Odd Floyd Rose Nut Issue

[ducmike]

I have had my first Floyd equipped Anderson for a couple of months now. A few weeks ago I noticed that the high E had sitar effect when open. Fret it at the first or higher and it's good. I started experimenting with it. I loosened the nut and it sounds normal. Tighten it down = sitar. So I started turning the locking block, and when it is perpendicular to the others, sitar goes away. Restrung today thinking it might be the strings, but same thing. Any ideas? Not a big deal really since I fixed it by turning the block, just odd.

I have had this issue on a normal nut once before, and we just widened the nut slot a little and it went away.

[tom]

the blocks are all supposed to face the same way so the curve on the bottom matches the top of the nut. the ridge on the top runs parallel with the strings. i have seen some in my life where the ridge was 90 degrees off. check tat and let me know what you find. if you put them on wrong it would probably show only on the e and b.

[ducmike]

They were all parallel originally, and the high e sitars that way. I turned just that clamp perpendicular and it sound fine, but not as good as unclamped.

[tom]

is the curve on the bottom lined up?

[ducmike]

Not sure. The bottom of the clamp?

[Big Harry]

what about string nut retainer height ?
Is your E string touching the bottom of V letter in the "V" shaped nut or it floating above the V bottom ?

I had sitar effect too , but it was generated between nut-tuner part , not from nut-bridge part of the string , if you know what I mean .

[tom]

there is a curve on the bottom on the nut clamp. the curve on the nut runs the direction of the string. the curve starts at the front edge of the nut then curves down towards the tuners. the clamp plate has the same curve and it should match direction. if you put the plate on 90 degrees out it will not clamp the string as well.

[ducmike]

there is a curve on the bottom on the nut clamp. the curve on the nut runs the direction of the string. the curve starts at the front edge of the nut then curves down towards the tuners. the clamp plate has the same curve and it should match direction. if you put the plate on 90 degrees out it will not clamp the string as well.


I'll look for the curve. My eyes aren't what they used to be though, might have to pick up those reading glasses sooner than I want.:p

I did try all 3 clamps at that spot and the same thing. Turn it 90 and sounds good; the right way, sitar. Weird.

[bruce]

Another way to look at it... (reading glasses not needed).

The top of the clamp block has an 'A' ridge line to it... like an 'A' frame roof. That ridge line should be parallel with the string path. This will mate the clamp block properly to the nut.

[tom]

but i have seen some clamp plates that were made 90 degrees off so you do need to look. if there is one that we should have caught it.

[bruce]

I have also seen some non-original Floyd Rose systems be 90 deg. off. Tom is right.. I guess reading glasses will help get to the bottom of this.

[ducmike]

Well, I need to get some reading glasses. Man, I had perfect vision until I hit 41, then all of the sudden I cant see small stuff, especially up close. I couldn't read the 64ths on my set up ruler a few months ago, so I went and bought a new one with black instead white markings. Couldn't read it either. What's up with all these defective rulers.:o

Turns out it was a bridge issue. The issue being I can't see anymore!

I restrung it last night, and got the sitar noise while I was playing and stretching in the new strings. I had the high E locked in way right of the saddle slot. Took me a couple tries to get it right. Sounds great with the nut clamp in the right position now. I don't know why turning it helped though. I also forgot that I had broke the original high E at the first rehearsal I played, and slapped a new string on real quick. So, I bet it didn't sitar when it left the Anderson shop.

I knew it was time to get reading glasses when I struggled to get the unwound strings into the slots in the tuning machines.:(

[tom]

it is sometimes very surprising how a guitar can work"fine" even when something is way out of wack, then other times the tiniest thing, like a screw being loose can make it go crazy.
resisting the glasses is futile.