# Replacing a Floyd Rose 1000 for a Gotoh



## elkoki (Mar 31, 2021)

Was thinking of swapping my Floyd Rose 1000 for a Gotoh Ge1996t.. I read they are direct replacements minus the posts. Is there anything else I should know before replacing it ? The guitar is a Schecter Hellraiser Extreme c-1. Would I need to shim the saddles or do anything extra ? The guitar I believe has a 14" radius . I've never replaced a trem so I'm not sure how much this matters


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## T00DEEPBLUE (Mar 31, 2021)

Why are you replacing it?

The 1000 is a perfectly competent bridge. Not much point changing it unless it's straight up broken or something.

As for the radius of the saddles, the best thing to do is suck it and see. Buy a set of under string radius gauges from Amazon, measure the radius of the saddles in the bridge and compare it to the fingerboard. Adjust the saddle heights to get the correct radius by sticking a piece of aluminium pop can from your favourite beverage under the saddles that need to be raised.

Pretty simple really.


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## elkoki (Mar 31, 2021)

T00DEEPBLUE said:


> Why are you replacing it?
> 
> The 1000 is a perfectly competent bridge. Not much point changing it unless it's straight up broken or something.
> 
> ...



The previous owner of the guitar swapped the saddles to match each other. So you know how each saddle has a number underneath that indicates what string it's for? They swapped them all to 2's except for the low E which I think is a 3. I would rather buy some new FR 1000 saddles ,I looked around for black nickel but I could not find any anywhere, not eBay, Reverb or even their official site... They are available in other colors only. I looked around and there are brand new FR1000 shipped from China but made in Korea for $100. So it's either buy new saddles in a color I don't want for $60, buy a whole new chrome FR1000 system for $100 or try a brand new Gotoh for $130 in the actual color I want.

I like my FR1000, it's a good trem, preferably i'd like to get correct saddles for it than to swap out the trem.


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## Omzig (Mar 31, 2021)

You might want to check the routing at the lower front corner of the base plate, the Gotoh units have a much smaller radius on their plate edges there which might clip into some floyd routes if they have been tight in the cavitiy following the OFR plate shape, upper area doesn't matter as the edge is open.

Here's the Gotoh plate (this is from a build on working on atm)


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## groverj3 (Mar 31, 2021)

Honestly, I wouldn't bother. The 1000 series is fine. Just get the right saddles. You can either buy the Schaller-made ones or the 1000 series saddles (cheaper). If you like the Gotoh's arm attachment better you can put a push-in arm that will fit your 1000 series. This will cost you way less money, and it will function just as well.

It's also likely that the front corner of the treble side of the route will rub or not fit the Gotoh, as mentioned above.

Also, the string lock screws may be too long for your route. Fixable by just using the string lock screws from your 1000 series in the Gotoh.

Not worth the hassle when the 1000 series is fine.


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## elkoki (Mar 31, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> Honestly, I wouldn't bother. The 1000 series is fine. Just get the right saddles. You can either buy the Schaller-made ones or the 1000 series saddles (cheaper). If you like the Gotoh's arm attachment better you can put a push-in arm that will fit your 1000 series. This will cost you way less money, and it will function just as well.
> 
> It's also likely that the front corner of the treble side of the route will rub or not fit the Gotoh, as mentioned above.
> 
> ...



But where in the hell can I find some Floyd Rose black nickel saddles that aren't the zinc special ones? The only other ones I've seen are the original FR ones for $80 but I'm unsure if those are drop in replacements


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## groverj3 (Mar 31, 2021)

elkoki said:


> But where in the hell can I find some Floyd Rose black nickel saddles that aren't the zinc special ones? The only other ones I've seen are the original FR ones for $80 but I'm unsure if those are drop in replacements


I think you might have to buy the originals then, but that's still cheaper and less hassle than installing the Gotoh.


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## Viginez (Apr 1, 2021)

elkoki said:


> But where in the hell can I find some Floyd Rose black nickel saddles that aren't the zinc special ones? The only other ones I've seen are the original FR ones for $80 but I'm unsure if those are drop in replacements


this one?
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Authentic-O...acement-Saddle-Set-Black-Nickel-/273757759979


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## elkoki (Apr 1, 2021)

Viginez said:


> this one?
> https://www.ebay.de/itm/Authentic-O...acement-Saddle-Set-Black-Nickel-/273757759979


Yeah those are the originals not 1000s but I suppose they'll work even though they're almost $100 sheesh. This is why I considered a Gotoh


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## groverj3 (Apr 3, 2021)

Parts for the 1000 series in specific are tough to find. Sometimes you can find individual saddles for the 1000 series, or the original, on ebay for cheaper than new. The originals will work on the baseplate just fine though. Even though they are pricey. It's still definitely cheaper and less of a headache than installing the Gotoh trem, trust me.


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## elkoki (Apr 4, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> Parts for the 1000 series in specific are tough to find. Sometimes you can find individual saddles for the 1000 series, or the original, on ebay for cheaper than new. The originals will work on the baseplate just fine though. Even though they are pricey. It's still definitely cheaper and less of a headache than installing the Gotoh trem, trust me.



Hm.. but if it's a drop in replacement and I use the old posts , is it really that much of a headache? I think I should at least try and see if it fits, if it doesn't I'll just return it... I've heard lots of good things about the Gotoh and I dont want to be left wondering if it would work for my guitar..


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## groverj3 (Apr 4, 2021)

elkoki said:


> Hm.. but if it's a drop in replacement and I use the old posts , is it really that much of a headache? I think I should at least try and see if it fits, if it doesn't I'll just return it... I've heard lots of good things about the Gotoh and I dont want to be left wondering if it would work for my guitar..


It's possible the Gotoh will fit, but it is likely that it won't. Plus, it's a more expensive way to solve the problem. The Gotoh trem is great, but it's not like it's a massive improvement over an OFR. If you get the push-in bar for the OFR then they're functionally equivalent.


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## elkoki (Apr 4, 2021)

groverj3 said:


> It's possible the Gotoh will fit, but it is likely that it won't. Plus, it's a more expensive way to solve the problem. The Gotoh trem is great, but it's not like it's a massive improvement over an OFR. If you get the push-in bar for the OFR then they're functionally equivalent.



The problem isn't the tuning stability of the FR 1000, it's that the saddles are incorrect and it makes the action feel weird ( even with truss rod set, fr leveled).. If I'm going to spend $100 on saddles to place on an already worn looking baseplate I may as well spend the extra $30 to try and see if a Gotoh fits. I'll return it if it doesn't fit and get a chrome FR1000 from China for $100 or those ofr black nickel ones


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## Zhysick (Apr 5, 2021)

Considering the Gotoh is about 50€ more than the saddles and it already comes with the right radius for your guitar (well, 350mm which is almost 14", I don't think you will need to adjust anything for such a small difference) and you will get a complete full new bridge with new knife edges, posts, saddles and everything... I would do it BUT that's me because I would be confident in doing the small mods by myself (like a bit of routing Yadda Yadda as said) but if you aren't maybe you prefer to just buy new original saddles and don't mess around...


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## Edika (Apr 5, 2021)

elkoki said:


> The problem isn't the tuning stability of the FR 1000, it's that the saddles are incorrect and it makes the action feel weird ( even with truss rod set, fr leveled).. If I'm going to spend $100 on saddles to place on an already worn looking baseplate I may as well spend the extra $30 to try and see if a Gotoh fits. I'll return it if it doesn't fit and get a chrome FR1000 from China for $100 or those ofr black nickel ones



As long as you just put the tem on the posts with no tension (strings, I thing if you put the strings on it will be ok) and see if it fits then it would be no problem returning it. The only negative in this is that you won't benefit from the locking studs but you'll have a brand new trem.

I think all the OFR fit on the 1000 series. If you check the Floyd Rose site they mention which parts git which trees. If the Gotoh doesn't fit you can get the saddles then.


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## elkoki (Apr 5, 2021)

Edika said:


> As long as you just put the tem on the posts with no tension (strings, I thing if you put the strings on it will be ok) and see if it fits then it would be no problem returning it. The only negative in this is that you won't benefit from the locking studs but you'll have a brand new trem.
> 
> I think all the OFR fit on the 1000 series. If you check the Floyd Rose site they mention which parts git which trees. If the Gotoh doesn't fit you can get the saddles then.



Yeah I ordered the Gotoh, I think i'll be getting it tomorrow. Worse case scenario it won't fit and I can let people know it doesn't fit this particular guitar's Floyd route without mods.. Crossing my fingers hoping for the best.


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## elkoki (Apr 8, 2021)

The trem fit great no issues that I know of so far .


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## elkoki (Apr 8, 2021)

One thing I'll have to get used to is the angle of the bar


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## Zhysick (Apr 11, 2021)

Looks amazing in that guitar. HNBD!


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## elkoki (Apr 11, 2021)

Zhysick said:


> Looks amazing in that guitar. HNBD!


Lol thanks. It does look awesome, and plays great. Sold off the old worn trem, so i'm happy. Also pretty cool that the Gotoh comes stock with a brass block so that was a nice bonus


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## Zhysick (Apr 11, 2021)

elkoki said:


> Lol thanks. It does look awesome, and plays great. Sold off the old worn trem, so i'm happy. Also pretty cool that the Gotoh comes stock with a brass block so that was a nice bonus



MIJ quality. I use gotoh pots and gotoh machine heads and I am not looking elsewhere now. Too happy with the brand and the quality. If I ever have a "floyded" guitar again it will be a gotoh for sure.


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## elkoki (Apr 15, 2021)

I actually just realized the tremolo bar is height adjustable. The bar is pop in, but then you can turn it clockwise to your desired height. Just thought i'd throw that out there for anyone else who sees this in the future. OK we can let this post die now


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## Dave Death (Apr 27, 2021)

I have two Schecters with these trems fitted. One is a Stiletto 6-FR that had some generic licensed Floyd Rose, the other is a C-1 Blackjack SLS FR-S

Both of the them have been fitted with the Gotoh posts, which I would recommend. I have had zero problems with mine since had it installed (I paid a luthier friend to do it both times). Both of the them have been fitted with the small clamp Tremol-No systems.The only issue I have had is with the C-1, which seems to be made from a species of mahogany that is quite prone to fracturing and chipping out. So Steve drilled out the post holes large enough to fit hardwood dowels, and then drilled the dowels and installed the posts into the thin ring of hardwood that was left. So far they have held. Then I fitted the Tremol-No later myself and one of the claw screws made a cracking sound and sawdust came out and it wouldn't tighten, so Steve drilled the two claw screws out and installed dowels there as well and then drilled the dowels to take the claw screws. With the Tremol-No I had to remove one spring and screw the claw in further to give enough travel for full floating operation. I didn't have any of these wood issues with the Stiletto, which is a 2008 (rather than 2014) guitar.

Other than the Tremol-No the Gotoh GE1996T units in my guitars are stock. Both are tuned to C standard with 11-56 D'Addario strings, using two of the springs that came with the Gotoh unit. I simply cut some strips of pickup box foam and inserted them into the centre of each spring to make them noiseless. They keep tune really well, especially the Stiletto, which has a bolt-on maple neck. The C-1 has a set neck and is not quite as stable but still very good. They certainly both hold tune with divebombs etc.

The FR-1000 in the C-1 had a damaged knife edge when I bought it second-hand, and it would not return to pitch properly. The trem in the Stiletto was totally ruined and would not hold tune at all. I installed a Gotoh nut on the Stiletto but the C-1 has the factory FR nut.

You can see the dowels for the claw screws in this photo of the C-1 Blackjack SLS FR-S:







This is the most recent generation of GE1996T (note the lettering). Note the Gotoh stud-lock posts. It has been fitted with a ceramic Black Hawk.






This is the Tremol-No installation in the Stiletto. Some routing of the cavity and top was required due to it replacing a non-FR trem.






The trem in the Stiletto is a couple of years older and is the previous generation. It also has the Gotoh posts. The guitar was routed for a neck humbucker and a new pickguard made for a HH configuration. It has a Black Hawk pickup set with the alnico bridge magnet. Both guitars have Gotoh locking tuners.


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## Dave Death (Apr 29, 2021)

Dave Death said:


> I have two Schecters with these trems fitted. One is a Stiletto 6-FR that had some generic licensed Floyd Rose, the other is a C-1 Blackjack SLS FR-S
> 
> Both of the them have been fitted with the Gotoh posts, which I would recommend. I have had zero problems with mine since had it installed (I paid a luthier friend to do it both times). Both of the them have been fitted with the small clamp Tremol-No systems.The only issue I have had is with the C-1, which seems to be made from a species of mahogany that is quite prone to fracturing and chipping out. So Steve drilled out the post holes large enough to fit hardwood dowels, and then drilled the dowels and installed the posts into the thin ring of hardwood that was left. So far they have held. Then I fitted the Tremol-No later myself and one of the claw screws made a cracking sound and sawdust came out and it wouldn't tighten, so Steve drilled the two claw screws out and installed dowels there as well and then drilled the dowels to take the claw screws. With the Tremol-No I had to remove one spring and screw the claw in further to give enough travel for full floating operation. I didn't have any of these wood issues with the Stiletto, which is a 2008 (rather than 2014) guitar.
> 
> ...



I'm experiencing this in all the threads that I have posted images in: when I post the images they don't show, but when I reply to my own post they magically appear. I hope this helps


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## skullfxr (Apr 29, 2021)

I have five Jacksons that I have fit Gotoh Floyd's to. For general information sake on a MIJ Jackson you will have to make a small route (1/4" radius) for the corners in the front.

Also from what I have seen from guitars in general that I have seen come into my shop that they don't swap the studs out you will kill the knife edges faster than I would guess the tremolo would with the proper studs. It's easy, just pull the studs, and drill with a depth stopping bit and hammer them in. Takes 5 minutes and it's worth the time for longevity sake.


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## Dave Death (Apr 29, 2021)

That's what I figured. Plus the stud-lock feature is nice. They use the same idea on the 510FB TOM replacement bridge but you don't need to drill, given the larger diameter of TOM units


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## DaZoner (Apr 29, 2021)

If you don't like the angle of the bar, just bend it to what you want. No big deal. That trem looks awesome btw.


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## spudmunkey (Apr 29, 2021)

Dave Death said:


> I'm experiencing this in all the threads that I have posted images in: when I post the images they don't show, but when I reply to my own post they magically appear. I hope this helps



Imgur doesn't like this forum.


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## xzyryabx (Apr 29, 2021)

Might sound stupid for some, but I've replaced the OFR (brand new) in a few guitars with the gotoh....gotoh is a bit larger I think as it always fits the route but a tiny bit more snug. I keep all the other floyd hardware


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## elkoki (Apr 29, 2021)

DaZoner said:


> If you don't like the angle of the bar, just bend it to what you want. No big deal. That trem looks awesome btw.



The angle is different for sure, but more than anything it felt high then I looked at the manual (duh) and realized it was adjustable.. The bar actually pops in but you screws it in until it's low enough to your liking.


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## elkoki (Apr 29, 2021)

skullfxr said:


> I have five Jacksons that I have fit Gotoh Floyd's to. For general information sake on a MIJ Jackson you will have to make a small route (1/4" radius) for the corners in the front.
> 
> Also from what I have seen from guitars in general that I have seen come into my shop that they don't swap the studs out you will kill the knife edges faster than I would guess the tremolo would with the proper studs. It's easy, just pull the studs, and drill with a depth stopping bit and hammer them in. Takes 5 minutes and it's worth the time for longevity sake.



I'm not comfortable doing something like that myself, i'd take it to a tech but they'd probably charge me like $300. I recently messaged a tech nearby for a quote on a nut swap and he said $160, no thanks. For now i'm happy with the way it is since I use it blocked like 90% of the time without any diving, the problem with the old trem were the old and incorrect saddles that made the action feel weird the Gotoh fixed that.


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## Dave Death (Apr 30, 2021)

xzyryabx said:


> Might sound stupid for some, but I've replaced the OFR (brand new) in a few guitars with the gotoh....gotoh is a bit larger I think as it always fits the route but a tiny bit more snug. I keep all the other floyd hardware



Tommy Vetterli (Coroner, ex-Kreator) obviously prefers the Gotoh. His signature guitar is the only one in the Solar range to have one.

https://www.solar-guitars.com/product/a1-6coroner-carbon-black-matte/


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## ChAoZ (May 2, 2021)

elkoki said:


> But where in the hell can I find some Floyd Rose black nickel saddles that aren't the zinc special ones? The only other ones I've seen are the original FR ones for $80 but I'm unsure if those are drop in replacements



Why the hate for Zinc sadles, you do realise that the Gotoh has Zinc saddles???


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## elkoki (May 2, 2021)

ChAoZ said:


> Why the hate for Zinc sadles, you do realise that the Gotoh has Zinc saddles???



Does it?


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