Warmoth should be able to drill holes for GOTOH floyd

[Cederick]

I personally prefer the Gotoh Floyd Rose, after trying both OFR and Gotoh on a few guitars.

So; Warmoth offers MANY Gotoh bridges like Wilkinson, 501, Tune-O-Matic and so on.

Now here's the thing; They could use the exact same CNC routing template as they use with Original Floyd Rose, but just change the drill bit for the same 11mm drill bit they use for the Tune-O-Matic, since that fits the Gotoh bushings.

I COULD drill this myself with my own 11 mm drill bit, but it seems like unneccesary hassle to order a body and then have to fill the holes and re-drill the thing.

It's really not a hard thing to do, as said; exact same routing template as OFR but with a 11mm drill bit (the same as they use for Tune-O-Matic)

Anybody else agree?

 

[SustainerPlayer]

I COULD drill this myself with my own 11 mm drill bit, but it seems like unneccesary hassle to order a body and then have to fill the holes and re-drill the thing.

It's really not a hard thing to do, as said; exact same routing template as OFR but with a 11mm drill bit (the same as they use for Tune-O-Matic)

Anybody else agree?

I guess we are into this "building"-thing on different ... terms. I like that there is a lot of elements of craftsmanship that I have to do to accomplish a build. I'm using Warmoth parts because I don't have access to a full blown workshop - and especially - a good place to paint/finish. Else I would do it all myself from raw planks.

I understand that others are more looking for a "paint by numbers" or kits.

Can't you just use Floyd bushings? I have seen guitars where the Floyd was changed to Gotoh but still using the old bushings? 

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

The Gotoh's, which I have on my TFS6, can barely fit a OFR route, but it's dang tight from what I hear.

On the other hand, as far as Warmoth may apply to this option, it all comes back to "Supply and Demand".
If there were legitimately enough requests (Demand), or even the occasional custom upcharge to route for the Gotoh's to warrant programming the CNC & doing the trial routes to check for QC before releasing as a production option (Supply).

You have to realize, Warmoth is also a business, not just our candy store.  A business exists to cover its expenses and make a profit.  They supply the demand.  If there is no demand, there is no supply. 

 

[Cederick]

I don't think you understood

The only difference between OFR and Gotoh is 10mm drill and 11mm drill, everything else is the same, the stud distance is exactly the same and everything else too. Just program the CNC to make the OFR rout and change the drill bit to the one they use for Gotoh Tune O Matic that they are offering. SUPER easy to do, probably.

The Gotoh studs have screws inside them so that they lock in place, making them more stable. How much more stable in reality is questionable, I don't have a prblem with my OFR, but it's still an improvement


They only issue might be the routing "wall" becuase the OFR stud holes are very close to it. But I'm actually interested in the non-recessed here, and should be so easy to do.

I don't have a problem doing this myself, as said, I can easily make holes in the right place myself. But it would save a lot of hassle, still.

I don't think that argument about that some people can do it themselves holds up, because then they could offer only non-routed bodies saying "well it's not that hard to rout for a couple of pickups" or something like that. Or drill 6 holes for a vintage bridge.


What I'm talking about here is the exact same routing but with a slightly bigger drill bit  :icon_thumright:

 

[john_p_wi]

It is possible to use the OFR bushings and studs with the Gotoh bridge.  I did that this past spring on this body
and works very well...  yeah yeah, you don't have the Gotoh oversize studs, buts works well for me.

http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseItem.aspx?i=PS8956&Body=2&Path=Body#.VEFZvPmK_54

 

[Cederick]

Yeah I know I can do that too, but I don't know if I'm worried about the quality of studs.
Since so many high end guitar brands using Gotoh Floyd instead of OFR because its decline in quality.
Which I can't agree entirely on, but the OFR I have doesn't work quite as well as it did when I first got the guitar. Back then it could hold the tuning for several days, but now I have to retune maybe one or two days between.

Gotoh Floyd I haven't had for as long, but the reason I prefer it is mostly because I think the arm holder is MUCH LESS wobbly than OFR arm holder (which I screw as tight as possible anyway, so it's not a biggie for me, but ALL OFR guitars with loose arms (for those who likes to have it hanging) have been wobbly. And not only Korean OFR and FR Specials but actual german OFR too. All are wobbly, but not Gotoh Floyd Rose)

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Yeah I know I can do that too, but I don't know if I'm worried about the quality of studs.
Since so many high end guitar brands using Gotoh Floyd instead of OFR because its decline in quality.
Which I can't agree entirely on, but the OFR I have doesn't work quite as well as it did when I first got the guitar. Back then it could hold the tuning for several days, but now I have to retune maybe one or two days between.

Gotoh Floyd I haven't had for as long, but the reason I prefer it is mostly because I think the arm holder is MUCH LESS wobbly than OFR arm holder (which I screw as tight as possible anyway, so it's not a biggie for me, but ALL OFR guitars with loose arms (for those who likes to have it hanging) have been wobbly. And not only Korean OFR and FR Specials but actual german OFR too. All are wobbly, but not Gotoh Floyd Rose)

The latter is why I went with the Gotoh, so I can relate, and I only recently replaced the nylon bushing after 18 years of heavy use.  This is a matter of preference, so I treat it as such.

Now, with regard to tuning stability, this is a setup/maintenance issue.  I've ran into this on occassion even with my Gotoh as a freely floating trem for the majority of its life.  The longer I would go without cleaning/lubing all fulcrum contacts, springs at contact points, etc, the greater the propensity to not return to "zero". 

Normally when this is addressed correctly, and more periodically if used a lot, it will resolve itself. 
Heck, I toured with an old Ibanez RG320 with a Low-TRS-Pro for about 4 years without one problem, so the arguement that a licensed versus an OFR versus a Gotoh doesn't always hold.

Any trem, especially a floating one, will always perform better when regularly maintained.  Any non locking ones where locking tuners are used, same thing goes for the trem and the nut.  Any fulcrum point, you must be care for, or it won't care for you...

 

[Cederick]

Yeah, I have started using oil between the knife edge and stud lately and will continue to do so. Seems like a very easy thing to do and should make it last longer too, even if it's a high quality unit

 

[AutoBat]

I have unused Floyd bushings and posts somewhere.  The body I got already had studs in 'em and they're not the same size as the OFR ones.  I just used the existing ones with no problems.

 

[jay4321]

For what it's worth I asked too, same answer, won't route for Gotoh Floyd. For all the options Warmoth has some of the ones they don't are pretty aggravating.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Supply and Demand.
W sells hundreds, if not thousands of OFR's every year, their R&D costs have paid off in that they had to spec the CNC to route specifically for the OFR.

I was only there for a year, but in that year, there are several things that I had very few requests for, ie; 7 string anything, and Gotoh route's, and 24 fret LP options ala ESP's EC series.

Now, we know the LP stuff is out the window now, but as far as the 7 string and Gotoh's, I had maybe 3 requests for either in a year's time, and I was 1/5th of the sales team at that time, and the sentiment was about the same throughout the sales staff.  Having been there when the Gecko went though a major re-design caused by the limited availability of the bridge that it was originally designed to feature that became unavailable shortly after its release, I can tell you that the cost of making several prototypes that were fully assembled, tested, and so on was quite costly.  To this day, Gecko's are not a high mover at the Turtle house, which means that they likely have not had the sales to recuperate the costs that went into this design.  To be honest, I'm surprised that the Gecko remains part of the lineup, I speculate that the reason is so that they can hope to over the course of several years see some of that money back.  Normally when a company makes a design, you hope to recuperate those costs within a predermined period of time for it to be considered "profitable" 

One then must consider that the lack of certain options, such as the Gotoh Floyd route, extensive 7 string options, and even the Gecko design have not proved to be something that would be considered "profitable" for the business to undertake, and after all, a business does exist in part, to profit.

 

[stubhead]

There are a few areas where I think the lack of just maybe ONE certain player on the staff, or a lack of surveying the market may have had a deleterious effect. I'm particularly thinking of the seven strings. I was just starting to get interested in them when I built a Warmoth one, and I didn't realize just how unpleasant their ONE SIZE of neck option was for my playing. Finding a decent-size, NON-Ibanez Wizardy seven neck has now been answered and answered well by Shecter, but there was a moment there where just offering the REGULAR SIZE OPTIONS on Warmoth seven necks would've taken the seven-string forum by storm (one of the better, semi-mature forums on the net, BTY). And the 25-inch scale length is really weird, I strongly suspect it was done so that they could make a 24-fret neck without engineering a new truss rod length. Golly, a 26.5" scale boatneck seven... I think the opportunity is now passed, but you can't really say "No one wants seven strings" when it is features of the product you're offering that's what not wanted. That forum was awash in "Where can I get a BIG-necked seven?" for quite a while.

 

[Orpheo]

you need a drill anyway to build warmoth guitars. Why not use that 11mm bit to do the drilling?! I mean, it's a FIVE MINUTE job. I suppose you don't level and dress the frets accordingly? I never did it, but now I do it anyway I am aware how amazingly good their fretwork is and how superb a warmoth CAN play.

Just do it. Don't be lazy.

 

[bagman67]

That's nice as far as it goes, Orpheo - I agree that if you're doing it yourself, maybe you should show up for the party with some idea how to use a drill. 


But for many of us, the investment in these high-quality parts is a substantial deterrent to risking that investment by subjecting the parts to our own sub-journeyman skills.  Pilot holes for pickguard screws is one thing; the big holes for bridge studs is another, in terms of the level of damage you can do if you screw it up. 


I know for Warmoth it's a matter of demand vs. cost to satisfy that demand, and there's certainly a benefit to Warmoth in having a one-size-fits-all approach.  But when there is so much that can be customized, to run into a "No, we don't do that" for a fairly commonly available part is exasperating.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

You hit on something with the last sentence there.

While the part mentioned may be fairly commonly available, the demand for that part may not be.

 

[bagman67]

You hit on something with the last sentence there.

While the part mentioned may be fairly commonly available, the demand for that part may not be.

Indeed, I mean for the preceding sentence to quality that - commonly available does not equate to the level of demand Warmoth would need to exist for them to do the CNC programming and have it be cost-effective.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

:headbang: