Floyd rose on Strat

[burner]

I've got a Strat with 2pt bridge and I'm wondering if a Floyd Rose will drop right in, or do they have different width posts?
(Obviously it would not be recessed without routing)

Other potential issues....

String height at the bridge....will it go lo/high enough with a Floyd?
Will the bridge be able to match the neck's 9.5" radius?

Thanks

[walterw]

is it an american standard fender? if so, then no, not even close.

this
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/walterw2/1996510100_xl.jpg
will fit right in, though. it's the "fender floyd", made just for those guitars.

[burner]

Yes American 2pt bridge.

The one you pictured doesn't have fine tuners therefore wouldn't wourk for the intended application.

[walterw]

right. they typically came with roller nuts and locking tuners, and actually worked pretty well.

an actual floyd system will require expensive, tone-altering and non-reversible surgery to install.

you might be better off just selling what you have and buying an american strat that comes stock with the floyd already installed.

[burner]

right. they typically came with roller nuts and locking tuners, and actually worked pretty well.

an actual floyd system will require expensive, tone-altering and non-reversible surgery to install.

you might be better off just selling what you have and buying an american strat that comes stock with the floyd already installed.

I don't think it would be too expensive if I do it myself. ;)
I was hoping though that the post spacing was the same.
Damn the luck....

[KHAN]

This might be worth a look.

http://www.super-vee.com/

[GtrDr]

That Super Vee system looks like the answer. It's the same price as a Floyd.

[Eagle1]

That Super Vee system looks like the answer. It's the same price as a Floyd.
:NUTS:crazy:NUTS:crazy:eek: you are Joking ? I hope .
The Super Vee is S&%$ a total compromise "and "bad design not to mention the probability of spare parts down the line (when they go bust).
If you don't want to put a Floyd on ,try a quality none locking system and a set of Sperzels as the performance can be almost as good . but If you want the ultimate locking system the Gotoh Floyd is at the moment" IT."

[burner]

This might be worth a look.

http://www.super-vee.com/

Interesting.
Thanks for posting, I'll have to investigate that.

:NUTS:crazy:NUTS:crazy:eek: you are Joking ? I hope .
The Super Vee is S&%$ a total compromise "and "bad design not to mention the probability of spare parts down the line (when they go bust).
If you don't want to put a Floyd on ,try a quality none locking system and a set of Sperzels as the performance can be almost as good . but If you want the ultimate locking system the Gotoh Floyd is at the moment" IT."
Parts availability is definitely something to consider and I think you might be right about them going bust. Time will tell....

I've never found ANY non-locking system that can compare with a Floyd Rose.
Period.

[burner]

The Super Vee looks like it has a standard trype nut just ahead of the string locking clamp.
This looks like it would cause binding...

[ButchP]

..............
If you don't want to put a Floyd on ,try a quality none locking system and a set of Sperzels as the performance can be almost as good ........"

This is what I have on one of my Strats.Works great.Drop rights in no hassle. The sperzals work great with this for me.I don't know if they still make them though.good luck.

BP

[walterw]

:NUTS:crazy:NUTS:crazy:eek: you are Joking ? I hope .
The Super Vee is S&%$ a total compromise "and "bad design not to mention the probability of spare parts down the line (when they go bust).
If you don't want to put a Floyd on ,try a quality none locking system and a set of Sperzels as the performance can be almost as good . but If you want the ultimate locking system the Gotoh Floyd is at the moment" IT."
+1 can you say "rockinger", or "wonderbar", or even "kahler"?

[walterw]

...I'm wondering if a Floyd Rose will drop right in, or do they have different width posts?


I don't think it would be too expensive if I do it myself. ;)

this is a plot for a story with an unhappy ending.:nono

[GtrDr]

The stud spacing is different. You will need to remove the studs, dowel the exising holes & drill new ones in the correct locations. Getting the trem centered on the neck & the correct scale length are real important. Cutting the lock nut plateu & getting the nut centered is the trickiest part. The depth of the plateu is critical.

[burner]

this is a plot for a story with an unhappy ending.:nono

Eh...I'm an accomplished enough mechanic to pull it off, so no worries there.
I've never put one on from scratch so I just wanted advice about any known issues so I'd save me time in solving them.

The stud spacing is different. You will need to remove the studs, dowel the exising holes & drill new ones in the correct locations. Getting the trem centered on the neck & the correct scale length are real important. Cutting the lock nut plateu & getting the nut centered is the trickiest part. The depth of the plateu is critical.
I've not geared up the project yet, but now I'm thinking about going with a Kahler for easier installation.

[walterw]

I've not geared up the project yet, but now I'm thinking about going with a Kahler for easier installation.
kahler went out of business for a reason. they didn't stay in tune as well (friction from the roller bearings causing a spongy, imprecise return to "zero") and just didn't sound as good.

if you've got "mechanic"-type skills, i'll bet you could, with a little effort (and some sperzel locking keys) learn to set up your stock am std trem strat to stay in tune just fine with heavy trem diving.

jeff beck (who rebuilds vintage hot rods as a hobby) does it all day long.

[Zero]

"rockinger"Heh. That was the first tremolo that replaced the stock 6 point on my old Strat way back in '83/'84. I was really bummed because it sucked. Although, it was minimally destructive to the guitar. The trem mounted & pivoted on a bar that used the existing 6 holes from the stock trem. The behind-the-nut lock made two small screw holes and that was it as far as modifying the guitar but - it sucked. I had a real Floyd Rose installed soon afterward. I still have the Rockinger on my spare parts guitar but the bridge fixed tight/non tremolo with 5 springs and I put a real locking nut on the guitar.

[MetalGuitard]

Whatever the MusicMan Petruccis and others have on them these days seem to get high praise for tuning stability, feel, etc on the Ernie Ball forums. I don't think they're double locking but I suspect that if Petrucci uses them live all the time they must do well or he'd go back to the Floyds/Ibanez Lo-Pro's he's used in the past.

FWIW = That super vee has an impressive list of endorsers... ie Eric Johnson which actually seems a bit suspect.

[Bill Brasky]

but If you want the ultimate locking system the Gotoh Floyd is at the moment" IT."


The ultimate Floyd is an original or Gotoh Floyd with all the saddles, string blocks, sustain block replaced with titanium parts. It'll only add about $1,300 to the cost of the Floyd.

[Eagle1]

The ultimate Floyd is an original or Gotoh Floyd with all the saddles, string blocks, sustain block replaced with titanium parts. It'll only add about $1,300 to the cost of the Floyd.
I don't actually think the titanium parts sound better ,just different.

[MetalGuitard]

The ultimate Floyd is an original or Gotoh Floyd with all the saddles, string blocks, sustain block replaced with titanium parts. It'll only add about $1,300 to the cost of the Floyd.

As intrigued by the titanium as I am, wouldn't it make more sense to just have one made entirely of titanium instead of just the saddles and block? Keeping the steel base plate seems kind of counter intuitive because all the vibration on the bridge end goes through it. I know at that point it's kind if nit-picking but all the same, you wouldn't make a guitar with a nice mahogany neck and a plywood body. I wonder why they don't make the base plates? That would seem to be easier than making saddles. And no lock nuts?

I'd love to hear/feel the difference with titanium.

[Eagle1]

As intrigued by the titanium as I am, wouldn't it make more sense to just have one made entirely of titanium instead of just the saddles and block? Keeping the steel base plate seems kind of counter intuitive because all the vibration on the bridge end goes through it. I know at that point it's kind if nit-picking but all the same, you wouldn't make a guitar with a nice mahogany neck and a plywood body. I wonder why they don't make the base plates? That would seem to be easier than making saddles. And no lock nuts?

I'd love to hear/feel the difference with titanium.
The knife edges would go blunt quick if the baseplate was made of titanium

[MetalGuitard]

The knife edges would go blunt quick if the baseplate was made of titanium

Why is that? Does titanium not do well with friction? Even if you had Titanium studs and knife edges?

[Eagle1]

Why is that? Does titanium not do well with friction? Even if you had Titanium studs and knife edges?
Hardened steel is more suited to this and can be made harder at the fulcrum than titanium.

[MetalGuitard]

That's a good reason alright. Props on the metallurgy knowledge.

[curtis]

I think you just have to think of the trem as a consumable part. you can use and abuse, but it will wear out - a nice new one will help (less rust, burred edges etc)

I personally dont think even jeff beck kept the strat trem in tune 100%, have a look on youtube, he "plays" it in tune with extra bends etc... he's a total Don, and his mechanical knowledge really comes into play.
its a several pronged attack to make a trem work:
know how it reacts to certain up or down moves, does the G & B often go flat by slightly differing amounts when dive bombed once and brought up to pitch? learn to bend or pull those two strings to try to pursuade them settle back into the right place.
know your brand of string etc, some have larger wraps around the end - gets caught more/ less easily in trem block,
yank or slightly dump the bar to 'click' the strings back into the place where they 'want' to sit with even tension either side of nut and trem,
give yourself time (less than 0.5 second or whatever) after using it to do the stuff mentioned above,
evh used to string this strat with the windings going up, not down from the hole in the tuner, reducing downward force (bad for tone) but less down force means strings slide back into desired place easier (good for tuning stability),
nut cut properly - VITAL!
learn to tune up on the sly inbetween every song - or every gap in song you can.

theres a load of other little things but you just cant expect too much. the strings are stretchy, and will mostly come back close to the desired place, but you just have to accept that its not a perfect system because strings aren't perfect springs...
I've been repairing guitars for a fair time now - perfect trems do not exist, otherwise we'd all have one, its down to the player to put in the extra work to make it the best they can. Its great to know your trem, makes things far less stressful!

i feel that locking tuners can help, but if the strings are on properly they don't make a huge difference.

cheers :)