Give me your take on locking trems.

[Legion]

I'm.... Considering a trem guitar. I've been listening to a lot of freak kitchen lately and I kind of want to explore that direction a little. I was seriously considering an E-II 7, but now I'm thinking I'll explore trems since I've never really done that as a compositional tool.

Some history: I have owned non locking trems before, and they were not very good, and kept losing tune. I have also owned an Ibanez cheapo with and Edge III trem that held tuning stability surprisingly well: I was just extremely irritated with string changes. I remember how nice and comfy that bridge felt under my palm.

Is it really worth having a trem and all the headaches that come with it (tuning, string changes, setup, and generally having to completely change your muting technique to avoid putting pressure on the bridge and knocking it out of tune)? I mean I know you cannot answer that question for me, but just humor me here and just give me your experiences here.


Looking forward to lots of trem abuse: dive bombs, freaky harmonics, incorporating whammy dives into metal rhythm riffs, the whole nine yards. What do I need to know?


Cheers!

 

[bostjan]

Hot take: really good locking trems with proper setup and maintenance are a blast to use until the novelty wears off. Then you're stuck with doing the proper maintenance and setup, which isn't nearly as big a deal as the internet would want you to believe, but is still an extra set of minor tasks, in order to make a few tricks work.

Less than stallar trems are just a constant pain.

I think if you have a "go big" attitude, you'll probably be more likely to end up really enjoying a trem.

 

[NoodleFace]

I hate playing guitars without floyd rose trems. They feel good in my hands, even if I'm not constantly dive bombing. And I never have to tune them once setup

 

[AMOS]

My E-II doesn't go out of tune too easily, neither do my Schecters since installing OFR's on them. I love Floyds and wish I had one on my Strat.

 

[budda]

Its way up there on my avoid list. Lock my jm trem and block the strats ive owned save the last one.

Dont need it (never learned bar tricks when i had FR’s and free time) dont want it.

 

[CanserDYI]

I change my tunings too much to have a double locking trem system, but I think they are fun to play around with.

 

[odibrom]

String changes on FR type bridges are easy once you:
1 - lock the trem in the tuned position or very close to it before each string change
2 - use systematically the same set of strings (brand, model/type and string gauge) and tuning
3 - string from the tuners/nut and cut the excess at the bridge.
4 - consider each string change as a bonding moment with your guitar, a meditation instant for meeting your guitar needs and what your guitar can deliver.

Also, if you do change tuning regularly, you have plausible reason to buy more guitars.

The last 5 guitars that I bought (used) are all floating double locking trem equipped. 3 of them are near or over 20 years old now, one is about 15 and the fifth has about 8. Their trems are in perfect health and so will continue to be.

Floating trems aren't only dive bombs and squeals, trems are a pitch changing tool, not just an FX gadget. Used accordingly they can be very expressive and addictive. I have guitars with hardtail bridges, I love them, but every time I pick one up, there's something that feels missing, and I'm not a constant dive and squeals kind of player.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Yes. Good locking trems (floyds) are super fun, and I say that as someone who used to absolutely hate trems of any kind. String changes are mildly annoying but not that big a deal imo. I went from having no trem guitars to having 7 floyd loaded guitars lol

 

[TheBolivianSniper]

the first few string changes are gonna make you wanna kill yourself but once you've got your system it's super easy

they hold tune very well, feel great on the hand, and if you take the time to work with one you can get infinite mileage on one, I don't know what I'd do without mine

 

[AMOS]

One string at a time when changing them, then you don't have to block it.

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

I got my first Floyd last year. Try tackling string gauge/tuning changes, dissassembling the trem etc head-on straight away. Once it's demystified, it's easy enough to get to grips with. Worked for me. Both of my next incoming guitars have trems. The only persistent annoyance I have with mine is the lack of a string tree for the 2 bottom strings, which is fixed easily enough.

One string at a time when changing them, then you don't have to block it.

Can't clean the fretboard that way though

 

[xzacx]

Locking trems are the only trems worth having imo (unless you want something with a totally different feel like a Bigsby). They’re basically no harder to set up than a standard trem, with the benefit of staying in tune. Get tired of it? Block it and you’ve a more stable hard tail with addition of fine tuners.

 

[xzacx]

Can't clean the fretboard that way though

No, but you can pop the springs and clean the fretboard any time you want without even having to re-tune.

 

[jaxadam]

I can only play trem guitars.

 

[tedtan]

I love them.

Like others have said, changing strings isn’t an issue once you have your system down.

 

[neurosis]

I used to think that I liked TOM bridges but a low profile trem is just really comfortable on the edge of your picking hand and you can use it as an expressive device even if you don't use the bar.

You can get an EII 7 string with a Floyd and meet both of the goals you had in mind.

 

[Matt08642]

Love double locking systems in general, including hardtail FR style bridges (Ibanez FX-EDGE III). Most stable, most fun too.

 

[neurosis]

I used to think that I liked TOM bridges but a low profile trem is just really comfortable on the edge of your picking hand and you can use it as an expressive device even if you don't use the bar.

You can get an EII 7 string with a Floyd and meet both of the goals you had in mind.

by the way the nut on my horizon is loose and with the locking tuners this thing stays in tune without it just fine. I don't abuse the bar so maybe that has to do with it but yeah... that's my experience.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Either you can handle it or you can't, there's not much in the middle.

Setups, string changes, etc. aren't nearly as difficult as folks make it out to be, but it's still something that you're going to have to learn how to do, and you'll need to use basic hand tools sometimes.

It's only as difficult as you make it.

 

[Dayn]

I like fixed bridges for being simple and easy. I have one guitar with a floating bridge. Once you get used to it, it's fairly easy to maintain, but you just have to accept that being finely balanced comes with negatives with the positives.

But that one guitar is indispensable. The variety of expression you can get can't be achieved in any other way. You have almost total control over pitch in both directions.