tremol-no

Funky Phil

Senior Member
Messages
324
Anybody tried one of these http://www.tremol-no.com/ ?

I was thinking of one for my latest Warmoth  :headbang1:
 
Yup. It's not perfect but definitely gets the job done; I'm still using it. Makes string changing much easier for sure. When you lock it down entirely, you CAN still work the trem if you have the arm in and really yank on it--- Like if you forget that you locked it, and try to divebomb.....

Then you feel this awful grating metal feeling, and it divebombs and returns maybe halfway to pitch, cause now it's locked at that divebombed position. Easy fix here is, don't do that.
 
I have it, and it works the way it should work. I coupled it with a rockinger blackbox, to have even more 'security'. setting it up can sometimes be a pain in the arse, and if you change the action you have to fiddle again with the setup of the tremelno, but it works. one thing: the thumbscrews are loose, so if you turn it too much, you can LOOSE them :p so you just have to remember in what position you fixed the device. I prefer a unit that can be setup on the top of the guitar, but thats not there yet, as far as I know. too bad, but this will do.
 
I've had mine for about 2 weeks now, really liking it.  Waaaaaayy better than the tremsetter.

Funny, I was just talking on the phone with Kevan yesterday & he was commenting that of the players that don't like it, he's found that it has been improperly installed or not well aligned resulting in operator error.

Go to his sight, check out the install video, it will help you understand how it works, and prep you for your own install.

I didn't even take the strings off of my guitar, and I had it installed & fine tuned in about 10 minutes.  All I did was remove the springs and place a block behind the sustain block, then install it & fine tune the setup, & that was it.

If properly implemented, you should only know it's even there when it is engaged.  When not engaged, you'll not even know that it exists, it feels natural & the benefits of having one far outweigh the reasons to not have one.

The other thing about it is, it is not destructive to install.  If you decide to keep it when you sell a guitar, you can remove it to install into another guitar.
 
You know, I'm debating whether to get a trem on my next guitar, I've only had bad experiences with them and swore off them, but it does give you that added dimension. So, trem experts: if you just setup the tremolo so the bridge base is flush against the top of the body, and dial in plenty of spring tension, doesn't that remove the main tuning issues right there? Once I get this project guitar (Fender am. std.) back together I'm going to do some experimenting on this, but it all sounds like a pain.

By setting this thing that you're all talking about, you lose the benefit of the trem. So how does that work - you have a tremolo when you're in standard tuning, but then you 'turn it off' when you go to DADGAD? It all sounds way too complicated for me.
 
Well, personally, I wouldn't bother with one on a standard trem guitar. I have no need for one on my Strat, the fender trem doesn't go psycho like a double locking floyd or something. I do have one floyd rose guitar, and use the tremol-no on that one. Then, it's a matter of decision--

Do I feel like having a crazy sensitive finnicky trem right now? Sometimes yes, often no (I just like that fine tuning stability). Setting the thing and unsetting it so you can use the trem again is easy, just twisting a knob. Not much hassle at all.
 
To get a non-locking trem to stay in tune;

Fit locking tuners -  staggered height ones eliminate the need for string trees too.
Fit low friction nut (with very carefully cut slots).
Fit Graphtech saddles.
Make sure to lube the knife edges on two pivot types, and check they are in good shape too.
For 6 hole types, you have to make absolutely sure that the holes and screws line up.
If they don't, the set the trem flat against the body - i.e. not floating.
Also , for 6 hole types, set the all the screws just about flush with the top of the base, when the trem is flat against the body.
Then unscrew the middle 4 about 1/4 of a turn.
If you set the trem floating slightly and get good return to pitch when depressing and raising the arm, then the screws and holes are well aligned.

One way to solve a screw and hole alignment problem is to fit a Wilkinson "5+1" trem.

Also, go for 10's strings - 9's don't work so well. You could use heavier strings of course.

If you do all this, then most players would be happy with the stability....or you could go for a Floyd  :headbang1:
 
Thanks, Funky. Informative and simple. I've got the neck on the way, it's an angled head strat neck with graphite nut, so that's good, right? Tuners are the sg38s, I like the look, lower weight and simplicity (and lower cost). I use at least 10s and am maybe moving more into 11s (10.5?). I'm thinking Wilkinson trem, the one W sells. So given all that, if I set that up non-floating, with plenty of spring tension, the thing should be about as tune-stable (new word!) as a tele, with decent sustain? And I wouldn't need thumbscrews to F with in the back?
 
Sounds good - apart from the non- locking tuners.
The reason that locking tuners are a good idea is the lack of wrap around the post.
When you bend a string on a tuner with, say, about 4 wraps around the post, the wrap gets tighter, and the string goes flat.
When you depress the trem, the wrap loosens, and the string goes sharp.

If you use locking tuners, there is no wrap to cause this problem.

If you want to go with non-locking tuners, use as litttle wrap as you can.
Of course, if you don't have enough wrap, the string will slip on the post  :doh:
 
I've been fortunate over the years to not encounter the common headache that many complain about with trems.

Mine is setup well, and with the T-no, if I want to go to Drop-D, I just lock the Dive Only clamp & I can use it just like a D-Tuna, with the trem funcional in Dive Only mode, or I can lock it to Hardtail Mode & do the same. 

Also possible in either Dive Only or Hard Tail mode is the ability to alter the tuning of several strings simply by detuning the Floyd fine tuners.

The only exception is that if you want the trem to be fully floating, you'll want to do so without the T-no engaged, and use it with the majority tuning, meaning the tuning that you primarily use, such as standard A440.  When the T-No is not engaged, you absolutely do not even know that it is there.  The feel is natural, no noise, etc.
 
Funky Phil said:
To get a non-locking trem to stay in tune;

Fit locking tuners -  staggered height ones eliminate the need for string trees too.
Fit low friction nut (with very carefully cut slots).
Fit Graphtech saddles.
Make sure to lube the knife edges on two pivot types, and check they are in good shape too.
For 6 hole types, you have to make absolutely sure that the holes and screws line up.
If they don't, the set the trem flat against the body - i.e. not floating.
Also , for 6 hole types, set the all the screws just about flush with the top of the base, when the trem is flat against the body.
Then unscrew the middle 4 about 1/4 of a turn.
If you set the trem floating slightly and get good return to pitch when depressing and raising the arm, then the screws and holes are well aligned.

One way to solve a screw and hole alignment problem is to fit a Wilkinson "5+1" trem.

Also, go for 10's strings - 9's don't work so well. You could use heavier strings of course.

If you do all this, then most players would be happy with the stability....or you could go for a Floyd  :headbang1:

I absolutely agree with 'get a floyd'. the ONLY downside of a floyd is that there is no piezo/midi available yet, but thats, I hope, just a matter of time. floyds are extremely stable, they do NOT 'suck' tone, and in combination with locking tuners, changing strings is a breez. I like to have the tremelno on my floyd-guitar too. Just lock it in fixed position. change the strings, tune, make it dive only mode, tune, lock the toplock, make it full floating, and tune with the finetuners. OH, and stretch the strings when the t-no is in its fixed position.
 
I'm not a floyd guy. Looks like something from the death star, and none of the musicians that I really follow / whose songs I learn use them. If anything I'd be inclined to get a bigsby as an alternative to some strat-style.
 
looks like there are two kinds one with a pin and one with a clamp.....which kind would you use on what type of guitar? I read through the faq and it was still unclear.

Brian
 
bpmorton777 said:
looks like there are two kinds one with a pin and one with a clamp.....which kind would you use on what type of guitar? I read through the faq and it was still unclear.

Brian

I emailed them, and they said that there was no difference in usage, only in how to mount it, and even that is almost the same.
 
They're a breeze to install, and transparent when not in use.

I've had the tremsetter, & will use this for now on.

This is the best product of its class, and is a good value for the $$.
 
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