Help-Electric Question

barkley_01007 · #1 09-19-2002, 06:38 PM

On an electric guitar, what is a double-locking tremolo?

JW · #2 09-19-2002, 07:00 PM

More commonly known as a Floyd Rose tremolo it locks the strings at the nut as well as the bridge. It has fine adjustment screws at the bridge and is a real pain to change the strings. I dont like them. JW

barkley_01007 · #3 09-19-2002, 07:12 PM

somehow JW, I knew it would be you.

Thanks buddy.

Mike Carter · #4 09-20-2002, 11:33 AM

I have had a few guitars with Locking tremelos, I have had both the Floyd Rose and the Kaler Trems. I like the Kaler because it didn't get in my way as much as the Floyd rose. If you have a habit of resting you hand on the bridge you are in big trouble with these babys. even slight pressure will pull you out of tune.

They can't be beat when it comes to classic hard rock, no way Eddie Van Halen could have pulled off Eruption without a locking Tremelo. If you play hard rock the dives and such will pull you out of tune in a heart beat Without a locking tremelo, and being able to fine tune at the bridge is very cool also.

In the 80s all the big Glam rockers and hair bands used them, and probably still do. All the original rock specific guitars came with them , such as Jackson, Cramer, Charvel, Ibenez, Dean and others.

These were great guitars when they first came out and were made in the USA. Jackson bought Wayne Charvel's rights to the Charvel name and some of his designs then started making them over seas, and there was just not enough demand for High end Rock specific guitars for companies like Cramer and the others to survive making them here in the States. Now you see Cheap low end Korean guitars with names from the past like Jackson and Dean. It's hard to believe that these used to be small shop custom guitars.

Mike

jam · #5 09-20-2002, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JW
... it locks the strings at the nut as well as the bridge...

So, "double-locking tremolo bridge" is a misnomer? I always wondered about that. If the bridge locks then it is a locking bridge. If the nut locks, it is a locking nut. The combination would be double-locking, but neither the nut nor the bridge is. *whew* Did that make any sense at all? Is it correct?

On the way to enlightenment,
--jam

GordonHLau · #6 09-20-2002, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Carter
They can't be beat when it comes to classic hard rock, no way Eddie Van Halen could have pulled off Eruption without a locking Tremelo.

Actually, he did. EVH did not have the locking trem when he did Eruption on the first Van Halen album. He barred at the nut to keep the strings from popping off the nut when did the dive bomb stuff. He also had tuning tricks and a well lubed-large grooved brass nut to keep the guitar in tune. He did the first three albums this way until he started using the Floyd Rose locking trems on the fourth album - Fair Warning.

I agree with JW, they are a real pain to change strings. It's even worse if you have it set as a floating tremolo (can pull up as well as down). Tuning was a big pain since changing the pitch on one string affected the other strings. It took forever to tune a guitar with a floating locking trem (that's why it was essential to have the fine tuners at the bridge).

GL

nhsmitty · #7 09-20-2002, 12:13 PM

Floyd Rose with locking nut, I had one on a Kramer. Once in tune it was great and stayed in tune. Yes, it could be a pain to change strings and get in tune though. I dealt with it well back in the day but don't miss it a bit. I'll take pushing the string through the tailpiece, going over the bridge, three wraps on the peg, tune and you're done anyday. But I did enjoy them dive bombing effects..

nhsmitty · #8 09-20-2002, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GordonHLau

He also had tuning tricks and a well lubed-large grooved brass nut to keep the guitar in tune. He did the first three albums this way until he started using the Floyd Rose locking trems on the fourth album - Fair Warning.

GL

I was told that the brass nut was a 70's thing. I never see any or hear about them nowadays. Was there something special about a brass nut or just a craze?? Did it allow for more stable tuning??

stratokatsu · #9 09-22-2002, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JW
More commonly known as a Floyd Rose tremolo it locks the strings at the nut as well as the bridge. It has fine adjustment screws at the bridge and is a real pain to change the strings. I dont like them. JW

I actually had a salesman talk me out of a guitar with a double locking trem one time. His reason was, he wanted me to continue to do business with him.

JW · #10 09-22-2002, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by stratokatsu

I actually had a salesman talk me out of a guitar with a double locking trem one time. His reason was, he wanted me to continue to do business with him.

He gave you some great advice! The only thing worse that changing the strings was tuning it. I had a Strat that had a FR conversion on it. Three hours in to tuning it it did the Pete Townsend SG conversion. JW