Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

[dave4378]

Ok got a Jackson KVX10 which i recently had professionally repainted for a very good price. Now on the Jackson site in the specs for my guitar it says it comes with a "low profile" licenced Floyd Rose. The guy who painted my guitar for me said, "nah that's not a low profile Floyd" This added to my confusion as there are 1001 Floyd Rose bridges out there by a multitude of munufacturers.
Anyhow i wanted to swap the bridge for a black one as i don't like chrome. The proper Floyd Rose by Schaller is too expensive. The Gotoh licenced Floyd is the more affordable option & is obviously 100 times better than the one that came on my guitar. My question is will the Gotoh fit on my guitar without having to make modifications to my guitar.
As far as i can tell there doesn't seem to be a Gotoh Floyd Rose Pro model (low profile), which is a bit of a concern, since that's the model i believe my bridge to be based on.
Can anyone clear up the confusion for me & tell me which would be the best affordable bridge & one that will fit my model guitar perfectly without having to make any modifications. I think $80 is too much to pay for one of those Chinese made licenced Floyds on eBay just to change the colour since i already have that in my guitar now. Who knows the ones on eBay might even be worse than the stock Jackson one i already have & i could even be paying $80 for a downgrade aswell as a colour change...a bit risky.

 

[DonP]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

What bridge do you have now?

With all of the confusion, I think you had better post a lot of detailed pictures or you might get suggestions for stuff that won't fit.

 

[dave4378]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

What bridge do you have now?

With all of the confusion, I think you had better post a lot of detailed pictures or you might get suggestions for stuff that won't fit.

The guitar is a Jackson KVX10 X series Japanese made. It comes with a Jackson low profile licenced Floyd Rose bridge *cough* crap *cough*
This is the best i can do for photos & details as i don't have access toa camera right now:
http://www.jacksonguitars.com/products/specSheet.php?product=2911300303

I can tell you this, where the fine tuners are on the "whale tale", it sweeps back on an angle slightly.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

Ok got a Jackson KVX10 which i recently had professionally repainted for a very good price. Now on the Jackson site in the specs for my guitar it says it comes with a "low profile" licenced Floyd Rose. The guy who painted my guitar for me said, "nah that's not a low profile Floyd" This added to my confusion as there are 1001 Floyd Rose bridges out there by a multitude of munufacturers.

Some "pros" should learn to shut up when they have no Idea what they´re talking about because it almost universally causes more damage than it helps. Your painter is a prime example of this in this case.

The Takeuchi made JT-580LP mounted on a KVX-10 from the factory IS a Low profile Floyd Rose in every possible way. What separates a Lo Pro from a standard one is that the lo pro units have smaller locking bolts "on top" of the saddles as opposed to the locking bolts extending though behind the whale tail and under the fine tuners. This makes it possible to "lower the profile" by bringing the fine tuners down and back, so that players with a large picing arc or that flail more wildly don´t hit the fine tuners knocking teh ewhole shabang out of tune. Like all Takeuchi Lo pro trems (there is essentially only one actual model with 12 million different names stamped on the bass wing), it´s based on the Gotoh made Lo-Pro Edge found on most higher grade Ibanez instruments of the late 80s and throughout the 90s.

Also, there are really only a few companies that make licensed floyd copies, Schaller out of Germany makes the OFR, Schaller FR aka Fr II, FR III and the Floyd Rose Pro. Gotoh over in Japan makes the Gotoh FR aswell as the Ibanez Edge bridges, Takeuchi who are also based in Japan make the Ibanez TRS bridges, Jackson JT-580 series, Washburn S-600 and anything that looks nearly identical to them, and Ping in Korea makes the Ping OFR which is licensed out for OEMs but generally not available separately. And there is another company in korea that makes the budget versiuon of the Schaller FR II, btu I can´t remember the name...

None of these companies are chinese. There is a chinese company that makes "Floyds" of the lowest possible grade, almost all of these are single locking models. NONE of them are licensed by Floyd Rose, but instead they bear the line "Rhythm in Jump. Dancing Close to You".

While many have accused Floyd Rose of "selling out" and allowing Floyds to be produced in China for OEMS, I have yet to see actual proof of this accusation being true from anybody. Some have stated saddle design as a marking factor for example, but I´ve seen NIB Floyds "Made in Germany" with exactly the same saddles that some purport to be chinese... And interestingly enough, nobody has detailed the differences between a korean "Original Floyd Rose" made by PING who´s existence is openly acknowledged and these supposed "chinese" OFRs who´s existence I at this point do not believe in... but everybody and his brotehr opens up a thread about how crappy chinese "original" floyds are compared to originals. Interestingly enough, the chinese ones have teh exact specs the korean ones are supposed to... I smell a rat TBH

Anyhow i wanted to swap the bridge for a black one as i don't like chrome. The proper Floyd Rose by Schaller is too expensive. The Gotoh licenced Floyd is the more affordable option & is obviously 100 times better than the one that came on my guitar. My question is will the Gotoh fit on my guitar without having to make modifications to my guitar.
As far as i can tell there doesn't seem to be a Gotoh Floyd Rose Pro model (low profile), which is a bit of a concern, since that's the model i believe my bridge to be based on.

Both Gotoh and OFR bridges as well as Ibanez Edge bridges are drop in replacements. The Floyd Rose PRO (Floyd´s Lo Pro) on the other hand will IIRC actually require a bit of routing to fit properly... And AFAIK it is correct that Gotoh only makes lo pro trems for Ibanez and does not market any under their own name.

 

[dave4378]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

Some "pros" should learn to shut up when they have no Idea what they´re talking about.

The Takeuchi made JT-580LP mounted on a KVX-10 from the factory IS a Low profile Floyd Rose in every possible way. What separates a Lo Pro from a standard one is that teh lo pro uints have smaller locking bolts "on top" of the saddles as opposed to the locking bolts extending though behind the whale tail and under the fine tuners.


Also, there are really only a few companies that make licensed floyd copies, Schaller out of Germany makes the OFR, Schaller FR aka Fr II, FR III and the Floyd Rose Pro. Gotoh over in Japan makes the Gotoh FR aswell as the Ibanez Edge bridges, Takeuchi who are also based in Japan make the Ibanez TRS bridges, Jackson JT-580 series, Washburn S-600 and anything that looks nearly identical to them, and Ping in Korea makes the Ping OFR which is licensed out for OEMs but generally not available separately. And there is another company in korea that makes the budget versiuon of the Schaller FR II, btu I can´t remember the name...

None of these companies are chinese. There is a chinese company that makes "Floyds" of the lowest possible grade, almost all of these are single locking models.



Both Gotoh and OFR bridges as well as Ibanez Edge bridges are drop in replacements. The Floyd Rose PRO (Floyd´s Lo Pro) on the other hand will IIRC actually require a bit of rounting to fit properly-

So the Gotoh will fit perfectly on my KVX10? See one of my guitars has a Floyd Rose special which looks more like the Gotoh whereas the Jackson's lo pro has a slightly different shape...the main plate that sits in the body is slightly angled as it goes out towards the whale tale. Also the main plate on the low pro looks wider, so that means the recess in the body would be wider. Meaning there'd be a pretty visible gap on each side, that's if it actually fits correctly Not only that but out of curiousity & just for the hell of it i tried screwing the trem bar from the Special onto the Low Pro & it didn't fit, it wouldn't screw all the way down. I just don't wanna make a costly mistake here.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

Exactly, there will be a visible gap, particularly on the bass side. That´s all.

I´ve replaced dozen of JT-580s and 580LPs with OFRs or Gotohs and have not once run into issues

I do recommend using the Gotoh /OFR posts if possible, though. They´re a bit beefier than the Takeuchi ones (which will still work fine), and as a result the knife edges are under a bit less stress. Will still last for years with either set, though.

And the Trem bar of a wholly different trem not fitting into the hole properly is to be expected. You could just as well use a strat bar for that experiment, it will tell you the same amount of nothing

 

[dave4378]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

And the Trem bar of a wholly different trem not fitting into the hole properly is to be expected. You could just as well use a strat bar for that experiment, it will tell you the same amount of nothing

LOL

Thanks for all that though.

 

[Diocletian]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

I'd suggest joining the Jackson Charvel Forum. Those guys - like Zerberus, and Dr Newc, know their stuff.

BTW, if you're not overly fussed about buying something with a fancy name on it - you can buy unbranded versions of the JT580 LP on ebay for hardly anything. Yes, black ones too! I swapped the one in my KE3 for one and it's been great.

 

[beandip]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

TIM ZERBE TO THE RESCUE!!!

I love this forum because of this sort of thing. We all have our specialties. I do acoustics, we've got 4-5 guys for strats and teles, Christian is LPs, and Zerbe knows everything there is to know about Jacksons and FRs.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

...blah blah blah, lots of info about Floyds...

Sweet Jeebus, man.... If I'm ever playing Trivial Pursuit, and something about locking tremelos comes up, expect your cell phone to start buzzing

 

[jhale667]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

:lol: Wow, and I though I knew a lot about Floyds... Excellent post, Zerb!

Speaking of the JCF (longtime member, infrequent poster there), is Dr Newc the same "Newc" that posts there?

 

[dave4378]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

I'd suggest joining the Jackson Charvel Forum. Those guys - like Zerberus, and Dr Newc, know their stuff.

BTW, if you're not overly fussed about buying something with a fancy name on it - you can buy unbranded versions of the JT580 LP on ebay for hardly anything. Yes, black ones too! I swapped the one in my KE3 for one and it's been great.

I'm not that fussed, but since i am spending money i should really uprade instead of just buying the same thing in a different colour.
My main concern with that though is that there are a lot of them on eBay (some being sold from Hong Kong) & i don't know which ones would be good & which ones to avoid since there's so many unbranded ones from so many different sellers. I'm sure some would be better than others & quality may vary. The stock one in my guitar though isn't the best, after some heavy whammy bar action, i tested the pitch & it was pretty out of tune. So anything of a lesser quality than my stock one already in my guitar is gonna be a waste of money & is really gonna suck.
Also will these non branded Lo Pro ones fit in the recess more like the stock Jackson LP, because like Zerberus said, there'll be a slight visable gap on each side with the OFR & the Gotoh?

 

[jhale667]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

...Just put a (German) OFR in and be done with it. Accept no substitutes. Y'know, unless it turns out the Ping ones really are cool or something...

Actually, the only complaint I've heard about the Pings is the blocks are even crappier than the standard German one, material-wise (?).
And wasn't there a thread here awhile back comparing the two?

 

[jhale667]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

Hmmm...just did a quickie search and apparently the Ping blocks are supposed to be better?

http://www.axcessories.com/proddetail.asp?prod=axfrpingblk&cat=132

 

[dave4378]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

...Just put a (German) OFR in and be done with it. Accept no substitutes. Y'know, unless it turns out the Ping ones really are cool or something...

Actually, the only complaint I've heard about the Pings is the blocks are even crappier than the standard German one, material-wise (?).
And wasn't there a thread here awhile back comparing the two?

Yeah problem is, the OFR German made by Schaller are almost $300 AUD where as i can get the Gotoh for $175 AUD from Australian Luthier Supplies & it's almost as good if not as good as the OFR.

 

[Thurisaz]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

Never ever deny the power of German heavy metals.

We gotta keep em employed... you want another reich to form?!

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

Yeah problem is, the OFR German made by Schaller are almost $300 AUD where as i can get the Gotoh for $175 AUD from Australian Luthier Supplies & it's almost as good if not as good as the OFR.

Actually I PREFER the Gotoh Floyd to the OFR.
I know that some long-time OFR users would feel that a substitute would be just that but I on the other hand that came in this totally unbiased found the Gotoh to look and feel quite a bit better than actual OFRs (no they weren't the Ping but I don't know if they were the reputed non-German OFRs that come OEM in some guitars).

I don't think there's any difference in stability in either but for a better feel and IMO look I really could find no reason NOT to prefer the Gotoh over the original.

In fact if I ever build that guitar I have in my head I'll probably use a Gotoh again.

(P.S. if you were to search the net a little you'd find boutique manufacturer John Suhr to agree as well )

 

[jhale667]

I just can't go there...lol

I just can't go there...lol

Actually I PREFER the Gotoh Floyd to the OFR.

I hear a few people say that, but I can't get past the fact it pretty much looks like a cheap imitation (to me - no offense to those that dig them).
Haven't found their feel preferable of the few I've tried either, but I also haven't spent a lot of time with many new OFRs aside from the German one I got last fall - appears fine, but procrastinating about finishing the rebuild it's going on, so haven't used it yet. Sure is pretty, though...hahaha. That, and I've already Big-Blocked it, as well as slapped on stainless hardware and Graph Tech saddles - so unless the baseplates themselves suck, I'm probably OK. :eyecrazy: :lol:

I have a couple of spare OFRs lying around, I like them so much.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

I on the other hand can't talk about older OFRs since all I've tried were OEM on contemporary guitars found in guitar shops. Truth is I didn't find anything really wrong with them but they didn't feel as smooth as the Gotoh and not as comfortable either (the Gotoh is a little more low profile compared to an OFR which I like better) plus aesthetically I find the Gotoh sleeker-looking (because of the arched saddles )

Now, about the one you got, yeah, don't think they have much of a problem with their baseplate so I'm guessing what you have is not that close to actual out-of-the-factory OFRs :9:

 

[jhale667]

Re: Swapping the bridge on a Jackson KVX10

Yeah, the baseplate is the only thing that's original on that Floyd now...:lol: I've also just recently rebuilt another one from a German baseplate I found cheap on Ebay..


I'd try a PING, but they're only like, $10 cheaper than an OFR runs on average...why bother....