Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

BriGuy1968

BriGuy1968

New member
I'm thinking about blocking (front and back) the Floyd Rose style tremolo on the guitar you see in my avatar. It's a 1985 Westone Spectrum LX and I bought it as a nineteen-year-old kid back on 1987. I love it dearly and I love playing it... but I just haven't really found the tremolo to be something I wanted to use. As I got older, I became less infatuated with the cool sounds I could hear from every electric guitar virtuoso of the eighties and nineties, and just settled into playing the more classic rock sounds that I like best. Constantly having to tune it is frustrating, and I've also found that, since I do a lot of palm muting, I have a tendency to nudge it ever-so-slightly in-and-out of tune as I play. I also play some in drop-D tuning, which is difficult to do with a double-locking tremolo system.

I like the idea of blocking it and fully intend to go ahead with it as a project for this weekend (especially since it's so easily reversible). My question is not whether or not to do it, but whether there is any reason that, once I have it blocked, I would need to continue to use the locking nut, thus allowing me to use the normal tuners in the headstock instead of using only the fine tuners on the bridge. Actually, it seems like it would be kind of handy to have the fine tuners there for small adjustments on the fly, but let's face it... it's a real pain to find that happy place where the string is locked and the fine tuner has enough room to work without being up against the plate or ready to fall out!

I can't think of a reason why I wouldn't be able to stop using the locking nut and start using the standard tuners, but I'd kind of like to get some clarification from anyone who may have a little experience with it. :33:

Thanks a bunch!

~Brian
 
Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

The locking nut when used without the clamps is a bit too grippy on the strings.

Lock it in and use the micros.
 
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Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

The slots on the locking nut are usually oversized, if it's not locked down this could have some ill effects. I suppose you could put a regular style nut in, but it would probably have to be custom made and would look strange.
 
Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

kramersteen said:
The locking nut when used without the clamps is a bit too grippy on the strings.

Lock it in and use the micros.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking too. With a blocked tremolo the fine tuners should be quite accurate to tune with.
 
Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

I realized after reading the replies that I oversimplified by using the term "nut." My string locks are actually a separate piece of hardware BETWEEN the nut and the tuners, mounted on the headstock.

Here's a pic of the headstock:
http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums...1-DD11-4FA3-B2D5-6B0A2BE51022_zpsandoodfh.jpg

Don't mind the scarring you see in the finish... this guitar went through a fire and has quite a story. The actual nut is just barely cut out of the picture at the bottom.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

Get a Tremol-No and a dTuna. You'll be good to go and you won't permanently modify the instrument in case you get the bug to use the trem.
 
Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

Kramersteen & GilmourD,

I appreciate the suggestions. I'm not afraid of permanent mods... this guitar has been changed enough that it will never be original again, and it's real world resale value is nowhere near any amount I would be willing to consider in order to part with her. That being said, one of the things I like about blocking it is the fact that it's so easily reversible... and the fact that it will cost me practically nothing [emoji6]!

I have looked at the Tremol-No, and I think I could enjoy having it, but for now I can try out just getting it locked down without having to invest in something. Who knows... I might hate having it blocked! Also, I barely know how to do anything with the tremolo anyway... after 30 years of playing, I'm pretty confident that I won't be needing it right away!

Any thoughts on the string locks now that I've changed the parameters of the original question with the pic of the headstock? The actual nut is graphite and quite normal in shape and design.

Thanks again for the feedback... it's VERY helpful! [emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

kramersteen said:
Picture?
Click to expand...

Yes... I posted a link moments before GilmourD posted about the Tremolo-No and D-Tuna. Probably a moot point though as long as things are fine if the nut is normal... which it is.

Thanks again for the input!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

kramersteen said:
Picture? If it has a normal nut then you're good.
Click to expand...

BriGuy1968 said:
Yes... I posted a link moments before GilmourD posted about the Tremolo-No and D-Tuna. Probably a moot point though as long as things are fine if the nut is normal... which it is.

Thanks again for the input!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Photobucket is being dumb again. I saw it before on my phone.

Kramer, it's a standard nut with a behind-the-nut locker on it.

Makes me want to see the actual trem, too. That nut makes me think it's some weird licensed unit or a Kahler Floyd-a-like that they made for a while.
 
Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

The original trem was a Bendmaster FT (by Westone). After the fire and subsequent dousing with water, and several years of sitting unused before I got started on getting everything fixed, it became corroded and I replaced it with the Floyd Rose copy. I didn't really want to screw around with modding the neck for the new locking nut, so I decided to just use the original nut and lock instead of the new one. Hence, the odd setup!

Edit: Oh yeah, and it's just a cheap-o FR copy too... Like I said before, I was pretty sure I'd never use it. I would have gone hard tail if it wouldn't have left a big hole in the guitar where the trem is! [emoji33]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

I blocked the trem on an ESP of mine at one point and I kept using the locking nut just for extra security. Tuning pegs can get bumped (or adjusted by unattended toddlers), strings can slip; but a locked nut will pretty much stay in tune no matter what.
 
Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

If you're changing tunings often, you might look at getting multiple guitars - one for each tuning. Retuning frequently will wear the string down at the peg, unless you're the type who keeps a ton of wraps of the low E around the peg. Proper stretching should keep them from slipping out of tune when you bend them.

It sounds like it has a Kahler-style nut, which is practically useless to begin with, IMO, so removing it completely would pose no issue. You'd still have the real nut, so no worries there.

Double-blocking the trem is easy enough to do and undo, and the fine tuners can still serve a purpose. I've used brass slides and 9v batteries to double-block a Strat-style trem. Can't say one had better tone than the other :lol:
 
Re: Dumb question about blocking a tremolo

DrNewcenstein said:
If you're changing tunings often, you might look at getting multiple guitars - one for each tuning. Retuning frequently will wear the string down at the peg, unless you're the type who keeps a ton of wraps of the low E around the peg. Proper stretching should keep them from slipping out of tune when you bend them.

It sounds like it has a Kahler-style nut, which is practically useless to begin with, IMO, so removing it completely would pose no issue. You'd still have the real nut, so no worries there.

Double-blocking the trem is easy enough to do and undo, and the fine tuners can still serve a purpose. I've used brass slides and 9v batteries to double-block a Strat-style trem. Can't say one had better tone than the other :lol:
Click to expand...

I've considered using multiple guitars for alternate tunings... and I have enough guitars to do it comfortably. I'll even go as far as to say that I agree with you and that, for performance I prefer to do it that way... it's much easier and you're not making major changes to your tuning on the fly. But at those times, you probably already have things mapped out in your head, complete with a plan for how to NOT draw attention to yourself grabbing a different guitar in between songs! For me, the ability to detune down to drop-D easily isn't a deal-breaker at all, but it would be nice... you know, like those times when you're jamming at home, trying out this and that and everything in between that might pop into your head. The times when you just want to play the song without having to put down the guitar you're currently playing... just because! :cool2:

I kind of like the idea of having easy access to both standard and fine tuners. As for the actual blocking, I have a couple of things I'm planning to try... from wood pieces to a steel piston rod for an airless paint sprayer! I was looking around online last night and saw a pic some guy put up where he used a Matchbox car (a Lotus Esprit)! I thought that was pretty funny!

Thanks for the tips!
 
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