JT580LP Fine Tuners

[JJ119]

Chrome JT580LP Fine Tuners will not come out.
It looks like the last 2 or 3 threads have been intentionally marred to prevent them from coming out.
Is that a Jackson or Floyd doings?

Can I take them out without ruining the Base?

Thank You For Any Education

[metalhobo]

yeah, that's done from the factory to capture the tuners in the baseplate so they don't accidentally fall out. I definitely wouldn't recommend trying to force them out to avoid damaging the base or the tuners.

though I'm not sure why you want to, if you absolutely must remove them and you're able to disassemble the bridge enough to get the little fingers under the fine tuners out, you could then try fully tightening the tuners and run the proper sized die over the threads to try to fix them... though I'm not sure you'd have enough threads sticking out of the bottom for this to work, nor what the diameter/pitch of the fine tuners are.

[JJ119]

metalhobo

I thought I would take the LP apart, Clean & Polish, and replace the screws and Fine Tuners.

The OFR looks good with the Black hardware on Chrome. I had entertained the thought of getting black ones for this LP.


Thanks for the Education.

[DragonJack]

Yeah leave them in. Don't mess with the build system. Keeps your screws from falling off and getting lost. If you like the way your guitar sounds don't assume that changing parts even screws is going to automatically improve the sound. Everything contributes to the sound of the guitar and it's serendipity that they all resonate together. Not unless they are severely rusted and crumbling you can restore somewhat the original rusted parts with rust converter.

An old toothbrush can get at many areas your fingers won't. Same for Q-tips.

[DragonJack]

Double post for some reason...

[JJ119]

DragonJack

I'm not going to take it apart any further.
I have replaced 5he Saddle Screws because a couple of them had the heads almost stripped out, but I was able to get them out without any more damage.
I had thought maybe someone had fudged the threads, but I couldn't see someone doing it to all of them. That led to my question.

Thank You for your input.

[CaptNasty]

The fine tuners are “staked”. This is very common. It ensures that the fine tuners do not back all the way out. Imagine a fine tuner coming lose on stage. Staking prevents that.

If you want to replace the fine tuners, you can tighten the fine tuner all the way down then use a Dremmel to cut the bottom of the fine tuner off. This will allow you to unscrew and remove the fine tuner.

Once you replace the fine tuners you will need to stake the new ones.

[JJ119]

Thank You CaptNasty

That's good to know.

I will just see a out getting them in Black
maybe at some future time do the change.

[DragonJack]

Thank You CaptNasty

That's good to know.

I will just see a out getting them in Black
maybe at some future time do the change.

May want to consider that if you really like the way your guitar is playing/sounding you might want to salvage as much of the original hardware to retain the response of the guitar. I know it sounds like myth-voodoo but a guitar is sum of its parts and everything resonates and reacts. It's mainly serendipity that it does. Even parts from the company that made the guitar they don't always have the same suppliers with the exact same parts. They might look like the parts but they are made of different metals and may be made differently as far as the shapes go.

Had that happen with Floyd Rose. I found an NOS Fender Sambora MIA 1996 at a dealer who didn't know they had it but parts were missing like two of the fine tuners. I emailed Floyd Rose asked them if they had the same parts and they said they did. When the screws arrived they were not the same. They had changed suppliers and FR was not meticulous enough to consider that fine tuning screws that were on a 1996 Floyd Rose are not the same 15 years later.

Don't have a good cam but you can see the two screws sent to me by the Floyd Rose company are not the identical appearing screws compared to the other original 4. The bevel on the top of the screw is even different.

[CaptNasty]

JJ119 ,

There is a reason that fine tuner screws comes as a set.

https://floydrose.com/collections/parts/products/frofts

[DragonJack]

JJ119 ,

There is a reason that fine tuner screws comes as a set.

https://floydrose.com/collections/parts/products/frofts

This wasn't available from Floyd Rose years ago when I ordered 12 years ago and those "original" screws are a very recent addition to FR's present site as I've been checking.

I remember seeing a pack of Allparts fine tuner screws that looked old stock at a music store and they looked exactly like what's on my Sambora now but when I went back they were gone.

It appears that FR was either changing hands or what back then when I ordered in 2008.

Also even if you did get a set today, they are not original to the guitar. If something like that matters to one.

I did explain to Andy Papiccio ([email protected]) and Sarah Groh ([email protected]) of Floyd Rose in February of 2008 and sent them photos.

They still sent parts that didn't look the same. The knurl on the head is different and is not the same material as what they are now selling per your link.


Update:
Bridge on my Sambora old photos found:



Does the knurl look the same? The glint of brass (below) on the threads look like the original part.



I even ordered allen head screws for the lock nut from Floyd Rose for the Sambora. The originals have embossed-raised dots and letters, on the head of the screw, the screws FR sent in 2008 were recessed and not the same configuration of dots and symbols at all. I did explain I wanted the exact same parts. It didn't happen and they made money anyway.

Photo below is a sample of the markings on an allen head screw cap. These are not the Floyd Rose screws or the ones on the Sambora.

The point is to show that FR did not have the exact parts even if they claimed they did. Caveat emptor.





Update:

Found old photos (clarity sucks) of the lock nut screws on my Sambora. The two on the left and right are original including the clamps. One in the center including the clamp piece are not original and what the dealer provided before I received the parts from Floyd Rose. The embossed markings on the nut caps were not the same.

Yeah nitpicking but who wouldn't on a piece of history? This guitar was the first superstrat that Fender made AFIK and the first time Fender released the Cherry Burst color was for Richie Sambora in the mid-90's.

[JJ119]

Thsnks

CaptNasty

and

DragonJack

Some things I should just leave alone.

This is one of them.
I had thought it would be just that easy.
Unscrew, screw in. Then I saw the last few threads on them and thought I should ask if it was by design or abuse.
Since it is by design I will not mess with it.

[JJ119]

DragonJack

Thanks for the pics.

I had not even considered visual differences in manufacturing.
That would have been a mess!

Ofcourse our situations are different, and available parts make all the difference.
Gotta do what ya gotta do to keep playing.
Being an Old Guy but a New Student, I don't have to do the change.

[DragonJack]

DragonJack

Thanks for the pics.

I had not even considered visual differences in manufacturing.
That would have been a mess!

Ofcourse our situations are different, and available parts make all the difference.
Gotta do what ya gotta do to keep playing.
Being an Old Guy but a New Student, I don't have to do the change.

You're welcome. These instruments are worth money. They keep their value. In addition to playing them we should keep them up no matter their rank in the pecking order.

Specially today with supply chains threatened to dry up we can't assume that the way things were pre-2020 are going to come back.

Works of art. What else can a work of art be, used as a tool and resold getting back your investment and many times over what you paid for it? You can hang it on the wall as a conversation piece. Can't really do that with your vise grips.