Axis floyd setup

[marqczy]

Hi, I am here again with a question.
I really love in with my axis, but sometimes I really need the floyd to make notes higher. I haven't got enough money to buy a new guitar so I decided to set up my floyd the way as normal floyds.
If I am not mistaken I have to screw the screws of the bride. First question is: clockwise or counter clockwise? Should I losen the strings for this project?(maybe yes)
Then I have to shim the neck. Next question: how thick shim I need?
Can I do it myself, or I can destroy the guitar?
My axis is about 10 years old and maybe the screws at the bridge were never used, can it cause a problem? For example useing them make a crack in the wood or on the top...
Please help, I love this guitar, but I need some more from it.
Thanks, Mark

P.S. Maybe some of my words are wrong, or my sentences are strange. Excouse me for it, I am not very good in english because I am Hungarian.

 

[Jimi D]

My advice would be that you do it yourself - as long as your carefull, there's no reason you can't manage this on your own...

There's no way to know just how thick a shim you will need - you can start with a thin piece of a plastic card like a credit card at the end of the neck and see if that's too much or too little, and then go from there...

I would loosen my strings and the tremolo springs when adjusting the bridge posts to prevent unnecessary wear when first raising them - you'll be able to tell what direction to turn them in just by looking... When doing really fine adjustments to get the height just right, I usually leave the string/spring tension on, but you're not strictly supposed to...

The hardest part will probably balancing the spring tension with the spring tension to get the bridge floating parallel to the body... That's a trial and error process, and all you really need to accomplish it in the end is patience...

good luck!

 

[Colin]

I assume you want to have the Floyd floating when you say pullup? If you want to do that properly you'll have route behind the trem. Not something I'd do to an Axis (unless it was a solid colour). But then again Steve Morse has a Back route on his Floyd equipped guitar so what do I know? Another suggestion could be adjust your playing style? What I do is push down on the bar first, then strike the note and pull up.

Colin

 

[marqczy]

Jimi D
thanks, I will try to do it myself.

Colin
Yes I want it floating. I don't want to change anything in the guitar, only the setup. I would like to try some of those floyd tricks (like Vai) which sounds to me very good.