Conference napalm::guitar

     I don't use any tremolos but it would seem to me  that you would
    be able to block the tremolo in the normal position and then get
    the strings close to in tune and then remove the block;and then
    retune a string or two a step sharp; the following two to those
    and gradually get back to the status quo.......hope it works out
    for you,good luck!
    Bill     B^) 

    I know what you're talking about...yeah, that is the worst!
    
    What you need to do is tune the low e real sharp (like to a, or b) and
    the tune the other strings relatively in tune (like in D tuning), then
    lower the low e to place, the other strings will go sharp.  Then even
    it out.  The hard part is trying to get it  right on A440...a sheer
    nightmare at that point!

    Yep, such is life with a Floyd.                           
    
    It's a b*tch.  Tune up the way Buckley mentioned and be patient.
    After you've done it a couple of times, it's cake.
    
    Here's another pointer or two:
    
    Make sure your whammy bar base-plate is parallel to the body of
    your guitar.
    
    Once your in tune, your intonation is set, string height set, and
    you whammy base-plate is parallel to the body of the guitar...
    DON'T MESS WITH IT !  Don't change string brands/sizes, don't remove
    trem-springs etc...
    
    Once your set, the guitar will hardly ever go out of tune.

    Don't feel bad, the first time I did it, I went to the telephone
    and cried to Scary while he laughed at me (and taught me to do what
    I mentioned above).
    
    Cheer up,
    
    jc

   Thank Gawd I don't have one of these marvelous contraptions.  :-)
   (No offence meant, I just dislike things that make life difficult.
    And yes, even though it's not the best treatment for the neck,
    sometimes I do take all the strings off at once.  Ooh, shudder.)

   Is this true of all the "new" style trems, eg Kaehler, Rose, and the
   Pitch-o-Matic or whatever from Steinberger?

   -- Sam

    
    
    Thanks, I'll try that tonight.
    
    Buck, its good to know that I haven't even reached "sheer nightmare" 
    yet!!! ;^)
    
    Its good to know that its not so uncommon, either
                                   
    I'm cheered, but I'll feel better when its done with
    
    Dave
    

    re .1- oops that was backwards wasn't it????

    If you don't use the whammy, why put up with it ?
    Buy a hard-tail maybe.
    
    jc (Who wouldn't put up with that crap if I didn't use it all the
        time)

re: is this true of all...

It's true of my kahler but possibly not as pronounced...I also didn;t find it 
to be more than simply annoying with my floyd...you just have to tune it
10-12 times, streaching the strings good too before it settles down anywhere 
near in tune...

if you want/need a whammy it's part of the territory

dbii

    : .8
    
    Exactly.
    
    Well put.
    
    jc

    
    Well, up until now the whammy has been no issue, and I've been using
    the guitar regularly for 8 months now.  It was set up nicely, so nicely
    that I wasn't even aware of how much of a nightmare this could be.....
    
    However, since I don't have any need for a whammy, I'm thinking
    seriously of getting something without one....
    
    Dave

	And I was bummed at what it took to string my Rick w/ the belt-
	buckle tailpiece! Thanks for the tip off on modern bridgework.
	That 325v59 looks more and more like the wanky of choice for me.
	Just a plain old .Bigsby.... and boy those cat-eye TV knobs look 
	great on a Gold pick guard. ;-)

	Charlie_B._who_wants_the_new_custom_FORMICA_FINISH_stratocaster

    Wait until you break a string while you're playing sometime...
    
    8^)
    
    Seriously, if you don't use the tremelo, you might think about
    disabling it.  Not too tough to do and it would make tuning easier. 
    
    Greg

    RE - nuking a string live ...
    
    This has to be one of the worst sounds known to man !   Everything
    goes stupid for a brief second (including the operator !).  And
    heaven help you if you try to continue playing in order to finish
    the song ... take your lix, stop and restring !
    
    
    
    				Scary
    
    (who holds the land speed record for changing a string live on a
    Floyd Rose !)

re: broken strings...

That's why I have at least two guitars on stage at all times...I just remove 
the now brain damaged one and jump back in...cords with the little switch in 
them to ground the hot lead are real helpful if you use major volume to keep
from giving everyone an ack buzz thump...the other git player in our band and
I occasionally get a chance to do an extra solo to cover for such movements...

dbii

    I have this problem on my guitar which has a Kahler.  I think it's
    not really "specific" to having a trem, it's just that the Trem
    makes it a little worse.
    
    > Thank Gawd I don't have one of these marvelous contraptions
    
    Remember that .0 said he loosened ALL the strings first.  That's why
    he's having such a hard time.  If you replace one string at a time
    it's not significantly worse than if you didn't have a Trem.
    
    I almost never use the Trem bar, but I thank Gawd I have one.
    
    I have a friend with the EXACT same model guitar as mine but w/o
    a locking trem unit and my guitar stays in tune MUCH better than
    his.  I've found that the nut lock and rollers at the bridge help
    the guitar stay in tune much better even through "normal" (non-bar
    related) technique like bends.
    
    	db - Carvin' up the fretboard

    re .0
    
    stop wasting time and buy another gold-top Les Paul. You know 
    that's what you really want to do anyways. :-)
    
    -Dave

    re: .15
    
    Not to mention that your guitar will usually hold it's value with a
    tremelo better, since that's currently "in vogue"...

    re: .16
    
    Ditto.....NO tuning hassles with a stop tailpiece/fixed bridge!  
    
    Steve (who loves his Les Paul)  8)

    
    re .16
    
    VERY FUNNY!!!!!
    
    However, my Ibanez stays in tune better than my Les Paul did.....oce I
    get it in tune, that is....
    
    Last time I replaced the strings on my guitar, I replaced them one at a
    time, and it was a piece of cake.  I must have been brain-dead when I
    did this this week.....but I WON'T FORGET NEXT TIME!!!!!
    
    Hey Dave Clark, wanna trade your Strat for my Ibanez, straight up??
    
    Dave

    I can rip my baretta completely apart and have it put back together
    in 5 minutes. I'd try it blindfolded but have no-one to impress.
    
    I have this bad itch to replace the neck with a maple Stew-Mac
    Rock neck and lay a coat of white on it next.
    
    Les Paul are alot easier to take apart, but not nearly as much fun!

    re. .12
    
    How do you disable your tremelo?  My Kramer has a Floyd Rose and
    I have been through the frustration of trying to tune it/change
    strings.  I'm just beginning to learn how to play and don't use
    the tremelo much right now while I'm learning the basics.  

    he might be talking about screwing the thing into the body so far
    there's no upward pull, and downward pull is limiterd to 3 frets.
    Your kramer if it has cut-outs won't be disableable ...

    re: blocking out the trem
    
    you can put a wood block between the bar and the body INSIDE the spring
    cavity. This effectivly makes the bar part of the guitar and it becomes
    a stop tailpiece. On many floyd rose installations you can't lower the
    bar flush with the body and use the springs to pull it tight against
    the body as the strings can't be raised high enough...
    
    dbii who also has a kahler that stays in tune very well most of the
    time

    -1
    
    That will not help...his guitar is routed out over 3/4" deep in back of
    the tremolo unit to allow severe Vai-type effects.  If you screw the 
    unit all the way down, you still have over a 1/2" of space in back of
    the unit.  If you tighten the springs in teh back all the way, it pulls
    the trem arm way back, which frets out the strings makeing NO SOUND
    whatsoever, and the arm is really un-useable at that angle anyways.

    I was talking about using wooden blocks inside the spring cavity as .23
    described.  
    
    Greg

    Sticking blocks inside the trem cav-
                    -------------
                          | |
    --------------------| | |    |-------------
    			| | |****|    
                        | | |x   |
    			| | | x  |   this could allow you
    	----------------| | |   x|   to remove the strings, but it would
       |                  |_|****|    
    ----		         |--------------	
    
                                     have to be cut well to not really mess
    				     up the action.
    
    
    					I'm reneging on a flat floyd now,
    				I set it up like that when I didn't
    				Stevie Stevens wasw saying about grinding
    				the floyd bottom. Now I know, but seems
    				I like the old way too much to give it up