Floyd Bridges And Their Fixed Radius

CarlF

CarlF

Well-known member
I never see this mentioned, but this part of the Floyd bridges design drives me crazy. It's a fixed radius, which means simply, you can't adjust individual bridge saddles.
So I set each E string to 4/64 at the 12th fret. Problem is, when you do that, the other strings, specifically the D and G string are higher than 4/64.
On a set of 9-42, the 016 G string is heavy enough, but to have it higher than I normally set my other guitars it pisses me off.

So, 2 solutions-
Get rid of the 016 G and put on an 014. This worked for me. It's not like trying to play around a bridge-cable G string.
The other is- 9-46 at E-Flat. Also softens the feel so you can whizz around the fretboard.
 
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You can remove the stock shim to make it 12, and then use floyd shims(the ones with holes for the screw to pass through) to bump the outers up a hair.

They are tone-suckers, but if you only use one or two of the .2mm shims it is really not enough to notice.
Use one under the 5th string saddle and one or two under the 6th and it's good to go.

No need for any under the 2nd or 1st saddles because we generally want a graduating action anyways, meaning lower action at the 1st, and then a steadily increasing action all the way up to the 6th.
 
There’s been no official word, though you can be sure Floyd Rose no longer has a close relationship with Schaller. The new USA made FR saddles with several radii offerings look promising but their explanation with the missing “Made in Germany” stamp on the base plate of the Original is telling.

Schaller now sells trems and nuts with many different radii. I still haven’t found anyone across the forums who said they’ve installed the 12 to 16 nut/trem Lockmeister offering, though I’m almost on board regardless.

https://schaller.info/en/lockmeister-6/1301
 
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Watched an interview with Brad Gillis about his guitars and Floyd’s. He said that he has purchased as many original models that Floyd built out of his garage back in the day. He said they will hold tune forever. He went on to rip and gank on his red strat and boom…perfectly in tune. What is so different about the original ones? Kinda off topic but curious….
 
My two Floyd guitars, built in 2007 and 2008 (so their German Floyds are at least that old) never came with saddle shims. Until reading this thread, I never even knew about Floyd saddle shims lol. Those two guitars are perfectly setup so I guess they were designed around the stock Floyd radius and nut width in mind.
 
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