The 'best' locking nut

[Meenrod]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to replace my licensed locking nut for a new version, as the grooves have worn robbing the strings of sustain. I need an R2 (1 5/8th) size in chrome, rear mounted and money is no object. What is the 'best' out there- Floyd? Gotoh? Something else?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Gregor

[Grandturk]

Floyd.

[Meenrod]

Thanks. Why Floyd?

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Floyd/Schaller "made in Germany" nut is machined tool steel. It's pretty hard core. The kind of steel they'd make a Craftsman "lifetime guaranteed" ratchet handle out of.

I have a USA SL2 that came with the "import" hardware (JT580LP/import nut) that I put zee German hardware on (Schaller tuners, Floyd nut & bridge) and since it was an import I had to grind mine down about 1 mm. Took me about 3 days of scraping it back and forth across a bastard file until my arm felt like Jell-O.

FWIW, my mounting holes did not match up. This is a problem for you, since you're looking at a rear mount. For me it was just fill & re-drill. Good luck.

[Meenrod]

Thanks, I'll look out for Schaller/Floyd. Line up shouldn't be an issue- it's for a Frankenstrat with a custom neck.

[Grandturk]

Thanks. Why Floyd?

Because everyone and their gramma came out with different mechanisms for locking the strings up and there's only one left.

See, they came up with different pickups for different people, and different trems, and different frets and fretboard radii - something for everyone - but in the end, the only nut that worked well enough for everyone was the Floyd nut.

Sure sure - i've got a Kahler "string lock" on my Model 4 - but its 23 years old. If I bought a new guitar today - I wouldn't want a "string lock" on it - I'd want a Floyd nut.

Now, German, Korean, Chinese - that's a whole other story...

[Newc]

I have a USA SL2 that came with the "import" hardware (JT580LP/import nut) that I put zee German hardware on (Schaller tuners, Floyd nut & bridge) and since it was an import I had to grind mine down about 1 mm. Took me about 3 days of scraping it back and forth across a bastard file until my arm felt like Jell-O.

FWIW, my mounting holes did not match up. This is a problem for you, since you're looking at a rear mount. For me it was just fill & re-drill. Good luck.

This is the most important thing to note - import nuts are shorter.

[Meenrod]

So you are saying that German and Japanese nuts are smaller than American ones?

[Vass]

So you are saying that German and Japanese nuts are smaller than American ones?

Well played.

Having just gone through this on a Pacer Carrera I'm re-building: The through-the neck bolts on the GOTOH nuts are shorter than those on the Schaller nuts. For the Carrera, it was such a problem that I couldn't use the GOTOH at all- The bolts didn't reach all the way through the neck. Kind of suprised me.

Got the Schaller (R2) and it fit perfectly.

This was of course a guitar that had an OFR from the start, so it's a bit different, but just so you're aware the bolts on the GOTOH are shorter.

[Meenrod]

Ok thanks, I did notice that the bolts on the existing nut 'just' made it through the neck and got enough purchase, so the Schaller/Floyd replacement I'll get should fit better.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

This is the most important thing to note - import nuts are shorter.

Yes, that was quite a PITA but worth it in the end, that guitar stays in tune fantastically now.

I know there's a whole black art/"your mileage may vary" when replacing the JTXXX trems but my mounting holes were also so far off that the bass side of the nut was hanging off the neck, and the nut was about 1/16" or more from the end of the fingerboard. Both my '92-ish Fusion nut and the original SL2 nut fit just peachy.

Perhaps the newer DK2's and stuff are a little different, mounting hole wise?

Since this is a custom neck, whichever nut you had it routed for (R2, R3 etc.) in a Floyd/Schaller should bolt right up. Warmoth's got 'em in about any size you need, but I don't believe they'll come with the rear-mount screws.

If it doesn't, you can get them here:

http://www.guitarpartsdepot.com/Floyd_Rose_Locking_Nuts-Floyd_Rose_Nut_Mounting_Screw_Set_of_2.html

[Meenrod]

Awesome, thanks.

[MartinBarre]

Just buy a cheaper import one.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Chrome-R2-Locking-Nut-Floyd-Style-42mm-New_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZQ7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a30QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em14Q2el1262QQhashZitem4ce8f04584QQitemZ330325575044QQptZGuitarQ5fAccessoriesQQsalenotsupported

Maybe it's not as cool as a genuine Floyd one, but it'll do the job. It'll also fit without spending three days trying to sand it down.

[Meenrod]

I don't want it to 'do the job', I want the best there is available. I've spent many pounds and many months working on the guitar using genuine parts everywhere apart from the nut and guess what? The nut let me down. Lesson learned.

[MartinBarre]

You spent months on this? And in that time the nut wore down so bad it's useless?

Okaaay....