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 TH-cam 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!
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.
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!
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.
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
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!
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
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.
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!
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 ;)
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!
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.
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
@@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
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!
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🤘
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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!
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! 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.
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.
When I was younger and just getting into guitar, I thought the Floyd Rose was the coolest thing ever. Almost 3 years later, and I am so glad I never had one.
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!
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!
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.
I feel accomplished I figured this out along time ago just by monkeing around with my Floyd till it sounded right good to know that I have been doing it the proscribed way all along!
Thanks for the video! It helped me a lot... I made the "mistake" of buying my first guitar with Floyd Rose, 'cause I didn't wanna miss anything. :D Now I know how to fine tune it.
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
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.
Thanks for well informed instructional vid. I benefitted from your tuning suggestions (I thought I knew what to do already, but you gave me a whole new spin,) like tuning from the middle and string tuning order, and a pragmatic and useful suggestion not to overtighten the lock nuts, lest we cause speedy damage.
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.
Nice Doug. Just wandered through and found your posts. Watch those Whammy bars! Dammit! lol Excellent tips. After 35 years of playing with double-locking bridge systems I'd gotten close to this method but it was cool to see it codified. Rock on.
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)))
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.
Wow. Thank you so much. You just saved me from selling a brand new Ibanez because I thought I would never be able to cope with tuning it. Thank you thank you!
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!
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.
I watched this vid to see how I could improve on my tuning. Ive been playing a Floyd Rose for 20 years and basically this is how I taught myself to tune up...!! It took me a couple of years to figure it out but I love mine!..another tip is when your restringing do one string at a time and tune it before going to next string. Always in the order you described. If you mess up and take all the strings off then put all the strings back on then cant seem to get it right just tune the strings until the bridge is parallel with the body not high or low then lock and fine tune..Thanks for the video...!
Thank you for explaining and showing this. I have a b.c rich mockingbird it has a Floyd I've been intimidated from using it because I had no clue how to tune it. This really helped me thank you 😎
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 🤟😎
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 ;)
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 TH-cam 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.
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.
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
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!
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 ;)
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.
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.
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
My first teacher.Still use what Doug put in my head 30 years ago.Thank you sir!!!
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
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!
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.............
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🤘
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.
2:02 LMFAO I laughed so hard
Hahahahah me too
Why ace🤷♂️
I have a fear of floyd rose now
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.
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!
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.
"That's not gonna work damnit!" - thumb up
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.
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!
Thanks Doug! Starting with string 3 when tuning is an approach I've never heard of before.
I'm calling BS. The truth is, Doug Marks is a wizard.
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.
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.
"Don't be precise, just be close" is the best advice for a Floyd Rose's initial tuning
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...
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!
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
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
“That’s not gonna work, dammit!” 😂 no matter, still a well done video!
Dude! I know there are over 1000 comments here but this was super helpful! That 60 second method is awesome! Thanks a million! 😎🎸
THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK DAMMIT! Thanks for saving my life:)
Just doin my job.
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!
Thats not gonna work...Dammit!!!!!
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.
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.
When I was younger and just getting into guitar, I thought the Floyd Rose was the coolest thing ever. Almost 3 years later, and I am so glad I never had one.
I have been playing over 40 years. It takes twice as long to change stringS on a Floyd Rose. Is is worth it, YES!!!!!!!!
Just made my first guitar as a novice scale great floating tremolo worked great off this tuning video thank you very much .
2:00 i love that u didnt cut that out xD
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!
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!
Thanks for making the video. Couple little tricks to speed things up. Appreciate it
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!
longest 60 second/ 9 minute video I’ve seen and I watched it 5 times rolling in tears damn it great tutorial very helpful thanx
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.
I feel accomplished I figured this out along time ago just by monkeing around with my Floyd till it sounded right good to know that I have been doing it the proscribed way all along!
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
Thanks for the video! It helped me a lot... I made the "mistake" of buying my first guitar with Floyd Rose, 'cause I didn't wanna miss anything. :D
Now I know how to fine tune it.
you look like tommy lee jones with nice hair :p
thanks for the tip Doug. i've been playing floyd roses since 85 and i never thought to opposite the sharps.
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
Thank you so much for the 342516. My choo choo was about ready to go around the bend.
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.
Thanks for well informed instructional vid. I benefitted from your tuning suggestions (I thought I knew what to do already, but you gave me a whole new spin,) like tuning from the middle and string tuning order, and a pragmatic and useful suggestion not to overtighten the lock nuts, lest we cause speedy damage.
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.
I was a beginner when I bought my Floyd rose guitar a loved it, I understood how it worked and knew how to set it up. So much run
been doin this wrong for years lol
I've been playing for almost 25 years & just got my first floyd. You just saved my sanity!
I never tune my guitar in 60 seconds, sometimes 30 and when i am drunk 124 seconds.
♥️😂
Thanks, this really helped me because I recently just got a Ibanez RG
Thank you, Metal Joe Biden!
Nice Doug. Just wandered through and found your posts. Watch those Whammy bars! Dammit! lol Excellent tips. After 35 years of playing with double-locking bridge systems I'd gotten close to this method but it was cool to see it codified. Rock on.
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)))
Thank you Doug!! I’ve been using your lessons since 1987!
Tune a floyd rose in 60 seconds, in 9:06 minutes.
Fuck u
Thanks Doug!
video: "Tune a Floyd Rose in 60 seconds"
me: _notices that the video is 9 minutes long_
pretty sus
Duuuuuuuude ive been "tuning" my guitar myself for 45 minutes! This is brilliant! Thank you
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
Wow. Thank you so much. You just saved me from selling a brand new Ibanez because I thought I would never be able to cope with tuning it. Thank you thank you!
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
Thanks for this! The compensation step @5:49 was something I was missing and always got frustrated with how long it took me to get mine fully tuned.
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 watched this vid to see how I could improve on my tuning. Ive been playing a Floyd Rose for 20 years and basically this is how I taught myself to tune up...!! It took me a couple of years to figure it out but I love mine!..another tip is when your restringing do one string at a time and tune it before going to next string. Always in the order you described. If you mess up and take all the strings off then put all the strings back on then cant seem to get it right just tune the strings until the bridge is parallel with the body not high or low then lock and fine tune..Thanks for the video...!
How to tune a floyd rose:
Don't buy a floyd rose equipped guitar...you'll thank me later.
been playing for 30 years... never seen that tuning trick before. Good to know!!
The way he said “unlock the nut” at 4:02 had me deaaaad 😂
Floyd Rose set up is Micro Tuning Ability. Awesome!
Great video Doug. I started with a Floyd Rose and can tune just about anything now.
Doug I still have your original Metal Method on VHS from my big brother he ordered them all after the first free tape you sent back in the day
Hey Doug..had your Metal Method lessons as a kid..thank you for taking the time to simplify things. 😬
Thank you, brother. Decided to rest the Les Paul for a bit and got my first Jackson Soloist. Lovin' it. 🔥🔥🔥💨💨💨🤘🤘🤘
Thank you for explaining and showing this. I have a b.c rich mockingbird it has a Floyd I've been intimidated from using it because I had no clue how to tune it. This really helped me thank you 😎
Must watch for any Floyd-Rose styled trem systems
This method works great thanks. I would recommend this to anyone that has a tremolo.
I wish i knew this tuning trick years ago. Would have saved me a lot of aggravation. Thank you Doug.
Best video about floyd rose tuning!
Thanks very much Aj.