Re: Floyd Rose and fretboard radius
Floyd saddles are adjustable by shimming them.
Here's the issue with Floyds:
1) Floyd bridges (at least OFRs) come radiused about 10.5". That is nominal, they aren't parts for the space shuttle and aren't machined all that tight. Expect anywhere from 9.5-11.5 actual.
2) Although you can buy shims from Allparts designed for that purpose, they are too thick to fine tune the radius (they measure about .007"). I start with those then make my own fine tune shims from folding tin foil and cutting it to that size, so I can make shims smaller than the .007" stock ones. Sounds like a small number, but I'd never for a second tolerate that big a mis-match on any other type of bridge, I wont tolerate it on a Floyd either.
3) OFR nuts are also 10.5" nominal, although you can get one that is 15" but only in wide 1&11/16". They are also not machined very well, which means that even if your guitar had that radius at the nut, odds are it still wouldn't match properly, and it is also likely that at least one or more strings leave the nut behind the front, which will cause intonation and buzzing issues. John Suhr has a few rants on that as well if you do a web search.
4) To solve that, I actually cut, grind, and radius the nut, because again, I wouldnt tolerate that crap for a second on any other kind of nut and I will not tolerate it just because it is a Floyd. It is no joke cutting and grinding hardened steel to match radius correctly. I'm one of the few techs in the country that will actually do that work, but I see so many Floyds where the radius match is so piss-poor (16" guitar, 10.5" floyd..) and either the outer strings or inner strings are way too far above the frets, there is really no other option. Not if you want a floyd equiped guitar to play correctly.
Note this applies even to guitars where the Floyd type bridge is supposedly made to match the guitar. For instance, IBanez Wizard necks have a 16.9" (430mm) radius, the Edge is supposed to match that. Well it doesn't, and it requires the same adjustments any other Floyd type does, ditto Jackson, etc.
Floyds are a pain in the ass. Once cut and radiused properly a Floyd equiped guitar can play as well as any other, but it is a serious amount of work to get it correct, taking much longer than something like a strat or LP, and very, very few people know how to do it right, though a lot will claim they do. I've seen too many craptastic floyd setups (read: the vast majority) to believe it.
