Floyd/Evertune vs fixed bridge w/ locking tuners

[Top-L]

It's funny that my electrics all have Floyd bridges, considering I don't use the whammy much. But I do shred, bend, vibrato all the time, so Floyd guitars have been the only way to keep them in tune. I like pickup up a guitar I haven't played in months and it still being in tune. I also like having microtuners under my right hand.

But it really is silly to buy a guitar with a Floyd given all the extra maintenance items. I haven't had a fixed bridge guitar in many years. But I also haven't had one with locking tuners.

Is it possible for a fixed bridge guitar with locking tuners to stay in perfect tune with lots of bending and vibrato? And I don't mean "mostly in tune" but really lock solid in tune.

My concern is the nut and I remember days of penciling in graphite so the strings wouldn't bind... but that just seems so prone to failure. If you bend and the guitar is sliding through the groove, that means it has to slide back to the same exact position.. And what if the strings aren't straight pull!?

If fixed bridge guitars could be made to keep their tune, would there be any need for an Evertune??

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[jeremy]

i bend a lot. i prefer a fixed bridge over any trem system. a well cut nut is what ya need

 

[GuitarStv]

A blocked Floyd is the most rock solid way to keep a guitar in tune that I've ever used. Usually doesn't need to be retuned once the strings are stretched. A floating Floyd is always a little out of tune depending on the angle of the whammy bar and the angle of the guitar.

The nut is a binding point, but it's not usually much of a problem if cut properly and if the guitar has a good setup (it'll always be a bit more of a problem if you've got a Gibson style bend on the D and G string). You can get a graphite nut if you want to avoid penciling in over the nut slots. Doing this, you're maybe going to have to retune slightly every few songs. But that's only if you're super picky.

Bending on a guitar with a floyd feels very different than on a fixed bridge. It always takes me a few minutes to get used to it, but generally I prefer the feel of a fixed bridge for bends.

 

[Seashore]

Evertunes work great and this is exactly what they're for. Couple friends have em. I like em. There are also fixed bridges with fine tuners. The system on my Steinberger is the most stable one I have - zero fret with a lock right behind it, ball end at the bridge, very little play. That's the only guitar I have that's actually been in perfect tune after a couple months of sitting.

 

[beaubrummels]

I have a Brian May with a normal floating Wilkinson strat bridge and locking tuners and I've done wild EVH dive bombs with it and it's come back to zero in tune. So I'd say locking tuners and a good nut go a long way to solving those same problems a Floyd was intended to solve. Though the strings do go straight through the nut on BM Special guitars.

 

[Top-L]

A blocked Floyd is the most rock solid way to keep a guitar in tune that I've ever used. Usually doesn't need to be retuned once the strings are stretched. A floating Floyd is always a little out of tune depending on the angle of the whammy bar and the angle of the guitar.

Only on one of mine is this true, but its probably because the FRS bridge was used alot, the posts wore out, or are not completely anchored.

If return to zero is spot on, then it stays in tune perfectly.

But it takes alot of setup to get it to that point.

I want to get a seven string, and I don't see the utility of a Floyd on that kind of guitar. I think an evertune would be better for something I am doing alternate downtunings on. Or maybe just a fixed bridge and locking tuners..

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I honestly think locking tuners hardly do anything at all for tuning stability.

They're easier to change strings with, for sure. That's a huge upside, but a good set of non-locking tuners is as stable. For example, I just swapped out a set of locking Gotohs for non-locking Grovers, and honestly find the Grovers slightly more stable. I've even had bad experiences with tuners that people consider "good", like Sperzels, for example. I also had a set of locking tuners from Guitar Fetish that were pretty bad.

Pencil lead helps a little, but Nut Sauce is way more effective, IME. I think it's teflon. I have a Gibson which is notoriously bad in that regard, but with a Graphtech nut lub'ed up with Nut Sauce, it's rock solid with bends and vibrato. Or as rock solid as the flawed design can be, TBH.

Also, the nut has to be in good shape. Not just because it's Graphtech means it's alright. The slots need to be cut well and be the right depth/width/angle for the strings.

Most people say most tuning stability issues come from the nut, but IME, it's 50% nut, 50% the tuners.

That being said... yep, it will NEVER be as solid as my old RG570 with the Edge was. But as long as you I don't do anything stupid like many 4 semitone bends in a row, it will be stable enough to get me through practice. I would even trust my Squier better than my Gibson for staying in tune, TBH, but the Gibson is solid enough that I can live with it. I am tune freak, TBH. I like checking the tuning every couple of songs just to make sure, personally, even if I'm using a Floyd.

I have not tried the Evertune bridge. I'm sure it's great funcionally, but I don't particularly love the looks, nor do I like the hassle of it. It's like having 6 individual Floyds, one for each string, LOL. Like maintaining and setting up a Floyd isn't hard enough.

 

[Mincer]

My Steinberger is a fixed bridge with double ball strings. There is no way to have any friction, and the guitar stays in tune better than any system I've tried.

 

[Seashore]

My Steinberger is a fixed bridge with double ball strings. There is no way to have any friction, and the guitar stays in tune better than any system I've tried.

The only reason I don't use the double balls is because I wanted to customize my string gauges for different tunings, but when I used them, they were sooooo convenient. I miss that.

 

[Sirion]

Has anybody tried a tune-o-matic system with fine tuners at the bridge and a locking nut? I know they were popular for a split second in the late eighties, and should theoretically work almost as well as a proper Floyd.

 

[El Dunco]

Mick Thomson’s signature guitars have a bridge that is completely fixed but works the exact same way as a double locking tremolo (clamps, fine tuners and locking nuts) and without any cavity in the back, presumably for the same reason. They probably offer it aftermarket or have non-signature versions with it. It might even be the appeal of that drop-in Gibson style fine-tuning bridge. If it has bolts that lock tight around the posts, combined with a Floyd nut it would work exactly as well.

When I had to lay down rhythm guitar for a song with a main riff that repeatedly uses bends, I used the Floyded 7 string for that reason. I probably could have gotten by with making sure the nut on my string-thru TOM 7 was lubed but it saved more time, I prefer raw takes than having to do punch ins because it went slightly out mid take. Speaking of Mick, the EMTY Blackouts I’d just installed worked perfectly for the song,

The song in question. You can probably understand what a pain it would be to have to keep checking the tuning every so often otherwise.

 

[ehdwuld]

Ibanez made a hardtail double locking bridge back around 07

it seemed, to me, the most unnecessary thing ever

 

[El Dunco]

Ibanez made a hardtail double locking bridge back around 07

it seemed, to me, the most unnecessary thing ever

Yeah that’s the one. Just block your Floyd. You can’t float a hardtail hahaha.

 

[Mincer]

I think Anteres made an Auto-Tune guitar, too.

 

[El Dunco]

I think Anteres made an Auto-Tune guitar, too.

Everyone who used one said it sucked. Whatever happened with that?

 

[ehdwuld]

Autotune Guitars

Peavey had one at the local Guitar Center back around 04-05

yea it sucked

floppy strings and it couldnt track bends and such

dynamics were wildly off

 

[Mincer]

I think Anteres also makes a guitar stomp box, so that could work, too.

 

[Ascension]

For what you do, I would stay far away from an evertune bridge. Because of the design you will always be fighting the guitar on bends ect. It will always feel very stiff and fight you as the Evertune resists bending.
On the trem vs hardtail any floating trem is going to detune slightly on the other strings as you bend it's just part of it. Other than that there is no drawback to having a properly set up trem on a guitar you bend a lot on. That tuning issue really shows however if you are doing things like say double stop county bends a lot.

 

[Ascension]

I honestly think locking tuners hardly do anything at all for tuning stability.

They're easier to change strings with, for sure. That's a huge upside, but a good set of non-locking tuners is as stable. For example, I just swapped out a set of locking Gotohs for non-locking Grovers, and honestly find the Grovers slightly more stable. I've even had bad experiences with tuners that people consider "good", like Sperzels, for example. I also had a set of locking tuners from Guitar Fetish that were pretty bad.

Pencil lead helps a little, but Nut Sauce is way more effective, IME. I think it's teflon. I have a Gibson which is notoriously bad in that regard, but with a Graphtech nut lub'ed up with Nut Sauce, it's rock solid with bends and vibrato. Or as rock solid as the flawed design can be, TBH.

Also, the nut has to be in good shape. Not just because it's Graphtech means it's alright. The slots need to be cut well and be the right depth/width/angle for the strings.

Most people say most tuning stability issues come from the nut, but IME, it's 50% nut, 50% the tuners.

That being said... yep, it will NEVER be as solid as my old RG570 with the Edge was. But as long as you I don't do anything stupid like many 4 semitone bends in a row, it will be stable enough to get me through practice. I would even trust my Squier better than my Gibson for staying in tune, TBH, but the Gibson is solid enough that I can live with it. I am tune freak, TBH. I like checking the tuning every couple of songs just to make sure, personally, even if I'm using a Floyd.

I have not tried the Evertune bridge. I'm sure it's great funcionally, but I don't particularly love the looks, nor do I like the hassle of it. It's like having 6 individual Floyds, one for each string, LOL. Like maintaining and setting up a Floyd isn't hard enough.

Not my experience at all with Locking tuners. My Washburn USA guitars plus several floyed Carvins and my Kiesel Delos with a Ghoto 510 with locking tuners and no lock nut are all as stable as any guitar I have ever owned with a locking, nut. That is even under extreme trem use. With locking tuners and a nut that is cut properly, the difference in stability and consistency between locking and standard tunes is profound, even with a fixed bridge. You never have to worry about the wrap moving super quick string changes and I almost will never retune any guitar I own even on a 3 to 4 hour set without a break.
I don't wrap strings with locking tuners, I use as little string as possible around the post. I also make certain I have a proper string angle to the nut and pressure to seat the string. Additional wraps with locking tuners defeat the purpose, it takes away sustain and increases tuning instability. Having a straight pull between the nut and tuners, a properly cut nut with enough down pressure to keep the string sable if you are using a trem is the key to tuning stability with locking tuners. Every guitar I own without a lock nut and locking tuners is rock stable tuning wise.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Not my experience at all with Locking tuners. My Washburn USA several floyed Carvins and my Kiesel Delos with a Ghoto 510 with locking tuners and no lock nut were as all as stable as any guitar I have ever owned with a locking, not even under extreme trem use. With a proper locking nut and a nut that is cut properly, the difference in stability and consistency between locking a standard tunes is profound. You never have to worry about the wrap moving super quick string changes and I almost will never retune any guitar I own even on a 3 to 4 hour set without a break.
I don't wrap strings with locking tuners, I use as little string as possible around the post. I also make certain I have a proper string angle to the nut and pressure to seat the string. Additional wraps with locking tuners defeat the purpose, it takes away sustain and increases tuning instability. The nut and having a straight pull between the nut and tuner is the key.

I agree that wrapping the string around locking tuners defeats the purpose of having locking tuners.