Fender style Vintage Tremolo screw spacings

If you own an Asian made Strat copy, Fender Squier or Mexican Fender Stratocaster, your guitar probably is equipped with a Tremolo like the one at the top left. The problem with these tremolo is that it comes with a very thin tremolo block, made of mystery pot metal.

That isn't such a bit deal as the Tremolo is easily replaceable. However, if you go to a Guitar Parts shop and buy the Fender Vintage tremolo or it's copy, you will soon realize that it doesn't fit in the existing screw holes. This is because, the Asian made Strat usually comes with a Tremolo with screw holes measuring 10.5mm wide. The US Tremolo spacing is however 11.3mm wide. Sure enough, you can always dowel the existing holes and re-drill the new holes. However there are some of us who doesn't really want more holes on the guitar body or isn't that DIY inclined. For such, my solution to the problem is this.

Guitar fetish has already done all the measuring work for you. Just pop it in and you are ready to go. With a major improvement to your tone. I have written a review on a similar product made by Dragonfire Guitar parts. However, this article seeks to inform my readers out there to take note that not all vintage tremolo fits into all kinds of strat. There are actually 2 different measures to take note of before heading down to the shop for a Tremolo upgrade.

No ball end cutting for Vibrato Tremolo (Flyod Rose) equipped guitars?

Today, I was restringing one of my guitars and I noticed that I enjoying restringing a Vibrato Tremolo (Flyod Rose) equipped guitars a certain way which most people do not. Not only do I not cut the ball end, I do not face the risk of hurting myself when I touch the headstock of my guitar. The only draw back is every time I restring, I have a hard removing the strings. However, I think that is a small price to play for safety.

Dragonfire Vintage Tremolo for MIC or MIM Strats

So, about a week ago, I wrote about my Dragonfire parts and if you still remember, there is a bridge with a solid steel block, custom made to fit Asian or Mexican Strat.

So I've finally gotten around in installing the bridge, setting up the intonation and action. First thing first, in terms of fitting, this thing fits like a glove. It is a direct drop into your Squiers, Fender Japan and Mexican made Strats. For DIY enthusiasts such as I am, you can fit these into your SX, Artisian, Smash, Timbre and etc Strat copies.

Full size solid Steel Block	Thin Mystery Pot Metal Block

Now if you will take sometime to examine the 2 types of block above, you can tell just by visual alone the big difference between both blocks. The Dragonfire one (The one on the left) features a thick solid steel block while the usual stock one features a Thin Mystery Pot Metal Block. One might argue that a bigger block means heavier weight on the guitar however we also know that the Tremolo Block of the guitar does contribute to the tone significantly. Especially on a Vintage Tremolo type where the string are being string through from the block.

How does this change the sound quality? Well, after changing the blocks, the immediate difference that I can pick up is that the tone is fuller compared to that Mystery Pot Metal Block. There is also an apparent increase in sustain while notes are more apparent in responses.

Let's take a look at the back cavity of my "Malmsteen". This is how it looks like after installation. We can tell from the picture that the Block sits in nicely giving enough space for a whammy down with no fear of the block hitting the cavity.

The only bad point I can think about this Tremolo is that for the first time when I screwed in the Tremolo arm and did a whammy down, to my horror, the Tremolo arm bent slightly at the base near the screw area. So I guess they didn't QC on the arm too well. My consolation is that my friend passed me another one of his extra made in China Tremolo arms and it fitted nicely into the Tremolo block. No bending after a whammy down. Phew!

This is a great upgrade for those who are looking in upgrading their Mexican, Asian Strats or Strat copy. For just 32.95 USD excluding shipping, you can get a great tonal upgrade to your beloved Strat. Say no to Mystery Pot Metal Blocks today!

Dragon Fire!

Yesterday, I received my weapons, forge from old steel, with DRAGONFIRES! Legend has it that these weapons are the only one, capable of slaying the others, that lives beyond the wall.

Actually, they are just Pickups and Tremolos. There are good reviews on the net regarding the Dragonfire screamers and so, i decided to get one and try. Check back later for more news.

On first glance, the tremolo looks like any ordinary tremolo out there. However, it isn't. This is specially produced by Dragonfire to sport a solid steel Tremolo block while the baseplate has the measurements of the Mexican/Asian Strat. This is going into "Malmsteen".

Replacement Floyd Rose Tremolo Vibrato Bridge

Often when we buy a low to mid-range licensed Floyd Rose equipped guitar, we might be in for tuning stability hell. More then often, after doing a full pull up, the bridge either doesn't return to true zero position or is just simply out of tune. We might accredit it to string being un-stretched most of the time, but what if the strings has already been stretched?

We can usually fault it on the inferior licensed Floyd Rose bridge that is being constructed with Pot mystery metal with weak knife edges that are prone to blunting. If you are one of those who are looking to replace your bridge with an Original Floyd Rose (OFR), look no further. I have something, in my opinion is superior even to the OFR. The Gotoh Licensed Floyd Rose Tremolo Bridge.

The Good news for this bridge is that it doesn't require a guitar that is pre-fitted with a Floyd Rose routed cavity with an existing Licensed Floyd Rose bridge extra routing. Namely, lower to mid range ESP and Ibanez. What this means is that as long as the user knows how to take out the bridge, it is not actually hard to replace it and is in fact just a matter of swapping the bridge.

The best part about the Gotoh Floyd Rose Bridge is that it comes with a set of lock studs. What this means is more tuning stability compared to even the OFR, which doesn't have the locking stud installed. This is however only for the adventurous who are willing to dabble into some DIY. All the user need to do is actually to pull out the existing bushings in the body of the guitar, re-drill (usually a bigger) hole and hammer in the new bushings.

The Gotoh Floyd Rose Bridge also comes with an existing Brass Block instead of Pot Mystery Metal that usually comes with the low end licensed bridge. This actually improves the tone of the instrument, give it a fuller yet richer sound.

In terms of usage, the Gotoh Floyd Rose Bridge functions smoothly both on pulling up and whamming down and usually return to near absolute Zero without much audible pitch difference. (No Floyd Rose designed Bridge goes back to absolute Zero).

The Arm of the Tremolo has a unique design in which it is internally threaded while there is a screw at the bottom of the tremolo arm holder. The user just needs to turn the tremolo arm in to keep it in the arm holder while there is a separate arm grub screw to adjust the looseness or tightness of the tremolo arm. This greatly allows flexibility on giving the player the option of how they want the Arm to hang in the arm holder.

All and all, the Gotoh Floyd Rose Tremolo Bridge is a huge upgrade from Pot Mystery Metal Licensed Floyd Rose Tremolo Bridge while being priced at almost less than an OFR. This doesn't only improves the guitar tone wise but also in terms of tuning stability, often making a guitar so much nicer to pick up that you probably wouldn't want to put it down.

Ibanez Edge

Often, when we walk into a store or surfing around the net, looking to buy an Ibanez Tremolo Vibrato (Floyd Rose) equipped electric guitar, we might usually be asking ourselves if this guitar comes with a decent bridge. Ibanez being a company with over 20 years of producing Tremolo Vibrato equipped bridges, there is no wonder that there are so many of them that leaves the potential buyer lost. Fear not, in this article, I shall introduce to my readers the common, popular different Tremolo Vibrato bridges that Ibanez has every produced.

Ibanez Original Edge



Ibanez take on the Tremolo Vibrato Bridge. To many, this has been an all time favorite and is known for it's Tuning stability. The bridge has a spring lock bar and push in arm. Comes with Locking Studs.

Lo-Pro Ibanez Edge (Low Profile)



Design is pretty similar to the Original Edge with a few exceptional differences. It has fine tuners moved to the back while it is heavier compared to the Original Edge. String lock screw is located at the saddle. Has the same tuning stability as Original Edge. Comes with Locking Studs.

Edge Pro



The Edge Pro is the further modification of the Lo-Pro design. It features sound metal chips at the saddles that improves overall tone and can accept ball ends. It is the lowest profile Tremolo Vibrato Bridge. Tuning stability has been reduced because the locking studs which was included with the previous Edge incarnations were being excluded. However, Rich Harris from Ibanezrules came up with a Locking Stud mod and with them installed the tuning stability is on par with Edge/Lo Pro. 2003

Edge Zero



Ibanez created an all new tremolo system which supposedly has the ability to counter the flaw of every Tremolo Vibrato Bridge. That is the whole guitar going out of tune with the breakage of one string. This is known as the ZPS system. What this doe is, it is a giant spring that is placed at the tremolo cavity, acting as a counter force pushing the tremolo to a "Zero" position. It is of course switchable to a floating position by removing the ZPS system. The profile is slightly higher compared to Edge Pro. Features built-in intonation tool. Pre 2011, these come without the locking studs but from 2010 onwards, all of them are pre equipped with a pair of locking studs which therefore, increase stability.

Edge pro 2



This is the cheaper version of the Edge Pro. The visual difference are the excluding of sound metal chips. It has poor tuning stability with it's weak knife edges. However, the routing is able to accommodate Original Floyd Rose without the need of further routing should the player desire to switch to a bridge with better tuning stability.

Edge III



This was the bridge designed to replaced the Edge Pro 2 due to the conflict of patent rights with Floyd Rose. It features the same arm as the EP2.
Tuning stability is about the same compared to the Edge Pro 2. The routing is able to accommodate Original Floyd Rose without the need of further routing should the player desire to switch to a bridge with better tuning stability.


Edge Zero II



The Edge Zero II was introduced in 2011 to replace the Edge III as it's mid range Ibanez Trem. This is so far the best midrange system ever made by Ibanez. It features the zero point system with all the functions of the Edge Zero with the exception of the intonation tool. It has way better Tuning stability compared to Edge III and features locking studs for better stability performance.

ZR



The ZR is a Ibanez design Tremolo which functions close to a Khaler system. Instead of having Knife edges like the traditional Floyd Rose designed Tremolos, it uses a ball bearing-based pivot point instead. It has a different feeling compared to Knife Edge Tremolos but has great tuning stability none the less. This bridge also features a Zero point system which are existent in Ibanez Edge Zero series.


ZR II



ZR II is the successor to the ZR tremolo. the main Tremolo system is the same as the original ZR tremolo with the exception being the use of a different alloy in the spring assembly and a new design of arm holder. The Original ZR system had a flaw where too much wood had to be removed for it's cavity and the arm holders breaks easily. This bridge has great tuning stability and features the Zero point system which are existent in Ibanez Edge Zero series.