Is my gotoh floyd broken?

[Cederick]

Just tried my Gotoh out and it works great (better feeling than Original Floyd Rose too but it might be the setup and different string guages)

But I decided to take it off the "test guitar" and save it for a better project.

So... After like five minutes the rounded part that holds it looks like this:

Picture 1: it looks intact, rounded just like before.

Picture 2: Looks like a chip of the chrome has gone, is that normal? I think my OFR on my Warmoth soloist looked like that after a while, with the black torn off a bit... So I hope it's only the finish otherwise I might have wasted a perfectly good Gotoh floyd... !!!!! :sad1:

 

[bagman67]

It's regrettable, but not uncommon for the chrome to flake off at the contact points.  If it still operates smoothly and comes back to neutral I would not worry too much about it, but watch it closely.  The thing you really want to be aware of is the integrity of the knife edge that pivots against the stud.

 

[Cederick]

Thanks, I will get the new guitar and put it on and see how it works, otherwise I just buy a new one... Gah!

What do you mean integrity?

 

[bagman67]

In this case, I mean you should be sure that it remains undamaged.

 

[Cederick]

Haha yeah but that's something I guess every guitarist should be aware of with all guitars

 

[Cagey]

Thanks, I will get the new guitar and put it on and see how it works, otherwise I just buy a new one... Gah!

What do you mean integrity?

Unless it's a cheap import, I'm sure it will work just fine.

As much as many have tried, there have been few contributions to guitar mechanical technology over the years that are notable. Of those, once we get past humbucking pickups (which aren't mechanical), at the top of the list has to be Floyd Rose's two-point knife-edge fulcrum vibrato bridge, closely followed by locking tuners. Depending on your needs/desires, you could swap their importance. In any event, the least of those designs beat the snot out of anything previous.

However, it's possible to screw up the best intentions of engineering in the interests of management, production and worst of all, the evil minds of marketing weenies. But, it's not all on them. People want different finishes such as chrome, black, gold and nickel, all of which are generally electroplated onto some sort of less expensive substrate. Since they're essentially a coating, they will either chip or wear off. Some faster than others. The only way to avoid it is to not have it, which means a polished base metal.

Depending on the quality of the device, it's nothing to worry about. If the base plate is hardened or stainless steel, or at least the pivot points are (some designs use inserts at the load-bearing points), knocking the chrome (or whatever) off it won't hurt anything, and where it happens is at pressure points you almost can't see. So, I wouldn't get too worked up over it unless you can see obvious wear.

 

[Cederick]

Thanks, that's really good to hear!

It's a Gotoh floyd so it should be one of the top floyds out there, which would be weird if it started to crumble by a few minutes of test run... Haha!

Thanks a lot. Let's just see how it holds up on the other guitar later.

 

[Cagey]

If you really wanna get anal about it, you can get a little tube of lithium-based engine assembly lube from your local automotive supply. It's not expensive, and it's somewhat magical in that it'll take incredible pressures and temperatures, and actually becomes part of the metal's structure. It's highly lubricious, and you need very, very little of it. Engine rebuilders use it to keep parts like camshafts, lifters, rockers, bearings, etc. from beating themselves to death when an engine is first assembled and run. Oil pressure and distribution isn't as good or complete as it will be later, so you need to protect the wear points. For a bridge, you just wipe it on the contact points, then wipe it off. Then you put the tube in your Drawer of Misfit Parts and never use it again until you install another bridge with pivot points.

 

[Cederick]

I don't get the part of why it becomes a part of the metals structure? Like, does it harden and become metal :dontknow: :toothy12: I have no idea, sorry hahaha

 

[Cagey]

I don't remember where I read that, and can't find anything now to support the idea. If I remember correctly, it's not that it become part of the metal - I misspoke myself there - it has something to do with metal being somewhat porous, or the crystalline structure having interstitial spaces that the lithium invades and so allows for a longer presence that's difficult to degrade due to high shear strength and temperature resistance. That's why they use it on new engine assemblies - it stays in place in the absence of a lubricant wash.

In any event, it's very slippery stuff that takes a lot of abuse and is tough to remove/wear off.

 

[Cederick]

Do you use it on Floyds, or other guitar parts, or is it a common practice to use it? Probably not, because I havent' heard about it, but maybe some super duper pros use it

 

[Cagey]

Generally speaking, the only moving mechanical parts on a guitar would be those involved with a vibrato bridge, so that's the only place you'd use it. I've not heard of anyone else using it, either. But, that doesn't mean anything. The list of things builders/players could/should do is long. Sometimes, it's just a lack of knowing what works best. For instance, it's not widely known that super glue (cyanoacrylate) is an excellent wound repair material, and saw its first uses there. Go get your cat's claws removed, and they don't stitch up the gaping wounds that creates - they glue them shut. They heal faster/cleaner than sewing them closed. They do the same with people in some cases, usually when there isn't time to goof around, such as in major surgery or on the battlefield.

It only takes a tiny bit, so a $5 tube will last you approximately 9 lifetimes. It certainly won't hurt anything, and can only improve things.

Another thing you have to tell just about everybody about because it's not generally known is using beeswax on screws to keep from twisting their little heads off. Stuff is cheap, works like a charm, and prevents the proliferation of cuss words. Not to mention wrecked neck and body parts. You use very little of it, so a $2 jar of the stuff from WalMart will last you just about forever. Just touch the screw to the stuff, and it'll thread into hardwood like some kind of love story.