Vintage Trem Question

[gibson5413]

Hi everyone! I have a Classic on order to be delivered to my dealer in September. I am going with a vintage trem and recently made the decision to have it setup with the ability to float. I like to be able to pull up slightly to give a more balanced vibrato effect.

Does anyone have a floating vintage trem and does the guitar stay in tune well? I don't want to sacrifice tuning stability but want the ability to push/pull. Is this just a case of wanting my cake and eating it too?;)

Thanks in advance!

[pdicristina]

My Drop Top and Cobra S are both set up to float. No problems but I don't get too extreme with the bar.

[gibson5413]

My Drop Top and Cobra S are both set up to float. No problems but I don't get too extreme with the bar.


Thanks! There won't be any extreme dives with this guitar. I just want the ability to move up and down slightly.

Any other real world examples?

[Pietro]

I don't have long-term experience with Andersons (although I know they stay in tune great when you float the trem), but I have two guitars with trems, a US Masters with a Wilkinson and a PRS with my favorite trem in the world, and both stay in tune nearly as well or as well as my stop-tail instruments.

[tom]

floating stays in tune as well as not. the down side to floating is that you have to be reasonably careful about resting your palm on the bridge, no drop d tuning, and if a string breaks you're done.

[gibson5413]

Thanks Pietro!


floating stays in tune as well as not. the down side to floating is that you have to be reasonably careful about resting your palm on the bridge, no drop d tuning, and if a string breaks you're done.

Thanks Tom! I do want to be able to Drop D from time to time without having to reset the guitar. Is it too late to change my order to have it setup as a hard tail vintage trem for September delivery?

[tom]

no we can do that, but please send an email early next week when i'm back at the shop so i can enter it into the database. i have been enjoying setting my trem with just enough spring pressure to keep it on the body but still have a soft arm feel.

[gibson5413]

no we can do that, but please send an email early next week when i'm back at the shop so i can enter it into the database. i have been enjoying setting my trem with just enough spring pressure to keep it on the body but still have a soft arm feel.


Thanks for the response! I will send an e-mail early next week to both you and Roy for the change. I know you probably don't hear this near enough but thank you for your service. I am blown away with the way that you support your product in general (and on this board). Even during your time off you are here assisting us. No humor intended, it is a joy spending my hard earned money on a guitar that so much effort goes in to.

[Ray K.]

I may be a little too late to this party, but...

As another option, you could still order the trem and have Tom and crew set it up decked (non floating). If you decide later that you want/need to use the trem later, it's a matter of a simple setup.

Btw, in answer to your original question, I currently have a Hollow Drop Top with the vintage trem. It is my #1 guitar for live use and it stays in tune very well with moderate trem use! I've owned other TAG's with the vintage trem that did equally as well.

Ray K.