Steve Nukather
Well-known member
Anyone here tried a Non-Fine Tuner Floyd Rose on the Axis? Seems like the NFT Floyd might improve tone, so I am curious.
Non-Fine Tuner Floyd Rose on Axis
- Thread starter Steve Nukather
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racerx
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Any particular reason for this? I could see semantics of brass v. aluminum v. steel / etc., but why would fine tuners vs. not influence tone in any material way?
Steve Nukather
Well-known member
The non fine tuner floyd has a solid one piece saddle entirely bolted down to the baseplate. In contrast, the typical floyd saddle is comprised of two pieces held together with a pin. The saddle 'floats' above the baseplate. Any play between the two pieces dissipates string energy.
I can think of one reason why you wouldn't want to do that: it would be a royal pain every time you picked up the guitar to bring it to tune. You'd have to unlock and relock the nut each time with a hex key. That's the whole point of the fine tuners, so that you don't have to unlock the nut.
You could, of course, get rid of the locking nut, but then what's the point? You wouldn't have a double locking system, and at that point you may as well just go with a more traditional two-point trem, like what's on the Axis Super Sport (which also holds tune quite well, I'd point out).
You could, of course, get rid of the locking nut, but then what's the point? You wouldn't have a double locking system, and at that point you may as well just go with a more traditional two-point trem, like what's on the Axis Super Sport (which also holds tune quite well, I'd point out).
Steve Nukather
Well-known member
Yes, the locking nut would have to go. The Axis Sport design is preferable and its trem works great. Wish I could find one locally.
EBMM_EVH_1992
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The old floyds go for a fortune now - theres' a fb group that collect all the early examples no matter how rusted.
Brad Gillis has one of the earliest floyds ever made and used to tune his guitar a certain way as the strings would go sharp when clamped but the floyd stayed in tune after that as long as you've stretched and bedded in the strings.
Brad Gillis has one of the earliest floyds ever made and used to tune his guitar a certain way as the strings would go sharp when clamped but the floyd stayed in tune after that as long as you've stretched and bedded in the strings.
Axis Sport
Well-known member
Here is one I did many years ago and worked out fine. Mods were bridge, nut and installed locking tuners. I got rid of the fine tuners and was able to install the strings through removed fine tuner holes. At the time I was not Into the stock bridge, but wanted an Axis and not a Super Sport. I am now more into the standard rose and have a stock black Axis, great guitar.
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Steve Nukather
Well-known member
^^ looks good!
This one might work too, although the saddle design isn't great.
Vintage Tremolo | Tremolos | Schaller Webshop
This one might work too, although the saddle design isn't great.
Vintage Tremolo | Tremolos | Schaller Webshop
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Really, the saddles for solid saddles look pretty well made, the middle is self centering and the rounded edge aid for hand resting.
Glenn |B)
Nice work! Looks like you basically made an Axis Sport that's a top-loader, w/ a floating trem.
Maybe I'm missing something, but does the FR offer some advantage beyond the double locking setup that would make it desirable over other two-point trems? I mean, the reason for the fine tuners is b/c it's a double locking system, so it isn't practical to unlock the nut every time you need to tune, and the double locking system is what makes it so stable in aggressive dives - you're eliminating the nut and tuner posts as sources for imbalance.
If what you're really after is saddles that are firmly secured to the bridge by bolt to improve tone (as the OP suggested), I'd suggest looking at Wilkinson trems. I have a Danelectro Baritone that has one (WVS50IIK I think it is), and intonation adjustment is very similar to the FR - you loosen a small bolt to unlock a saddle block, slide it, and tighten when it's where you want. The saddle blocks are one piece and affixed with the bolt, so you get a solid contact from saddle to base plate.
Astrofreq
Well-known member
If I ever replace the trem on my Cutlass, I’ll absolutely get a Vega-Trem.
