Trem Upgrade on Older DK2

[sheepranch]

I'm thinking of changing out the stock 'licensed' trem on my DK2 for something better. Does an original Floyd Rose fit drop into the routing or are there some sort of differences in the dimensions that make this difficult?

Also, is there any other trem that fits the existing routing? I'd have no problem with an original FR but it would be nice to have options to consider.

[demeyes]

If you have the 580 licensed bridge I think an OFR will fit on those posts. A few other bridges can also be dropped in without any hassle, I'm not sure which though. There are plenty of posts about this kind of thing in the tech Q and A section.

[cbope]

If you have the 580 licensed bridge I think an OFR will fit on those posts. A few other bridges can also be dropped in without any hassle, I'm not sure which though. There are plenty of posts about this kind of thing in the tech Q and A section.

Correct. As a suggestion when swapping the trem, it's a good idea to replace the pivot posts in the body with either the ones that come with the OFR or some Schaller posts. I replaced the licensed posts on my DK2 (but not the 580LP trem) with Schaller parts and noticed an improvement. They couple better to the body due to larger diameter pivot screws and a much finer thread than the licensed posts. The Schaller parts are also made of better quality steel and my trem returns to pitch better after the upgrade. You will have to reset the intonation if you change the posts to Schaller, because they are slightly larger diameter and move the bridge ever so slightly away from the nut. Not much, but if you want near-perfect intonation you will need to move the saddles a bit.

Another cheap and easy upgrade for licensed trems is to replace the arm and socket (sometimes called a collar) with Schaller parts. Much better quality than licensed and improves the feel... less wobble in the arm. And the arm will stay where you leave it. I spent about 20 euros on both the arm/socket and pivot studs upgrade, so it's pretty cheap and well worth it. As long as the knife edges on my 580LP hold up, I'm happy and have no plans to replace it with a "real" Floyd.

[Sunbane]

Another ultra-cheap "upgrade" that may enhance your tuning stability:
If your trem posts wobble a lot in the bushings, you can take them out, wrap a little teflon tape around the threads and put them back in.

[RobRR]

Another ultra-cheap "upgrade" that may enhance your tuning stability:
If your trem posts wobble a lot in the bushings, you can take them out, wrap a little teflon tape around the threads and put them back in.

Yup... Little trick Ive been using for a while now. Works good!

[sheepranch]

Thanks. I wasn't smart enough to look in the Tech section. I appreciate the replies.

I rarely use the trem so I'm not really disappointed with the way the licensed version works. This is purely cosmetic. This guitar comes out of the case way more than I ever thought it would and it's always bugged me that I didn't spend a little more money when I bought it to get the higher quality hardware. Now the 'dumb-money' fund is getting up there again.......

My biggest concern was that an OFR wouldn't match up with the Licensed routing / taps. Thanks again for the replies.

[pinto79]

I recently retro-fit an OFR into a DK2 with no problems. I used OFR Studs whicg went in without re-drilling.

I did have to lower the nut shelf to fit the nut properly tho... but that was the extent of it...

[cbope]

I recently retro-fit an OFR into a DK2 with no problems. I used OFR Studs whicg went in without re-drilling.

I did have to lower the nut shelf to fit the nut properly tho... but that was the extent of it...

Unless there's a problem with the original nut (stripped screw threads, damaged string clamps) there's really no need to replace the licensed nut with the Floyd nut. The dimensions are different and as pinto79 said, it requires some cutting on the neck to get it to fit. The Floyd nuts sit lower, so some wood must be removed. It's generally not something you can do yourself, unless you proficient in woodworking and have the necessary tools. Better to have that done by a good guitar tech if you need to have it done.

[cbope]

I recently retro-fit an OFR into a DK2 with no problems. I used OFR Studs whicg went in without re-drilling.

Oh... and one other thing I found when I replaced my pivot studs with Schaller parts, the Schaller's threaded insert that goes into the body is a much tighter fit than the licensed inserts. Drilling is not necessary, but they do fit much tighter and need sufficient "help" from a hammer to drive them into the body holes. Be sure to protect the top of the inserts with a small block of wood to prevent damaging the inserts or use a plastic faced hammer. I think the diameter of the inserts is basically the same, but the Schaller ones have deeper knurling so they fit tighter. Probably the OFR inserts are similar to the Schaller ones if not exactly the same (both are made in the same factory).

[Sunbane]

Oh... and one other thing I found when I replaced my pivot studs with Schaller parts, the Schaller's threaded insert that goes into the body is a much tighter fit than the licensed inserts. Drilling is not necessary, but they do fit much tighter and need sufficient "help" from a hammer to drive them into the body holes. Be sure to protect the top of the inserts with a small block of wood to prevent damaging the inserts or use a plastic faced hammer. I think the diameter of the inserts is basically the same, but the Schaller ones have deeper knurling so they fit tighter. Probably the OFR inserts are similar to the Schaller ones if not exactly the same (both are made in the same factory).

You are VERY lucky you didn't split the wood around the bushing! A couple of real luthiers on this board have adviced against the "hammer method" several times. The reason the Schaller bushings are tighter, is because they are bigger. The wood is very thin in that area, and will split easilly. If it does split, you may be facing a difficult repair. The proper way to do the mod, is to drill the holes out before installing the new bushings.

I also did a Schaller transplant using the "hammer method" a few years ago. I was also lucky, but I've seen a couple of posts in the Tech section by guys who were not as lucky.

Don't take any chances. Do it properly, and drill out the holes to the proper diameter.

[Madness]

Another ultra-cheap "upgrade" that may enhance your tuning stability:
If your trem posts wobble a lot in the bushings, you can take them out, wrap a little teflon tape around the threads and put them back in.

Been there....works awesome.

[cbope]

You are VERY lucky you didn't split the wood around the bushing! A couple of real luthiers on this board have adviced against the "hammer method" several times. The reason the Schaller bushings are tighter, is because they are bigger. The wood is very thin in that area, and will split easilly. If it does split, you may be facing a difficult repair. The proper way to do the mod, is to drill the holes out before installing the new bushings.

I also did a Schaller transplant using the "hammer method" a few years ago. I was also lucky, but I've seen a couple of posts in the Tech section by guys who were not as lucky.

Don't take any chances. Do it properly, and drill out the holes to the proper diameter.

Good point. What is the proper diameter for the holes when using Schaller inserts? Might be prudent to do that at some point next time I work on the trem. Obviously, a drill press is required to do it properly, which I have access to along with the woodworking skills.

[Newc]

I've pressed in bigger inserts using a Stanley Quick-Grip clamp. Rubber heads on each clamp and they grab the surface nicely.

Much better than using a hammer (split the cavity of a body doing the hammer once).

With the clamp, it takes more muscle but you get finer control, and cannot split the wood (unless you've got a 200lb grip and powerslam it in)

[cbope]

I've pressed in bigger inserts using a Stanley Quick-Grip clamp. Rubber heads on each clamp and they grab the surface nicely.

Much better than using a hammer (split the cavity of a body doing the hammer once).

With the clamp, it takes more muscle but you get finer control, and cannot split the wood (unless you've got a 200lb grip and powerslam it in)

I probably would have used a clamp, but I didn't have one available that was large enough to reach the trem route area. And I didn't realize the diameter difference from the old inserts to the new ones until I had already tapped one in.