Refret question

[RacerTippy]

Hi, a question I was wondering, and TAG is shut down for the week.
I have an opportunity to pick up my second Anderson, it's a 1994 vintage, pre BF tuning offsets, with Floyd and locking nut.
If I sent it back to the factory for a stainless steel refret, can they BF it also? I was under the impression that BF offsets required the frets to be in slightly different places, so doesn't that require recutting the fret slots? That doesn't sound like a good idea as a retro-fit. It's a rw board, btw.
How about the locking nut? Doesn't that need to be slightly repositioned too? Floyd nuts are drilled through the neck and all.

Thanks for any insights, I'm sure I'm not the first person to think about sending a pre 96 guitar back to the factory.

Tommy

[Stan Malinowski]

I know for "normal" nut equipped guitars their is a special nut Feiten sells to it's authorized installers for retrofitting. I looked into Feinteizing my Fender CS Relics and was told about this nut. It essentially sits in the normal unmodified nut slot and slightly overhangs the fretboard. No permenant mods are necessary so the guitar could be returned to original condition if desired. I was told the final cost for Feitenizing would be about $125 which inlcudes the special nut, installation and re-intonation.

I'm not quite sure if things are this simple with a Floyd equipped guitar, I suspect a permenant mod to the guitar (rerouting of the nut slot) might be required for proper locking nut placement. There might be info avialable at the Feiten website. Jack Gretz at Magdon is an authorized Feiten Installer maybe he would know the answer.

[dpeterson]

with a floyd nut that goes through the neck, this would be kind of a pain. would have to dowel the holes, sand, redrill, take some wood off of the fretboard. I'm not sure how good the back of the neck would look afterward either. unless tom left some slack in the holes going through the neck (which i doubt).

dave

[Stan Malinowski]

From the FAQ Section of the BF Website:

Is the tuning system compatible with my Bigsby/Floyd Rose/Kahler bridge and Locking Nut?

Yes. The Buzz Feiten Tuning System is implemented by the movement of the nut and adjustment of the bridge saddles. Trem systems and locking nuts perform the same as stock nuts and saddles when retrofitted to our specifications. As with any retrofit, your Authorized Retrofitter is expertly trained to handle such installations.

Sounds like it's do-able.

[RacerTippy]

Thanks Stan, just read that also. Interesting, I always assumed the tempered tuning deal BF came up with also involved ever-so-slight changes to some fret positions. But it's all in the nut and tuning.
Learn something new every day, so I guess I can shut my brain off for the rest of today! Learned my one thing. :p

[RacerTippy]

Thanks Dave, in all my Floyd guitars over the years, since I do all my own maintenance, there is always a tiny bit of play if you unscrew the allens. I guess they just need to trim a bit of the end of the fretboard away and but the nut up agains it? As far as I can ascertain, it's only in the hundredths of an inch anyway.
But's that's just guesswork by me, I suppose we'll (I'll) get a definitive answer when the folks get back in the office.

[Stan Malinowski]

I always assumed the tempered tuning deal BF came up with also involved ever-so-slight changes to some fret positions

Actually you're correct on this, it is the positions of the frets relative to the nut. On guitars designed and manufactured to use the BFS the slot for the nut is routed in a different position than a non-BFS system. In this case a standard nut is used and the intonation is et to BFS standards. On a retrofit a special nut which fits in the existing slot but slightly overhangs the nut is purchased from BF. This essentially moves the nut closer to the frets (reltive to the nut). Pop in the special nut, re-intonate to BFS specs and it's a done deal!

[tom]

we ca do both at the same time. the refret is 300 and the bfts is 150. we do plug and redrill for the nut after shaving off the end of the fingerboard. you do see the redrill because the move is slightly less than the counterbore fore the cap screw that holds on the nut.

[BoraBora]

Would it be more cost-effective to purchase a brand new neck with SS frets and set-up for the BFTS, instead of having these options added to an existing neck?

[tom]

it would only cost $50 more. it would take about 6 weeks longer since we would be making a new neck. we would have your guitar for a week for the mods. if we do a new neck, we will have it for 3 weeks.

[RacerTippy]

Thanks very much for the detailed answers Tom. Sounds like it's decision time on whether sinking $450 into an older guitar is cost effective, you're about into the price of a new one.
Unless one can get a screaming deal of course! :D