Planning for a new ball - To trem or Not to trem?

[Ripper]

hEY fellas, I know its a bit too early, but I am already planning for my LE08 AL.

I do however need a very very important advice - to get one with trem or not.

Dear Owners of Balls with trem: when you do hard bending, does the trem bend forward so much so that it triggers movement of other strings and thus ringing of the other open strings?

Thanks alot!!!!

 

[greenwizard]

^^ No it doesn't.
I had to try that out specifically without muting the other strings, because I usually do that when I bend, but the answer is still no. Not with the JP trem.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Nope and AL himself uses a trem on his "AL's" too.

The EB trem is A1 !!!

 

[GuitarHack]

IIRC, factory spec on a non-floating vintage trem is such that if you bend the G-string at the 7th fret up three half steps, the trem should *just* start to rise off the body. You can adjust this to taste.

I have EBMMs with trems, and w/o. I've later regretted not getting the trem on some of the hardtails, but I've never regretted getting a trem. My suggestion is if you're on the bubble, get the trem, and even if you decide to never use it, you can pop five springs in there and have a hardtail. Clapton does this, John Mayer, etc.

Finally, should you ever decide to sell your MM (but why would you?), you'll have more interest in it if it has a trem.

Good luck!

 

[Ripper]

IIRC, factory spec on a non-floating vintage trem is such that if you bend the G-string at the 7th fret up three half steps, the trem should *just* start to rise off the body. You can adjust this to taste.

I have EBMMs with trems, and w/o. I've later regretted not getting the trem on some of the hardtails, but I've never regretted getting a trem. My suggestion is if you're on the bubble, get the trem, and even if you decide to never use it, you can pop five springs in there and have a hardtail. Clapton does this, John Mayer, etc.

Finally, should you ever decide to sell your MM (but why would you?), you'll have more interest in it if it has a trem.

Good luck!

Hey Hack, thanks for the advice!(The 5 spring thing is really constructive.) And everybody else! Trem for my proposed AL is the way to go! woohoo!

 

[GuitarHack]

Good for you, Rip! My AL is a hardtail (ordered it that way), and I regret that on a regular basis

 

[Ripper]

Good for you, Rip! My AL is a hardtail (ordered it that way), and I regret that on a regular basis

Please dont think that way, Hack. My existing AL is a hardtail too. I really appreciate the sustain it gives, and I love it for the fact that it retains more wood than one with a trem (tone, tone, tone!), and I love it even more after I just set it up myself!

I am seeking advice to purchase one with trem bcos of consideration for resale value of a collectible item (LE08), and also for practical reason for that occassional fiddling

Dont regret - join me for a new Ball!

 

[greenwizard]

Dont regret - join me for a new Ball!

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say that...

 

[robelinda2]

best thing is to have one of each, i keep thinking i love hardtails, but then i play a trem AL and i love it, has that extra springy tone. So ive given up on choosing, i'll just have multiple of each. My choice for the LE 08 at the moment is SSS trem, rosewood board if available. piezo even, if it too is available.

 

[GuitarHack]

Heh heh, I really do like my AL the way it is, but I guess one of each is the IDEAL solution.

I have two Axis SS MM90s, one trem, one hardtail. I used to use them both with the band. Every know and then I'd reach down for that bar on the hardtail and feel like a goofball.

 

[candid_x]

I think each'll give it's own good thing. I choose trem guitars, and then load them up with 5 springs to lock them down. Though I've never tried an AL, I'd imagine the hardtail brings it a notch closer to Tele-town.

 

[NorM]

My thought is YES get a trem! Also important, you are ordering the piezo too? yes?

 

[glockaxis]

Yes on the trem.

 

[TNT]

If you don't get a trem then how are you going to "flatten" notes???

If you ONLY bend "up" (with your fingers/trem), aren't you missing the whole other half of guitar notes???

And, since you can't bend to flatten notes with your fingers, the only way you can flatten a note (i.e., bend down) is by using a trem.

A trem is not just for dive bombs, it's to bend down every single possible note, the same amount that you bend up with your fingers!!

 

[Sweat]

Well, it is all amatter of what you want and need, do your existing balls have trems if so get a hardtail, if they are hardtail get a trem, for me it is easy my three EBMM all have trem and two have peizo so my next will be hardtail no peizo, but what matters most is what makes you happy

 

[DrBob]

I'm saying get the trem.
I recently sold Komp my 94 pinkburst AL which was/is a lovely, comparatively rare guitar
And instead, I bought myself a late model vintage sunburst AL but crucially with the remarkable EBMM trem fitted
I think the keen EBMM collector would say that I made the wrong choice, I get the point and on reflection I wish I had the cash to keep them both.
But given that I can only afford to keep one, I am so so impressed with the trem I would say that if you do already have a hardtail AL that you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't partner it with a trem loaded brother.

I've gone even further and had mine set up so that the trem is fully floating with a tone of upbend !

It takes a little getting used to but I'd say the fluidity of movement and tuning stability of this set up is easily the equal of any non Floyd type trem system available today.

 

[GWDavis28]

I tell you I much prefer the EBMM hardtails, they just sound soo good.

My AL is a hardtail and I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Glenn |B)

 

[colinboy]

buy a BFR!

 

[beej]

Jeez, it really depends on your style ...

I used to have trems on everything. Floyds even.

Now I'm pretty much all hardtails. One luke with a trem. Sonically, I like hardtails much better. Double-stops, open notes are much better with the hardtail. Also, it forces you to be more creative in your playing and vibrato. I'm much happier using my left hand to apply vibrato to chords (or hitting strings behind the headstock a la Heartbreaker) rather than reaching for the bar. If I want to bend notes down I bend up before picking a note, then let it down again. It's actually helped my technique.

Anyway ... there's a place for both. Figure out what you need and go from there. If you want one, get one.

 

[Ripper]

My thought is YES get a trem! Also important, you are ordering the piezo too? yes?

Hey Norm, you are getting me into serious consideration for a full option/loaded AL!!