About to buy a Rhoads Pro, anyone wanna help a newbie out?

[RattleHead]

Buy the guitar.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

None of that is any big deal except the yellowed finish, which, depending on your viewpoint, looks kind of cool.

Rusty Floyd bolts happen on brand new guitars... If it's just light surface rust then color it black with a Sharpie. If it's really corroded bad, new bolts are easy to come by.

For the fretboard, a tube sock inside out with some lighter fluid (Zippo lighter fluid) to clean the crud and then some mineral oil to shine it up.

For the frets, I usually use dry rubbing compound but steel wool will work, too- just make sure you cover the pickups with tape.

But hey, that looks like it would clean up real nice. Great guitar for $500.

[ddrisgood137]

Ok, well I think I'm pretty set on getting this, I'll probably buy it this weekend. so the frets/fretboard and bridge rust are all no problem, huh? Can anyone give me some advice on cleaning the fretboard and frets? I've heard that lemon oil is good for the fretboard, but apparently lighter fluid works too? I'm sure you know what you're talking about but it seems a little strange to me. And how about getting the rust off of the frets without damaging them?

And lastly, where should I go to buy replacement Schaller parts? Is there an online store I can buy them from?

Thanks for all the responses so far.

[JACKSONFREAK]

You can clean the ebony fretboard with some rubbing alcohol or the dunlop fretboard cleaner. The be sure to use lemon oil on the board right after that or it will dry out too much and crack. The frets can be cleaned with 0000 steel wool or rubbing compund on a soft cloth. If you use steel wool tape over the pickups so the steel wool dust doesnt get into the pups and short them out. (even tho they are covered it can still happen) If you opt for the rubbing compound on the frets tape the finger board around the frets so you dont get it on the board. It wont hurt it but it will turn the board white when it dries. (if this happens a pick is good to lake it off.) The rusty parts on the trem can be leaned with WD40 and a toothbrush. If the parts dont clean to your satisfaction then you can order new ones. But personally if its clean and functions properly but has finish wear i dont care. It will happen anyway.
Gil

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Ok, well I think I'm pretty set on getting this, I'll probably buy it this weekend. so the frets/fretboard and bridge rust are all no problem, huh? Can anyone give me some advice on cleaning the fretboard and frets? I've heard that lemon oil is good for the fretboard, but apparently lighter fluid works too? I'm sure you know what you're talking about but it seems a little strange to me. And how about getting the rust off of the frets without damaging them?

And lastly, where should I go to buy replacement Schaller parts? Is there an online store I can buy them from?

Thanks for all the responses so far.

Everybody has their own way of doing this kind of stuff, so, you'll get some different input...

Naphtha won't really hurt the fingerboard, but I won't use it unless the board is REALLY crusty. It will remove any grease and oil from it, and leave it dry, so you want to follow that up with some non-petroleum Mineral Oil (stuff you get at the drug store, in the laxative section).

You can also use Formby's Lemon Oil Treatment to clean the board. Don't SOAK it, just use enough to get it clean, then wipe as much off as you can, and again, follow up with some regular old Mineral Oil.

If you use rubbing compound to shine up the frets, just cut a 3x3 inch piece of cotton cloth (t-shirt) and squirt about a quarter-size blob of rubbing compound on it, and work it into the cloth, spread it around, then set it aside until it dries. That way, when you use it, you won't get the white pasty gunk all over the fingerboard, just a little white dust.

Important things to remember...

DO NOT soak your fretboard with oil. Doesn't matter if it's Rosewood or Ebony, being soaked with oil is NOT good for the fingerboard. A light coat to put a shine on it and keep it from reacting too quickly to temperature and humidity changes is all you really need.

DO NOT get steel wool or the particles anywhere near your pickups, if you like your pickups. Cover them completely with tape, and before removing the tape, cover the tape with tape again (to trap the steel wool particles).

I use the 3M Scotch Brite pads instead of steel wool for that reason. Lots of guys use steel wool, that's fine, I just don't like getting it all over my work bench.

[pro-fusion]

As an alternative, you could take it to your local guitar repair place for a setup. Most reputable repair guys will do a fretboard cleanup and polish as part of the setup process and not charge you an arm/leg.

[ddrisgood137]

Well I'm all set to go pick it up on Saturday, and he told me he'd clean the fretboard so I guess I don't have to worry about that. But where would I go get trem parts?

[ddrisgood137]

Ok, well I got the guitar! Pics are on the way. It's pretty awesome, the guy cleaned up the fretboard for me and the thing is in great condition. Paint is a little yellow around the edged, but what can you do. Kinda looks like a white-ivory burst if you actually can notice it.

Anyway, I definitely think I'm gonna need a hand setting up this thing. The guy hasn't played it in ten years, though he replaced the strings for me. I've never used or dealt with a Floyd before, so I'm gonna need some pointers. Here are some problems I need to adjust:

-The strings tend to go out of tune when I use the whammy, especially the D string. It once went all the way down to a G! I think I need to tighten something at the bridge, since I'm pretty sure the nut is locking everything in place up there. How to I tighten up the bridge saddles?

-The B string is a little funny sounding. When unplugged, the B string rings out much more quietly than the high e or the G string. This is especially noticeable up at the higher frets. I've noticed that the action on the B string is a heck of a lot lower than on all the other strings. I've also noticed that the "saddle" pieces (I guess that's what they're called) are actually shorter for the high E and B strings than for all the other ones, so the action is a bit lower. I can try to post some pics of this later. Can anyone help me with this?

If anyone can give me some advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks ^_^

[Sunbane]

Sounds like he's had the bridge apart, and put it back with the saddles in the wrong order. That's probably why the B is too low. The tallest saddles are supposed to go in the middle (D and G) and the shortest one on the sides (E and E).

I think the tuning issues you describe are due to the strings not being properly broken in yet. Unlock the nut, stretch the strings a bit, retune and re-lock. Whatever you do, DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE LOCKING SCREWS! They need only be a little snug, and the threads are easy to strip.

Since you're unfamiliar with Floyds, you may want to turn it in to a pro for a setup, but a basic setup job is pretty easy to do once you aquire the know-how.

[toejam]

The Pro models came with cream binding, not white. For the price I'd buy it.

Actually, it's ivoroid, which is different than cream.

[Sunbane]

Btw, in the pics you supplied earlier, the locking plates on the nut are on the wrong way. The grooves in each plate should be parallel to the strings.

[ddrisgood137]

Sounds like he's had the bridge apart, and put it back with the saddles in the wrong order. That's probably why the B is too low. The tallest saddles are supposed to go in the middle (D and G) and the shortest one on the sides (E and E).

I think the tuning issues you describe are due to the strings not being properly broken in yet. Unlock the nut, stretch the strings a bit, retune and re-lock. Whatever you do, DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE LOCKING SCREWS! They need only be a little snug, and the threads are easy to strip.

Since you're unfamiliar with Floyds, you may want to turn it in to a pro for a setup, but a basic setup job is pretty easy to do once you aquire the know-how.

Bah... well how much would a setup by a pro run me? I also do want to know how to maintain it on my own, so as long as I don't run the risk of screwing everything up I think I'll do it myself. Can anyone give me or give a link to some kind of walkthrough with everything I need to know for Floyds?

[ddrisgood137]

Ok, well here are some pics finally. I took a closer look at the bridge and the saddles are actually in correct order. There are two high saddles in the middle since the fretboard curves, and the other four are a bit lower. I feel like the A and B strings should be at some kind of medium height, but they're at the same height as the E's. Oh well. So in order to fix the noisy upper frets, I'm guessing I just have to raise the action a bit?

I also broke a string but oh well.








Boy, those pics make it look rusty. Anyway, To prevent it from going out of tune, stretch the strings a bit and tighten the string clamping screws (not to much)?

[pro-fusion]

You can shim the saddles on a Floyd to get the individual string heights more where you want them.