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JT-6 to OFR Conversion: Nut Advice

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  • JT-6 to OFR Conversion: Nut Advice

    I recently picked up a nice old 87 Ferrari Red Model 4 on the cheap that had been sitting around under someones bed. It had been converted to an Original Floyd Rose at some point in it's life. The thing plays phenominal with great fretwork that you just don't see out of Japan now. One problem though: The JT6 locking nut is missing and they stuck what looks like a regular FR locking nut behind the stock plastic nut. This FR locking nut is a little more compact(not as wide top to bottom) than a normal FR locking nut and is just sitting there behind the stock plastic nut, not screwed down. The stock plastic nut is loose.

    I'm trying to figure out what to do for a proper nut setup. I don't have the original JT-6 locking nut. I have several R4 FR locking nuts that are the right width but these old Japanese Charvels were not made with the longer headstock with the flat area for a regular locking nut. The regular FR locking nut doesn't really sit correct and flat for a good mounting.

    Any suggestions on what to do ?

    Anyone have a spare JT-6 locking nut they can part with? That would probably be the best solution along with reglueing the stock plastic nut down.


  • #2
    Here's a pic of my JT6 stringlock to OFR nut conversion, which was done by a luthier. The platform is ebony and is glued down. The hard part is anchoring the nut itself, because the screws graze the sides of the truss rod cavity. I had the nut glued down for a while as well, but it hasn't held. Next I'm going to try screwing it down, but angling the screws outwards. Note the archway that was cut in to provide clearance for the truss rod wrench.





    _________________________________________________
    "Artists should be free to spend their days mastering their craft so that working people can toil away in a more beautiful world."
    - Ken M

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Axewielder View Post
      Here's a pic of my JT6 stringlock to OFR nut conversion, which was done by a luthier. The platform is ebony and is glued down.
      That looks nice and is the ideal solution. If my guitar were a USA Jackson I might take the time and expense to do something like that. However, being that it's just a Model 4 that I don't have much money in and I don't want to sink much money in, I don't think I'll go the paid luthier route.

      Axewielder, you wouldn't have the stock JT-6 locking piece lying around would you ?
      Last edited by Greg Crowe; 08-01-2009, 12:25 PM.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Greg Crowe View Post
        That looks nice and is the ideal solution. If my guitar were a USA Jackson I might take the time and expense to do something like that. However, being that it's just a Model 4 that I don't have much money in and I don't want to sink much money in, I don't think I'll go the paid luthier route.

        Axewielder, you wouldn't have the stock JT-6 locking piece lying around would you ?
        Sorry, those parts are long gone!
        _________________________________________________
        "Artists should be free to spend their days mastering their craft so that working people can toil away in a more beautiful world."
        - Ken M

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        • #5
          Greg, where the hell have you been? Long time no see...

          Why not just add a kahler locknut?

          Its not really that difficult to pop off the plastic nut, build a floys nut shelf and install an OFR nut. I have done it a few times but I can understand nt wanting to do that...i dont want to work on guitars anymore...just play em
          shawnlutz.com

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          • #6
            Unless somebody has a JT6 locking piece(don't know what to call it since it isn't technically a nut), I think I'll try to work with what I have. The string height was perfect with the stock nut so I'm going to go ahead and glue it back on. If you'll look at the pic in my first post, the locking nut they used has 4 mounting holes. The bottom 2 will hit wood, top 2 will hit the opening for the truss rod route. This nut is cutout for trussrod access so that's cool. I'll just find a couple screws to lock it down to the headstock and live with it. Cost = $0 so that works

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            • #7
              www.fretsonthenet.com might have a JT6 style string lock, I seem to remember seeing one there.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by MakeAJazzNoiseHere View Post
                www.fretsonthenet.com might have a JT6 style string lock, I seem to remember seeing one there.
                He has some of the pieces but not the whole nut setup.

                I think I came up with a decent idea. I flipped the locking nut backwards with the shorter side close to the nut. That seems to angle the strings about right. I'm just going to mount it like this and call it done if nobody has a spare JT-6 locker they would sell.

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                • #9
                  Model 4s, even those with the JT-6s, used Kahler stringlocks with different screws. So just pick up a kahler stringlock and you'll be good to go.

                  http://www.kahlerparts.com/Part_Pages/5513.htm

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Bert View Post
                    Model 4s, even those with the JT-6s, used Kahler stringlocks with different screws. So just pick up a kahler stringlock and you'll be good to go.

                    http://www.kahlerparts.com/Part_Pages/5513.htm
                    You're probably right, that's the best way to go. For this cheap, I went ahead and picked it up:

                    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

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                    • #11
                      Nice score!

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                      • #12
                        Done deal now. I read a couple threads out here where people where talking about putting Kahler locking nuts on JT-6 guitars. Some people said the Kahler nuts screwed right down and others said the screws didn't quite line up with the 4 JT-6 holes. Actually, both schools of thought are kind of right. It's close but not perfect. You have to hold the Kahler nut down to the headstock and try to get all 4 screws just barely started and then slowly in a circle work them down. You can make all 4 screws hit the 4 JT-6 holes but you need to be really careful. You also have to shave just a little bit off the sides of the bottom part of the trussrod cover.

                        By the way, this guitar absolutely destroys the USA Charvel ProMod 1 I recently sold. It plays better, sounds better, has better fretwork, a better neckshape and just feels like a higher quality guitar. Not to say the ProMod was bad, just that these old Model Series guitars are really good guitars.



                        Office setup:

                        Last edited by Greg Crowe; 08-06-2009, 01:20 PM.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Greg Crowe View Post
                          Done deal now. I read a couple threads out here where people where talking about putting Kahler locking nuts on JT-6 guitars. Some people said the Kahler nuts screwed right down and others said the screws didn't quite line up with the 4 JT-6 holes.
                          This is true. I was going to respond to this thread about that this, but figured you'd find out for yourself!
                          From what I've seen, when they switched from Kahler to JT6 trems, I think they reserved the real Kahler locknuts for the higher model series, like the 5 and 6, while the lower #'s got the JT version. I was 50/50 on yours since it's a 4 with sharks. I've got a similar neck on a model 3 body (my mod) and the neck came with a JT version so I'm not surprised. I switched the locking screws from the flat head type to the allen head type, which makes it tons easier to lock down the strings, but the Kahler-made model is best.
                          "Your work is ingenius…it’s quality work….and there are simply too many notes…that’s all, just cut a few, and it’ll be perfect."

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