Firefox2551 Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Hey guys, For my next project I think I'll be going with a Pre made neck. I need a few special things on it, maple fretboard/neck, I want Stainless med-jumbo frets, tilt-back headstock, locking nut. I'm probably going to Warmoth for it but does anyone have a better place? Also, I've heard conflicting things about the radius, I want a Floyd, and I'm pretty sure they will only work on a 14" radius without shims correct? Warmoth said somethig about Locking nuts that confused me so could someone clear that up? Also, has anyone tried the Liscensed Floyd from Guitar Fetish? If its not any good whats the best choice for a Floyd. I'll be doing alot of real crazy whammy stuff so I need a good one that will stay in tune. The Guitar I'm building will be Bolt on neck, HSH with extensive switching optons, Mahogany body, rear routed. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Don't forget about Carvin and USA Custom Guitars. Carvin's usually a little less expensive than Warmoth, USACG is a little more expensive, but I've heard the fretwork is better. You can get SS frets from both, too. If you're leery of using a locking nut, you can also use a set of locking tuners with a graphite nut instead. That's how Carvin likes to do it nowadays. Also, if you're putting some serious cash into the neck and body, don't skimp on the bridge. Get a nice Schaller or Original Floyd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox2551 Posted May 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 I actually know all about Carvin, I was going to get one until deciding until to get my own, I priced a neck that would work for me from them, it came to over $360. They are actually using the locking nuts now. They still are using the graphite nuts for the wilkinson tremolo's though. I'd like the locking nut for the peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Carvin was going to charge you $200 for SS frets and a locking nut? Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox2551 Posted May 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Here's the breakdown on the price of a Carvin neck $159 for the neck, $0 for the maple, $0 for no inlays. $80 for the 14" radius, $80 for the stainless med-jumbos $50 for the locking nut $0 for the unshapen headstock Pretty expensive just for a neck. Thats $369. Now Breakdown on Warmoth Neck. Maple neck, angled paddle, unshapen headstock. $173 Stainless frets, $20 Floyd nut prep, $55 14" radius, $35 Thats about $283, now thats alot better than $370. How much will USACG be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 why the 14" radius? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Your 14" radius Floyd Rose would probably be ok with the standard Warmoth 10" to 16" compound radius. If the bridge and neck radii are within 2" you should still be able to get decent action without shimming. Or you can pay the extra $35 for the straight 14". IMO you can't go wrong with a Warmoth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox2551 Posted May 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Nitefly, for the floyd. mikhailgtrski, What about the locking nut? Thats my concern, getting the nut and bridge to line up without any shimming or anything. I kinda like the way a 14" feels though, I learned alot on acoustic so I kinda like a flatter radius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester700 Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 That's a bummer about Carvin's pricing. Firefox, have you called Carvin? Every time I ordered from them I got different answers about the price of options - specifically whether the options were "half off" when you buy just a neck (they're half off on every guitar, including the unassembled kits). My new neck (6-8 months old?) I got with options half off - Floyd nut, abalone block inlays, and SS frets. The neck I got 2-3 years ago is similar, but options were full price - so got a kit, ebayed the rest, and made out better than the "retail" price on the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 (edited) What about the locking nut? Thats my concern, getting the nut and bridge to line up without any shimming or anything. I kinda like the way a 14" feels though, I learned alot on acoustic so I kinda like a flatter radius. As far as I know, the FR locking nuts are still 10" radius, which matches the Warmoth compound radius, so no shimming is required there. The nut and bridge don't have to have the same radii, they just need to match the fretboard radius. If you get a straight 14" it won't match the nut (assuming it's a 10" radius). My old OFR bridge is a 10" radius (and I never bothered to shim it) so the action is a little higher than optimum. If you have a 14" it should play just fine. For my new project I'm using a TOM bridge with a 14" radius and a Warmoth compound radius neck. I don't anticipate any issues with the action. If you like a flatter fretboard, I think you'll find the compound radius to be really comfortable. Mike (I just checked - looks like all the OFR bridges are 10" radius: floyd rose specs so you may need to shim the bridge anyway. Don't know about the licensed trems, so can't comment on those.) Edited May 3, 2006 by mikhailgtrski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox2551 Posted May 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Jester, I'll try calling them. Huh, I don't know why I was under the impression that Floyd used a 14", I guess when you think about it when Floyds where first made and being put on super-strat style guitars with a 10" radius....... Ha ha ha. You may be right about the compound radius being comfortable, I work alot mid fretboard where it would probably 12"-14" key of A, D And E are my favorites. So will the compound board work? with the floyd or would it need shimming? I mean, I can do it, but I'd rather keep it stock. Josiah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 (edited) So will the compound board work? with the floyd or would it need shimming? I mean, I can do it, but I'd rather keep it stock. Yes, it will work. The nut will be an exact match, but you'll probably want to shim the bridge (if it's an OFR). The Schaller licensed floyds are 14" radius (nut and bridge). EDIT: You could get a FR nut (10") and a Schaller trem (14") and use the compound radius neck without having to shim anything. Edited May 3, 2006 by mikhailgtrski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester700 Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 So will the compound board work? with the floyd or would it need shimming? I mean, I can do it, but I'd rather keep it stock. Yes, it will work. The nut will be an exact match, but you'll probably want to shim the bridge (if it's an OFR). The Schaller licensed floyds are 14" radius (nut and bridge). EDIT: You could get a FR nut (10") and a Schaller trem (14") and use the compound radius neck without having to shim anything. The floyds use 3 different heights of saddle. I suspect Schaller uses the same center ones, and then uses the 2nd "tier" from an OFR on the OUTSIDES, with an intermediate size in between. It could be that you only need to buy 2 Schaller saddles of the right height and do some rearranging to keep it a "stock" 14". Or, just get an OFR nut & Schaller bridge. These methods would work about about the same cost-wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox2551 Posted May 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 (edited) Ok, Here is the Schaller Floyd http://www.warmoth.com/hardware/bridges/br..._floyd_schaller Now If I use that on a 14" radius neck it should work perfect. Right? And here is the original Floyd, bit more expensive. Which would you say is better? http://www.warmoth.com/hardware/bridges/br..._floyd_original And if I do what you are thinking, the compound board, using a 14" radius Schaller Trem and a Floyd 10" radius nut, would that work or "Should" that work? Also is warmoth the lowest priced place on these Floyds? Thanks guys! Edited May 4, 2006 by Firefox2551 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 And if I do what you are thinking, the compound board, using a 14" radius Schaller Trem and a Floyd 10" radius nut, would that work or "Should" that work? Also is warmoth the lowest priced place on these Floyds? Thanks guys! You should be able to achieve a good low action with the 14" radius and the 10"-16" compound radius fretboard. Of course, the FR nut will be a perfect match. I spoke with Warmoth last year about using a 14" radius TOM with their compound board and I was assured that it would work fine. I got the same advice on a thread here some time ago. As I mentioned, if your board/bridge radii are within 2", you're good. Within 6" of each other still works, but the action can't be set quite as low. Stewmac sells the Schaller licensed floyds, also check WD Music, Allparts, possibly some others. You might save a few $$ compared to Warmoth. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox2551 Posted May 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 I like the schaller floyds a bit more because they seem to be a bit more low profile, meaning less routing. Cleaner look. What About the Ibanez EDGE and Low Pro Trems? I see them pop up on Ebay every once in a while. Are those any good? Comparatively, I know VAI and Satch use them and they hit the Whammys pretty hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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