Holy crap! You gotta remove the trem cover,
too? So, now you've got to carry a set of metric allen wrenches
and screwdrivers? At what point would you say this thing becomes a problem child? Does it have to have abrasive parts that chew the skin off your palm heel? Does it need to pinch you every 3rd note? What if it was tied to the house mains and shocked the snot out of you every time you touched it? How much abuse do you need to tolerate before you start to wonder if it's all worth it? It's a bloody
bridge, fer crissakes!
When you're up on stage in front of X number of people and a string breaks, you can't tell them you'll be back in a week or two with a new string. You've got to change it RFN. No fiddle-faddle, just do it, and I mean immediately. Otherwise, you're done. It's the only thing anybody will remember, and few things are as damaging to your career or reputation as needing to show off when you've got nothing. May as well be standing there naked with a drippy 2" peter <grin>
Thankfully, on the the other hand, I'm not the first one who's considered this. Mr. Wilkinson managed to achieve the goal of a simple vibrato bridge that uses less than a thousand parts, maintains its form, is repeatable, and doesn't require a degree in mechanical engineering to change strings. Schaller has some nice designs, too, but they're difficult to get in the US. See this part...
Super-flat, roller saddles to reduce string abrasion, adjustable in two dimensions, intonation locks, and nothing to it. What could possibly be wrong with that? Want more range, like a Floyd has? Route the body more to clear the sustain block. That's all the Floyd requires. It's a no-brainer.
Incidentally, I
have owned or worked with Floyds and similar; I'm not talking out of my ass. I've been playing with this stuff for almost 3 times as long as you've been alive.
active pups and I generally disagree so i will leave it at that.
