Members stunningbabe Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 The almighty Les Paul does not have Tremolo bridge. Neither does the crunchy Tele or the PRS. I've nothing against floyd rose trems either. Just wondering...is the Strat Hardtail supposed to have some sort of advantage over a non-hardtail Strat in terms of tone, sustain etc? Someone said that since the bridge has direct contact with the guitar body...thre's maximum string vibration which translates to longer sustain and 'fuller & bigger' tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Joranges Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 Someone said that since the bridge has direct contact with the guitar body...thre's maximum string vibration which translates to longer sustain and 'fuller & bigger' tone. Well, yeah sure I guess.. if you're playing an acoustic and if the guy was researching in string vibrations on a guitar. IMO: The only thing I can think about hardtail strats is a DISadvantage to not being able to use the whammy. But in terms of tone/sustain, it's highly subjective; and again, IMO - would depend on the rest of your gear (amp, pedals, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cloacal-X Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 I wouldn't say the tone is "better", but it does change the tone (I would say in general a slightly less resonant, more "tight" and slightly more full sound with less airiness), and it also makes tuning and intonation more simple for people who just don't use a trem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kishjor Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 I think that having a trem gives you more sustain, but the hardtail will give you better tuning stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HeatherAnnePeel Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 I've never played a hardtail Strat, but I've heard others play them. They do sound great, perhaps a bit brighter than a Strat with the vibrato assembly. I think of the Strat's vibrato springs as a natural spring reverb, really. I rarely use the vibrato arm on any of my Strats, but I think the springs help give the Strat it's classic tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adlo76 Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 I've experimented on all my Strats with the trem locked down against the body and with it floating. It's always dependent on the specific guitar more often than not I think it's sounds better floating. More "Strat" like with that springy/airy/acoustic resonance. But if you don't use a trem and you want tuning stability, maybe a hardtail is for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Verence Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 But if you don't use a trem and you want tuning stability, maybe a hardtail is for you. Exactly why I want one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mnhhngbfs Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 well, Death himself plays a hardtail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bigfatmonkeyboy Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 I would have a hardtail. I have no use for a wigglestick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 The two biggest differences are: 1.) You lose that certain springiness to the Strat tone, like HeatherAnnePeel mentioned. Even blocked trems retain much of that quality. Instead you get more focus. 2.) There is a much shaprer attack on the note. A trem on a Strat softens the attack when a note is first plucked, but not so with a hardtail. Does a hardtail Start still sound like a Strat? Yes. But the above combine to make a hardtail a little more aggressive sounding and to take one step in the Tele direction. My '79... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mawr Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 Less &*?%!# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted September 16, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 I've always loved those teles and Les Pauls...though I cant play a Les Paul for more than 10 minutes. That thing weighs a ton! Not good for a girl... I can play a Strat for an hour and still feel fine. It's more comfy as it's much lighter. I'd think that since a Tele and Les Paul sounded awesome with its fixed bridge...a fixed bridge Strat will also sound awesome. Yes? Oh..I dont use any tremolo stick at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hardtail Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 1. The bar isn't in your way. 2. Adjacent strings won't go flat when you bend. 3. It won't go out of tune the second you use the bar. Been there done that (many times) ... I'll never own another stratoid with a dastardly tremelo contraption of any kind, but you knew that from my handle. HT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members YogurtKing Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 2. Adjacent strings won't go flat when you bend. This is the very reason I bought a hardtail strat. I like whammy bars and everything, but one day I just got to the point where I couldn't take the fact that every string would detune on me whenever I bent one of them. Another thing is that the strings don't have as much "give" on a hardtail, which lends itself pretty well to bends, vibrato, and legato runs. But that would depend on the player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thebrownkey Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 these guys nailed it a slight tonal change in the airy quality. i think of that sound as sort of a "chambered reverb", and that quality is not as prominent when blocking the trem but still there. with a true hardtail theres none of that. it sure does sound like a strat still, but its especially noticable at loud clean-cleanish volumes. i like the springy sound from having the trem but its just a personal thing. i do miss it when playing hardtails. im sure you know this but for what its worth you can have a strat with a trem and use the trem moderately -and still have tuning stability. the other strings will still go flat with bends, but it returns to tuning after use with a well setup one. i spent the first 7-8 years of my playing blocking my strats trems (all of them, and ive been through quite a few strats in my time). then i started using the trem but had to deal with the tuning being unstable if i did anything other than very gently applying vibrato with the trem. i just learned to do with it and played that way for more than a few years anyway, 4 years ago or so i decided to really find a way to make things work well because i found a real keeper that just sounds so sweet clean or driven. i just had to also have the trem working. i tried the graphtec trem-nut and loved it, its very slippery. the company claims its 500% more slippery than graphite and it seems to be so. but since the guitar seemed like it was made just for me (i love it that much) i also wanted to tackle the intonation issue. so i then went for the earvana nut. i was pleased when it arrived and it looked/felt like the same material as the graph-tec. im not sure exactly what its made of (the black one) but its just as slippery. i dont use any lube or oil on the earvana either- its more slippery dry than any of the previous nuts ive tried in the past, even compared to using oil/lube! also the intonation is great and its nice to not have that B string out of tune. ive gotten so used to it that i will put one on every strat i own in the future if i get anymore. so that was settled. i oil under the string trees, the saddles, and put lube/chapstick on the trem posts. i can really use the trem moderately and have stable tuning. obviously no Vai tricks, but i really do use it a good bit. but this thread is of another topic. i just wanted to point out that it is possible to have a strat w/trem and use it, and not have to suffer tuning issues. it can be a pain in the but to properly diagnose the problem area(s) when looking for the culprit of unstable tuning with a strat trem, but its worth it if you really like to use the trem. one of my strats i keep floating and the other blocked, but both get trem use moderately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ESchmidt Posted September 16, 2007 Members Share Posted September 16, 2007 They are easier to tune but thats about it. I guess the extra body mass from not being routed could make a difference too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted September 17, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 They are easier to tune but thats about it. I guess the extra body mass from not being routed could make a difference too. I thought the same. That should translate to thicker tone too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlackHatHunter Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 I like my hard tail strats so much that I block the trems in the non hardtail ones I own... then again I don't use the trem at all, so why have it in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted September 17, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 I like my hard tail strats so much that I block the trems in the non hardtail ones I own... then again I don't use the trem at all, so why have it in the first place? Since you have both...is there any advantage with a hardtail? I keep thinking that since a Tele does not need a trem yet sounds awesome...surely a Strat can benefit too without any trem? It's like optimizing the Strat. Yes? NOt that a strat with a trem is bad...just that it's not at its optimum...tone wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackbelt1 Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 One of my Strats that I owned for over 20 years was a hardtail. The only difference I ever noticed between it and my other Strats (all with trems) was that if I popped a string the rest of the guitar would stay in tune well enough for me to finish the song. If you snap a string on a Strat w/trem, it's highly probable that the entire tuning of your guitar will go caddywampus, making it difficult to get through your current song. That said, I prefer trem Strats because I'm a pretty big fan of using them. I never really bonded with the hardtail because of the lack of a trem feature. But there was no noticeable tonal differences between the hardtail and my other Strats. Basically I still sounded like me on either. ~Blackbelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dmn23 Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Having the trem blocked on my Strat was probably the best thing I ever did for that guitar. You still get the quack but with a little more focus, and tuning isn't an issue. If you don't use the trem but you still like the Strat sound then blocking might be the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fenderguitar Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 IMO there are no advantages of having a strat hardtail. I've had both an American Series hardtail and trem and I can tell you the trem guitar sounds better. The hardtail was brighter and more harsh to my ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hypnos Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 What about a hardtail Fender non-trem bridge vs. a Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge w/strings-thru body? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted September 17, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 IMO there are no advantages of having a strat hardtail. I've had both an American Series hardtail and trem and I can tell you the trem guitar sounds better. The hardtail was brighter and more harsh to my ears. IS it the same pickup and finger board for both models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JC777 Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Tuning Stability Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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