Hardtail or Floating Trem, I'm torn

Gear
#1

Hi Fellow Code Crackers!

A little back story, I have been playing guitar off an on for about 30 years. I stagnated on my technique early on and am now trying to catch up. I have always had hardtails, and so to kick off my personal guitar renaissance I bought a new Schecter C1 Platinum hardtail guitar. I really love the guitar but I have a small pinky and I thought that an Ibanez Wizard neck would suit me better.

Now, I have on order a used Ibanez RG5121 guitar in excellent condition. This is another hardtail. My problem is that I realize that even if I don’t have the skill (although I have the desire) to play like EVH or Steve Vai, I still really love 80s metal and some of the songs will require vibrato dives. So I thought about using a “Whammy Pedal”. Then I read that it’s “just not the same” so I broke down and ordered the RG5320c which is basically the same guitar but with a Lo-Pro Edge double locking trem. I intend on only keeping one guitar. I am going to sell the Schecter and return one of the RGs.

My worries about the hardtail include setup and maintenance but more importantly I do alot of double stop bends in my playing and I don’t want the stationary note to go out of tune. I have read about the “Tremmory” and think that that might be the answer, but seeing as I have the hardtail coming, should I just chose that and a whammy pedal and then return the brand new guitar with the fixed tremolo? Unfortunately I can only afford one guitar.

Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks,
Aerith

#2

Hi Aerith.

There’s a device you can install called the Tremol-no, which can lock a floating tremolo into a hardtail or dive-only mode. They’re not very expensive and it would allow you to use the floating vibrato when you want it, but to lock it down when you don’t so you can perform double stop bends.

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#4

Thanks! I’ve heard of the Tremol-no but the reviews have been mixed. Do you use one? If so how do you like it? The “Tremmory” I mentioned is basically a tremolo stabilizer. I’m just not sure lol.

#5

I don’t use a Tremol-no but my former teacher had one installed on a Suhr Modern and he was happy with it.

The negative reviews I’ve read were focused on it changing the “feel” of the tremolo in a negative way, rather than any problem with functionality.

Personally, all my guitars have floating tremolos and I don’t have any desire to lock them down. My only gripe about floating double-locking tremolo systems is the hassle of changing strings.

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#6

From reading, the Tremmory is a stabiliser which stiffens the tremolo and helps ensure return to zero… That’s quite different from what the Tremol-no does.

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#7

One thing I like about the Tremmory is that it seems to fix the double stop bend problem while still giving you the opportunity to pull up or push down on the trem bar. I appreciate all the input you’ve given me!

#8

This product from Super Vee might also be of interest:

All I want is something which allows the bars to swing (rotate) freely while having zero play during use. Unfortunately that’s probably impossible.

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#9

Based on what you’ve ordered, and my understanding of the various options, I’d second @Tom_Gilroy’s suggestion of the Tremol-No (caveat that I haven’t used one myself).

Another option for mixing double-stop bends and tremolo dives is a guitar routed for “dive only” tremolo operation. This allows you to adjust to bridge springs tighter (to help keep double-stop bends in tune) without moving the bridge away from “neutral” position.

Dive-only can also be achieved through DIY methods by using wooden shims or some such to obstruct movement of the tremolo in one direction, either in the recess on the front of the guitar, or against the tremolo block itself in the cavity. The advantage of the Tremol-No is that it’s easy to switch between different modes.

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#10

@Tom_Gilroy beat me to it, but I can vouch for the tremol-no; if it matters, it’s on an ebmm jpm bridge.

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#11

If I were to order a Tremol-No do you think a tech at Guitar Center would install it for me? I hate the thought of making any modifications to my brand new guitar by myself.

#12

@AerithAngel I’m sure if you pay them enough, GC will do anything lol. That being said, the installation is really easy if you’re used to dealing with floating bridges. If you’re not, I would highly recommend you do so, since they impact playing a good amount (IMO more so than fixed) and paying for setups would get $$$.

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#13

If you’re going to get a floating tremolo system, you should absolutely learn the basics of setup and maintenance.

Read the section at Ibanez Rules:

https://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/index.htm

@Frylock’s suggestion of blocking the tremolo for dive only is a possibility, but I think if you set the springs tight enough to prevent detuning on double stop bends, the tremolo will probably feel quite stiff. Also, it’s likely a little awkward to do on a recessed tremolo like the Lo-Pro. Personally, I hate how dive only feels.

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#14

I don’t think I want dive only. I really just want my double stop bends to stay in tune. If I want to play drop-D I’ll get another hardtail at a later date. Changing strings will suck at first but I’m sure I can get used to it.

#15

This is a video about the Tremmory which is really easy to install GUITAR GIMMICKS - Make your Floyd Guitar Perfect with Tremmory - YouTube

#16

I understand that you don’t want dive only, but maybe give it a second thought.

  1. EVH is famous for his tremolo use. And except the steinberger transtrem on 5150 he always used his guitars dive only.

  2. Modifying a Floyd (LoPro, whatever, …) for dive only is absolutely reversible and only takes a piece of wood and a little double sided tape.

  3. By tightening the springs just enough so the trem stays in place during double bends solves your “problem” and keeps it fully functional for dive bombs. I never pull up anyway, the “Trem-flutter” is basically the only trick you loose.

  4. You can also adapt yout technique by also bending the stationary note slightly or pressing you palm on the floyd. I developed this trick (the first option) unconsciously and usually get by with it. Of course a tuner would prove me wrong, but those things usually appear in a blues context and don’t matter that much anyway :wink:

Just my 2 cents on the topic, Tom

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#17

I’ve played a Stratocaster for years with the 6 screw trem set up to pull up a semitone. Now wit a Strat I’ve never been in the habit of aggressive dives, but you can use it conservatively. I have used Floyd style guitars for the aggressive stuff, and I also have a Fender locking system guitar from the 80s…I’d suggest having both, one fixed and one floating and learn to use each. I will say with a Floyd you have to watch resting or palm muting your wrist on the bridge it is sensitive, and you can hear the guitar going sharp etc. with each you have to develop habits etc.

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#18

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Here is the hardtail I ordered first. I am waiting for it to reach room temp so I can tune and try it out. The guitar with the trem is coming on Monday. I’m really hoping I can find a way to keep both paying them off quickly.

#19

Fluence pickups, nice! Bet it’s a very cool guitar. There are many ways to block a 2 way trem. This is a personal choice, but if you can only have one, keep the trem model.

#20

I’ve decided to take that route and keep the trem model when it comes :slight_smile: Now to decide what to do with the trem. I’ve gotten lots of good suggestions here so far. Greatly appreciated!

#21

Don’t know if you like SRV but maybe try to learn the Lenny head, it’s a great tune with a nice subtle vibrato to start with.

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