Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

sufferinrewind

sufferinrewind

New member
I've played mostly Strats all my life, but I like a fatter, warmer sounding humbucker tone. Strats are known for sounding thin, and I've heard that was mostly due to the tremolo bridges on them, and the pickups being mounted to a pickguard. I'm wondering if a hardtail would fatten up the sound because it's mounted directly to the body and doesn't move at all, so there's more contact. All help is appreciated. Thanks.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

Not in my experience. I find the trem, especially if you have the trem flush with the body, to produce a more resonant and warmer sound. I find string-thru Strats to be brighter and colder.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

myxolidian said:
Not in my experience. I find the trem, especially if you have the trem flush with the body, to produce a more resonant and warmer sound. I find string-thru Strats to be brighter and colder.
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That's interesting, because I thought it'd be the other way around.

I've been playing for almost 11 years now, and I've hardly touched anything that wasn't a Strat type guitar. Plus, I think I'd freak if I had an LP that got nicked and scratched. Strats seem to look better with nicks and scratches.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

I agree with myxolidian, the trem one's have more sustain. Especially if you use a Callaham block. It has like more of everything happening. The next one I build will be a trem but with it blocked off for that reason. I know it doesn't make sense but it works because of the vibrating mass. I'm guessing on that but it's the only explanation I know of. I was very surprised when I first put a callaham block in an American standard strat, big difference.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

I think they sound differant...but not better or worse.

Generally, I prefer the tone of Strats with vibratos...even if the vibrato is blocked.

Seems like the Strats I've owned with vibratos were more resonant and livlier for some reason than hardtails I've owned....although I love Teles.

I dunno....the hardtails Strats I've owned and have worked on just didn't do it for me.

Lew
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

I think strats with vibs have more resonance, a livlier sound, and this really nice "bulit in reverb" quality. Hardtails on the other hand, seems to sound more punchy, direct, and tight.

IMO of course! :)
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

BigDaddy said:
I agree with myxolidian, the trem one's have more sustain. Especially if you use a Callaham block. It has like more of everything happening. The next one I build will be a trem but with it blocked off for that reason. I know it doesn't make sense but it works because of the vibrating mass. I'm guessing on that but it's the only explanation I know of. I was very surprised when I first put a callaham block in an American standard strat, big difference.
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I saw Callaham guitars mentioned in another thread and decided to check 'em out. Their site says their tremolo bridges are the best. I'll have to look into it.

Thanks a bunch, guys.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

i have a callaham on my Strat that i built from USACG.

Its an amazing piece of work! period
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

You don't need to spring for a Callaham to get a super high quality vibrato.

You can....but you don't have to.

The Fender '62 Reissue Vibrato sounds just as sweet as the original vibrato on my '63 Strat.

Weighs the same, looks the same and sounds just as good.

Lew
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

I will get a Gotoh/Wilkinsson trem for mine soon.
I have two older than dirt Gotoh's from the early 80's, they are fab trems.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

BigDaddy said:
I agree with myxolidian, the trem one's have more sustain. Especially if you use a Callaham block. It has like more of everything happening. The next one I build will be a trem but with it blocked off for that reason. I know it doesn't make sense but it works because of the vibrating mass. I'm guessing on that but it's the only explanation I know of. I was very surprised when I first put a callaham block in an American standard strat, big difference.
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Strange. The two strats that I have played over the years that I really wanted were both hardtail. The both had the quality of being so acoustically resonant I could feel every string vibration on any point on the guitar. Being as I don't use a trem, I like the hardtails.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

I prefer Strats with trems, because the springs vibrating in the back adds something extra to the tone that I prefer. That said, I still throw on 5 springs and tighten the screws down :laugh2:. Although I must disagree with the initial post, I find strats to be far from thin (throw it in the neck/middle position through a Fender amp w/ a Tubescreamer and tell me that tone is thin ;) ).
 
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Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

FretFire said:
I prefer Strats with trems, because the springs vibrating in the back adds something extra to the tone that I prefer. That said, I still throw on 5 springs and tighten the screws down :laugh2:. Although I must disagree with the initial post, I find strats to far from thin (throw it in the neck/middle position through a Fender amp w/ a Tubescreamer and tell me that tone is thin ;) ).
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I agree.

Strats and Teles only sound thin if the player has no experiince playing Strats and Teles.

You do have to develop a touch for them I think if all you've ever played is Gibsons or humbucker guitars.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

Listen to ZZ Top's "La Grange" for some hardtail strat tone and proof that strats don't sound thin.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

In my opinion strats sound better with a 6 screws bridge- no the Gotoh bridges. I can't wait to change the two screws bridge on my Ibanez Blazer (it's a strat replica)... I use it with 4 springs and it still give me some bad vibes. Actually I also hate the pups - the only thing good about these guitar is the wood...

However, I read an intreview with Steve Morse where he said that in his opinion trems add some sitar buzz, not in a good way... for the two pivot bridge- I have to agree.

Never played a fixed bridge strat- so i don't know about it having more or less sustain.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

I have a vintage hard tail strat. It has an extra dose of sustain, compared to most. It doesn't sound thin to me when I play it, but it still has that vintage strat "spank." I love that guitar! Good trem or good hard tail strats are both good in their own way. It's very hard to actually find a good hard tail strat though. I think it must be only two or three percent of strats made are hard tails. The Robert Cray signature models are about the only ones made today that I know of.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

Rid said:
I will get a Gotoh/Wilkinsson trem for mine soon.
I have two older than dirt Gotoh's from the early 80's, they are fab trems.
Click to expand...
I've got a vintage-style Gotoh on my frankenstrat. It sounds amazing. Nice big sustain block. It's probably my best sounding guitar.
 
Re: Do hardtail Strats have a fatter tone than Strats with tremolos?

I agree with what's been said. I give every tremolo the opportunity to be floating, while working on the nut slots. If it's magic and stays in tune, I leave it. If it's something I have to wrestle with, I give up and that guitar becomes an anchored bridge. It's really a science to get a Fender to stay in tune and NOT warble with a floating trem. A combination of clean nut slots, perfect spring/claw adjustment, and properly installed strings.

I've been auditioning a lot of vintage A5 pickups in my strats, and that's where I hear the biggest difference in tone. It's amazing that 5 brands of 6.3 A5 pickups can all sound different.
 
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