Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a Washburn Nuno (not sure what model, but I know neck and body are from two different models). Having difficulty getting the bridge to stay level with the body (it pulls up way too high). I use:
-11 gauge ernie ball cobalts
-have 3 springs
-no shims in the nut
-ESP floyd rose bridge
- claw screws can only go a few more turns into the body
- and have tried loosening the truss at various points all the way to its loosest and the bridge still pulls up about an inch higher than the body (it is extreme).

I have had this guitar setup before by professionals and they only used 3 springs with the 11 gauge strings, I would like to keep it this way. More springs makes the strings too tense for my liking. I am not in contact with the guys that setup the guitar originally so I cannot ask questions. Any help would be appreciated, thank you!!!

You must balance the tension of the strings against the tension of the springs - there is no other way around it. So add a spring, or crank down the claw. It takes forever, I know - you must retune after every adjustment. That's the usual PITA that Floyds can be.

The truss rod does NOTHING about the whammy, OK? NOTHING. All it adjusts is the bow of the neck.

If all else fails, you can rout the cavity out a little farther so you can screw the claw down further.... But that's only if all else fails.

Keep at it. It's no fun, I know. I've been working on Floyds since they were invented and it sucks to make them work.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Yeah, there's no real magic here. The strings have to pull at the exact same tension as the springs. So if you've had it set up previously with only 3 springs, it should still work the same. I play a strat with 11's and 3 springs and have no problems. Mine's not a floyd so I don't have the added complexity there but from a string/spring balance point of view 3 springs is enough. My gut says to check how the bridge is seated on the posts, maybe its seated in such a way that its driving the bridge up as tension is introduced?