Help: The Floyd Rose and the MM Axis

[JMIllerBoston]

Hi all - I'm a new EBMM owner, and new to the forums, so please forgive me if this thread is beaten to death already! Fact is, I bought my 2004 Axis on Ebay knwing what a hassle Floyds can be - but I came of age in the 80's and I'm determined to own and operate a Floyd guitar! It suits my style, and the MM Axis I just bought is gorgeous. I've spent years trying to play like EVH, David Gilmour, and jeff Beck - so that's the vibe.

Here's my dilemma - my new Axis is used, but it's obvious to me noone has ever played it. EVER. However, it's also clear that someone tried to set up the trem and did a miserable job.

Here's what I'm after: I want the trem to float a little (not a lot, a whole step back pull would be sufficient). I prefer 10's for strings, and I like the bar to feel kinda spongy, not so stiff and jammed back against the body as it is now. I need some warble!

My question to you is, can this be accomplished? I'm reading mixed reviews on this topic, so I'm hoping a new thread will generate lotsa discussion.

Also, (I know this exposes me as a newbie) how the hell does the arm come out? I see a hole on the side of the arm port. looks like a set screw is supposed to be there but I don't see one. I can't pull out the arm, am I missing something MM specific here? This isn't like any Floyd I've encountered before.

Any and all setup tips are welcome - I want this guitar to be my go-to axe, and I'm confident with help I'll get there!

That's it, thanks to you all for your consideration, I'm grateful that this forum exists!

Best, Jeff in Boston

[azazael]

Lot of things you can do. The most extreme being...
Increasing the height of the bridge from the body is gonna allow you to have some play, this will increase the action but it should be possible to compensate slightly with a trust adjustment or neck shimming. If you were doing that you would be better off with a tremsetter installed also.

Take it to a tech and let them do it.
As for the whammy bar I believe it is part of the assembly and accesed underneath and is not the easiest to remove. It is not really designed to be removed as Musicman cases compensate for it.

I would however warn you that it is never going to perform like a floating recessed floyd.
You might end up damaging the finish also.

The Floyd on the Axis I believe is custom made by GOTOH for Musicman??

[sixtyfour]

I got a used Silo Spec that was setup to pull up a half-step on the G string. I liked the fell of the floating bridge a lot more than the flush setup on my Axis SS. I set up my Axis SS to pull up a tiny bit (1/4 - 1/2 step on the G string). It makes single-note and chord vibrato a lot sweeter sounding.

I'm guessing you could probably do the same with the Floyd. Try backing off the trem claw screws a little at a time...1/8 or 1/4 turn at a time. Take baby steps, tune between adjustments, lather, rinse, repeat until you get the feel you like. I would stay away from raising the bridge posts unless you absolutely want more pull-up range.

[JMIllerBoston]

Thanks for the quick replies gents - nice to know you're out there. Definitely gonna take it to my tech, but kinda want to get to know the hardware myself as well. I'll repost as I make progress...

[JMIllerBoston]

gents - I spent a couple hours massaging my new Axis, and all is right with the world.
A) Best guitar I've ever owned
B) The tremolo feels amazing, I hope it never changes!
C) Plugged into a just-purchased Peavey Valveking 112 (Yes PEAVEY!) for the last 2 hours and it's a perfect pair.
THANK YOU again for your help, I confidently tweaked her into full orgasmatron mode and I predict a blissful future together.
RAWK!