Tweet
OK, i've been considering some upgrades on my Elite King V, which is already a killer guitar with great features to begin with but i can't help modding everything i get my hands on, and i want to take it to the next level. So about a month ago i placed an order at Floyd Upgrades for the following:
The stuff arrived a few weeks later and i finally got around to installing them in the King V last week. While installing the upgrades i came across a couple of small but frustrating issues which, while remediable, i wasn't expecting after having paid in excess of $80 on components. The first was the fact that the noiseless springs - due to the red coating making them slightly thicker - had a hard time fitting in the mounting holes of the sustain block.
One of them slipped in just fine but the other two had to be coaxed in with the help of some WD40 and some light tapping with the head of a screwdriver as I didn't have a drill bit small enough to enlarge the holes in the block. It seems that this is a minor QC issue and oversight on the part of FU but it's a pain in the ass and something that could have been avoided. Also, one of the springs wasn't flexing because the coating inbetween the coils had stuck together, so i had to bend and stretch the spring to break it loose. Another thing that i noticed was that the mounting/adjustment screw holes in the brass claw were spaced closer together than the stock claw, so i was worried that it wouldn't fit but this proved to be a non-issue.
Anyway, when the time came to install everything, the first thing i did was desolder the ground wire from the original spring claw and solder a terminal connector to the end of the wire for easy installation on the new claw and a cleaner look. I enlarged the pre-drilled hole in the brass claw so it could fit a bigger screw for better contact. I disassembled the Floyd, took off the stock 32mm block and spacer, installed the brass block and replaced the stock saddle screws with the stainless ones. Put everything back together and voila:
Gotta love the hotrodded look of the brass and red springs.
Now the surprising part: while stringing up the guitar and resetting the intonation, the first thing i noticed was that the guitar was so much more resonant than before! To be honest, i wasn't really expecting much of a difference, maybe a little improved sustain or something but i was totally stunned at how the block really brought this fucker to life! Even acoustically, apart from just sounding louder, the guitar sounded much more bright and articulate and notes rang out with bell-like clarity and shimmer. Plugged in with some gain it really screams; there's more clarity, bite and attack in every note and it sustains for days. It's difficult to explain but the guitar now feels like a living entity of its own, it's much more responsive and alive.All in all, while i had some annoying issues installing the upgrades, it was well worth the money, time and effort and i highly recommend anyone with a Floyd to take the plunge and install a brass block. I was planning on recording some before and after clips and even running them through a spectrogram to see if there's a difference but i'm way too lazy.
Either way, i'm sold!
EDIT:
The next upgrades i plan on are as follows:
- A set of stainless steel saddle screws (the Floyd already comes with stainless steel string clamp screws)
- Heavy duty noiseless springs
- Brass spring claw
- 37mm brass sustain block
The stuff arrived a few weeks later and i finally got around to installing them in the King V last week. While installing the upgrades i came across a couple of small but frustrating issues which, while remediable, i wasn't expecting after having paid in excess of $80 on components. The first was the fact that the noiseless springs - due to the red coating making them slightly thicker - had a hard time fitting in the mounting holes of the sustain block.
One of them slipped in just fine but the other two had to be coaxed in with the help of some WD40 and some light tapping with the head of a screwdriver as I didn't have a drill bit small enough to enlarge the holes in the block. It seems that this is a minor QC issue and oversight on the part of FU but it's a pain in the ass and something that could have been avoided. Also, one of the springs wasn't flexing because the coating inbetween the coils had stuck together, so i had to bend and stretch the spring to break it loose. Another thing that i noticed was that the mounting/adjustment screw holes in the brass claw were spaced closer together than the stock claw, so i was worried that it wouldn't fit but this proved to be a non-issue.Anyway, when the time came to install everything, the first thing i did was desolder the ground wire from the original spring claw and solder a terminal connector to the end of the wire for easy installation on the new claw and a cleaner look. I enlarged the pre-drilled hole in the brass claw so it could fit a bigger screw for better contact. I disassembled the Floyd, took off the stock 32mm block and spacer, installed the brass block and replaced the stock saddle screws with the stainless ones. Put everything back together and voila:
Gotta love the hotrodded look of the brass and red springs.
Now the surprising part: while stringing up the guitar and resetting the intonation, the first thing i noticed was that the guitar was so much more resonant than before! To be honest, i wasn't really expecting much of a difference, maybe a little improved sustain or something but i was totally stunned at how the block really brought this fucker to life! Even acoustically, apart from just sounding louder, the guitar sounded much more bright and articulate and notes rang out with bell-like clarity and shimmer. Plugged in with some gain it really screams; there's more clarity, bite and attack in every note and it sustains for days. It's difficult to explain but the guitar now feels like a living entity of its own, it's much more responsive and alive.All in all, while i had some annoying issues installing the upgrades, it was well worth the money, time and effort and i highly recommend anyone with a Floyd to take the plunge and install a brass block. I was planning on recording some before and after clips and even running them through a spectrogram to see if there's a difference but i'm way too lazy.
Either way, i'm sold!EDIT:
The next upgrades i plan on are as follows:
- BKP Aftermath in the neck (the stock JB is a great pickup but i prefer something with a bit more growl, bite and aggression)
- BKP Mississippi Queen humbucker sized P-90 in the neck
- Earvana Floyd nut
Comment