carfish7 Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 In the past several years, a number of REALLY nice Hamers have passed through my mitts, usually to find new homes in short order. I know that in many cases it was a matter of simply having too much and favoring a few specific pieces (Daytona, Schecter PT, Vinatge S) and feeling stupid owning stuff that never got used. Many others have left due to the fact they had a Floyd Rose attached. I REALLY want to have a guitar that will indulge my desire to do a "shred" thing with hot pickups and a locking trem, but I just can't love the Floyd, and the Kahler even slightly less so.I have been able to have fantastic tuning stability with my Daytona, and even my Strat with a proper setup, so maybe locking isn't TOTALLY needed, but I once again find myself anticipating the arrival of yet another Floyd-equipped axe that could, possibly, solve 2 desires in 1 with the advice of the HFC.My main complaint with the Floyd is all involving the note attack. It just seems to that a lot of the initial energy is lost, and they always sound and feel "plinky" to me - like all the energy gets robbed somewhere along the way. The worst offender was a SSII with a JB in the bridge. As my soon to arrive Hamer is of similar construction (mahogany with a maple neck and Floyd) I don't expect it will be much different, but maybe I'll get lucky?Are there any ways to mitigate the "issue" I just described? Is that what all the changing of the string blocks is about? Has anyone else noticed this or am I just not getting the right combinations to fully appreciate the beauty of all things Floyd? Are they, dare I say, "tone-killers"? So much rocking music has been made with this device included that I have to believe I'm just not getting some part of the equation right. Help me get a fat, sustaining tone with a Floyd Rose equipped Hamer, please.
murkat Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 sum of all parts. Different floyds, different tones (good and bad). Gotoh,OFR, (new)Ping, made trems, in that order, top shelf. adding a big block, depends on woods, etc. other lil bits of parts, up to you if you feel inadaquet issues at hand. I have done big blocks on OFR and schaller types, good results. Have not done to Gotoh, sounds great stock in the guitar it resides. Pickups and floyds.... well, you know my take on that... Got to find that sweet spot pulling up and pushing down. ( I like to pull up). Come on down Z, I'll go thru it with ya J
MCChris Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 Get thee here and poke around a bit:http://www.fu-tone.com/catalog/Some of those replacement blocks are pricey. I'd start with the cheaper upgrades like springs and/or saddles and go from there.
Jeff R Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 My personal opinion - I think the losing tone stuff about a Floyd is a complete load of crap.
Brooks Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 they do sound different. like jay said, it a combo of many things to get them to sound right.a high gain amp and the right pickups help. but i'm playing my shredder then switch to my duotone,i'm surprised how much fuller the DT sounds (which is due to everything -scale length/setneck/woods/bridge- being different).
Bennyboy-UK Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 My personal opinion - I think the losing tone stuff about a Floyd is a complete load of crap.This is my feeling as well.
Mitch Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 If you're willing to go dive-only, my experience has been that blocking the Floyd with a piece of wood makes the guitar acoustically louder and less ping-y with better sustain and a 28% increase in mojo.In all seriousness, I could hear the difference immediately, before I even plugged in.
Brooks Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 My personal opinion - I think the losing tone stuff about a Floyd is a complete load of crap.jeffro, play your G&L clean, then play a floyded guitar, you can hear the pingy tone on a floyd thru a clean amp.
Brooks Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 If you're willing to go dive-only, my experience has been that blocking the Floyd with a piece of wood makes the guitar acoustically louder and less ping-y with better sustain and a 28% increase in mojo.yeah but having a floyd and NOT being able to use it fully is like having a smoking hot girlfriend who will only give you handjobs.
shredmeister Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 My personal opinion - I think the losing tone stuff about a Floyd is a complete load of crap.Yep me three. All of my electric guitars have floyds. All of them. I strech the shit out of strings sometimes going up a whole 4th and if I do that with a stop tail it will not stay in tune. Or the string will break. I have to have a floyd for tuning stability. If you get a cheap guitar with cheap wood and a Floyd "licensed" tremelo then yes many are shitty like the Ibanez Jem I had.Like Murkat says it is all in the sum of the parts.
MCChris Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 I will say that a lot of the pingyness in the Chap Custom went away when I installed a quintet of these.
anotherfreak Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 :wub: yeah but having a floyd and NOT being able to use it fully is like having a smoking hot girlfriend who will only give you handjobs :wub: that being said, I usually block my floyds for "dive" only
Bennyboy-UK Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 Tonal perfection as far as 98% of the punters in the world is a 5 degree turn of a EQ knob away...
carfish7 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Posted October 25, 2012 I like to pull up too.......Sounds like there are ways to mitigate. I'll just have to see what arrives in the mail here in a day or 2, then see where I'm at.I'll also add that I have had a great experience with a "Floyd"ed axe before - in the form of an Ibanez JS1000 Joe Satriani model. That thing really had it going on. Basswood bolt-on with maple/rosewood neck and Fred and PAF pro. Lots of warmth and sustain there. I hope to get there again!
carfish7 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Posted October 25, 2012 Tonal perfection as far as 98% of the punters in the world is a 5 degree turn of a EQ knob away...More about the note attack and sustain than the tone really - that is where the Floyd seems to be a compromise.
Bennyboy-UK Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 I've not really noticed anything on those fronts from a practical perspective that bothered me enough to think that I was missing out using floydy guitars.P'raps I'm insensitive, but when I first got my red Cali elite, and stuck a pickup in the bridge, the eye opener in how great it sounded versus a very good 1990ish LP std, and a Gordon Smith GS1' was so marked that I sold the LP.I'm a hoarder and for me to shift that guitar was not something I would do on a whim. I'd had it for bout 8 years and played it almost every day. I'm going to have to do some kind of experiment I think!
diablo175 Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 More about the note attack and sustain than the tone really - that is where the Floyd seems to be a compromise.Jay said it, others backed it and I'll add to it- big block. I've played Floyded axes for the better part of 24 years (DON'T do the math) and I never bought into the hype around the big blocks until recently. I put one on my Cali LE and WOW! I could really hear and feel the difference. I'm not gonna say the Big Block is the only thing that impacts the sustain and feel but in the case of that Cali, it was.Brooks, you da man! Love your style. Folks that can't/won't pull up on a Floyd are just not getting the whole benefit. Period.
hikarateboy Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 This is probably no surprise to Z as I have played with him for what 4 going on 5 years now but my personal fav trem by miles is the steinberger S Trem. up down no problem. Its a bit more smooth and Kahler-esqe but up down no problem plus you dont have to worry about palm muting pushing notes sharp. that said I'm not a huge trem guy but the ones on my Musicman lukes when set up right are great and stay in tune with no trouble. Something to be said about a good trem with locking tuners.
Mitch Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 yeah but having a floyd and NOT being able to use it fully is like having a smoking hot girlfriend who will only give you handjobs. Tell it to Satchel.
diablo175 Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 yeah but having a floyd and NOT being able to use it fully is like having a smoking hot girlfriend who will only give you handjobs. Tell it to Satchel. Satch uses a fairly strict EVH style approach to his whammying. I love Satch's playing but I saw him in concert and he doesn't use the bar nearly as much as one might imagine. Lots of hand vibrato and the occasional wide vibrato w/ the Floyd & dive bomb. I was disappointed that there wasn't more inventive or adventurous use. Satch gets more tail because Satch can still get away with wearing spandex and and ripped fishnet shirts. I've heard the comments of the chicks in the audience- they could care less about the music- they're there 1st and foremost for Satch's eye candy.
carfish7 Posted October 26, 2012 Author Posted October 26, 2012 This is probably no surprise to Z as I have played with him for what 4 going on 5 years now but my personal fav trem by miles is the steinberger S Trem. up down no problem. Its a bit more smooth and Kahler-esqe but up down no problem plus you dont have to worry about palm muting pushing notes sharp. that said I'm not a huge trem guy but the ones on my Musicman lukes when set up right are great and stay in tune with no trouble. Something to be said about a good trem with locking tuners. Too bad it is attached to that Steinberger.........
diablo175 Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 This is probably no surprise to Z as I have played with him for what 4 going on 5 years now but my personal fav trem by miles is the steinberger S Trem. up down no problem. Its a bit more smooth and Kahler-esqe but up down no problem plus you dont have to worry about palm muting pushing notes sharp. that said I'm not a huge trem guy but the ones on my Musicman lukes when set up right are great and stay in tune with no trouble. Something to be said about a good trem with locking tuners. Too bad it is attached to that Steinberger......... :lol:
Victor (Fret Friend) Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 Never had a prob with tone but then again, I've only ever really played Floyded guitars. Of course, I use distortion FX boxes so mebbe dunno what I'm missing...
sledhead44 Posted October 27, 2012 Posted October 27, 2012 I thought the whole "big block" idea was just a bunch of snake oil, but I put a titanium big block in my Jackson SH-2 and I feel that it made a difference. I am just a bedroom player, so I'm not sure if I'm using the right description for you giggers, but I feel it gave me more bottom end "boom" and more sustain, YMMV.
diablo175 Posted October 27, 2012 Posted October 27, 2012 I thought the whole "big block" idea was just a bunch of snake oil, but I put a titanium big block in my Jackson SH-2 and I feel that it made a difference. I am just a bedroom player, so I'm not sure if I'm using the right description for you giggers, but I feel it gave me more bottom end "boom" and more sustain, YMMV. +1 I started reading about all the hot shot ax-slingers who were using the big blocks along with numerous testimonies of us regular joes and decided it was worth the 35 bucks to see if it was hogwash or real deal. $35.00 to bump up the low end and sustain? Better than adding another pedal into the signal chain... Titanium is NOT as affordable!
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