tremolo stress

[porter197]

hey all,

i have a 1985 375 deluxe. the little screws that hold in the blocks to set the intonation on the floyd rose are now just spining in the holes and no longer grip the blocks. it has the charvel toothpaste logo on one side of the trem and 'made in germany by schaller'. can i get another one of these? or is that not gonna happen?

where can i get one? (yes am away to check the classifieds on the forum dont worry)

[dg]

This is a pretty common problem, because the JT-590 doesn't have hardened threaded inserts for the intonation screws. If you don't have any luck finding a good used replacement at a good price, the Schaller Floyd baseplate is a direct replacement, and Rockinger sells them:

http://www.rockinger.com/index.php?c...F1637S%2F1637G

I believe they'll ship anywhere, but it can get pricey. At one point, Zerberus said he could hook people up with these if they couldn't get them. He's not around here much anymore, but it might not hurt to PM him as a last resort.

[Sunbane]

Hi and welcome! DG is right on the money as usual - good advice there.

i have a 1985 375 deluxe.

It isn't from 85 though. The 375 first appeared as a model in 1989, and I don't think that finish was available from the start.

[lynchfan6]

I had this problem with my 1992 N4 with a Schaller trem. I went to "Fastenal", a local place with tons of screws, bolts, etc. I bought the same screws(they had the EXACT ones in stock), only slightly longer, and some nuts to go on the ends. Fix the nuts on the underside of the baseplate with some strong adhesive, and problem solved. Now, the intonation screws catch in the nut hidden underneath, and not in the stripped holes. It was a cheap fix, something like a couple of dollars. If you don't have a store like this, I could buy you the parts and mail them to you for CHEAP. I'm talking a few cents per piece to buy.

[porter197]

yeah your right it is a 90-91 375 deluxe... my mistake.

thanks for the info and link to rockinger. unfortunatley the base plate screws arent the only problem as one of the blocks to clamp the string is sticking and the allen key is just spinning in some of the screws to tighten the blocks as well, have had to use a hacksaw to create a hole for a screwdriver.

seeing as there seem to be a problem with the metal being quite soft is it a better idea to go with an original floyd rose rather than replacing the original schaller system?

oh and for anyone else out there who has a 375 deluxe i can highly recommend replacing the humbucker with a DiMarzio 'Fred' (as designed by joe satriani) the sound is amazing...

[porter197]

ps thanks for the offer lynchfan6

[Sunbane]

The screws can easilly be replaced.
The JT-590 bridge is virtually identical to the Schaller "Floyd Rose II", so you can get quality spare parts that fit without problems. If you're looking for a new bridge, aforementioned Schaller Floyd Rose II will be an exact fit. These are great bridges, and will hold up just as well as an OFR. The only difference between the 590 and the Schaller FR II, is that the FR II has hardened steel inserts in the baseplate for the intonation screws, so you will not strip the threads as easilly.

Fitting an OFR in place of the JT-590 would probably require some woodworking, unless you block the trem for dive only operation. The locking screws of the OFR are longer, and would probably overshoot the bridge route. There is also another potential problem: The saddles sit further away from the pivot points on the Schaller than they do on an OFR, so putting an OFR on there will throw the intonation a little out of whack. You can usually compensate for this when intonating, but in some cases the 6th string saddle will not be able to go back far enough. The risk of this happening will also increase if you use non-standard tunings.

One more thing: Be sure to hang on to the original humbucker, and do not throw it away! The 375 had a Jackson J-90C right? Jackson original pickups from that era are really good, and the J-90C in particular is highly praised.

[Kisonen]

Rockinger has all the parts you need for your trem. Just buy new sets of string lock screws (short schaller style) and inserts to go with new base plate.
Those little string lock inserts crack from stress and start to drag as they become too wide for the slot they are supposed to go in.

[Glave]

Not sure where you are located, but if you're ordering from the US, StewMac would be a comparable store here to Rockinger.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces/Floyd_Rose_tremolos_and_parts.html

[dg]

No Schaller baseplates at Stewmac, or anywhere else that I can think of, which is why it was a pretty big deal when Rockinger started offering them.