Jackson SLX Soloist upgrades: bridge + pickups

[jondot]

Hi all,


I've got an SLX soloist coming up. Though it's an entry level model - I got the colors I wanted and was thinking to upgrade after I get it.


Starting my research I discovered it has:


* Duncan Design PUs - not a problem, will upgrade to Distortion + Jazz
* Floyd Rose Special - which after googling a lot found that it has zinc block + saddles.


My question is what are my options for the termolo upgrade without requiring specialty guitar luthier skills. I'm most worried about the posts and fit.


* Order a brass block and OFR saddles - will the knife and posts being of the floyd-special hold up? also the locking at the nut? (also how do I know what size block i need?)
* Order an OFR - will it fit as a drop-in? will I have to replace the posts?
* Order a Gotoh/Schaller - will these fit as drop in? will i have to replace the posts?


(updates from my research)
Looks like latest Floyd Special trems have a steel plate, so knife edges will not "eat up" like older LFRs, so difference is saddles and block. It seems that the smartest (and more economic) thing to do would be to buy OFR saddles and Brass 37mm block and I'm good to go.


Anyone cares to double check my logic?

[Number Of The Priest]

You did your research well. You outlined everything exactly the way I would do it. Yes to all your questions, essentially.

Whichever is cheapest for you, go for it, whether it's buying a complete OFR as a direct replacement, or just replacing the zinc sustain block and zinc saddles with a brass block and steel saddles.

The size of the replacement block you need... to be sure, just measure the length of your current zinc block on your stock guitar, and order the same length in your brass replacement block. It SHOULD be 32mm for recessed Floyd trems like on the SLX, but a longer block doesn't drastically affect performance. I have an ESP Mirage Custom that someone replaced the recessed Synclair tremolo with a Gotoh GE1996T and the brass block actually protrudes beyond the bottom of the guitar but it still functions well enough.

[jondot]

Thanks!
What do you think about the posts (or also called studs? the things the knifes hinge against that are stuck into the guitar body) do they need to be replaced for these drop-in OFR?

[Number Of The Priest]

I'm lazy so I'd probably leave the original studs in the guitar.

In the following video, the video description states:

One of the most difficult aspects of replacing a Floyd Rose Tremolo is removing the mounting studs. They are usually compressed into the wood and there is no easy way to pull them out using conventional tools. Many people just use the old studs if possible to avoid this even if the tremolo models are not the same.

[Number Of The Priest]

However, if you do want to replace them, this seems like a neat trick:

[Jackson8090s]

Hi all,


I've got an SLX soloist coming up. Though it's an entry level model - I got the colors I wanted and was thinking to upgrade after I get it.


Starting my research I discovered it has:


* Duncan Design PUs - not a problem, will upgrade to Distortion + Jazz
* Floyd Rose Special - which after googling a lot found that it has zinc block + saddles.


My question is what are my options for the termolo upgrade without requiring specialty guitar luthier skills. I'm most worried about the posts and fit.


* Order a brass block and OFR saddles - will the knife and posts being of the floyd-special hold up? also the locking at the nut? (also how do I know what size block i need?)
* Order an OFR - will it fit as a drop-in? will I have to replace the posts?
* Order a Gotoh/Schaller - will these fit as drop in? will i have to replace the posts?


(updates from my research)
Looks like latest Floyd Special trems have a steel plate, so knife edges will not "eat up" like older LFRs, so difference is saddles and block. It seems that the smartest (and more economic) thing to do would be to buy OFR saddles and Brass 37mm block and I'm good to go.


Anyone cares to double check my logic?

The Studs are fine reuse em
The Nut is fine reuse it as well...unless you change the color of the floyd then install the matching nut.

The saddles are gonna run you about a hundred bucks from Floyd Rose ...you can also go with Graph Tech String Saver Saddles...they fit the Floyd Special I have some on one myself... the baseplate for the Floyd Special is the same as the OFR or 1000 those are standard across all three models... the difference then is saddle , block, screw materials.

I upgraded a Special with a 37mm Stone Tone sustain block (you may not be able to go that big and still pull/dive)
Stainless Steel saddle screws (Chrome)
Graph Tech String Saver Saddles (Black)
Floyd Rose Hollow Point intonation system
Floyd Rose Titanium string lock blocks

It's definitely a little more expensive unless you just happen to have one laying around...which you will if you go with the OFR so hang on to it for a future project.

Since you want a fat brass block you could get the Floyd Rose 1984 which comes with a 37mm Brass... it's beefy! but you may run into push /pull issues...unless you grind away some wood with a Dremel tool.