Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

[fenderiarhs]

Well from yesterday my guitar (fender US american special FR HSS) has lost the floyd and the locking nut. I decided to make the change and install a vintage tremolo, and i knew i would devalue the instrument but since it is quite difficult to find a CAR strat with a maple board over here i decided to keep it and just do the mod regardless of the cost(at the end it only cost me 50euros since the whole thing has benn carried out by a friend and i have put also some work on it).
BEFORE:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/fenderiarhs/IMG_0100.jpg
AFTER:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/fenderiarhs/IMG_0231a.jpg

The most difficult thing was creating the nut and glueing a piece of maple in the place where the locking nut used to be............we sanded then the piece of wood so that it became uniform with the rest of the headstock....It was a tough job but it came out very well as you can see from the photos....it is almost unnoticeable:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/fenderiarhs/IMG_0238.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/fenderiarhs/IMG_0238.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/fenderiarhs/IMG_0234.jpg
There are still some holes where the string retainer of the floyd used to be but when i find the time i am going to fill them....I had to use some black stringtrees which are not pleasing to the eye but i am soon going to replace them too with crome ones.....i just didn't have available at the time chrome ones....

Compared to the job for the nut, fitting the 6 screw vintage tremolo was relatively easy and that's because the guitar didn't have a floating tremolo (which would make things much more complicated.......we would have to fill the route with wood.....that would have completely ruined the looks of the guitar). We had to glue a little piece of alder (about 3mm thick) in the area between where the 2 floyd posts used to be so as to make the new tremolo flush with the body of the guitar and then we installed the tremolo

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/fenderiarhs/IMG_0232a.jpg

So tonewise i have to say there is certainly an improvement in tone (the tone has "opened" quite a bit)and a slight invrease in sustain but the change is not so drammatic as someone might think......(remember the floyd rose was an original one which is supposed to be the best solution tonewise as far as floyds go)
Overall i think the results were quite pleasing both to the eye and to the ear............

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

sorry but...man was that a waste of a cool guitar! vintage trem maple neck strats are a dime a dozen. you should have just sold it and bought one of them IMO.

as long as you're happy i guess that's all that matters!!

-Mike

 

[MikeS]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

Considering the work involved to make that happen, it looks pretty good. From the pics of the body I can't even tell there was ever a floyd there.

You do realise that the OFR fanatics are going to get after you for this? :lol: I, for one applaud you.

 

[Davey]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

shoot me in the head whathaveyoudone!!!!!!


i am looking for that exact guitar like nuts over here for the past week and you go and f00k it up >.<

i know it's not the same but the store here has a MIM CAR standard i could have gotten for you =P

well, whatever works for ya


excuse me now, i have to go cry

 

[Mllerrin]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

One down......billions more to go.

Your efforts are appreciated!


j/k

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

Ehm, hmm, well, if it makes you happy I guess it´s ok...

 

[fenderiarhs]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

One more thing to say........the mod was done not because i do not like floyd rose tremolos......for what they do there is no other tremolo (but i also like more traditional ones, like the 2 point american std one and the vintage tremolo) but because i already have one floyd rose equipped guitar (a 86 Hamer chapparal custom) which is by far superior to the fender one. It is obvious i do not need two floyd guitars.
As i have stated earlier i could have sold it, but my main problem was i could not find a strat with regular frets (not vintage ones like on the 57 reissues) with a modern 9.5 radius neck in that particular colour(C.A.R) and with a nice maple neck......at least not here in Europe. I searched for 6 months the used market(both locally and through ebay) and i didn't find any. The only strat with those caracteristics is the Eric Johnson signature(i am not sure i would have liked the neck shape.....and i would have liked to try it first) but it is by far more expensive(i would have to pay 1000euros circa plus the money from selling my ex floyd rose equipped strat) or order it from the States (and in this case i would have to pay even more for customs).

 

[Davey]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

One more thing to say........the mod was done not because i do not like floyd rose tremolos......for what they do there is no other tremolo (but i also like more traditional ones, like the 2 point american std one and the vintage tremolo) but because i already have one floyd rose equipped guitar (a 86 Hamer chapparal custom) which is by far superior to the fender one. It is obvious i do not need two floyd guitars.

heresy :yell:

As i have stated earlier i could have sold it, but my main problem was i could not find a strat with regular frets (not vintage ones like on the 57 reissues) with a modern 9.5 radius neck in that particular colour(C.A.R) and with a nice maple neck......at least not here in Europe. I searched for 6 months the used market(both locally and through ebay) and i didn't find any. The only strat with those caracteristics is the Eric Johnson signature(i am not sure i would have liked the neck shape.....and i would have liked to try it first) but it is by far more expensive(i would have to pay 1000euros circa plus the money from selling my ex floyd rose equipped strat) or order it from the States (and in this case i would have to pay even more for customs).

like i said... you could have asked me =/

and since we're both in the EU, you wouldnt have to pay taxes.. but it is an mim one .. so it might not have been what you are lookin for =/

 

[Jazz Rock]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

Really nice work!!!

As the question of the motivations has been debated already I won't add anything on this point.

The result is impressive. Is it the first axe you mod this extensively or you have quite some experience in the matter.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

I thought the world seemed a little brighter this morning...

 

[ex-250]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

i dont like floyds.....but i HATE strat trems :laugh2:

nice job though!

 

[Ironjose]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

MHO is that you shouldn´t change it and you should bought another one. that axe was cool, with a EMG if i´m not wrong?
JJ

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

One more thing to say........the mod was done not because i do not like floyd rose tremolos......for what they do there is no other tremolo (but i also like more traditional ones, like the 2 point american std one and the vintage tremolo) but because i already have one floyd rose equipped guitar (a 86 Hamer chapparal custom) which is by far superior to the fender one. It is obvious i do not need two floyd guitars.
As i have stated earlier i could have sold it, but my main problem was i could not find a strat with regular frets (not vintage ones like on the 57 reissues) with a modern 9.5 radius neck in that particular colour(C.A.R) and with a nice maple neck......at least not here in Europe. I searched for 6 months the used market(both locally and through ebay) and i didn't find any. The only strat with those caracteristics is the Eric Johnson signature(i am not sure i would have liked the neck shape.....and i would have liked to try it first) but it is by far more expensive(i would have to pay 1000euros circa plus the money from selling my ex floyd rose equipped strat) or order it from the States (and in this case i would have to pay even more for customs).

Just to clarify, I understand your reasons, and I definitely condone it and would have even done it for you if asked, because it´s your axe after all..... I just personally wouldn´t have done it to that particular guitar :beerchug:

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

First you did a GREAT job with it. Second, well...not much else to say other than wow. And your pissing all the lfoyd guys off.

 

[BigBazz]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

Ok, awesome job, it looks great, i looked better before though .

My strat looks just like yours did, but its blue with a rosewood fretboard (so ok maybe it doesnt look so alike).

Anyway i like it, but id sure like to have had that guitar before it was modded, gorgeous.

 

[dasfonzie]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

Would it be hard to do the opposite of this? Make a Standard Strat into a Floyd Rose wielding beast?

Or at least do you think it would be expensive?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

I love floyds and i love vintage strats! But i do have to say that after i modded a strat that had a Vintage trem to a Floyd there was a huge Tone difference! The Floyd changed the whole guitar... the Vintage trem did sound much better in hind sight... I'm sure your strat has a huge improvement in tone... and if you ever wanted the Floyd back on there it could be done...

I would of left that strat with the floyd myself and picked up a second one. But if you are happy, play the thing! I have lots of modded guitars that seem odd... i filled in the Floyd on my old Kramer neck...

 

[Davey]

Re: Conversion of a floyd rose strat to a vintage tremolo one(photos)

Would it be hard to do the opposite of this? Make a Standard Strat into a Floyd Rose wielding beast?

Or at least do you think it would be expensive?

only problem (to me) is that you will have a hard time installing the floyd nut.. unless you want to go with a behind the nut lock, like kahlers used to have