Floyd and string gauges

[gwEm]

I have a couple of guitars with Floyds and they don't get as much love as they should.

The trems seem rather heavy. Would the FR be lighter in feel if I dropped from the 11s I use on them to 9s? I play in E standard.

Any views on the 'right' gauge to use with FRs? I don't see many people using too heavy gauges with them, but your views would be good.

[bucketshred]

I could image that removing a spring from the back make more of a difference, especially if you like the tone/feel of the 11s? I thought a balance in tension was how they worked...?

I think that you maybe don't see many heavy gauges used on Floyd systems cos its mostly the wheedly wheedly shred lot who use them and they prefer slightly lighter strings?

Paddy

[gwEm]

you might be right on the wheedly wheedly shred lot mate..

they do work with a balance of tension. with 11s you need 3 springs to get it balanced. i have them set in the W formation people recommend. Though honestly I couldn't feel much difference when i had it set for the springs being in parallel.

[darkbluemurder]

11s on a Floyd equipped guitar? You must have strong hands ...

I usually play 10s on my guitars except for the Floyd equipped ones where I use 9.5s - the string pull with 10s was too big for me. I tune in standard or down a half step.

Surprisingly I don't feel an increased string pull with non-locking trems like the vintage Fender style, the Wilkinson or the 2-post Gotoh types.

Cheers Stephan 

[Copperhead]

Yes.
11's will make for a heavy trem. You will not be able to remove one spring and have enough room on the claw to get it to balance.
2 springs for 9's in standard tuning. Really iffy with 10's. You may get the bridge to balance but the claw screws will be almost all the way there.
I would suggest a 0095 gauge set or Eb tuning with 10's and two springs.

[gwEm]

thanks copperhead.

with that confirmed, i'll try some 9s.

[Copperhead]

Regarding my own tastes, since I'm kinda too heavy handed anyways, I prefer the 95's and a blocked trem, for dive only. I set it so the trem block just barely moves off the wood block when bending the g string a full step. I have my USA Custom Tele set this way with two springs. Just recently purchased a Charvel Pro Mod and set it up but it needed three springs, as the springs on this Floyd were not as strong as the springs with aftermarket unit purchased for the Tele. Your mileage may differ.

[Brow]

I have 4 or 5 guitars with Floyds and I use either 10s on them in standard tuning, or 11s if tuning to Eb.