Importance of the standard Fender tremolo regarding VH1 tone versus the Floyd Rose...............

[harddriver]

So I was playing my B/W Franky the other day that has a Callaham S/S vintage Fender bridge in it and I was noticing how much different it feels and sounds compared to my Floyd Rose vintage Kramer guitar even with the exact same 1/2 step tuning down and exact same strings both with the same amount of play in them.

The Fender bridge has that greasy feel, more stringiness to the d and g and the EAD had more give. Overall the Fender bridge has more of that spanky clank and chewiness that you hear on VH1. My vintage Kramer Floyd guitar the EAD was tighter overall feel and sound even when you dig in hard on the strings, overall it's just different sounding and playing experience is totally different......

I would be curious if I had another Northern Ash Franky with a Floyd to directly compare if the differences would still be so obvious????

I remember reading articles saying Ed would always reinstall the Fender bridge for recording in the studio, I'm surprised I never really noticed this stark difference much in the past.............................

Have you guys noticed the same thing? I would imagine there are some old thread on the topic?

 

[Ben Waylin]

Never tried the Callaham, but it's night-and-day tone wise between a standard Strat tremolo system and a Floyd.

 

[braintheory]

Even though I was never really interested in EVH’s tone, I seemed to like a lot of the same things he did like also JBL’s mixed with 20w GB’s. I’ve also always found bridges like the fender that allow the strings to go through the body sound better vs a Floyd or Kahler bridge. Callaham also makes good stuff IME

 

[Mr.Fun]

Never tried the Callaham, but it's night-and-day tone wise between a standard Strat tremolo system and a Floyd.

It’s said that when Evh switched to the Floyd he was shocked at how much it changed the tone.

 

[SpiderWars]

TBH, I’ve all but given up on Floyds for tone. I love the feel of a Floyd for doing trem-stuff and it’s not like I hate the tone but I can’t play my other guitars first and then switch to the Floyd guitars. The drop in tone quality is a buzzkill. But if I start off with a Floyd I’ll think it sounds pretty good…until I switch to a non-Floyd guitar.

 

[PDC]

I use the Wudtone trem on my guitars now and much prefer it to my Floyd equipped guitars. The Wudtone is a traditional 6-screw bridge, but it has recessed bevels ground into the bridge plate under the screw heads and behind the screws on the underside of the bridge plate so the whole thing 'pivots' like a Floyd as opposed to the bridge plate sliding up and down the screws like a traditional Fender unit. Not sure if the Callaham pivots on the screws fulcrum style like the Wudtone or follows the traditional Fender method of sliding up and down the screws(?)
Anyways, the Wudtone just sounds so much bigger and more 'solid' than my Floyd equipped guitars do. And with staggered Hipshot Locking Tuners, it stays in tune surprisingly well.

 

[Fiesta Red]

I have three northern ash bodies. Two have Floyds and one has a vintage trem. There is some difference there, although the ones with Floyds have PAF type pickups and the other has a SD type. The bottom end is a bit fatter with the vintage bridge, but that may have something to do with the pickup type.

 

[harddriver]

The amount of give when you dig in with the Fender bridge is kind like a variaced amp PT sagging versus the same amp running at full wall voltage.

The Fender bridge makes me play different as well.

There just isn't the same kind of give on the EAD with the Floyd, it's just more immediate and tighter is my best descriptive explanation, more mechanical and less mojo for lack of a better description.

My B?W Franky has a SD 78 model PAF, and the Vintage Kramer has the Mighty Mite 1400 (9K) so the pickup does add some tightness but I can tell it's in the way the guitar strings vibrate and ocsillate. The Floyd just overall is more taut/tight as I do feel resonation in less in the Kramer poplar body with the Floyd.

I think I remember in the same Ed article he felt the Floyd was thinner sounding which was fine for playing live, but he preferred the Fender bridge in the studio............who knows when he quit swapping bridges out. Probably when the 6 holes egged out or threads were no longer tight to hold the bridge in place tight.

 

[Ben Waylin]

That's why you gotta put the big brass sustain block in there with a Floyd - to get back some of the tone.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

I love both. They each bring something great to the table. If I could get the sound of a 6 screw bridge with the stability and range of a Floyd that would heaven. Scott Henderson swears by the 6 screw bridge and that man knows tone. Not a fan of 2 point bridges like the Fender American Standard.

 

[Speeddemon]

That's why you gotta put the big brass sustain block in there with a Floyd - to get back some of the tone.

Done this on 2 of my guitars that could use some heft in the tone. For the Charvel So-Cal it balances things pretty much out.
For the Kramer SM-1, going with a 34mm big brass block, the tone might even venturing on 'too huge'...It's not often that I have to turn DOWN the bass knob on my Engl Savage 60 (an amp already on the leaner side to begin with).
But the Kramer now with the big bass block (Duncan JB in the bridge FWIW) is sounding massive... Like...it makes an Engl sound Soldano-ish...that thick.

 

[thegame]

Done this on 2 of my guitars that could use some heft in the tone. For the Charvel So-Cal it balances things pretty much out.
For the Kramer SM-1, going with a 34mm big brass block, the tone might even venturing on 'too huge'...It's not often that I have to turn DOWN the bass knob on my Engl Savage 60 (an amp already on the leaner side to begin with).
But the Kramer now with the big bass block (Duncan JB in the bridge FWIW) is sounding massive... Like...it makes an Engl sound Soldano-ish...that thick.

Did the big brass block add more mids too?

 

[Speeddemon]

Did the big brass block add more mids too?

Yep. I contemplated modding the JB to an Alt8, but after this 34mm big brass block, I definitely don't feel it's necessary.
The downside of it all, is that the guitar lost some sparkle...some 'zing'.... which I can still add with EQ on the amp in a way that's less forced than trying *create* juicy, thunderous low-end....

 

[JackBootedThug]

So I was playing my B/W Franky the other day that has a Callaham S/S vintage Fender bridge in it and I was noticing how much different it feels and sounds compared to my Floyd Rose vintage Kramer guitar even with the exact same 1/2 step tuning down and exact same strings both with the same amount of play in them.

The Fender bridge has that greasy feel, more stringiness to the d and g and the EAD had more give. Overall the Fender bridge has more of that spanky clank and chewiness that you hear on VH1. My vintage Kramer Floyd guitar the EAD was tighter overall feel and sound even when you dig in hard on the strings, overall it's just different sounding and playing experience is totally different......

I would be curious if I had another Northern Ash Franky with a Floyd to directly compare if the differences would still be so obvious????

I remember reading articles saying Ed would always reinstall the Fender bridge for recording in the studio, I'm surprised I never really noticed this stark difference much in the past.............................

Have you guys noticed the same thing? I would imagine there are some old thread on the topic?

great post. I've always wondered about the fender bridge in the early days vs. the floyds...

 

[thegame]

Yep. I contemplated modding the JB to an Alt8, but after this 34mm big brass block, I definitely don't feel it's necessary.
The downside of it all, is that the guitar lost some sparkle...some 'zing'.... which I can still add with EQ on the amp in a way that's less forced than trying *create* juicy, thunderous low-end....

Try titanium saddle inserts (and possibly in a few more bridge/nut related areas) and you'll get the zing back while keeping the added lows and mids of the big block.