To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

I'm really picky about components on a strat, and a Tusq XL nut is one of the greatest upgrades for tone, feel, and tuning. I can't bond with any guitar that has a metal nut. Bone or Tusq gives a soul to a guitar, and I know that doesn't make sense, but it does to me.

Agree 110%
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

I removed the small rubber pads on my LSR, as the low E kept driving me crazy and the G string as well.
Threw the org Fender bridg out, it wore out after a measly two years, threw in a Gotoh 510 two poster instead.
Most of you guys probally know how much I use the vibrato, it is my phrasing tool on strats, now it works well.
Depending on how consistent the strings are though.

Strings are a big factor, at least the guitar performs ;)
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

greekdude,
Where did the arm break? By the plate or inside the block?
And how is the new one they sent you, did they say you had a bad one and the replacement should be better and last a long time. Very interesting to me. Been thinking about those and the Stetsbar for my non-trem guitars.
Thanks g-dude,
SJ

Yes it broke inside. The new one seems OK. They did the extraction and just said that it never has happened before, etc. IMHO the price they ask is a somewhat high.
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

Wow, finally a guy who has Super V.

I have several guitars with the Blade Runner bridge. I love them - never a tuning problem; however, I do have a friend who somehow broke the whammy bar.

I changed all saddles to Highland's saddles, so that I could get that clear tone without cutting up my hand

http://www.highwood-guitarparts.com

I also use Killer Guitar Tremolo blocks and brass compensated claw
(Yes, I know I questioned KGC on this forum - if the brass make a difference, and yes it does, now I used their products!)

http://www.killerguitarcomponents.com

Nut - Tusq XL

http://www.graphtech.com/products/brands/tusq-xl/tusq-xl-guitar-nuts

Hipshot locking tuners (Staggered - No string trees for me!)

http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=392
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

Vasshu-
I tossed my foam out also, seemed redundant and counterintuitive, I never hear the strings behind my guitar nut except playing un amped in bed at 1 a.m., like now.
Did you keep the LSR then. Sounds like you did. I am curious, why the Gotoh? It seems that of all the "regular " floating terms, the choices that always pop up are: Gotoh, Wilkenson, Callaham. Super V not in this particular question as design is different.
And I repeat my question earlier to you about a longer plate string area so string goes from block to saddle no plate touching at all. I would bet my life that anyone who has a trem where their strings touch the plate at all, they are having an extra place of string hang up, regardless of smoothing the plate and nut sauce. It just makes one more place to screw up that is not needed.
I don't get it. This is plain basic physics. Think about it. The low strings are wound, and that means the wind is perpendicular to the plate so those winds would catch. Even smoothed they still would touch unnecessarily.
SJ
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

Stratman,
I agree 100%. I have used crummy blocks, steel blocks are good in general, the "new" deluxe (J.Beck) type of bridge sounds close to steel, both good, but a KGC Brass Block has not only the sound of a steel block but also a VERY STRONG low/upper low to mid boost. I use a brass KGC on my main Strat and it is definitely better to my ears.
A BIG sound without losing any highs in my opinion. So Stratman, have you tried the normal Strat trem or any others and the Super V out plays them in terms of tuning stability?
Also, just to be clear, we are talking the Super V that had bendable metal-the one you see advertised all the time, NOT the one with all the locking crap on them. If you don't know, they make one using Super V in the title that has the locking stuff on the bridge as well as the nut. You probably know that, but just want to be sure. As much as I like my Strat bridge after modding it, the Super V looks very attractive, along with those I mentioned in response to Vasshu's post.
Thanks for chiming in,
Steve JB
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

To All,
Does it make sense that I use 9,11,15,24,36,48, as a set- because I figure that when I stretch the top 3 plain strings the other strings don't bend as much due to how thick the low ones are, that I know for a fact, but it made wonder if the heavier low strings, by adding more tension, would thereby make the trem more stable?
Lt. Kojack said no, and I very, very, ever disagree with him on anything (which is why I mention his name) but it seems like more tension would be good for tuning stability, as long as it is on the lower strings as I need much lighter strings on top. I've played 9,11,15,24 for 45 years, it is hard to go up a notch in string gauge. D'Addario makes a 9.5,11.5, but even a .5 difference feels too heavy for my own comfort. The 36,48 are way heavier than what I am used to, but the lower ones I have no problem acclimating to.
Thank you,
SJB
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

The Gotoh was chosen because it has a different baseplate, the string does indeed not touch the plate, they go from block to saddle(those are steel ones).
I am actually looking for the old Wilkinson nut, Gotoh seems to reissued the old version of it, the one with the sloped G B E side and the dual roller side for E A D, personally I have never minded metalnuts....otherwise all my frets should be made of tusq or bone as well ;)

I do not like the LSR much, but it works better now.
My Spertzel locks are staggered, but I also thinking about getting the new Gotoh thumb lock tuners.
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

i have an lsr in my strat and tusq xl in my bigsby equipped 335. they both work well.
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

IIRC,
Sperztzels cut off your string with none left, I think, so if you want to take strings off, it is hard to get 'em back on. My thumb locking tuners are Schaller, and after they are stretched out enough, I can pull them tight enough to tune within 1/2 a turn, and also I can choose leave a half inch or whatever it takes so I can just unwind the thumb screw and take the strings out of the way if I need to, and then have slack to pull through when I am done fixing something in the guitar, and put the strings back easy. I love the sloped version also.
Rear thumb screws are - to me - the best locking style alive today!
SJ
 
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Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

tubecrunch,
I had the same thing happen on my J.Beck. So I made the slot where the string hits the plate before the saddle long enough by hand, which took a few hours, so the string leaves the block and touches NOTHING on the way to the saddle. Now it works much, much, better.
I can slack the strings but it still comes back in tune +or- a cent on a string or 2. But with normal vibrato it is quite stable. Tell me, does the Callaham also go straight from the block to the saddles with out touching the saddle plate? I ask this as I am curious if you put the Callaham bridge on the J.Beck strat would it now work as well as it does on the mim Strat.
Really interested, as Callaham would be the only one besides a Super V I would consider.
Thanks so much, hope you see this
SJ
Hi SJ,
Never tried the Callaham on the jb. I did however try a wilkinson, since it was a direct drop in replacement. It went out of tune in the exact same fashion, which I found bizarre. I replaced the nut and tuners, and gave it a refret. In the end, it had to have been something structural, or inherent in that piece of wood. I wish I hadn't sold it, just so I could try a different neck. It sounded amazing. I should have just blocked the trem...
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

I wonder if the right post is higher than the left or vice versa, easily fixed w/a hex wrench. I made sure mine are the same height. One thing I did just to cover all bases, when I pulled up a step & 1/2 the bass side hit the body before the top side, and before any one goes all Carl Verheyen on me ( who plays great guitar either way you view his "claw angle") I decided to remove any slight post differences anyway, not sure if it made any difference, but my Strats are all set up the same and stay pretty much in stable,great tune. For a non locking anyway. TusqXL or LSR.
Getting to the original post, trying to get the angle of my strings near the neck (radius) is just a *****,as I like my neck flat as possible, and I am thinking of ditching the LSR for that reason alone. The strings are too close in the middle and too far way on the low E,A and high E,B. So I am still not decided what to do on that one. After all this very intelligent back and forth you folks along with my own evolving thoughts on this subject, it seems clear that tusqXl and LSR are are equally good nuts for tuning stability. I have gleaned that from all the statements here.
When it comes to trems, you must consider the LSR radius to what you may do after purchase to refinish the board and still keep the radius close to your first fret radius and finished radius if you like to change it like I do. Seems if I am stubborn in my fret radius, The only fix for me is to match the LSR radius from fret 1-3 and then start to rework it for a very early compound radius for the rest of the fretboard. This thread is full of trem wisdom of all sorts.
Thank to you all, very sincerely,
SJ
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

simonbaker,
Wow, finally a guy who has Super V. You have the non-locking one correct? The one with flexible metal and the screws are tight, 6 right below the bridge pup. That is very fascinating. I used to work with several flex metal designs. So, how is it? I think those look like locking tuners. Is it a little better or way better than what you had before, and please what was your old trem, a Fender?
I am truly interested in a Super V but can't find any real owners, just sales vids. And also, I know the basics of Fieten and Earvana, how do they work higher up?
Also, is the Earvana nut better for intonation than the LSR, by that I mean coming back to tune the way you had, tuning stability as opposed to nut design. I hope I am being clear in my question. Coming back to "0" point or where it was prior to trem use.
Thank you very much,
SJ
Sorry for the late reply. I don't seem to get notifications on my phone.

It's the two post replacement type. Before that, I had a Wilkinson and then an LR Baggs X bridge. They were ok. The super vee is better.

I've got sperzel locking tuners. (The guitar on the left sorry about the focus)
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Regarding the intonation, the earvana works fantastically all the way up the neck. I haven't had any tuning issues returning to pitch. The LSR worked well, but the earvana ticks more boxes for me.

I've just put one on the Tele in the picture (NGD elsewhere tells all)
 
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Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

I have the Super V Double Locking bridge... It works well, but the nut is a real pain in the rear, the fine tuners also sit higher than I would like and you have to adapt your picking hand. I did not notice a change in tone so much. Intonation is sacrificed when you want to have it setup for very wide motion of the bar, up and down in pitch. I am thinking about ripping it off and going back to my hipshot contour and getting an XL nut. Main reason is that a double locking tremolo is a lot of work for a blind man to restring on his own.
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

I have the Super V Double Locking bridge... It works well, but the nut is a real pain in the rear, the fine tuners also sit higher than I would like and you have to adapt your picking hand. I did not notice a change in tone so much. Intonation is sacrificed when you want to have it setup for very wide motion of the bar, up and down in pitch. I am thinking about ripping it off and going back to my hipshot contour and getting an XL nut. Main reason is that a double locking tremolo is a lot of work for a blind man to restring on his own.

What about the bladerunner?
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

Warmoth I know has Tusq XL earvana cut, definitely getting that on my next neck
 
Re: To all who have used LSR & TusqXL for their trems.

What about the bladerunner?

This is a rather decent trem. It will not revive a dead strat, but it doesn't kill a good one either. IMHO a must if you want just a little bit of floating. Its a mod that requires no routing and has the same effect as 2-pivot floating trems.
 
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