Help on replacing Floyd on a production series

[zarl]

I just ordered an OFR from Warmoth, and the sales guy said all nuts are either or, with screws provided for through or top mounting.

Awesome. Thanks for reporting back on this. I'm going to order mine today.

[JACKSONWOLF]

are the schaller nuts identical to the ofr nuts? That is; does the ofr in retail packaging come with the schaller nut?

Schaller make OFR's and the Nuts to go with them, unless they are the Korean variety.

Steve

[AndyK]

Schaller make OFR's and the Nuts to go with them, unless they are the Korean variety.

Steve

Curious, why are there OFR's, made by Schaller, and Schaller licensed Floyds?

[toejam]

Curious, why are there OFR's, made by Schaller, and Schaller licensed Floyds?

Schaller always made the OFR in their West German factory, but they also make their own licensed version. I'm not so sure if they do make the OFR any more since they're now being made in Korea.
The German OFR tolerances have been slipping for the past few years anyway and just didn't seem to be as well-made as they used to be.

[AndyK]

Tom Anderson expressed his concern last year that Schaller was having some quality control issues. I think "made in Germany" used to mean made by Germans. Now, even though it's made in Germany, it could very well be made by Korean immigrants or Pakistani immigrants - unheard of a generation ago. Due to open boarders and companies search for lower-wages, "made in" doesn't really mean the same thing as it used to.

That said, I'd still take German steel over Korean steel any day!

[Grandturk]

Schaller always made the OFR in their West German factory

Curious. Was there ever a factory in East Germany? If so, I'm going to start a rumor that East German Floyds are better than West German Floyds and that they have more MOJO!

[joelayres]

Be aware that the Schaller licensed versions have a different footprint than the OFR.

http://www.warmoth.com/hardware/bridges/bridges.cfm?fuseaction=bridges_floyd_schaller

[zarl]

So, I ordered my OFR from Warmoth with the R3 nut. The swap was a no-brainer. They didn't provide the top mount screws for the nut, but I just reused the ones on there with no issue. This made a significant improvement in overall feel of the bridge.

And, it is a 37mm block.

[Ayrton]

Never bought a Floyd from Warmoth, but the retail boxed Floyd will come with both sets of screws for top and through mounting.

FYI, the Floyds from Carvin do not come with a nut (unless that has changed since '07).

[vikingrat]

Schaller always made the OFR in their West German factory, but they also make their own licensed version. I'm not so sure if they do make the OFR any more since they're now being made in Korea.
The German OFR tolerances have been slipping for the past few years anyway and just didn't seem to be as well-made as they used to be.

This is what the guy at Performance guitars told me as well. New noob question but what is the advantage of changing out the Floyd that came with my So Cal Charvel? I was thinking of putting a brass block in there but people really seem down on the whole Floyd unit that comes stock on this guitar.

[joelayres]

Never bought a Floyd from Warmoth, but the retail boxed Floyd will come with both sets of screws for top and through mounting.

I've bought 3 new OFR's over the years, and none have came with the topmount screws.

[zarl]

This is what the guy at Performance guitars told me as well. New noob question but what is the advantage of changing out the Floyd that came with my So Cal Charvel? I was thinking of putting a brass block in there but people really seem down on the whole Floyd unit that comes stock on this guitar.

Some folks don't seem to like the quality of these Korean-made units. For me, I was fine with it, but I just wanted chrome hardware instead of black. However, after installing the German OFR, I'd say there's a better feel to it. I believe that the German OFR is heavier, possibly due to the steel vs. zinc saddles, which likely makes it feel different.

[joelayres]

Some folks don't seem to like the quality of these Korean-made units.

Honestly, I think it's more in the head than anything else. I have two prod models and there is nothing wrong with the Floyds. In any case, the economy can use these folks pumping their money in, so go for it.

[XSSIVE]

the reason most people don't like the cheap floyds is because they are tonally dead sounding compared to a german made OFR due to the fact that they have zinc saddles and a zinc block. zinc is just a dead sounding metal. it doesn't ring or resonate it just thuds and dies out. even if you did a simple test of dropping the zinc block from a asian floyd on a concrete floor and dropping the brass german block you'd hear the difference in how they ring and resonate when they hit the floor. the brass will chime and ring the zinc will just thud and die out. the brass and steel combo of a real floyd lets things ring and resonate and gives the guitar a fuller more lively sound. it's quite a big change when you swap one of the pro-mods from the asian floyd to the german one. it's an even bigger change when you then route the neck pocket for less of an angle and let the floyd rest flat on the body dive only...now the guitar really opens up and sounds more alive and more full. i've done this to all the pro-mods i've had and each one sounded worlds better after the floyd swap and then even better than that after neck angle adjustment.

it's one of those things like many in life that when you don't try it you don't think you're missing anything but once you do try it you realize how bad it was before. like going from TV to HDTV or DVD to Blu-ray. it's one of those "wow" moments where you wonder how you ever dealt with things the old way and vow to never go back lol.

-Mike

[Ayrton]

I've bought 3 new OFR's over the years, and none have came with the topmount screws.

Don't know what to tell you, but all of mine have. Including the one sitting in front of me while I type this.