G&L Dual Fulcrum Vibrato Locks worth installing?

[efudd]

I saw these on the Tone Guard site and on ebay, and on a few picts on ggjaguar. I don't use the vibrato much, is this worth installing? Almost 60 years of strats and no one's really bothered, though I've seen people wedge the block with a piece of wood, so maybe it's really not that useful?

I don't really want to go drilling a hole in the '88 SC3 I picked up unless I hear some good words about this thing first. Probably requires a whole new calibration of the set too to get it to lock right, unless I'm lucky with where the tail piece is sitting now.

Anyone wanna chip in?

[replyman]

Good question. Is it worth it?

[yowhatsshakin]

Call me stupid but I don't really understand how this 'lock' is supposed to be used. Checking out the pictures that are provided in this eBay listing, this lock seems to be a shim under the rear of the vibrato. In that case, it serves no purpose beyond disallowing upward motion of the vibrato arm. Hence you cannot pull the tone sharp. But you still can pull it flat (dive bomb). And the motion of the vibrato that causes other strings to go flat when you do a string pull is still not prevented either. This movement is exactly what is prevented by wedging a block of wood between the vibrato block and the back of the the vibrato cavity. Hope somebody can set me straight

- Jos

[ieso]

^ If you break a string in mid-song, flip the lock, and you're still rockin' in tune.

[westsideduck]

I had an old G&L with the factory installed lock and it was pretty useless, setting the bridge height to get it to work properly was a pain. I have some spares that I use for string changes, they work great for that. If you do deceide to install one they came with a very thin spring washer underneath it, you can't install it properly without the spring washer.

[SJG]

The purpose of the tremlock is it's used when you restring your guitar so you won't have to cram a toothbrush or whatever under the back side of the trem. I don't know that I would modify a guitar with one but if the guitar came with a tremlock (which means a Leo era piece), it's a pretty cool and rare feature by Leo Fender.

[Boogie Bill]

Nope.

All my G&Ls go commando, allowing for free and easy movement, if ya know what I mean!

[efudd]

The purpose of the tremlock is it's used when you restring your guitar so you won't have to cram a toothbrush or whatever under the back side of the trem.

Best way to string Strats and archtops is to replace one string at a time, outside to in or inside to out.

Good replies, I'll just live without the lock. The guitar has great resonance as it is. Never understood that about strats types - they should sound terrible what with the strings attacked to the body by 3 springs, but it doesn't seem to matter at all.

[sirmyghin]

The purpose of the tremlock is it's used when you restring your guitar so you won't have to cram a toothbrush or whatever under the back side of the trem.

Best way to string Strats and archtops is to replace one string at a time, outside to in or inside to out.

Good replies, I'll just live without the lock. The guitar has great resonance as it is. Never understood that about strats types - they should sound terrible what with the strings attacked to the body by 3 springs, but it doesn't seem to matter at all.

I also prefer blocking the trem, don't you clean your guitars