ESP Floyd Rose to Hardtail Conversion | Part Two

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Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

This post is the second of five regarding an ongoing Floyd Rose to Hardtail [fixed bridge] conversion on a used ESP GrassRoots G-HR-49 solidbody. In this post, we'll talk about what needed to be done; as per the owner’s instructions: “install a Strat-style nut, strip the paint from the back of the neck and refinish it natural.”

I started off by cleaning the fretboard and frets of all gunk, dirt and grime. Following this, the back and sides of the neck and headstock were sanded and scraped down to bare wood. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the neck was maple with some attractive striping and figuring.

Now it was time to fashion a fretboard extension that would fill the “shelf” vacated by the locking nut, and provide a slot to seat the new nut. Several prototypes were created using solid mahogany; as I did not have any rosewood in stock. The last one proved the most suitable, and it was duly glued and clamped in place.

Once the glue had cured, the clamps were removed and the extension carved and sanded to the shape normally seen on rosewood-board Strats. As a finishing touch, the extension (except for the nut slot) was sealed with Tru-Oil. I dare say that the final color of the mahogany extension closely matched the rest of the fretboard.

That having been taken care of, the next task was to refinish the back of the neck. Firstly, StewMac ColorTone Liquid Stain #5033 (Medium Brown) was applied to the raw wood and allowed to dry overnight. The result was a very dark-looking neck indeed.

After sanding off the #5033 stain, most of the maple returned to its original pale hue except for the stripes and figuring; which had retained the stain and were now more noticeable. Yes, that was the effect I was after.

Next, the back of the neck was restained with #5030 (Vintage Amber). After overnight drying, the maple had taken on a vintage amber hue; and this pleased me to no end.

The final step was to seal and refinish the wood with Tru-Oil. I reckon about 15-20 coats were applied, with some light 0000 steel-wooling every three coats or so. The neck was then set aside to give the Tru-Oil ample time to cure. Now, be a good sport and check out the YouTube video I've uploaded just for you. Muchas gracias :)

LTD FX-260SM Headstock and Neck Repair

This LTD FX-260SM came in with a cracked 5-piece Mahogany neck. The gaping crack extended all the way from the back of the neck to the headstock face. I was told was that the former owner had put it on the floor during a break from wood-shedding, and had himself stepped on the neck accidentally. Then, believing the guitar to be damaged beyond repair; he sold it to the current owner for the princely sum of 700 bucks.

The first part of this repair was cleaning the gaping "wound" of loose splinters, aligning any slivers of wood; and removing the truss rod adjustment nut. Super glue was then applied to the cracked areas, and clamps applied to hold the damaged areas in place.

The next day, the clamps were removed and wood shaved off the back of the entire headstock and neck, past the cracked area. Doing this would ensure maximum repair strength with the least wood removal. A pre-shaped Nyatoh backstrap overlay was then glued to the shaved area with Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue, clamped; and the glue allowed to dry/cure for four days.

Once the clamps had been removed, tuner holes were drilled through the overlay; and tuners test-fitted. After the tuners were removed, the edges of the overlay were trimmed to fit the outline of the headstock, shaved to the correct contours; and sanded to 220 grit.

The Nyatoh backstrap was then successively stained and sanded to the desired shade, and then grain-filled with StewMac ColorTone Clear Grain Filler. The grain-filling involved repeated application and sanding, resulting in a surface level and smooth enough for Tru-Oil application. The front of the headstock was also sealed and smoothened in a similar manner, save for the staining.

Tru-Oil was then applied in the usual manner, with light sanding after every three coats. The Tru-Oil was applied to the whole length of the back of the neck in order to adequately blend in the repaired area. Tru-Oil was also applied to the front of the headstock to seal the cracks in the pre-existing lacquer and make them less noticeable.

After the final coat of Tru-Oil, the FX-260SM was set aside for a month to allow ample time for the finish to cure. Once the finish had cured and hardened, the whole guitar was waxed and buffed by hand (as I don't own a buffing wheel). The tuners and nut were re-installed, the guitar strung, set up and tested; after which I gratefully called it a day.