ShiggityShwa
March 8th, 2007, 05:27 PM
The ZR tremelo is an Ibanez version of the Floyd Rose. It uses ball bearing instead of knife edges, and it uses the Zero Point system (all this basically means it will return to tune very consistently). I think the ZR is a lot simpler then a standard Floyd.
Materials:
AAA battery
String cutters
Allen key
String Winder (optional but recommended)
Tuner
Before you do all of this, dive down and put a AAA battery under the bridge. This will keep it level while changing strings.
1. Removing the strings
Removing the strings is pretty simple. First, unclamp the locking nut using your allen key. After this, snip the strings right above the nut (on the tuner side) so when you pull the strings through they will not scratch the nut. After snipping the strings, remove them from the tuners. Now unscrew the saddles using your allen key. The screw is on the back of the saddle, between the fine tuners and where the strings enter the bridge. After unscrewing all of the saddles, the strings should come right out.
2. Inserting new strings
Before inserting new strings, oil the fretboard if you have any lemon oil. Don't oil a maple fretboard though.
The nut and saddles should still be unclamped. Now, remove the first string you will be putting on from the package. Snip the ball end of the string off using your string cutters. Now insert one end of the string into the corresponding saddle. Screw in the saddle until it is fully clamped on the string. Now, insert the string into the locking nut and pull through. Wrap the string around the tuning post as you normally would and tighten until it's in the area of being somewhat in tune (don't bother tuning precisely yet). Repeat this process with every string.
3. Tuning, leveling the bridge
Remember to stretch the strings!
After all the strings are on and in the range of tuning, remove the AAA battery you placed under the bridge earlier. Now tune up the strings one at a time. Because of the Zero Point system, tuning of one string won't change as drastically as it would on a normal Floyd Rose. You still will have to tune several times until the strings are balanced with one another. After you are in tune (the nut should not be clamped yet) take a look at the bridge. Is it level with the body of the guitar? If not, then take your allen key to the back of the guitar. See the little silver thing? Screw that in to increase tension on the bridge and to bring it into the body, or unscrew it to relieve tension and make the bridge come out of the body more (how convenient). You'll want the bridge to be as level as possible, so tune after each time you make the bridge level (String tension affects the bridge's leveling out).
After the bridge is level and your guitar is in tune again, screw the clamps on the nut until they are locked down. Now, adjust the tuning with the fine tuners. You will have to retune several times using the fine tuners for the strings to be balanced and in tune. If you find that the find tuners cannot screw in or unscrew any more, unclamp the nut and screw the fine tuner up or down until it has sufficient room to move. Then, retune with normal tuners, reclamp the nut, and adjust the tuning with the fine tuners.
4. Intonation
Intonating the ZR bridge is basically as any other guitar, except the intonation tool is built in to the guitar. On the opposite side of the bridge of where the tremelo arm screws in, there should be a little circular thing screwed into the bridge. This is above the sixth string, and sometimes is difficult to unscrew. If you unscrew this, you just insert it into the back of the bridge (under the fine tuners) and use this tool to adjust intonation.
5. Loose Tremelo Bar holder
After moderate to heavy use, the Tremelo bar holder will become loose. To tighten this, you have to remove the whole tremelo unit which is basically a huge pain in the ***. This is the only downfall to the ZR tremelo IMO. If the the tremelo bar holder becomes too loose, it will eventually break (unlike the Edge type tremelos, where it just stays loose.) Basically you have to tighten it or you will have to replace it after it breaks. It's probably possible to threadlock the nut that is holding the trem bar, so you don't have to ever tighten it again. This would be the way to go, just make sure that when you threadlock it you don't affect tremelo bar rotation or anything.
My first string change using this method took about 30-45 minutes, although I didn't have to tighten the Trem bar holder during this time.
If you feel I have left anything out or if you need to ask a few questions, just send me a PM and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Materials:
AAA battery
String cutters
Allen key
String Winder (optional but recommended)
Tuner
Before you do all of this, dive down and put a AAA battery under the bridge. This will keep it level while changing strings.
1. Removing the strings
Removing the strings is pretty simple. First, unclamp the locking nut using your allen key. After this, snip the strings right above the nut (on the tuner side) so when you pull the strings through they will not scratch the nut. After snipping the strings, remove them from the tuners. Now unscrew the saddles using your allen key. The screw is on the back of the saddle, between the fine tuners and where the strings enter the bridge. After unscrewing all of the saddles, the strings should come right out.
2. Inserting new strings
Before inserting new strings, oil the fretboard if you have any lemon oil. Don't oil a maple fretboard though.
The nut and saddles should still be unclamped. Now, remove the first string you will be putting on from the package. Snip the ball end of the string off using your string cutters. Now insert one end of the string into the corresponding saddle. Screw in the saddle until it is fully clamped on the string. Now, insert the string into the locking nut and pull through. Wrap the string around the tuning post as you normally would and tighten until it's in the area of being somewhat in tune (don't bother tuning precisely yet). Repeat this process with every string.
3. Tuning, leveling the bridge
Remember to stretch the strings!
After all the strings are on and in the range of tuning, remove the AAA battery you placed under the bridge earlier. Now tune up the strings one at a time. Because of the Zero Point system, tuning of one string won't change as drastically as it would on a normal Floyd Rose. You still will have to tune several times until the strings are balanced with one another. After you are in tune (the nut should not be clamped yet) take a look at the bridge. Is it level with the body of the guitar? If not, then take your allen key to the back of the guitar. See the little silver thing? Screw that in to increase tension on the bridge and to bring it into the body, or unscrew it to relieve tension and make the bridge come out of the body more (how convenient). You'll want the bridge to be as level as possible, so tune after each time you make the bridge level (String tension affects the bridge's leveling out).
After the bridge is level and your guitar is in tune again, screw the clamps on the nut until they are locked down. Now, adjust the tuning with the fine tuners. You will have to retune several times using the fine tuners for the strings to be balanced and in tune. If you find that the find tuners cannot screw in or unscrew any more, unclamp the nut and screw the fine tuner up or down until it has sufficient room to move. Then, retune with normal tuners, reclamp the nut, and adjust the tuning with the fine tuners.
4. Intonation
Intonating the ZR bridge is basically as any other guitar, except the intonation tool is built in to the guitar. On the opposite side of the bridge of where the tremelo arm screws in, there should be a little circular thing screwed into the bridge. This is above the sixth string, and sometimes is difficult to unscrew. If you unscrew this, you just insert it into the back of the bridge (under the fine tuners) and use this tool to adjust intonation.
5. Loose Tremelo Bar holder
After moderate to heavy use, the Tremelo bar holder will become loose. To tighten this, you have to remove the whole tremelo unit which is basically a huge pain in the ***. This is the only downfall to the ZR tremelo IMO. If the the tremelo bar holder becomes too loose, it will eventually break (unlike the Edge type tremelos, where it just stays loose.) Basically you have to tighten it or you will have to replace it after it breaks. It's probably possible to threadlock the nut that is holding the trem bar, so you don't have to ever tighten it again. This would be the way to go, just make sure that when you threadlock it you don't affect tremelo bar rotation or anything.
My first string change using this method took about 30-45 minutes, although I didn't have to tighten the Trem bar holder during this time.
If you feel I have left anything out or if you need to ask a few questions, just send me a PM and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.