how to adjust spring in back?

[ulao]

I have been playing guitar now for 16+ year and I never ran in to this before. I just picked up a new Ibez 7 string and tuned standard E with top sting to b, Assuming that is right... B,e,d,a,g,b,e

there are 3 springs in back and no room for more

but the floyd rose it way to high.


Normally I add springs to get it down. What can I do if my springs are maxed out? I tried to adjust the screw that go in to the body but that didn't help much.

 

[High Plains Drifter]

It's a bit of a balancing act between the trem-claw adjustment and the tuning key adjustment. You need to unlock the locking nut and begin to reduce the tension on the top side of the guitar. You won't be able to do it the way that you are... simply by tightening the trem-claw screws by themselves. Hard to tell from pics but it's possible that the FR mounting screws may need to be adjusted as well. Adding springs is also not the way to go about this so... don't add or delete springs and don't add heavier springs. Once you have this under control, you might want to play around with spring count/ spring rate but I wouldn't mess with that atm.

Again.. take tension off the top-side by loosening the locking nut and dialing out some tension via the tuning keys on the head-stock. Keep in mind that this is simply a starting point of the FR set-up and possibly not the final adjustment that you will need to make. Also.. if you have a luthier or tech close by and you're not confident getting this set up, you can always send it out.. shouldn't cost too much.

One more thing.. there are other factors such as stretching strings and truss-rod adjustment that can play a part in all of this but that's where things get more complex. I would start with the basics first.

 

[Crungy]

@ulao I can't tell from the angle of your picture, does your bridge have a rectangular/line mark like this on the side?

 

[ulao]

Not sure I follow the question. Do you men the notch on the button left of your image

UPDATE: So I tuned it anyways, and the strings are way to tight and feel too think. So I'm thinking the gauge is wrong. I normally play on 10s IIRC. Anyways that what I have in my drawer. And I measure with my micrometer. My normal bottom string is .23 and these are .27. So am I right to assume I need at thinner string set? It I normally use 10s and order 7 strings 10s will they be the right thickness?

I think what I want to do is put my 6 string set on here and buy 1 b string ( hopefully colored ) and figure out what the size would be. What is the sing set measure in, thousands? If so I think I need a 56 gauge.

 

[tedtan]

You have room to add two more springs if necessary, just remove the two outer springs and reinstall them straight rather than angled.

 

[ulao]

no those are not sprint holes, there is a cover that screws in to those holes. I mean I could ditch the cover and use the screw oles but not sure that is wise.

I was wondering about the angle, so maybe that will lower the bridge, I though I had to go tighter?

 

[ulao]

ok Here is the string measurements.

7 .065
6 .049
5 .039
4 .028
3 .017
2 .015
1 .011 or maybe 0.012 not sure

 

[cardinal]

Start with a set of new strings and go from there.

You can buy higher tension springs if you want to stick with three but those three aren't working.

You also can at least add one more spring using those screw holes in the block. Just install the retainer bar with the remaining screw hole. I've done this and it's been strong enough to hold the springs in the block.

 

[Crungy]

Not sure I follow the question. Do you men the notch on the button left of your image

UPDATE: So I tuned it anyways, and the strings are way to tight and feel too think. So I'm thinking the gauge is wrong. I normally play on 10s IIRC. Anyways that what I have in my drawer. And I measure with my micrometer. My normal bottom string is .23 and these are .27. So am I right to assume I need at thinner string set? It I normally use 10s and order 7 strings 10s will they be the right thickness?

I think what I want to do is put my 6 string set on here and buy 1 b string ( hopefully colored ) and figure out what the size would be. What is the sing set measure in, thousands? If so I think I need a 56 gauge.

Yes, sorry for the confusion. I was asking because that is the level line for some Ibanez trems.

 

[ulao]

ok going to put on the strings I like, add the B string around 60-65 or so. Maybe a base string from the RDB- 40 set. then worry about the tension.

Thx for the feedback.

I was asking because that is the level line for some Ibanez trems.

Do not see any marks on it.

 

[tedtan]

no those are not sprint holes, there is a cover that screws in to those holes. I mean I could ditch the cover and use the screw oles but not sure that is wise.

I was wondering about the angle, so maybe that will lower the bridge, I though I had to go tighter?

The screw holes should still hold a spring, but if you want to use both to screw on the retainer (I’ve never needed a retainer, for what it’s worth), you can get the high tension springs that @cardinal mentioned. Either should work.

What guitar model is this?

 

[Crungy]

ok going to put on the strings I like, add the B string around 60-65 or so. Maybe a base string from the RDB- 40 set. then worry about the tension.

Thx for the feedback.

Do not see any marks on it.

Gotcha. Now that I'm home, here's a better example from my 7620 (Lo Pro Edge 7) of the trem being level. The line just barely pokes out.

I thought your bridge looked kind of similar in the picture but couldn't tell.

 

[odibrom]

ok Here is the string measurements.

7 .065
6 .049
5 .039
4 .028
3 .017
2 .015
1 .011 or maybe 0.012 not sure

Heavy sets of strings are not to be used with trems and regular tuning, for they'll have too much tension and it will be difficult for the springs to counter act that strengh/pull. In this situation you'll need stronger springs as yours seem to be regular tension. .011 or .012 string sets is a LOT of tension for E tuning, more so on 7 stringers. It's doable, but it will require stronger springs.

My suggestion is, either a new fresh set of strings with a lower gauge, like .010s or .009s as the 1st string reference, or heavy duty springs.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

ok Here is the string measurements.

7 .065
6 .049
5 .039
4 .028
3 .017
2 .015
1 .011 or maybe 0.012 not sure

If you're used to 10's on your 6 strings, then that set will feel a lot heavier. The additional tension is also what would cause the bridge to sit pitched up like the first picture if there were lighter strings on it before.

Most string brands offer a 10 gauge 7 string set with a 56 for the low B, or a 59 if you go with D'addario. Try one of those sets as a starting point and see if you like that gauge for the low B. If you feel like going heavier or lighter, you can always use your normal set of 10's for the first 6 strings and add a single string of whatever gauge you want for the 7th.

You will likely need to back off the spring claw screws to roughly the place where they were before any adjustments you had to make for the heavier set as well.

 

[Jacksonluvr636]

To keep it simple, while you said you adjusted the screws already, there's still quite a but of room to tighten them. I just don't think you tightened enough.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

To keep it simple, while you said you adjusted the screws already, there's still quite a but of room to tighten them. I just don't think you tightened enough.

The screws will go in even further, but surely it would be a better idea to not use 12-65 gauge strings in standard tuning with a double-locking floating bridge. It seems the OP is only using such excessivley heavy strings because that's what the previous owner put on it, but the previous owner presumably had it set up in a much lower tuning. It would have left the factory with 9-54 gauge strings, in standard tuning, so that's what the springs were selected for.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I just picked up a new Ibez 7 string and tuned standard E with top sting to b, Assuming that is right... B,e,d,a,g,b,e

Just re-read this. Technically, it's the bottom (lowest pitch) string that should be tuned to B, not the top (highest pitch) string. By "top string", do you mean the string situated at the top when holding the guitar horitzontally, rathe than the highest string?

For clartiy, standard 7-string tuning is 1E,2B,3G,4D,5A,6E,7B (not 1B,2E,3A,4D,5G,6B,7E).

 

[fantom]

If you went from 10s to 11s, you will probably have to adjust the springs **and** the truss rod.

The easier thing to do is just tune down until you change strings again. I suggest going down 1 full step to ADGCFad, which will be mostly similar tension as you are used to. This way you can use those strings and not have to do major adjustments.