daveq Posted January 7, 2004 Report Share Posted January 7, 2004 Do any of you mount by gluing? I have heard that there are some nuts made for a top mount (no screws through the neck) - is this true? For those of you who drill through, what do you use as a guide to get the holes accurately placed? At that step in the neck building process do you do it? I have been doing it before the back of the neck is shaped and have been doing pretty well with them so far. I was just wondering if there is a better way. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted January 7, 2004 Report Share Posted January 7, 2004 On mimf there was a guy who simply glued the floyd nut on with epoxy. I would not recommend that though. I cannot imagine that the glue between the nut and the neck does not take away overtones and sustain. I think the top-mount nuts are the best solution. They do not weaken the neck at its mos sensible point and they can be bought from Schaller for example. I only use top-mount nuts. HTH, Marcel Knapp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Are the top mount nuts easy to find? I don't think I have ever seen them for sale anywhere. Are they just mounted with screws from the top then? Have any pics / links. Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Are the top mount nuts easy to find? I don't think I have ever seen them for sale anywhere. Are they just mounted with screws from the top then? Have any pics / links. Thanks, Dave I got one from GuitarPartsDepot. Yes, just a couple of little screws on top (not all the way thru neck.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 nyjbkim, thank you for that link. Now the question is - what radius are those nuts? I have a feeling they are probably not 10" right? I need a 10" radius locking nut 1 11/16 (R4) nut. I have one now that is meant for the std mounting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Yup, you're correct. As far as I know, only the OFR nut have a 10" radius. Those on that website are 14"(?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 That's true but the Schaller floyds from Warmoth also come with 10" radius nuts even though the bridge itself is 14". Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Hmm... I didn't know those from warmoth were screwed in from the top. Wow, very expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Do those schaller nuts sound better or something? Do they wear longer? They're over 3 times more expensive than the licensed nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 No, they don't screw in from the top - they are the std. mount type. I don't know if they sound better. I think someone here complained about the replacement nuts that stewmac sells. I bought one once and they do look like they are cheaply made. I don't know about Warmoths though. All I have from them are the nuts that came with the bridge. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Oh, I think I see why you think I was saying that the Warmoth nuts are top mount. All I was saying is that it's not just OFR nuts that are 10" radius. Schaller nuts are also 10" (and some of Schallers are flatter as well - I think R6 or R7 - something like that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Ah, I see. Heh, by OFR, I meant the OFR-style thru neck design (vs. top only)... now that I think about it, aren't OFR's made by schaller? Wow, I'm getting loopy from strong cold medicine... I should lie down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 That's funny - I've got a nasty cold also - pounding headache too. I think Schaller does make OFR's - they also make their own licensed version just to keep things confusing. Also the nuts that come with the stewmac Schaller's are 10" radius. The replacement nuts they sell are 14" only. It drove me insane when I was first starting out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 i don't like the top screw type, i like the bolt thru ones much more, even if it's just in my head it feels so much more solid and thick to me, plus those little screws strip the wood after you take off the nut like twice. i use a tap and bradley bits to start all my holes and they're usualy right on, if i'm concerened though i make a little spacing template with 2 holes and clamp it down then the drill bit can't wander. i do it the drilling for the nut after i glue the fingerboard on the neck before any shaping or cutting out takes place, put the nut in there, mark the holes then either start with my little spacing template (which has to be clamped down btw) or with the brad bits.. ( cause they're supper pointy ..... so that's bla bla bla bla bla.... bla .....and bla... to those of you that just think i'm full of hot air.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Interesting. Thanks Derek. I'm trying to figure out if I can do it that way with my scarf jointed necks. It does sound like a more reliable way - doing it before the neck is cut. I just don't know if I can glue my fretboard before cutting the neck taper? I guess I could use different clamps - I have been using those plastic wrap-around clamps from $tewmac. A flat board (maybe with a concave radius to make a caul) would do it, I guess. Thanks for sharing that info Derek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Derek, don't be so quick to put the top screw version down. The Wolfgang I was just working on has the counter-sunk screws on the top of the locking nut. I think it's a much cleaner way to go. Not so much wood has to get taken away from what I consider the weakest part of the neck. They are just little wood screws, but hold the nut down plenty tight. If they even got loose, the holes could be plugged and re-drilled. I wish I would have done my Chandler neck this way, instead of making those bolts all the way through. I would have made counter-sunk tops on the floyd nut for little wood screw heads. I'm actually looking for a "cheap" locking nut. I mean one that looks good, but is softer metal than real floyd nuts are. I need to be able to grind the bottom of it more easily than a real floyd nut can be ground. This is for a guitar I heavily modified that has a 25" scale fret-board put on a 25.5 neck. There is now a " zero fret" for the nut location, and about 3/8" behind that is where a floyd type locking nut goes, but it needs to go lower and I don't want anymore wood gone from there, so I need to grind a locking nut down quite a bit, so the strings bear harder against that zero-fret. To drill the bolt holes, you put a couple dabs of super-glue on the locking nut, put it in place, then drill the holes through it--using the locking nut itself as a drill guide. Then knock the nut off when you're done drilling. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 I wish I would have done my Chandler neck this way, instead of making those bolts all the way through. I would have made counter-sunk tops on the floyd nut for little wood screw heads. Heh, I have a Chandler neck I did that to too. Making truss rod adjustments is kind of a pain. I've wondered if those holes could be filled for the top mount type nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 i'm using this method on laminate necks with some pretty hard woods, so i'm not worried about strength, However, i mutilated my strat (drilled for hudge bolts by accident) and it's just a one peice maple neck with purple FB and the peghead is still plenty stiff... i actually tried cracking it off after i drilled the wrong size holes by accident, so figured i'd just scrap the neck... but.. i wasn't really able to break it with my hands without using some kind of large leverage so i just kept it, still plays fine. ugly as hell.... but she's a player i guess i just don't like filling holes and re drilling them, just a preference where i take my guitars apart a couple times a year for something interesting to do the screws might work great for you, the screws that came on my squire nut probably had tiny threads too check ebay for cheap nuts (and probably softer).. but guitarparts depot looks like they have just as good prices and you won't have to wait for and auction end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Yes, they can be filled. If you are interested in getting into such repairs, it's good practice for you. You need to be able to make wood plugs of exact sizes. About .001-.003 bigger than the hole you are plugging. the grain should be going the same way, or course. How well you can pick out wood for your plugs, plus how well you can get them to the .002" over-size, will determine how invisible they look. I'm interested in such repairs, and want to get good at it, but I'm just starting to get into making perfect wood plugs. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 oh i know how to do it, i had to do it for the pickguard and control covity on my Tele... i just don't enjoy it ALOT lol. Generaly i buy presized dowels and drill the holes the correct size for the dowel then glue it in, or you can just fill the hole with some good eboxy and redrill the hole and even thread the hole if you want to get fancy cause some epoxy can actualy be threaded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86barettaguy Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 I prefer the original bolt-through-neck version simply because I don't trust small screws. don't know why... with a fat neck (like my allparts), or a volute (like my kramer), I don't think it makes that much of a difference. The neck is still strong enough to take a fall or two. I guess it's different with thinner necks without volutes (like most modern superstrats)... besides, I take my guitars apart all the time, and the large screws are more easily found in the mess I create Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 No, they don't screw in from the top - they are the std. mount type. Not true. Schaller themselves sold me top-mount locking nuts. There is really no disadvantage to that method. It's simply better. It does not weaken the neck, is easier to install and is stable as well. The srews only have to hinder the locking nut from falling of. The nut rests at against the fingerboard concerning the pull of the strings and it gets pushed down on the wood by the strings. Only if you do a dive bomb the screw get a force in theopposite direction. MK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Not true. Schaller themselves sold me top-mount locking nuts. No!!!! I was talking about the nut that I currently have!! That's why I said they were the "std. mount type". I realize that the top mount nuts are available but I just don't know where to get a 10" radius top mount R4 nut. If anyone knows where I might be able to find one, please let me know. Thanks, dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Ok....I thought you were talking about Schaller nuts. Back to the question though: As far as I know Schaller sells ALL nuts as top-mount versions as well. I just ordered a Schaller Tremolo unit via a local musicshop and I had the possibility to choose between different nuts. The top-mount nuts are not listed in the Schaller catalogue the music stores have. Therefore you really have to insist on the top-mount version, and if they ask Schaller for it they should sell it. I guess the reason is that Schaller usually sells the top-mont to big industrial customers like Peavey and Ibanez only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 The top mount nuts are the exact same nut as the thru mount. they just come with small wood screws instead of the allen screws. The last batch of floyds we got came that way. the nut is still threaded for bottom mount but came with small countersunk wood screws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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