Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

[BloodRose]

I have been thinning the herd and trying to get the keepers completely dialed in. I took my a Charvel so cal and put in Duncans and a big block and all.. Im adding a Killer guitars trem claw to that Charvel and will be putting in a SUPER big block in the other Charvel and a Dtuna..

Is there any easy/helpful way to hold things in place to replace the claw? Ive got the trem dialed in so I dont wanna have to start over..
thanks!

So, Ill have em both dialed in...

 

[PonyKiller]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

Whoa, I can't picture a way of dealing with the trem claw without messing up the floyd setup but hey, I'm no guitar tech.
When I removed the entire floyd, or replaced springs, I used to cut a small piece of wood the exact size needed to get the floyd perfectly leveled with the top when inserted behind the block. String the guitar, tune up (stretch strings if needed) and check the action. The string tension should hold the wood block in position and the whole thing should be leveled and playing well. Then I put the claw back on and screw it enough to be able to put the springs without effort, making sure the claw is parallel with the cavity walls. Then I flip the whole guitar so the spring cavity is facing the floor and then I start to tighten the claw screws half a turn one at a time to be sure the claw is going parallel with the cavity walls. I keep going for a while until the wood block falls down on it's own. That's when you know that the spring tension is (hopefully) enough to keep the floyd leveled with the strings in tune. Lock the nut, finetune and it should be ready to go.

I used to use two or three wooden tongue depressors stacked and glued together to hold the floyd in place. Those are easy to sand to the required width. I placed them on the lowest part of the block (farthest from the floyd baseplate).

Oh yea, that's for full floating floyds. I've never messed with a dive-only mounted one but should work the same.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

...
Is there any easy/helpful way to hold things in place to replace the claw? Ive got the trem dialed in so I dont wanna have to start over..
thanks!.....

Yes and no. You WILL have to rebalance the trem, there is no way around it, simply due to the fact that you´re replacing the claw itself and outside of magic there is no realistic way to remove the old claw without turning the screws that both hold it in and set the tension.

BUT, you can speed it up a little bit. Before you remove the old claw, grab a cork lined clamp with a long throat and set it so that it's holding the trem plate in it´s current position when you release spring tension. Then remove the old claw and install the new one. keep tightening until the clamp lstarts to loosen, then remove the clamp and back of the screws just a hair. You should now at least be in the ballpark of your balance point, but the fine tuning is still going to have to be done.

Alternatively, you can "reverse block" it the way Ponykiller recommended, but again, the fine tuning of the setup will still be necessary.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

Thanks! Yeah, Ive done this stuff enough to know that its not going to be a matter of putting it on and having it be spot on.. Im just hoping it'll be in the ball park so its not complete do over. I knew it wouldnt be spot on. Thanks for the input

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

..Oh yea, that's for full floating floyds. I've never messed with a dive-only mounted one but should work the same.

Dive only is actually the easiest thing in the world. Remove claw, install claw, tighten claw until trem rests on wood again, done. With a cordless screwdriver it almost takes longer to explain than to actually do.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

Well, got the claw on, wasnt so bad. had a harder time with the big block in another guitar

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

Well, got the claw on, wasnt so bad. had a harder time with the big block in another guitar

Well, considering that to install a big block you essentially have to unstring, disassemble, and reset the whole trem, which is 3 large phillips screws and 6 allen screws (and that leaves you with small parts flying around that you havve to put back on later), as opposed to turning 2 screws out and then back in, that seems kind of, well.... normal?

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

Just an update... I have a good bit of space tween the posts and the edge of the opening.. SO.... Im trying to take the edge back enough to make it flush.. One things for sure, It sustains like a mother with that huge friggen block on there... Im just terrified Im gonna mess this axe up... Plus, it would help if I had some kinda vise to hold it in place...

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

Just an update... White/purple charvel has the mid size block so I have full range and big sustain and I added the claw to that one. My black pro mod I bought the biggest block KGC sells so it would dive only and I put a Dtuna on it. the block was too big and I couldnt get the trm to lay flush. Ive been using a drill and a reaming out the hole trying to get the clearance for the trem to lay flat. Its taken alot of work and alot of teardowns and I finally have it open enough to where the trem is nearly perfectly flat and it dives only!! Sustains like a MOTHER!!

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

Just an update... White/purple charvel has the mid size block so I have full range and big sustain and I added the claw to that one. My black pro mod I bought the biggest block KGC sells so it would dive only and I put a Dtuna on it. the block was too big and I couldnt get the trm to lay flush. Ive been using a drill and a reaming out the hole trying to get the clearance for the trem to lay flat. Its taken alot of work and alot of teardowns and I finally have it open enough to where the trem is nearly perfectly flat and it dives only!! Sustains like a MOTHER!!

Wouldnt it have been easier to buy a hardtail if you want sustain?

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

^
1. a properly constructed guitar with a quality Floyd can and will sustain equally well as any hardtail, all other factors the same.
2: How does one divebomb with a hardtail?

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

^
1. a properly constructed guitar with a quality Floyd can and will sustain equally well as any hardtail, all other factors the same.
2: How does one divebomb with a hardtail?

Good Point I love my Dive Bombs lol

But I like to pull up as well thats why I float If I wanted endless sustain Id get a Sustainer PUP.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Goin home to doctor another one... Trem claw question..

For a hardtail, I have an LP.. And on this charvel, I have it to dive only so I could add a Dtuna.. So, now I have HUGE sustain, the option to dive and can drop D in a second (still with massive sustain). WIN!!