Strat Hrr: Enlarged Floyd Rose Pivot Post Holes

[coldcity]

Hi all,

I've registered to seek advice from you masters.

Note pivot post angles:

Sure enough, the holes have enlarged:

I know the proper fix looks like this, but I'd like to at least try using filler/epoxy first.

1. Will this hold for any length of time if I'm gentle (I can live without using the trem for now), or am I wasting my time?

2. Am I better wih epoxy (eg Araldite) or a wood filler? If wood filler, will a normal DIY store work?

Many thanks for any help you can offer.

Best,

Iain

[Drak]

It depends on a few things:

Your experience level with working with tools like routers and such

The amount of time you want to invest in the fix

How important it is for you to have the guitar in tip-top playable tunable shape

That brass fix is really over-the-top (although very nicely done).

There are other ways to do it that won't have you making a custom Brass fixture, but are still tough to do.

I would:

Remove the bushings and all other related hardware pieces

Route out that area

Cut and install a new piece of hardwood, like Eastern Maple, Rosewood, Paduak, etc..

Drill out new bushing holes

Install bushings

Cover bushing holes and repaint

That's basically it.

If you do the epoxy fix and THEN have to do a real fix later on (which I'm guessing there is a 75% chance you will have to do), you're making more trouble for yourself at a later date, I wouldn't want to do that.

That area is probably one of the most important areas of a Floyd guitar, I would not recommend a quick 'Sunday Afternoon' type of fix for such an important area of that guitar.

[MescaBug]

Here is what I do to fix loose or enlarged bridge pivot or mounting holes. Very similar to the procedure Drak just explained. Floyd Rose equipped Strat's are a little bit tricky because there is not a lot of wood between the holes and the pickup cavity. Maybe you don't have the tools necessary to complete this prodecure, but it should help anyway:

1. Enlarge the holes with a bigger drilling bit so they are straight. Just make sure you don't drill too close to the pickup cavity. Floyd Rose holes are 11/32". I usually drill with a 13/32".

2. Get some wood dowels, same size as the holes you just drilled. Sand them a little bit so they fit snuggly in the holes. If you can't find the right size, get a dowel drilling bit. 13/32" is a very popular size. Make sure you get hardwood dowels. Not those cheaps pine dowels at Home Depot. I use maple, jatoba, or walnut, whatever's available.

3. Put some glue on the dowels and press them firmly in the holes.

4. Let the glue dry for a good 24 hours.

5. Trim the end of the dowels flush with the cavity and use some wood filler to make sure there is not gap. Use some paint to cover the repair.

6. Drill the new holes and insert the mounting posts.

I never had any complains from my clients. It's simple and effective. Ome time I had to do a repair again, but the guy was dive-bombing everyday like a madman. Wood has its limit.

Edited January 30, 2008 by MescaBug

[coldcity]

Thanks guys. You're right, it should get done properly rather than quickly; I love this HRR (recent eBay score).

I'm not comfortable with routing - but I am with a drill press

I'm going to go with MescaBug's technique if I can find some suitable dowel. Will report back!

[djhollowman]

Going a little off-topic I realise, however:

From your first photo, it could be the foreshortening effect of the camera lens but it doesn't appear that your pickups polepieces align nicely with your strings. Could it be that this DiMarzio is not F-spaced to match your trem? Or could be a neck pickup with polepieces closer together?? Just a thought. I recently bought an F-spaced DiMarzio Evo2 bridge pickup, and when I installed it into the intended guitar I had the same problem, I think mine's a neck not a bridge one.

[coldcity]

Going a little off-topic I realise, however:

From your first photo, it could be the foreshortening effect of the camera lens but it doesn't appear that your pickups polepieces align nicely with your strings. Could it be that this DiMarzio is not F-spaced to match your trem? Or could be a neck pickup with polepieces closer together?? Just a thought. I recently bought an F-spaced DiMarzio Evo2 bridge pickup, and when I installed it into the intended guitar I had the same problem, I think mine's a neck not a bridge one.

- No, it's just the lens effect in macro mode; it's actually nicely aligned. The DiMarzio (not sure which one, sounds like an S3 to me) and FRO were stock on the Hot Rod Reissue. As the page I linked says though, the design's hardly optimal as there's sod all wood between posts and pup cavity.

It had been setup to intone correctly with the posts in their bent position, complete with nice level FRO baseplate - whether for auction or not I don't know - and actually played so well I didn't notice the angle for a while. Gutted when I did but if I can sort it I'll be delighted. Plus I can get the action a bit lower once the pickguard's not fouling the posts.

Having another look, there's hardly enough room to overdrill for the dowel. I think I would rather route and install a hardwood shelf as suggested by Drak, if I can enlist the help of my multi-talented machine-owning friend.

Alternatively, recommendations of competant luthiers in Ceredigion, Wales sought!

Edited January 31, 2008 by coldcity