hezochiah Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 How's it going everyone? I am a new member and am looking forward to meeting some fellow guitar junkies like myself. Now lets get to the question... I was looking for a strat with double humbuckers and I had been looking at the Big Apple Strats also called the Double Fats I believe, but most I saw were around $800. I stopped in guitar center and they had a 2000 Floyd Rose Classic for $600 and I jumped on it. I'm not sure if I like the Floyd bridge and was wondering if it is doable to put a Vintage Fender tremelo in the guitar instead. I have never really worked on guitars but am hoping to start my own project this year and would like to start doing mods on my current guitars for practice. Please let me know if you would recommend this mod or if I should just leave it alone. Thanks... Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 First of all welcome to the forum! Ok so the trem you have right now uses a pair of post's and you want to know if you can switch over to the old vintage style with 6 screw's mounting it to the body, is that correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCord Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 If your guitar is using a traditional Floyd (with the fine tuners, wide baseplate) then it is not possible to put a vintage Fender tremolo in your guitar without MAJOR modifications to the guitar's body. If your guitar has the newer Fender Floyd Rose (no fine tuners, smaller base) then the stud spacing is exactly the same as a Fender American Standard bridge, and the swap will work perfectly. Pictures would help us a great deal. ~d~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeAR Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 DCord is exactly right. Although any Fender is going to be worth more in the un-modified state. If its the original Floyd with fine tuners, Id be doing this..................tear down the guitar. Sell the floyd and body seperately on Ebay. Put the funds towards a replacement body and trem. If your lucky you can get a different body in good condition that wont need painting, that alone will save you a small fortune. I know thats not in the tradition of this site, but the integrity of the Fender will still be there for future sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hezochiah Posted April 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 I can't get my digital camera to work because its a piece of crap... Anyways, in the cavity in the back of the guitar, there are 5 springs going from the trem to a metal plate that is screwed into the body with 2 screws. I hope that makes sense. I'm sorry but I really am not familiar with the Floyd Rose trems. Thanks for any help you can provide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeAR Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 Does it look like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hezochiah Posted April 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 That's it... Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 I'd sell the guitar or bring it back to GC. If you just bought it you should have no problem returning it - the whole concept behind the "Floyd Rose Classic" is, well, to have a Floyd Rose on it. I'd recommend trying to find an American Deluxe Fat Strat, which has the full size humbucker in the bridge, locking tuners etc.... What is it about the FR that you don't like? This will help us to help you better! 1. You'll have a FR nut on the guitar, but not a FR trem. Locking tuners work just as well if not better than a locking nut. Some purists claim that the locking nut isn't as good as a bone, plastic or other type of traditional nut. 2. You could have bought a standard strat and routed the body cavity to fit a full size humbucker, or replace the bridge full size humbucker with a stacked single coil (humbucking.) 3. If you put a traditional six screw trem on it, you'll have six screw holes on the top if the guitar which isn't very pretty if you decided to try the FR again. 4. As for putting on a traditional trem that mounts on the two trem posts, you should measure the distance between the posts to make sure it will line up. 5. You may like the old FR that didn't have any fine tuners on it. You can usually find these on evilbay for about $40-60. These will directly replace the FR you have on this strat. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&category=33043 6. Maybe you should try blocking the trem to stop it from pulling sharp or going flat. 6. Install a hardtail? You'll have to fill in the trem route with wood, etc. 7. Don't listen to me. This is a good option if you are really trying to get into luthiery. This project could teach you how to swap the trem, how to measure the proper distance for bridge and nut placement, refinishing, wood working, routing, blah blah blah...... 8. If it's got a maple fingerboard and you decide that you don't want it, drop me a line I'll buy it! kirkslossar@comcast.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCord Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 LOL Kirk - always trying to buy something off somebody. hezochiah - the Floyd Rose pictured is the standard Floyd Rose unit. This unit can NOT be replaced with a standard Fender tailpiece. If you truly don't like it, take it back or sell it to Kirk and feed his Kirkitis. The springs in the back are a floating trem staple, the idea was invented by Leo Fender in the early 1950s, and has been on 90% of Strats ever made. The problem with swapping out the bridges lies with the bridge routing on the *top* of the guitar, along with the tremolo stud spacing. A Floyd Rose unit, even if it's not recessed, has a larger rout for the inertia block and bar holder than a standard Fender trem, you'll have a big hole in the body of your guitar, under the "ear" with the bar hole. PLus, as Kirk mentioned, you'll be stuck with the lock nut on the neck, and that's useless without fine tuners. If you really abhor the Floyd Rose unit, then you bought the wrong guitar. ~d~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hezochiah Posted April 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 Thanks guys for all of your help... I appreciate all your knowledege and now I know who to talk to if I want to sell something . I'm probably going to end up keeping it becaause its a great guitar I just like the more streamline look of the vintage tremelos but I just couldn't pass up the guitar for the price. Thanks again for your help... Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlexVDL Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 Looks like the floyd rose classic model don't have a recessed floyd cavity. So I don't see why you couldn't replace it with a standard tremolo. Just replace the pickguard and tremolo. I don't know the exact measurements of the fender style trem routing compared to the floyd rose routing, but I think it should fit just fine. You just have to dril 6 extra holes. I could be wrong though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hezochiah Posted April 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 There's no routing on top of the body but I just don't know if the Floyd itself is bigger than the Fenders. But that would be great if I could just switch the guard and drill some holes. I think even I could handle that... It's nice having this as a resource because I know a lot about guitars just not a lot about some of the components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 I think there is just a bit more involve than "just drilling some holes." If the bridge is not in the placed properly, the guitar will not intonate properly or efficiently among other problems. The only other problem is going to be the trem stud spacing. It's funny that you said you liked the "streamlined" look of a vintage trem, I am just the opposite. I have a hard time buying guitars without a FR, and I barely use the bar! Crazy I know - and actually almost half of my guitars have a stop piece or vintage trem! Dennis - I'd have to sell something first! It's all part of the cycle....and I've been looking for just the right (priced) FR Classic or Sambora model with a FR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCord Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 Looks like the floyd rose classic model don't have a recessed floyd cavity. So I don't see why you couldn't replace it with a standard tremolo. Just replace the pickguard and tremolo. I don't know the exact measurements of the fender style trem routing compared to the floyd rose routing, but I think it should fit just fine. You just have to dril 6 extra holes. I could be wrong though No, the rout that goes through the body for the inertia block (the part that the springs attach to) is far longer than on a Fender tremolo. If you do the swap, you'll have a huge hole in the body under the bar, as I said in my previous post. I know this becuase I had a strat body that someone had done this exact mod to. You have to plug the stud holes, then drill out the new mounting holes, then you have to fill the lower half of the inertia block rout. This still doesn't address the issue of having a Floyd locknut on top of your neck. The tuning headaches alone of using this without locking it down or without fine tuners would be enough to turn me off of the project. ~d~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlexVDL Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 Of course the drilling alone is not enough, duh... But I asumed he knew about string scales and how and where to place the bridge As for the floyd routing; if the fender style trem baseplate overlaps the floyd rose routing, there is no problem is it? I just drew the whole thing just to compare. It looks like the baseplate will cover the floyd rose inertia block routing. So I think the only big problem is where the 6 holes should be drilled. I could draw that too if you want, but like DCord said... I would not do this conversion to the guitar. You would still be hooked up with the locking nut. Why not sell the guitar with a bit of profit, since you got it that cheap So you can buy one with vintage style trem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCord Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 Like I said, I've seen this mod done, and you will not be satisfied with the gap that will inherently be present. The problem is not in the length of thw rout (as I mistakenly posted earlier) but in the width. Because of where the vintage trem needs to be mounted, the "notch" next to the "ear" on the Fender trem will leave an exposed gap. If you think you are unhappy with the looks of the Floyd, try having a hole in your guitar next to the tremolo. Alex, great job with the drawings!!! ~d~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hezochiah Posted April 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 You guys all rock... I really appreciate all of your input. I think I'm going to try and get in touch with the guy I bought it from at Guitar Center and see if I can return it. This site has inspired me and i think i am going to try my hand at building my own Flying V. I already have a set of Gibson pickups that would rock in it. Do you think that ash with a maple top would be a good combo for a v, or should I go with something else... Thanks again.. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 good combo,but heavy and i think it might be too bright.i am going to use korina on mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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