I gotta express my gratitude to this man for teaching me a few valuable tuning tips in 43 minutes that I have never known in my 4 decades of guitar playing! I am definitely adding these to my skill set!
So realize this. EVH fired about a half dozen guitar techs quickly in the reunion days. This is the guy that stepped in and stuck around for almost a decade until the end. Dude is a gem. No ego just guitar Learned the gravity fact from Jeff Healy’s tech. This guy is the best tech. Wish he’d stick around Cincy long enough for him to work on my stuff.
JH is another guitarist that was taken from us way too fucking soon. I loved his playing - and what I call his "litre of bourbon and 2 packs of cigs" singing. I loved his voice.
Send my thanks to Tom Weber, this video was a treasure trove of tricks and tips I haven’t discovered yet. Definitely for the more advanced user but great concepts for new techs too
Watching a master at work is somehow theraputic. One of the often missed tricks is that thing of having the retainer bar behind the nut low enough to make sure the string doesn't get pulled sharp when you clamp the locking nut.
This was not a setup guide, it was basically Tom changing strings. Setting up a guitar would be, bridge height, Truss rod adjustment if needed, then intonating each string. I like that the necks suppose to be precisely cut for the frets, but they never are perfect.
No he talked extensively about neck relief which is addressing the truss rod and then he talked extensively about intonation while doing so to the guitar. We watch the same video?
@@dahliafiend He talked about it, but he didn't show you how to set the relief, or how to intonate a floyd. He did give some good tips, but never this is how it's done.
We should talk. I was Ed’s bus driver on the Reunion Tour with Dave. They each had their own bus for the first part of the tour then went on to a jet for the rest of the tour. He gave me a set of his GTR pick ups when they were trying to get a buzz out of his rig from one of his racks falling off the loading dock at the previous show. If memory serves me right they flew the guy in from Sweden that helped design his rig. I will try to reach you.
I’ve always thought of EVH’s Strat as proof that a talented player can put together what he can get their hands on and sound great on it. I would bet Eddie didn’t put over $150-$200 into his original and probably not that much. He used what he had and what was easily obtainable before the day’s of the internet. I know once he could he had a tech working on it but the first albums were recorded on what he, as a young guy who wasn’t a trained luthier, could put together. It’s a good thing to remember when you’re pining over that custom shop guitar you think will make you a better player, a great player will sound great on any decent, playable instrument.
True with any talented pro! You can pull any racket off the wall at Kmart, and a great tennis pro will beat you with it every time. Regardless of what you choose to use! Most amateurs obsess over the gear, when time and money would be better spent on lessons and time on practicing!😀
I read that Eddie drove from Pasadena out to Azuza California, to Boogie Bodies and actually got a body that was a "2nd" for 50 bucks that was mahogany. He did not know what it meant ! Eddie thought it meant something like '2nd best body ever made' for that month...Boogie Bodies was started by Lynn Ellsworth and Wayne Charvel back in 1976. Lynn said this: "My next door neighbor was Jim Warmoth, a retired watch maker and steel worker. I sold him an interest in Boogie Bodies for $5,000 and like an idiot I gave him additional stock so that he and I both owned 50% of the company." His son, Ken Warmoth and Jim were secretly making equipment to produce the bodies and necks .. LOL .... Warmoth is still around today and have licensed Fender style necks. BTW: I saw that original Strat in Guitar Center's front window on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood around 25 years ago. It looked like it had seen better days but it is a piece of EVH history... One day I was buying strings and some kid smashed the glass and ran down the street with several Famous Artist Rare Guitars ~ with GC Staff in hot pursuit! The kid threw the guitars, including Ed's Strat, in the gutter and ran off. GC Staff retrieved the guitars. After that cage like bars were put up to close off the entrance at closing time. LOL ! To me those are the glory days of Hollywood.
From an interview I believe the price was $50 for the body and $80 for the neck. The neck was a factory second because of a blemish, a knot Then the pickup from a Gibson 335 and a first year run Floyd Rose and there you go. If it was $300 I would be surprised. And look what he accomplished with it. I own a $6000 PRS Ten Top and haven't done Jack Shit with it.
@@valuedhumanoid6574 No, at first it didn't have a Floyd (when it was black and white) but a Fender Stratocaster tremolo. Also, the black and yellow guitar was Ed's first guitar with an early Floyd (without fine tuners). It was a later Floyd model that was put into the Frankenstein guitar (when it was red/black/white).
My first guitar w/ a Floyd rose was my Kramer Focus 6000 that I bought in ‘86. I’ve had several guitars since w/ a Floyd Rose. Today I restrung my axe in a brand new way. Pretty cool!!
Finally showing using the index finger to push the string down as the winder tunes up to pitch. Soo many vids on YT do NOT show this vital step. A+ all the way Tom!
100%!!! His knowledge and overall personality just really shine on this video, keeping you interested...even through the stuff you may already know. That way you're sure not to miss any tips you may have not known before. Great video!!!
Good evening Tom. I heard of you from a fellow guitarist in Tennessee that I tech guitars for here in Phoenix. After I heard a description of you and saw a video of you I remember you striking Ed's pedalboard at the end of the VH show in Phoenix, AZ Sept. 2015. I've had the privilege on studying tone and tech-ing guitars for my friends and I thought I knew a lot but with this video I've definitely increased much more from this video tonight. I started taking lessons 1979 in 5th grade because I was told by Mom, then I heard Van Halen (One) in 8th grade 1983 and then decided for myself to learn on my own without being told. In 1988 when I started to play electric and started my Eddie Van Halen Discipleship, I had to learn all I could from guitar magazine interviews, guitar maintenance books, and guitar repair shops on how to work on guitars. Even with all the articles I read with Eddie, looking back now and even back then he seemed very secretive on a bunch of guitar tone/tech-ing uses that took me 30+ years of playing/learning and tech-ing, etc.to know what I learned over the last 20 years online. Thank God for the internet. I'm genuinely grateful for your willingness to share this tremendously valuable info to the world...!!! Sincerely, John W johnWphx
@@chipperg25 it was Steve Vai's guitar tech that used the 9v battery trick....an older guy with an accent. He also talked about coming up with a hinged trem cavity cover on Vai's JEMs.
I stretch my strings by grabbing it at the 12 fret, which is half of the scale length, and you will get even pressure on the string, then I pull up on the string about 1 inch from the neck, sometimes up to 2”. I pull up at different parts of the string, up and down the neck, then keep tightening the tuner up to pitch. It works really well. I go lighter on the first three strings because they could break on you, especially the high E. I’ve been doing it for years and it works really well. On Floyd Rose’s, I keep the nut blocks and screws in loosely to keep the strings in the grooves of the nut. That string Stretcha looks like a good tool to have though.
My local Sam Ash had one of the original Custom Shop runs of the FrankenStrat in a glass case with a spotlight and it sat on a rotating base. It was like walking into a guitarist Mecca. When I saw it and the $25,000 price tag, I felt like Wayne and Garth in Wayne's World. I stood there in silence looking at this wonderful site, my girlfriend was frowning and scoffed when she saw the price tag. "who would pay that much for a piece of junk like this?" she mumbled. "well, I would sell you to own this if that answers your question dear". It was a religious experience. And it's not the actual guitar that makes it such an icon. It's who played it and what he accomplished with that beat up old factory second with rough hand cuts and semi truck reflectors glued on the back. This was the soundtrack of my youth. It was what made me pick up the guitar. When we would figure out one of Eddie's licks, we would all get together to show off what we had accomplished. And that drove all of us. It was Eddie leading the way. Sure, other influential musicians would come along, but Eddie was always the Gold Standard. Still is.
I would have taken advantage of the salesman who was dumb enough to talk to a significant other like that. "give me the best deal possible or it's your friggn job" type of thing. In today's WOKE world you may have had some leverage here ;)
I’ve been playing for a number of years (decades) and I came away with a couple of new things I hadn’t previously known. Cool deal to still pickup new things. Thanks for the tips!!
I stick a flat toothbrush handle under the back of my Floyd Rose when changing strings, so you don't need to tilt it forward. It's also close to the perfect height so when you do the initial tune after a string change and remove the toothbrush handle it's pretty much good to go, just stretch the strings a little..
Im 65 & learned From Lays gtr repair in Akron Ohio. You sir are spot on I set up Identical to you. I did not know about the string stretcher But I just ordered one thanx to you. peace from thre Sunshine State. Chiropractic Guitar Repair.
The relief and vindication of being shown how one of the worlds finest techs sets up and you have the same techniques I will be getting myself some string stretchers for sure and save my fingers 😀 Thank you so much for this content Mark from Mr G guitars and banjo 🙂
THANK YOU Mr Weber for being with and helping Mr Edward VanHalen to achieve his dreams and to make our dreams a reality , your a true boss in the industry
For years, I've been stringing up my floyd guitars through the tuning peg first, so the ball end is at the tuning peg and then I cut with a little excess at the bridge and clamp it there. Any reason why this is not a good idea? It's always seemed to work pretty well for me...
Got the opportunity to play one of these when they came out way back when. I was surprised how high the action was out of the box, apparently set up exactly the way Eddie preferred it. The man worked hard to play that guitar, that's all I can say!
Ed always preferred low action as low as he could get it. His philosophy was why make it harder than it has to be. The guitar probably just needed a proper setup.
Wanna see a real EVH guitar? Tyler played one of EVH's Kramers before it was sold at action. Is said the action was insanely low. ruclips.net/video/mtCfpT9PdnY/видео.html
I just watched an unboxing on another channel of the EVH Custom Shop and the kid said it was as low as low could be. Which would back up what I've heard about him liking low action. I'm sure he had guitars with high action, he wasn't exactly a master of set-ups.
Hey Tom, it's Paul, I have to call you soon. The boys from Connecticut., You know I'm right n Florida since 2010., as you know. We had some good memories in 2007-2008. It was great that we had the chance to give Eddie my custom black strat with that gold anodized pick gaurd.
Thanks Tom! It has been interesting and informative. I will have to search around for the string stretchers, I have never seen those before and they would definitely save some wear and tear on my hands. Please have an excellent and awesome day! ☀️
Its hard to believe that experienced techs would be surprised by the gravity thing. That was one of the first things I ever noticed changing strings when I started nearly 20 years ago. And I am not a professional haha
Tom is an amazing individual! I met him several years ago when he stopped by Gateway Tire in Cincinnati to have a tire repaired at the end of the day. I had no clue who he was before that we've been friends ever since ! I'll also mention Tom is no slouch when it comes to playing either .
I have the newer MIM Frankie and this excellent video answered a lot of little “how should I…?” questions I’ve had. I’m ordering 2 string stretchas from you guys right now.
I'd love to spend my days working in a shop with people as dedicated and skilled as this guy. I bet he makes everyone around him want to do their best. I need more of that in my life. Also, my guitar is now in tune, and most importantly, NOW I know what the intonation sled things do on my floyd rose, as in I can explain it to someone else.
Quite right about gravity influences the tuning. When holding the guitar in the playing position, if you lean forward a lot, it will go slightly flat. Lean back and it goes slightly sharp.
TOM WEBER!!! Oh my gosh! You sold me my Hamer Chaparral Custom in 1987 at Rhythm City in Buckhead. So cool that I happened on this video. Great video and hope you are doing well out there. And I still have the Hamer :)
nice. I have had a FR for about 40 years and I learned somethings ( and had my prejudices affirmed!). I do like to hit my saddles with a little powdered graphite to help the strings glide more easily. On a standard bridge and nut I also graphite the nut.
Amazing..learned some great tricks from this video.I been doing this for awhile (Jackson guitar factory in the 80s)and learned something new,.Love the gravity trick!
I watched a video of Steve Vies tech. He leaves the ball end on and goes through the tuning peg. There are some very cool bene fits to that. 1 the strings don't break as easily due to the fact they don't unwind. 2 you don't like your fingers or damage your guitar case or bag. 3. I have found even greater tuning stability doing that.
Really appreciate this. I'm comfortable with a standard Fender or Tune-a-matic setup, but I'm not very experienced with the Floyd Rose. I built up a close replica of Ed's 5150 Kramer a while back, it's my only guitar with a locking nut. This taught me more than a few things about how to handle an FR setup.
I don't live that close to it, but I have been in 5 Star a few times, and if the situation presents itself and I am close to that store, and I have the time, I for sure will stop in because it's a good one.
thanks for taking the time to explain the thought process.Im mostly a self taught tech. just to take care of my own instruments.. Ive done a decent job with what I have, but never realize the Floy rose parts wear out so quickly. It explains why the titanium parts are so expensive... cause they are worth it. I have an Ibanez guitar that I just quit playing cause it wont stay in tune. I figured it was because it was a cheap one. Now I have something to look for. I did finde grooves in the locking nut blocks and I sanded them down smooth by hand with some wet dry 400 grit paper. Also I didnt know the string streatcha was to be slid the entire lenght of the string. Thanks again for the information!
I love that he talks about excessive relief-I have been told you can run very little relief without any fret rattle-just don’t see how it’s possible to do that comfortably. I’m hoping he addresses that in a future video.
If you pick or strum with excessive force you will get fret rattle even with excessive relief. The player has to play within the fret rattle limit when playing if they don't want rattle. Just the way it is. So 0.010in relief is plenty. My relief range is 0.005in to 0.010in.
@@gdhi11 Just guessing that Townsend might have had relief more I'm that range, depends on your approach. My buddy played Holdsworth's guitar and told me "I couldn't see air under the strings." So yeah Townsend vs Holdsworth setups...a pretty wide range, but the guitar can suite all performance styles it would seem. That makes it a great tool for everyone.
@@jfo3000 I meant .007. Depends on the guitar. With rounder radius guitars, I'm generally closer to 0.012. On flatter radius guitars, I'm closer to 0.009 or so. I think people define fret rattle differently. Obviously you can exaggerate fret rattle by hitting the strings harder, and having them buzz against a neighboring fret (so fret at 1, buzzing against 2/3) but I've run into other issues that prevent super flat necks without using higher action. For example: 9.5" necks with the relief set to about 0.008 will basically fret out with big bends at the 10th, 11th, 12th, and sometimes 13th if you have low action. I've been playing long enough that I've seen some incredible stuff done with setups, but I am not buying the idea that having a nearly flat neck is a technique thing when physics says otherwise. It's also worth noting that fret rattle, even if it's not detectable through the amp effects your sustain which is why I'm kind of looking at Tom Weber and going "how exactly do you accomplish a low-relief setup?" I've also been fortunate enough to play some pro player's guitars. I didn't see any special sauce in setups there, basically a little bit of relief and what you'd expect from the action--and it really varied based on player preference and style like you mentioned. Holdsworth's guitars were probably right on the frets, whereas some of the people I've crossed paths with were everywhere in between. Point is, it aligned with what you'd expect, if they played hard, their was more relief and higher action. I do think Shims might play into this, but that's part of the reason I asked. I don't feel a shim is a good solution as they have a tendency to change over time as they absorb moisture etc. depending on what you make them out of.
The string stretcha is well worth the investment. I bought 1, then realized how hot they get and bought 2 more. And I use them the same as Tom, so they can cool off.
Hey Tom great video sir!! I ordered three string stretcha's. I'm not a professional guitarist or guitar tech. I do work on my own guitars. And do some guitar building thanks to Warmoth. I figure if the string stretcha's good enough for EVH'S guitar tech I know it's good enough for me. Thanks for sharing the love my brother 🙏
#1 TIP: BE PATIENT, GENUINE AND SINCERE. #2 37:45 if you're the above you can adjust the truss rod and spring claw to get this 100% without cheating the intonation. It isn't something you can pay for or do quickly. lol i just unlocked my floating bridge after 20 years with a massive high action and THICC strings. It took a week, wore out a nut from just tuning, my hands as well, and of course, a pack of strings. Learned it all myself from just turning screws and playing. Went from low stiff and fast, to high slushy and bendy, and everywhere in between. Then i put the 3rd spring back in and started over... I only learned of Van Halen when i googled tubes for my old Peavey Triumph. I'm definitely on the right track. I can feel it! Except imagine him with Steve Vai's 7 string. Everything sounds so 80's!!!
Absolutely valuable information from a master tech. I just wish someone had taken the time to focus that main camera, as watching it all fuzzy drives me bonkers.
I gotta express my gratitude to this man for teaching me a few valuable tuning tips in 43 minutes that I have never known in my 4 decades of guitar playing! I am definitely adding these to my skill set!
So realize this. EVH fired about a half dozen guitar techs quickly in the reunion days. This is the guy that stepped in and stuck around for almost a decade until the end. Dude is a gem. No ego just guitar
Learned the gravity fact from Jeff Healy’s tech. This guy is the best tech. Wish he’d stick around Cincy long enough for him to work on my stuff.
JH is another guitarist that was taken from us way too fucking soon. I loved his playing - and what I call his "litre of bourbon and 2 packs of cigs" singing. I loved his voice.
Tom is the man! I've known him many years...he's worked for the best because he is one of the best
Send my thanks to Tom Weber, this video was a treasure trove of tricks and tips I haven’t discovered yet. Definitely for the more advanced user but great concepts for new techs too
Watching a master at work is somehow theraputic. One of the often missed tricks is that thing of having the retainer bar behind the nut low enough to make sure the string doesn't get pulled sharp when you clamp the locking nut.
This was not a setup guide, it was basically Tom changing strings.
Setting up a guitar would be, bridge height, Truss rod adjustment if needed, then intonating each string.
I like that the necks suppose to be precisely cut for the frets, but they never are perfect.
No he talked extensively about neck relief which is addressing the truss rod and then he talked extensively about intonation while doing so to the guitar. We watch the same video?
@@dahliafiend Maybe not... lol
@@dahliafiend He talked about it, but he didn't show you how to set the relief, or how to intonate a floyd.
He did give some good tips, but never this is how it's done.
We should talk. I was Ed’s bus driver on the Reunion Tour with Dave. They each had their own bus for the first part of the tour then went on to a jet for the rest of the tour. He gave me a set of his GTR pick ups when they were trying to get a buzz out of his rig from one of his racks falling off the loading dock at the previous show. If memory serves me right they flew the guy in from Sweden that helped design his rig. I will try to reach you.
Tom should have his
Own series !!! What a treasure !!!
Thank you !!
Awesome Tom! I played one of those years ago and it was incredible!!!
Hey Johnny how close is the franky relic neck feels to this franky ?
I knew you'd show up here, Johnny! 😂
I’ve always thought of EVH’s Strat as proof that a talented player can put together what he can get their hands on and sound great on it. I would bet Eddie didn’t put over $150-$200 into his original and probably not that much. He used what he had and what was easily obtainable before the day’s of the internet. I know once he could he had a tech working on it but the first albums were recorded on what he, as a young guy who wasn’t a trained luthier, could put together. It’s a good thing to remember when you’re pining over that custom shop guitar you think will make you a better player, a great player will sound great on any decent, playable instrument.
True with any talented pro! You can pull any racket off the wall at Kmart, and a great tennis pro will beat you with it every time. Regardless of what you choose to use!
Most amateurs obsess over the gear, when time and money would be better spent on lessons and time on practicing!😀
I read that Eddie drove from Pasadena out to Azuza California, to Boogie Bodies and actually got a body that was a "2nd" for 50 bucks that was mahogany. He did not know what it meant ! Eddie thought it meant something like '2nd best body ever made' for that month...Boogie Bodies was started by Lynn Ellsworth and Wayne Charvel back in 1976. Lynn said this: "My next door neighbor was Jim Warmoth, a retired watch maker and steel worker. I sold him an interest in Boogie Bodies for $5,000 and like an idiot I gave him additional stock so that he and I both owned 50% of the company." His son, Ken Warmoth and Jim were secretly making equipment to produce the bodies and necks .. LOL .... Warmoth is still around today and have licensed Fender style necks.
BTW: I saw that original Strat in Guitar Center's front window on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood around 25 years ago. It looked like it had seen better days but it is a piece of EVH history... One day I was buying strings and some kid smashed the glass and ran down the street with several Famous Artist Rare Guitars ~ with GC Staff in hot pursuit! The kid threw the guitars, including Ed's Strat, in the gutter and ran off. GC Staff retrieved the guitars. After that cage like bars were put up to close off the entrance at closing time. LOL ! To me those are the glory days of Hollywood.
From an interview I believe the price was $50 for the body and $80 for the neck. The neck was a factory second because of a blemish, a knot Then the pickup from a Gibson 335 and a first year run Floyd Rose and there you go. If it was $300 I would be surprised. And look what he accomplished with it. I own a $6000 PRS Ten Top and haven't done Jack Shit with it.
@@valuedhumanoid6574 No, at first it didn't have a Floyd (when it was black and white) but a Fender Stratocaster tremolo. Also, the black and yellow guitar was Ed's first guitar with an early Floyd (without fine tuners). It was a later Floyd model that was put into the Frankenstein guitar (when it was red/black/white).
@@Stefan-Van-der-Pulst Right you are!
My first guitar w/ a Floyd rose was my Kramer Focus 6000 that I bought in ‘86. I’ve had several guitars since w/ a Floyd Rose. Today I restrung my axe in a brand new way. Pretty cool!!
Wow, loosened the locking bridge without loosening the nut... makes sense since he is holding down the trem. Very good info!
Finally showing using the index finger to push the string down as the winder tunes up to pitch. Soo many vids on YT do NOT show this vital step. A+ all the way Tom!
Tom Weber should have a series! Amazing!! 🤘
Agree
100%!!! His knowledge and overall personality just really shine on this video, keeping you interested...even through the stuff you may already know. That way you're sure not to miss any tips you may have not known before. Great video!!!
Good evening Tom.
I heard of you from a fellow guitarist in Tennessee that I tech guitars for here in Phoenix.
After I heard a description of you and saw a video of you I remember you striking Ed's pedalboard at the end of the VH show in Phoenix, AZ Sept. 2015.
I've had the privilege on studying tone and tech-ing guitars for my friends and I thought I knew a lot but with this video I've definitely increased much more from this video tonight.
I started taking lessons 1979 in 5th grade because I was told by Mom, then I heard Van Halen (One) in 8th grade 1983 and then decided for myself to learn on my own without being told.
In 1988 when I started to play electric and started my Eddie Van Halen Discipleship, I had to learn all I could from guitar magazine interviews, guitar maintenance books, and
guitar repair shops on how to work on guitars. Even with all the articles I read with Eddie, looking back now and even back then he seemed very secretive on a bunch of
guitar tone/tech-ing uses that took me 30+ years of playing/learning and tech-ing, etc.to know what I learned over the last 20 years online.
Thank God for the internet.
I'm genuinely grateful for your willingness to share this tremendously valuable info to the world...!!!
Sincerely,
John W
johnWphx
Was really hoping to see Tom's saddle intonation and bridge height adjustments.
Also I believe it was you that put a 9 volt battery under the floyd to stop it from moving when removing the strings.
@@chipperg25 a rolled up sock or polish cloth works really well. Wedges the Rose without any potential scratching.
@@chipperg25 it was Steve Vai's guitar tech that used the 9v battery trick....an older guy with an accent. He also talked about coming up with a hinged trem cavity cover on Vai's JEMs.
@@pcollenyt3683 Thomas Nordegg is his name
@@pcollenyt3683 everybody has an accent...
Tom thanks for your time and hard work over the years. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🍸
What an opportunity to be there for this event & to meet the great Tom Weber!!!! Thanks you Taft & Geoff
Awesome Video glad to see Tom is sharing his EVH guitar setups
I stretch my strings by grabbing it at the 12 fret, which is half of the scale length, and you will get even pressure on the string, then I pull up on the string about 1 inch from the neck, sometimes up to 2”. I pull up at different parts of the string, up and down the neck, then keep tightening the tuner up to pitch. It works really well. I go lighter on the first three strings because they could break on you, especially the high E. I’ve been doing it for years and it works really well. On Floyd Rose’s, I keep the nut blocks and screws in loosely to keep the strings in the grooves of the nut. That string Stretcha looks like a good tool to have though.
My local Sam Ash had one of the original Custom Shop runs of the FrankenStrat in a glass case with a spotlight and it sat on a rotating base. It was like walking into a guitarist Mecca. When I saw it and the $25,000 price tag, I felt like Wayne and Garth in Wayne's World. I stood there in silence looking at this wonderful site, my girlfriend was frowning and scoffed when she saw the price tag. "who would pay that much for a piece of junk like this?" she mumbled. "well, I would sell you to own this if that answers your question dear". It was a religious experience. And it's not the actual guitar that makes it such an icon. It's who played it and what he accomplished with that beat up old factory second with rough hand cuts and semi truck reflectors glued on the back. This was the soundtrack of my youth. It was what made me pick up the guitar. When we would figure out one of Eddie's licks, we would all get together to show off what we had accomplished. And that drove all of us. It was Eddie leading the way. Sure, other influential musicians would come along, but Eddie was always the Gold Standard. Still is.
I would have taken advantage of the salesman who was dumb enough to talk to a significant other like that. "give me the best deal possible or it's your friggn job" type of thing. In today's WOKE world you may have had some leverage here ;)
Your comment just gave me chills, Thankyou 😂
Hi
It's a guitar I would pass on buying at a garage sale,
I’ve been playing for a number of years (decades) and I came away with a couple of new things I hadn’t previously known. Cool deal to still pickup new things. Thanks for the tips!!
I stick a flat toothbrush handle under the back of my Floyd Rose when changing strings, so you don't need to tilt it forward. It's also close to the perfect height so when you do the initial tune after a string change and remove the toothbrush handle it's pretty much good to go, just stretch the strings a little..
You are talking about floating FR. EVH was using settings just for diving- you can’t pull bar up.
I met him at a guitar show back in 2018 in Cincinnati Ohio. He was a super cool guy.
good video. 👍 that said, I wish he would have talked more about Eddie's set up preferences and how he set guitars up for Ed. Rock on!
That's what I thought this vid was going to be
Im 65 & learned From Lays gtr repair in Akron Ohio. You sir are spot on I set up Identical to you. I did not know about the string stretcher But I just ordered one thanx to you. peace from thre Sunshine State. Chiropractic Guitar Repair.
Jeff Healy's (RIP) tech must have loved his job.
Thanks.
Very nice information, Thanks Tom and Five Star. I would love to see more videos by professionals in the industry. The tips are so valuable.
The gravity thing just totally blew my mind!
The relief and vindication of being shown how one of the worlds finest techs sets up and you have the same techniques I will be getting myself some string stretchers for sure and save my fingers 😀
Thank you so much for this content Mark from Mr G guitars and banjo 🙂
THANK YOU Mr Weber for being with and helping Mr Edward VanHalen to achieve his dreams and to make our dreams a reality , your a true boss in the industry
My grandma built her own guitar in school when she was a kid. Just an acoustic but still…what an awesome concept
I am getting a couple of string stretchas, great tool I've never seen before.
Thank you Mr. Tom Weber for your time and expertise! I enjoyed this video and advice!
Wow, that's a ton of good info on proper tuning! Thanks!!!
For years, I've been stringing up my floyd guitars through the tuning peg first, so the ball end is at the tuning peg and then I cut with a little excess at the bridge and clamp it there. Any reason why this is not a good idea? It's always seemed to work pretty well for me...
Tom, I've been playing since the 80's and learned a lot here. Thank you!!;-)
Got the opportunity to play one of these when they came out way back when. I was surprised how high the action was out of the box, apparently set up exactly the way Eddie preferred it. The man worked hard to play that guitar, that's all I can say!
Yep.... I heard that is the original way he liked it with the floyd rose
If he strums extra hard he'd need it higher, no?
Ed always preferred low action as low as he could get it. His philosophy was why make it harder than it has to be. The guitar probably just needed a proper setup.
Wanna see a real EVH guitar? Tyler played one of EVH's Kramers before it was sold at action. Is said the action was insanely low. ruclips.net/video/mtCfpT9PdnY/видео.html
I just watched an unboxing on another channel of the EVH Custom Shop and the kid said it was as low as low could be. Which would back up what I've heard about him liking low action. I'm sure he had guitars with high action, he wasn't exactly a master of set-ups.
Hey Tom, it's Paul, I have to call you soon. The boys from Connecticut., You know I'm right n Florida since 2010., as you know.
We had some good memories in 2007-2008.
It was great that we had the chance to give Eddie my custom black strat with that gold anodized pick gaurd.
Thanks Tom!
It has been interesting and informative. I will have to search around for the string stretchers, I have never seen those before and they would definitely save some wear and tear on my hands.
Please have an excellent and awesome day! ☀️
Wow so much info. in one video. Learn't a lot about setting up my Kramer Floyd trem. Such a talented guy no wonder Eddie used him.
Its hard to believe that experienced techs would be surprised by the gravity thing. That was one of the first things I ever noticed changing strings when I started nearly 20 years ago. And I am not a professional haha
Excellent Tutorial. Thank you!!
Cool, Nobody showed me how to do the over/under wrap and it just made sense to me nd I've been doing it since 86 :D Cheers! Nice episode
For years, I've been stringing my floyd guitars with the ball end through the tuning peg, then cut the string and clamp it at the bridge...
Tom is an amazing individual! I met him several years ago when he stopped by Gateway Tire in Cincinnati to have a tire repaired at the end of the day. I had no clue who he was before that we've been friends ever since ! I'll also mention Tom is no slouch when it comes to playing either .
A master at work. Thank you for making this video. Really informative and down to earth.
After watching Tom go thru this, I have a new found respect for professional guitar techs...what an eye opener!!!!
I have the newer MIM Frankie and this excellent video answered a lot of little “how should I…?” questions I’ve had. I’m ordering 2 string stretchas from you guys right now.
I'd love to spend my days working in a shop with people as dedicated and skilled as this guy. I bet he makes everyone around him want to do their best. I need more of that in my life. Also, my guitar is now in tune, and most importantly, NOW I know what the intonation sled things do on my floyd rose, as in I can explain it to someone else.
Tom, massive thank you. I have seen countless video/read many mags specifically on EVH's famous guitar. You sure nailed the specs and detail.
Quite right about gravity influences the tuning. When holding the guitar in the playing position, if you lean forward a lot, it will go slightly flat. Lean back and it goes slightly sharp.
Thought I was only going to watch 5 min before I knew it the video was over, love the knowledge I gained from it…
TOM WEBER!!! Oh my gosh! You sold me my Hamer Chaparral Custom in 1987 at Rhythm City in Buckhead. So cool that I happened on this video. Great video and hope you are doing well out there. And I still have the Hamer :)
excellent help...hope more watch....I learned something today!
Great tutorial video, Tom. Thank you!
nice. I have had a FR for about 40 years and I learned somethings ( and had my prejudices affirmed!). I do like to hit my saddles with a little powdered graphite to help the strings glide more easily. On a standard bridge and nut I also graphite the nut.
Amazing..learned some great tricks from this video.I been doing this for awhile (Jackson guitar factory in the 80s)and learned something new,.Love the gravity trick!
I watched a video of Steve Vies tech. He leaves the ball end on and goes through the tuning peg. There are some very cool bene fits to that. 1 the strings don't break as easily due to the fact they don't unwind. 2 you don't like your fingers or damage your guitar case or bag. 3. I have found even greater tuning stability doing that.
Eddie gave a Wolfgang to one of my cousins and that's how it was strung up so all my Eddie guitars ebmm, PV, and Kramer are done the same.
Great video! Any chance you can do an in depth video like this one on how to do perfect intonation on a Floyd Rose guitar PLEASE??
Pretty please 🙏
Really appreciate this. I'm comfortable with a standard Fender or Tune-a-matic setup, but I'm not very experienced with the Floyd Rose. I built up a close replica of Ed's 5150 Kramer a while back, it's my only guitar with a locking nut. This taught me more than a few things about how to handle an FR setup.
good tips, some I already learned the hard way, like the gravity tuning. Thanks!
Lots of excellent information in this video. I learned some things today!
I don’t play guitar, but I enjoyed watching a Master Craftsman. Thanks for the knowledge.
Superb, got a lot of great tips and I'd never heard not seen those string stretchas. Will be seeking them out. Many thanks.
Precision is Everything! Excellent Video Thanks
I don't live that close to it, but I have been in 5 Star a few times, and if the situation presents itself and I am close to that store, and I have the time, I for sure will stop in because it's a good one.
My Ibanez has the FR. Been jamming on it since 1997 and no issues yet.
Everyone does it different . Steve Vai’s tech puts the ball end on the tuners. No wraps, then cuts the bridge end.
Thats old skool locking tuners if you have a floyd. Problem is Floyd's arent as popular as they used to be.
I leave it on, from the tuner, through the locking bridge to the saddle. Wind the string up the post.
@@kingfisher7960 lol wrong
That’s what I do too!
Thank you Tom 👍
Enjoyed the video but what's with he camera focus? both Tom and the Frankenstein are out of focus for almost all the video when it's front on?!
A lot of great tips, thanks.
That was so informative Tom thanks so much !!!
Tom, love your attention to detail, the physics, and geometry of a proper set-up and tuning... Learned quite a bit! Thank you!!
thanks for taking the time to explain the thought process.Im mostly a self taught tech. just to take care of my own instruments.. Ive done a decent job with what I have, but never realize the Floy rose parts wear out so quickly. It explains why the titanium parts are so expensive... cause they are worth it. I have an Ibanez guitar that I just quit playing cause it wont stay in tune. I figured it was because it was a cheap one. Now I have something to look for. I did finde grooves in the locking nut blocks and I sanded them down smooth by hand with some wet dry 400 grit paper. Also I didnt know the string streatcha was to be slid the entire lenght of the string. Thanks again for the information!
Master class instruction here! I love tips and tricks like this.
I place a rubber eraser under the back side of the bridge while tightening the string retainer screws.
I do the over under string wrap on my Les Pauls. My strings never slip!🤘🏻 figured that out when I was a youngster
I love that he talks about excessive relief-I have been told you can run very little relief without any fret rattle-just don’t see how it’s possible to do that comfortably.
I’m hoping he addresses that in a future video.
If you pick or strum with excessive force you will get fret rattle even with excessive relief. The player has to play within the fret rattle limit when playing if they don't want rattle. Just the way it is. So 0.010in relief is plenty. My relief range is 0.005in to 0.010in.
@@jfo3000 Yeah, I target like 0.011 to 0.07. I just have bad technique I guess.
@@gdhi11 Just guessing that Townsend might have had relief more I'm that range, depends on your approach. My buddy played Holdsworth's guitar and told me "I couldn't see air under the strings." So yeah Townsend vs Holdsworth setups...a pretty wide range, but the guitar can suite all performance styles it would seem. That makes it a great tool for everyone.
@@jfo3000 I meant .007. Depends on the guitar. With rounder radius guitars, I'm generally closer to 0.012. On flatter radius guitars, I'm closer to 0.009 or so. I think people define fret rattle differently. Obviously you can exaggerate fret rattle by hitting the strings harder, and having them buzz against a neighboring fret (so fret at 1, buzzing against 2/3) but I've run into other issues that prevent super flat necks without using higher action. For example: 9.5" necks with the relief set to about 0.008 will basically fret out with big bends at the 10th, 11th, 12th, and sometimes 13th if you have low action. I've been playing long enough that I've seen some incredible stuff done with setups, but I am not buying the idea that having a nearly flat neck is a technique thing when physics says otherwise. It's also worth noting that fret rattle, even if it's not detectable through the amp effects your sustain which is why I'm kind of looking at Tom Weber and going "how exactly do you accomplish a low-relief setup?"
I've also been fortunate enough to play some pro player's guitars. I didn't see any special sauce in setups there, basically a little bit of relief and what you'd expect from the action--and it really varied based on player preference and style like you mentioned. Holdsworth's guitars were probably right on the frets, whereas some of the people I've crossed paths with were everywhere in between. Point is, it aligned with what you'd expect, if they played hard, their was more relief and higher action.
I do think Shims might play into this, but that's part of the reason I asked. I don't feel a shim is a good solution as they have a tendency to change over time as they absorb moisture etc. depending on what you make them out of.
I'm looking for a direct fit upgrade. Thanks for your time!
Never knew about the gravity issue.... fascinating. Great video. 👍
Thank you for the information and the tools!
Hope you are well Tom! Thanks for the lessons!
The string stretcha is well worth the investment. I bought 1, then realized how hot they get and bought 2 more. And I use them the same as Tom, so they can cool off.
Great video! Been playing forever and can always learn something new about re-stringing and relief set up! Thanks so much.
Great video! The Bill Edwards locking nut is the best. His design alleviates this "twisting action of the FR nut
Matt Bruck was Ed's guitar tech all the way back to the 90's.
Great video. Thank you!
Hey Tom great video sir!! I ordered three string stretcha's. I'm not a professional guitarist or guitar tech.
I do work on my own guitars. And do some guitar building thanks to Warmoth. I figure if the string stretcha's good enough for EVH'S guitar tech I know it's good enough for me. Thanks for sharing the love my brother 🙏
Thank you sir !!! Great !!! Appreciate your knowledge and I am sorry for your lost of a friend. This is great !!!
Absolutely fine presentation, must watch for techs, play'yaz two!
Great job with this video of a master. The production is first-rate. Nicely done.
I found your demonstration fascinating. Thanks so much for your explanation...
Wow, really had those nut clamps on SUPER TIGHT!!!
nice video! guess i,ll be bringing all my guitars to 5 star from now on since im right down the road!
As a player, this is gold.
Very nice presentation...thanks!
#1 TIP: BE PATIENT, GENUINE AND SINCERE.
#2 37:45 if you're the above you can adjust the truss rod and spring claw to get this 100% without cheating the intonation. It isn't something you can pay for or do quickly.
lol i just unlocked my floating bridge after 20 years with a massive high action and THICC strings.
It took a week, wore out a nut from just tuning, my hands as well, and of course, a pack of strings.
Learned it all myself from just turning screws and playing. Went from low stiff and fast, to high slushy and bendy, and everywhere in between. Then i put the 3rd spring back in and started over...
I only learned of Van Halen when i googled tubes for my old Peavey Triumph. I'm definitely on the right track. I can feel it! Except imagine him with Steve Vai's 7 string. Everything sounds so 80's!!!
Loved the video! Thanks Tom!!
This was beyond awesome 🤘🤘🤘!! Learned so much!!! Thank you!!!🙏🙏🙏
Absolutely valuable information from a master tech.
I just wish someone had taken the time to focus that main camera, as watching it all fuzzy drives me bonkers.