Question Shims for Gotoh GE1996T Floyd Rose for a 10" radius neck

[kimonostereo]

I posted this elsewhere but maybe this is more of a EBMM forum member question, so I'm giving it a shot here.

A friend has a beat up Axis body and needs to replace the Floyd rose trem. I have a Gotoh GE1996T that I might consider using on this guitar. The Axis has a 10" radius but the GE1996T Floyd is 14" radius stock. Anyone know which saddles to shim to get it to a 10" radius?

 

[GBeattie]

I posted this elsewhere but maybe this is more of a EBMM forum member question, so I'm giving it a shot here.

A friend has a beat up Axis body and needs to replace the Floyd rose trem. I have a Gotoh GE1996T that I might consider using on this guitar. The Axis has a 10" radius but the GE1996T Floyd is 14" radius stock. Anyone know which saddles to shim to get it to a 10" radius?

This is what i posted on a similar post earlier if it helps. I use the copper/aluminium tape method

i know this thread is old but was searching in this area recently so thought I would put my "fix" in for this issue as it was the first 10" radius neck with floyd I had. Previously I was used to 16" radius with a 10-12" floyd and on that the middle strings where then obviously higher. So it did feel wierd having the high E "high" and middle strings "low" when playing the axis 10" radius with a flatter bridge radius.

i have my axis action set @ 1.4mm at 12th fret on all strings with a dead straight neck. i set the bass E and treble E at 1.4mm via the neck shim setup. Then I measured the difference in action for all of the middle strings eg. G was 1mm so I wanted to raise that action 0.4mm. I then stacked pieces of adhesive copper tape on top of eachother to just under double the "difference in action required" for each saddle and stuck it to the underside of the saddle. I used a sharp hobby knife to trim the copper to the profile of the saddle mounting face. Then I assembled each saddle back onto the bridge in its original position, the intonation was still decent enough for me but you can re-set. This is quite a standard approach I think for solving this issue and its worked great for me, I couldn't be happier with the results.

It allows me to keep the high E action low while keeping the middle strings a little higher than standard to minimise "fret rattle" on the middle strings 1-6 frets with the dead straight neck. And the dead straight neck then allows me to maximise the "next fret clearance" for the higher fretted E notes when bending to prevent choking out. This is the perfect setup for me with my axis. Hopefully this info is useful for someone just starting out with their axis. I now couldn't be happier with mine having moved from the charvel world, 12-16 compound radius etc.

 

[kimonostereo]

Thanks! I know how to do it, but was more wondering if anyone knew specifically how many shims needed to go under each saddle. Thanks for mentioning copper tape. Seems like a good idea for some really exact adjustments!

 

[GBeattie]

Thanks! I know how to do it, but was more wondering if anyone knew specifically how many shims needed to go under each saddle. Thanks for mentioning copper tape. Seems like a good idea for some really exact adjustments!

Yea, i have seen shims available on ebay but the tape method is easiest for me since its percise and I've loads of it at my bench

 

[jayjayjay]

Does your friend still have the beat-up FR trem? If it's from EBMM, you may be able to send it in to them and get a replacement (possibly for a fee). I've heard that while EBMM doesn't sell major components, they'll sell replacements if you have the original and can send it in.

 

[dean701]

found this thread, thought I'd help with the math.

the saddles are 10.8 mm wide so 6 saddles wide would be 64.8mm wide in total
The height difference at the middle point between a 254mm (10" radius) and a 350mm (14" radius) across 64.8mm is roughly 0.5mm
Using the prefab 0.2mm shims, to make a ballpark 10" radius from a 14", you would need 2 x 0.2mm at the for D and G and 1 x 0.2mm for A and B.
I entered all this into autocad for verification but having said all this, I didn't like it . I ended up doing it to taste. I setup the bridge as normal with low action for the high e. I like low action and it's usually around .8mm at the 12th fret on my high e. I get the high e as low as I can without fretting out on bends and then add shims (if needed for other strings).
It all depends on the pick strength and technique. I pick lightly and the strings don't vibrate up and down as much as left to right. All in all, I usually just add shims to the D and A wound strings as lower is better for me and the e B G strings have no problems sitting low. The D and A are usually where string buzz has a tendency to happen. YMMV