Quick question about measuring posts for tremolo replacement.

[oilpit]

Hey all, hope your April is going well so far! I was hoping to get some advice on getting a new tremolo for a mystery Strat body of mine.

A few years ago I got what I assume is a Warmoth Strat from my local guitar shop. The guitar looks and sounds fantastic, it plays almost perfectly too, unfortunately whoever put this thing together really cheaped out on the bridge.

It came with a non-recessed licensed Floyd Rose, which I very stupidly either misplaced or threw away. I was under the impression that all Floyd style bridges would use the same post/string spacing

So I've measured the spacing of the posts with a cheap measuring tape that I had at my desk and I'm fairly sure that it's the standard 74mm, but if I get another Floyd I'm gonna want to get an OFR, and I don't know if I'm willing to drop that much money on something if I'm not 100% sure that it will fit my guitar. I would get a cheap one to test it out, but a ****ty Floyd is what got me here in the first place.

Any tips? If I get myself a set of calipers and it really turns out to match the spacing of any given aftermarket tremolo then I'm good to go? Any pitfalls I might run into? My confidence regarding knowledge of tremolos has really been called into question recently and I don't want to make another mistake!

Thanks in advance for any tips!

[dave74]

Also I've seen posts that are shaped or sized slightly different to where the trem's knife-edges didn't sit in the groove correctly.
Just one more thing to check before ordering. You might be better to replace the whole system. Of course the post's threads have to match those of the grub screws too.

[oilpit]

You might be better to replace the whole system. Of course the post's threads have to match those of the grub screws too.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply!

Just to clarify is the grub screw the thing that is drilled into the body that the posts are then screwed into?

I know that I would almost definitely be worth it to just replace the entire system. It does seem daunting to me, but I'm fairly confident that I could pull it off, and if worst comes to worst, I'm way more comfortable dremmeling an existing hole than I am drilling a new one.

That way I would at least know that it would work, barring any massive user error on my part.

[ICTGoober]

Do you have access to precision measuring devices called calipers like this?

Best-Digital-Calipers-8-610x610.jpg (610×610) (wonderfulengineering.com)

If not, you can usually buy one as cheaply as $20, even made of plastic not stainless.

Measure across the outside of the 2 posts (or holes, if you like), write it down. Then measure across the inside of the posts (or holes). Write it down.

Add the 2 numbers together, and then divide them by half (or multiply by .5).
Now you have the dimensions of the post spacing.

[nexion218]

^^and then check th FR website, they have very previse technical drawings of the units with exact dimensions

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1711/6239/files/OFR_Dimensions.pdf?10199693857680416961

[dave74]

Just to clarify is the grub screw the thing that is drilled into the body that the posts are then screwed into?

Yes, and on some guitars they can be the unknown reason why the system doesn't hold tune to an acceptable degree.
Over time heavy and/or violent bar usage can wallow the hole that the grub was tapped into.
It's more likely to happen in softer woods like basswood, but a bigger culprit IMO is very-high tension string sets, especially on 7 and 8-strings that are strung tight.

I'm just speculating on the ERG stuff because I've never owned or even worked on them, but unless their grubs are larger in diameter it would stand to reason due to so much more cumulative tension. 11-48 at E on a 6 string isn't what I would consider very-high tension, I'm talking more like a 12-62 mammoth slinky(those two words sure do contradict each other) for Eb or D.

There's plenty of wanked-often guitars that never get grub-wiggle, so I think it's just a combination of factors, most of which is probably the initial setting of them.

[oilpit]

Do you have access to precision measuring devices called calipers like this?

Best-Digital-Calipers-8-610x610.jpg (610×610) (wonderfulengineering.com)

If not, you can usually buy one as cheaply as $20, even made of plastic not stainless.

Measure across the outside of the 2 posts (or holes, if you like), write it down. Then measure across the inside of the posts (or holes). Write it down.

Add the 2 numbers together, and then divide them by half (or multiply by .5).
Now you have the dimensions of the post spacing.

**** yeah, math!

This is exactly what I was so confused about, I didn't know to take measurement from the inside or outside. I will happily drop some money on a set of calipers if it means I can guarantee a proper Floyd will be worth my investment.

And on the off chance something goes wrong I'll just bite the bullet and try to replace the entire thing.

Thanks so much everyone!