OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

[IanBallard]

I'm gonna Floyd out my guitar. I've been deluding myself by saying/thinking a vintage type bridge and well-oiled nut + locking tuners keeps my guitar in tune. It just simply does not and I can't live without some wild whammy action from time to time... so, I'm going full-tilt and getting a Gotoh Floyd that I found for $130 and one of these babies. Before anybody hates on Mighty Mite necks, my current Strat neck is a Mighty Mite and, aside from VEEEERY minor fret issues, it's a nice neck for what I want to pay. The quality of maple of as good or better than "real" Fenders. I have a soft spot for Jacksons and I think this bad boy will do the trick. I'll just transfer the Sperzel lockers from my old neck on there, so string changes will be easier.

Once I get my tax return and the work is done, I'll post pics and maybe a YouTube clip of my s#$%tty playing with it. :dance:

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

Yeah.. I just got one of those cheap Jackson copy necks , but I expect to have to have it leveled crowned and polished by my tech.
It'll still be about 100, vs. 200 for a real Jackson neck. Floyd is the way to go for extensive whammy work.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

Yeah.. I just got one of those cheap Jackson copy necks , but I expect to have to have it leveled crowned and polished by my tech.
It'll still be about 100, vs. 200 for a real Jackson neck. Floyd is the way to go for extensive whammy work.

I did my own fretwork on mine. I got a crowning tool from StewMac and I just did a little creative sand-papering, polishing and my frets are awesome now... not a single issue on any fret. The only major problem I had, related to a 5-ply pickguard that was too friggen thick and I distorted the hang-over 22nd fret which caused all kinds of problems. I got a thinner, 3-ply pickguard and the problem went away.

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

Did they provide measurements so you can figure out if their back-mount holes for the nut match the Gotoh you want to use? Jackson top-mounts the nut. And the compound radius is 12"-16". Just sayin'. Mighty Mite's website seems to have zero specs -- just a two-year-old price sheet, a broken link to a forum, and pics of Lisa Kudrow holding guitar parts.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

Did they provide measurements so you can figure out if their back-mount holes for the nut match the Gotoh you want to use? Jackson top-mounts the nut. And the compound radius is 12"-16". Just sayin'. Mighty Mite's website seems to have zero specs -- just a two-year-old price sheet, a broken link to a forum, and pics of Lisa Kudrow holding guitar parts.

I don't have to use the nut supplied with the bridge if it won't work. You can get a nut that matches the specs on the MM neck, which I'll do if need be. I'm really stoked on this neck style and I'm not paying some crazy money for a real Jackson neck. The MM CR is 9.5-12" which works well for me, since I'm used to that on my current neck and I'm not into ultra-flat boards anyway; this is sort of Fender to Gibson. Floyds are actually not flat enough to "match" the radius of a 12-16" board, since they are 14". A 9.5"-12" radii ends up around 14" by the time the strings reach the bridge. You have to mathematically figure that the radius will continue to flatten the farther you go, with a CR board and the Gotoh is similar to the OFR radius, unless I am mistaken. If I am, please correct me.

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

When you say the OFR is 14", is that after you take out the factor saddle shim that's designed to tighten it? With it in, it's tight -- 10" or 12" I think.

But the radius of the strings doesn't really continue to flatten unless the bridge makes it go that way. The radius of the fingerboard can flatten until it's like a ruler, and the strings don't follow it unless you make them follow it. Now a 14" bridge might make sense for a neck that's 12" at the 24th fret. I think your theory here is pretty sound. But it doesn't seem to matter too much when I'm playing, if the board at the upper frets is flatter than the bridge. The fact that I don't feel like I'm pushing the strings uphill is a big help. YMMV.

By the way, I won't pay crazy money for a real Jackson neck, either. I always get them free with the guitar.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

The whole idea of a compound radius is that the strings follow a "conical path", so in theory, the strings are supposed to continue flattening in proportion with the distance x radial aspect of your neck. Now, that doesn't mean you HAVE to follow that path, but since I'm a stickler for detail and a nerd, I like to try to keep things mathematically accurate.

I've done a little research and it would seem that the standard Gotoh Floyd is indeed a fixed 14" based on the saddle design. However there are models, which I think are Ibanez, that use shims and have the same-sized saddles which, without shims, would be flat as a ruler as you said. I think the stock design is an "average" for people who use conventional radius guitars and want something close. I suppose you could swap saddles if you need something flatter or rounder. That is the ONLY real issue that's kept me from getting a Floyd thusfar, is the lack of adjust-ability at the saddle.

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

If you want to give the concept the best chance of turning out the way it was intended, that would be the way to go. I'm curious to see how it turns out. It looks like a decent neck, from the photos. What guitar are you starting with, again?

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

If you want to give the concept the best chance of turning out the way it was intended, that would be the way to go. I'm curious to see how it turns out. It looks like a decent neck, from the photos. What guitar are you starting with, again?

It's an Alder Squier Strat that I bought some time ago, that I can't stop tweaking. At this point, the only thing original, is the body and output jack... and I'll probably switch to a real-deal Switchcraft at some point. I honestly played a lot of guitars and this one stood out as the best tone-per-dollar at the music store. If the Jackson wannabe is the same quality as the Strat neck I bought, it will be good enough for me. I am actually quite impressed with the wood quality of Might Mites. The rock maple is easily the nicest grain I've seen on all but the most expensive Strats... it has some very faint "birdseye" happening, which tells you the maple is as hard as it can be, before it softens up when the birdseye gets extreme. It's interesting how maple goes from soft to hard to soft. You have to pick your timbre carefully and I think Mighty Mite does a damn fine job for what you pay for. Hopefully the neck I plan on getting is similar.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

Just bought the Gotoh Floyd!!!! But I'm gonna mod my current neck instead of buying the Jackson wannabe neck. I have a buddy with all the relevant tools who precision manufactures gun grips and also plays guitar, so he's stoked to do some ax modding for beer. Yay!!!!

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

Welcome to the dark side! Honestly, I don't really do extensive whammy stuff very often . . . but the tuning stability and lack of need to worry about going out of tune when playing my Charvel is just awesome. I think that all of the guitars I get from here on in will have floyds.

 

[formula73]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

Just bought the Gotoh Floyd!!!! But I'm gonna mod my current neck instead of buying the Jackson wannabe neck. I have a buddy with all the relevant tools who precision manufactures gun grips and also plays guitar, so he's stoked to do some ax modding for beer. Yay!!!!

Congrats, man! It sounds like you're going to have a little monster when you're done. I don't play my Floyds often, but when I do, I have a LOT of fun doing stupid whammy tricks. Have fun, man. I always thought it was nearly as enjoyable, if not more, to tinker with the guitars as it is to play!

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

I'm just hoping and praying I have a good neck angle and other factors, so setup will go well.

I am a little puzzled about cutting the shelf for the locking nut. Technically, do I have to make sure the very end of the nut is exactly the same spot as the end of my current nut? A Fender style nut is a lot thinner than a Floyd nut, so it looks like it will have to sit a bit higher so the strings "begin" at the correct spot to resonate, or intonation will be off. I seem to remember seeing Charvels and Floyd Strats that have the locking nut hanging a bit over the area where the truss rod access is.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

http://www.kramerforum.com/floydrose/

Here are schematics. The nut-shelf issue is solved. However, I'm not sure which rout config I should use for a Gotoh. They list Floyd Pro and Orignal. Would the Gotoh drop into a Strat rout, or will I need to expand it?

And... there are NO pros around these parts who could do this, aside from my friend who has the tools and precision ability. He just needs to know which schematic would fit my bridge.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

I was just gonna post that link for the templates, haha. I'm interested in how this goes for you. I'm a little gunshy after the Kahler didn't work, but I've been eyeing that gotoh since you posted it.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

I've heard that sometimes Floyds are hard to set up flat-to-body (down-only) if the neck isn't high enough out of the pocket because some are made for recessed floating mount. But because my Strat body is 1/4" thinner than a Standard Strat, the Might Mite neck sticks up a little higher than the original Squier neck did which forced me to raise the saddles on the trem higher than I normally would... this might be a good thing for a Floyd install. The Gotoh kit comes with shims for custom radiusing the saddles, so that's cool too. I'm only a little curious about the 42mm tall block as opposed to the 37mm, hoping it won't be sticking out of the back of the hole, being that I have a thinner body. We'll see. I sent that link to my friend and he said, "No problem... easy stuff". I mean, he does stuff way more complex and precision than that and uses mycarta and dymondwood, which is WAAAAY harder to work with than Alder.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

Right on, my father-in-law does solid surface countertops, he's like "this is nothing, no problem". We're gonna build some badass speaker cabs at some point too.

Let me know which template it is if you figure it out. I'm gonna do this too, I'm def gonna need the shorter block and it's gonna have to be countersunk at least a little.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

The guys at a local music store said they'd do it for around $100. Heck, I could buy a new body for that much if I screw this up.. no thanks. Besides, he sounded convinced that the Gotoh's didn't need a larger hole for the trem, so if that's the case, it just the treble-side stud that needs precision alignment because the bass-side is flat so there can be some room for error (a major plus in the Gotoh design) and the shelf cut for the nut. My buddy said he'd use a dymondwood shim which doesn't expand or distort for the nut and that's good too.

 

[eviltobz]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

I've heard that sometimes Floyds are hard to set up flat-to-body (down-only) if the neck isn't high enough out of the pocket because some are made for recessed floating mount.

yup, i had that with my 5150ish guitar and an OFR. a bit of shimming in the neck pocket is the easy solution. get the neck leaning back at a slight angle and things improve drastically.

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: OK so... I've changed my mind (Floyd content)!

I've heard that sometimes Floyds are hard to set up flat-to-body (down-only) if the neck isn't high enough out of the pocket because some are made for recessed floating mount.

My Peavey Wolfgang import is like this. The neck sits too low for the non-recessed Floyd. It's all fun and games until I try to do the wheedly stuff on the upper frets, and then it becomes pretty clear that the neck needs a shim.