Specific Guitar Hardware Comparisons - Play the Game!

[Scinx]

I haven't gotten down and dirty into hardware details ever. Was wondering thoughts on the following:

Fixed Bridges (If one isnt going to use the tremelo - is there any disadvantage to a fixed bridge. Or, in the same circumstance, is there any disadvantage to having a tremelo)

Tuners - I know Light and others have sung the praises of Gotoh 510 tuners. How do these compare against Sperzel? What is the up and downside of locking tuners?

Pots - What is the main difference between 250k, 500k & 1 Meg Pots?

Fingerboard - Im familiar with Maple (hard) & Rosewood fretboards. How does Ebony fretboards compare?

Lastly, for the nut - whats the view on the material here? Graphite vs Bone vs Other?

 

[SteveK]

I haven't gotten down and dirty into hardware details ever. Was wondering thoughts on the following:

Fixed Bridges (If one isnt going to use the tremelo - is there any disadvantage to a fixed bridge. Or, in the same circumstance, is there any disadvantage to having a tremelo)

Definitely sounds and plays differently. Sonically almost adds a reverb quality to the tone due to the springs in the cavity. Playing-wise doing country bends sound much more in tune with a fixed bridge.

Tuners - I know Light and others have sung the praises of Gotoh 510 tuners. How do these compare against Sperzel? What is the up and downside of locking tuners?

I don't know of ANY downside to locking tuners...some are better than others though...



Pots - What is the main difference between 250k, 500k & 1 Meg Pots?

The amount of treble roll off.

Fingerboard - Im familiar with Maple (hard) & Rosewood fretboards. How does Ebony fretboards compare?

Ebony is very smooth and fast, and sonically sits between maple and rosewood.

Lastly, for the nut - whats the view on the material here? Graphite vs Bone vs Other?

I prefer graphite for tuning stability, Bone sounds great, and there are numerous other materials available.

Hope some of this helped...

 

[Light]

Fixed bridges sound different than trems. Fixed will (usually) have better sustain, and less attack (very much related issues, by the way).


As for tuners, there is no compairison. 510's are better machined, better finished, and better designed. And they make a locking tuner which locks simply by tuning up the string. There is no knob to turn or anythin like that. I like them a lot, even though I have to specal order them to work with my guitars. I wouldn't use anything else.


The higher the value, the brighter the sound. Hence the use of 500k pots on guitars with humbucking pickups, which are naturally darker, and 1 meg pots on teles for the country guys who want to make your ears bleed.


Ebony is not as bright as maple, not as dark as rosewood. It doesn't need to be finished, which is a REALLY good thing for a fingerboard.


As for nuts, I use bone. Graphite is fine if you have a trem, but you can get the same effect by rubbing a bit of pencil lead in the nut slots when you restring. Bone has the perfect ratio between durability and sound. As for other materials, brass is sticky (which sucks) and the synthetic substitutes for bone (micarta, corrian, etc.) are usually softer than bone, so they don't last as long. Unbleached bone, by the by, is harder and better than bleached bone, and it has that cool pale brown streakiness. We don't even have any bleached bone in the shop anymore. The rest of the shit you read about on the internet, well...

I have a friend who has a policy regarding things like water buffalo horn or fosilized ivory (or what ever else is the flavor of the week this hour). If you come into his shop and say, "I want a water buffalo horn nut because it will make my guitar sound so much better," he won't do it. Period. If, however, you come in and say, "I really want a water buffalo hor nut, because I think a black nut will look really cool," he will do it no problem. The fact of the matter is IF there is a difference in sound, it is so small YOU CAN'T HEAR IT. You have this guitar which has a million different things effecting the sound, and the nut gives you MAYBE 1% of the sound. You are not going to hear it. And here is another little secret for you; the nut only matters when you are playing an open string. As soon as you fret it, you lose the entire "sound" of the nut. Get a bone nut, because it will last a long time, it sounds good, and if it is made right it will probably last your lifetime. As for the rest of the hype about nuts, it is just hype.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[guido #2]

As far as Fixed bridge vs Trem;
I am going to assume this is the age old Strat Hard Tail vs Trem story....
The springs are what makes a Strat SOUND like a Strat. I don't care if you EVER use your whammy bar... If you are thinking about getting a Strat, get one with the whammy. It can always be set-up to ACT like a hardtail, but those springs will add twang and verb that you won't get anyhow else!

 

[Dani Pace]

If you have a bad habit of resting the heel of your hand on the tailpiece then a tremelo tail is not for you. Some of the Floyd Rose ones which sit rather high are real touchy, barely touching them will throw you out of tune.

 

[Scinx]

Thanks to all!! Very very helpful

I am more considering getting a Les Paul-style custom guitar. I personally never use the tremolo on my strat, and thus, was trying to figure if I should just go hardtail. What is the general consensus in this matter?

 

[guido #2]

A Strat whammy bridge can be set up to rest on the body, thereby eliminating any worries about where you rest your hand....

 

[Light]

Thanks to all!! Very very helpful

I am more considering getting a Les Paul-style custom guitar. I personally never use the tremolo on my strat, and thus, was trying to figure if I should just go hardtail. What is the general consensus in this matter?

MY Strat is a hard tail, and I like it like that, so take that for what it is worth. I want the sustain, and if I want reverb, well then I will add it at the amp.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Codmate]

Having a hard tail changes the way bends work.
It's harder to bend as far with a trem as the trem moves when you bend the string.

I don't use the trem much on my Strat - but I haven't disabled the trem as I always think, 'well, I might use it one day'...

Besides, I have an LP Studio which has no trem so I have the option