Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives

Message board

* FAQ    * Register   * Login 



This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.
Author Message Previous topic | Next topic
mattp
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:57 pm
Posts: 2437
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:52 am 
 

VERY NICE! :D

The installation went fairly smoothly. The Floyd route had a tiny recess, so I had to fashion a small block of wood to allow the Arming Adjuster to sit flush. I installed it just a hair off center, I might go back and fix it later but it works great as is.

Test 1: Tuning stability. Results? Excellent. Tuning stability is much better than unaided tremolo.
Test 2: Drop tuning. Results? Capable! I can use the fine tuners to drop from D standard to drop C with less than 5 cents of tuning change across the rest of the strings, total. More than adequate for live use, and for recording purposes its very good.
Test 3: Tone/volume. Results? So far so good. I haven't been able to plug in yet, but the unplugged volume is quite a bit better. Notes jump out of the instrument with a bit more ease and the individual note clarity is preserved a bit more.
Test 4: Tremolo use. Results? Good. There isn't a noticeable impact or "zero point", largely due to two felt pads that stick to the unit and the bridge. Pulling up has a bit more resistance to it than usual, but its nothing bad. Dime squeals and whammy vibrato are easy. Flutters are impossible.

Comparisons to other tremolo tools I've used:

Hipshot Tremsetter: Does the same basic thing, but the tremsetter is MUCH worse quality. The AA is very well constructed and feels very solid. The Hipshot unit feels like a toy, with thin wires forming the reinforcement instead of a big support. Additionally, the Hipshot needs to have a big hole drilled in the guitar, whereas the AA only needs four screw holes. The Hipshot also has a sharp 0 point which inhibits motion across it.

Tremol-No: The Tremol-no is designed to switch your bridge from full-floating, down-only, and blocked. In my experience, the unit does not work as well as advertised. It has a negative effect on tone in full-floating ( rattling and friction ), and the down-only and blocked modes do not work very well since it doesn't take much pressure at all to knock the restraints into full floating mode. When I tried to go from D standard to Drop C with the Tremol-no, the decreased pressure would be enough to dislodge the blocks and throw the whole thing off. I never broke a string to test how well it would respond to that, but I can't imagine it responding favorably. Additionally, even in blocked, you wouldn't be able to tune up ( IE, to go from D standard to Open Dm tuning ). In this respect, the Tremol-no is inferior to a simple wooden block if you want to have a hard tail feel or tuning ability, and it is inferior to the Arming Adjuster if you want to retain tremolo ability but gain the ability to drop tune on the fly or achieve some added tuning stability and tone.

Considering that the AA costs $60 shipped from Australia ( Major props to Shane@Bmusic :D ), and the alternatives aren't much cheaper, the ESP Arming Adjuster is the best choice for improving the performance of your tremolo bridge.
_________________
Alas, Tyranny -- Download the Monolithic demo

Top
 Profile  
Bezerko
Vladimir Poopin

Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:50 am
Posts: 4370
Location: Venestraya
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:55 am 
 

mattp wrote:
Major props to Shane@Bmusic :D


That's the music store I go to! Got my guitar and bass from there.:) Small world!

Top
 Profile  
NeglectedField
Onwards to Camulodunum!

Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2005 6:19 am
Posts: 1080
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:03 pm 
 

Thanks for posting this, really helpful, because my playing style means I'm gonna have to invest in one for pretty much any floyd-equipped guitar I own in future.

Lack of flutter is irritating with such systems, though. My Ibanez S320's ZR trem comes with a stabiliser system as standard. I dunno if it's set up correctly but there's a very noticeable zero point. It used to flutter really easily, but now it's just decided not to. It's a bit of a shame, but I tend to opt for floyd-type systems just because they're nicer on the palm than most hardtail systems, and easier to get that machine-gunning sound. The ability to do fluttering, dive-bombs and whatnot are just a bonus, but I have a very heavy palm technique so the sound can sometimes go sharp if I'm not careful.
_________________
The solitary one waits for grace...

Top
 Profile  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

 
Jump to:  

Back to the Encyclopaedia Metallum


Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group