Filling a Rout

[minions]

So I have a Warmoth Strat (Alder body) that has a Floyd Rose and a recessed bridge rout.
I ordered this guitar a few years ago when I was big into EVH and dive bombing, etc etc.
Well now, my preferences have changed. I really love this guitar, but I'm not crazy about the FR, not to mention I rarely use trem anymore, if ever.

My question is whether it is a good idea (or even possible) to fill the rout with some Alder and apply a new finish to the guitar, and then install a Tune-O-Matic bridge.

Also, the nut is obviously a locking nut. Is there any other nut that fits the slot. This isn't big deal, just wondering.

Thanks!

 

[pabloman]

Just use some bondo on the body and an ebanol nut. Or sell the body and get an unfinished one.  :headbang1:

 

[line6man]

Fill the cavity with wood similar to the body, as close of a fit as you can get, then fill the gaps in with an epoxy wood filler.

Don't use Bondo. I have been told that epoxy expands and contracts with the wood better. You don't want to end up seeing the filled in parts when the wood shrinks or expands.

 

[leo12.]

I wolud say not impossible but a lot of work. you would have to be very confident in wood & tools.
You will need an angle neck pocket (Warmoth logo gone) replace wood in trem area set tom bridge studs etc, then
the neck nut?
How about a poplar body best value or Alder tom specs (angle neck pocket same pickup rout as what you have, body weight etc)
Use a Schaller 456 Ton style bridge with fine tuners keep your neck & lock nut,  tune as normal lock nut & fine tune with fine tuners
on Schaller bridge.
Just thought cheapest way get a tremelno  (is that the brand name) & lock the bridge remove arm.

 

[bagman67]

Just thought cheapest way get a tremelno  (is that the brand name) & lock the bridge remove arm.

Yep, what Leo12 said.

Or better yet, for all the work that will go into making it look good after you fill it (assuming you don't cheap out like Leo suggests), you might as well buy a body drilled for TOM and stoptail and finish that instead of refinishing your Floyd-routed guitar after you stuff it full of scrap lumber.

Bagman

 

[minions]

Hm. Yeah I could use a Tremol-No, but I really want a hard-tail, because I want a lot of my tone derived from the wood.

So, if I were to fill the holes (both the recessed hole and the rear trem cavity) with wood/epoxy and then refinish my guitar (just a white matte finish), around how much do you think that would cost?

I'm trying to decide whether I want to do that or just buy a body routed for a TOM.

Also, for the TOM, I would need an angled neck pocket, but does the head stock have to be angled too?

 

[Cagey]

You're going around your thumb to get to your elbow.

Just sell the bloody thing if you don't like it, and start over. Any possible gain you might get from using a hardtail with a standard nut will be lost on the mushball of wood/plastic/glue you'll end up with by trying to reverse a Floyd install.

Bodies and necks can be had quite reasonably on eBay.

 

[pabloman]

I've used bondo successfully that's why I suggested it. Bodies are pretty stable especially when coated in poly.

 

[riverbluff]

Hm. Yeah I could use a Tremol-No, but I really want a hard-tail, because I want a lot of my tone derived from the wood.

So, if I were to fill the holes (both the recessed hole and the rear trem cavity) with wood/epoxy and then refinish my guitar (just a white matte finish), around how much do you think that would cost?

I'm trying to decide whether I want to do that or just buy a body routed for a TOM.

Also, for the TOM, I would need an angled neck pocket, but does the head stock have to be angled too?

It should be fairly inexpensive to get the wood and epoxy, I would think $20 max.  But you will need to get a templete for the TOM to make sure you drill the holes in the right spot.  I know StewMac sells them (not sure on the price though).

The head stock on the nexk does not need to be angled.  You can shim the neck rather then angling the neck pocket.

The biggest thing will be to get the wood plugs cut so they fill the trem holes.  To make it worth doing I would think you want a really nice fit there.  You also ahve to consider the finishing side and all the work involved stripping the body and then refinishing it. 

Bill

 

[reluctant-builder]

Just sell the bloody thing if you don't like it, and start over.

Exactly. Don't break your own balls to transmogrify a giraffe into a zebra. Your Floyd-equipped guitar is one animal, a hardtail with a TOM is something totally different.

Start from scratch and either shelf the Floyd until you might want it again (if you don't need the money), or sell the bugger.

 

[Corey P.]

Just sell the bloody thing if you don't like it, and start over.

Exactly. Don't break your own balls to transmogrify a giraffe into a zebra. Your Floyd-equipped guitar is one animal, a hardtail with a TOM is something totally different.

Start from scratch and either shelf the Floyd until you might want it again (if you don't need the money), or sell the bugger.

I'm so proud of you! *single tear*  :sad: :icon_thumright:

 

[reluctant-builder]

I'm so proud of you! *single tear*  :sad: :icon_thumright:

Have I turned some kind of corner?  :tard:

 

[stubhead]

Yeah, as much as  I like trying to rescue stuff instead of replacing it and as much as I dislike our "disposable" culture, I got to agree in this case, replacement is a better way to get to a better instrument. What would you fill Floyd's hole with - there's about five separate layers to the routing, so carving a single block to fit tight in all those different levels would be a manly chore fo' real. The alternative, to fill it up with an assortment of pieces with different densities and grain directions running around every which way and mash it together with epoxy... well, if I was a string vibration cruising down a board and I ran into that kind of a trainwreck - "DETOUR! DETOUR!" "Surfaces may be rough" "Lane ends abruptly" "Watch for potholes & debris"... I would just take my vibrations elsewhere where they're better appreciated. :dontknow:

Glue is sort of an elastic dampening interface

-- http://archive.ampage.org/threads/2/gtgd/077583/tremolo_route_refill-worth_it-1.html

There's this pre-made tremolo rout filler from Hipshot, but even there it's designed for standard Stratcaves - http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=148

Actually, cutting and carving and hand-fitting a maple block to see how perfectly I could get it to fit does sound just like the kind of zen exercise I might even do to while away a long winter. As long as you didn't have any expectations that it would sound good or get done in a finite sort of time measurement...  :-\