This Floyd setup looks off

[Shreddy Mercury]

I've got this guitar I traded for years ago. It's a gold partscaster with a Gotoh GE1996T. It's always been "off". The studs appear to have been doweled and slightly adjusted. The studs always looked like they were rubbing against either of the E saddles, but it clears up a lot when I put an Original Floyd on the studs. I don't think that's really an issue, as the strings always seemed to lay straight and the string spacing looks good when strung up, and it always stayed in tune fantastically.

The other pictures show the backside, this is where it's really "off". The claw screws might be drilled a wee bit off of where they should be, but this route in the back just looks completely off and I can't figure out what it going on. I just looked at an MJT Strat of mine and the trem block is centered, like it should look and the springs line up straight. The springs on the guitar in question have always been slightly crooked to line up with the block.

Anyone care to take a guess at what's going on here? It doesn't have 6 holes for a traditional Fender bridge and the stud spacing is off so it wouldn't be designed for an original 2 point Fender bridge, nor will a Wilkinson fit it. So, unless it was filled/drilled and THEN painted, this body appears to have been built with something besides a more traditional bridge install.

For reference, the more brass colored block is the Gotoh tremolo, the more chrome colored one is the Floyd tremolo.

 

[Geo]

If it intonates and the strings line up on the neck, go with it.

 

[WizardAmpIphoneClip]

Posts or route is off

 

[DanTravis62]

Posts or route is off

This, it looks like someone didn't measure twice and drill once, unfortunately

 

[Alpha Stryke]

Time to breakout the Dremel tool if you want that to fit.
Ive done it, not a big deal.

 

[reignman454]

Happens all the time. Might not have had the bushings in it, someone "upgraded it" with posts and they used a hand drill. Been there, done that, paid the price.

If you decide to fix it, oversized dowel, wood glue, Drill press, measure 11 times, even stringing the floyd and tuners and pulling to triple check before.


FWIW: With all the "Gotta be perfect" guys out there, I've had ones worse than yours and played professionally, in studios etc and still was able to get them to intonate. Always seemed the 24.75" scale was more forgiving unless I just got lucky, not sure how that math stuff works.

 

[DanTravis62]

Happens all the time. Might not have had the bushings in it, someone "upgraded it" with posts and they used a hand drill. Been there, done that, paid the price.

If you decide to fix it, oversized dowel, wood glue, Drill press, measure 11 times, even stringing the floyd and tuners and pulling to triple check before.


FWIW: With all the "Gotta be perfect" guys out there, I've had ones worse than yours and played professionally, in studios etc and still was able to get them to intonate. Always seemed the 24.75" scale was more forgiving unless I just got lucky, not sure how that math stuff works.

Definitely, measure 11 times. That's always the key.

And youre not alone, I find the gibson scale more forgiving as well. I don't know if there's anything to that or it's just luck, but it is what is it.