# The bad things about the tremol-no



## Max Dread (Dec 12, 2012)

Hi all

I'm glad that I remembered that tremol-nos exist!!! I've never used one and I forgot all about them to the point where I was thinking of buying another guitar so that I could have a fixed bridge in the arsenal for down tuning. 

Haven't got the space or £££ for another guitar, so I was reluctant...

And then I remembered the tremol-no....

So, before I go ahead and invest in one I wondered if anyone could tell me about any of the downsides and negatives of having one installed?

I plan to install on an original RG550 to begin with. Perhaps further down the line I'll look to install on my 7's too (RG1077/RG2027) if all is going well with them. 

Cheers

Max 

PS - do you have to solder the ground wire onto the tremol-no or is there a screw for solderless attachment?


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime (Dec 12, 2012)

There's a screw for solderless attachment, or you could always just solder the wire right to the tremol-no. 
As far as negatives go about it, I can think of literally none, so as long as it is installed correctly everything should work exactly as it says. Also, make sure you get the right type for your bridge (pin-type, large, or small clamp) 
Bottom line: as long as the right type of tremol-no is well-installed with no grounding issues, you won't see any negative side effects from using it. Hope this helps!


----------



## JoeChugs (Dec 12, 2012)

The little black screws didn't exactly work as they should have for me. When hand screwing them they were loose enough for the tuning to go out. I got around this by turning the, for pliers, essentially making it fixed only, since I can't loosen them by hand. Also had trouble using dive only function, not too sure why aside from the screws just not being tight enough


----------



## zilla (Dec 12, 2012)

I have one in one of my Floyd equipped guitars and it is rock solid.

My only complaint is that when i adjust it to get the same string tension as I had before, the spring claw sits a bit high and I can't put the rear cover plate on. 

I used to have 11's on it tuned anywhere between C standard and drop Db and it was fine. Just recently switched to 10's in drop Db and it's still in tune.


----------



## Max Dread (Dec 13, 2012)

Thanks for the replies guys.

I did wonder about whether it protrude from the cavity. I never really bother keeping the back plates on my guitars. But with that point in mind:

- Does it protrude far enough out to cause a problem? Is it resting against your tummy or anything like that? Would be pretty daft if it's hitting my gut and that's causing pitch change!

- Would I be able to get the backplates on if I decide to in future? Can anyone with the same or similar guitar who has a tremol-no installed let me know if possible. Guitars = Ibanez RG550, RG1077, RG2027. 

Many thanks

Max


----------



## Malkav (Dec 13, 2012)

I have it on an RG1527 and there's no issue with the back plate.

The only issues I've run into are that the little black screws on the claw to lock it to the adjustment screws once tightened actually cause the claw to lift slightly which makes it difficult to get it to balance properly cause I've needed to accomodate for that, and if you don't get it to balance correctly it does a great job of throwing out your tuning like a motherfucker, though it's amazing and perfect once it is installed and working correctly...


----------



## Max Dread (Dec 13, 2012)

Malkav said:


> I have it on an RG1527 and there's no issue with the back plate.
> 
> The only issues I've run into are that the little black screws on the claw to lock it to the adjustment screws once tightened actually cause the claw to lift slightly which makes it difficult to get it to balance properly cause I've needed to accomodate for that, and if you don't get it to balance correctly it does a great job of throwing out your tuning like a motherfucker, though it's amazing and perfect once it is installed and working correctly...



Cheers, that's very helpful....

So have you got it sorted now and if so how did you manage to resolve the problem?


----------



## zilla (Dec 13, 2012)

Max Dread said:


> Thanks for the replies guys.
> 
> I did wonder about whether it protrude from the cavity. I never really bother keeping the back plates on my guitars. But with that point in mind:
> 
> ...



i might have an issue because my back plate is recessed so everything is flush.

it only sticks out a tiny bit.. maybe 1mm or so. I probably could make the back plate fit, but why bother. putting the back plate on kind of defeats the whole point of the tremol-no - to switch on the fly. kinda hard to do if you have to remove the back plate every time


----------



## Steve_U1S (Dec 13, 2012)

Backplate with access hole does the trick there - I've got a Suhr Govan Antique Modern, and it's got a factory-installed Tremol-No, and uses a backplate with access hole to get at the knobs.

One thing worth mentioning; if you're freestyling with the finger-tight lock screws/knobs to flip back and forth from locked to unlocked, I suggest employing one of a few different solutions meant to keep the knobs from going missing under use - they do have a tendency to vibrate loose and possibly fall out (as well as possible glancing contact with a shirt, etc. if used without backplate especially.

My personal favourite that I came up with, and found others also doing this, is to put conical springs - specifically those made for single-coil pickup height adjustment - on under the two lock screws.
They compress down out of the way to almost nothing, thereby not interfering with the locking action, and when loosened, they provide counterpressure which greatly helps to prevent them from jiggling loose.

Others have used purple-grade thread-locker (stiffener in this case) to give them more grab - to me, though, this would make it somewhat harder to engage/disengage...)

Kevan has said that eventually they will include one of the solutions as part of the unit. I imagine that needs to be tested and signed-off on.

... that's the only potential downside, as far as I'm concerned.
Proper installation, set-up, and maintenance are key too - but that is the blanket statement which applies to anything guitar-related (and many other things in life =]).

Cheers


----------



## Max Dread (Dec 13, 2012)

zilla said:


> i might have an issue because my back plate is recessed so everything is flush.
> 
> it only sticks out a tiny bit.. maybe 1mm or so. I probably could make the back plate fit, but why bother. putting the back plate on kind of defeats the whole point of the tremol-no - to switch on the fly. kinda hard to do if you have to remove the back plate every time



Good point! I keep the back plates off my guitars now. So you're right; there will definitely be no point in having them on once tremol-nos are installed as easy access will be a must. 

So long as they do not interfere with my beer belly then, all will be well. And I cannot imagine they would.....

--------------------------------------------------------

@Steve_U1S. Cheers for that. I cannot quite visualise what you mean, probably because I've never had a tremol-no nor been up close personal to one. But if/when I get one I'll re-read what you've written and I'm sure it will make sense then.


----------



## tedtan (Dec 13, 2012)

I have the Tremol-No on a couple of Ibanez S series guitars, which are thinner than the RGs you listed, and don't have any of the problems mentioned here. The only downside I see is, like Steve_U1S said, you may loose the the lock screws if you're not careful, as they do work their way loose when they're not locked down.


----------



## Max Dread (Dec 13, 2012)

So that will be why the UK supplier sells spare lock screws! Maybe I'll get some spares when I order the tremol-no (just in case).


----------



## tedtan (Dec 13, 2012)

Having a few spare screws wouldn't hurt, but it is only an issue when you loosen them in order to use the trem. I typically leave mine loose for trem use and I have yet to loose one, I just have to check it every now and then. If you leave them tightened to lock the trem in place, they don't loosen up.

And Steve_U1S pointed out a few solutions, too. I haven't used them myself, but the approach of using the pickup mounting springs under the screws to provide enough tension to keep them from loosening up and falling out seems like it would work. I need to try that out myself.


----------



## Dickicker (Dec 13, 2012)

The only downfall I see in the tremo-no is that no one tells you that you still have to know how to set up your trem. Not a problem for me. It's just the fact that 75% of people on here and other forums by tremol-nos thinking that its easy peasy lemon squeezy. I have installed a million tremol-nos, just because my customers couldn't set up their trems still. Ther first few I did for free, now I charge. lol


----------



## JoeChugs (Dec 14, 2012)

Dickicker said:


> The only downfall I see in the tremo-no is that no one tells you that you still have to know how to set up your trem. Not a problem for me. It's just the fact that 75% of people on here and other forums by tremol-nos thinking that its easy peasy lemon squeezy. I have installed a million tremol-nos, just because my customers couldn't set up their trems still. Ther first few I did for free, now I charge. lol



I set up my trem just fine, nice and balanced. Then when tightening the clamp screws the tuning went a bit sharp, not matter what I did. So I compensated by tuning the strings down from sharp.

Quick question though, if I change string gauge should I rebalance the trem, or can I just pretend it's a fixed bridge and do the normal truss/height adjustments


----------



## tedtan (Dec 14, 2012)

whatupitsjoe said:


> I set up my trem just fine, nice and balanced. Then when tightening the clamp screws the tuning went a bit sharp, not matter what I did. So I compensated by tuning the strings down from sharp.


 
I've never had that problem. Are you sure you're not resting your hand on the bridge, bumping it when you lean the guitar forward to tighten the screws, or appying pressure to the Tremol-No when locking it in place? Not saying you haven't looked into the basics, but we gotta start somewhere.



whatupitsjoe said:


> Quick question though, if I change string gauge should I rebalance the trem, or can I just pretend it's a fixed bridge and do the normal truss/height adjustments


 
You should still treat it like a floating trem because really it still is, it just has a Tremol-No to lock it in place. So for best results, rebalance the trem springs to the new strings' tension, adjust the action and relief, re-intonate for the new guage and then relock the Tremol-No.


----------



## aawshred (Dec 15, 2012)

Even with the back thumb screws tight, putting pressure on the floating bridge or back springs will cause it to go out and even stay locked out of tune, it's weird. if you don't put too much pressure on the bridge it's fine. 

also, if you're guitars in a case in your car and you're driving around, the screws will loosen up and even fall out. i lost one of the thumb screws because of this.


----------



## wildchild (Dec 15, 2012)

The tremel-no doesnt work properly with seven strings the bass side is too heavy with only one spring on that side to handle the tension
works more effectively on 6 strings


----------



## bhakan (Dec 15, 2012)

Another option it to make a similar device yourself. I made something similar to this. Went to the hardware store, got a bracket and a screw for less than a dollar, and it works flawlessly.


----------

