Floyd Intonation Tool

[unchained1984]

I know we've discussed these a few times on the old forum, they're fantastic when you've several axes to intonate. Here's a couple pics for anyone interested:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/unchained1984/keypg2.gif
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/unchained1984/keypg3.gif

[atomicholiday]

Where can you get those from?

[Pacerimperial]

Where can you get those from?

You can get them HERE (http://www.axcessories.com/proddetail.asp?prod=axfrkeya)

or HERE (http://www.vwallguitars.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=95&ccSID=99bc1488baf96e8133039fb8dd361a75), if you want ot spend more money :)

[unchained1984]

I came across a few sites several months back that supposedly had them but were subsequently out of stock , got one on backorder (a few months or so) from Brian Calvert over at universaljems. They don't exactly grow on trees but well worth hunting one down.

[webbhead13]

Mitchel just got his in:thumbsup
I' would hurry if you want one they go fast and take forever to get back in stock!

I ordered mine back in Januarary and they had him waiting until now!!!

[PacerMedic]

Just got mine Saturday, thanks a ton Sandy!:thumbsup

[KramerUK]

I remember you bringing this one up ages ago, and Id forgot about it, but what a great tool :thumbsup
Save a hell of a lot of time, if like you say Sandy you have a few to setup.

[mike-o]

intonating floyds isn't that hard imo. At least flush-mounted ones aren't too bad

[JGB]

Semi-highjack...

What kind of strobe tuners are you guys using?

[JGB]

Do you guys use a strobe when setting intonation?

[unchained1984]

Mike it simply makes the whole process less time consuming, you only unlock the saddle once as the tool maintains pressure while you continue to adjust till your hearts content for intonation rather than unlock saddle/adjust/lock saddle (several times). Multiply this by a number of axes and it becomes a nifty little tool to use.

[JimmyDenton]

thats a nifty bit of kit, sandy you got them for sale or summit?

[Kramer_nut]

I've had one of those for years. Don't use it very much but it does make it nice when setting up a new floyd.

Todd

[PacerMedic]

Do you guys use a strobe when setting intonation?

Nope. Wouldn't that be just a bit of overkill where a OFR is concerned? I'd think most are happy to be within a few cents of the correct pitch.

[unchained1984]

No Jimmy just reminding folks that have several axes with OFR's how useful they are. Took a good few months for mine to show, it seems most of the stock everywhere goes like lightning and most folks have to back order them and wait a few months.

[pel666]

No strobe's, just a +/- 50 cents tuner and does the trick just fine :thumbsup

I have done so many floyds, I do it freehand and usually it works pretty good...but this little tool could come in handy, since I do it with my fingers which can ask for quite some force when you are too lazy to fully destress the strings ;)

[JGB]

I only asked about strobes because I don't have one and I just assumed you needed one to do an intonation.

The tool itself seems great, definitely worth a pickup.

[dr. robert]

I use a Peterson Virtual Strobe tuner myself.
0,1C accuracy makes a world of difference compared to the 1C accuracy of (most) other digital tuners, definitely worth the investment.

[atomicholiday]

Ordered my Key from axcessories yesterday.:thumbsup

I've heard alot of good things about strobe tuners, but man are they pricey. Can you really hear a big audible difference in tuning?

[PacerMedic]

Ordered my Key from axcessories yesterday.:thumbsup

I've heard alot of good things about strobe tuners, but man are they pricey. Can you really hear a big audible difference in tuning?

IMO, they only contribute to your insanity on a Floyd-equipped axe.

[dr. robert]

but man are they pricey.
$125 for a Peterson VS1


Can you really hear a big audible difference in tuning?
I only use the 0,1C setting for intonation, I use the 1C setting for normal tuning.
And yes you can hear a big difference when a guitar has proper intonation, especially when playing chords.

[Pacerimperial]

There is one on ebay right now $25 BIN with free shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Floyd-Rose-Intonation-Tool_W0QQitemZ190183788111QQihZ009QQcategoryZ41407QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[ferengi-bri]

All,

I got mine from All Parts. www.allparts.com

Brian

[atomicholiday]

Got mine last week from axcessories.com:thumbsup

[unchained1984]

Santa came early Jeremy, certainly makes intonation a little more interesting too:thumbsup

[junior]

I had one I got from a shop in the late 80's for quite a few years. The threads stripped out and I put a nut on the front so I could still use it. It was quite handy! but I let someone use it (don't remember who) and it has been gone for a few years.

Anyway! a couple weeks ago there was a complete set of 3 on the bay, OFR, LoPro, and Ibanez, for $45 BIN with free shipping. I snached them up! I don't have a Ibanez but I have the tool to intonate it! hehehe

One thing I would like to add, I don't like working on my guitars with cheap ( L ) shapped allen wrenches! I use machined allen drivers that I use on my RC's. All cheap wrenches do are round out screw heads. If anyone is interested I can point you in a direction for what to look for.

[unchained1984]

I hear you on the soft or slightly ill fighting allen keys, machined driver bits or heavy keys are essential. A favourite to slip /go rounded are top nut bolts due to a combination of over tightening & cheap ass bits or allen keys.

[StrangeC]

Great tool! I didnt know it existed.

[floydkramer]

Great tool! I didnt know it existed.

me either.... but i want one. looks like it would make it alot easier to do a real good job.

[AxeMusic]

You could buy the Floyd tools at Stew-Mac the last time I looked. I've wanted one for years but never broke down and bought one... DOH! They do make it easy to get the settings perfect. It bothers me when they are out even a little, but I need all the help I can get to sound good, lol.

As far as tuners, I have a Korg DTR-1. It's the older one with the square screen so it has the strobe mode on it. I start in 1-100 mode, then switch to 1-10, then go back through in strobe and get then dead nuts. There is stoll a small amount of guessing b/c it's so sensitive you need to decide if you want it correct shortly after you hi the note, or wait until the vibe settles.

In strobe mode I usually hit the note and let it bump 2-3 times. As long as every string bumps the same it's close enough. If in a band just do everyone's instruments the same.

Axe M

[AxeMusic]

I found the link to Stewmac in the "hand buffing" thread (thanks).

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Bridges/The_Key.html

[spider94r]

I found the link to Stewmac in the "hand buffing" thread (thanks).

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Bridges/The_Key.html

Yep, just ordered mine. I've got 5 Floyd-equipped guitars now and they all are gonna need a setup.

[sticktrix1]

I had a look up on that site posted above... its pretty cheap only about 17AUS$$... but then like $30 for shipping:-x

[dochurtz]

i ordered mine from mitch at meanstreets. cant wait to use it.

kevin

[dochurtz]

...on doing my first intonation on a floyd by myself!! that tool is awesome! what a difference in setting up your guitar with that handy lil' thing. i never bothered with setups before due to it being such a pain in the ass. i cant believe i never thought to get one previously. :scratchhe

kevin

[unchained1984]

Makes the experience a bit more bearable for sure if you're doing a few. Someone needs to be really clever and invent something that speeds up restringing a standard OFR, that would be a money maker right there.

[Seesirpent]

A few years back I snagged a Wolfie from a Bro.
A few months later he emails me...says he's sending me something...Maybe I knew what the hell it was.:D
At first...:-x then a little research and :thumbsup
Nice to have around.

[junior]

I have been going to add to this and keep forgetting so I'll do it now!


If you have a Schaller trem, Jackson 500 or the locking FR II with the short headless string locking screws you can still use these tools on it!

Just replace the original headless screw with one for a Floyd and use the tool to intonate it and swap the screws back. I have done this quite a few times and it worked fine. Kinda a pain swapping the screws but it's either that or slide the block by hand. On most of my Schaller trems I have replaced the short headless screw with OFR cap screws. Most guitars this will work, some it won't because they are to long for the cut out. For the most part it just turns a Schaller into a Gotoh style trem.

The first tool I had came with a spare long cap screw for this purpose.

[spider94r]

I just wanted to post my own experience with this tool. I used it the other day on a Ping Floyd which to my eye is *identical* to an OFR, but this tool gave me a little trouble. On saddles that had to move very far forward I had a bear of a time getting the tool to disengage! It got really jammed between the stud and the baseplate. I'm sure it's probably just my inexperience with the tool, but I ended up deciding that it was just easier to move the saddles by hand, which isn't really all that hard in the first place.
I'll try it again this weekend with a true OFR on the F-3000 I just got and see how it goes. Maybe it's just not compatible with the Ping.

[junior]

spider94r...... While the Ping and OFR are close to twins the Ping is a little different but . I'm guessing where you had trouble was on the # 1 E string. However it can happen on other strings that intonate towards the front of the bridge. The tool runs out of thread and like you said kinda gets stuck/wedged between the screw head and the fine tuner edge. If this happens! just use your finger, screwdriver, or whatever, and push the screw head down a little away from the tool. The tool will come right off with the screw head out of the way.