Newbeeguitarmod

Hello all,

I was recently checking out a website that I found interesting. They offer several (and some higher priced) upgrades for Floyd trems. One of these is a line of Brass big blocks to replace the stock block. The vendor claims that Brass for one helps with tonality. And, increasing the size of the block adds mass and thus more tone and fullness to notes. I was curious if anyone here has done this upgrade and if so, are the claims valid. I was considering upgrading to a brass big block if it fits my application. They also offer titanium saddles and blocks but these are pretty pricey for the guitar I'm upgrading. I want an upgrade but not for $700 bucks! lol The Brass is more in my price range (30-40 USD). If anyone is interested the website is :

http://floydupgrades.com/index.php

Check it out and let me know your thoughts. Is it leggit, or all just hype?

On another sort of related note, How many springs are commonly used on a floyd? I think mine had 3 installed when I purchased it...but a fourth was added in the packaging. Is it only a matter of preference? From most that I've talked with ...that seems to be the case...I guess it just matters how much tension your wanting??? But I'm also considering reverse tension on the strings as I use mostly drop tunings and have had problems with buzz and string noise in the past. I was considering adding the fourth spring just to help this out.

Lata~J

Okay this is driving me crazy! I purchased a set of Schaller locking mini tuners for my ESP. Those dropped right in with not a hitch. I also purchased a wilkinson roller (or replica) nut to install to hopefully replace the floyd locking nut. Turns out the width is correct but if I were to install it. It would leave about an eighth inch exposed part of the fingerboard at the top. I didn't want to have to do any neck modifications this major or modify the nut shelf at all. When I purchased the roller the vendor told me that it would fit correctly. Lied to as always. This was purchased before I did more research on the nut. I would love to have the roller nut, but I've kept the floyd nut on without the locking mechanisms. Problem is... is that it dosnt look the greatest. But, it does function like was desired. I noticed that there are a couple LRS roller nuts available on Ebay with a conversion plate included. Would this hide the 1/8" bit of fingerboard if I were to install with the conversion plate?

I could live with the guitar the way it is. But, like I said it just dosnt look the greatest. I could take it to my local shop and have them install the wilkinson...but I'm thinking this is going to cost me way too much cash! I could do it myself but, I'm seeing whats involved to change it and I'm not sure I have the savy to pull it off. And besides, I'm thinking that the entire headstock would have to be sanded down and possibly refinished and I don't have the place or the tools to do it.

Its amazing that like in the above post...if I turn a certian direction the interference goes away. I've also noticed that if I step further away from the equipment the noise stops also.

PLEASE DON"T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY......

When I started playing, I bought a cheap Memphis guitar. (FWIW: Memphis was a low-grade brand made by Westone.) I wanted to put a Chandler neck on it, some good hardware, and some DiMArzip pups in it. The dude at my guitar store asked me straight-up:

Why are you trying to polish a turd? You'd be MUCH better off putting that money into a better instrument than trying to make that one good. Take it for what it is, don't expect too much out of it, and upgrade later.

So I'll ask you the same thing: Why are you trying to polish a turd?

i don't know i have the same turd an i am in the process of polishing it's basicaly my first project i was just gonna start with a kit but the dean was about 50 buck cheaper than a saga kit and this way i get a befor and after

btw i kinda liked that cheap guitar befor i tore it down i was more likely to pick it up than my schecter

Wow!...this thread has gotten way too "in debth" for me! lol....Yes, I may be polishing a turd...but if you read the original post...this is only a backup guitar used for emergencies when or if something may happen to my ESP. The ESP is the real project guitar as far as upgrading goes. The Dean was just in need of some dire help. And like the above message...something to toy with and not worry about mistakes or mishappenings. I'm not looking at reverse engineering the Dean. I have other plans for a true project guitar in the future. The Dean is just one of many guitars I plan to have and I desperatly needed a backup incase anything did happen to my ESP. But whats the sense in having a guitar that you can't even play because of crappy materials and workmenship? I couldn't play the Dean after the first 2 weeks I had it because the nut had cracked...so its sat on my wall for about 6 months now ...and still counting!

So now you can probably tell us: Did it help with the sustain at all ??

I'm curious because I think it could actually be the other way around... A roller bridge will definitely help with the return to pitch on a tremolo equipped guitar. But for a fixed through-body design the extra moving parts on each roller saddle could actually decrease your sustain.

I'll let you know as soon as I get the thing back together...I'm doing other mods to it and its not stringed up yet. This all started by having to replace the nut. After 2 weeks of having the guitar ...the plastic nut cracked and broke in 2 peices. I replaced that with an Earvana nut. Then I decided to go a bit further and ordered some wood pickuprings from John Gilford because the rings were cheap plastic and starting to crack. So, from there I decided to try out the roller nut and see what all the hype was about. Thing is, I'm still waiting on the rings from Gilford so I can string it up and play it. If it turns out that I do lose sustain from the roller then I still have the old bridge I could put back on. This is one of the main reasons I didn't want to do any drilling or major body modifications.

What is your reasoning behind thinking that a roller bridge will increase the sustain? I doubt you'll notice any difference, unless it is real meatal like brass or aluminum, but for $12 I am guessing it is probably cheap white metal like the original bridge.

That was the selling point of the bridge. It and many others use the same idea to help sell I guess. The idea is that the rollers are more of a smooth breaking point for the string rather than a pointed normal saddle...this "supposedly" helps the string vibrate a little better and in turn helps the note ring a bit longer....thus sustain. And it will save from breaking a lot of strings...they aren't string saver saddles....but I'll take what I can get. The point is: it was cheap for a cheap guitar...and if it helps sustain then great! if not...Oh well! No big loss.

Okay this is cool....it may sound like a stupid question...but, I've never seen the fanned fret thing before. Can this be done with any neck to any scale? Or is this only for this particular length? I didn't have time enough to read every comment thru the thread so forgive my ignorance..

I have a cat

AH...well there you go, maybe it is the static from the fur!

LOL, yea could be? Seriously, I'm gonna try out the Ferrite bead thing and see what happens. If that dosnt help I'm going to try the capacitor fix. If that dosn't work I guess I'll tear down the guitar and shield everything...but this is the last thing I feel like doing! I appricate everyones input on this and suggestions. I'll let you all know the outcome of the Ferrite bead fix as soon as I can get em' shipped to me...unless I find them locally...but I'm thinking this may be a task. Regards....

I'm with Mick on this one. There's no way there was a Tonepros bridge on a $80 guitar. I won't say it didn't LOOK like one, but it just isn't possible.

But let's not belabor the point. The new bridge didn't line up on the old posts.

I'm with Mick on this one too. Why didn't you try the posts that came with it? OR... did you try those and THEY didn't line up with the bridge when they were put into the old holes?

If the holes aren't lining up with the new bridge, then plug the old ones and re-drill.

It's more than possible that it wasnt a tonepros...I agree that it may have just looked like one. Who knows? But, even if it were a tune-o-matic the new roller is a tune-o-matic and both bridges have the same pole spacing. My whole issue was to not have to plug the current holes and re-drill. That would force me to have to refinish the whole body and I don't have the time or the tools or a shop to do that type of work. I just wanted to "beef-up" an $80 P.O.S. !! lol

I think what he's saying is that the two posts were of different size/thread. Tonepros or not.

And that would indeed be weird. Tonepros or not.

Yes, this is what I was getting at. I just thought it was weird that the threads were different. I've got the bridge on the guitar without too much problem. I don't really think I'm going to put in the supplied inserts as that its fitting "okay". And the reasoning behind a roller was just to try and help with sustain. the body is made of Paulowinia wood and its very light. The neck is heavier than the body so it droops when you strap it up. I just thought that if I could help the sustain at all the roller bridge might help. Even if I only help it out a bit with the roller its worth it for me. I mean the bridge only cost me 12$ so I feel its worth a little extra expense to help out the guitar.

If it won't go away you could build a faraday's cage around your rig (A brass cage that stops Radio signals and the like). I know it seems silly, but you could build a brass cabinet (brass mesh that is) for your gear to sit in whilst it is at home. Just a thought.

I had my phone sitting on top of my amplifier once and it started ringing and my amp picked up the signal and started ringing as well.

It scared the life out of me

LOL, not a bad idea...but not realistic either! I don't think I could afford the brass mesh, and besides I have a cat that likes to climb on things....He'd have that thing torn up in 5 seconds!

I am not sure that ferrite beads will really assist the problem. These tend to be used to counteract EMI (electromagnetic interference) where as you would appear to be attracting RFI (radio frequency interference)...it might be worth a try, but I wouldn't spend too much on it. It could be in your actual power lines...do you get any interferance on a TV or other applicance?

I really think though that it is a combination of your sequential preamps and the capacitance in the cables you are using.

Have you tried troubleshooting as suggested yet by reducing things to the barest minimum? It is only by doing this and getting it to stop, that you can really isolate the problem and fix it. It sounds like the way you are running things is not right and needs to be addressed and changed for a workable noise free solution. One assumes the radio station itself is using a lot of audio equipment and not having such noise problems so a workable solution may well be possible if you find out what part of the system is causing it...

pete

Pete,

Absolutely no offense here..but, I think one of the articles that were posted insisted that it helps with RFI. And no, I'm not getting interference on anything else in my place. T.V. is fine, my stereo is fine, computer is okay. Its just my musical equipment thats having the issue. As far as I can tell its not necessarily a power problem either. What I mean by that is no other problems exsist with any other electronic equipment in the house. My set-up is routed properly as far as I can tell. I have this same issue with a Johnson J-station running "bare minimum". Just the J and guitar, couple cables to route it all. I'm starting to think it may just be the Fostex four track thats giving the problem as that if I don't run it thru there I don't get as much noise...but its still there. The reason I'm using the fostex is to have the four channels of mixing to be able to run my drum machine along with the guitar. With the J-station , I'm not sure why I get this. This is why I orginally thought it was one of my cables. People in my building at this complex always have issues with cellphones dropping out...I'm one of them. I don't have a landline so I always use the cell. But, the super insists its the radio towers that cause the signal to drop all the time. I'm not sure I believe that...but I'm not a electronics wiz kid either! This is why I'm so set on the idea that the radio station is "pumping out" way more juice than is necessary for broadcast. One of the Maintenance men I work with suggested to call the station and talk to one of the engineers to see if he would have any suggestions. Thats why the reply on the Ferrite beads seems such a good idea.

Well, here's a thought...what are you asking?

Are you saying there was a Tone Pro$ bridge on there that you're replacing with a TOM-style roller bridge? (Seems unlikely).

Or are you saying you're putting a Tone Pro$ bridge on an $80 guitar?

Regardless, didn't the new bridge come with it's own inserts? Why not use those? Then you won't have an issues with the threads.

Yes, I guess I wasnt too clear on that. I installed a tune-o-matic to replace a tonepros. And I suppose I could put in the inserts but I'm thinking the holes are just a fraction off so it wouldn't matter regardless as they would still be a bit off. I'm just curious to know if this set-up is common or did Dean muss it up?

Okay, I've been kinda modifying a Dean Vendetta XM. Not the most elaborate of guitars! In fact its "ELCHEEPO"! to say the least. I bought the guitar mainly to have a backup for whatever reason might arise. Thing is... I wanted to replace the bridge with a Tune-o-matic roller style to possibly help with sustain and beef up the looks a little. So, I got on to Ebay and found the bridge I wanted for a fair price and bought it. The seller has a full return policy. I asked him if there were any issues with replacing a TonePros bridge (thats what is was as far as I could tell) with a Tune-o-matic. He told me " he has sold several of them to customers with the same situation and nobody has complained or retuned the item...but no one has told him wether or not it was a direct fit". This was all before I signed up for this forum otherwise I would have asked someone here!

I received the bridge today and attempted to slap it on the guitar...that didnt go so well. Turns out that I discoverd something that I'm thinking shouldn't be!

The two posts holes (in the body) for most of the bridges I've seen have been both the same size. This bridge from the Dean has two seperate sizes! What up with that? Seems like one post is a finer, smaller thread than the other.

The pole spaceing for both brdges seems to be the same, its just the thread sizes are different. Needless to say I did get the Tune-o-matic on the guitar with a little messing around. I was just wondering if I ordered the wrong type of bridge? or, if Dean just screwed up and put the wrong post sizes in to compensate for lack of craftmenship?

It really seems to me that these guitars were just the "spare parts" laying around the shop floor that they wanted to get rid of...so they slap a neck on a "not so to spec" body and throw some strings on it and sell it for $80 bucks! (this is why I bought it..can't beat that price...but I guess its totally true...you get what you pay for!) Any thoughts???????

This may be a "no brainer" for some but, I've been stumped with it for quite some time.

I'm having some interference issues in my signal. This isnt hum. First let me explain a couple things: I live just about a mile from 2 large radio towers for a local radio station. I live in a small one bedroom apartment and, have to run everything thru a headphone set-up just to even jam. I'm using a V-amp pro in a rack system with a Digitech Quad and, an Aphex aural exciter. All these are plugged into a juicegoose power conditioner. I also use an FCB1010 to control my presets,ect. in the V-amp. The signal is being ran thru a Fostex four track and, out to my PC. I monitor via the PC.

Heres the question: I'm fairly sure I've narrowed the problem down to the instrument cable. It seems when I move the cable in different directions I pick up the radio station signal thru all my equipment. Now this is a fairly new cable and, as far as I know its shielded I believe. (I could be wrong, I'm assuming all newer cables are shielded) I've tried other cables with the same result. I use mostly Whirlwind. I purchased the power conditioner just last year thinking it would help the situation and it didn't do much at all for the noise.

Is there a reason I'm picking up this signal? And, what the heck am I going to do to get rid of it?!??

This is making recording any kind of track a total impossiblity. So, I havn't recorded anything concrete in almost a year. And, it seems to be getting worse evertime I do try to play.

I'm starting to think I may just have to move to play my guitar!!!!! And, in todays economy thats just not going to happen.

When I worked at a radio/tv station we had a problem with an induced signal from a radar installation. We had to install ferrite beads in the power supply circuit and signal cables. I did a search on the net and came up with some info for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_bead

http://www.palomar-engineers.com/Ferrite_B...rite_beads.html

http://www.antennex.com/shack/Dec99/beads.htm

This sounds like the least expensive of any of the other solutions! Very interesting indeed! I have a few questions though. #1 Where would I put these beads? on the power cables of my equipment? or on the audio cables? or both? and...#2 one of the linked articles you posted mentioned something about the different types and ratings...what would you suggest for my particular situation?

ironically, i'm facing the exact same problem! i have a V-ampire and i get the same noise ONLY from my BC Rich which is equipped with an EMG KFK set. it's even clearer when i flip the booster switch so i'm guessing it's my internal wiring that's causing the antenna effect. are you facing this problem with ALL guitars? or just this particular one u're using?

do a small search on a thread called Bollywood made pickups =D that's the topic i started, might be helpful!

I may have to try it with my Dean..I've only been using the ESP as that the Dean is kinda torn up right at the moment doing mods to it...so as soon as I get the Dean set-up I'll try it and see what happens. I've noticed though that when a move further away from the rack and FCB the radio interference goes away. So, it may be the guitar not being properly shielded...I'm not sure. But as I said I've had a heck of a time trying to diagnose the problem and narrow it down to one particular thing. I've got my noise gate turned up so far to try and eliminate this noise that I'm cutting my sustain so bad that the note just disapears after about 2.5-4 seconds...which I can't really live with. I don't play out live hardly at all but, if I ever do get out to a gig I'm afraid I'm going to have to do so much reverse "tweeking" to the gate and such that I'll never get to play!

I read thru the Bollywood made pickups thread...and yes, very informative! Could it be possible this is just an EMG problem? Or maybe just a Behringer wiring issue? I was curious as to know wether you were able to try the capacitor fix? or change the leads length? Did either of them work? If anyone is interested I've found this site to be very helpful on the noise issue. It also has shielding method directions, problem is that its for a Fender strat with single coils and different control set-up so I'm not sure how to go about it with the ESP. Anyway heres the link :

http://www.guitarnuts.com/technical/electr...enericnoise.php

ironically, i'm facing the exact same problem! i have a V-ampire and i get the same noise ONLY from my BC Rich which is equipped with an EMG KFK set. it's even clearer when i flip the booster switch so i'm guessing it's my internal wiring that's causing the antenna effect. are you facing this problem with ALL guitars? or just this particular one u're using?

do a small search on a thread called Bollywood made pickups =D that's the topic i started, might be helpful!

I may have to try it with my Dean..I've only been using the ESP as that the Dean is kinda torn up right at the moment doing mods to it...so as soon as I get the Dean set-up I'll try it and see what happens. I've noticed though that when a move further away from the rack and FCB the radio interference goes away. So, it may be the guitar not being properly shielded...I'm not sure. But as I said I've had a heck of a time trying to diagnose the problem and narrow it down to one particular thing. I've got my noise gate turned up so far to try and eliminate this noise that I'm cutting my sustain so bad that the note just disapears after about 2.5-4 seconds...which I can't really live with. I don't play out live hardly at all but, if I ever do get out to a gig I'm afraid I'm going to have to do so much reverse "tweeking" to the gate and such that I'll never get to play!

Yeah...sounds like your instrument cables combined with several preamps have created a fairly powerful antenna...

Try plugging direct into the recorder and monitor...still as bad?

Most likely it will require a bunch of tweaking and experimentation...

Also....what kind of pickups are you using (single coils are going to be worse) and how about the guitar...is that shielded?

I havn't tried the direct route as that if I do any other set-up I wont be able to record more than just the guitar...in which case I like to play with a drum machine to have patterns to jam to.

The guitar is an ESP LTD F200 and no, I don't think its shielded. Thats one of the mods I've been researching. Thing is I'm not sure whats the best way to go about it. And from what I've read other places newer guitars have a shielding paint that they've been using to help with noise. The control cover on the back and the tremspring covers are both covered with a type of foil on the inside which I would think would help the situation. The pickup and control wireing are all grounded to the trem. I'm using a Dimarzio 207 at the bridge and an EMG HZ on the neck(both humbuckers).

This may be a "no brainer" for some but, I've been stumped with it for quite some time.

I'm having some interference issues in my signal. This isnt hum. First let me explain a couple things: I live just about a mile from 2 large radio towers for a local radio station. I live in a small one bedroom apartment and, have to run everything thru a headphone set-up just to even jam. I'm using a V-amp pro in a rack system with a Digitech Quad and, an Aphex aural exciter. All these are plugged into a juicegoose power conditioner. I also use an FCB1010 to control my presets,ect. in the V-amp. The signal is being ran thru a Fostex four track and, out to my PC. I monitor via the PC.

Heres the question: I'm fairly sure I've narrowed the problem down to the instrument cable. It seems when I move the cable in different directions I pick up the radio station signal thru all my equipment. Now this is a fairly new cable and, as far as I know its shielded I believe. (I could be wrong, I'm assuming all newer cables are shielded) I've tried other cables with the same result. I use mostly Whirlwind. I purchased the power conditioner just last year thinking it would help the situation and it didn't do much at all for the noise.

Is there a reason I'm picking up this signal? And, what the heck am I going to do to get rid of it?!??

This is making recording any kind of track a total impossiblity. So, I havn't recorded anything concrete in almost a year. And, it seems to be getting worse evertime I do try to play.

I'm starting to think I may just have to move to play my guitar!!!!! And, in todays economy thats just not going to happen.

Sorry I didn't have ime to read thru the 5 PAGES of posts so this may have been answered.

Is this just for exposure to the actual wood unfinished or what? I mean this includes fingerboards? Or could you get a reaction with even a mild finish on the wood? And that stems another question: what about toxicity in finishes? I mean if your hypersensative to dust because of a preexsisting allergy, then whats to say your not going to break out in a rash everytime you play a guitar with an exotic wood fingerboard?

You might consider looking at my telecaster project...see the blue link in the signature...

Also...have you considered using punctuation and spaces...very hard to read your post!!!

So...my telecaster has a khaler but with the same range as a floyd. It uses shaller locking tuners and an LSR roller nut...

What you need to understand though...these things are not cheap nor necessarily easy...

On the squier tele, the neck is slightly narrower than a normal fender and the come in one size only. Also, you need to rout out the nut slot towards the bridge...this makes the modification irreversible...you got to have the tools and the confidence to make it work...and again, cost!

With a locking tuner, the strings don't wind around the post that much if used properly (not even once) and you also need to loose the string trees...

While it may look killer and works great...modifications and quite a bit of expense is required. You need quatlity locking tuners, not those cheap two hole wilkinsons that claim to be locking...and the choices of roller nuts are limited and wont fit every guitar...all will require accurate delicate work that can't be undone.

A good slippery nut though can work as well...

...

Welcome to PG...check out some of the threads and have a think about what kind of "project" you might want to do...but also what you are capable of...you got to work up to some of these things...even cutting a new nut is tricky, however you can do dive bombs and such with modifications on a standard strat copy if you set it up right and string with a locking technique from the start...

Remember a lot of ideas may look killer, but a lot of killer ideas have been fatal to a lot of guitars...beware!

pete

Pete,

The original idea here was to start a new neck from scratch and install on an ESP body..or even a new custom body. My main motivation for the question was to even see if it were done by someone else before or, if it could be done at all. As I said" I'm a total newbie at this". The roller nut that I was considering could be pre-routed on a new neck for proper fitment. And I'm pretty sure its a direct floyd locking nut replacement. The only thing that may have to be modified are the screw holes to a possible larger diameter. I'm glad you mentioned the string tree situation as that the ESP has a string retainer and I was wondering if I should remove it when installing the roller nut. The tuners I'm considering are Schaller Mini locking tuners...they are supposed to "drop right in" to an ESP. Direct fit! No Drilling required. I've learned in the past though that this isnt always true! lol But, thanks for the heads up and I'll be considering the expense here. I'm pretty sure to just modify the ESP neck its going to cost me around 60-70 dollars. If I were use this set-up on a new neck it runs upwards of 300+...So I'm more than likely going to just work the ESP neck and save the replacement neck for a later time. Regards....

I've searched around the internet quite extensively and havn't really found any information on this. So I decided to register here looking for an answer. I'm a total newb at doing work on guitars and within the past 2 years have only done minor mods to the guitars I own. But, now I've caught the "mod" bug and want to get further into modifications and luthiering. Although I'm not comepletely familiar with all the types of guitars and parts out there I need some info that some of you might find amusing. My question is: I have an idea for a set-up but not sure if it will work, could I use locking tuners with a roller type nut and a floyd rose bridge with roller saddles? Will the guitar stay in tune when doing dive bombs and such? I know this is usually set for a locking nut. But I'm thinking with locking tuners I may be able to achieve the same result. But, considering the string is wound around the tuner post even with a locking tuner the string will tend to move out of tune when doing a dive bomb. At least this is what I'm thinking. The reason I want a roller nut and roller saddles is to help with sustain, and besides it would look killer. If anyone out there has had the same idea and tried it ...I'd like to know what your results were. If there are any variations that anyone has thought about I'd like to hear those too. Regards, and thanks in advance!

where are you going to find roller saddles for a floyd? a roller nut would work fine for staying in tune, but so would a nice slippery nut, like graphtech tusq or slipstone or graphite, etc. your idea has been done by some, and generally with good results.

My bad on the roller saddles, I just assumed they were out there as I've seen roller saddle replacements for other types of bridges. The graphtech string savers look like a good alternative. I'm still set on a roller nut though. Also, searching around about this I learned something new I did'nt realize before about the Floyd. Stringing it without cutting the string ball off. Never thought about stringing it up in the opposite direction. Sorry as I said:"total newb"! They suggest using the ball as a stop in the tuner post, so this would totally help keep the string in tune with a locking tuner system I would think. Its good to know that others have tried this out before me though. And I appriciate the response. Seems I'll be keeping an eye on the posts here as I may learn quite a bit that I just could'nt on my own. Regards...

I've searched around the internet quite extensively and havn't really found any information on this. So I decided to register here looking for an answer. I'm a total newb at doing work on guitars and within the past 2 years have only done minor mods to the guitars I own. But, now I've caught the "mod" bug and want to get further into modifications and luthiering. Although I'm not comepletely familiar with all the types of guitars and parts out there I need some info that some of you might find amusing. My question is: I have an idea for a set-up but not sure if it will work, could I use locking tuners with a roller type nut and a floyd rose bridge with roller saddles? Will the guitar stay in tune when doing dive bombs and such? I know this is usually set for a locking nut. But I'm thinking with locking tuners I may be able to achieve the same result. But, considering the string is wound around the tuner post even with a locking tuner the string will tend to move out of tune when doing a dive bomb. At least this is what I'm thinking. The reason I want a roller nut and roller saddles is to help with sustain, and besides it would look killer. If anyone out there has had the same idea and tried it ...I'd like to know what your results were. If there are any variations that anyone has thought about I'd like to hear those too. Regards, and thanks in advance!