Double Locking tremolo System installation

D-Man

Hi,

I have an Ibanez SA 120ex. It has Ibanez's SAT ProII floating bridge on it now. Currently I don't use the tremolo system at all because I don't have a tremolo arm but I'm wondering if it's possible and plausible to fit a double-locking tremolo system on this guitar... What advantages will this have if it is possible?

AlanRatcliffe

First thing you should know is that by the time you've bought a double-locking trem and paid to have it installed it will likely add up to a fair whack of money. So I'd usually only recommend going that route if you know exactly what a DL trem gives you (they are not for everyone) and it's a great guitar that you want to upgrade. If a DLT is something you just want to try to see if you like it, rather pick up a cheap second hand guitar with one already fitted.

Generally a DLT lets you do more radical bends and lets you do things like flutters and keeps the guitar in tune. On the downside, they are heavier on strings, make the guitar much more difficult to restring or tune in the first place, are a more complex trem to setup and maintain (even changing brand or gauge of strings requires setup) and affect things like double-stop bends and intonation (particularly for heavy handed players).

D-Man

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: and it's a great guitar that you want to upgrade.

True. Very true. The reason I'm looking at this is coz I've been attempting a lot of Satriani songs lately and he tends to go quite crazy with the tremolo arm at times. I don't have an arm for my tremolo system right now so I haven't been able to really experiment with it at all but common sense tells me that my strings will be suffering quite a lot (especially between the nut and the tuners). Is my commoon sense incorrect? Will my strings and hardware be up for it?

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: If a DLT is something you just want to try to see if you like it, rather pick up a cheap second hand guitar with one already fitted.

Sounds like a plan

Gearhead

D-Man wrote: I don't have an arm for my tremolo system right now so I haven't been able to really experiment with it

The cheapest thing to do is get a new tremolo arm. Chances are the thread in your trem block is metric, so you can figure out what size it is by trying a couple of metric screws. Look in the 'links' and 'contacts' sections on the forum, there's plenty places (online and local stores) that stock loose arms.

D-Man wrote: common sense tells me that my strings will be suffering quite a lot (especially between the nut and the tuners). Is my commoon sense incorrect?

When strings want to go, they do. You buy a new set, put it on and you move on. It does matter what the radius of your bridge saddle is etc. but if Joe can play his strings for more than one song, so can you.

AlanRatcliffe

The whole length of string takes a bit of stress with enthusiastic whammy bar work. ?

Anyway a floating trem can work pretty well when setup properly. Look at Jeff Beck...

D-Man

Ok thanks alot. I think I'll go and get a new arm and maybe an emergency set of strings just incase...