the strings when you replace them unless you just have one guitar for many years and know what is on it. I put the date and type of string on a small piece of blue painters tape and put it on the back of the headstock.
@Taterly Saladman : I've been using floyds and 10 gauge strings for shred since long before the internet, because they absolutely do sound and sustain better. Well I should say: they sound _thicker._ As a recording engineer I have to admit that a thin sound can *sometimes* be preferable, but not often. On a crap guitar this can be an issue, but over the years I've used Gibson SG, Charvel, Ibanez, Jackson and Schecter guitars and with a little adjustment they've been just fine. I even used to use 12 gauge on my Strat, but now I use 11's. The guy who taught me recording engineering had 13 gauge on his strat. I'll never forget bending strings on that during sessions. Sounds awesome though.
Doug, I used to follow your stuff in the 80's, it's great to see you still kicking ass and taking names! I've picked playing back up a few years ago and got my first FL setup. My initial thoughts were "This takes for-f**king-ever to tune!) and I went on with my life for a few years, never stopping to think that there's got to be a better way Then I ran across your vid and all I can say is "I want those hours of unnecessarily tuning my guitar back!". This video is pure gold. And ignore the idiots that don't understand that explaining what you are doing and then doing it in order to teach others is going to take much longer than just doing it. I can't believe people are actually trashing this because it's longer than a minute. Common sense isn't so common sometimes! Keep up the good work!
First off, if a beginner is wondering if Dougs program works, I'll be the first to tell you, YES! I bought his first offering back in about 1982 and learned via cassette tapes! No videos to show me anything! The entire program is about the player because you're not rushed. You learn at your pace and no one is breathing down your neck. The lessons paid for themselves immediately. Secondly, I totally agree on this Floyd Rose thing. They definitely have their place in music however after 30+ years of playing as an amateur and professionally, I never found a "true" need for one other than making the show a bit more interesting with wang bar dives and loud squeals. Don't get me wrong, they are fun and people dig it. Myself, I played nothing but Fender Stratocasters for my entire music life and never once did I find I needed the tremolo. A few rhythm guitarists I had sometimes had a Floyd and spent more time tuning his axe than playing it. When they work, they work great...if thats your thing. I just like to share my thoughts and everything I say is purely my opinion and only based on MY experiences. Enjoy everyone!
If you spend a lot of time tuning, take the guitar to a good luthier and get it set up properly. Floyd or not. And the whole reason for a floyd is that it stays in tune, unlike a tremolo bridge without locks on either end. Making the show more interesting by including the lead solos done properly is important--unless you want to just play chords like a two rhythm no lead guitar band. Those do exist.
I appreciate this video so much! I was turned away by two different guitar stores and said they don't even wanna mess with it. So I looked up how to since they were terrified by it. Now she's in tune n ready to go! saved some money n time too! Thanks Doug! You rock🤘
Doug, thank you so much for answering my question! I feel confident now that I can tune my guitar and keep it in tune. And I'll forgive you for calling me "he" at the beginning of the video lol.
Sorry Kathy. Thanks for the great question. Hope this helps. I knew it was a good question. I just didn't know that I would spend that much time on the video but I'm glad that I did.
Hi Doug, Just wanted to thank you so much for sharing your procedure on tuning a Floyd Rose bridge. Your system absolutely works great. I have watched so many videos on how to tune a Floyd Rose bridge, but nothing beats your easy, simple and clearly explained steps to tune a Floyd Rose Bridge guitar. Prior to watching your video,I have had nightmares and spent hours trying get the bridge in balance and to have the guitar in tune but to no luck at all. I tried your procedure on tuning my Floyd Rose bridge guitar and it works like magic , the bridge is absolutely in balance and most importantly the guitar is in tune in a matter of few minutes. Keep Rocking as always Doug. Best Regards Phillip
Maaaaaaan, that was sooooo helpful!! Been using Floyd Rose bridges for 15+ years and I never heard of that Compensation Method before. Unbelievable!! Huge time saver. Rock on, my friend
Good lord, THANK YOU! Absolute life saver. Haven't had a Floyd Rose in close to 20 years, and yeah... quickly remembered why I hated dealing with them. Amazing trick!
tim taylor I've owned a Floyd for years and I'm so pumped to have found this video. I've only ever tuned when I had to because I dislike tuning it so much.
@@DougMarks If the FR is set up right. I take my guitars in and have someone who knows what they are doing set it up for 45 bucks so i know its done right and i can actually use the floyd rose on it and it stay in tune. A property set up licensed FR will stay in tune even if you divebombs, and if you're lucky pull ups too. A real FR on a multi thousand dollar, made in USA guitar can be molested and still stay in tune. And if it doesn't, the store is gonna have to retune it again for free. My Charvel with the licensed one can be dove and even pulled up a tiny bit, but i know pushing it farther will get it out of tune
Thank you so much Doug! I just got a Floyd Rose yesterday and I was really struggling at first. I got her all tuned up (full tune) in about 5 minutes after watching this video. Worked like a charm! You got a new subscriber! Best to you. Stay healthy.
Doug man, just letting you know that your videos helped a nation of guitar players. I don't know all there is to know about guitar theory, but I know the pentatonics and the natural major scales really well because of your VHS tapes in the day. I said "Doug Marks" to so many people that had the same "6" tapes with the "Speed Kills" tape it was mind blowing. No mater what your musical career has proved to you, the lives your investment and early work touched stretches the globe. I hope you realize how many lives and all the joy you brought to so many people. Thank you sir, you have touched my life from half a world away in ways you will never understand. I hope your lessons have provided financial soundness and brought security to your family. I thank you for all the time and dedication to the love of music that you have. Without you my entire life would have been different.
Sir, I have been playing guitar for 36 years and own several guitars with the Floyd rose. I’ve always had a problem tuning them. Thank you for explaining this process and giving us all the know how.
Your Tuning compensation method is the trick that makes the difference. I had to replace strings of my Schecter Demon 7 FR, at the first try I magically managed to tune them but I noticed that octaves were out of pitch, so I had to pitch them and tune strings again. This is where the mess started. As I knew, when you tune a string it affects the tuning of the others, the tuning compensation method explained in this video will do the trick! It allows the strings to find their optimal tension over the neck, and after all the adjustement they slowly find their way to a perfect and stable tune. Remember that the bridge must be parallel to the body, if it is too bent over the neck the strings may escape from it and break out, as well as the guitar becomes unstable. It takes time to tune a floyd rose guitar, but when you manage to do it the tuning is the most stable ever. Great video, thanks for sharing!
Doug, I bought your Metal Method "VHS" over 20 years ago. It has been very helpful for hand coordination and great for extending lead playing range. My students find it extremely helpful. I recommend it to most everyone. Thanks for making that tape available.
Buddy, the worst thing that may happen is that you'll become tired with that struggle and decide to block the tremolo or even to change the guitar. DON'T DO IT, PLEASE!!! Floyd Rose is AWESOME option for ANY style of play! Soon or later you'll understand how it works, get used to it and gonna improve your tremolo adjustment skill and speed significantly!
I genuinely love my ltd m-1, it is my first guitar that isn't my dad's/grandfather's, the extra difficulty actually makes me pay way more attention to focus on the notes. I feel I'll never forget how it's supposed to sound x'D... This is legit the only video I've found with a very detailed explanation on the Floyd Rose style and how to tune it, thanks!
Thank you for the video! I am a beginner-mediate guitarist and I bought my nephew his first guitar. Since then he's been playing and has accumulated a few more guitars. He now has a guitar with a Floyd Rose and I figured out how to change the strings, but the tuning did not make sense. Your video made it very easy to understand and probably saved me a lot of headache. Thank you!
man doug i took the vhs lessons way back in 1990 and they were great. You still have a hell of a sense of humor. Mom was ticked when i locked myself in the room and was not comingout until i learned the song. I showed her right in the booklet where my "guitar teacher" said it.
While you're correct, and he didn't, it's very simple: Adjust the screws holding the spring plate onto the body. Turn them in for heavier gauge strings, and out for lighter. If you go insanely heavy, you may need to add a spring or two.
TheLightweaver777 this is my problem, it’s not working. Can’t event set it straight. I use normal 10-46 strings and starting from scratch, where should I set the plate? Do you know any videos about this?
The top of the plate should be flat, not leaning down nor up, if you do this on an Ibanez you will then be able to pull up a fifth. If the the plate is raised when you pull up you will break your top E and possibly B and G strings, you can't pull up any more than a sharp 5th (possible only with 9's). I mentioned Ibanez because thats the only floyd rose guitar I have experience of.
you have to retune the strings that you've already tuned. I usually go 6,5, - 6,5,4, - 6,5,4,3, - 6,5,4,3,2, - 6,5,4,3,2,1. The heavier strings move the bridge the most, so it should get more stable as you go. Once you're done, you may have to adjust the spring claw, and repeat the process. Also, make sure that the fine tuners have enough room to move.
Out of all the information I have gathered, and time spent trying to figure this all out, say at least 60 hours, sixty days, heck I can almost say years. Your tuning information on this, and the video I watched before this, turned on just about every lightbulb I've ever burned out. Thank you! Gone to get my Epiphone by Gibson red Devil, that I spent so much time replacing the Floyd Rose and died on. It's getting a precision cut wood block to begin with.
Why block off a Floyd Rose? It was designed to float. To raise and lower pitch. If you only want to lower notes, stick with the Fender style vibrato system.
Personal choice the answer for me was the guitar I wanted was a signature model that only came with a Floyd Kirk Hammett model. That thing got blocked about a week after I got it. My other axe was a used V the one in my profile pic. Played great sounded great had a Floyd. Blocked it during the set up before it went home with me.
Personally for me a FR is MUCH MORE comfortable to put right hand on than TUNE-O-MATIC. I have 4 guitars with FR and 1 of them is always blocked for cases when i want to QUICKLY retune 6-th string for DROPPED tuning. Also 1 of them is ALWAYS in dropped tuning. Sometimes i'm just too lazy to stand up, push the standby on the amp, plug off the cable, change the guitar, plug the cable into another guitar, fine tune it, push standby on the amp again etc)))
This is very helpful! First time I changed strings on my schecter with the floyd i had a hell of a time getting it back in tune. I had no idea just how much of a pain they were, I was a complete beginner when I bought it.
Doug Marks, EXCELLENT instructional video. Personally I don't feel comfortable playing a guitar without a Floyd(been using them since 1981-82; only my acoustic doesn't have one ) but they are a pain in the ass. Took me years to figure out what Mark just showed us. Each time you tighten a string you pull on the bridge. Start at either side and you pull that side which will slack the tension on the opposing strings. Center out mitigates mostly all of that. Another thing worth mentioning; tuning up, literally means tune UP. If your string is sharp(pitch is too high) loosen it and drop lower than the note you want then tune UP. String stretch will lessen tension and lower the pitch; I've never had a string's pitch go up. I tend to have the bridge tuners most of the way up when I lock the nut. There are times a quick pull up on the bar will pull you back into tune too. Spring also do lose spring.
This video was super helpful! I just got my first Floyd Rose guitar and even though I’m a pretty experienced player and did my research, this certainly came in handy. Thank you so much!
Finally there's an explanations of my questions. I always got mixed up with the machine head and with a fine tuners, like " What should I do if I'm out of tune a lil bit, should I tune again starting with the machine head". You explained well, thanks Doug. I'm relieved.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I did it on my Floyd Rose and it works right away. Just following the string order and the compensation rule. It's fun to see how it works, how even though I don't tune each string to the correct pitch, they all automatically end up in tune. Amazing.
THaaaanks Maan! I put this off for way too long. I got the guitar as a gift, and I'm a beginner, had no idea what I was doing. So happy that I can play again. Thank you!
WOW! I’ve been seeing you and your hair in the back of magazines for years when I was growing up. I’ve been a paid guitar player for 15 years doing about 140 shows a year using mostly Floyd rose trems and it’s never occurred to me nor has anybody ever showed me your way to tune a Floyd rose you are a genius! Seriously! OMG I wish I would have known this 25 yrs ago. If this is common knowledge I’m a total idiot and this went right over my head. As a payback to you when I discuss this tuning method with other players I will happily cite you and your channel for this knowledge and encourage people to subscribe. Thank you! BTW I really like your teaching style your not goofy and weird you get straight to the point with a little humor and a occasional story its perfect.
Hi Doug! I’m new to guitars and have 2 Jackson’s with Floyd’s. This video gave me the confidence and knowledge to tune them both in a matter of less than 30 minutes or less each for a first timer. Thanks for all that you do!
I've only owned one fixed bridge in my entire life. Floyd Rose does come with a bit of a learning curve as far as setting it up. But, once you get it, you are golden!!! There are so many things you can do with a Floyd Rose that you otherwise wouldn't be able to do! And tuning stability? Rock solid.
Great video! I’ve just bought my first 'Floyd Rose' loaded guitar. I’ve been playing guitar since 1969. I’ve got a Strat, a Les Paul and a Martin Jumbo acoustic. I felt the only thing I was lacking was a 'Floyd Rose' loaded guitar. I went for the Burny 85s (fitted with a sustainer/harmonic pick up at the neck). I’d heard great things online about this guitar, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a 'screaming' Les Paul with a whammy bar. Amazing! Fantastic guitar. I’m loving it! Cannot put the frigging thing down! 😂🤣 The only advice I would give to people that are not experienced with tuning a guitar fitted with a floating bridge is this. Use your 3/4/2/5/1/6 method then play/stretch/play/stretch/play. You have to stretch the life out of them strings when they’re new. It takes a while. Whammy up/down/up/down/up/down. It’ll take a while but then... Bang! It stays in tune. Job done! I hope this helps people.
I wish this video existed 6 years ago, the one time I bought an Ibanez RG with a Floyd Rose. After a week of frustration I brought it back to the store and got a hard tail G&L. I’m itching to add divebombs into my bag of soloing tools…this may be what helps me take the plunge. Much thanks, Doug!
Awesome the sequence you turned the strings and the flat sharp thing helped out a lot no where else is that ever mentioned thanks for the knowledge my man ill apply it every time i tune my charvel now i can spend more time playing.
My first guitar Jackson Professional with a Floyd. I didn't know how annoying it could be when I first bought it... I went to the Homedepot, and bought a pack of door shims. I jammed them into the backside of the Floyd, then cranked the tension up on the springs, now its pretty much a fixed bridge that never goes out of tune lol.
This video helped me out so much! After hours and hours of getting nowhere with my floating trem guitars, I found this video. Then applied the steps and wow, easy peasy. The 342516 method is what I needed. After compensating, of course! Thank you!!!! A fresh set of stings and they are both in tune.
I just recently dug out an old guitar I have with a Floyd Rose that has been sitting awhile.I have to give it a slight over haul with some new screws and such as the some of the old ones are stripped or just worn out.Hopefully soon I can get my 80"s dive bombing and finger tapping chops back up.Thanks for the tips Doug.Bought many of your lessons on cassette tape back in the 80"s and good to see your still doing it and better than ever!
Had to try this method for myself, and IT WORKS!! I've wrestled with FR guitars for years and they've always pissed me off, but I like the feel and sound of an FR so I still want to use them. Thanks for the tip man, I'll be using this from now on!
VERY IMPORTANT and overlooked step occurs at 4:17 and throughout the tuning. When he tunes the sharp notes down, he first makes then flat and then raises them to pitch. Always raise to pitch, never loosen into pitch. This prevents nut binding and string slippage and aids tuning stability. Great pro tip I received years ago that should be passed on to every player.
Tell this to my music teacher 15 years ago and he disagreed with me
@@jordank5975 Try it for yourself, but with a well lubed nut this usually isn't true.
@@jkane could you please explain im a new guitarist
Joe Walsh taught me that.
@@BFHPET always tune up. never tune down. like if it's a little sharp (-2 -1 0 1 2 --- 0 means in tune) e.g. at 1, tune it down to -1 and then get it to 0, don't go from 1 to 0. @UChU3pLATS4yVJQgdvxdXphg I saw this with Joe Walsh too lol
remember kids, always tune your guitar with the gain level on your amp set to 11.
Yep, same when changing strings.
Jahangir Siddiqui Why not?
But it's at 12
Jahangir Siddiqui Tune it how you play it.
Yeah. I always tune on the clean channel. Then crank up the gain ;)
My first guitar was a Floyd rose no guitar can hurt me now
lol
You're "immune" shall we say lmao.
I'm looking at getting one. Should I be scared
@@smbmxdirt3427 I just got sucked in and bought one today...in PURPLE! Honestly, I really should not be turned loose in a guitar shop unsupervised
@@arwenphoenix1 ya I ended up buying a Jackson randy rhoads but with a regular tumung set up. Maybe my next guitar 🤟😎
Doug you were a huge inspiration to me when I was starting out. I had your Metal Method VHS tape and watched it till it got eaten. I wonder if kids will read this and wonder what that means. Haha. Anyhow thanks for giving me my start in the world of guitar and it’s nice being a fellow guitar teacher on RUclips with someone like you. 👍🎸☺️
The-Art-of-Guitar me too!! I used to see your ad in Circus!
Hey Doug for the longest time I've been looking for the best and easiest methods in tuning a Floyd Rose, I stumbled across your video. Glad I found it, very helpful indeed, much thanks sir!
And now you're inspiring young people like me mike :)
I’m 19 and I know exactly what it means lol I listen to cassette tapes in my truck
@@Alliejen12345 he looked like the perfect metal guitar dude! Saw the ad in circus bought one of his tapes later. He is really good.
A lot of people seem to not understand that "How to tune a floyd rose in 60 seconds" doesn't mean "how to tune a floyd rose in 60 seconds explained in 60 seconds"
Thanks Arda. I needed that. Lol
People are dumb-asses, that's why. Common sense should now be considered "rare sense" in today's society.
Black tooooooth?
I don't count speed for FR tuning 😉😉😁 those things are pretty hard to set in game 😎😎 I tuned it and hasn't messed 3 weeks with tuning so had some great hold!
But it can be explained in 60 seconds or 1 paragraph, which ever is faster.
How to turn a Floyd bridge: loosen locknut, centre all fine tuning knobs on the bridge, tune all strings to their respective notes by starting with the 3rd string going to the 4th, 2nd, 5th, 1st and then 6th string. Screw in the locknut securely when done. The next day, using the fine tuning knobs on the bridge tune the guitar to the exact opposite pitch on the same note following the 3rd string, 4th sting method. Your guitar should be in turn when finished with the 6th string.
1 paragraph, easy.
If you like to tinker with tuning, make sure you have a Floyd Rose on you axe. It will make you really appreciate the simple stay in tune ways of a normal bridged guitar
I have all 80's Charvel with kahler, and I love them! Fine tuners are horizontal, ( they don't stick straight up), so you cnt " accidentally" turn them, you can adjust the radius, string spacing and set the tremelo from the top, and lock it solid, without " blocks". And it WILL Not go out of tune!
That is the truth!
The original guitar teacher. I bought your lessons when I was a teenager. Now I'm 46. May you live a long healthy life.
Thanks reza. Doing my best!
May Allah bless you and your family. Grant you everything good in this life. Keep rocking. You are a true inspiration my friend.
Hey Doug, you were my first guitar teacher back in 1985! I ordered your tapes and and sat in my bedroom as a high school student for countless hours going through your licks and exercises. 30+ years later, I'm still an addict. My wife says I can only have 10 guitars at one time. Buy another...must sell another. Thanks for a great start to my lifelong hobby. Best to you! -Jeff
Wanna give me some lessons next?
10? You better be limiting her shoes, dresses, and jewelry then. Like women don't buy all kinds of extra things in life.
Got my first guitar with a Floyd Rose today. I knew tuning it wasn't going to be easy and therefore I had watched a few tutorials and thought I knew what to do. Well, yeah, didn't work out so well. I stumbled upon your tutorial, followed it and it worked like a charm. Great job, thank you very much! That PDF is going right into the gig bag ;)
I have to say Doug, for the past 30 years I've had a love/hate relationship with FR tremolos. Your tuning method seems to be working much better for me thanks! Before this it was literally hit or miss. Luckily I have dozens of guitars to choose from so when I'm not it the mood to deal with the high maintenance FR bridge, I just move on to my Les Paul guitars. But lately I've been in the FR mode so again, thanks!
Why am I watching this? I have. Huge test tomorrow and I don't even have a FR guitar
Because it's so exciting! And... you're procrastinating. Hope you did well on the test.
I actually aced it! My new knowledge of Floyd Roses helped I think
Spence ah same here lol
made my day ha3
lol same here, i feel you
Been playing guitar for 35 years, and now I have my first Floyd Rose. Very good tips in this video. Thank you very much.
Been playing guitar for a year and now I have a Floyd Rose. I am so confused
I haven't laughed so hard in a long time... "THAT'S not going to work, dammit..." -Thank you, Doug!!!!
lol Yes, I had some fun with that one. I couldn't find the correct tremolo arm for the Carvin. I grabbed another and stuck it in thinking it would hold for one dive bomb. Nope! Fail. So, I went in search of the correct arm and found it.
I wasn't expecting that. Good stuff, Doug! :D
I thought the bar actually broke. Happened to me once.
Thanks Dave
Yes, at 2:00 I realized I didn't have the right bar so I just stuck another one in the hole thinking that would be good enough for a single dive bomb. Wrong!
I've been playing an Epiphone Les Paul for 10 years and I got my first Floyd Rose for Christmas. I'd only seen videos of people complaining about the tuning method. This video made it so easy. Many thanks.
Doug, I played a Floyd Rose guitar for years and I've never seen it this way. Thank you for such Insight this will save me much headaches in the future
You're welcome Kyle
Ive been taught to always fine tune after locking nuts back down as they can throw the strings off tune a lil
Incredibly informative and helpful. I’ve owned a FR equipped guitar for the past 15 years, and this tutorial has completely changed my approach to tuning and made it way less of a hassle. Intonation will probably always be a pain though
Doug, THANK YOU! ... bought my first Floyd after owning LP's & SG's for years and the first time it went out of tune I realised I was utterly clueless. Your video has helped massively, especially with you being so clear and straightforward. Thank you so much
Wow, Doug Marks you are my first guitar teacher ever.
.... from the early 80's. I learned rhythm guitar from you in 2 weeks and started a hard rock band a month later. I ended up playing bass for the next 15 years in that band because we could never seem to find a bass player willing to write original material. Most of our gigs were at a junk yard after hours a few blocks away from our practice garage. You actually helped ruin my life in a way. lol
When that band finally emploded, I went back to guitar and learned about 10 of the 136 licks lesson and that got me good enough to learn/fake cover songs in a long line of mediocure cover bands that solodified my minimum wage status for the next 20 years playing every dive bar in Jacksonville. Now I just need to keep things going until my social security kicks in 8 years from now. Thanks a lot man.....You are my hero. LoL
On topic, your balanced tuning and pitch compensation saves me a lot of time. I was already trying something similar 1-6,2-5,3-4 and it seemed to take forever because I was just tuning to pitch without your compensation method. Thanks Again.
Doug, thank you. You are such a great combination of knowledgeable, generous, and helpful. I've learned a lot from you over the years. Thank you again!
You're welcome Matt.
Doug Marks Bet that get felt good huh? We all need more of that, keep it up!
Doug Marks you stole my surname lol
Show some respect! Doug could be your father.He used to screw buffalo.
It also helps (while the locking nut is open) to tug the string once it's in tune. This will tighten the wounds on the peg and help take out kinks that would allow it to go flat even more as you tune the other strings, but now you've taken out that slack, tune it back up to pitch again. I know it sounds complex along with all the tricks Doug says, but it becomes second nature as is nearly as easy as with a standard bridge. (I also suggest using the tug on standard bridge guitars to take out slack too).
This. Stretch your strings before tuning and you won't go out of tune quickly.
Doug, thank you for your sincerity and all the contributions you made to the community of guitarists across the world. Over 25 years ago my uncle came home withe the Metal Method VHS tapes and I have never forgotten watching them. Glad to see you're still making a difference all these years later as I'm just getting into making gear reviews.
Doug, wow, man I bought your cassette tapes, in the mail in like 83, 1000 licks or something like that.
I owe you a world of gratitude for at that time, no internet to learn from, and I learned a ton from you.
May you live long and be blessed.
This has helped me and I've been using a Floyd Rose nearly sense they came out, this is actually amazing to learn after all this time dealing with this problem but just gos to show you your never to old to learn something new, thanks for taking the initiative to figure this out for the rest of us non tech players.
Even after 8 years of this video existing, it is still the best floyd tuning guide I've seen! Many thanks for that life saving video! :D
I've been able to do it fairly quick with a polyphonic tuner. Being able to see the reaction of all the strings from tuning one is really helpful.
Fantastic tips. I'd given up playing my floyd rose guitars and have left the guitars in their cases for years. I think I will take them out for a play now! Thank you so much. Grrreat Video.
I thought I knew these trems until I made some big adjustments with the claw and trem height one day. Threw everything out of whack and it took me forever to get the damn thing back in balance and tune. This video will help out next time, thank you!
I just bought a Jackson Rhoads with Floyd Rose and couldn't grasp the proper technic to tune it, but your procedure worked like a charm. Followed every step and the result is a fine tuned guitar, thank you very much!
next video "how to keep a floyd rose bridge in tune for 60 seconds"
If your guitar is going out of tune you need to have the bridge tuned and maybe the truss rod adjusted.
My Floyd Rose stays in tune great and I have no problem with it.
Most underrated comment on here.
@@ricktherrien8235 That guitar is 30 years old and the neck has broke a few times. I got something new you were right.
My first teacher.Still use what Doug put in my head 30 years ago.Thank you sir!!!
Also may have to tighten or loosen the spring claw in the back cavity if the bridge starts to become tilted too far out of level one way or the other. It's a balancing act between string tension and spring tension.
Also a good point. That is a necessary adjustment.
There is the Tremol-No which fixes the bridge during tuning (and other methods as mentioned). My problem is that this over/under tilting will definitely happen if you are moving to a different tuning (say from standard to 1/2-step down OR vice versa) or a different gauge of strings (ignoring that you should also be re-intonating your guitar in this situation!). With that there is only ONE way to return the bridge tilt to its previous position - tightening or loosening the spring hook.
The problem is that the spring hook is held by 2 screws (1 would be nice but we can all see how that would be a terrible idea). So you have to adjust each one and check your tuning until it returns to what it was while the bridge was locked in place. Arduous and you need to count turns on each screw. I am trying to come up with a way (a device) which will allow you to simultaneously turn both screws - then you turn and check tuning until it is on target. No back and forth and sloppiness.
Change to heavier strings and not only will the springs need adjustment, but after a few days you might notice the arch in the neck is now increased, and you need a neck rod adjustment. Most of the guitars that don't play well that come into my shop have heavy strings someone read about being better on the internet so they made their guitar worthless by throwing the setup out of spec. Also you need a micrometer to measure the strings when you replace them unless you just have one guitar for many years and know what is on it. I put the date and type of string on a small piece of blue painters tape and put it on the back of the headstock.
@Taterly Saladman : I've been using floyds and 10 gauge strings for shred since long before the internet, because they absolutely do sound and sustain better. Well I should say: they sound _thicker._ As a recording engineer I have to admit that a thin sound can *sometimes* be preferable, but not often. On a crap guitar this can be an issue, but over the years I've used Gibson SG, Charvel, Ibanez, Jackson and Schecter guitars and with a little adjustment they've been just fine.
I even used to use 12 gauge on my Strat, but now I use 11's. The guy who taught me recording engineering had 13 gauge on his strat. I'll never forget bending strings on that during sessions. Sounds awesome though.
... especially when playing C#/C, or drop B tunings!
Doug, I used to follow your stuff in the 80's, it's great to see you still kicking ass and taking names! I've picked playing back up a few years ago and got my first FL setup. My initial thoughts were "This takes for-f**king-ever to tune!) and I went on with my life for a few years, never stopping to think that there's got to be a better way Then I ran across your vid and all I can say is "I want those hours of unnecessarily tuning my guitar back!". This video is pure gold. And ignore the idiots that don't understand that explaining what you are doing and then doing it in order to teach others is going to take much longer than just doing it. I can't believe people are actually trashing this because it's longer than a minute. Common sense isn't so common sometimes! Keep up the good work!
First off, if a beginner is wondering if Dougs program works, I'll be the first to tell you, YES! I bought his first offering back in about 1982 and learned via cassette tapes! No videos to show me anything! The entire program is about the player because you're not rushed. You learn at your pace and no one is breathing down your neck. The lessons paid for themselves immediately.
Secondly, I totally agree on this Floyd Rose thing. They definitely have their place in music however after 30+ years of playing as an amateur and professionally, I never found a "true" need for one other than making the show a bit more interesting with wang bar dives and loud squeals. Don't get me wrong, they are fun and people dig it. Myself, I played nothing but Fender Stratocasters for my entire music life and never once did I find I needed the tremolo. A few rhythm guitarists I had sometimes had a Floyd and spent more time tuning his axe than playing it. When they work, they work great...if thats your thing.
I just like to share my thoughts and everything I say is purely my opinion and only based on MY experiences. Enjoy everyone!
BoogyWoogyCreep They can be used for open string/harmonic vibrato or for notes that are hard to vibrato with just your fingers.
If you spend a lot of time tuning, take the guitar to a good luthier and get it set up properly. Floyd or not. And the whole reason for a floyd is that it stays in tune, unlike a tremolo bridge without locks on either end. Making the show more interesting by including the lead solos done properly is important--unless you want to just play chords like a two rhythm no lead guitar band. Those do exist.
I appreciate this video so much! I was turned away by two different guitar stores and said they don't even wanna mess with it. So I looked up how to since they were terrified by it. Now she's in tune n ready to go! saved some money n time too! Thanks Doug! You rock🤘
Doug, thank you so much for answering my question! I feel confident now that I can tune my guitar and keep it in tune. And I'll forgive you for calling me "he" at the beginning of the video lol.
Sorry Kathy. Thanks for the great question. Hope this helps. I knew it was a good question. I just didn't know that I would spend that much time on the video but I'm glad that I did.
Kathy- Please contact us so we can send your prize!
Hi Doug,
Just wanted to thank you so much for sharing your procedure on tuning a Floyd Rose bridge.
Your system absolutely works great.
I have watched so many videos on how to tune a Floyd Rose bridge, but nothing beats your easy, simple and clearly explained steps to tune a Floyd Rose Bridge guitar.
Prior to watching your video,I have had nightmares and spent hours trying get the bridge in balance and to have the guitar in tune but to no luck at all.
I tried your procedure on tuning my Floyd Rose bridge guitar and it works like magic , the bridge is absolutely in balance and most importantly the guitar is in tune in a matter of few minutes.
Keep Rocking as always Doug.
Best Regards
Phillip
I have been playing over 40 years. It takes twice as long to change stringS on a Floyd Rose. Is is worth it, YES!!!!!!!!
Maaaaaaan, that was sooooo helpful!! Been using Floyd Rose bridges for 15+ years and I never heard of that Compensation Method before. Unbelievable!! Huge time saver. Rock on, my friend
MY FLOATING BRIDGE JUST SANK. IT'S LYING ON THE BOTTOM OF MY BATHTUB RIGHT NOW. WHAT DO I DO NOW ?
A dive bomb
Adjust the springs at the back of the guitar
Does it put it back to the right position
Rufulus Tigatan best response ever
Just say FUCK IT and throw the guitar in the tub.............
Good lord, THANK YOU! Absolute life saver. Haven't had a Floyd Rose in close to 20 years, and yeah... quickly remembered why I hated dealing with them. Amazing trick!
Great question! I can really appreciate the concern, I hate tuning my Floyd but love it, this will help and is the best version of tuning it.
tim taylor I've owned a Floyd for years and I'm so pumped to have found this video. I've only ever tuned when I had to because I dislike tuning it so much.
Joe Mars yep, after watching this I tuned my I literally a minute. I had hated it but now I'm not afraid anymore
tim taylor it took me closer to 2, but that's about 10 minutes less than it usually takes me.
Joe Mars yes Doug has changed my life, I am open to floyd guitars. this is a must see for anyone with a fr
Thanks Doug, have followed you since the 80's with your instructional books. Cool to see you still rocking it!
How do you tune a Floyd Rose? Tune it in 60 seconds and then tune it again in another 60 seconds.
That's pretty funny. But actually, once I get my guitar in tune it usually stays that way due to the locking nut and bridge.
Doug Marks But sometimes the strings don't stretch properly and they go out of tune even with the locking in place
@@cozmahnut Nah, you just have to take the locks off and stretch/play them a little bit.
Lmfao!!
@@DougMarks If the FR is set up right. I take my guitars in and have someone who knows what they are doing set it up for 45 bucks so i know its done right and i can actually use the floyd rose on it and it stay in tune. A property set up licensed FR will stay in tune even if you divebombs, and if you're lucky pull ups too. A real FR on a multi thousand dollar, made in USA guitar can be molested and still stay in tune. And if it doesn't, the store is gonna have to retune it again for free. My Charvel with the licensed one can be dove and even pulled up a tiny bit, but i know pushing it farther will get it out of tune
Thank you so much Doug! I just got a Floyd Rose yesterday and I was really struggling at first. I got her all tuned up (full tune) in about 5 minutes after watching this video. Worked like a charm! You got a new subscriber! Best to you. Stay healthy.
2:00 i love that u didnt cut that out xD
Wow! Doug Marks! I had the original Metal Method lesson back in 82 maybe? You opened all the doors that were locked to me. They really helped!
I'm calling BS. The truth is, Doug Marks is a wizard.
Doug man, just letting you know that your videos helped a nation of guitar players. I don't know all there is to know about guitar theory, but I know the pentatonics and the natural major scales really well because of your VHS tapes in the day. I said "Doug Marks" to so many people that had the same "6" tapes with the "Speed Kills" tape it was mind blowing. No mater what your musical career has proved to you, the lives your investment and early work touched stretches the globe. I hope you realize how many lives and all the joy you brought to so many people. Thank you sir, you have touched my life from half a world away in ways you will never understand. I hope your lessons have provided financial soundness and brought security to your family. I thank you for all the time and dedication to the love of music that you have. Without you my entire life would have been different.
2:02 LMFAO I laughed so hard
Hahahahah me too
Why ace🤷♂️
I have a fear of floyd rose now
Sir, I have been playing guitar for 36 years and own several guitars with the Floyd rose. I’ve always had a problem tuning them. Thank you for explaining this process and giving us all the know how.
You're welcome. I'm glad that you found it helpful.
When you had to fix the low E string at the end of the video once the other strings had been tuned, I nearly had a heart attack...
Your Tuning compensation method is the trick that makes the difference. I had to replace strings of my Schecter Demon 7 FR, at the first try I magically managed to tune them but I noticed that octaves were out of pitch, so I had to pitch them and tune strings again. This is where the mess started.
As I knew, when you tune a string it affects the tuning of the others, the tuning compensation method explained in this video will do the trick! It allows the strings to find their optimal tension over the neck, and after all the adjustement they slowly find their way to a perfect and stable tune. Remember that the bridge must be parallel to the body, if it is too bent over the neck the strings may escape from it and break out, as well as the guitar becomes unstable. It takes time to tune a floyd rose guitar, but when you manage to do it the tuning is the most stable ever.
Great video, thanks for sharing!
"That's not gonna work damnit!" - thumb up
After spending way too long trying to tune my guitar, I found your video.
Wow, the best method out there.
Thanks a ton !!!
Glad it helped Steve. Taming a Floyd Rose is no easy task.
Thanks Joe Walsh!
Maybe from far away like tge thumbnail
@@cozmahnut 46 other ppl (so far) have seen it..maybe it's a "you" problem.😁
Not even close, get a clue
Now that is fucking funny!
Been using a Floyd since 1987. This is the best video method ever! Thank you so much for sharing. I've never tried it exactly like this.
“That’s not gonna work, dammit!” 😂 no matter, still a well done video!
Doug, I bought your Metal Method "VHS" over 20 years ago. It has been very helpful for hand coordination and great for extending lead playing range. My students find it extremely helpful. I recommend it to most everyone. Thanks for making that tape available.
Im 14 just got an electric christmas and ive been struggling to tune it and i wanna figure this stuff out
Buddy, the worst thing that may happen is that you'll become tired with that struggle and decide to block the tremolo or even to change the guitar. DON'T DO IT, PLEASE!!! Floyd Rose is AWESOME option for ANY style of play! Soon or later you'll understand how it works, get used to it and gonna improve your tremolo adjustment skill and speed significantly!
@@zakkman he's new to guitar and it has a Floyd Rose they are THE WORST to set up For a beginner
I genuinely love my ltd m-1, it is my first guitar that isn't my dad's/grandfather's, the extra difficulty actually makes me pay way more attention to focus on the notes. I feel I'll never forget how it's supposed to sound x'D... This is legit the only video I've found with a very detailed explanation on the Floyd Rose style and how to tune it, thanks!
The way he said “unlock the nut” at 4:02 had me deaaaad 😂
Thank you for the video! I am a beginner-mediate guitarist and I bought my nephew his first guitar. Since then he's been playing and has accumulated a few more guitars. He now has a guitar with a Floyd Rose and I figured out how to change the strings, but the tuning did not make sense. Your video made it very easy to understand and probably saved me a lot of headache. Thank you!
I never tune my guitar in 60 seconds, sometimes 30 and when i am drunk 124 seconds.
♥️😂
man doug i took the vhs lessons way back in 1990 and they were great. You still have a hell of a sense of humor. Mom was ticked when i locked myself in the room and was not comingout until i learned the song. I showed her right in the booklet where my "guitar teacher" said it.
You didn't explain how to compensate if the Floyd lifts or lowers it's angle while tuning...
While you're correct, and he didn't, it's very simple: Adjust the screws holding the spring plate onto the body. Turn them in for heavier gauge strings, and out for lighter. If you go insanely heavy, you may need to add a spring or two.
I'm pretty sure this is the closest to being a mechanic I'll ever be.
TheLightweaver777 this is my problem, it’s not working. Can’t event set it straight.
I use normal 10-46 strings and starting from scratch, where should I set the plate? Do you know any videos about this?
The top of the plate should be flat, not leaning down nor up, if you do this on an Ibanez you will then be able to pull up a fifth. If the the plate is raised when you pull up you will break your top E and possibly B and G strings, you can't pull up any more than a sharp 5th (possible only with 9's). I mentioned Ibanez because thats the only floyd rose guitar I have experience of.
you have to retune the strings that you've already tuned. I usually go 6,5, - 6,5,4, - 6,5,4,3, - 6,5,4,3,2, - 6,5,4,3,2,1. The heavier strings move the bridge the most, so it should get more stable as you go. Once you're done, you may have to adjust the spring claw, and repeat the process. Also, make sure that the fine tuners have enough room to move.
I've never tuned a floyd rose till today. This made the experience so much easier
Thats not gonna work...Dammit!!!!!
Out of all the information I have gathered, and time spent trying to figure this all out, say at least 60 hours, sixty days, heck I can almost say years. Your tuning information on this, and the video I watched before this, turned on just about every lightbulb I've ever burned out. Thank you! Gone to get my Epiphone by Gibson red Devil, that I spent so much time replacing the Floyd Rose and died on. It's getting a precision cut wood block to begin with.
Why block off a Floyd Rose? It was designed to float. To raise and lower pitch. If you only want to lower notes, stick with the Fender style vibrato system.
Personal choice the answer for me was the guitar I wanted was a signature model that only came with a Floyd Kirk Hammett model. That thing got blocked about a week after I got it. My other axe was a used V the one in my profile pic. Played great sounded great had a Floyd. Blocked it during the set up before it went home with me.
Personally for me a FR is MUCH MORE comfortable to put right hand on than TUNE-O-MATIC. I have 4 guitars with FR and 1 of them is always blocked for cases when i want to QUICKLY retune 6-th string for DROPPED tuning. Also 1 of them is ALWAYS in dropped tuning. Sometimes i'm just too lazy to stand up, push the standby on the amp, plug off the cable, change the guitar, plug the cable into another guitar, fine tune it, push standby on the amp again etc)))
This is very helpful! First time I changed strings on my schecter with the floyd i had a hell of a time getting it back in tune. I had no idea just how much of a pain they were, I was a complete beginner when I bought it.
video: "Tune a Floyd Rose in 60 seconds"
me: _notices that the video is 9 minutes long_
pretty sus
After reading his ads for forever, I can finally afford to check things out. Worth the price. And a subscription. Continued Success.
THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK DAMMIT! Thanks for saving my life:)
Just doin my job.
Doug Marks, EXCELLENT instructional video. Personally I don't feel comfortable playing a guitar without a Floyd(been using them since 1981-82; only my acoustic doesn't have one ) but they are a pain in the ass. Took me years to figure out what Mark just showed us. Each time you tighten a string you pull on the bridge. Start at either side and you pull that side which will slack the tension on the opposing strings. Center out mitigates mostly all of that. Another thing worth mentioning; tuning up, literally means tune UP. If your string is sharp(pitch is too high) loosen it and drop lower than the note you want then tune UP. String stretch will lessen tension and lower the pitch; I've never had a string's pitch go up. I tend to have the bridge tuners most of the way up when I lock the nut. There are times a quick pull up on the bar will pull you back into tune too. Spring also do lose spring.
Tune a floyd rose in 60 seconds, in 9:06 minutes.
Fuck u
This video was super helpful! I just got my first Floyd Rose guitar and even though I’m a pretty experienced player and did my research, this certainly came in handy. Thank you so much!
you look like tommy lee jones with nice hair :p
Finally there's an explanations of my questions. I always got mixed up with the machine head and with a fine tuners, like " What should I do if I'm out of tune a lil bit, should I tune again starting with the machine head". You explained well, thanks Doug. I'm relieved.
been doin this wrong for years lol
Thanks so much for sharing this! I did it on my Floyd Rose and it works right away. Just following the string order and the compensation rule. It's fun to see how it works, how even though I don't tune each string to the correct pitch, they all automatically end up in tune. Amazing.
Thank you, Metal Joe Biden!
the 3, 4, 2, 5, 1, 6 method and tuning to the opposite cents just blew my mind. Great tip.
How to tune a floyd rose:
Don't buy a floyd rose equipped guitar...you'll thank me later.
THaaaanks Maan! I put this off for way too long. I got the guitar as a gift, and I'm a beginner, had no idea what I was doing. So happy that I can play again. Thank you!
I had no idea how to use a floyd rose bridge this def saved me a trip to guitar center, I just ordered the allen wrench for it thank you for the tips
WOW! I’ve been seeing you and your hair in the back of magazines for years when I was growing up. I’ve been a paid guitar player for 15 years doing about 140 shows a year using mostly Floyd rose trems and it’s never occurred to me nor has anybody ever showed me your way to tune a Floyd rose you are a genius! Seriously! OMG I wish I would have known this 25 yrs ago. If this is common knowledge I’m a total idiot and this went right over my head. As a payback to you when I discuss this tuning method with other players I will happily cite you and your channel for this knowledge and encourage people to subscribe. Thank you! BTW I really like your teaching style your not goofy and weird you get straight to the point with a little humor and a occasional story its perfect.
I've been watching this guy since the 80's " Big Hair Days ", He knows his stuff, Great player & teacher, I learned something new here, thanks!
Hi Doug! I’m new to guitars and have 2 Jackson’s with Floyd’s. This video gave me the confidence and knowledge to tune them both in a matter of less than 30 minutes or less each for a first timer. Thanks for all that you do!
I've only owned one fixed bridge in my entire life. Floyd Rose does come with a bit of a learning curve as far as setting it up. But, once you get it, you are golden!!! There are so many things you can do with a Floyd Rose that you otherwise wouldn't be able to do! And tuning stability? Rock solid.
Finally, after watching several videos on how to tune a FR, this is the one that works for me. Thanks Doug!
Thanks Doug! Starting with string 3 when tuning is an approach I've never heard of before.
Great video!
I’ve just bought my first 'Floyd Rose' loaded guitar.
I’ve been playing guitar since 1969.
I’ve got a Strat, a Les Paul and a Martin Jumbo acoustic.
I felt the only thing I was lacking was a 'Floyd Rose' loaded guitar.
I went for the Burny 85s (fitted with a sustainer/harmonic pick up at the neck).
I’d heard great things online about this guitar, and it didn’t disappoint.
It’s a 'screaming' Les Paul with a whammy bar.
Amazing!
Fantastic guitar.
I’m loving it!
Cannot put the frigging thing down! 😂🤣
The only advice I would give to people that are not experienced with tuning a guitar fitted with a floating bridge is this.
Use your 3/4/2/5/1/6 method then play/stretch/play/stretch/play.
You have to stretch the life out of them strings when they’re new.
It takes a while. Whammy up/down/up/down/up/down.
It’ll take a while but then... Bang!
It stays in tune.
Job done!
I hope this helps people.
Respect Uncle! 🤘
I wish this video existed 6 years ago, the one time I bought an Ibanez RG with a Floyd Rose. After a week of frustration I brought it back to the store and got a hard tail G&L. I’m itching to add divebombs into my bag of soloing tools…this may be what helps me take the plunge. Much thanks, Doug!
Awesome the sequence you turned the strings and the flat sharp thing helped out a lot no where else is that ever mentioned thanks for the knowledge my man ill apply it every time i tune my charvel now i can spend more time playing.
My first guitar Jackson Professional with a Floyd. I didn't know how annoying it could be when I first bought it... I went to the Homedepot, and bought a pack of door shims. I jammed them into the backside of the Floyd, then cranked the tension up on the springs, now its pretty much a fixed bridge that never goes out of tune lol.
Oh my god! If been struggling with this for years... I never been recommended your video before. Finally! Thank you!
This video helped me out so much! After hours and hours of getting nowhere with my floating trem guitars, I found this video. Then applied the steps and wow, easy peasy. The 342516 method is what I needed. After compensating, of course! Thank you!!!! A fresh set of stings and they are both in tune.
I just recently dug out an old guitar I have with a Floyd Rose that has been sitting awhile.I have to give it a slight over haul with some new screws and such as the some of the old ones are stripped or just worn out.Hopefully soon I can get my 80"s dive bombing and finger tapping chops back up.Thanks for the tips Doug.Bought many of your lessons on cassette tape back in the 80"s and good to see your still doing it and better than ever!
Had to try this method for myself, and IT WORKS!! I've wrestled with FR guitars for years and they've always pissed me off, but I like the feel and sound of an FR so I still want to use them. Thanks for the tip man, I'll be using this from now on!