Educate me on Model Series guitars that have Floyd locknuts

[Number Of The Priest]

I am mostly accustomed to seeing Model Series guitars with locking clamps installed behind the nut itself, as seen in the first image below.



So when I spotted, pictured below, this Model 5 with a Floyd locknut and a string retainer bar, I wondered how common locknuts (and if applicable, retainer bars) were on the Model Series. Does this look like it might have left the factory this way, or does it look like someone installed a locknut to replace the stock nut and locking clamps? Tell me more about Model Series guitars you've seen or owned that had locknuts, their history, their prevalence. Share photos if possible. Looking forward to learning more about this! Thanks!

[metalhobo]

the white model 5 locking nut looks retrofitted. from the factory the routed shelves are generally in parallel with the fingerboard, but that one looks like it's more or less following the angle of the headstock. I hope it intonates okay

[john.w.lawson]

I am mostly accustomed to seeing Model Series guitars with locking clamps installed behind the nut itself, as seen in the first image below.



So when I spotted, pictured below, this Model 5 with a Floyd locknut and a string retainer bar, I wondered how common locknuts (and if applicable, retainer bars) were on the Model Series. Does this look like it might have left the factory this way, or does it look like someone installed a locknut to replace the stock nut and locking clamps? Tell me more about Model Series guitars you've seen or owned that had locknuts, their history, their prevalence. Share photos if possible. Looking forward to learning more about this! Thanks!

It's a common enough mod on some of the model series as MH has stated and it's obvious that it's not factory by the angel of the nut. There is a shim under the nut and it's not even done well.

[john.w.lawson]

if you enlarge the pic from the side of the nut, you'll see the shim comes out past the nut

[Sanctuary]

I have an original *late* '88 Model 6 with a Floyd nut. NOT modded. Has all the original documentation (hang tags, bill of sale etc.).

[john.w.lawson]

I have an original *late* '88 Model 6 with a Floyd nut. NOT modded. Has all the original documentation (hang tags, bill of sale etc.).

Yeah, never seen one before. This one is modded you can see the wedge on the side and it sticks out in the front too. I've had four six's none with floyd nut's and one was an 88. Stranger things have happened though

Since the model series were made in a factory and mostly by machines, I find it hard to think they would make the fretboard longer(which of course means making the neck longer) ,because if they didn't the first fret would not be right nor the scale length of the guitar and if they did all the frets would be in different position's than what their machines were setup to cut.

Sorry I had to add what it would take to have a from the factory floyd nut on a guitar not made for one. Not the one above it's modded, badly.

[Razor]

Definitely been modded with the Floyd nut and as everyone else has stated it's not a good job at it either. Looks like it can be corrected. A lot of guys who do that use a shim to make the nut parallel with the fret board. There's a guy on the Charvel Guitars Facebook page that has been making shims with his 3D printer to convert the old Kahler lock nut to a Floyd lock nut. Myself I wouldn't do it as I want my guitars in original condition. If that Model 5 was mine I'd look at trying to convert it back if they hadn't cut anything off the fret board. If they have then you're committed to fixing the Floyd nut properly.

[Dak]

I have an original *late* '88 Model 6 with a Floyd nut. NOT modded. Has all the original documentation (hang tags, bill of sale etc.).

Yeah, never seen one before. This one is modded you can see the wedge on the side and it sticks out in the front too. I've had four six's none with floyd nut's and one was an 88. Stranger things have happened though

Since the model series were made in a factory and mostly by machines, I find it hard to think they would make the fretboard longer(which of course means making the neck longer) ,because if they didn't the first fret would not be right nor the scale length of the guitar and if they did all the frets would be in different position's than what their machines were setup to cut.

Sorry I had to add what it would take to have a from the factory floyd nut on a guitar not made for one. Not the one above it's modded, badly.

I think it's possible you are both right because the toothpaste logo Charvels( Classic series IIRC) came out in '89. So though John is right because that area of the neck is different on guitars with a floyd nut vs. the model series nut and the factory wasn't setup for floyd nuts. That said they retooled to put floyd nuts on the toothpaste logo'd ones. Depending on when the retool happened I would imagine some late '88 model series could have shipped with floyd nuts as they got made after the retooling at the factory but before the toothpaste logo went into full production. I imagine the the first toothpaste logo guitars were actually built in late '88 to be ready for the 1989 release.

[Sanctuary]

I will post a pic when I get a chance. I wouldn't have bought the guitar if there was any chance it had been f*&cked with. At the time (we're talking decades ago) I paid over the odds to get the guitar as it was basically a time-piece.

And yep I have other Model 5/6's with the normal Kahler lock, so I know what to look for.

[Razor]

I have an original *late* '88 Model 6 with a Floyd nut. NOT modded. Has all the original documentation (hang tags, bill of sale etc.).

My posts are in reference to the one that Number Of The Priest asked about just so you know where I'm coming from.

My best friend has a 3DR that has a later Kahler made Floyd style lock nut that appears to be original. My 3DR has the old style behind the nut Kahler lock nut we're all accustomed to seeing. No doubt in my mind that as production shifted over Jackson/Charvel started using Floyd style nuts on them.

Picture of my best friends 3DR head stock.

[john.w.lawson]

Yeah, found one like that it's not a floyd nut though its says kahler on it. the 5 is modded

Not mine


charvel-model-3dr-05.jpg

[Sanctuary]

[Razor]

That's exactly whet I expected to see. Damn sure original.

[john.w.lawson]

That's exactly whet I expected to see. Damn sure original.

Yeah, same as the other two Kalher nut's.

Must of been because of Floyd patent BS. Still very cool

[Number Of The Priest]

Great discussion everyone. Nice seeing the different factory locknut types on these late Model Series.

The seller of the white Model 5 seen in my first post listed the guitar for $1500 Canadian ($1177.72 American as of this writing) a week ago, and that is too high for me regardless of whether or not the locknut was factory, but it made me post this topic to solicit the perspectives of you sharp-eyed detectives.