The AllParts Tremol-No

I'm only including a write-up on this because I'm sure I would get mail from people if I didn't. This isn't a tremolo stabilizer. It's a releaseable tremolo lock/block. Tremolo locks lock the tremolo in place so that you can't dive or raise the pitch. A block is a device that keeps you from raising the pitch... effectively turning the tremolo into a dive-only unit. Blocks are popular because you can install the block and then tighten the springs and, provided that you don't mind not being able to raise the pitch of your strings, your floating trem problems are over.

But the Tremol-no gets a big, fat "Did Not Qualify" in my book. For one, you have to leave the cover off of the tremolo cavity on the back so that you can adjust it when you need to. This also means that you can't use any kind of cover for your guitar (like an AxSak, say). Lastly, just imagine playing some gig and having to reach behind your guitar to fiddle with some thumbscrews and stuff. You'll look like a frickin' panzie.

This is the only device in this review that I don't own, so my ratings are just from what I can infer from pictures.

Verdict:

Ease of Installation: Looks fairly easy. You have to remove the old spring hanger and desolder it, but I think they give you a way to connect the ground wire to the Tremol-no without soldering and you don't have to drill any new holes or drive any new screws.

Ease of Adjustment: Couple of thumscrews. Unfortunately, you have to be able to get to them all the time if you want to be able to change the behavior of the unit.

Effectiveness: I have to give this low marks because it doesn't really allow you seamlessly use you tremolo to raise/dive strings and bend/tune without altering other strings.

Cost: $60 on eBay. For that, you could get an ESP.

Overall: It does what it's designed to do... but it's not the solution to the problem I'm trying to solve. If I had to choose between this and the WD (which doesn't work well) and the TremSetter (which takes a long time to adjust right) and this, I might just pick this... but it would be out of a sense of resignation that there were no good proper stabilizers out there. But there are, the BackStop, the ESP, and, best of all, the BackBox.

Reviews
Hipshot Tremsetter ESP Arming Adjuster
Ibanez BackStop Goeldo BackBox
WD Tremolo Stabilizer Tremol-no
Floyd Rose FAQ
Mag-Lok

Which tremolos CANNOT be helped

Goeldo BackBox now for sale in the U.S.

How to INSTALL/ADJUST the BackBox

Here's a video of a guy showing how

How to INSTALL the Floyd Rose Stabilizer

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joe@emenaker.com