PLEASE HELP! Floyd Rose Clarify Distance

MaverickStang

Member
Sep 18, 2014
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Houston, Texas
I'm modifying a 2015 Indonesia Fender Squier Bullet HSS Tremolo. I got this guitar before the musician store I have near me stopped selling guitars. YES I KNOW! They stopped selling GUITARS! All they sell is guitar accessories, equipment, and give music lessons. So this was clearance and this guitar sounded bright on tone once I got it. I talked about getting a HSS to my family and friends for style of different sound. My first guitar was a 2000 Indonesia Squier Bullet SSS. Money was tight at the moment for being frugal on my expenses of one being like $100-$150 by retail price. I mean I could of got for myself, but for a sake of spending $120+ of this price tag, I ended up getting it for my birthday, because I wanted a Fender with a humbucker. Please don't give me a hard time with a Fender! I like the different quintessential sound it has and I just appreciate Fender a lot more than most people do. Harder to intonate at times, but trust me it's possible to get a Fender sounding right. For me 56-11 gauges sound the best for Drop C on Fenders, it might be speculation or preference, but hey it's my experience in my opinion. Anyways back to what I need help with. So looking at other guitars I have by comparison, a Jackson Soloist (with Floyd Rose) or looking at a friend's Ibanez (with Floyd Rose). So I think I have a sense of the distance needed by eye balling to create a reasonable distance between the bridge and the pickup. How can I be so sure to do this way?

Now my problem before and the only reason to why I'm upgrading this guitar is because the bone nut I had installed didn't last, due to the angle of the bridge; it's crooked. It played perfectly fine for awhile, except I believe since the angle of the bridge, while using the whammy made the lowest top string nut slot to wear out quickly. All the other 5 strings played fine. So for the record, I want this guitar to behave right!

I've been researching, so I think the best way to determine is by reference of the old tremolo and measuring from the guitar nut.

I'm not sure if you start from the front of the nut or behind the nut near the first fret, when measuring the scale length to the bridge. I've been looking for hours on search engine and there is no clarification. I want to get this correct for recessed routing! I'm taking it slow and so far I have the guitar nut out and room by shaving off the pick guard. Most is recessed in the back because of the old tremolo. So really I have the middle portion done of the recessed mostly, but there is some play room for adjustment.

The locking nut (1.6875inches)-$2.78-Free Shipping] I believe the base of the locking nut is brass.
[Floyd Rose Bridge-$24.05 plus $2.51 in Shipping (Total 26.56)]

$29.34 in total (All from Ebay)

Overall it's quite a project and very cheap to do an upgrade.

All the same materials as the
original tremolo.




    • String blocks are not pot metal.
    • Saddles are copper
    • Base plate is steel.
    • Sustain block is zinc alloy with aluminium


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Yes I know it's wide, but this is a wide Floyd Rose Bridge. The photo here is not accurate on the pickguard, because it wasn't straight. I have done some adjustments to make it look straighter on the pickguard, so I'm happy where it stands.

Should I use the first anchor screws of the Floyd Rose Bridge as a reference of lining up and measure distance? I just need some assistance on determining the RIGHT DISTANCE! Should I bring the whole saddle forward to measure? This is first time for a project like this and I just need references or some assistance, if you have any information for this discussion thread to help? Where exactly do I start from point to point from bridge or saddle to guitar nut? Everything on the internet is not exact pin point on it. I don't know why, it's just I guess people aren't elaborate enough to really help. So that's why I'm asking here. I'm afraid if slight margin of error will mess it up. I know that the top portion is 6mm and the back portion is 12mm. Those cut measures seem right, so I'm all set on my procedure of routing. I just need to know the placement so that I don't over do by cut off measure with marks of tape for routing the recessed result.

I might figure it out by asking a professional luthier at the new Guitar Center a bit more distance out near me. Help me save gas, :p if you can answer and help me out? The other store near me is like a 1, 1-1/2, or 2 miles from my home, but they don't have a luthier on hand anymore to ask the question.

Also shaving down some wood for the locking nut, I have my other 2000 Fender for reference sense; can always use a shim if needed.
 
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