Tremolos

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This section will be divided into two (2) parts: Installing a floating tremolo, and setting up and fine tuning the @#!%$ thing. Before modifying your guitar, consider this: there is no turning back. Installing a Kahler, Floyd, or one of their clones will require removing various amounts of wood from your guitar. If, during the installation, you should change your mind, you'll be left with a gaping hole in the face of your guitar where the bridge should go. If you value your guitar, this is bad.
OK. You've committed. You need one of these things. Which one? It doesn't matter. You're not going to be in tune, anyway (see the Intonation section). Pick one you think looks good.

Part 1 - Installing

Assuming you've bought a tremolo, open the box and compare the parts they gave you with the parts listed in the instructions. Don't match, do they? Welcome to the world of guitar repair. You now have two choices: return the tremolo and get another one, or make do with what you have. If you've been getting a feel for The Repair Guy Philosophy, you can guess what I'd do.

Tools needed:
• small router
• straight-cut router bit
• #2 Phillips screwdriver
• set of allen (hex) wrenches
• masking tape
• ruler
• pencil
• extension cord
• drill
• set of drill bits

(Note: a router isn't absolutely necessary. Acceptable results can be gotten with a hammer & chisel, hammer & screwdriver, hammer & icepick, or icepick & spoon. We're making a hole; not rebuilding a damaged optic nerve.)

Lay out all the tremolo parts in a straight line on the floor, making sure each is visible at all times. The importance of this last can't be stressed enough: Parts that can't be seen can't be installed!
Next, lay out all your tools in a straight line, parallel to the parts line and about 12" away. Tool visibility is also important. If you haven't already done so, remove the strings from the guitar. Remove the bridge and/or tailpiece. Remove any stickers - they look dumb. Lay the guitar face up on the kitchen table, get a fresh cup of coffee, and we're ready to begin!

Step 1 - Locating the Hole
This can be the most confusing part of the entire installation, although it needn't be with the shortcuts outlined here. I'll assume you're looking at your guitar with the neck pointing away from you. Take your ruler, measure 4 1/2" from the bottom of the guitar, and mark it (the guitar) with your pencil. Put a 6" piece of masking tape across the bottom side of the mark.
Measure 1" further in (2 1/2" for a Kahler) and mark. Put another piece of masking tape across this mark, on the far side of the mark, parallel to the first piece of tape (unless the first piece is crooked, in which case I usually just eyeball it).

Whew. Take a break. More coffee.

With the front and back edges of the hole established, we now need to find the guitar body's center of gravity. (There are several possible methods, but only one will be discussed here due to space limitations.) Put a 1/8" bit in your drill, tighten it, plug the drill into the extension cord, and plug the extension cord into a wall outlet.
This next part may cause a little nail-biting: With the guitar still lying on the table, drill halfway through what looks to be the center. Careful! Now, lift the guitar over your head, using the drill as a handle. Heavy, isn't it? Stand away from any walls and squeeze the trigger. If you guessed the right spot, the guitar should be spinning smoothly. If not, let the guitar spin down and try again. Don't be concerned about making a few holes -- they're easily hidden. (see the Defects section) Repeat until smooth overhead rotation is achieved, and then MARK THE LAST HOLE! This is the center of gravity.

Look at your two pieces of tape again (the ones on the guitar body). Hopefully, your center hole fell in between these. If not, move the tape so it does (an old Repair Guy trick).
Measure 1 7/8" to the left from your center hole & mark it. Measure 1 15/32" to the right from the same hole and mark it. There. You have all four sides of the tremolo hole established, and you're ready to rout (or chisel, or icepick) the hole out.

Step 2 - Making the Hole
Find your safety glasses. Put them on. Repair shops are full of one-eyed repairmen. Well, not full, exactly, but the number is growing. Unplug the drill from the extension cord. Lay it (the drill) safely on the floor. Plug your router in. Set the bit for a 1 1/2" deep cut. Clean all the wood out of the hole you have marked.
Note 1: If you're using a chisel, skip the parts about plugging it in and setting the depth.
Note 2: If you're using the icepick-and-spoon technique, it may be easier if you soak the guitar body in hot water overnight to soften the wood. Then shred the unwanted wood with the icepick and scoop out the pulp with your spoon.

No matter which method you use, make the hole at least 1 1/2" deep. (If your guitar body is 1 1/2" thick or less, you'll notice a hole appearing in the back. I usually make a decorative plate to cover this. Customers are often delighted with the unexpected opportunity for artistic expression the plate allows.)
If the edges of the hole look a little jagged, don't worry about it. The tremolo itself will hide most of it. Take the tremolo unit and insert it in the hole. Now tip the guitar upside-down. The tremolo should fall out (catch it). If not, enlarge the hole slightly until it does. If the tremolo is a Kahler-type, center it in the hole, drill pilot holes for the four (4) mounting screws, and screw them in. That's it! If you have a Floyd Rose-type tremolo, we still have more wood to remove.

Step 3 (Floyds only) - Spring Hole
Turn the guitar over, catch the tremolo as it falls, and find your masking tape again (the roll; not one of the pieces on the guitar). Make a rectangle 4" x 6", roughly centered. Accuracy is not critical here. This is the outline for the tremolo spring hole, and this one should be 1/2" - 3/4" deep. Remove the wood the same way you did for the other hole. Take the two big screws supplied with the tremolo and drive them into the end of the hole toward the guitar's neck.

Note: If the wood was soaked for the icepick-and-spoon technique, there's no need for pilot holes. In fact, you may be able to push them in with your thumb.

Good luck getting the drill bit in there! Sometimes an ordinary wire coat hanger can be used as an extra-long drill bit, although they tend to whip around some. I like to straighten them out first. These two screws are used to mount the "claw" that the springs will be anchored to. (Come to think of it, you could use the claw as a template for locating the screw holes. I'll have to write that one down.)

Step 4 (Floyds only) - Stud Holes
A Floyd Rose-type tremolo pivots on two "studs" which are screwed into the guitar body (or into "inserts", which are pounded into holes in the guitar body). Use the tremolo to locate the studs' position. On the front edge of the tremolo (the side that faces the pickups) are two indentations. These are where the studs contact the tremolo.
• Drop the tremolo into its hole and mark the center of these indentations.
• Remove the tremolo.
• Drill two holes on these marks (again, if the wood was soaked you won't need pilot holes) using the appropriate drill bit. If the screws (or studs) fall into the holes, you've made them too big. Plug them with dowels and try again. Conversely, if wood starts splitting when you screw in the studs or pound in the inserts, you've made them too small. (Another good argument for soaking the wood. Wet wood is much more forgiving.) Try to get this right the first time.

Step 5 - The String Clamp
Next, find the string clamp (hopefully included with your tremolo).
Kahler-types: Put the clamp behind the nut and fasten it to the headstock with the four small screws (hopefully included with your clamp). You're done.
Floyd-types: No such luck. You have to knock the existing nut out of its slot, and the easiest way I've found is to rap the headstock sharply against the back of a chair. (Once in a great while, a fracture will appear (in the guitar) - see the Defects section)

I'll assume you got the nut out, and there's still enough wood there to attach the clamp to. See the bottom of the nut slot? That surface has to be big enough for the string clamp to sit on. Remove any material that's in the way. Don't use the icepick/spoon technique here; it weakens the neck. I use a Dremel tool with the router base for this. Set the clamp on the platform you just created and screw it down.

You're done. Have another cup of coffee.

Step 6 - String it Up
Grab a new set of strings. Make sure all six are there.
Kahler-types: Hook the ball end of a string in the little cage behind the bridge bit.
Floyd-types: Find the right size allen wrench (hopefully included with your tremolo) and loosen one of the saddle blocks (the little black squares hiding in each bridge bit).
Cut the ball end off the string and insert it (the string) into the bit.
Tighten the saddle block.
Common to both types: Run the other end up through the string clamp and wind it on the corresponding peg. Only five more to go. I'll wait...

OK. Tune to approximate pitch, and get ready for the REAL headache: setting it up.

Part 2 - Setting It Up

Kahler types: Find the allen wrenches that (hopefully) came with the tremolo. The second setscrew from the armhole will adjust arm height. (Hey, you got instructions with it - read them!) Then adjust each bridge bit's height. Set the intonation (optional) last.

Floyd types: Odds are, the tremolo is either A.) pinned to the guitar body or B.) tilted up at a visually pleasing (but useless) angle. Your job: get it roughly parallel to the body. This is done by loosening or tightening the springs in the back of the guitar. Make an adjustment, tune to pitch, see how it looks, make an adjustment, tune to pitch... you get the idea. Wish you'd gotten the Kahler now, don't you? It's too late now.

Common to both: Unless I'm forgetting something (possible), you're ready to tighten the nut clamp. Well, tighten it! Stretch the strings and use the tremolo, and recheck your tuning. Pretty bad, isn't it? Don't be discouraged. This is normal. You're on the home stretch. Make a new pot of coffee.

Unclamp the strings and use your tuning pegs to retune, then clamp the strings again. Stretch, dive-bomb, etc. Check your tuning again. It should be a little better than it was last time. (If not, think about getting rid of the guitar. See the Defects section). Eventually, it WILL stay (nearly) in tune. For minor tweaking, use the fine tuners (tiny knobs) on the tremolo.