Fender 6 Screw Tremolo Divebomber Setup:

If you look closely at this USA Stratocaster, you will see that someone used the position of the low 'E' tuner to establish the position of the nut slot. This pushed all the strings down towards the treble side.

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In this case, at the very least, the low 'E' tuner hole needs to be plugged and redrilled, moving the tuner upward to reestablish the nut slot closer to the bass edge of the fretboard.
 
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Robert Herndon said:
I've heard guys with Bigsby Vibratos using a device called The String Butler, that improves string pull through the nut, but I have never used one.

Was your question about a 3+3 with a vibrato???
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Yes, or even a 4+2 like the EB Music Man. Although I guess that particular design would allow for slightly better string nut-to-tuner angles? And a 3+3 with a very range-limited vibrato like a a bigsby or a vibrola would not be as greatly affected?
 
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Robert Herndon said:
If you look closely at this USA Stratocaster, you will see that someone used the position of the low 'E' tuner to establish the position of the nut slot. This pushed all the strings down towards the treble side.

View attachment 71022

In this case, at the very least, the low 'E' tuner hole needs to be plugged and redrilled, moving the tuner upward to reestablish the nut slot closer to the bass edge of the fretboard.
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So if I understand it correctly, nased on that E string slot, this one was cut using the equal string to string distance, hence the displacement towards the e string side yes?
 
Robert Herndon said:
Exactly correct!!!!
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Incredible (and sad) that such reputable brands would just "overlook" (polite for "willfully ignore") such basic elements of quality assurance... :unsure: I guess they just operate (as big corporations tend to do) under the "90% of our market won't even know what this is about, let alone care enough to make an issue of it" principle. Plus, it helps keep costs in check and the bottomline where it should be, right?? :facepalm:
 
SIx String Chef said:
Incredible (and sad) that such reputable brands would just "overlook" (polite for "willfully ignore") such basic elements of quality assurance... :unsure: I guess they just operate (as big corporations tend to do) under the "90% of our market won't even know what this is about, let alone care enough to make an issue of it" principle. Plus, it helps keep costs in check and the bottomline where it should be, right?? :facepalm:
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The makers use pre-slotted nuts to save time.

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These nuts have a mathematically calculated string spacing. This only works if the tuners are in precisely the correct position, which they never are.

I have two Warmoth Stratocaster necks and the tuners are in completely different positions.

The spacing between the tuners is accurate, but the entire group of holes are closer to the edge of the headstock near the high 'e' and farther from the headstock edge near the low 'E.'
 
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Robert Herndon said:
The makers use pre-slotted nuts to save time.

View attachment 71024

These nuts have a mathematically calculated string spacing. This only works if the tuners are in precisely the correct position, which they never are.

View attachment 71024

I have two Warmoth Stratocaster necks andvthe tuners are in completely different positions.
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But working from the same principle wouldn't it be expected that they would have a predetermined position for drilling the tuner holes?
 
SIx String Chef said:
But working from the same principle wouldn't it be expected that they would have a predetermined position for drilling the tuner holes?
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I spoke to Warmoth about this. They do drill the tuner holes CNC, but they told me that there are common errors in how the tech positions the neck in the machine that can affect tuner hole placement.
 
SIx String Chef said:
But working from the same principle wouldn't it be expected that they would have a predetermined position for drilling the tuner holes?
Click to expand...

Robert Herndon said:
I spoke to Warmoth about this. They do drill the tuner holes CNC, but they told me that there are common errors in how the tech positions the neck in the machine that can affect tuner hole placement.
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I think there's a few cumulative inaccuracies that could add up...
  • how accurately the hole is made in the wood (the nominal accuracy of the CNC and errors introduced by the operator or other factors...)
  • how accurately the tuner has been made (same...)
  • how accurately the tuner fits into the hole made in the neck and how well it's installed
  • string gauge will have some effect as well, as larger strings will have the centerline further away from the tuning peg...
 
SIx String Chef said:
But working from the same principle wouldn't it be expected that they would have a predetermined position for drilling the tuner holes?
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Here's a response from a forum with a photo attached of a tuner placement anomaly with a Musikraft neck.

"I purchased a Stew Mac tuner drill jig and I'm ready to start drilling holes - except I want to make sure that I'm not going to drill them in the wrong spot. I purchased a neck from Musikraft and when I installed the strings, they were not aligned with the nut slots. Every fender neck I've ever owned had perfectly aligned strings from the tuner post to the nut slot. Is there a rule of thumb for measuring where to drill the holes? See the picture - I don't want this to happen with my neck..."

Screenshot_20210720-113625_Chrome.jpg
 
Facebook blocked my video saying the "comment goes against community guidelines..."

When appealed, they said the video and its comments are "misleading" because a stock Fender Tremolo cannot be made to stay in tune....yet they don't block Carl Verheyen's video yet Carl barely uses his tremolo for vibrato, whereas I'm doing 11 semitone divebombing.

Wonder who complained???

Floyd Rose Inc.???

LOL

Screenshot_20210721-100905_Facebook.jpgScreenshot_20210721-100934_Facebook.jpg
 
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Robert Herndon said:
When appealed, they said the video and its comments are "misleading" because a stock Fender Tremolo cannot be made to stay in tune....
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Seriously? They said that?

Well, that’s dumber than a box of feral pet rocks!

With just a little work, I was able to get my stock, two-point trem to stay in tune on my Strat. And, that was before you posted any videos or posts about it.

Maybe, I should post a video and see if I get blocked!
 
smitty_p said:
Seriously? They said that?

Well, that’s dumber than a box of feral pet rocks!

With just a little work, I was able to get my stock, two-point trem to stay in tune on my Strat. And, that was before you posted any videos or posts about it.

Maybe, I should post a video and see if I get blocked!
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I'm sure somebody complained. Only a guitarist would write such a response. Actually quite predictable, seeing how there seems to be a trend towards keeping things quiet...
 
smitty_p said:
Seriously? They said that?

Well, that’s dumber than a box of feral pet rocks!

With just a little work, I was able to get my stock, two-point trem to stay in tune on my Strat. And, that was before you posted any videos or posts about it.

Maybe, I should post a video and see if I get blocked!
Click to expand...

It's 100% about nut slot profile and tuning key alignment. Some guitars are "more right" than others. Locking tuners are totally unnecessary.
 
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