It’s literally the same except easier because you don’t have to reinforce the pickup cavity or install the string retainer. It the guitar didn’t have a strat style tremolo before I guess you would need to route underneath for the spring claw cavity as well, but that is super easy and doesn’t have to be perfect.
Just a tip to anyone installing a FR or even working on one. Block the trem so it is flat and tighten the springs super tight so the string tension doesn't lift it at all. String and tune the guitar, then remove whatever you used to hold the trem level (I use a thin metal ruler) , at this point you adjust (loosten) the springs until it is back in tune and viola!!! you are laying perfectly flat and in tune!!
Really glad this got posted. I learned a couple new things while doing this. - The drill bit for the Floyd stud mounts should be 25/64". That is big enough to gently hammer the stud in whithout any extra drilling. Be warned though that you won't be able to get the stud mounts back out so be sure you're done everything else you need to do before you hammer it in. (How DID you get those stud mounts back out?) - If you screw up your initial stud mount drilling somehow, you can get plugs that fit. I got 3/8" "hardwood screwhole plug flat head" plugs from Home Depot and they fit the 25/64" inch holes perfectly, although I'd add wood glue to be sure. You could also use one to plug a stud hole if you want to protect the hole while painting. Once again it's snug so you'd need to drill a hole and put a screw in it so you can grab on something to pull it back out. - One last big one. Since I didn't want to hammer/wedge the stud mounts into the body without being able to test the accuracy of the drill holes, I wrapped the studs in masking tape (starting at the top of the thread) until I was able to fit the stud into the holes without the stud mounts in place. That way I was able to double check the accuracy of my measurements without commiting to a step I could not reverse.
Cool tip! To pull the stud mounts out, I screwed the studs in about half way, then use the claw end of a hammer to pry them out (like a nail). I just used a towel to protect the body from damage from the hammer. I do this all the time, it works great as long as you’re careful
I had a real deal German Floyd Rose installed on a Squier Strat that I really like. The install wasn't cheap and now I know why. That guy did it right. This was painful to watch.
Second time watching through this and I just realized why the recess was necessary for this one and probably why it was fiddlier than the previous one. And it's simple: this Floyd is a low-profile one. The fine tuner system is separate from the lock bolt and sits below the plate in the low-pro, whereas the original has the fine tuner act directly on the lock bolt and it all sits above the plate. Original style therefore doesn't need a recess, though it may need a shim.
Pro tip: when installing the nut, go ahead and completely string up the guitar (loosely) with the nut UNBOLTED, then LOOSEN THE NECK SCREWS and let the strings find the dead center. Drill and screw the nut when the strings are perfectly aligned.
Whenever screwing into a drilled hole, add a tiny bit of soap to the screw thread tips. Not liquid soap, bar soap. Or wax will do. Trust me, you will be suprised how much easier it is the tighten the screws
Hello Dan and all, I just got a genuine Floyd Rose Original to replace the Jackson Licensed Floyd in my JS32. Just out of curiosity, I dropped the FRO into a Strat I've been modifying. I found that the intonation screw holes line up perfectly, with a bit of play, with the 6 screw holes for the vintage style tremolo that was originally on the guitar. Measuring the scale length to the saddles on the FRO does in fact coincide with the 25 3/4 inches you mention early on in the video. This makes me happy and I look forward to adding a Floyd Rose to my Strat. Cheers to you all.
You can actually order the correct locking nut for a strat from FR thet won't overlap, they have a nut width guide on the web page that will tell you the correct nut you need based on width and string spacing i.e. R4, R2, R3, and so on. Just for future reference if anyone wants a nut that will fit correctly. Cool video though. It's also helpful to know the radius of the fingerboard as well before ordering so you can match that some are designed for 10 -16" radii.
great tutorial, followed each step on my american special using a cheap chinese floyd rose and it all works perfectly....dont know what all the negative comments were all about
Thanks to you, Crimsom, Texas Toast and the GGBO I have just built my first kit guitar. I did a RUclips search for putting a Floyd in a strat and lo and behold your video popped up! Thanks dude!
Guns and Guitars I’m sure if you grow up with it, it makes total sense. As an Australian and only ever having known metric, I’ve got NFI about what those distances actually look like!
I think the floyd i did for my mexi strat came with a template because i did use one. The only thing i didnt do was the locking nut because it wouldn't fit. Instead i used locking tuners. I know it's not the same but i worked with what i had
Really want to thank you for this video. Because of the level of detail, I am confident in installing a FR trem in my Memphis Strat. It will be here next week!
Thanks for doing this, Dan. I’ve watched your videos for years but haven’t watched this because I never had a guitar with a Floyd. Now I have an EVH Wolfgang Standard and am looking to upgrade the Floyd Special to a Gotoh 1996 or Floyd Rose 1000 trem.
Thanks for the video. You mentioned the tuning of the strings pulling the bridge forward, it's supposed to. It's about a balance between the springs and the adjustments of the tremolo. I would never deface a strat with the damn floyd. I've had several floyd guitars in my life and know it's a love - hate relationship. But, 4 thumbs up for the creativity and ingenuity you possess and it's a good job.
Im doing this on a really cheap strat and so far it's gone well. I don't get the hate, he's used the wrong nut because that's what he had to hand and wanted to show everyone how to do it. Thanks for the vid Dan, it's all worked out for me so far.
Dan, quick question. Should I be getting the saddles into the 'middle' of their intonation range on the bridge before rechecking the scale length and final tracing? Or should I be making the saddles as far back as they go? Or as far forward as the saddles go?
Excellent video my man! Will be attempting my first go at this with an Ibanez tomorrow, which will be easier to route like you said in the video. You explained every detail really well that this video helped me understand everything that needs to be done. I'm a carpenter but this looked like calculus in the beginning then 30+ mins later it seems like I've already done it before. Thanks a lot for taking the time to make this for everyone and myself to learn!
i have been watching Dan from about the start. and i do not think a lot of you understand his videos from the comments. he has been doing his videos to show the people who are not pros that you can do these thing without professional tools. he has helped a lot of people understand and fix a lot of stuff at home. yes by now he could buy a bunch of tools from stew mac but that is not what his videos is about he makes it work and for what he has he does a great job. i mean he has been in build of videos with some of the best builders and he has done really good. and to do a Floyd rose without templets or anything is really good. i know this is a old video but even though i have watched this before i still go back to his videos and watch them several times.
@@GunsandGuitars yeah afterwards I thought. that's probably the one that came with the kit. I like wider string spacing as well. The overhang may bother some people. But again, as I've said in a couple of my other comments. I really love the way you go at it. You have some excellent ideas
Yup... I just put a FR Special (R2) on a Squier JagMaster and it fit perfectly. Still, this is all good practice for working on a real (expensive) guitar.
I'm in the middle of doing this install on a beat up Stagg X400 that a friend gave me for free. Great info and this is my exact issue with the nut. The two E strings actually do hang off at the neck. Its really narrow for the nut that comes in this kit. I found the correct width nut on Amazon for $6. Great video Dan. Thanks!!!!!
It is strange. I have no desire to build my own guitars... And yet, I am here watching every video you put out. You are like the Bob Ross of guitar making.
Guns and Guitars www.amazon.com/Short-Brown-Costume-Richard-Simmons/dp/B07D9SK2RN/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1535762142&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bob+ross+wig&psc=1
Just happened across your channel when looking to see if it was possible to install a Floyd Rose floating trem system onto a Schecter C1 that has a fixed bridge. Yours is the only video I can find, but the irony is two of my greatest passions is guitars and guns. Which then begs the question, how many guitar lovers are also gun lovers?
Another trick to reinforce the wood in the post area is to flood the end grain wood with water-thin super glue. Once it hardens in the wood, it's very very solid.
Guitar Jack, explain about the superglue trick? Like Dan did in the video, you want to get rid of the paint on the front wall of the pickup cavity. This exposes the end grain. That's the most absorptive part of the wood. Once you've done that, apply as much THIN superglue as the wood will take. It will soak in, and once it hardens in the wood, the resulting wood/superglue composite is ridiculously hard. You can do the same thin in the post holes too. Put as much superglue in there as it will drink up. Let it dry, then redrill if you have to. With those two glue mods, the posts shouldn't pull out. Fwiw, they use superglue to harden things like sparked tops. That's wood that's had a fungal infection, so it's very very soft. Hope this helps. The hardest part is finding the thin superglue. Glu boost, stew mac, Bob Smith industries all offer a water thin CA.
When in doubt....superglue...lol...i use it for everything and mainly finish cause you can go from a guitar from unfilled grain to a buffed and polished one...in a couple of days.....not months.
I got a knock-off Floyd to put on my strat and had the same height issue. I had a Speed-loader handy and YES it sits flush on a strat. Good thing I have it. I just started replacing worn Floys with Guitarfetish Speed-loaders.
i have to say, this video lost all cred when he said the nut was too wide, showed where the Truss rod was sanded into, and then showed the gap between the wrong locking nut and the fretboard. Anyone who watches this video needs to know they make locking nuts from R1 to R10 and maybe more. measure and order accordingly. Not all RUclips videos are helpful. Guns and Guitars still makes good videos, this isn't one of them.
I just read the comments to see if I was the only one thinking that 😅 and trimmed with a cutter, I was crying inside. He needs a japanese saw, a little bit helter-skelter on this one.
@@gary_luthery You said it... I cried when he took the box cutter out. I know it’s a Squire, but I would use a fine tooth cabinet maker’s saw or a Japanese pull saw on that neck.
Thank you, this video was just the boost I needed to go for it! I did the metal and wood glue as suggested. Once the glue dried I added a layer of jb weld steel stik epoxy putty. Tbh I kind of wish I would’ve layered just the epoxy over top of the straps instead. I cant recommend that stuff enough, it dries and bonds extremely hard and fast and can be shaped with a Dremel “agreed, the best tool ever”..Thanks again!
Thank you for the tutorial, I recently did the slammer by hammer strat style guitar (my dad has owned it before I was living) and at some point he fixed it up for me and now it is mine. I bought a golden Floyd rose knockoff on Amazon for about 22 dollars and the neck was a bit sketchy but we got it done
Have you ever heard of a Mag Lock? Its a product from Super Vee tremlos that allows you to do pedal steel bends with a Flyod and keeps your bottom string in perfect tune as you do it. Awesome video btw 👍👍
There are several other things to cobsider to have good intonation, like adding shrims of wood under the tremolo, so the base sits perfectly flat to the body when the guitar is in tune...then you just screw the two bolts on the springs claw, until the shrims gets loose.
OH MY STARS....... Dude...... you saved me my guy.... I'm working on an alexi laiho knock off guitar and you saved me. Thank you so much my guy. I owe you an axe... I mean it. Or a gun... LOL
I have a 2 point trem that I was installing on a partscaster. When drilling for the posts, one of the walls by the control cavity blew out, so I’m trying out the metal reinforcement/wood glue after the fact to see if I can patch it enough for it to still work 🤞
I've just started a similar project! Not a Strat, but the same style bridge. As for placement, should I measure the nut to the center of the 12th, then center of the 12th to the saddles? I happened across a clearance deal on a FR special and the saddles are already all staggered as, I'm guessing, a starting point to intonating. Would I be better off centering all of them (or at least the end two) before the final measurement?
That floyd rose is a copy of the ibanez's Lo Pro Edge which is located on Steve Vai's JEM which is also used by expensive ibanez premium guitars and is known for its stability and is much nicer for the right hand because it is low profile. That overlord of music is the best low budget copy of double locking trem. The best part is that you can remove those knife edges and make your own from high quality hardened steel (even better than original floyd knifes) and insert them back in tremolo and it will work perfectly. Do not forget that Schaller doing the same thing (die-cast pot metal) body and steel knife inserts. The great advantage of this system is that the knives can be replaced when they lose their sharpness and tuning stability problem starts. My advice to you is to put some lube on knife edges and post (lip balm works great) and tremolo must sit on perfect angle (sides of knife edges must be parallel to guitar body) look at the photo i.imgur.com/D5LkxA0.jpg
I used an overlord trem on a PRS SE guitar. The knife edges are definitely a week point and I had a couple of screws strip. Low profile trems look great but be prepared to route the heck out of the body.
I do not see the reason why a company like a schaller would do the same thing if it was not worth it and if it is a garbage. The most important thing is from which material the screw-post and knife edge are made off because they are important for tuning stability. When they are made from hardened steel they will not wear out and they will remain sharp and tremolo can return to its original position when you use it. I have the original Lo Pro Edge and i also have this cheap tremolo with replaced knifes on the other guitar and it works same as the original.
Schaller is doing it to tap into the budget market for profits. Those pot metal ones are so soft that they tend to strip out the threads where you lock the strings and where you lock the saddles intonation down. Get the real, all-steel Schaller and you wont be sorry.
the FR you used i believe is the Edge model most common on Ibanez guitars. The FR design like the one you used on your previous build is closer to the original design, and that one (as well as the original design) can sit flush with the guitar body just by removing some parts of the FR: the spring plate and the spacer. All my floyd equipped guitar are dive only, and ive done this to every one of them. The baseplate will make direct contact with the body. Removing the spring plate doesn't affect tuning at all. The purpose of the spring plate is to hold up the saddles when you dive bomb, but there's enough string tension that the saddles wont totally flop when you divebomb. You dont have to remove the spring plate, it's not really that thick that if you put the trem flush with the body the majority of the baseplate will be making contact with the body because the backend of the spring plate will be countersunk inside the trem cavity hole. My method of centering the nut and trem, is by finding the center line of the fretboard, once you have that center line, i measure much like you did to position the nut. As for the trem, i run the centerline onto the body all the way to where the trem would sit, i then use the middle "slot" between the D and G string saddles as my guide to center the trem. Easy peasy. Also, i found that 25" from the back end of the nut to the front edge of the baseplate will give you the correct spot to rest the trem, because the front end of the saddle (where the string contact with the saddle ends) would then be 1/2" behind the front edge if you have the saddle at its farthest peg .
What I'm hearing here is: the less you spend on a Floyd Rose, the more trouble you're going to have installing it. Seems like it would be worth it to just spend more on an actual Floyd and not have to route so much. Js😉
This guitar will end up in a meme about hack jobs on a guitar repair page. It looks like something i would've done in middle school because i had no tools or money or experience or ear training or options or sense.
I know nothing (and I mean nada. niente. zilch.) about guitar building but I did not continue watching the video beyond around the 6 minute mark, after the butchery of the neck to install the screw nut. Hacking away at the wood with a box cutter already had me go "WTF". I would have used a fine toothed hand saw or at least a sharp chisel, but I still thought at that point "Okay, lets hang in there... tools don't matter as long as the end result is good" and was ready to let it slide. But in my view the result wasn't that good. I am pretty sure that there are better ways to get a nut installed - like getting one that actually fits. It's not like they are hella expensive and have to be forged from unobtanium by a virgin on a full moon or something. Also, the gap between the nut and the fretboard looks wide enough to walk through - which does not exactly instill confidence in the rest of the build. Not sure about it, but maybe that gap is not supposed to be there. So yeah - this did not spark joy. I think the term "hack job" is appropriate in this case, and I have not even seen a quarter of it. I am sure there are many great videos on this channel, but I am afraid this is not one of them. Sorry. But hey - if the guitar plays and handles well for this gentleman, then all the power to him.
I'm living with Floyd Rose guitars for twelve years. And what I could say, typically, this type of bridge isn't meant to be dive-only by design. It was invented to be floating two-direction bridge. Yes, this could be done for original system (just go look official website) but many copies of it could not be so forgiving. Also, good FR-like bridge doesn't mess with tuning at all. So, in my opinion, either you want two-direction action and use Floyd Rose style or one-direction and instead of double-locking system use roller saddles/nut and locking tuning machines - all for tuning stability. All other options could be pain in the ass.
There is this semi famous guitar player known as Eddie Van Halen who used flat mount Floyd Rose tremolo systems throughout his career. The bridge itself was designed as a Stratocaster replacement and thus flush mount. Obviously over time people learned that a full floating setup afforded you some pretty cool sounds and thus it became popular. It was popularized by another semi famous guitar player named Steve Vai. He was looking for something different and asked that Ibanez cut out the wood underneath on his very first Jem prototype guitar. Obviously it made it to the production models cause that is what Steve wanted. But again early on in the 80s, Floyds were strictly flush mount. That changed in the 90's and remains popular today.
Carlos Lamus thanks for the history lesson. Seriously. And I blame myself. Should’ve known that. But the point is that you can mount original Floyd Rose tremolo flat (I’ve never seen any IRL but as I said, there’s a photo on the FR website). But nowadays there’s plenty of Floyd-like bridges that aren’t designed to be flat mount. Like Ibanez systems or one in this video. And in my opinion, now there’s no other point of having original Floyd Rose system completely flat except one: no fucking balancing every time you change strings. It could be frustrating (as for me, I find it relaxing 😅), but 80’s are gone and now we have gear to improve tuning stability without any necessity to use double-locking system at all. Using FR only for this particular reason could be much more expensive and complex than rolling saddles and/or locking tuners. And, thanks to Steve Vai, now double function is a feature of Floyd Rose bridge.
@@lnlnd There's another reason why Eddie still doesn't use a floating Floyd. It simply sounds much better. With a floating one, you don't have the attack and the guitar is much louder.
Today the reason to keep a non floating, top mounted Floyd is to be able to use the drop d tuner key. My Floyd Rose systems are the old school non flush mount type that are a pain in the ass to get the neck angle right to be able to adjust the string height. I’ve yet to find a luthier who knows what the hell they are doing in trying that job. Most are too lazy and leave an unacceptable string height and give me every excuse of their incompetence. If someone knows luthiers who have the patience and understanding, please let me know.
@@edwardmonsariste4050 Yes the luthier's name is you man. The only way it will be perfect is if you do it yourself. I to prefer the top mount Floyd since the string height over the picking area ends up being the same as my Gibsons so transitions are easier. Just either make shims from Coke can boxes or buy neck shims from Stew-Mac and start doing it yourself. No one will get it right except you.
I have a Steinberger knock off kit and the part where you set up the nut was a great help as the kit isn't all that great at that end of the (headless) neck. Thanks for the dremel idea to clean that up, this will be fun.
Would still love to see you do a Flying V build Dan! I'm gonna be building one soon and I'd love to see the master do one first. Also I'd love to get your opinion on the stetsbar floating tremolo. Seems like an easier alternative to a floyd with the same results.
I've installed a few of these. I did one on my first squire-caster and again on a fretlight. And even one on a knock off Les Paul with a carved top. I had two MAJOR advantages though. First... One of my buddies actually builds custom guitars and helped me with the measuring and scale. And. Even more helpful than him was the CNC router I built before I ever had a guitar. Makes all the routes perfect every time! And yes...if you're gonna do this. You should at the very least...buy a licensed Floyd Rose but I'm here to tell you. Spend the extra $100 on an original Floyd will always give you the best results.
I have a fender player series mexican strat and I am too afraid to install the floyd rose because I have no clue how to do it on my own. The professional help is quite expensive so what do you recommend me to do follow the obvious path and pay the full price or order a floyd rose and do it myself? And is there any reliable tutorials out there?
I think a Standard fender would use an R2 Nut-42mm. Most packaged FR systems would come with an R3-43MM. That's an easy fix after the fact. The mounting holes are the same on the R2 and the R3. Great Video Dan, as they all are.
At everyone saying original comment is wrong, none of you realize there are different locking nut sizes. He could have ordered the right size, but no he wanted to be dumb about it
Could use a tiny bit of bees wax or candle wax seating those bushings. Also works for the screw-in Floyd posts (OFR.) Prevents tearing the wood and allows a snug fit.
The „Tuning things“ are all uneaven cause theyre attached to the saddles. So if you intonate your guitar the „tuning things“ will move with the saddle position.
I've been looking at mine and i feel like i could cut the bolts because the are set back for the intonation. If i wanted to reverse the procedure: just buy new bolts. Wrong?
I've done this more times than I can count I do use a router on the nut but I do wood work for a living, I also found once I get a top-mounted screw FR nut where I want it,I will pull it back off and a couple dabs of epoxy so it doesn't move I'm pretty violent on my trim
Great video Dan, really informative. Quick question have you ever considered doing anything with a Fernandes sustainer kit? It is a cool mod so would make for a good video.
Love the video Dan, you may want to look at the Harley Benton R-456FR off Thomann, 144 USD (plus 35 USD shipping), and comes with a FR Special (Korean made FR, with brass block, stays in tune great), I bought one over 6 months ago and can't stop playing it, it's become my number one. I'd love to see a video of you tricking out this metal guitar with nice pups, and whatever else you deem necessary. All I have done to mine is replaced the springs with noiseless ones off FU-Tone and switched the stock whammy bar with an Allparts brand Schaller style whammy bar and collar, and I can't get enough of this instrument. Cheers!
Don't like the non-recessed method of Floyd installation, that's crazy. I dislike recessed Floyds, and after watching this hatchet job on this Floyd cavity, my opinion only gets stronger. Installing the wrong nut? Not to mention, it sure looks like the bottom of the locking nut plate will be resting on that truss rod nut. Good luck adjusting that truss rod. I like a lot of your videos, but this one was hard to watch.
That was cool. I may have missed it if you mentioned it, but the problem I have with a Floyd Rose tremelo and locking nut is that they both have a 14 inch radius. Maybe they are also available in a 12" string radius. Most Strats have a 9-1/2" fretboard radius. The old vintage ones have a 7-1/4" radius. Just something to consider. If the string radius doesn't match on all three points, it just ain't right. It's okay, but it's not ideal.
As a well versed guitar repairer and builder I watched this video and cringed my way through it. It's called an 'instrument' for a reason, you need to be accurate in its build and set up, 'eyeballing' routs and avoiding using any form of straight edge compromises the instrument. I honestly encourage you to redo this video again and show people how to work accurately to get a good result. While this guitar will 'play' the methods you used are really poor and don't teach people how to install a FRT correctly. Please, 1) Buy the correct fitting locking nut, 2) measure everything twice 3) make a template and use it for all your points of drilling and cutting it's less clean up, more accurate and a better finish in one go.
It will ruin the value and you will live in regret man, trust me I did it to a 1968 strat and broke the neck because the old strats are not made for the tension of a Floyd and it will snap
I was only joking man I dont like the idea of a Floyd rose at all (not saying its bad, just not my type). I saw one on a beautiful Les Paul and it kinda killed me
I'm not ragging on you, because I'm no luthier, but it amazes me when people who are "guitar people", to the point of having their own channel on YT with how-to's etc for guitar, don't seem to understand or even know half of what they're talking about. Yes, there were some great tips in this: marking out, measuring, reinforcing etc. But your understanding of that bridge, how it works, or what it's parts even are, is atrocious. Especially for someone that's already done a FR style bridge retrofit before. The whole cavity routing was terrible (and I'm not talking skill and fit'n'finish - I'm talking the back end cavity "step" is awful, as you simply don't seem to understand what or how the bridge works and what space under it is needed (or why it's needed)
Actually, you are ragging on him..... I see alot of GREAT original content on your channel. Be a part of the solution and not the problem. Constructive criticism is always welcomed by all. Do a video on your own or keep scrolling dude.
The headstock angle can help with string angle past the nut, but I've owned two guitars with angled headstocks and floyd roses and both still had the retainer bar because it still need a more extreme string angle through the nut.
I’m a novice but I have decent experience with wood working and this video helped me tremendously! Mine came out sounding great but I did splurge on expensive pickups and components.
i got a silvertone stratocaster that had a floyd rose tremolo bridge but no locking nut a hack i found for carving the wood down is when you get close to put sanding paper on the bottom of the nut itself and use it to sand it down
Nice Job. I have a strat I made from a kit the plays great but with the trem system it came with its range is limited. I would love to install an FR and get the full EVH experience. Im going to look into it. Enjoyed your video.
Great video! The only bummer was I was hoping you'd totally finish the guitar with all of the wiring...etc... I learned a lot from this video just the same. :)
I took my guitar to rockin robins guitars in houston to do this and they completely ruined it. If youtube was around then i couldve done it myself. Now the woods cracked and bridge crooked. I bought a router and drill press and am going to fix it thanks to your video. Its a bc rich warlock platnium series
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video, and can you show us how to do it on other types of guitars
It’s literally the same except easier because you don’t have to reinforce the pickup cavity or install the string retainer. It the guitar didn’t have a strat style tremolo before I guess you would need to route underneath for the spring claw cavity as well, but that is super easy and doesn’t have to be perfect.
Is it possible for Les Paul Vintage Edition?
@@MrLennonson Yes it does work with a Les Paul.
There's pictures of Floyd Roses on Les Pauls when you look for them on Google or RUclips.
How do you it on a PRS SE Custom 24?
Is it possible for a warlock bronze series
Just a tip to anyone installing a FR or even working on one. Block the trem so it is flat and tighten the springs super tight so the string tension doesn't lift it at all. String and tune the guitar, then remove whatever you used to hold the trem level (I use a thin metal ruler) , at this point you adjust (loosten) the springs until it is back in tune and viola!!! you are laying perfectly flat and in tune!!
or just dont be lazy and tune them without blocking it its not hard
@@austinnicolsonmusic711 yea well I block mine now and its way cooler tuning a guitar using the spring tension of the trem lol
I put a string on my guitar to make it even.
This post is not about tuning, it is about initial set-up. Try reading the whole post word for word, not just the ones you want to see....
I like it slightly raised so then you have a floating bridge floating is good for back bends
Really glad this got posted. I learned a couple new things while doing this.
- The drill bit for the Floyd stud mounts should be 25/64". That is big enough to gently hammer the stud in whithout any extra drilling. Be warned though that you won't be able to get the stud mounts back out so be sure you're done everything else you need to do before you hammer it in. (How DID you get those stud mounts back out?)
- If you screw up your initial stud mount drilling somehow, you can get plugs that fit. I got 3/8" "hardwood screwhole plug flat head" plugs from Home Depot and they fit the 25/64" inch holes perfectly, although I'd add wood glue to be sure. You could also use one to plug a stud hole if you want to protect the hole while painting. Once again it's snug so you'd need to drill a hole and put a screw in it so you can grab on something to pull it back out.
- One last big one. Since I didn't want to hammer/wedge the stud mounts into the body without being able to test the accuracy of the drill holes, I wrapped the studs in masking tape (starting at the top of the thread) until I was able to fit the stud into the holes without the stud mounts in place. That way I was able to double check the accuracy of my measurements without commiting to a step I could not reverse.
Cool tip! To pull the stud mounts out, I screwed the studs in about half way, then use the claw end of a hammer to pry them out (like a nail). I just used a towel to protect the body from damage from the hammer. I do this all the time, it works great as long as you’re careful
I had a real deal German Floyd Rose installed on a Squier Strat that I really like. The install wasn't cheap and now I know why. That guy did it right. This was painful to watch.
Floyd Rose is not German or nazi, they are KOREAN
Prick
@@RFXCasey they did not exist when the nazis did, Floyd showed up in the early 1980s
@@RFXCasey yes..all nazis, they pay homage to nazis still!
Did you watch the other guy install it
Second time watching through this and I just realized why the recess was necessary for this one and probably why it was fiddlier than the previous one. And it's simple: this Floyd is a low-profile one. The fine tuner system is separate from the lock bolt and sits below the plate in the low-pro, whereas the original has the fine tuner act directly on the lock bolt and it all sits above the plate. Original style therefore doesn't need a recess, though it may need a shim.
Pro tip: when installing the nut, go ahead and completely string up the guitar (loosely) with the nut UNBOLTED, then LOOSEN THE NECK SCREWS and let the strings find the dead center. Drill and screw the nut when the strings are perfectly aligned.
Whenever screwing into a drilled hole, add a tiny bit of soap to the screw thread tips. Not liquid soap, bar soap. Or wax will do. Trust me, you will be suprised how much easier it is the tighten the screws
I've been working on guitars for 30 years
and I really find some of your ideas to be brilliantly intuitive. I love your philosophy
Hello Dan and all,
I just got a genuine Floyd Rose Original to replace the Jackson Licensed Floyd in my JS32. Just out of curiosity, I dropped the FRO into a Strat I've been modifying. I found that the intonation screw holes line up perfectly, with a bit of play, with the 6 screw holes for the vintage style tremolo that was originally on the guitar. Measuring the scale length to the saddles on the FRO does in fact coincide with the 25 3/4 inches you mention early on in the video. This makes me happy and I look forward to adding a Floyd Rose to my Strat.
Cheers to you all.
You can actually order the correct locking nut for a strat from FR thet won't overlap, they have a nut width guide on the web page that will tell you the correct nut you need based on width and string spacing i.e. R4, R2, R3, and so on. Just for future reference if anyone wants a nut that will fit correctly. Cool video though. It's also helpful to know the radius of the fingerboard as well before ordering so you can match that some are designed for 10 -16" radii.
great tutorial, followed each step on my american special using a cheap chinese floyd rose and it all works perfectly....dont know what all the negative comments were all about
Thanks man. I appreciate the encouragement. Some people just can’t think outside the box I guess.
Thanks to you, Crimsom, Texas Toast and the GGBO I have just built my first kit guitar. I did a RUclips search for putting a Floyd in a strat and lo and behold your video popped up! Thanks dude!
Great video. Discussions about 8ths, 16ths and 32nds of an inch is exactly why the metric system is so much simpler haha
Man you are so right! The standard system sucks. I wish America would stop being stupid and convert to metric already. I’m with you.
Guns and Guitars I’m sure if you grow up with it, it makes total sense. As an Australian and only ever having known metric, I’ve got NFI about what those distances actually look like!
Now I want to see the video of you installing the humbucker after you "reinforced" that area....
Funny this video popped up in my suggested feed. I'm contemplating putting a floyd on my prs se 24
A point of advice...use a template for floyd routes. I hate setting up templates too but it makes everything much more uniform lol
Templates are always a great idea, I work with Jim Donahue who used to work for ibanez and hoe many templates are in his shop is ridiculous
I think the floyd i did for my mexi strat came with a template because i did use one. The only thing i didnt do was the locking nut because it wouldn't fit. Instead i used locking tuners. I know it's not the same but i worked with what i had
@Tessmage Tessera - HAHAHA - You said "Stewmac" and "Reasonable Price" in the same sentence.
Thanks, bro~ Your nut installing really succeeded in preventing me from cutting my strat. Really saved a fine guitar.
Really want to thank you for this video. Because of the level of detail, I am confident in installing a FR trem in my Memphis Strat. It will be here next week!
This will be my second Floyd rose install!!! This guy is AWESOME… either a dremil or Router is a must have!!! Or a chisel
Thanks for doing this, Dan. I’ve watched your videos for years but haven’t watched this because I never had a guitar with a Floyd. Now I have an EVH Wolfgang Standard and am looking to upgrade the Floyd Special to a Gotoh 1996 or Floyd Rose 1000 trem.
Thanks for the video. You mentioned the tuning of the strings pulling the bridge forward, it's supposed to. It's about a balance between the springs and the adjustments of the tremolo. I would never deface a strat with the damn floyd. I've had several floyd guitars in my life and know it's a love - hate relationship. But, 4 thumbs up for the creativity and ingenuity you possess and it's a good job.
I've only been wondering about this very thing for over 10 years! Terrific tutorial. I'm all in. Thank you so much.
This is the best guide on Internet! Thanks a lot!
Im doing this on a really cheap strat and so far it's gone well. I don't get the hate, he's used the wrong nut because that's what he had to hand and wanted to show everyone how to do it. Thanks for the vid Dan, it's all worked out for me so far.
Dan, quick question. Should I be getting the saddles into the 'middle' of their intonation range on the bridge before rechecking the scale length and final tracing? Or should I be making the saddles as far back as they go? Or as far forward as the saddles go?
A flying V build next? Personally I really love watching these
Excellent video my man! Will be attempting my first go at this with an Ibanez tomorrow, which will be easier to route like you said in the video. You explained every detail really well that this video helped me understand everything that needs to be done. I'm a carpenter but this looked like calculus in the beginning then 30+ mins later it seems like I've already done it before. Thanks a lot for taking the time to make this for everyone and myself to learn!
i have been watching Dan from about the start. and i do not think a lot of you understand his videos from the comments. he has been doing his videos to show the people who are not pros that you can do these thing without professional tools. he has helped a lot of people understand and fix a lot of stuff at home. yes by now he could buy a bunch of tools from stew mac but that is not what his videos is about he makes it work and for what he has he does a great job. i mean he has been in build of videos with some of the best builders and he has done really good. and to do a Floyd rose without templets or anything is really good. i know this is a old video but even though i have watched this before i still go back to his videos and watch them several times.
your videos are doing the guitar world a great service
.
@@jadedsoul1 !
Thanks for your tutorial video. Is the Floyd Rose locking nut needed if you already have locking tuners installed? Thanks Andy
There should be a floyd nut available that matches the nut width on that guitar. They are made in various widths
Yeah, but this one came with the trem kit and since I got the alignment correct it plays just fine. I actually like the slight wider string spacing.
@@GunsandGuitars yeah afterwards I thought. that's probably the one that came with the kit. I like wider string spacing as well. The overhang may bother some people. But again, as I've said in a couple of my other comments. I really love the way you go at it. You have some excellent ideas
You can buy just the nut and it's an R2. Squire necks are about 1 5/8" at the nut.
Yup... I just put a FR Special (R2) on a Squier JagMaster and it fit perfectly. Still, this is all good practice for working on a real (expensive) guitar.
I'm in the middle of doing this install on a beat up Stagg X400 that a friend gave me for free. Great info and this is my exact issue with the nut. The two E strings actually do hang off at the neck. Its really narrow for the nut that comes in this kit. I found the correct width nut on Amazon for $6. Great video Dan. Thanks!!!!!
thank you SOOO much. I am actually putting a Flod Rose on a Stratocaster right now, and your video has been super helpful thank you!😃😀
It is strange. I have no desire to build my own guitars... And yet, I am here watching every video you put out. You are like the Bob Ross of guitar making.
Christopher Wheeler what do you think Dan's version of happy trees / birds is?
It would have to be a happy little neck re-enforcement screw.
you just made me laugh out loud, literally
Guns and Guitars www.amazon.com/Short-Brown-Costume-Richard-Simmons/dp/B07D9SK2RN/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1535762142&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bob+ross+wig&psc=1
I know it's not Bob Ross but close enough.
Just happened across your channel when looking to see if it was possible to install a Floyd Rose floating trem system onto a Schecter C1 that has a fixed bridge. Yours is the only video I can find, but the irony is two of my greatest passions is guitars and guns. Which then begs the question, how many guitar lovers are also gun lovers?
Another trick to reinforce the wood in the post area is to flood the end grain wood with water-thin super glue. Once it hardens in the wood, it's very very solid.
That sounds like a cool trick, I might try that next time.
Guitar Jack, explain about the superglue trick? Like Dan did in the video, you want to get rid of the paint on the front wall of the pickup cavity. This exposes the end grain. That's the most absorptive part of the wood. Once you've done that, apply as much THIN superglue as the wood will take. It will soak in, and once it hardens in the wood, the resulting wood/superglue composite is ridiculously hard. You can do the same thin in the post holes too. Put as much superglue in there as it will drink up. Let it dry, then redrill if you have to. With those two glue mods, the posts shouldn't pull out. Fwiw, they use superglue to harden things like sparked tops. That's wood that's had a fungal infection, so it's very very soft. Hope this helps. The hardest part is finding the thin superglue. Glu boost, stew mac, Bob Smith industries all offer a water thin CA.
Spalted. Hate spell check sometimes.
When in doubt....superglue...lol...i use it for everything and mainly finish cause you can go from a guitar from unfilled grain to a buffed and polished one...in a couple of days.....not months.
I got a knock-off Floyd to put on my strat and had the same height issue. I had a Speed-loader handy and YES it sits flush on a strat. Good thing I have it. I just started replacing worn Floys with Guitarfetish Speed-loaders.
i have to say, this video lost all cred when he said the nut was too wide, showed where the Truss rod was sanded into, and then showed the gap between the wrong locking nut and the fretboard. Anyone who watches this video needs to know they make locking nuts from R1 to R10 and maybe more. measure and order accordingly. Not all RUclips videos are helpful. Guns and Guitars still makes good videos, this isn't one of them.
not to mention that shelf was crudely cut and not flat
I just read the comments to see if I was the only one thinking that 😅 and trimmed with a cutter, I was crying inside. He needs a japanese saw, a little bit helter-skelter on this one.
@@gary_luthery
You said it... I cried when he took the box cutter out. I know it’s a Squire, but I would use a fine tooth cabinet maker’s saw or a Japanese pull saw on that neck.
this was a horrible build lol :D routing 3 times still doesnt bother to clamp a straight edge to route against :DD
@@kbuss10 i can't watch his builds after this one
Thank you, this video was just the boost I needed to go for it! I did the metal and wood glue as suggested. Once the glue dried I added a layer of jb weld steel stik epoxy putty. Tbh I kind of wish I would’ve layered just the epoxy over top of the straps instead. I cant recommend that stuff enough, it dries and bonds extremely hard and fast and can be shaped with a Dremel “agreed, the best tool ever”..Thanks again!
Great video as always, Dan! I'm playing around with upgrades to my old Squier Strat, so looking forward to the full affinity build.
Thank you for the tutorial, I recently did the slammer by hammer strat style guitar (my dad has owned it before I was living) and at some point he fixed it up for me and now it is mine. I bought a golden Floyd rose knockoff on Amazon for about 22 dollars and the neck was a bit sketchy but we got it done
That's good to know....I have the same guitar but black and have considered doing the same thing....
Have you ever heard of a Mag Lock? Its a product from Super Vee tremlos that allows you to do pedal steel bends with a Flyod and keeps your bottom string in perfect tune as you do it. Awesome video btw 👍👍
Great video. Answered all my questions. Cheers.
There are several other things to cobsider to have good intonation, like adding shrims of wood under the tremolo, so the base sits perfectly flat to the body when the guitar is in tune...then you just screw the two bolts on the springs claw, until the shrims gets loose.
I've been waiting for this tutorial for ages....Thanks a lot Dan!
I did it for you!
Why not simply buy the Correct Size Locking Not??
why not do it all
right?
First thing I thought when I first watched this.
is that a meme? seen it elsewhere. please help.
exactly what I was thinking...they make different size nuts exactly for that reason
@Josh S Totally agree. What's the deal with using a stanley knife to remove wood? Doesn't the guy own a chisel set? Crazy.
OH MY STARS....... Dude...... you saved me my guy.... I'm working on an alexi laiho knock off guitar and you saved me. Thank you so much my guy. I owe you an axe... I mean it. Or a gun... LOL
I have a 2 point trem that I was installing on a partscaster. When drilling for the posts, one of the walls by the control cavity blew out, so I’m trying out the metal reinforcement/wood glue after the fact to see if I can patch it enough for it to still work 🤞
I've just started a similar project! Not a Strat, but the same style bridge. As for placement, should I measure the nut to the center of the 12th, then center of the 12th to the saddles?
I happened across a clearance deal on a FR special and the saddles are already all staggered as, I'm guessing, a starting point to intonating. Would I be better off centering all of them (or at least the end two) before the final measurement?
That floyd rose is a copy of the ibanez's Lo Pro Edge which is located on Steve Vai's JEM which is also used by expensive ibanez premium guitars and is known for its stability and is much nicer for the right hand because it is low profile. That overlord of music is the best low budget copy of double locking trem. The best part is that you can remove those knife edges and make your own from high quality hardened steel (even better than original floyd knifes) and insert them back in tremolo and it will work perfectly. Do not forget that Schaller doing the same thing (die-cast pot metal) body and steel knife inserts. The great advantage of this system is that the knives can be replaced when they lose their sharpness and tuning stability problem starts. My advice to you is to put some lube on knife edges and post (lip balm works great) and tremolo must sit on perfect angle (sides of knife edges must be parallel to guitar body) look at the photo i.imgur.com/D5LkxA0.jpg
I used an overlord trem on a PRS SE guitar. The knife edges are definitely a week point and I had a couple of screws strip. Low profile trems look great but be prepared to route the heck out of the body.
Those are garbage. Stay away from cheap cast mystery metal parts. The cheapest you should go is a Floyd Rose Special.
I do not see the reason why a company like a schaller would do the same thing if it was not worth it and if it is a garbage. The most important thing is from which material the screw-post and knife edge are made off because they are important for tuning stability. When they are made from hardened steel they will not wear out and they will remain sharp and tremolo can return to its original position when you use it. I have the original Lo Pro Edge and i also have this cheap tremolo with replaced knifes on the other guitar and it works same as the original.
Schaller is doing it to tap into the budget market for profits. Those pot metal ones are so soft that they tend to strip out the threads where you lock the strings and where you lock the saddles intonation down. Get the real, all-steel Schaller and you wont be sorry.
the FR you used i believe is the Edge model most common on Ibanez guitars. The FR design like the one you used on your previous build is closer to the original design, and that one (as well as the original design) can sit flush with the guitar body just by removing some parts of the FR: the spring plate and the spacer. All my floyd equipped guitar are dive only, and ive done this to every one of them. The baseplate will make direct contact with the body. Removing the spring plate doesn't affect tuning at all. The purpose of the spring plate is to hold up the saddles when you dive bomb, but there's enough string tension that the saddles wont totally flop when you divebomb. You dont have to remove the spring plate, it's not really that thick that if you put the trem flush with the body the majority of the baseplate will be making contact with the body because the backend of the spring plate will be countersunk inside the trem cavity hole.
My method of centering the nut and trem, is by finding the center line of the fretboard, once you have that center line, i measure much like you did to position the nut.
As for the trem, i run the centerline onto the body all the way to where the trem would sit, i then use the middle "slot" between the D and G string saddles as my guide to center the trem. Easy peasy.
Also, i found that 25" from the back end of the nut to the front edge of the baseplate will give you the correct spot to rest the trem, because the front end of the saddle (where the string contact with the saddle ends) would then be 1/2" behind the front edge if you have the saddle at its farthest peg .
Had a strat with a Floyd Rose and hated it. Now have strat deluxe .Love it.
What I'm hearing here is: the less you spend on a Floyd Rose, the more trouble you're going to have installing it. Seems like it would be worth it to just spend more on an actual Floyd and not have to route so much. Js😉
I’ve done 2 …thanks!! Lol I like your humor…
How about highly recommending the right size nut
Hey dude, have you thought about a Floyd with locking tuners instead of a locking nut?
This guitar will end up in a meme about hack jobs on a guitar repair page. It looks like something i would've done in middle school because i had no tools or money or experience or ear training or options or sense.
I was going to say the same thing.
It will be Dave's WOF and children's ears will bleed in a 5 mile radius when he gets going about it.
or end up on Reverb as a vintage Fender Strat for $2500 ; )
I know nothing (and I mean nada. niente. zilch.) about guitar building but I did not continue watching the video beyond around the 6 minute mark, after the butchery of the neck to install the screw nut. Hacking away at the wood with a box cutter already had me go "WTF". I would have used a fine toothed hand saw or at least a sharp chisel, but I still thought at that point "Okay, lets hang in there... tools don't matter as long as the end result is good" and was ready to let it slide. But in my view the result wasn't that good.
I am pretty sure that there are better ways to get a nut installed - like getting one that actually fits. It's not like they are hella expensive and have to be forged from unobtanium by a virgin on a full moon or something. Also, the gap between the nut and the fretboard looks wide enough to walk through - which does not exactly instill confidence in the rest of the build. Not sure about it, but maybe that gap is not supposed to be there. So yeah - this did not spark joy.
I think the term "hack job" is appropriate in this case, and I have not even seen a quarter of it.
I am sure there are many great videos on this channel, but I am afraid this is not one of them. Sorry.
But hey - if the guitar plays and handles well for this gentleman, then all the power to him.
Yeah when I saw the nut was too wide for the neck I thought "the E strings are gonna be on the edge of the neck now"
Man that was just amazing, and I was about to exchange my strat bridge to floyd rose bridge, it helps a lot! Thanks for this video👍👍
I'm living with Floyd Rose guitars for twelve years. And what I could say, typically, this type of bridge isn't meant to be dive-only by design. It was invented to be floating two-direction bridge. Yes, this could be done for original system (just go look official website) but many copies of it could not be so forgiving. Also, good FR-like bridge doesn't mess with tuning at all. So, in my opinion, either you want two-direction action and use Floyd Rose style or one-direction and instead of double-locking system use roller saddles/nut and locking tuning machines - all for tuning stability. All other options could be pain in the ass.
There is this semi famous guitar player known as Eddie Van Halen who used flat mount Floyd Rose tremolo systems throughout his career. The bridge itself was designed as a Stratocaster replacement and thus flush mount. Obviously over time people learned that a full floating setup afforded you some pretty cool sounds and thus it became popular. It was popularized by another semi famous guitar player named Steve Vai. He was looking for something different and asked that Ibanez cut out the wood underneath on his very first Jem prototype guitar. Obviously it made it to the production models cause that is what Steve wanted. But again early on in the 80s, Floyds were strictly flush mount. That changed in the 90's and remains popular today.
Carlos Lamus thanks for the history lesson. Seriously. And I blame myself. Should’ve known that. But the point is that you can mount original Floyd Rose tremolo flat (I’ve never seen any IRL but as I said, there’s a photo on the FR website). But nowadays there’s plenty of Floyd-like bridges that aren’t designed to be flat mount. Like Ibanez systems or one in this video. And in my opinion, now there’s no other point of having original Floyd Rose system completely flat except one: no fucking balancing every time you change strings. It could be frustrating (as for me, I find it relaxing 😅), but 80’s are gone and now we have gear to improve tuning stability without any necessity to use double-locking system at all. Using FR only for this particular reason could be much more expensive and complex than rolling saddles and/or locking tuners. And, thanks to Steve Vai, now double function is a feature of Floyd Rose bridge.
@@lnlnd
There's another reason why Eddie still doesn't use a floating Floyd. It simply sounds much better.
With a floating one, you don't have the attack and the guitar is much louder.
Today the reason to keep a non floating, top mounted Floyd is to be able to use the drop d tuner key.
My Floyd Rose systems are the old school non flush mount type that are a pain in the ass to get the neck angle right to be able to adjust the string height. I’ve yet to find a luthier who knows what the hell they are doing in trying that job. Most are too lazy and leave an unacceptable string height and give me every excuse of their incompetence. If someone knows luthiers who have the patience and understanding, please let me know.
@@edwardmonsariste4050 Yes the luthier's name is you man. The only way it will be perfect is if you do it yourself. I to prefer the top mount Floyd since the string height over the picking area ends up being the same as my Gibsons so transitions are easier. Just either make shims from Coke can boxes or buy neck shims from Stew-Mac and start doing it yourself. No one will get it right except you.
Thank you, very helpful ! Doing upgrade with grandson & no instructions came with kit so you were a life saver ! :)
I usually enjoy your videos, but this is BRUTAL. STOP already. the nut is the wrong width !!! Video should be over until proper parts are available!!
Can someone explain why it’s bad he hit the truss rod, I’m just curious
I have a Steinberger knock off kit and the part where you set up the nut was a great help as the kit isn't all that great at that end of the (headless) neck. Thanks for the dremel idea to clean that up, this will be fun.
Would still love to see you do a Flying V build Dan! I'm gonna be building one soon and I'd love to see the master do one first. Also I'd love to get your opinion on the stetsbar floating tremolo. Seems like an easier alternative to a floyd with the same results.
Guns AND Guitars??? Fantastic! Count me in. And this is great - I'm about to do this on an unfinished body.
Should rename How NOT to Install Floyd Rose...
im trying to install a floyd rose on my strat, does this video shows the correct way on how to install a floyd rose?
J no not really 😬
Fly by night away from here
Okay, then what video does
🤯 terrifying!
Ah, the long-awaited Floyd video! Excellent.
Sick vid, Dan! Are there any plans to do a wiring tutorial that you did for the strat? or a diagram we could find?
Yes I plan to do some wiring hack tutorials on these mods for sure
awesome! Thanks Dan. Im an idiot with wiring and would appreciate a solid tutorial!
Yeah!
You are our prophet, Jake Guitar Guy!
Jake Guitar Guy wiring pots and pickups are all over RUclips. Where I learned on my Frankenstrat
I've installed a few of these. I did one on my first squire-caster and again on a fretlight. And even one on a knock off Les Paul with a carved top.
I had two MAJOR advantages though. First... One of my buddies actually builds custom guitars and helped me with the measuring and scale. And. Even more helpful than him was the CNC router I built before I ever had a guitar. Makes all the routes perfect every time!
And yes...if you're gonna do this. You should at the very least...buy a licensed Floyd Rose but I'm here to tell you. Spend the extra $100 on an original Floyd will always give you the best results.
I have a fender player series mexican strat and I am too afraid to install the floyd rose because I have no clue how to do it on my own. The professional help is quite expensive so what do you recommend me to do follow the obvious path and pay the full price or order a floyd rose and do it myself? And is there any reliable tutorials out there?
You should do DIY pickups!
I think a Standard fender would use an R2 Nut-42mm. Most packaged FR systems would come with an R3-43MM. That's an easy fix after the fact. The mounting holes are the same on the R2 and the R3. Great Video Dan, as they all are.
Everyone knows the pickguard holds the guitar together and gives it strength.
Great video Dan! I've done a couple of my guitars in the past, exactly as you have done. I'm sold on Floyd roses anyway!
I didn’t think I’d like them until I owned one for a while. Now I love them
The whole procedure is completely wrong!!! This guy have no clue all about this!
Joseph Tamar worked for me...
why don't you make a video of the "Correct" way so we can all benefit from your comments?
@@Echo3_ Cuz I don't have a camera!
Joseph Tamar you have a device clearly
At everyone saying original comment is wrong, none of you realize there are different locking nut sizes. He could have ordered the right size, but no he wanted to be dumb about it
Could use a tiny bit of bees wax or candle wax seating those bushings.
Also works for the screw-in Floyd posts (OFR.) Prevents tearing the wood and allows a snug fit.
Great tip! I’ll remember that next time
The „Tuning things“ are all uneaven cause theyre attached to the saddles. So if you intonate your guitar the „tuning things“ will move with the saddle position.
I've been looking at mine and i feel like i could cut the bolts because the are set back for the intonation. If i wanted to reverse the procedure: just buy new bolts. Wrong?
Interesting.... The metal reinforcement at the edges is a nice touch! 👍
I would really like to see you do a Gibson SG build.
Same
Great Video! I was looking to do the same build. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, you just inspired me to buy an Ibanez!
FINALLY!!!
I've done this more times than I can count I do use a router on the nut but I do wood work for a living, I also found once I get a top-mounted screw FR nut where I want it,I will pull it back off and a couple dabs of epoxy so it doesn't move I'm pretty violent on my trim
Great video Dan, really informative. Quick question have you ever considered doing anything with a Fernandes sustainer kit? It is a cool mod so would make for a good video.
Love the video Dan, you may want to look at the Harley Benton R-456FR off Thomann, 144 USD (plus 35 USD shipping), and comes with a FR Special (Korean made FR, with brass block, stays in tune great), I bought one over 6 months ago and can't stop playing it, it's become my number one. I'd love to see a video of you tricking out this metal guitar with nice pups, and whatever else you deem necessary. All I have done to mine is replaced the springs with noiseless ones off FU-Tone and switched the stock whammy bar with an Allparts brand Schaller style whammy bar and collar, and I can't get enough of this instrument. Cheers!
Don't like the non-recessed method of Floyd installation, that's crazy. I dislike recessed Floyds, and after watching this hatchet job on this Floyd cavity, my opinion only gets stronger. Installing the wrong nut? Not to mention, it sure looks like the bottom of the locking nut plate will be resting on that truss rod nut. Good luck adjusting that truss rod. I like a lot of your videos, but this one was hard to watch.
Omg
You mean sanding off the top of the truss-rod nut then screwing the locking not down onto it is a bad idea ?
That was cool. I may have missed it if you mentioned it, but the problem I have with a Floyd Rose tremelo and locking nut is that they both have a 14 inch radius. Maybe they are also available in a 12" string radius. Most Strats have a 9-1/2" fretboard radius. The old vintage ones have a 7-1/4" radius. Just something to consider. If the string radius doesn't match on all three points, it just ain't right. It's okay, but it's not ideal.
As a well versed guitar repairer and builder I watched this video and cringed my way through it. It's called an 'instrument' for a reason, you need to be accurate in its build and set up, 'eyeballing' routs and avoiding using any form of straight edge compromises the instrument. I honestly encourage you to redo this video again and show people how to work accurately to get a good result. While this guitar will 'play' the methods you used are really poor and don't teach people how to install a FRT correctly. Please, 1) Buy the correct fitting locking nut, 2) measure everything twice 3) make a template and use it for all your points of drilling and cutting it's less clean up, more accurate and a better finish in one go.
and wear bigger work gloves!
Amazing video man I really needed to learn how to install a floyd rose!
Cool I'm doing this to my 1967 Stratocaster
:0
No don’t do it
It will ruin the value and you will live in regret man, trust me I did it to a 1968 strat and broke the neck because the old strats are not made for the tension of a Floyd and it will snap
I was only joking man I dont like the idea of a Floyd rose at all (not saying its bad, just not my type). I saw one on a beautiful Les Paul and it kinda killed me
Haha nice joke! Got me. I was about to say “no don’t do it!!!”
That was the best 30 minutes of my life till now....... Now I have an informed decision to make
I'm not ragging on you, because I'm no luthier, but it amazes me when people who are "guitar people", to the point of having their own channel on YT with how-to's etc for guitar, don't seem to understand or even know half of what they're talking about. Yes, there were some great tips in this: marking out, measuring, reinforcing etc. But your understanding of that bridge, how it works, or what it's parts even are, is atrocious. Especially for someone that's already done a FR style bridge retrofit before. The whole cavity routing was terrible (and I'm not talking skill and fit'n'finish - I'm talking the back end cavity "step" is awful, as you simply don't seem to understand what or how the bridge works and what space under it is needed (or why it's needed)
Make a better video then.
Matt let it go, the video is great, in encourage everyone to make a video, this topic needs as much help as possible.
Actually, you are ragging on him..... I see alot of GREAT original content on your channel. Be a part of the solution and not the problem. Constructive criticism is always welcomed by all. Do a video on your own or keep scrolling dude.
The headstock angle can help with string angle past the nut, but I've owned two guitars with angled headstocks and floyd roses and both still had the retainer bar because it still need a more extreme string angle through the nut.
My husband used these plans from woodprix and he's very satisfied.
Shut the hell up
I keep seeing woodprix ads everywhere
damn man can't believe you would sully your union with god by gay marrying and being a spambot
you twerk for your husband too?
AcceleratingUniverse homophobe
some people should stick with cigar box guitar making for bar decor
Looks like a gap between nut and fingerboard. Intonation will be off.
No worries, since he apparently doesn't know about saddle adjustment anyway.
@@Hawcer71 Agreed. I appreciate the effort and generosity to share but fear this is not a good guide and I hate to see novices encouraged to try this.
You guys lay off I promise the guys building these DIY kits are not worried about “Annotation?” 😂
I’m a novice but I have decent experience with wood working and this video helped me tremendously! Mine came out sounding great but I did splurge on expensive pickups and components.
TheKiwiSage pretty sure he was joking
i got a silvertone stratocaster that had a floyd rose tremolo bridge but no locking nut
a hack i found for carving the wood down is when you get close to put sanding paper on the bottom of the nut itself and use it to sand it down
This is about as fascinating as watching “Hee-Haw” reruns. WTF ?!
I have the same one..from amazom...after i realized what it takes to install..i was proud to say what i learned..
this is a great tutorial on how to screw up a perfectly good guitar.
Trigger Warning - in the 80s people put floyds in 60s fenders :)
Floyd rose is way cooler dude!
Nice Job. I have a strat I made from a kit the plays great but with the trem system it came with its range is limited. I would love to install an FR and get the full EVH experience. Im going to look into it. Enjoyed your video.
Jesus christ is coming repent choose him today he loves you
Great video! The only bummer was I was hoping you'd totally finish the guitar with all of the wiring...etc... I learned a lot from this video just the same. :)
Should read, How to Butcher a guitar in every way possible! SMFH
I took my guitar to rockin robins guitars in houston to do this and they completely ruined it. If youtube was around then i couldve done it myself. Now the woods cracked and bridge crooked. I bought a router and drill press and am going to fix it thanks to your video. Its a bc rich warlock platnium series