Baretta Special install of a Floyd Rose Tremolo

Proceed with caution if attempting this mod.

[@RancidAmputation123]

I watched this video like 500 times to prepare myself to try this on my baretta. Me being me, I drilled the holes too close together. Anyone who’s terrified of doing it and messing it up don’t be, you get a few extra lessons: how to retrofit a floyd, how to deal with botching said retrofit, how to sob about your failure so no one will hear it (into a pillow or in the shower) and how to deal with thoughts like “maybe I should have just stuck to playing bass”. In all seriousness though if you’re on the fence about trying this, go for it! Learning to fix mistakes has some inherent value, probably.

[@jakebriscoe]

Lmfaoo, You said it all perfectly. In the crying stage currently

[@TarynnElizabeth619]

Nice work.! 10mm drill bit is the correct size. Just in case anyone else is wanting to put in a FR. If you put in a Gotoh 1996t you need an 11mm drill bit. I left the stock bridge on my Blue Baretta Special and i put the Gotoh 1996t on my purple Baretta Special.

[@rosskrause3926]

That is what I used for the 1996T install on another guitar I own..11mm drill bit.

[@guitarzan2979]

Thanks for the info! I have a F.R. Original and a Gotoh 1996, both still in their boxes but will be getting installed soon. I have a Kramer Assault 220 (L.P.) style and I’m wanting to change the Kramer F.R. style trem out for the new F.R. Original but I noticed the Kramer bridge sits up extra high so I don’t know what I may run into on that install.

[@evanvallis1]

The best part of this is you taking action and eyeballing it!! Nice work my friend.

[@GregTalksGuitars]

Thank you. I'm just happy it turned out ok. Lol.

[@moparbryan]

25 1/8 is standard for Floyd post distance from the nut to the center of the post. This info is on the floyd website. Just for fyi

[@GregTalksGuitars]

Thank you. I wasn't aware of that.

[@chrisa1125]

I've got a white Barretta Special and would love to have a Floyd in it... but am much too big of a chicken shit to drill holes and rout wood out of it, lol. I really enjoyed watching you do it though, very informative!

[@jumbowolfe84]

Drill press!! When i see guys drilling those posts with a cordless (I've made that mistake before) you're just asking for posts to be crooked. Harbor Freight sells a pretty cheap press these days, and not only is it great for the drilling, its also invaluable when pressing in the posts (use a upside down nail set in a drill press and press them in). Also, most standard trem routes usually have to be modified for a floyd. Stew Mac sells a template to widen the cavity to fit a floyd.

[@guitarzan2979]

Nice job and looks great love the chrome on blue!

[@jmtbuilds175]

Just an FYI for those wanting to install the floyd rose special on your baretta special. I'm currently in the process myself. What I discovered is that when you measure from the nut shelf to the location of the center of the posts which is 25-1/16", you will see the back edge of the factory trem route. I don't see any of the factory route in the guitar in this video which leads me to believe his floyd is slightly too far back. I could be wrong. Maybe all of these barettas are created equal

[@GregTalksGuitars]

It works great and intonated perfectly.

[@jmtbuilds175]

​@@GregTalksGuitarsdo you remember the shim thickness? I already did my black baretta and recessed the floyd but I'm thinking about top mounting the floyd on my blue baretta but I am concerned about the thickness of the shim. Thanks

[@michaelthomas9991]

Damn that guitar sounds awesome!!! Great job, man!

[@LicksoftheLegend]

Great job man! Lol not gonna lie at times this video had me nervous it wasn’t gonna work out. I’m super glad it did though it looks and sound awesome.

[@GregTalksGuitars]

Thank you. I was worried about it not working out as well. Lol.

[@paulyoung4781]

So so cool what u have done wow

[@chrisbarnette7137]

You got bigger balls than I. I would love to do this myself but my nerves aren't so steady . Cool channel and subbed.

[@GregTalksGuitars]

Yeah, I've been modifying my guitars for lots of years and still get nervous tackling projects like this. Also, thanks for the sub. It is very appreciated.

[@Wolfgang19675150]

I just ordered that guitar in that color

[@Magik1369]

Nice job bro. That is extremely difficult to do the way you did it but you nailed it. Nice install. I'm going to drop a Floyd in my Baretta Special. Did you notice an improvement in tone?

[@projiepaul]

A little trick I was told - freezing the inserts make them easier to fit. :-)

[@fyter889]

You didn’t cover the locking nut install, I was looking forward to that part of the floyd system.

[@GregTalksGuitars]

My video of that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/goekaWRmqcSmkMk

[@tvsean]

Did you have to add or remove any wood from the headstock to install the locking nut?

[@deltionytteun]

i really wanne tha nk you man this helped me so mutch

[@Wolfgang19675150]

Totally badass!!

[@christopheryanik9430]

Thanks for the great video! Question - Is there any slippage of E strings off the neck from the wider string spacing of the new Floyd? I believe Floyds E to E spacing is 54mm where the orig. trem that comes with the Baretta is 52.5mm spacing. Asking because I'm thinking of adding a Floyd to mine as well, but this is a concern.

[@GregTalksGuitars]

I haven't had any problems with the E slipping off the neck.

[@christopheryanik9430]

@@GregTalksGuitars Awesome. Thanks!

[@paulcolletta859]

Very great job , thank you! Couple of questions: What did you use to shim he neck ? How did you do the lock nut? Did you have to cut wood from headstock ? Thank you

[@ILLRICARDO]

What string spacing does the floyd rose need to have?

[@jimmcdougall9973]

Not an easy project. Well done! I just find that the three spring Floyd Rose on my Baretta Vintage is extremely stiff. Any tips? Would it still work with two strings, and would it make it any lighter to the touch? Or should I start going to the gym 😂 ?

[@nathanshaffer5105]

Good deal man

[@ffranklyspkn]

great helpful video, did you have any issues with string action/height?

[@GregTalksGuitars]

Yes. I did have to shim the neck up a very small amount because the Floyd is a little taller.

[@mikecooper8465]

Very risky..just put a Vegatrem in it.they're fantastic trems..

[@GregTalksGuitars]

I thought about the Vegatrem but I'm too old school 80s, it had to be a Floyd. Lol.

[@therifflair724]

They’re like $300. You can get a GE1996T on your doorstep for $125-140. Another big issue with these kramers is the headstock. The strings come off the nut at crazy angles. Even with the best non-locking trem on the planet, it will never work 100%. Notice how the non-locking trem guitars that stay in tune the BEST (ie: EBMM) are straight from nut to tuners. PRS comes in close second with the 3rd & 4th strings have a very slight angle.

[@vladalucard7265]

Hi there, i just bought this Guitar last week and i'm asking myself how can i take care of this maple Fretboard. Do i need a Lemon Oil or a Wax??? Thanks and best Regards from Germany

[@GregTalksGuitars]

I just keep it clean with a micro fiber cloth after playing it to avoid dirt and oil from my hands building up and an occasional polish when I change strings.

[@chainman2932]

Is that one of the dive only ones they came out with recently I want to put on my old squire so I can play it more but I have flooding floyd Kramer now so it gets dusty

[@GregTalksGuitars]

I set it up to dive only, but it could be set up to float.

[@ODRiley]

What did you use to shim the neck?

[@GregTalksGuitars]

The best thing to use would be a very thin piece of wood, but the only thing I had on hand was a thin piece of aluminum. Not the perfect solution but it worked.

[@ODRiley]

@@GregTalksGuitars Thanks for the quick reply. I've seen people say everything from using part of an old credit card to part of a business card. But those two things are way different in thickness. But then again, every guitar is probably going to be different and have to experiment a little.

[@theguitarsurgeon6213]

do I win im your 1000th subscriber lol

[@paulyoung4781]

How did u no the size mate of the tremelo,sorry to sound stupid here there are so many different ones and I'm not sure what ones to get for a ibenez s series

[@GregTalksGuitars]

I would measure the string spacing of the original bridge and find one that matches or is as close as you can get.

[@paulyoung4781]

@@GregTalksGuitars thanks buddie appreciated for getting back to me ok I'll do that thank u so much,and bye the way,wow ur kramer is a beast lol what a super sound its growling now wow impresive work u have put into that guitar nice 1 bud love ur vids thank u

[@paulyoung4781]

I written down my measurements checked them about 5 times to be very precise lol I'll show u them just to see if u did this the same way before I order I have the nut I'm away to do today

[@Timotije]

Is this solid wood body?

[@evancarriere7548]

what is the fender amp behind you?

[@GregTalksGuitars]

Fender FM 100. Solid State and honestly not the best sounding amp. Lol. I actually bought it because I wanted a 4x12 cabinet and I got it pretty inexpensively.

[@deauxious]

Did you also install that locking nut?

[@GregTalksGuitars]

Yes I did. There's a video of it on my channel a few before this one.

[@davespin9034]

Which Floyd did you buy? Orig, 1000, Special?

[@GregTalksGuitars]

It is an original that I have had for a long time. My friend bought it in 1990 and I traded him something for it.

[@davespin9034]

@@GregTalksGuitars winning!

[@davespin9034]

This is my blue Kramer. I love it. Plays beautifully. These are great guitars for mods. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipCupnifnq-qosk

[@primorojas6882]

What kind of Floyd was it r2 or r3 o, original?

[@GregTalksGuitars]

The nut is an R3.

[@primorojas6882]

@@GregTalksGuitars how about The Floyd I’m getting ready to do this but there’s like 3 of them and I don’t know which one is best Ther from 100-300

[@waylong25]

The "R" designation (r1, r2, r3, etc.) is specifically for the nut measurements, the cheap one you're referring to may be a licensed floyd or a Floyd Rose Special. The best of the Floyd Rose branded ones is obviously going to be the Original, which is made by Schaller in Germany, but if you want to spend a fair bit less and get amazing quality, try Gotoh's version. I can't remember the model number off the top of my head but it's really nice.

[@cedricchalut4963]

where did you buy the floyd?

[@GregTalksGuitars]

It was my friend Pat's. He bought it back in 1989 or 1990. I'm not sure where he got it from.

[@cedricchalut4963]

@@GregTalksGuitars oh ok so i can do it with any original floydrose?

[@GregTalksGuitars]

Yes. Any original floyd should work the same.

[@markgrant1302]

And this is why I dont do mods

[@codyroberts4511]

I think I can bite my tongue on the color and pay $229 239 for that guitar and put my own Floyd on it except play pay for a yellow one with the Floyd already in it for over $1,000 no thanks I'll go with the my own custom Joby thanks. Even though I really really want the yellow one thanks man bye

[@viletantrum]

Why? Just buy a Charvel.

[@ChrisMaloneMusic]

Wtf?! No Kahler? I’m unsubscribing

[@AndyK.23]

Ha! No Kramer EVER had a Kahler from the factory. Kramer had the patents on Floyd Rose's, and always used Floyds.

[@ChrisMaloneMusic]

@@AndyK.23 that my friend was a joke…

[@AndyK.23]

@@ChrisMaloneMusic I know! Just adding the bit of history I know.