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[rabidgerry]

Might be another way to address that issue:
Swap the Nut (cheapo plastic, worn out by now) for a Graph Tech Tusq nut....
I put one on my *pimp-my-cheapo* Cort GL HSS Strat (which has a Wilkinson VS Trem, also floating) and that one stays in tune perfectly (although non-locking)....

I have often wondered about TUSQ nuts.  My nut is a good nut actually, it's a graphite one which is supposed to be good for trems because it's slippery.  The nut is cut well also as I had my luthier cut it to take 10's as opposed to 9's.  The problem is just that same issue the guy in the video link I posted is talking about.  It just cannot be avoided unless you have the locks at the actual nut.  Sorta defeats the purpose of having locks in the first place having them behind the nut.  You'd have the same issue with locking tuners.

[Dante]

I have a guitar without locking tuners & ordered a Tusque nut for it. I'll let you know how it works

[rnolan]

The Tusque nuts look very interesting, I'd still go for a Tremsetter as well, it should fix the annoying "hit the trem again". They were originally designed to make strat trems workable and aren't very expensive ~$50.
Hey Dante, look forward to your results with the Tusque.

Interesting though, way back when I bought the Tremsetter for my Anderson was when the first PRS guitars came to Australia (very expensive, $6k way back then (1985(ish))), they were the first guitars I'd seen with locking machine heads and the non locking trem worked really well, I think they had graphite nuts as well.

[rabidgerry]

If the trem setter is designed to stop the silly stupidness of strat style trems I'd defo get one.  On;y I am afraid to do anything at all to my westone because it's in such good condition for its age and despite some of the butchered versions out there where people have heavily modified I think I like the idea of keeping it stock.  DAMMIT!

Guys I have a question actually about a strat I own.  Perhaps wrong place to post this but I just want a quick answer.  I had a guy a few years back butcher my beloved (first guitar I ever owned) Korean squire strat.  He fitted an LSR roller nut to it really badly.  This required cutting wood to fit the roller nut.  He did this badly.  I have never played the guitar since!!!    Because it rattles the f**king truss rod now!!  Anyways. It shouldn't do that.  But what I would like to know is.  This silly gap I now have to fit an LSR roller nut, can this be filled in again some how to accommodate either a regular nut or a tusq nut?  I would like to bring my strat back to the way it was (single coils and everything - but I'll get super hot one )

I look at that guitar and really regret what that guy did to it.  I never used him ever again.  Another thing, would it be too big a job to get a Floyd rose and locking nut fitted?  Just toying with these ideas.  Poor Strat!  1996 it is.

[rnolan]

Have a look at the video on the hipshotproducts.com site. He demonstrates fitting a tremsetter to a strat (which was the original purpose of tremsetter). You drill 2 small holes for the mounting screws (or one in my case as I have short rear cavity) and one larger hole at the back of the cavity for the centre rod.

Can you post a pick of the nut area on your strat. Getting a FR fitted is probably the best way to go. Make sure it's strat spacings (widths (nut and bridge)) and bridge saddle heights/curve matches your fingerboard radius (I had to shim some of the saddles on my tele to match the radius). I suspect you could fit a normal nut or a Tusque (use a couple of drops of superglue so it doesn't fall off etc while your stringing it). Strat nuts are curved on the bottom so require a reciprocally curved slot. I suspect all the fingerboard has been removed from the front of the original nut back toward peg head to accommodate the LSR installation ? (which you have to do for FR nut also, hence easiest fix). While it's possible to replace the wood and start over, it's more hassle than it's worth. You'd have to shape and glue some rosewood, the recut the nut slot so the bottom matches the fingerboard radius, shape and cut the nut etc.

Getting the nut string heights right so you clear the first frett is a bit tricky and sometimes (often) requires shimms under the nut. I imagine there are lots of FR install how tos on youtube.

[Dante]

I got the tusq nut yesterday, it was the first time I've ever changed a nut and it was pretty easy. The Tusq is definitely a better nut, you can tell just by the feel of it, but the true test is dropping it on your frets. It makes a ping sound whereas the stock (plastic) nut made a rattling sound. The Tusq is much more dense

Soundwise, I don't know if it's all that different, I haven't played it all that much (but plan to today)

[Systematic Chaos]

Another alternative to the Hipshot Trem-Setter or the Tremol-No:
Rockinger Black-Box
These were very famous over here with all Superstrat players in the 90s.....

[rnolan]

Looks quite interesting though I don't see how it would help with string bends unless you over tighten the main springs so the block is pulled against the felt stop at zero position. Certainly looks well made and one less (rather large) hole to drill. It has some advantages over the tremsetter in that if you broke a string (again depending on spring tensions) it shouldn't go any more out of tune than a fixed bridge (which do go out of tune but not by anywhere near as my as a FR).

[MarshallJMP]

I have to agree with SC,i also think the nut is the problem.

[rnolan]

It may be just that the LSR nut install was botched (and as you say the problem). You could take it off and cut a bone (or get Tuque) nut.

The easiest nut fix (in many ways) is to get a FR locking nut installed (properly). It's actually not that hard to do but helps if you can borrow a FR nut jig as this lines up the drill holes (2 smaller holes for the bolt shafts and 2 larger counter sink holes over the top of the smaller holes so the bolt tops are sunken). And you may have to tidy the area and also use shims if required ?

[rabidgerry]

I'm not sure what any of you are talking about now?  The problem with the LSR is nothing to do with the probem vintage trems have.  The issue with the LSR I asked if I could get the LSR basically replaced and the excessive gap that was required to fit that nut in the first place filled in or am I f*cked?  The issue with the LSR is that the space requred for that nut required to go further toward the first fret than regular nuts.  Why?  Because the LSR has ball bearings, the ball bearings that seat the strings are not at the edge of the nut but rather in the middle.  So if I put a regular nut in there and fitted flat against the side the is closest to the first fret the strings would be seated closer to the first fret than they should be.  So I either want this replaced with a locking nut or regular/tusq nut if possible.

I posted a video that clearly displayed that vintage trems no matter how good the nut is cut will always go out of tune on either string bends or trem use depending on what you tune it to in the first place (that means you can retune it to stay in tune with string bends but this means it will be out of tune when you dive b*mb but to correct the tuning you will need to string bend or else you can tune it to stay in tune when you dive b*mb but this means it will go out of tune when you string bend in which case it means you will need to hit the trem to correct the tuning.)  I have been told this by no less than 3 luthiers.  And the dude in that video said the exact same thing.  This is just an issue with vintage trems or trems that have locks behind the nut like my Westone guitar.

[rnolan]

Hey RG, sorry, I'm not familiar with the LSR (why I asked for a pic of it and what you've said (last post) would have been obvious). So I get it now  you've lost from the centre of the nut rollers to the edge of finger board (off the fingerboard) because of the width of the LSR nut thing. Bummer (and I get I don't need to remind you of that  ). How to fix then. If you fit a FR locknut (in the "right" place (ie where the front of the nut used to be)) (or a Tusque (but how to make it stay there) the guitar will work. There will be a gap between the "now" end of the board to the front of the nut (this shouldn't be a huge problem, but not ideal). Of these options the FR nut would be best as it is bolted in place. So then there's now a gap from front of the nut to then finger board, do you care ?? (well slightly less vibration transfer so probably yes, a bit..), cosmetically ? can you really see it ? Ok how to fill the gap (with a FR locknut bolted in you don't really need to), inlay rosewood and shape, mix rosewood sanding particles with epoxy and fill gap. The upside, is you don't play/press there, leaving the gap will decrease vibration transfer a little.
To do a normal nut (Tusque or otherwise) you have to fill the gap so they have a fingerboard to press up against.

[Systematic Chaos]

...I'm not familiar with the LSR ...

Here you go...including installation DIY: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3GQZUWTUN0QZX/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0002KZEB8&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=11091801&store=musical-instruments

[rnolan]

Ok even more complicated, if you can't make the LSR work for you, you have to fill that small gap between where the front of the nut is (1/16th" ? it's not big) or easiest IMO is to properly fit a FR, so you'd loose the fingerboard behind the nut and bolt in a FR nut (you'd end up with a very small gap between the nut and FB which you could put some rosewood veneer or just fill with epoxy and rosewood sawdust)

[rabidgerry]

still don't under stand these things but it seems they are all over the place in various guises

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281376273300?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT