Why Does This Not Feel Right?

[Lucius Paisley]

Two guitars - both 1990 Greco LP Customs, one "mint", the other with Evertune bridge...

The Greco with the Evertune is priced at $1500, the mint at $1250.

Does the addition of the Evertune outweigh the modifications to the Greco's body needed to accommodate it? That just seems wrong to me.

To anybody else, or am I out of line?

 

[beaubrummels]

Both of them seem high, but I’d get the mint since it’s a better deal.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Both of them seem high, but I’d get the mint since it’s a better deal.

Not looking to purchase either, but I'm kind of irked enough to bring my conundrum here.

Also, should mention, the Greco w/ Evertune had a higher price tag at some point.

 

[nexion218]

The Evertune is a GREAT tool for a recording musician in my opinion. It is also pretty versatile in a sense that the tension response can be adjusted string by string, so you can set up your plain strings to act as a hardtail and the wound strings to completely ignore tensions changes -> you can hammer away on your riff all you want and be prefectly intonated while getting the option for bendy solos. I agree it takes a huge chunk of wood out of the body, even bigger than a Floyd route, which will translate into some physical properties changing, no doubt about that. That being said I have no problems with the one I have ( a 7 string E-II Horizon ). I have guitars with more sustain, but it's not like the notes die on the Evertune after 2 second. It is well within the perfectly enough range. However it having a 25.5 scale, it is an absolute bliss not having to put on like a 70 gauge string for the low B to be properly intonated. Also the notes going sharp upon heavy pick attack is a thing of the past too. Playing one has a specific feel to it though, especially if set up to ignore tension changes. Not a huge difference, but to me it feels like the strings have less resistance when picked. I'm guessing it's because the system counteracts the increased tension, hence the "constant tension bridge" term.

 

[Aceman]

Because the seller values function over original.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

The Evertune is a GREAT tool for a recording musician in my opinion. It is also pretty versatile in a sense that the tension response can be adjusted string by string, so you can set up your plain strings to act as a hardtail and the wound strings to completely ignore tensions changes -> you can hammer away on your riff all you want and be prefectly intonated while getting the option for bendy solos. I agree it takes a huge chunk of wood out of the body, even bigger than a Floyd route, which will translate into some physical properties changing, no doubt about that. That being said I have no problems with the one I have ( a 7 string E-II Horizon ). I have guitars with more sustain, but it's not like the notes die on the Evertune after 2 second. It is well within the perfectly enough range. However it having a 25.5 scale, it is an absolute bliss not having to put on like a 70 gauge string for the low B to be properly intonated. Also the notes going sharp upon heavy pick attack is a thing of the past too. Playing one has a specific feel to it though, especially if set up to ignore tension changes. Not a huge difference, but to me it feels like the strings have less resistance when picked. I'm guessing it's because the system counteracts the increased tension, hence the "constant tension bridge" term.

Does the plate in the middle of the back under what must be directly between the pickups have anything to do with the Evertune? Because I can't think of a reason for it to be there unless something bad happened.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Because the seller values function over original.

It's functional until strings need changing. Then it's "every trem is born equal" as far as setup/intonation is concerned.

I guess I feel like I'm being lied to by the name "Evertune" or my head is twisting it into "Never Tune"... probably that.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Evertune bridges are expensive, as is getting someone to install it. They also have an extremely devoted following.

I think the seller is banking on the right buyer coming along, and paying a premium over the Greco’s typical value. Given the first part of what I said, it’s probably a smart move, and with a little patience it’ll pay off.

 

[Chris Pile]

I've not installed any Evertune systems, but a large portion of the wood must be removed and a massive chunk of metal inserted. That's got to be a tone changer.

 

[nexion218]

Does the plate in the middle of the back under what must be directly between the pickups have anything to do with the Evertune? Because I can't think of a reason for it to be there unless something bad happened.

You mean the end of the routing which is closest to the neck? It sure does, holds the whole thing in place! The other metal plate is what they call the comb. That is what keeps the 6 (or 7) individual saddle units parallel to each other. And you have NONE of the intonation and tuning issues with it when changing strings. There is no easier and faster bridge on the market to change string on. Once you tune it, changing a whole set of strings is 3 minutes top. For starters, you don't tune with the tuning pegs, it is done with a screw on the saddle itself, but you don't have to use them if it was previously tuned. When you change strings, you just thread the new string through the saddle, make a few turns on the peg and it automatically sits back into the middle zone where it produces the constant tension. The only other time you would use the tuning peg is when you want to alter the saddle's behavior (ignore or rreact to tension changes). Keep in mind: this is not a trem/vibrato. It is a fixed bridge, it's only movement is in order to keep the tension constant on the string, thus achieving unaltered tuning and intonation under any circumstance. If it is properly in the middle zone, you can give your tuning pegs 4-5 turns and nothing changes! It has some devilish geometry and a spring which does all the "magic". If you turn the peghead enough, you can deck out the moving part of the saddle and then it's no different than any regular fixed bridge solution in terms of behavior.

Here's plenty of info:

https://www.evertune.com/resources/maintenance.php

JB is right by the way: extremely expensive. I had to change a single saddle on mine (I bought the guitar used the previous owner broke the tuning screw), set me back around 100 USD... Basically you can buy a mid tier guitar for the price of a single bridge. In my experience it works as advertised, but as Goob said it requires a huge chunk of wood removed and a bunch of metal goes in, so alters the tone. I've no ide how much, never a guitar to ET to test the effect. Like I said, a very handy tool to have around, but I am still more comfortable with a Floyd under my hand. It might just be the 15+ years of headstart.

EDIT: I think I know which plate you mean, zoomed into the picture! The ETs I saw (mine included) Have a one piece backplate. This one seems to have a two piece backplate, one giving access to thread the strings, the other gives acces to the metal plate in the cavity which hold the bridge in place, so I guess that rectangular plate is there to allow service access. Never saw a solution like that though. Maybe the guy who installed it tried to save some wood? If yes, than I say its a smart move!

EDIT 2: Its completely official solution, it looks like its a G model intended for Gibson and Gibson style guitars that have this 2 piece backplate.

https://www.evertune.com/shop/_img/b...ckplate__G.jpg

 

[JB_From_Hell]

It's functional until strings need changing. Then it's "every trem is born equal" as far as setup/intonation is concerned.

I guess I feel like I'm being lied to by the name "Evertune" or my head is twisting it into "Never Tune"... probably that.

If you think the Evertune is a trem, you definitely haven’t read enough to determine that you’re being lied to.

 

[Mincer]

I've never used an Evertune to see if it is worth the extra $$. They are a hot item right now, and with few companies offering, and conversions being expensive, I can see the price difference.

 

[nexion218]

I've never used an Evertune to see if it is worth the extra $$. They are a hot item right now, and with few companies offering, and conversions being expensive, I can see the price difference.

It's right up your alley: radical redesign of an archaic piece of hardware!

 

[Mincer]

It's right up your alley: radical redesign of an archaic piece of hardware!

Yes, but it solves an issue I don't need to have solved. I don't need a stoptail that stays in tune.
The TransTrem is more up my alley: a trem that bends strings at a different rate, so the entire chord stays in tune as you use it.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

The people who will benefit most are those who use tunings significantly lower than standard. It gets dicey to find string gauges that work for a tuning and still sound good when you start messing with that stuff.

I’m a big fan of thick strings, but when you are tuned to F#, or even B, and using .060” or thicker strings, stuff gets hairy really quick. I’m still experimenting with the gauge for the low F# on my 8 string. A .085” or .090” holds the tuning very well, but it sounds like a bass. A .070” or .075” sounds awesome, but feels flappy and needs a lot of finesse on picking. A bridge that nukes the tuning issues with the thinner strings is pretty cool.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

If you think the Evertune is a trem, you definitely haven’t read enough to determine that you’re being lied to.

Yeah, nexion218's giving me a good lesson on these.

 

[Top-L]

I can imagine that alot of new guitarists are drawn to it.

If they don't know how to set up a traditional guitar to stay in tune, and they don't know how to set up a FR, and they don't have enough experience to complain about the tone, then it must be bliss.

 

[PFDarkside]

The bridge is expensive and the installation is expensive. Seller is trying to recoup that investment. But as we all know here, people want to make their own mods, not pay for someone else’s mods.

I still want to try one, an LTD EC-1000 with it preinstalled is probably the most economical choice.

 

[GuitarStv]

I've never had a problem that the evertune bridge would solve. My hardtail guitars all stay in tune pretty well . . . and if I want to play something that never goes out I pickup a guitar with a Floyd. Seems like a solution looking for a problem.

 

[nexion218]

I can imagine that alot of new guitarists are drawn to it.

If they don't know how to set up a traditional guitar to stay in tune, and they don't know how to set up a FR, and they don't have enough experience to complain about the tone, then it must be bliss.

My thoughts exactly. I wouldn't ever recommend a beginner learning on an evertune. I remember the first time playing a FR after a hardtail guitar when I started playing... I was at least a quarter note sharp all the time because I was resting my hand too heavily on the bridge. But at least I was aware that I can create intonation problems with my left hand. The evertune erases both of those possible problems and I can imagine kids riffing away perfectly in tune with the ET and then being all over the place without it.

@JB it does solve a problem, though its a bordeline non-issue for the average guitarist. But you can hear all those stories about heavy handed guitarists tuning flat to be in tune, or having a guitar re-tuned multiple times during the recording of a song to make sure that the area of the neck where the given part is played is perfectly intonated or when you decide to re-track a whole passage because you pulled a string sharp with your pinky etc. It solves all these, saves time and money, especially if one is a hellbent perfectionist. But I agree, I am perfectly happy with my Floyded guitars. Many players who are way better and way more accomplished than I'll ever be are happy without the ET. Still, I wanted to try one and I think that it is a great piece of engineering, which I admire a lot.