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Sterling Albert Lee!

yup.... easy to 'hard tail' a trem....
not so much to 'trem' a hard tail....
Some folks really enjoy the extra built-in reverb you get from a decked trem guitar....
 
The MM Albert Lee trem version is SSS and the HH version is a hardtail. The Sterline HH is a trem ... yeah, it's disappointing. They're not even consistent across their product lines. Can't say I've ever wanted a guitar badly enough that I'd block a trem for it. Not really into kludgy hacks.

Still cool to see this model come to a lower price point, and there is hope that maybe next model year Sterling will expand their offerings.
 
Arcadia said:
The MM Albert Lee trem version is SSS and the HH version is a hardtail. The Sterline HH is a trem ... yeah, it's disappointing. They're not even consistent across their product lines. Can't say I've ever wanted a guitar badly enough that I'd block a trem for it. Not really into kludgy hacks.

Still cool to see this model come to a lower price point, and there is hope that maybe next model year Sterling will expand their offerings.
Click to expand...

A slight correction - the MM Albert Lee HH is available as either a Tremolo or a Hardtail, you have a choice.
 
"Kludgy hacks"?
Setting up and decking a trem is basic skills.
Also, all 3 versions of the MM AL have been available with and without trems...
 
Was gonna say "kludgy hacks" depends on who does it. I get folks don't like trems. Blocking is one way to get past it if you really like a guitar that doesn't offer a hard tail. I've done it on lots of guitars where I don't use the trem at all.

More info is now available on the Sterling website. There are some typos and wrong info on some pages but it's up now!
https://www.sterlingbymusicman.com/albertlee
 
I do not think adding springs is a Kludgy hack? What is Kludgy BTW? I too prefer hard tails but it does not stop me from buying a guitar I like or want. My new BFR Cutlass will be getting the spring treatment as soon as I change the strings.

Only thing keeping me from the Sterling AL HH are the colors, bored with black and I really do not want to get into what I think about that color thats being called blue.
 
I have a question- asked form a position of absolute ignorance: Why would a trem need to be blocked at all?
Once its flat to the body and the screws are tightened, and you've took the arm out, what extra gain does blocking it provide?
 
Two reasons I can think of:
1. It makes sure the teen NEVER moves
2. Some folks believe that the block creates more mass and a more solid connection between the body and the term block similar to what a solid strings thru body would give you.

I just like it because it’s removable if you ever want to use the term or if you sell the instrument and it doesn’t hurt it in any way. I have an 80s Schecter strat copy setup this way and i like it :-) YMMV
 
Ok, thanks for the info. I understand blocking it if you want to keep it a floating position and have the luxury of slipping the block in and out to go trem to no trem and back.
But if it’s decked anyway....
(I don’t believe number 2 personally but then I’ve not got a great ear for The subtleties)
 
Usually when a trem is blocked the wood is wedged in pretty dang tight.

Clapton has pretty much all of his guitars set up with blocked trems, and as far as I know, was the first one to really popularize the practice. I believe he has said that they sound better than a hardtail that way, maybe due to the tremolo cavity being a kind of resonant chamber.
 
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These will be a great 'gateway' for folks who are just curious and/or unable / unwilling to spend the $ for a MM model...
...as long as the neck shape is right....
 
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