If everybody agrees with your taste, then I’d make sure that I could only manufacture the “amazing” ones. However, if different people like different sounds (argue over the “best” guitar), then it might be fine (or even desirable?) to have variability in manufacture. The only source of variability that I can think of in practice would be the wood; everything else (cutting with CNC machines, spraying polyurethane, etc.) likely would likely be so similar that I have trouble imagining any sonic variation due to them. Now, any large manufacturer clearly is aware of this situation; either they don’t care to “fix” it, or don’t view it as a problem.
The human element is the main problem. One’s expectations color one’s perception of the sound. To those folks who have spent serious dollars on Unobtainium, it definitely does sound better.
One element of this is quite uncontestable, however. A vibrating string will vibrate longer when both ends are affixed to a rigid structure. Given two identical strings, the one with more rigid endpoints will sustain longer. That’s why the tungsten sustain block is sold (it’s not meant to be a $130 paperweight).
Unfortunately, this primary fact doesn’t help much in any practical situation. One of the endpoints on the guitar is, usually, a fret. That my finger is not as rigid as the fixed point is easily deduced by the fact that open strings sound different from fretted notes. Whatever ‘tone loss’ occurs by virtue of the bridge choice is probably dwarfed by fretting hand variables. The mere principle of rigidity doesn’t help us with bridge comparison in another sense. We have no mathematical examination or measurements of the effect of a bridge choice, and even if there is a difference, is it an audible difference? Does it matter, when for the most part we’re trying to play notes as fast as possible, not struggling to play solos slower?
I will second the motion of going down to GC to try out a bunch of guitars. I went down there with a tuner one time to see which of the Floyd Rose-equipped guitars stayed in tune the best. The winner turned out to be an Indonesian Jackson, discounted $100 due to its electronics being wired incorrectly. I took it home and gave it the love that it deserved for winning this contest.
The standard Floyd is not able to do this. The note that isn’t being bent won’t go sharp, but flat. You can give a Floyd this capability, however, by installing a Tremsetter in it (ideally a pair of them). Steve Vai has 2 Tremsetters in the back of EVO. There are a few competing devices now, but since Vai is still using the old Tremsetters… well, if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.
You do lose one sound effect capability with Tremsetter installation, however, the ‘flutter’. Flutter occurs when the bar is raised/depressed, then suddenly released. The springs wobble around the neutral point briefly, creating the effect. Since the Tremsetter clamps the bridge back on the neutral point immediately, there is no possibility of getting a flutter effect.
The obvious solution is to acquire another Floyd Rose guitar. It’s perfectly obvious to me, yet somehow this necessity eludes my wonderful wife.
OR…it’s the emperor’s new clothes (kidding mainly, just had to say it)
That sounds something along the lines of what I’d read somewhere sometime that made me just stick to fixed bridges.
Now this sounds like we’re getting into PG-13 territory (which is of course where all conversations about great instrument should end up lol)
I’m in the same boat, my friend. As I mentioned above, after over a decade of no purchases, last year splurging on the Ibanez and a nice Taylor, I’m not going to even press my luck for a few more years lol My wife’s wonderful too. In fact, it was her idea that I buy the Taylor!!!
I’ve pressed my luck with these lines, and some of them have even worked out!
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This guitar has 7 strings, I should explore that style
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The wood on this guitar is unique, Macassar ebony is getting hard to find so I should buy it now
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This guitar has a (tremolo/fixed) bridge, I don’t have a guitar like that and I should explore that style
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(my favorite) I built this guitar, so it doesn’t count
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I am borrowing this guitar from a friend
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A friend gave me this guitar
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I’ve had this guitar since before we met, my parents stored it for years
Plus the guitar that you (presumably) started with, that’s 8 of them. It’s a bit of a challenge to play 8 guitars a day, but we’ll manage.
Yes, you are right, if I bend one string sharp the other ones should go flat!
I’m not familiar with a Tremsetter but my RG might have something like that inside it; I’m not sure, I was thinking about the abstract. I should look inside it (but I haven’t taken the plate off the back yet).
If the guitar can do the flutter, but not the double stop, then it must not have a stabilizer. That’s a really nice RG, the top of the line. I would hesitate to install a Tremsetter in it because the installation requires drilling a hole in the spring cavity. I’m cool with doing that on an Indonesian Jackson, but on a J Custom? Hard pass! There are newer tremolo stabilizers that do not require drilling to install.
If the guitar is capable of it, like older Kramers and some other guitars, you can “deck” the Floyd as well and tighten the springs enough so bending doesn’t make the trem tilt forward. EVH guitars tend to be setup this way too. You do lose the ability to flutter and to pull up too. It all depends on what you want from it.
I don’t have a problem with any of my floating Floyds staying in tune, but they also don’t have any notches in the knife edges as I don’t use the trem violently and I losen any string tension before making height adjustments.
I just sort of developed the ability to do double stops and stuff and bend the notes to keep them in tune, or press back on the bridge slightly to keep it from doing so. It take some practice to do but really isn’t all that hard. Kind of the opposite of learning not to rest your hand on it lest you are always sharp.