Superhawk locking nut

Technical Talk and Tips
montywithnail
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 3:51 am

Superhawk locking nut

Post by montywithnail »

Hi

I have a 1984 superhawk with original locking nut. Needless to say the locking nut is a bit dodgy on this model, so I was wondering if anyone would have any tips for a possible replacement without any major modifications to the neck area around it. I have heard about people just going without it, but I was curious to know whether anyone had any success replacing it with a floyd rose type locking nut or any other type.

Cheers
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KenC
Posts: 2344
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:18 pm
Location: None of the above

Re: Superhawk locking nut

Post by KenC »

My Superhawk has the original locking nut. I leave it loose, and have never had problems with the guitar holding tuning. Then again, I go pretty lightly on the whammy bar.

Ken
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desertrat07
Posts: 120
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2010 3:56 pm
Location: New Mexico, USA

Re: Superhawk locking nut

Post by desertrat07 »

I have a 1985 Rampage with the same deal. When I first got it, I thought about installing a Floyd-Rose type locking nut like Jerry Cantrell does to his Rampages. But after spending some time with the guitar I found that it stays in tune really well and I don't want to take a drill to such a nice vintage guitar.

If you've only had it for a little while, I would advise to give it a chance with the current setup. If not, I'm sure a competent luthier could set you up with a true locking nut.
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RampageFan
Posts: 155
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 12:45 pm
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Re: Superhawk locking nut

Post by RampageFan »

desertrat07 wrote:I have a 1985 Rampage with the same deal. When I first got it, I thought about installing a Floyd-Rose type locking nut like Jerry Cantrell does to his Rampages. But after spending some time with the guitar I found that it stays in tune really well and I don't want to take a drill to such a nice vintage guitar.

If you've only had it for a little while, I would advise to give it a chance with the current setup. If not, I'm sure a competent luthier could set you up with a true locking nut.
I agree 100%. I have 2 guitars with this setup, and once you get used to it, you will find it has great stability. The trick for me was learning how to tune it before you lock down the nut. For example, I tune the E string to D. When I lock it down, it's near the Standard tuning E. I just need to fine tune it at that point.

Good luck, hope this helps
Dave