All,
This isn't another "Bash the Strat" thread (well maybe a little). Did enough of that; I believe there should be balance in the world.
So - even with all the well-meaning advice posted on these forums; such as the "32-40 (million?) points of adjustment" on this guitar, I was about to unload this problem Strat that just would not stay in tune.

Floyd Rose came to the rescue. They make a strat-type tremolo system which absolutely obsoletes the Fender factory six point trem system that just can't stink enough in my opinion. Floyd Rose is renowned for its locking floating trems that do the dive-bomb routine. This unit - called the Rail Tail - is a drop-in replacement for the six-point Fender trem. No drilling required unless you happen to be unfortunate in owning a two-point trem.
The unit has a beefier trem arm that pops in and stays put with no wobble or hardware gadget in the trem arm hole, adds more sustain (which compensates for the wood material that's cut out the back of the body)
and looks like a polished professional piece of hardware as opposed to the Fender stock unit which looks like scrap metal in comparison.

So - I took the gamble at under $300.00 for a gold unit for my gold hardware 40th anniversary Strat. Installation is a breeze thanks to well written instructions and video => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr-IPN2_x2U

End result: The blasted guitar finally sounds better, notes sustain longer, trem action is silky smooth and, golly gee, it stays in tune! (??!!) Whodathunkit possible?

The only (maybe) negative on the unit:
It sits flat on the body. So only downward dives but no upward pull backs on the trem arm are possible. That's not a negative factor in my playing style.

So - I'm going to keep the stupid thing.
- J Mo'

Last edited: Apr 16, 2023 08:30:16

TQI,
Did you take your guitar apart just to counter-arg me? If so, time to maybe get a life?
The Floyd Rose RAIL TAIL unit has 4 screws on a rollbar that screw into the center 4 holes of a six point trem. The two point trem does not have these - so they would have to be drilled. That's why two point owners are unfortunate in this regard.
You might bring any further issues on this subject to Fender's attention - and good luck with all that.

Look at the construction of your trem. That wood between the trem posts and pickup cavity is waiting/begging to crack. Then you will have scrap wood. Fender has had some poor designs on their guitars. The two point trem is a glaring example to me. I've never owned one and never will. But to each his own.
J Mo'

My strats dive bomb and stay in tune.

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

-

Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 16:09:28

Glad you found a fix for your staying in tune issues. Starts are a nice sound to have in your arsenal I've had good luck with my Strat staying in tune, but did have to do some renos on an Eastwood Airline Map to keep that in tune. My friend had the same Eastwood guitar and never had an issue.

Congrats,
Rev

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

Have had a lot of tremelo setups.
Bigsby, Floyd on EVH, Strat AM deluxe, reissue Jaguar, ect.
The most stable by far is my new Jeff Beck Stratocaster with 2 point floating bridge and LSR roller nut and locking tuners.
It floats for bends up and down in perfect half steps.
I use a Boss TU tuner in my pedal chain to constantly monitor reactions.

Last edited: Apr 17, 2023 08:47:03

Chiba,
Placing the block in the cavity with the proper spacing (1/32) from front of body cavity wall and tightening the block hex screws required 3 hands.

Other than that, installation was a piece of cake.
J Mo'

Last edited: Apr 17, 2023 10:20:08

psychonaut wrote:

This is how you keep a strat in tune.
No mods, no locking tuners, no special bridges or nuts, just as designed in the 1950's
I've posted this video before. This guy really cracked the code. This method works, is quick and easy. I've never had any tuning issues since employing it.
https://youtu.be/O0Oyc6slYRc

Really interesting technique, hard to deny it doesn't work in that context. Having your strings go out of tune every time you bend them seems like a weakness though, especially if you don't end every solo with a huge dip on the bar.

--
Project: MAYHEM by Hypersonic Secret now available!

Psycho,
I'm going to review the video.
Having said that, I just finished some quite heavy trem wanking on the Floyd Rose Rail Tail I installed on my 40th Anniversary Strat. The thing stays in tune. Before the Rail Tail, I'd breathe on the strings or take a short coffee break and the thing would go out of tune.
I did do the other usual checks - truss rod, claw and springs, etc. The thing just sucked. It was about set to hit EBAY or REVERB.

Now, it's staying with me. And the Rail Tail looks and operates a damn site better on the guitar than the Fender unit. Beauty is in the eye of the owner - or something.
Thanks for the video.
J Mo'

All,
My best educated guess as to why tuning retention is far better with the Rail Tail than the stock Fender trem tailpiece could provide:

The trem bridge is no longer screwed into the body; it is now sitting and rotating (with lubricant) atop a steel bar that is screwed into the body. So, it is rotating in a fixed arc on a round metal bar (i.e. metal to metal) as opposed to being pressed at an angle into (in comparison) softer material - wood. And the unit has more mass and metal to its name than the Fender unit. And if you adjust the springs and claw such that the Rail Tail just touches the body top when released (as opposed to slamming against the body), it's pretty close in feel to a floating trem. You just can't do the upward pull on it. Again, that's not a big deal to me and my playing style.

This is the only actual Fender Strat I've owned. I have other Strat-like axes from Robin and Vantage (Matsumoto). Being quite pleased with the results from the Rail Tail, those guitars will probably also get an upgrade.
And no - I'm not a paid advertiser; just a happy customer.

BTW - I never went through these handstands with Gretsch Bigsby or Mosrite trems. The Fender trem setup is an exercise in how to complicate a cup of coffee (my opinion). There is beauty in simplicity (Something Plato might have stated) as well as satisfaction in getting a problem fixed.
J Mo'

Last edited: Apr 18, 2023 08:27:14