project Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 How difficult would it be to put a Floyd Rose or something like that on a les paul? ..........or is that even possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Oh it's possible, but you'll have to cut out a large cavity...... Check out the Stetsbar.... no hacking away whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jantha Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 The Kahler 2200 series tremolo drops right in no drilling some routing required. Comes with fine tuning assembly. The locking nut requires drilling two small holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 So Stetsbar and Kahler 2200 huh? Cool, got any other suggestions for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Google Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzboy Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Buy a Bigsby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Buy a Bigsby I have considered a Bigsby, but it's not my style. Thanks for the suggestion though. Actually, after checking the Stetsbar, I've gotta say I'm pretty impressed with what I see. I really love the fact that I wouldn't have to permanently change or alter the body of my guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Here's a pretty big question for you guys. Will I be sacrificing a lot of sustain by changing to a tremolo system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 No. I've put trems on two of my LPs and the difference in sustain was not significant. BTW, have you looked at an Axcess? It sports a factory installed double locking Floyd. Very tasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 No. I've put trems on two of my LPs and the difference in sustain was not significant. BTW' date=' have you looked at an Axcess? It sports a factory installed double locking Floyd. Very tasty. Well, it's nice to hear from someone with experience that a trem want kill your sustain. What kind of trems are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 That's a "Les Trem" purchased from Stew-Mac. No drilling or routing. No locking (tail or nut). I installed a roller bridge on that LP. Works great for traditional trem use and even with some big bending - with Big Bends Nut Sauce on the nut. That LP also has locking tuners. I like that Les Trem, put another on my Epi LP Ultra II hybrid. But if you're looking for some dive bomb action, double lock is the way to go. I got a Jackson PC-1 with a double locking Floyd on it. Great performance and return to pitch, even under heavy man-handling on big dives. Love it. If I can find a Axcess, new or used, in my price range. Yummy. I wonder how high this ebay Axcess is gonna go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 I wonder how high this one is gonna go. Oooooooohhh....that's really nice!! Well, if I did go the route of Floyd Rose, Kahler, or any other trem that requires routing, would the guitar need routing on both sides? The only trem I have experience with is the one on my strat which has routing on the front for the bridge to fit in the body and routing on the back where you can adjust the springs and what not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Yes, similar setup to your Strat - spring cavity on the back with a through-body route for the block. You could save some routing by mounting the Floyd flush on the deck instead of recessed. Either way, it's a complicated route. Then there's the locking nut to install, which is more complicated than it looks. You should price an installation by a luthier or two. If the prices are more than you expected, you might want to think about a puchase (and/or trade) of something with a factory installed double locking Floyd. Good luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 I agree, it would be much simpler to just buy a guitar with a floyd rose or what have you. Another thing that kinda puts me off though is that most people seem to think that a "floyd type" tremolo is a pain in the butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I disagree with the pain in the butt - but that's just me. If you have a Floyd or similar setup that double locks and has the fine tuners on the tail, no problems with keeping it in tune. I use 10s and tend to stay with the same type/brand. The pain most would speak of is when you change strings. You've got to unlock the nut, loosen the strings with the tuners, unlock the tail, remove the old strings, recenter the fine tuners, cut the string ends off (hoops or balls), lock the strings into the tail, put the strings through the nut lock and string the tuners. Now, with the nut unlocked, tune up, which you will have to do repeatedly (from low E to high E) because the tail is held in place by springs and every string tension change changes the pressure on the springs altering the position of the tail. This tuning procedure after a string change is a big source of pains in the butt. Stretch the strings using the trem bar. Check the tuning again. Lock the nut. Touch up tuning is done with the fine tuners. When you get done, check that the angle of the Floyd tail base plate - it should be parallel to the guitar top, give or take a few hairs. This shouldn't change unless you've changed string gauge or type/brand. If the angle of the Floyd tail base plate strays to far from parallel with the deck, you've got to adjust the spring tension in the back cavity, then do a tuning and recheck the angle of the Floyd tail base plate. Repeat until you get it set right. This is a source of major pains in the butt. We haven't talked about intonation which would require multiple steps as in tuning. And, if you use your stings long enough that you run out of fine tuning room, you've got to recenter your fine tuners and then do a tune up procedure. I think you can get the picture. Actually, the Strat has very similar procedures. Some people would find all this a pain in the butt. I don't and gladly do it for the ability to thrash and dive bomb like crazy. So there you go. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Arcadius Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Nice thread people! Lots of interesting stuff to learn. Good luck with what you decide man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Man, i love your PC-1, congrats. How much does it cost? i'm looking for a "lead" guitar, and i saw this Jackson and the Kramer striker custom (the new model.. yes i know that they anything in common with '80s ones).... is this PC-1 a good choice? in which color does it comes? PS: project, if you want a gibson keep in mind the axcess, but it's overpriced, imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Man' date=' i love your PC-1, congrats. How much does it cost? i'm looking for a "lead" guitar, and i saw this Jackson and the Kramer striker custom (the new model.. yes i know that they anything in common with '80s ones).... is this PC-1 a good choice? in which color does it comes? ...[/quote'] Thanks. The Jackson PC-1 has a nice setup for lead. Follow that link for specs & finishes (several colors). It's not cheap - around $2400 new. They can be found cheaper used, and on ebay. What I like about the PC-1: 24 frets - 'nuff said. Compound neck radius - it goes from 12" at the to a nice flat 16" at the 24th fret - really smooth on bends. Floyd Rose double locking trem - great performance - takes a beating and stays on pitch. The neck pup is also a sustainer/driver. This is something you've got to check out. Very cool. It sustains by driving the string vibrations. There are two micro switches you can see on the front. The micro switch nearest the bridge is the switch that controls the sustain note, which has two positions - 1:sustain the note you strike, or 2:sustain the octave. Really cooly. The micro switch closer to the butt end of the guitar turns the sustainer/driver on and off. The middle control knob controls the intensity of the sustain. Also cool. One drawback - batteries. The sustainer/driver is an 18volt system and uses two 9volt batteries. I have 4 rechargables. But, battery cost is definitely something to think about. The PC-1 would be a great choice for a lead. If cost is an issue, there are plenty of choices out there with 24 frets, compound neck radius (that gets up to16") and double locking Floyd for less money. But those are three things I would want. Of course pups are a matter of taste. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Beach Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I've had quite a bit of experience with floyd roses, when I was younger and playing lead in 50 metal bands I had a good number of guitars with a floyd. For me it boils down to, will you use it. If your a trem nut and have to grab that bar for every song then I say go for it. But if not I say let it be. I think floyds are too much trouble for what they are worth, at least thats what I think NOW. But a couple of years ago I thought they weren't bad at all. Mainly because I use to use it a lot, now I never touch it. For someone like me that doesn't use a trem, but changes tuning quite often, then it just isn't probable. Here is a interesting thread on another forum. It goes through the entire building process including routing the body for a floyd. This way you can see how much goes into that sucker. http://deanguitars.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55210&start=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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