I’m hugely impressed by the LTD MH-50 I recent bought, especially in terms of how it plays.
I’ve not really had a ‘superstrat’ before and now I’m contemplating another one for a more standard tuning (the LTD has been set up for Drop A!).
I never use a trem and prefer hardtail guitars ( which my current LTD is). If (when!) I do get something (think Jackson, LTD, etc) else ill be shopping used and with the type of guitars I’m looking at there’s a lot that are equipped with Floyds which would otherwise be ideal.
It’ll be a lot easier to include the option of a trem equipped guitar rather than just looking at hardtails.
So in terms of blocking a Floyd Rose, apart from the initial hassle, if the tuning and string gauge is kept the same for the duration, is there any major disadvantage to doing this?
Comments
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Or is it’s purely the set up/ restring process that’s a pain?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
This!
The bain of budget FR vibratos is attempted adjustments by ill-informed users. All too often, the pivot post height is adjusted while the strings are under full tension. The pivot area gets damaged and return to zero becomes hit and miss. Guitar shop repairers will be familiar with stories about the owner's mate took at look at it for him.
This is what I do with the Sterling-badged FR Special on my AX40. It rests on the top of the guitar à la EVH. Eminently stable.
Meanwhile, I have a highly modified FR Special on an unfinished Bitsacaster project. It will be interesting to compare the two.
The majority of FR vibratos are built to work with a 12" fretboard radius. On versions with an entirely flat baseplate, it should be possible to achieve other radii by choosing saddles of the appropriate preset heights.
If you do not like faffing about with allen keys and string locking blocks, it is possible to convert the vibrato to single locking. The strings retain their ball ends and are threaded up a tube where the string block locking screw normally goes. The fine tuner wheels still function in the usual manner. I'm not sure who still makes these saddles nowadays. Everything on eBay seems to be cast zinc Chinese knock-offs.
I found that blocking a trem was a simple and reversible mod even on a Floyd.
I did it on my USA Charvel back when I played in a regularly gigging classic/hard(…ish) rock covers band. The sound was always good.
When it came time to trade it in I know the shop reversed the mod when they sold it. I had it blocked with a hard wood block. I have heard of others who use metal coins and I don’t doubt that some may be capable of perceiving a sound difference based on how you block it.
Thing is I chopped in that otherwise ace Charvel years ago in “because of the Floyd” and the problems I had with tuning it when I was trying to sing and play. So yes, I definitely found it a faff and for me it got in the way of putting on a show. I really didn’t like the locking nut and what it did.
It’s long gone now but on reflection that was possibly more an issue of heavy handed over-correcting of tuning at hot humid gigs after cold journeys and then the rush of doing the gig - you can probably file it all under 1. “user error!” and 2. “needed an excuse to buy a new guitar”.
I doubt I’d buy a Floyd guitar again (even the rather cool Jack Butler thing!) but that’s about how I get on with them.
If cash is limited then I think you had good suggestions from those who said hang on till you can get what you want.
once strings are bent in they should stay solidly in tune