Steve Morse Tremolo

[right_to_rage]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could explain what the tremolo is like on the steve morse guitar. I have never owned a Floyd Rose guitar, and I have been asking around about them.

My main issue with this system, or from what i have heard, is that it is very difficult to tune, expecially if you are a guitarist like myself who needs to tune from standard tuning, to drop D, to 1/2 step down ect. on the fly. Is buying this guitar worth the trouble, or would there even be any trouble?

Im not sure if this is a floating trem, or non-floating either because on the guitars description it says it lowers the pitch only. I read on another forum that non-floating Floyds are easyier to deal with.

Thanks for any help.

Paul

 

[Hookpunch]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could explain what the tremolo is like on the steve morse guitar. I have never owned a Floyd Rose guitar, and I have been asking around about them.

My main issue with this system, or from what i have heard, is that it is very difficult to tune, expecially if you are a guitarist like myself who needs to tune from standard tuning, to drop D, to 1/2 step down ect. on the fly. Is buying this guitar worth the trouble, or would there even be any trouble?

Im not sure if this is a floating trem, or non-floating either because on the guitars description it says it lowers the pitch only. I read on another forum that non-floating Floyds are easyier to deal with.

Thanks for any help.

Paul

I think the Morse bends down only , like the Axis and the Peavey Wolfgang's - so basically you are back to a Fender classic Strat bridge from a tuning standpoint.

Another issue is that a Floyd only has two points of contact with a guitar , some say it robs the guitar of tone.

Like almost everything else on a guitar - it's a compromise.

 

[sundar]

I am not specifically sure about the tremolo on the Steve Morse. This is more from my experience from the RM Pro II (Floyd rose licensed) on my pacifica 1221. This particular model allows you drop or raise your pitch upto 3 steps.

Before you cotinue reading, this is purely my experience and it may differ from others.

With Floyd Rose, there is a learning curve when it comes to changing strings. The floyd rose system is designed to keep your strings in tune by locking them between the nut and the bridge.

With the fine tuners you could *fine tune* the strings (usually a few cents up or down), but tuning down on the fly would be a challenge and would defeat the purpose of the floyd in the first place.

I finally did wind up blocking the bridge with a piece of wood, and keep the nut open. Sustain is a little better than what it was with the floating bridge.

This my 0.02, if I were to spend $1000+ on a guitar, I would definitely prefer it not to be floyd rosed, which is why I have a fixed bridge Steve Morse, and it sounds out of this world.

 

[SteveB]

Based on your tuning needs, I'd recommend the stoptail Morse, or buy several of the Floyd models and tune each one differently! I am kidding, but with some of the GAS'sy guys on this forum, it would be a realistic option!

 

[right_to_rage]

I think the Morse bends down only , like the Axis and the Peavey Wolfgang's - so basically you are back to a Fender classic Strat bridge from a tuning standpoint.

Im okay that it only bends down, but will it stay in tune as well as a regular floyd rose, and will I be able to tune with ease. Sorry if I didnt understand your wording . Also if the trem doesnt work out, is there any way that if I ordered through a local musicman dealer, that musicman could put a different tremolo on the guitar, such as the petrucci trem?

Edit: I pretty much need a guitar with a tremolo by the the way

 

[Raz]

If I were you I would stick with a trem that rests on the body, its the best of both worlds in that it stays in tune, and if you need to drop the tuning then the tension on the springs is less, thus there would be no significant affect like there would be on a floating trem. Also, get the EBMM vintage style trem, it does alot of nice whammy effects, but changing strings on one of these is far more simpler than changing strings on a Floyd Rose...

 

[SteveLINY]

A Floyd Rose or FR licensed trem is easy to tune once you get the hang of it. I have many guitars with FR or FR type trems and never have tuning problems.
Your best bet is to buy a a D Tuna and install it. Usually only the G string will go a hair sharp which can easily be tunes in a half second.
I personally can change strings on a FR in about 5-6 minutes and be in perfect tune. My trick is to use a Bic pen under the bridge if it is floating or routed. Just position the pen under the bridge so that it sits flush with the body with no strings on it. Pop in the new strings, and tune up. When you are in tune, the pen should just slide out effortlessly.
Hopefully this helps.

Oh, and people who say a FR robs tone have to lay down the crack pipe...LOL
They don't, and if it does, it is so neglegable.

Steve

 

[Jimi D]

Oh, and people who say a FR robs tone have to lay down the crack pipe...LOL
They don't, and if it does, it is so neglegable.

This is my experience as well - of course, a tremolo will change the tone of a guitar, and all other things being equal, a guitar with a tremolo will not sound the same as an identical guitar with a string-through or stop-tail bridge, but that doesn't mean that anything's been "robbed" - it's different, but not worse...

 

[Hookpunch]

Im okay that it only bends down, but will it stay in tune as well as a regular floyd rose, and will I be able to tune with ease. Sorry if I didnt understand your wording . Also if the trem doesnt work out, is there any way that if I ordered through a local musicman dealer, that musicman could put a different tremolo on the guitar, such as the petrucci trem?

Edit: I pretty much need a guitar with a tremolo by the the way

Oh yeah - it is a Floyd Rose - so no worries there- but like Raz and Steve recommended - if your are going to Drop-D either get a D-Tuna or go with a standard tremelo with locking tuners. Otherwise you will have to take off the locking nut every time you do that.

I don't think the SM is offered with a standard Music Man bridge though, maybe a Sil Special would be more for you.

 

[right_to_rage]

I was wondering if someone could email the musicman support for me, my email account wont let the email go through, and ask them if I could get a different bridge system on the guitar.

If not then I might have to go hunting for a guitar again .

P.S Also by "tuning on the fly" i ment tuning onstage.

 

[dwf1004]

hey RTR, hang out here for a bit. Jon, the EBMM guitar tech guy, can probably square you up on this when he checks in next. Hang tight,...

 

[jongitarz]

The Morse only comes with a stop tail, or the Floyd Rose.