jackson RR1 nut size?

[deadastronaut]

Hi guys, i know way off topic..but heres the story..

mrs astro bought me a jackson RR1 9 years ago for my 40th  birthday..

well i havent played it, and its been stored, however..

i pulled it out a month or so ago and noticed it has the wrong size locking nut on it..

its terrible theirs a 2mm gap on one side, and a 1mm gap on the other side of the neck where the nut sits...

if i had noticed this years ago i would have taken it straight back to the shop...they obviously took

advantage of mrs astros naivity....anyway..

ive been in touch with a supplier who says its a 43mm size nut..and can get the proper floyd/schaller one for it

however they come with different string spacing, but i have no proper nut as a reference...

has anyone got a jackson RR1 they could measure up for me?....or know the exact specs of the nut?

if you look on jacksons site it just says 42.9mm...but no spacing details...hmmmm

cheers guys...help

[digi2t]

Hey astro, do you have a caliper that you can measure the neck's nut width with? There's a Floyd nut at 1 11/16", that's 42.85mm, which jives with the Jackson dimensions. Looks like someone loaded a 1 5/8" (41.3mm) nut on to it.

As for string spacing, I don't think that there's a "Fender, or Gibson" spacing difference going on at that end of the guitar. It is what it is when it comes to those locking nuts. Here's a reference chart;

[deadastronaut]

cheers dino, nice one,  

just measured the nut width space with calipers,

comes to 44.21mm (includes binding edge to edge)

3 or 4?...hmmmm...

ive read i need the 1 11/16  43mm.

but this string spacing is confusing me..

here is my model..scroll down for specs.

http://www.jacksonguitars.com/guitars/rhoads/models/usa-rr1-randy-rhoads-ebony-fretboard-black/

[Ice-9]

Hi Rob, I have 2 Jacksons and a Charvel, they usually had wide nuts and string spacings. The RR might have been different and to his own liking from standard Jacksons but I can measure my 3 and see what they are. The Jackson forum is a good place to check as it is full of Jackson geeks, I mean that in a nice way. I don't have the link handy but can find it if you need it.

[deadastronaut]

cheers mick, i,ll take a look at a jackson forum

they are bound to know...the geeky buggers..


a really helpful guy from ALLPARTS UK has been assisting me..

heres his email

Matt (Allparts UK Ltd)
May 15, 12:43

Hi Rob,

43mm (or 42.85mm to be exact) should be correct, and I think the string spacing will be the same as my Soloist - the only thing I'm not sure of is the radius...
Jackson guitars have a compound radius fingerboard (12" - 16"), so ideally I think you'll want a locking nut with a 12" radius for optimum action. Allparts said they can only get the Schaller (who make the Original Floyd Rose) locking nuts in 10" radius, so if it turns out that the radius on my Jackson's locking nut is 12" then I think we would be best off ordering the nut from Floyd Rose (through Fender), as they seem to have nuts listed with a 12" radius. It will take longer to come in I expect, but I'm sure you'd rather have the optimum option.

If it turns out that the nut on my Soloist has a 10" radius (it is possible) then I would go for the Schaller locking nut (from Allparts) as it would be much quicker I'm sure, and it's the same factory in Germany who makes them for Floyd Rose.

And to answer your question; I have a hunch that it would be #3 on the list that you'll need, but that's if it has a 12" radius.... Hopefully I'll be able to confirm it one way or the other for you after the weekend

They're lovely guitars, so hopefully we'll be able to get the right nut to get it playing at it's optimum for you.

Best regards,

Matt
ALLPARTS UK


how do i measure the 'radius'  ? radius of what?..

[Ice-9]

I found the goto site for Jackson info I mentioned.

http://www.jcfonline.com/content/

[deadastronaut]

cool..cheers mick.

[bluebunny]

radius of what?..

Imagine your guitar neck is the "minor segment" in this picture:

   (Obviously your fretboard isn't quite so curvy and the back of the neck isn't flat!)

So the curve of your fretboard corresponds with the "minor arc".  And the minor arc is part of the complete imaginary circle (continuing round the back of the neck).  And the radius is the radius of that circle.

how do i measure the 'radius'  ?

Dunno.  Take many necks and put enough of them side-by-side until they make a circle?  (A barrel??)  Measure the radius with a ruler...   


...I'm not helping, am I?   

[Ice-9]

Just measured mine now, Just measuring mine now on the Jackson Professional Stealth model, I removed the nut as its an excuse to change the strings.   but no markings are on the nut, I had expected to see R3

anyway measure exactly 43.27mm at the fingerboard end and 43mm at the back end string spacing measures 7.46mm while the neck itself measures 43.65 at the nut and 52.77 at the 12th fret. None of these measurements match the above chart though.

radius unknown for now.

Hope this might be a little help.

Nearly all Jacksons would use the R3 nut size as far as I was aware.

[bluebunny]

...I'm not helping, am I?  

Actually, you could work it out from the distance between the edges of the neck ("through the wood") and the distance between the same points, but travelled over the surface of the neck (it would probably take some seriously precise measurements!).  Not that I'm volunteering for that particular math problem...  

I'm sure Fender, Gibson, et al. must have easier ways of doing it...

[deadastronaut]

cheers guys, ive just posted on the jcf forum (another bloody password lol)

we,ll see what those guys come up with...

[deadastronaut]

radius..

http://www.michalkaszczyszyn.com/en/_module_tutorials/radius/radiusgauges.png

[bluebunny]

Neat.  Just found this too.

If you plumb in a 12" radius as an example, and a neck width of 43mm, then the longer distance travelled across the top of the fretboard is only 0.03574mm longer!  You'd definitely need some very precise measuring instruments.   

[deadastronaut]

well i got a reply...mick was right, it should be an R3

apparently..

http://guitar-tremolo.com/auctores/scs/imc/fdDynDID=Da512903X1156f219798XY7423=fdDynMID=C5490424fX129cbf80857XY1c4b=fdInf_ID=C221a733fX11274fc7afaXY78f4=l=96646193/ArtikelDetail.htm?ITServ=CY7d36518dX14d5792c2d8XY3fa

[bluebunny]

Sure beats trigonometry!   

[digi2t]

Printable radius gauges;

http://pickguardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Pickguardian-Neck-Radius-Gauges.pdf

I've used them in the past on plain paper. They do the job.

[deadastronaut]

Cheers guys...

got in touch with schaller to get an R3..lefty...

heres hoping...

[digi2t]

Cheers guys...

got in touch with schaller to get an R3..lefty...

heres hoping...

To my knowledge (and I might be mistaken), I don't think there is a righty or lefty nut. They're all cut the same (symmetrical), and shimmed to adjust for string thickness to fret clearance.

I have these Floyd's on two of my guitars, and I've fiddled with them quite a bit to get them just right. They sell shim kits for these nuts, at an obscene price for what they're worth. Having worked in machine shops for many years, I have stock at home, and cut my own. You'll need to cut half shim(s) to make up for the diameter difference between the two E strings, all dependant on the gauges you use.. Try not to layer too many shims either, it just makes for more air gap between the nut and the neck. Cut one thick one to get you close, and then one or two whole (or half) shims to finish up.

Make sure that the screws/bolts that secure the nut are tight as well. Tight enough that the nut won't move, but not so tight that you strip the holes, or split the neck (depending on the nut model). I had an episode with one of my main guitars a while back, where the slightest use of the Floyd would send the tuning out of whack. It took me a couple of days to figure out that the bolts securing the nut had come loose... ever so slightly. Let me tell you, it was maddening.

Another tool that I've installed on both my Floyd guitars...



Super easy to install, and really helps stabilize a floating trem. I used to have Goldo Back Box systems on both, but they were just too big of a pain to set up and adjust. The Mag-Lok is waaaaay easier, more transparent, and just as effective.

[Ice-9]

Cheers guys...

got in touch with schaller to get an R3..lefty...

heres hoping...

To my knowledge (and I might be mistaken), I don't think there is a righty or lefty nut. They're all cut the same (symmetrical), and shimmed to adjust for string thickness to fret clearance.

I have these Floyd's on two of my guitars, and I've fiddled with them quite a bit to get them just right. They sell shim kits for these nuts, at an obscene price for what they're worth. Having worked in machine shops for many years, I have stock at home, and cut my own. You'll need to cut half shim(s) to make up for the diameter difference between the two E strings, all dependant on the gauges you use.. Try not to layer too many shims either, it just makes for more air gap between the nut and the neck. Cut one thick one to get you close, and then one or two whole (or half) shims to finish up.

Make sure that the screws/bolts that secure the nut are tight as well. Tight enough that the nut won't move, but not so tight that you strip the holes, or split the neck (depending on the nut model). I had an episode with one of my main guitars a while back, where the slightest use of the Floyd would send the tuning out of whack. It took me a couple of days to figure out that the bolts securing the nut had come loose... ever so slightly. Let me tell you, it was maddening.

Another tool that I've installed on both my Floyd guitars...



Super easy to install, and really helps stabilize a floating trem. I used to have Goldo Back Box systems on both, but they were just too big of a pain to set up and adjust. The Mag-Lok is waaaaay easier, more transparent, and just as effective.

The Mag-lok looks interesting, One of my guitars, the Jackson as it happens has a evh drop-d-tuna and to keep it a floating trem with this I had to fit the goldo back box. Like you say they are a pain to set up I wonder if the mag-lok would work with the d-tuna and floating Floyd ?

Glad you found your answer quickly Rob.

[Ice-9]

Great link to the Schaller site, I was very surprised to see from the drawings that the string spacing is different between nearly every string and they do in fact come in  left and right handed versions.