I'd really like to know what the advantages are of the 6-hole trems. I understand the reasons people buy Floyds--tuning stability for radical use due to the locks at both ends of the string. I understand the application of the the Wilky/Fender 2-point trems--better tuning stability for light use due to low friction at two knife-edge contacts. I understand fixed bridges offer a rigid connection to the body allowing for good transfer of vibration and improved sustain.
I don't understand the benefits of the 6-hole trem. I have read that the six contact points, where two flat surfaces are interfacing, cause friction that CAN make the trem stick slightly off pitch. My understanding was that this was the reason Fender started using the 2-point trems. Isn't even the mere potential that you could have tuning issues reason enough to go with a 2-point system?
Yet these trems are still actively used in new guitars. Callaham is even making a pretty penny selling some nice ones. Is it just the "mojo" factor--the retro coolness of it? I am sure that many users will say the tone of them is better because there is better vibration transfer through the six contacts. Does that really offset the potential for tunining issues? Is it just that they don't use the trem so they never run into tuning issues? If this is the case, why not just go to a fixed bridge?
I have been a Floyd guy for years. The first guitar I had--a Heritage from Sears--had a 6-hole trem. When I won a Japanese Fender Strat in high school that had a 2-point trem, it seemed like a great upgrade to me and I never went back. I started using Floyds in college and for the music I was playing at the time they seemed to be a necessary and useful addition. Now that I am older, I find myself more into country and (what some might call) oldies and a more classic bridge would be plenty for me.
Should I just stick with the Wilky or Fender 2-point trem or is the 6-hole really a better alternative? Do most users set them up to float or are the tight down to the body? I find that if I want to add subtle vibrato or something with the trem, having it screwed down makes it more difficult to grab the bar and give it a wiggle. I don't think that I am ready to go fixed bridge yet, so I need to figure out which trem would make the most sense. I'd like to order a body sometime soon. I have a pickguard filled with Fralin Blues Specials just sitting in a box and I can't wait to try them.
Thanks for any guidance you can provide.
I don't understand the benefits of the 6-hole trem. I have read that the six contact points, where two flat surfaces are interfacing, cause friction that CAN make the trem stick slightly off pitch. My understanding was that this was the reason Fender started using the 2-point trems. Isn't even the mere potential that you could have tuning issues reason enough to go with a 2-point system?
Yet these trems are still actively used in new guitars. Callaham is even making a pretty penny selling some nice ones. Is it just the "mojo" factor--the retro coolness of it? I am sure that many users will say the tone of them is better because there is better vibration transfer through the six contacts. Does that really offset the potential for tunining issues? Is it just that they don't use the trem so they never run into tuning issues? If this is the case, why not just go to a fixed bridge?
I have been a Floyd guy for years. The first guitar I had--a Heritage from Sears--had a 6-hole trem. When I won a Japanese Fender Strat in high school that had a 2-point trem, it seemed like a great upgrade to me and I never went back. I started using Floyds in college and for the music I was playing at the time they seemed to be a necessary and useful addition. Now that I am older, I find myself more into country and (what some might call) oldies and a more classic bridge would be plenty for me.
Should I just stick with the Wilky or Fender 2-point trem or is the 6-hole really a better alternative? Do most users set them up to float or are the tight down to the body? I find that if I want to add subtle vibrato or something with the trem, having it screwed down makes it more difficult to grab the bar and give it a wiggle. I don't think that I am ready to go fixed bridge yet, so I need to figure out which trem would make the most sense. I'd like to order a body sometime soon. I have a pickguard filled with Fralin Blues Specials just sitting in a box and I can't wait to try them.
Thanks for any guidance you can provide.