Will the Vigier ball-bearing Floyd Rose stay in tune WITHOUT a zero fret on my guitar?
Hi Patrice! Van Miller from Birmingham, Alabama USA again (I know what'cher thinkin': "Oh no! Not this guy again!" J/K), but I'm curious, have you ever tested the tuning stability of one of your ball bearing Floyd Roses w/out a zero fret on there? And also, do you think it would work okay on my guitar (I'm gonna be putting it on my Kramer this time, and if it works this time, I'll definitely buy one from you again! No complaints this time, I promise!). I figure what happened the last time I tried it on my Ibanez was the fact that I didn't have the two screws behind the lock nut on the back of the neck screwed in tight enough which caused the nut to wobble ever-so-slightly thereby causing it to go outta tune. I really like the idea of the ball-bearing Floyd Roses, & while I realize that you obviously use them on your guitars exclusively, I really think you could make a killing money-wise by promoting the tremolo as a replacement part alone. BTW, I hope I didn't offend you by my whining & complaining last time, and like I said, I'll shut up about it, no matter what the outcome of my "little experiment" is in the future. You're a great man, Patrice, doing what you do, and furthermore, I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad. My prayers're with you & yours, and here's hoping we can do business together again! Peace!
Van,The Floyd Rose as Vigier uses it is not available as an aftermarket part. We can only supply these trems either on new guitars, or as replacement parts if repairs should become necessary. The tuning stability on non-Vigier instruments is difficult to predict, there are many factors aside from the tremolo and zero fret that can determine tuning stability of an instrument. Ona Floyd Rose locking tremolo system equipped guitar, the zero fret plays only a minor role in tuning stability, due to the fact that the upper string lock is right near the zero fret.
No offense, but if that's so true, then how come I've got one sitting right here on my computer desk, even as we speak? Patrice told me that it was once, & even went so far as to sell me one through y'all's USA Distributor, Salwender International. It cost me $220 for just the bridge itself. Granted, like he told me, he did this for me as a favor. Was this practice of selling them seperately discontinued or somethin'? Once again, no offense & not to be rude or anything, but please tell me; I'd like to know. Anyways, laters!Van M. wrote:Van,The Floyd Rose as Vigier uses it is not available as an aftermarket part. We can only supply these trems either on new guitars, or as replacement parts if repairs should become necessary. The tuning stability on non-Vigier instruments is difficult to predict, there are many factors aside from the tremolo and zero fret that can determine tuning stability of an instrument. Ona Floyd Rose locking tremolo system equipped guitar, the zero fret plays only a minor role in tuning stability, due to the fact that the upper string lock is right near the zero fret.
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1Patrice Vigier
- Site Admin
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Yes it is
true that we do not sell separately as it is more trouble than we like. People
think by just buying a tremolo that pivots on ball bearing they will get the
same stability than on a Vigier, but NOT.
The Vigiers have several more specifications that make them very stable. To
number the most important:
1) The ball bearings (of course)
2) The zero fret
3) The carbon reinforced neck
4) Some details that I wont tell :=)
VanWell Patrice, I know you must be getting sick & tired of me showing up here on the forum, but after giving the ol' ball bearing Floyd Rose a second chance on my Kramer Pro Axe, I'm happy as a clam to report that it's finally staying in tune. (Sigh) I'm really sorry all my complaints made you give up on & get outta the business of selling these things as replacement parts to those who don't own any of your guitars (Like me. Sigh!). But I understand. BTW, there's a guy named Geoffrey McCabe who--in cooperation w/ Kahler--is gonna be coming out w/ some brand new, revolutionary ball bearing trems hopefully, next month at the NAMM show. So, I'm kinda hoping I can turn to him/them for my ball bearing trem/locking trem needs. Like I said, I fully understand that you're in the guitar bizness to make money, & not in the replacement part business (Other than to your own customers). But once again, I'm glad I didn't sell it. Thank you so much for this one-off purchase, and please forgive me for all my complaints over these past several years. As I've learned by now, they were fully unfounded (I figure what happened on my Ibanez last time I tried it was that I didn't have the two screws on the back of the neck that attach/hold the Floyd Rose nut in place tightened enough so that the thing wouldn't wobble ever-so-slightly, causing the the guitar to go outta tune when I used the trem.). BTW, I actually did a "slight upgrade" on it by purchasing one of these extra-thick Big Block Floyd Rose Sustain blocks made out of Bell Brass (The same type they use for church bells) from Performance Guitars in Hollywood, CA. This is something I highly recommend for all your customers w/ these trems on their Vigier Guitars as it really helps improve the sustain even moreso (Even though the Schaller-type trems, like the Vigier, are already known for their fabulous sustain.). Anyways, I'd really recommend that they get them from someplace online such as www.frankenstraat.com or www.divebombinc.com (There's also a guy on Ebay who's sellin' 'em, so you could always do site search on there for Floyd Rose Big Block Sustain Block), as I think I paid a lil' too much for the one I got (Performance Guitar charges $110--which includes shipping--for these things! WHEW! That's a lil' too pricey for me to ever wanna pay again when I can get it for so much cheaper on one of those other sites. Granted, the ones they sell on those sites may only be made outta regular & not bell brass, but I digress.) Anyways, Patrice, thanks so much again, & here's wishing you & yours a very Merry Christmas!
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Jeremy Krull
- Super user
- Posts: 47
- Joined: 01 Jan 1970 00:00
you'd never have to do any mods, or have had any of these problems if you had the entire Vigier guitar.
One problem: Can't afford one since they usually cost somewhere in the $2000 range (Or at least that's what I've seen so far). Like many of us, I'm a guitarist on a budget. But like I said, the trem's both a breeze & a keeper now! Laters!