TomBrokaw
Tele-Afflicted
I wanted a 7 string with a Floyd, so I got a used one from Reverb at the beginning of November. Due to an incorrect description, I got some money back to fix some issues.
- Really needed a setup
- Aftermarket trem block was too big and would catch on my clothes through the cut-out backplate.
Seeing as I haven't set up a Floyd in years and the issues this one had were beyond me anyway, it made sense to pay a local shop to do it. I got a replacement fat brass block ($38) off Reverb and brought it to the shop.
This was right before Christmas, and they were busy, so it took about 2 1/2 weeks to get it done. ($129, including $18 for parts (and taxes)). Running Parts Total: $56
Upon getting the guitar and seeing how far I could pull the bar up with the fatter block, the G string popped out. After attempting to put it back in, I A: determined that the metal had indented and would not grip the string end (a known issue with the saddles on the Specials) and B: I had managed to strip the threads out of the saddle when I tried to tighten it. Because the metal quality is a known issue, it made sense to replace the full set of saddles.
I ordered the saddles from the same place as the block, which is all the way across the country from me. At the last minute I realized I would need new retaining blocks as well, and the same place will combine shipping. For reasons that aren't important, that ended up delaying shipment a day, which actually added two more days for Sunday and New Year's Day. So that all got here Tuesday, and I finally had time to install them today. $80; Running Parts Total: $136.
Well, part of the reason that saddle got stripped out is because there was an aftermarket screw in place. It stripped the cheap FRS saddle, but just wouldn't fit in the replacement part. There was also another screw that matched it but somehow fit, but it seemed prudent to replace them both. Replacement screws are $5 for 6 on Floyd Rose's site, OR, $6 each from the same local shop that did the setup. Do I save $7 and wait AGAIN, or do I support a local shop and (hopefully) get to play the dang thing today? OK, $13 with tax, and verified fit at the shop. Running Parts Total: $149
So now it's not staying in tune when I press down or pull up - it stays a touch flat or a touch sharp respectively. Might just need some chapstick, or the knife edges might need to be filed, or the studs might need to be replaced, or all three, or maybe something else! After spending hours today getting the dang thing back in tune and the bridge level, though, I didn't have the motivation to continue today.
Now, I'd have been fine with paying for a pro setup, especially with the refund, but it turns out, I could have bought an entire, brand new Gotoh 1996T-7 from PLS for as much as I've spent on parts! Arrrrrrgh! So now I'm debating just doing that, since it comes with studs anyway, or trying to continue to fix this piece of junk. I've got about $60 before I end up breaking even between purchase price, refund, and money spent fixing it, MINUS all my time.
So to end my rant: never again with the Floyd Rose Special. Not worth its weight in salt.
- Really needed a setup
- Aftermarket trem block was too big and would catch on my clothes through the cut-out backplate.
Seeing as I haven't set up a Floyd in years and the issues this one had were beyond me anyway, it made sense to pay a local shop to do it. I got a replacement fat brass block ($38) off Reverb and brought it to the shop.
This was right before Christmas, and they were busy, so it took about 2 1/2 weeks to get it done. ($129, including $18 for parts (and taxes)). Running Parts Total: $56
Upon getting the guitar and seeing how far I could pull the bar up with the fatter block, the G string popped out. After attempting to put it back in, I A: determined that the metal had indented and would not grip the string end (a known issue with the saddles on the Specials) and B: I had managed to strip the threads out of the saddle when I tried to tighten it. Because the metal quality is a known issue, it made sense to replace the full set of saddles.
I ordered the saddles from the same place as the block, which is all the way across the country from me. At the last minute I realized I would need new retaining blocks as well, and the same place will combine shipping. For reasons that aren't important, that ended up delaying shipment a day, which actually added two more days for Sunday and New Year's Day. So that all got here Tuesday, and I finally had time to install them today. $80; Running Parts Total: $136.
Well, part of the reason that saddle got stripped out is because there was an aftermarket screw in place. It stripped the cheap FRS saddle, but just wouldn't fit in the replacement part. There was also another screw that matched it but somehow fit, but it seemed prudent to replace them both. Replacement screws are $5 for 6 on Floyd Rose's site, OR, $6 each from the same local shop that did the setup. Do I save $7 and wait AGAIN, or do I support a local shop and (hopefully) get to play the dang thing today? OK, $13 with tax, and verified fit at the shop. Running Parts Total: $149
So now it's not staying in tune when I press down or pull up - it stays a touch flat or a touch sharp respectively. Might just need some chapstick, or the knife edges might need to be filed, or the studs might need to be replaced, or all three, or maybe something else! After spending hours today getting the dang thing back in tune and the bridge level, though, I didn't have the motivation to continue today.
Now, I'd have been fine with paying for a pro setup, especially with the refund, but it turns out, I could have bought an entire, brand new Gotoh 1996T-7 from PLS for as much as I've spent on parts! Arrrrrrgh! So now I'm debating just doing that, since it comes with studs anyway, or trying to continue to fix this piece of junk. I've got about $60 before I end up breaking even between purchase price, refund, and money spent fixing it, MINUS all my time.
So to end my rant: never again with the Floyd Rose Special. Not worth its weight in salt.
