My Charvel Model 5FX Information & Upgrades Questions

[Charvel1975]

Been a while since I've been on this forum but not long ago I took my Charvel model 5fx to my guitar tech and he did some much needed work on the Charvel: He replaced the nut with a LSR roller nut, installed the new Kahler locking nut I bought a while back, put his custom sleves around the tremolo springs so you don't get that vibration noise when doing palm mutes, set the tremolo just to go down, strung it up with Ernie Ball LTHB .010-.052 tuned to Drop B, put an Orange Drop cap in(don't know what value?), put a new Switchcraft 3-way toggle in, did a complete setup, cleaning, etc.

The guitar plays great but the action I think is a little too close for my brute playing style and I'm thinking the .010-.052 string set is maybe a little light for drop B tuning and the EMG-81 Non-Quick Connect bridge pickup and slant EMG-SA Non-Quick Connect in the neck for some reason just aren't putting out enough output, bottom end, etc. for modern metal in Drop B what my band plays...

From what I've researched online I think the guitar has a Poplar body with Maple neck-thru neck, it does have a rosewood fingerboard. I have 2 other axes setup for drop B with ghs zakk wylde .010-.060's, one is an older epi lp custom with the SD hot rod set jb/jazz and then my custom built super-strat with a SD jb in the bridge. Any pickup suggestions or any other advice to improve the sound and tone of the Charvel?

 

[glpg80]

How can you have both an LSR roller nut and a Kahler locking nut at the same time? Just wondering which you have, that is all.

If you have a brute playing style 10-52 is way too loose for drop B tuning. put 12-56's on there, or if you dont like a wound g try 11-60.

floydupgrades.com sells springs that do not resonate - no need to try and make tubes or tape on your current ones - just replace them and be done - they work great.

Dont be afraid to raise the action a bit - you'll get a tighter more percussive tone out of the guitar and it will resonate better.

 

[Charvel1975]

How can you have both an LSR roller nut and a Kahler locking nut at the same time? Just wondering which you have, that is all.

If you have a brute playing style 10-52 is way too loose for drop B tuning. put 12-56's on there, or if you dont like a wound g try 11-60.

floydupgrades.com sells springs that do not resonate - no need to try and make tubes or tape on your current ones - just replace them and be done - they work great.

Dont be afraid to raise the action a bit - you'll get a tighter more percussive tone out of the guitar and it will resonate better.

The Kahler locking nut is after the roller nut, my tech that set the guitar up originally said the thickest string I could put on the roller nut was a .054 but then I searched online and found this information on Warmoth's site:

Maximum string gauge per slot:
1st string - .024"
2nd string - .028"
3rd string - .034"
4th string - .039"
5th string - .048"
6th string - .059"

So I was thinking of maybe trying D'Addario EXL117 Medium Top/Extra-Heavy Bottom, Nickel-Wound Electric Guitar Strings, Gauges: 11-14-19-32-44-56

How would I raise the action a bit without throwing the intonation, etc. out from the work my tech just did?

 

[glpg80]

How can you have both an LSR roller nut and a Kahler locking nut at the same time? Just wondering which you have, that is all.

If you have a brute playing style 10-52 is way too loose for drop B tuning. put 12-56's on there, or if you dont like a wound g try 11-60.

floydupgrades.com sells springs that do not resonate - no need to try and make tubes or tape on your current ones - just replace them and be done - they work great.

Dont be afraid to raise the action a bit - you'll get a tighter more percussive tone out of the guitar and it will resonate better.

The Kahler locking nut is after the roller nut, my tech that set the guitar up originally said the thickest string I could put on the roller nut was a .054 but then I searched online and found this information on Warmoth's site:

Maximum string gauge per slot:
1st string - .024"
2nd string - .028"
3rd string - .034"
4th string - .039"
5th string - .048"
6th string - .059"

So I was thinking of maybe trying D'Addario EXL117 Medium Top/Extra-Heavy Bottom, Nickel-Wound Electric Guitar Strings, Gauges: 11-14-19-32-44-56

How would I raise the action a bit without throwing the intonation, etc. out from the work my tech just did?

Ahhh i see what you have going on now. the string height can be adjusted at the bridge slightly without affecting intonation with smaller gauge strings, however with the larger gauge strings it becomes even moreso important that it be set properly. Basically, the right answer is you cant. you must check for buzzing at the first few frets at the roller nut to assure it does not need shimming, and the neck has to be watched to make sure the added tension does not introduce any new movement, and then there is the personal preference of just how much heighth you like - too much or too little is relative to player preference.

IMHO people recommend using new strings to set intonation, but after a few weeks with heavier gauge strings stretching, your intonation will drift more noticeably because of it - so either you keep changing strings to keep the intonation where it is set, or you change the string gauges, wait ~4 weeks for things to settle, then get it properly intonated afterwards again when going up a gauge or down a guage. which method depends on whether you like the feel and sound of new strings, or the feel and sound of old strings - and how important the intonation setup is to begin with (whether you're doing studio recordings or not)

 

[Charvel1975]

Has anyone tried the active Seymor Duncan Blackouts and Blackouts Single Coil in the Neck or the Blackouts Mick Thompson pickups in their Charvels similar to mine?

 

[magh8]

drop B i would use 11's and change the low e/b to a 56

 

[Charvel1975]

I'm swapping out the EMG-81 in the bridge to a EMG-85. Also for some reason the EMG-SA in the neck doesn't seem like it's putting out enough output volume-wise, etc. when I switch from the bridge pickup to using both or just the single coil in the neck and the 3-way switch is a brand new Switchcraft 3-way toggle?? The guitar is still setup in Drop B with the ernie ball slinky .010-.052 but I'm gonna either try the ernie ball beefy slinkys .011-.054 or the D'Addario EXL117 Med Top/Heavy Bottom .011 - .056 strings. Hopefully this pickup swap will beef up the sound of the Charvel for Drop B tuning. Your guys thoughts?

 

[glpg80]

i use 11-52's right now for D standard, its tight but not unbearable.

drop B is a step and a half difference. i could see using 10-52's for D standard but not for drop B or C standard. for C standard i would recommend 11-52 if you like the slinky feel, for drop B i would recommend 11-56 for you, however for a tight as teen ____ feel and rhythm i would recommend at least 12-56's for drop B if you dont have any tendon problems or hand issues to deal with. i have friends who use 14's for B standard and tight is an understatement - great sound too.

edit: i do remember you mentioning nut width issues, it may also benefit you to have the nuts slightly filed and shimmed by a luthier that knows what they are doing to allow greater potential in the tuning you are playing. you want the tight playing but are limited because of the nut string widths which will only hurt tuning stability, string life, breaking string pontential, etc.