gilsolomon Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Hi guys, I've bought a schaller Floyd Rose from Stewmac. I'm having trouble regarding the middle position of it. I have a center line that is going from the nut and through the body. Will the middle line of the guitar be the middle of the two posts?? Thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redb Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 might not be. if your guitar centre line is straight with your neck line then you should be able to line up the join between the D&G saddles. but if you are not sure then take it to a good tech or luthier. the posts might be a little bit off line aswell. i put a schaller on my les paul a few years back & got it wrong because of that. but thankfully Paulie in Aeolian was able to sort it for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Redb is correct.Use the center of the saddles as your centerline...NOT the posts 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 I'm not sure which version StewMac sells but you can get the specs on the Schaller site. according to this PDF: http://schaller-electronic.com/download/CY5c31668X133c61198fbX2f58/TZ%20TremoloSystem_SchallerTremolo.pdf?ITServ=CY1500aba5X13d4a4b975eXY1bb0 The posts share the same center line as the saddles. The picture from the Stewmac site looks different in terms of the post knives on the trem. It might be a StewMac specific bridge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Never go with the spec sites...reason being there are too many types of floyds and schallers to make it as simple as that.too easy to make a mistake on the actual bridge model you have. Why look at a spec sheet when you can take your measurements off the bridge itself?What are you going to do if the spec sheet is wrong?Blame the guy who made the drawing? It happens.But tbh it is strange to ask if the posts line up with the center on the bridge you are looking at in front of you when the answer is to get your measuring device and measure from the center of the saddles to each post and see what you get...Occam's Razor anyone? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 I always use the spec sheets for the bridges I buy. I usually double check with the actual bridge I receive to ensure I got the proper unit, but the specs are the reference for the guitar's design and layout. I've used many different bridges and the specs are always dead on accurate. Wes - If you had read my post, I did mention that it appeared as though the SM Schaller was different. Schaller has different models. It might be best to contact them directly and ask them. Its always best to get the exact model number and get the specs for that exact model. Measuring can introduce a factor or error and when unsure correlating with the specs are the way to go, but that might be because of my engineering background. The specs is what's used to produce the bridge in the 1st place. For the stuff that I buy, I've never had issues with erroneous specs. I tend to prefer quality hardware and the specs are dead on for all the bridges I've bought so far (Boogie Rails, Gotoh, Floyd Rose, Ibanez Edge, Fender, Wilkinson). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsolomon Posted March 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Hi Guys, I did all (I measured by hand and measured by spec.) and all turned out to be correct. According to the spec the middle line goes exactly between the posts (and this exactly between the two middle saddles as well) I verfied it by hand. And I go to the tricky part - Using cad to make a full size body template. Thanks ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 I would agree with the centreline coinciding with the centre saddles. If however you wish to factor the distances from the sides of the strings to the edge of the fingerboard into this equation (ie. low E 4mm to the edge, high E 2.5mm) then you might shift the bridge a mm or so towards the treble side. If your neck is a bolt-on then you can usually shift the neck in its pocket to dial this in anyway ;-) If this is the first time you have done this I wouldn't complicate your work by labouring over 1mm. Centreline all the way until you have the confidence to do silly things like this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 the lads have said it all realy. measure off of the actual bridge itself to be sure. I will say that I have had a few floyds that were the same dimensions from posts to centre of D-G saddles, for both the treble & bass side. But the position of the posts centre point were not the same for each side from the nut face. I mean that the treble post sat almost 1.5mm more forward than the bass post. so make sure you are checking ALL of your setout dimensions before you go cutting up your guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsolomon Posted March 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Thanks !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Its always best to get the exact model number and get the specs for that exact model. Measuring can introduce a factor or error and when unsure., the specs are the way to go, but that might be because of my engineering background. The specs is what's used to produce the bridge in the 1st place. No,it's not always best...I can't tell you how many mistakes can be made insisting on spec sheets as "God",but suffice to say I don't care if you are the engineer that designed the bridge in the first place,unless you check the actual bridge you are going to use you are asking for someone else's mistake to become your own Since I guess you are not familiar with Occam's Razor,I will paraphrase it for you in a way that applies best to this application. The simplest solution to a problem is usually the correct one. And I have no idea why you think that measuring the bridge itself introduces a "factor or error" that somehow trumps the "factor or error" introduced by using a spec sheet.If you can't measure the bridge itself then you most likely can't measure the post position in the first place,or even measure your own foot size for that matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Its always best to get the exact model number and get the specs for that exact model. No,it's not always best... Whatever. You can have the last word. I won't encourage this mindless arguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Hi Guys, I did all (I measured by hand and measured by spec.) and all turned out to be correct. According to the spec the middle line goes exactly between the posts (and this exactly between the two middle saddles as well) I verfied it by hand. And I go to the tricky part - Using cad to make a full size body template. Thanks ! Excellent! Make sure you post pics of the finished product! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 Put some duct tape on it. That's the new redneck version of bailing wire, It is the cure all to beat all cure alls when all else fails. I won't get into the engineering thing as I have made enough Fups from drawings that are from the so called manufactors and they don't match the real product and when using a CNC to make bodies, that makes a friggin difference. I prefer to measure it my self. Then I can say it's my Fup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 Har ;-D One good way of dry fitting as a final check would be to draw on all your markers and alignment points, fit the neck and locking nut, remove the block from the trem unit and install an old high and low E string. Pulling these taut will directly show you your outer string alignment with respect to the fingerboard and where the posts will sit. Bear in mind that this is only useful for confirming your existing marks and is not suitable or accurate enough to gauge initial placement. Dry fitting is the step too many people leave out before making wood go away permanently. What's that about last word, guitar2005? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 I won't get into the engineering thing as I have made enough Fups from drawings that are from the so called manufactors and they don't match the real product and when using a CNC to make bodies, that makes a friggin difference. I prefer to measure it my self. Then I can say it's my Fup. Exactly.The last spec sheet I found errors on was the one for the ABM single saddle bridge.By the way,many spec sheets don't show the slight offset towards the side of the trem bar(roughly 2.5 mm),and if you center the trem cavity on the centerline of the body,your trem will have an uneven reveal around the trem body It has nothing to do with "the last word",as I am not a 10 y/o..it has to do with trying to share what I have found to be true through experience so that maybe someone else won't ruin a Floyd rout by assuming a spec sheet is the be all/end all...it's only mindless if you don't have a mind...and you'll have to figure out on your own whether you have one or not,as it's not my place to do it for you. Other people might just call it discussing the best way to approach an issue,but if you just prefer to be "right",then I wish you good luck with that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 Har ;-D One good way of dry fitting as a final check would be to draw on all your markers and alignment points, fit the neck and locking nut, remove the block from the trem unit and install an old high and low E string. Pulling these taut will directly show you your outer string alignment with respect to the fingerboard and where the posts will sit. Bear in mind that this is only useful for confirming your existing marks and is not suitable or accurate enough to gauge initial placement. Dry fitting is the step too many people leave out before making wood go away permanently. Agreed 100%. This is a crucial step and should always be done before commiting to drilling holes and whatnot. If your bridge specs are wrong (which are not in the OP's case) I'd worry about the quality of the product. Measuring everything to ensure that you received the proper piece of hardware or that the specs haven't changed is important. I never route/drill for a bridge until I have the part in my posession. Most errors are made because of assumptions. Never assume anything. What's that about last word, guitar2005? Meh. I have no patience for people cherry picking excerpts from posts and then creating an argument for the sake of arguing and do it in a confrontational tone. I come here to help out when I can, get some inspiration, share some ideas and learn about new or different techniques. My post clearly said that measuring the hardware received should be part of the procedure in installing the bridge, along with getting and comparing with the specs for the bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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