Why do some Floyd's have the long allen bolts sticking out the back of the guitar and others have a deep body recess for the allen bolts to drop down in????
Stratocaster Floyd Question:
- Thread starter Inspector #20
- Start date
ivan H
Ambassador of Tubes & Grooves
Hi Robert, do you mean a "rail tail" that can be fitted to any strat with a 6 point trem, like this
it's a"dive only" trem. Or a "Pro Series" like this
Here you can see the socket head (Allen) bolts that lock the string into the saddles are directly on the rear of the saddles. Cheers
it's a"dive only" trem. Or a "Pro Series" like this Here you can see the socket head (Allen) bolts that lock the string into the saddles are directly on the rear of the saddles. Cheers
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That's pretty much what it is. The typical Floyds that most of us think of do not have height-adjustable saddles like you have on a typical Strat bridge. The baseplate is machined with steps to match the correct radius. You can get shims to insert underneath the saddles to vary the overalll radius, though.
Anyway, since each saddle is not height-adjustable, you have to adjust the pivot posts to raise and lower the entire bridge to change the height. The recess in the body gives you the clearance for that.
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OP
Here's the big "hole" I was talking about....
And no big hole here....
And no big hole here....
OP
My first Floyd Rose was a non fine tuner with a locking nut in 1984
I see. There are different models of Floyds. Some have the string clamp screws lower than others, requiring more of a recess. Then, there is the matter of the neck angle. A flatter angle is more likely to require a recess.
OP
Thanks...the body for my new project has the deep recess...
ivan H
Ambassador of Tubes & Grooves
A quick tip if you do end up using a Floyd Rose, the stock saddle radius is 12" without the pre installed shim, 10" with. Shims with a thicknes of 0.2mm are available in 12 packs. Its advisable to shim the saddles to suit the neck radius, makes it much nicer to play. There's a chart showing the amount of shims to install for different neck radii on the FR site. Nuts are a bit of a compromise, only the R3 has a 12" radius with the rest 10". Luckily my Jackson's radius starts at 12" (R3 nut). Cheers
OP
Ok...thanks, Ivan...so on a custom Stratocaster Floyd build, I need to use either 10" or 12" fretboard radius???
OP
Ok...Internet photo...but a good example of how my pickups will be mounted (I will have a standard pickguard though) and note the flush mounted Floyd...
I know you asked Ivan, but I'll throw in my two cents, also.
The question is more a matter of the feel you want. The Floyd can be shimmed for what you want to have. But, as the typical Strat radius is 9.5" and the typical Gibson radius is 12", if you set the Floyd for 10", it'll feel more like a Strat. If you set it for 12", it'll feel more like a Gibson. Your choice.
OP
Ahhh...good point...I also favor the EB hybrid .009's which should have a nice feel.
One thing I noticed on my Destroyer many years ago (it was a 12" radius 24.7" scale) was the pole pieces (Ibanez V2's have 6 adjustable poles on each bobbin) on all three were adjusted in a gentle arc that seemed to keep each pole the same distance from the strings...I've never seen this on any other guitar ever....
Vintage 1984 Ibanez V2's shown...
ivan H
Ambassador of Tubes & Grooves
As Smitty says, the saddles can be shimmed to suit any radius at all. The reason I looked to shimming them was the Jackson's 12-16" compound radius in reality requires a radius of between 18 & 19" at the bridge. A 12" radius bridge meant the G & D strings especially were higher off the fretboard than ideal down where you want them flatter. So one 0.2mm shim under the A & B, three (0.6mm) under both E's make the radius 19". Actually, 0.5mm under the E's would be better & some people use automotive feeler guages to make the correct sized shims out of but I didn't bother. I haven't seen any stock humbuckers with adjustable poles on both coils but aftermarket I have. Vineham offer hot humbuckers with socket head (hex) poles on both coils to name one. Cheers
OP
Here's how I am requesting my Floyd be mounted....my pickups will be mounted like this as well...except on a pickguard....
OP
Yep, and I can limit that with a trem stop too....I honestly don't like those huge "holes" they route under some Floyd's...
Personally, I'd prefer a bit of a recess, even if just for the additional clearance and height adjustability. If the recess is finished to the same color and sheen as the rest of the body, it really doesn't look objectionable. It just looks like it's supposed to be that way. A lot of guitar makers just paint the recess a flat black, but it doesn't have to be that way. Others (such as the Les Paul Axcess) finish the recess just like the rest of the body.
You can see on my Jackson below that my bridge is very low. If you saw it in person you'd see that the bridge is really just a hair higher than the surface of the body. The recess allows the adjustability I need, and allows for a little pull up on the bar, if I want to do that.
But, it's your choice, of course.
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