Thanks for the video! Now I think I'll attempt this mod on my Strat! I've been thinking about it for years and you just showed me that it's very doable!!!
I just got My LSR roller nut in the mail , went out bought some files and a digital caliper . im really excited and a little nervous to try this but im going to do it. thank you for making this video . i dont think i would of even tried to do this with out your video.
The reason for not cutting head stock side is because string contact is at the center of ball bearing , not flush on the bridge side of the nut as before. Cutting head stock side may position roller nut outside intonation adjustment.
Because you want the center of the rollers (the contact point with the string) to line up with the front edge of the old nut; otherwise the intonation will be off.
Fender specifically states in tbe instructions that you must remove the material on the feet side, not the tuner side. It's approximately 3/32" forward.
I have one of these on my MIM Stratocaster and I love it. Later, I discovered that my LSR is actually described as a roller BEARING nut and not a 'true' linear roller nut - so it should be called a "Roller Bearing Nut" and nothing else. Pooh - but important to know. Below is what I would describe as a "Roller Nut" even though I have (and still love) the LSR Roller BEARING nut, per se. It is just an example to describe what I am talking about: ABM Germany 7020-C Roller Guitar Nut Regardless, my LSR Roller Bearing nut far exceeds what I had on there before. Bravo. This upgrade is worth it.
I replaced my WIlkinson Roller nut (worn out) on my 93 USA Standard with one of these. It was not cheap and it needs a numbered drill not available anywhere near where I live (unless I want to buy 50 in a box from Amazon). #51 is .067" or 1.7018mm - and the hole has to be the correct size or the screw won't grip or will break. I drilled the holes 1.5mm then used a spade drill that I made in my lathe to size the holes. It worked. I reckon that if this drill size is so critical, then Fender should put one in each LSR kit - it won't add much to the already exhorbitant price and it will make sure nobody cocks up. Iam concerned about the little stainless fingers that hold the BBs in place - these look easily bent and potential for losing a BB. I reckon this is a product that has scope for improvement - you hear me, Fender??
Hey Mr, I'm confused about something. If you open the slot down towards the bridge, doesn't that ruin intonation? I really can't see where the point of contact of the strings and the roller nut is on this video. Thank You!
These roller nuts seem like a great idea. I am surprised they are not used on more guitars. Do they help you stay in tune better? Seems like they would be great for non locking tremlo and locking tuners. How well do they work and hold up?
I don't use an amp, I think I was just over modulating there : ) Here is a list of the stuff I use for music.... Digitech Trio+ Band Creator, Dirty Robot, Whammy 5, Zoom G3Xn, Ibanez Guitar's, Elastic Dimarzio ClipLock Strap, EMG Pickup's, Dunlop 0.60mm Tortex Pick's, Rockville Cables, Reaper DAW, Easy Drummer 2, Akai MPK , Vox Metal AP2-MT, Yamaha RBX 170 Bass, GTX 23 Kamen / Applause
Its well worth it, just tickle away at it, stopping every few minutes.... and you can't go wrong..... And it's a feel good job, I feel like a Luthier now, and the upgrade has been well worth it, even just for the guitar value. Staying in tuning is the only real down side of Strats thats where I have I have seen the main benefit
EASY, I bought a six pack, could have been a 12 pack. Anyway there was some glass broken at the cap, on 2 bottles. Being Scottish I was devastated, so I contacted them on their facebook, hoping they would replace the 2 beers. They did not : ( They sent this towel and a medium size T-Shirt that does not fit me : ( I was robbed, those two beers are sorely missed. I purchased 12 beers only got to drink 10 of them...... not on the same day I hasten to add :) Very painful memory : )
Thanks for your time, effort, and video. I am concerned about taking out material toward the 1st fret. Wouldn't changing this distance between the nut and the first fret ruin the tuning/intonation?
Yes and no... if the contact point of the strings (0 fret) to the LSR is the same as the original nut then it'll work but its not. hes moved his 0 fret closer.
I was thinking the same thing. Looks like the contact point of the strings was moved up which will F up the intonation and require quite a bridge saddle adjustment I would guess.
No. The contact point of an LSR nut is not at the very edge like a regular nut, so you have to move the edge of the LSR closer to the 1st fret to put the actual contact point at the same place the old contact point was.
Can these be used in an l.p. style guitar as well? Preferably without filing. I'm adding a tremolo to an old guitar, and figured I'd spec it out a little more in terms of tuning stability.
Not sure.... the guy to ask is Dr groovey from Grovey Music Lesson's He has an amazing channel here on youtube, he inspired me to do this upgrade..... he has an amazing collection of Guitars...
Hi Ed, I am a Time Served Mechanical Engineer. We used to use them for that all the time. Mainly to measure the depth of the Beer Glasses on the Night Shift ; ) but also grooves, holes and the like. Thanks for the reminder, great tip.
I followed the directions and action at nut was too high so went down deeper with slot, then used different heights of shim at each endof the nut to account for string thickness, so I have about 0.020" on all strings at first fret. next investment it a guitar peg winder as you have to take the strings on and off the set hieghts... that's the worst part about this.... but set for life now.
There must be a reason why he removed materials from the fret side. The rollers are in the middle of the nut. Anyhow, I believe he has the reference about "How To Install The Roller Nut". Cheers!! :)
The reason why he removed some of the material from the fret-side is because the bearings are situated so that their centres are exactly where the front-edge (the one facing the frets) of the old nut was, they set the zero-point where the scale-length starts, this is very important otherwise it will be impossible, or very difficult to accurately set the 12th-fret intonation.
@@MAPIOH I just recently ordered two Fender LSR nuts from Warmoth Guitars, going to install one of them on my Fender Mexican Telecaster, and the other one on my Fender USA standard Stratocaster, will also replace the stock Fender tuners with some Hipshot Griplock staggered-height locking-tuners, the Mexican Telecaster's stock bridge will be replaced with a chrome Babicz FCH Telecaster bridge.
why its a fender brand & they didn't design this as a drop in is my problem with it..I bought 2 of these & installed 1 on a Squire Strat & all went well''''I just cant make myself put my $1000.00 Amer,Standard under the knife...
Thank you for this great video. There is one thing that I don't quite understand: The original nut is arched on the bottom and the slot in the neck is also arched to match the nut. But, the LSR is FLAT on the bottom. Wouldn't you have to flatten the bottom of the slot to match the flat bottom of the LSR? You may have done that but I did not see it in the video. I don't see how the LSR would fit properly without the slot matching the LSR (both flat).
@@livesatellitestudios I just successfully completed my Strat (with your inspiration) and I love the results! But, it was arched which made this process much more complicated. I added Fender's locking tuners too. After more than 40 years of playing Stratocasters I finally have one that stays in tune even with very aggressive playing and trem use. Thanks again.
Thanks for responding...Can I ask one more 1 q? Do you feel there are any downsides to the roller nut? I've heard people crap all over them -- "they suck the tone out of the instrument" and yada yada.
I think the tone got better, but hard to say for sure with an electric. To me open Chords seen crisper, may be my imagination but I hear and mainly FEEL notes vibrate (Resonate) through the whole guitar, neck and body much more and the tuning has been much better since the upgrade.... only down side to this project is the risk. But I am glad I did it. It was scary but with the right tools and measurements its not too difficult. if you go too deep you can use the packers, and if you go to far up or down the neck you could adjust the intonation. I checked the intonation after this upgrade and it was all within reason, slight adjustment and it was in spec.
Thanks man. I'm probably going to attempt it soon. Did you run into any issues with it being too low (buzzing) or too high (intonation off) on the first fret?
LIVE SATELLITE NEWS as a retired carpenter ,when you have served an apprenticeship ,you have the motto " if a job,s worth doing ,do it properly or not at all" !!!! good one
![The Perfect Stratocaster Trem / Vibrato Setup [Floating, Flat Or Blocked?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PjVXWyUGpwc/mqdefault.jpg)
That was GROOVY man. I really enjoyed watching your precision during the fun!
Cheers made my day : )
it is not adjustable? you still had to put shim if you got buzz on 1st fret.
Thanks for the video! Now I think I'll attempt this mod on my Strat! I've been thinking about it for years and you just showed me that it's very doable!!!
Thank Scott Groove From Groovy Music Lessons.... I got the Idea from him.... he knows more about guitars than youtube combined : )
Ok. Thanks. I'll go over there and thank him, too!
Love this video. Awesome you don't need to waste any time with the bla, bla, bla. Your skills talk the talk!
I just got My LSR roller nut in the mail , went out bought some files and a digital caliper . im really excited and a little nervous to try this but im going to do it. thank you for making this video . i dont think i would of even tried to do this with out your video.
If you just take your time you can't go wrong.
Good Luck!
@@livesatellitestudios thank you got it all installed and its just perfect . thank you for walking me through this with your video.
Glad to help, hope you have many years pleasure playing it : )
Hi..if you slot in curved do you have to flatten it as nut is flat...Nice work...I have one if these in a bag for 15 years might use it.
No sure mine was flat so easy enough.
Just curious why not file down the head stock side rather than the fretboard side? Just figuring if you avoid shortening that fret.
im only 1.37 in and thats what i assume you do. that makes more sense
The reason for not cutting head stock side is because string contact is at the center of ball bearing , not flush on the bridge side of the nut as before. Cutting head stock side may position roller nut outside intonation adjustment.
Because you want the center of the rollers (the contact point with the string) to line up with the front edge of the old nut; otherwise the intonation will be off.
Plus the wood going towards the truss rod would be way too thin and break would be easy
Fender specifically states in tbe instructions that you must remove the material on the feet side, not the tuner side. It's approximately 3/32" forward.
There are no videos that explain why you want a roller nut. Other than the obvious, wheat are the advantages?
Stays in tune better when using whammy bar...
I have one of these on my MIM Stratocaster and I love it. Later, I discovered that my LSR is actually described as a roller BEARING nut and not a 'true' linear roller nut - so it should be called a "Roller Bearing Nut" and nothing else. Pooh - but important to know.
Below is what I would describe as a "Roller Nut" even though I have (and still love) the LSR Roller BEARING nut, per se. It is just an example to describe what I am talking about:
ABM Germany 7020-C Roller Guitar Nut
Regardless, my LSR Roller Bearing nut far exceeds what I had on there before. Bravo. This upgrade is worth it.
The Pirate i have a mim and thinking of doing this how are you getting on with it dies it still play ok
I replaced my WIlkinson Roller nut (worn out) on my 93 USA Standard with one of these. It was not cheap and it needs a numbered drill not available anywhere near where I live (unless I want to buy 50 in a box from Amazon). #51 is .067" or 1.7018mm - and the hole has to be the correct size or the screw won't grip or will break. I drilled the holes 1.5mm then used a spade drill that I made in my lathe to size the holes. It worked. I reckon that if this drill size is so critical, then Fender should put one in each LSR kit - it won't add much to the already exhorbitant price and it will make sure nobody cocks up. Iam concerned about the little stainless fingers that hold the BBs in place - these look easily bent and potential for losing a BB. I reckon this is a product that has scope for improvement - you hear me, Fender??
Hey Mr, I'm confused about something. If you open the slot down towards the bridge, doesn't that ruin intonation? I really can't see where the point of contact of the strings and the roller nut is on this video. Thank You!
You move it towards the bridge to compensate for the design of the roller nut
Im assumiung you adjust it with puling the saddles back a bit. Is this correct?
yes you're right.... this guy is an idiot.
no it doesnt work like that.
Intonation is effected at both sides.....that's why there are compensated nuts.
These roller nuts seem like a great idea. I am surprised they are not used on more guitars. Do they help you stay in tune better? Seems like they would be great for non locking tremlo and locking tuners. How well do they work and hold up?
Hi friend! How are you? Does the LSR nut fit a 12 inch radius neck? Thanks in advance.
Wow great job!
What's the radius of the roller nut? My Mexican strat has 10"
incredible work
This is a little off-topic, but what's the amp being used in the soundtrack, starting at 15:44?
I don't use an amp, I think I was just over modulating there : ) Here is a list of the stuff I use for music.... Digitech Trio+ Band Creator, Dirty Robot, Whammy 5, Zoom G3Xn, Ibanez Guitar's, Elastic Dimarzio ClipLock Strap, EMG Pickup's, Dunlop 0.60mm Tortex Pick's, Rockville Cables, Reaper DAW, Easy Drummer 2, Akai MPK , Vox Metal AP2-MT, Yamaha RBX 170 Bass, GTX 23 Kamen / Applause
Maybe you are hearing the EMG pickup
Great promotion for Newcastle, cheers!
Cheers! I am from the UK and Nooky Brooon was the 1st Beer I tasted.
if you widen the slots on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings of the LSR, can you use this on a left handed model?
Best person to ask would be Ed.......
www.sweetwater.com/ed_needler
I have an LSR sitting around since about a year. I still haven't grown the balls to actually try this.
Its well worth it, just tickle away at it, stopping every few minutes.... and you can't go wrong..... And it's a feel good job, I feel like a Luthier now, and the upgrade has been well worth it, even just for the guitar value. Staying in tuning is the only real down side of Strats thats where I have I have seen the main benefit
practice on a whorthless woden board.
What is the depth in mm
Is it possible to remove a roller nut and install a bone nut in its place, or is this the point of no return?
thewhiteelephant you could, you would have to use a stronger adhesive
can i upgrade a fender players with this 43 mm nut? player series has a 42mm... :S
Forget the guitar roller nut job... I want to find out where I can get one of those Newcastle Brown Ale bar towels!!! Hard to find or what???
EASY, I bought a six pack, could have been a 12 pack. Anyway there was some glass broken at the cap, on 2 bottles. Being Scottish I was devastated, so I contacted them on their facebook, hoping they would replace the 2 beers. They did not : ( They sent this towel and a medium size T-Shirt that does not fit me : ( I was robbed, those two beers are sorely missed. I purchased 12 beers only got to drink 10 of them...... not on the same day I hasten to add :) Very painful memory : )
Thanks for your time, effort, and video. I am concerned about taking out material toward the 1st fret. Wouldn't changing this distance between the nut and the first fret ruin the tuning/intonation?
Yes and no... if the contact point of the strings (0 fret) to the LSR is the same as the original nut then it'll work but its not. hes moved his 0 fret closer.
I was thinking the same thing. Looks like the contact point of the strings was moved up which will F up the intonation and require quite a bridge saddle adjustment I would guess.
If you buy one it comes with a detail instruction manual from fender and it's toward the 1st fret.
No. The contact point of an LSR nut is not at the very edge like a regular nut, so you have to move the edge of the LSR closer to the 1st fret to put the actual contact point at the same place the old contact point was.
How do you compensate for about 4mm at that first fret with cords and also with open string octaves
It' all works out in the Wash : ) Nothing changes there, the ball bearings are at the same length as the old nut
Thank you so much for sharing this video!
Would you recommend a roller nut instead of a good regular bone nut?
Yes, definitely
Can these be used in an l.p. style guitar as well? Preferably without filing. I'm adding a tremolo to an old guitar, and figured I'd spec it out a little more in terms of tuning stability.
Not sure.... the guy to ask is Dr groovey from Grovey Music Lesson's He has an amazing channel here on youtube, he inspired me to do this upgrade..... he has an amazing collection of Guitars...
How do they play with this nut
Looks akward but does not get in the way.....
Would this fit in a fender show master?
ed_needler@sweetwater.com is who I would ask, he knows his gear : )
LIVE SATELLITE STUDIOS alright, will do. Thanks!
All guitars should come with LSR nuts
Would this fit on a Ibanez?
ed_needler@sweetwater.com is who I would ask, he knows his gear : )
A question, in an Official Fender Retailer here in Taiwan...they are charging 83 dollars for this.......are they ripping people off?
They cost about $30 here in the US.....
Cost in the UK is around £45-£60. Thomann in Germany sell it for €58.
nice vid!! Thanks!
Thanks Sky hope to do more.
How did you find the compensation? Was it close or did you need to bring the saddles in?
You can't compensate at the saddle for an improperly placed nut Thats what bothers me about this video.
The way this guy installed the nut, the bearings end up in the same string contact position as the original nut. So probably no compensation needed.
it looks easy enough but you didn't say anything or talk about the tools. Was it a 3 sided or flat file? Why did you mark the nut slot with a pencil?
Flat File with a safe edge. I use the pencil to see where the material is coming off..... constantly reapplying
The new nut will shorten the string length? The tuning of the guitar is still good?
U may have to check the intonation i believe.
The centre point of the LSR or last point of contact is in the middle of the LSR, two tiny balls per string.
I have that same digital calipers. Did you know you can also measure depth with the bottom end rail?
Hi Ed, I am a Time Served Mechanical Engineer. We used to use them for that all the time. Mainly to measure the depth of the Beer Glasses on the Night Shift ; ) but also grooves, holes and the like. Thanks for the reminder, great tip.
Great video, what is that song? I have to know
There are a few, 1st one is "Boris the Spider"
Is the LSR roller nut standard?
Is it fit for G&L tribute legacy .?
About to do an install myself...
Any suggestions when filing down a rosewood fret board as opposed to the maple one you did?
Great video!!
Nah, just stop every few minutes and re-measure. Make sure you don't get mixed up with metric and Imperial sizes, like I nearly did ; )
Ha that's a simple mistake I would make too. Thanks for responding!
Thanks for doing most of the work with your hand in front of the camera😩
Did this lower the action for you?
I followed the directions and action at nut was too high so went down deeper with slot, then used different heights of shim at each endof the nut to account for string thickness, so I have about 0.020" on all strings at first fret. next investment it a guitar peg winder as you have to take the strings on and off the set hieghts... that's the worst part about this.... but set for life now.
Rocker or Roller?
There must be a reason why he removed materials from the fret side. The rollers are in the middle of the nut. Anyhow, I believe he has the reference about "How To Install The Roller Nut". Cheers!! :)
The reason why he removed some of the material from the fret-side is because the bearings are situated so that their centres are exactly where the front-edge (the one facing the frets) of the old nut was, they set the zero-point where the scale-length starts, this is very important otherwise it will be impossible, or very difficult to accurately set the 12th-fret intonation.
@@simonkormendy849
Yupp..U're right..that is the reason..😎👍👍👍
@@MAPIOH I just recently ordered two Fender LSR nuts from Warmoth Guitars, going to install one of them on my Fender Mexican Telecaster, and the other one on my Fender USA standard Stratocaster, will also replace the stock Fender tuners with some Hipshot Griplock staggered-height locking-tuners, the Mexican Telecaster's stock bridge will be replaced with a chrome Babicz FCH Telecaster bridge.
@@simonkormendy849
All the best Bro..hopefully u can
share here once u finish with ur
job..Gud luck👌👌👌😊👍
why its a fender brand & they didn't design this as a drop in is my problem with it..I bought 2 of these & installed 1 on a Squire Strat & all went well''''I just cant make myself put my $1000.00 Amer,Standard under the knife...
Booooooorisssss the spiiidahhhh
Boris the spider!
Creepy Crawly .........Creepy Crawly...........Creepy Crawly..............Creepy Crawly
Thank you for this great video. There is one thing that I don't quite understand: The original nut is arched on the bottom and the slot in the neck is also arched to match the nut. But, the LSR is FLAT on the bottom. Wouldn't you have to flatten the bottom of the slot to match the flat bottom of the LSR? You may have done that but I did not see it in the video. I don't see how the LSR would fit properly without the slot matching the LSR (both flat).
Both were flat as I remember.....
@@livesatellitestudios I just successfully completed my Strat (with your inspiration) and I love the results! But, it was arched which made this process much more complicated. I added Fender's locking tuners too. After more than 40 years of playing Stratocasters I finally have one that stays in tune even with very aggressive playing and trem use. Thanks again.
What is that orange stuff?
Just electrical Tape, I use it so I don't take any more material off there....
Just Tape
Thanks for responding...Can I ask one more 1 q?
Do you feel there are any downsides to the roller nut?
I've heard people crap all over them -- "they suck the tone out of the instrument" and yada yada.
I think the tone got better, but hard to say for sure with an electric. To me open Chords seen crisper, may be my imagination but I hear and mainly FEEL notes vibrate (Resonate) through the whole guitar, neck and body much more and the tuning has been much better since the upgrade.... only down side to this project is the risk. But I am glad I did it. It was scary but with the right tools and measurements its not too difficult. if you go too deep you can use the packers, and if you go to far up or down the neck you could adjust the intonation.
I checked the intonation after this upgrade and it was all within reason, slight adjustment and it was in spec.
Thanks man. I'm probably going to attempt it soon. Did you run into any issues with it being too low (buzzing) or too high (intonation off) on the first fret?
Great until the ball bearing drop out and you can't find them.
....Boris be the man....or spider.....
P.S. Good job on the nut! Sorry!
Painful to watch you widen that nut channel with a file!!! too fussy
I am a Mechanical Engineer, I have been working to thousands of an inch for years with hand tools, do not panic : )
LIVE SATELLITE NEWS as a retired carpenter ,when you have served an apprenticeship ,you have the motto " if a job,s worth doing ,do it properly or not at all" !!!! good one
It's OK ... he's not using a sawzall.
That was really hairy!
:)