Is a Recessed Floyd on a Charvel a good idea?

[sinfish]

No such thing as "better or worse" for everybody...it's whatever you prefer. I like a recessed Floyd as it keeps my hand in a more familiar position in regard to the body having played vintage trem and Kahlered guitars extensively prior to getting my first Floyded Charvel. That said, it didn't take long to get used to a top mounted Floyd. As Curt mentioned, raising pitch is no issue unless you flat mount the Floyd against the guitar's surface ala EVH.

As for Charvel purists, most of them are screw counting nut jobs who place form over function. I wouldn't take any advice from them unless its in regard to collecting and eliciting "ohhhs and ahhhs" on forums..."which would you choose...?"

 

[danhops]

IMO, non-recessed floyds with floyd resting on the body sounds better than most other trem systems. Add an upgraded brass block and they resonate like crazy. So unless pulling up on the bar is an integral part of what you do, I'd leave that guitar as is.

What he said!

 

[Gainzilla]

Tom is the god father of the superstrat though.

How is Tom Anderson the godfather of the super strat? I've seen you write that a couple of times and each time.

Yeah, I never got that either...

 

[AmpliFIRE]

IMO, non-recessed floyds with floyd resting on the body sounds better than most other trem systems. Add an upgraded brass block and they resonate like crazy. So unless pulling up on the bar is an integral part of what you do, I'd leave that guitar as is.

What he said!

+2

 

[TeleBlaster]

Whoa...
There is a lot of confusion here. What is being missed is the difference between "decked" and "recessed".
Decked is as Vrad said "resting on the body", or not floating.
Yes I agree this sounds better.
You can have recessed and decked at the same time. See USA Peavey Wolfgang Standard for an example of this.
Recessed means that the bridge is lowered so that the saddle height is the same as a standard Strat bridge, roughly.
The OFR saddle height is much taller than a standard Strat trem or hard tail.
This can cause difficulty if your picking style employs resting your pinky on the body.
If you are accustomed to a Strat style bridge then play a Charvel style flat top guitar, you will find your pinky will be hanging in space,
desperately trying to plant on something, and you usually end up gripping the bridge pickup with your pinky.
Some may also experience discomfort and awkwardness in strumming from being accustomed to resting their forearm and wrist at a different angle above the bridge.
The cure is recessing the bridge.
One of the difficulties in the process is not so much the neck angle, which is easily adjustable with shims, but the neck height.
The same depth of cut from the top used to recess the bridge must be removed from the neck pocket if the same neck angle is desired.
You can remove less material from the neck pocket and increase the angle of attack of the neck, but the changed geometry in relation to the body is noticeable and clumsy for some players.
If your body has an access or angled heel, this may prohibit the removal of much material from the pocket. Pay attention to neck bolt length, don't want them pushing into the fretboard!!
If the strumming position is not difficult but you need the strings to be closer to the body to plant your pinky, then consider a finger rest.
This is the route I took, lots less involved than recessing the Floyd Rose bridge.

 

[mixohoytian]

The 1st thing I do to all my custom shop Charvels is recess the floyd, have a 23rd and 24th fret installed, shave down the neck heel joint, move the volume knob out of the way

I do this mainly because I have more of a Lynch Mob fetish than a Dokken one

...........plus it gets Chubtone riled up.

 

[Chubtone]

The 1st thing I do to all my custom shop Charvels is recess the floyd, have a 23rd and 24th fret installed, shave down the neck heel joint, move the volume knob out of the way

I do this mainly because I have more of a Lynch Mob fetish than a Dokken one

...........plus it gets Chubtone riled up.

I like it when you get me riled up. I suggest one bag of nice, almost ripe avocados from that tree in your backyard as penance. And don't make me tell these guys how big of a Van Halen fetish you have. You go beyond even the guys on the Metro board (who I love by the way as they are so fun to read their detective work.)

 

[AndyK]

I love the way a NON recessed Floyd guitar feels and plays. The neck is angled back, the Floyd sits nice and high, so I can rest my hand on it. It just feels more solid than a recessed Floyd.

 

[Chris O]

It seems there is a disturbance in The Force -- did somone want to recess a trem on a Charvel? Are we really trying to implode the universe?

Buy a Jackson. It's done for you already.

 

[jcmtone1]

A guy has a Charvel for sale with a recessed floyd. I just wanted some opinions on a recessed floyd. I was thinking about picking it up.

 

[Chubtone]

A guy has a Charvel for sale with a recessed floyd. I just wanted some opinions on a recessed floyd. I was thinking about picking it up.

You can get it and we will let you into our Charvel club. But you will have to sit in the back row and bring all the cookies and punch.

 

[TeleBlaster]

No difference performance or tone-wise. All other factors being equal, it's just a matter of personal preference.

 

[mikehickey]

A guy has a Charvel for sale with a recessed floyd. I just wanted some opinions on a recessed floyd. I was thinking about picking it up.

You can get it and we will let you into our Charvel club. But you will have to sit in the back row and bring all the cookies and punch.

don't forget to bring the rack mount vaporizer too

 

[oldmanmetal]

A guy has a Charvel for sale with a recessed floyd. I just wanted some opinions on a recessed floyd. I was thinking about picking it up.

You can get it and we will let you into our Charvel club. But you will have to sit in the back row and bring all the cookies and punch.

Back of the bus!!!

 

[Gainzilla]

I wouldn't buy another if it wasn't recessed. Too spoiled with the Anderson setup. Flush mounted is too much in the way for me. I guess it is what you are used to playing.

Steve

Yup, play what you like. For me, I just dont see the point of having a Floyd that wasnt recessed....

 

[Doubleneck]

The Peavey Wolfgang is my favorite FR set up, recessed but non floating against the body, otherwise a non floating against the body dive mode only, is my second favorite.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Tom is the god father of the superstrat though.

How is Tom Anderson the godfather of the super strat? I've seen you write that a couple of times and each time.

I think he's one of the guys who refined and perfected certain things. But Wayne Charvel should probably get credit for getting the superstrat thing going.

I think Anderson was first to put maple top's over tone woods on strat style guitars though.

 

[Gainzilla]

Tom is the god father of the superstrat though.

How is Tom Anderson the godfather of the super strat? I've seen you write that a couple of times and each time.

I think he's one of the guys who refined and perfected certain things. But Wayne Charvel should probably get credit for getting the superstrat thing going.

I think Anderson was first to put maple top's over tone woods on strat style guitars though.

what about Kramer? Ibanez?

 

[Digital Jams]

Well Curt it is my understanding that Tom had his hands in just about every company during the hair boom getting their offerings to the table including Fender and his days of Pensa and Schecter are pretty documented, those old cs Schecters that were TA built still hold their worth.

I will take your word but from what I have read Tom was one of the true trailblazers at that time.

 

[Digital Jams]

Tom is the god father of the superstrat though.

How is Tom Anderson the godfather of the super strat? I've seen you write that a couple of times and each time.

I think he's one of the guys who refined and perfected certain things. But Wayne Charvel should probably get credit for getting the superstrat thing going.

I think Anderson was first to put maple top's over tone woods on strat style guitars though.

what about Kramer? Ibanez?

You are going to need to put Hamer in there before those two, Hamer offered the first production floyd guitars and locking nut guitars. Jol had a "in" with Rose back in the day when he could not pump out enough bridges and before Kramer got the rights.


Jol is probably one of the greatest assets guitar production has seen.