if it were that "easy" then i'd submit you're probably right. as it is though, i rather doubt DG used/ uses a 'Sophia 2:22 Pro CSE' trem system (just a guess though). but Darrell does make some lovely noise - no doubt about that ;-)
I've purchased one of these tremolos for my headless guitar and let me assure you, they are the "bees knees". If you ever dreamed that Evertune bridges had a whammy bar - This is it! The best thing to happen to guitars since the Floyd Rose. My guitar really does stay in tune ALL DAY. Even after regular trem use. I don't do 'crazy stunts' with the trem but I do use it regularily in my playing and yet it totally stays in tune. I'm really impressed. On the down side, they are quite expensive. However they are well made with high quality materials. I can tell this bridge will never wear out or break down. Easy to restring and tune, too. Also they look great. I especially like how they feel when palm-muting - totally smooth and comfortable wth nothing spiky sticking out. Postage was expensive as standard postage isn't an option unfortunately. Only FedEx, etc was available but it was mailed same day as puchase. There were a few hiccups in communication on the website - some product information is confusing and sometimes response to inquiries are within an hour, sometimes same day, and sometimes days. I thought I was being ""ghosted" and one point. But please be patient. He answered all my questions eventually. He explained that it's basically a one-man show and he's quite busy. He even once gave me his number and invited me to call, which impressed me. This guy is a genius and is constantly improving and refining his builds. He recently sold me a prototype trem (not available on the site yet) that can lock down in place even better than the default style, which was already better than Ibanez / Floyd Rose trems in the first place. At the end of the day I'm so happy with these bridges, they are worth every penny. Extremely customisable too. Took me a while to dial in how i like it but now it's set up i don't think I'll ever go back to my Ibanez ZR. Now I've just got to figure out what to do with all my other guitars LOL
Wow that thing is an architectural work of art. They even made the ball ends of the strings show up and look classy, you can tell they really thought of everything top to bottom! Even if it wasn't crucial they still payed attention and made it nice, impressive.
They are working off the premise of the more you invest the better you sound. I guess they never heard me play. I don't care how much I spend, I still suck.
have you seen a Fender Japan with Kahler Top Loader ? hardtail body with no spring cavity or thru router for trem block - quick release thumb lever Lock nut - no tools - innovative and original - I found a Korean Lado with a cheaper Kahler and same "hardtail" body - even the brass roller saddles were a Plus - but yeah the Sophia is a Great Mod for routered Strats
YES! this is the answer to my question when you installed that FR Rail Tail that could only handle dives. Floating AND double stop stability! YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!
Shine on baby Shine on! 😄 Love how you play so Gilmour-like. He’s my soloist inspiration. I wish I can put one of these trems on my strat. Thanks again for a great vid Darrel!🙏
Actually at first I thought of Jeff Beck. Only then came Gilmour. Man your playing has gotten soo nice. Thanks for the sounds and the demo. Cool device.
Thanks for presenting this awesome trem! The look and sound of this particular guitar is just stunning!! I'm the kind of cheap-gear-guy, but man, I would trade a kidney for this guitar!
Thanks for reviewing this trem. I still have some questions. - Was the end on the arm good or distracting? - How do those pistons prevent bends from affecting other strings? They push against the main springs, so they should actually *help* a bent string affect the other strings. - How does the master tuner feel? Easy or hard to turn? Smooth or rough? What is the range? Does it actually tune each string equally? I think pull-distance to pitch change is different for thick vs. thin strings. - When doing flutters, can you feel the pistons engage when crossing the "zero point?" Or do small flutters never actually disengage them? Is the feel of light vibrato any different? Is there any time you could feel the pistons hit the body? Did it affect the smoothness of the pitch sweep? The review was okay, but really seemed to be more fawning over the features, even before it was out of the box, than really testing or reviewing them. Some key things were not even demonstrated or reviewed. I see a lot of positive comments, so I guess enough of your viewers were satisfied. I'd prefer to see more testing and evaluating of the proposed improvements.
It's missing one thing: A simple chrome cover that would fit on top to hide the individual arms of the trem. Some of us old guys prefer our setups to look as clean as possible - I still use the "ash tray" on my Telecaster.
Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun. Shine on you crazy diamond. Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky. Shine on you crazy diamond. You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom, Blown on the steel breeze. Come on you target for faraway laughter, Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine! You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon. Shine on you crazy diamond. Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light. Shine on you crazy diamond. Well you wore out your welcome with random precision, Rode on the steel breeze. Come on you raver, you seer of visions, Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine! David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Roger Waters
Epiphany> Never Realized This Song is About An Externally Forced Reality and The Reaction To It, By The Directives Pre Chosen 'Reactor'🔣🔄'I dont know how it ends? I guess they do _
Hi Darrell, thank you so much for showing us this vibrato system! I had seen the other version on some guitars but didn't know about the stabiliser features - they look awesome and really great, useful additions to a floating bridge! Same kind of price range as Hipshot or high end Gotoh which I didn't expect - I thought it would be more. I'll be checking these out. Thanks man and have an amazing day 😊
Nice trem. I can't say I ever heard of these guys before but it is good to have an upgrade path for strat types that doesn't involve all the fuss of a Floyd Rose.
Yep, I hated the floppy trem bar on my Strat too so I took it off and slid on a drill bit stop first (removed the set screw), then a spring and finally a flat rubber washer (all stuff I had in my toolboxes), screwed it back in, and now it's perfect and stays where I want it but rotates out of the way easily. Best part is it didn't cost me a penny. ;-)
It looks very nicely made to the point of being eyewateringly expensive. The integrated stabilizer system might be less awkward than the tremsetter/tremol-no type devices and the thumbwheel will undoubtedly be faster than adjusting the claw screws. Personally I prefer fully floating over a stabilised type. You can spend a lot less money to get a decent floating action though. The Wilkinson two pivot bridges work very well, and paired with decent locking tuners you can really abuse the whammy bar and not lose tuning. The gotoh two points are a bit better, but the price thereabouts doubles. I'm gonna guess that the system in the video is more than double the price of a gotoh, it's complex and very nicely machined. There is a case for using a stabilised trem live even if you'd normally use a floating trem though, as I've always had a hardtail or blocked trem guitar available for songs where I don't want the trem to flutter or need to play union bends. This usually means I play a hardtail (or blocked/screwed down tight teen) most of the time and reach for the stunt guitar when it's my turn to show off. If you set a stabilised system up in a way that's right for you, it's possible to play a very varied set on just the one guitar. This is particularly useful if you're on a small stage with no room for a rack of guitars, or shoehorned into an orchestra pit for musical theatre.
Fender does not innovate because the broad majority of its customers insist on the old stuff and leave everything else on the side. They'll keep taking fools' money for a long time and why should they not?
Take off the pistons assembly, screw them in the cavity...sound familiar? The wheel idea is similar but not as good as the one from Ken Parker on the original Flys since there is no flat spring. It's nice, I'll give you that.
You know, I've never even heard of these before. Crazy because I'm SUPER into oddball trems, partially because I'm trying to "build a better mousetrap" as it were, but mostly because as a luthier I'm always looking for new hardware tech to get my hands on. The Wilkinson lineup has been my go-to for a modern trem option for quite a few years, followed closely by the PRS patented trem in its current Phase III Private Stock model incarnation and then of course the original MilCom one piece brass trems Paul originally had helped design (The original manufacturer is a personal friend of Paul's and still produces and sells pre-2000 PRS hardware - entirely with Paul's current blessing and involvement- INCLUDING but not limited to the whole trem system itself in its entirety. Heavy, but totally worth it!) That said, this "Sophia" or whatever it's called most definitely had my curiosity at first but now absolutely has my attention. In fact, it uses a few similar elements I've been working to incorporate into my design, albeit executed in final form much differently than I had imagined. Anyhow, right before I started writing this I went to their website. My brief 20 second gaze-over had me fumbling for my wallet. As soon as I'm done with this comment, I'm ordering one. Literally have my credit card in my mouth right now haha. They're surprisingly inexpensive, all things considered. They run about what genuine, non-licensed Floyd would run you and quite frankly I feel they're getting robbed at that price. It's been a number of years since a piece of guitar hardware or technology has genuinely impressed me to such a degree. I CONSTANTLY bitch about the lack of innovation in the industry, but this gem has restored some hope in me again. Very cool my friend, and I hope yours treats you as well as mine will.
Hi- would like to see a comparison- with sound- feel- good and bad- of floyd rose- bigsby- deusenberg-super vee- coherent light and sound- trem king-stetsbar- etc. Good job on the videos, thanks
@@CarlyonProduction nope. It can dive pretty hard without too much tuning issues. After a few songs I adjust tuning a small amount. It's just hard to get, always seems out of stock. Goth 510 is another good one.
I loved this video but I have never had any issues with my bog standard fender floating trem. Its always in tune and even when im giving it 2 and half whole step brick in the wall bends, it doesn't seem yank on the trem.
No problems here either, I seem to have a knack of finding the balancing point. I'm sure this trem is great & all but I was wondering if it's solving problems that don't really exist unless you're too brutal with the whammy.
runlarryrun77 will easy guitar have a nice video about it, the idea is to put a block so the tremolo is parallel with the body tighten the springs as much as it go ,now you can't push the arm down put guitar in tune good time for intonation after it's all good 😊 release the springs tension slowly as soon it will go out of tune re tight a bit remove the block it should be in the mojo, if changes string size or sometime brands need to be done also, Keep the mojo in the groove
Tuning wheels are nice. Parker Flies have had them for ages. When you put on new strings block the bridge into it's neutral position (Flies have a switch to do this) and tune the guitar. Once tuned remove the block and use the tuning wheel to bring it back into tune. You quickly get tuned to where the bridge floats in the correct position without having to deal with one string pulling the others out of balance.
Darrell Braun Guitar so you’ll have to loosen the string to get to the set screw to move the saddle? Then why not just get a Floyd rose or a Wilkinson? The two cushion springs are of dubious benefit. However, the tuning wheel on the train block has some interesting possibilities. Other than that I don’t see that much benefit over trem systems currently available. In conclusion, I would like to thank you for the excellent review. It was very informative, and adequately illustrated the pro and cons of this item.
I would like FR replacement. But version with stabilizer and it is 425 + 75 USD for d tuner. plus arround 20% more in EU. I think I will survive without nice trem.
So how did it hold up? Do you still like it? I've always been more a fan of hardtails, but that is a very interesting bit of machinery. Great video, thanks
Pretty cool, but it probably costs more than all my guitars together. And I'm a 61 year old beginner. Hopefully I won't suck so bad that black holes run from me.
Nice! I been wanting to get one for one of my Ibanez guitars. I replaced the trem block with a larger brass block years ago on many of my guitars but when I saw an ad for this trem in a magazine, I wanted it immediately. Great review of a great product!
It looks like there might be an adjustment hole at the end of each string on the top-backside of the trem. Maybe a screw driver or hex key adjusts that. He definitely set it cuz each saddle is shifted into a slightly different position.
Yes Darrel..PLEASE fill us in...I am not sure but Im guessing that it is adjusted from the neck side of the saddle..it does not appear that it could be done from the back being to string thimbles are in the way..
James Hill Ok after watching the closeup video again, it would seem there’s a hex screw hole on the underside of each saddle. I’m 99% that works as a lock. So you loosen that, slide the saddle back or forward and then lock it back down. Weird because I’m guessing you’d need to use the provided hex key and actually access those through the back of the guitar. So the key would be parallel with the trem block and need to be lengthwise. This appears to be the only way. There’s a tiny chance that the backside of each saddle where that opening is might be where the key goes but it doesn’t LOOK like it should.
@@SeemsLikeSomething "Slide??" thats highly unlikely.. There has to be a screw type adjustment somewhere.. Im guessing its on top side facing the pickups. A lil odd looking for my taste but hey..if it works?? Then thats what really matters. I use Babicz and LOVE the saddles. I dont use Babicz base plate and block..just the saddles.. They are Brilliant. Saddle is flat to base plate rather than sitting on 2 lil adjustment screws.. Incredible resonance can be felt in the entire guitar when you pluck a note.. The cam rotating saddle and locking set screws are perfect. Check them out!
James Hill Whether it slides forward and backward and locks down via screw or moves in that direction along the thread of a screw makes absolutely no difference so long as something is stopping it from doing so on its own.
I get all of the features and whatnot, but all of the moving parts in the block really bother me :/ Call me crazy, but I'd rather have a weighty piece of solid brass under the trem. You can add a stabilzing system to a heavy block, but you can't add solidity to a multi-piece, self-stabilizing block. It's a cool idea, just not something I'd ever use, especially at the price.
Wow, I can hear my inner Jeff Beck coming out, the Gilmour licks were tasty too, this thing is one of the best Trems I've seen that fits in a stock strat. Great video Darrell.
Darrel you said you had some trouble with the wiggling of the standard tremolo arm, this system is much, and MUCH more advanced but I only want to give a tip : Fender sells a little spring for his wiggle teem. You just throw it in the hole of the arm and this hat spring presses the arm up and gives a more stable sturdier feel on the tremolo. But this product is better for $225,-us that's a fact!!!! ❤️☮️🎸☯️🎼🎶👍
Nice. You answered my question about double-stop bends, which I do constantly. I also have a Fender Select, but in an SSS pickup configuration, and it's great, but the trem system is a bit underwhelming.
203 Bosos who believe the term system affects the natural strat tone and if you put a 2 point them on it wrecked it. A class tools I say. this term rocks! Love your work by the way, keep it up :P
Tremelo looks great and sounds great! however i can´t help but hear the lack of sustain, could you do a full video on comparing sustain of multiple diffrent tremelo systems? I think many people will benefit from a video like that.
Exceptional sustain ... From world-class Luthier, Gene Baker -- B3/Roscoe Guitars [Senior Master Builder for the Fender Custom Shop '93-'99] on his Charvel equipped CSL Sophia 2:92 Pro with the Global Tuner Pro with Dual Stabilizers: "Playing performance it feels great, smooth, stays in tune ... Really like the sleek look and no rough or bulky edges to it.... As far as the dual stabilizer goes, it works and helps eliminate palm pressure to maintain pitch and pulls backwards nicely.... easy to feel and hear once the pistons come in contact with the body, there's an added tone transference throughout ..
Trem turned him into Dave Gilmour. Now that's good value
if it were that "easy" then i'd submit you're probably right. as it is though, i rather doubt DG used/ uses a 'Sophia 2:22 Pro CSE' trem system (just a guess though). but Darrell does make some lovely noise - no doubt about that ;-)
Then just imagine what it would turn DG into if he did use one
DG will still be DG even if you give him banjo....
He could be DG on a pencil.
Richie Williams II it was a joke....
I've purchased one of these tremolos for my headless guitar and let me assure you, they are the "bees knees". If you ever dreamed that Evertune bridges had a whammy bar - This is it! The best thing to happen to guitars since the Floyd Rose. My guitar really does stay in tune ALL DAY. Even after regular trem use. I don't do 'crazy stunts' with the trem but I do use it regularily in my playing and yet it totally stays in tune. I'm really impressed. On the down side, they are quite expensive. However they are well made with high quality materials. I can tell this bridge will never wear out or break down. Easy to restring and tune, too. Also they look great. I especially like how they feel when palm-muting - totally smooth and comfortable wth nothing spiky sticking out. Postage was expensive as standard postage isn't an option unfortunately. Only FedEx, etc was available but it was mailed same day as puchase. There were a few hiccups in communication on the website - some product information is confusing and sometimes response to inquiries are within an hour, sometimes same day, and sometimes days. I thought I was being ""ghosted" and one point. But please be patient. He answered all my questions eventually. He explained that it's basically a one-man show and he's quite busy. He even once gave me his number and invited me to call, which impressed me.
This guy is a genius and is constantly improving and refining his builds. He recently sold me a prototype trem (not available on the site yet) that can lock down in place even better than the default style, which was already better than Ibanez / Floyd Rose trems in the first place.
At the end of the day I'm so happy with these bridges, they are worth every penny. Extremely customisable too. Took me a while to dial in how i like it but now it's set up i don't think I'll ever go back to my Ibanez ZR.
Now I've just got to figure out what to do with all my other guitars LOL
Wow that thing is an architectural work of art. They even made the ball ends of the strings show up and look classy, you can tell they really thought of everything top to bottom! Even if it wasn't crucial they still payed attention and made it nice, impressive.
I normally hate product demos, but this was a perfect blend of polished presenter, quality guitar, and astounding new product.
Mad respect for the shine on you crazy diamond jam! Super underrated song.
underrrated???
Your channel is hard on my wallet!
yeah, no kidding (lol); i was thinking the same thing when i saw the $225+ USD kit price!
the version in the video is $325 the standard model is $225
You get what you pay for, hopefully. Niice sounds!
They are working off the premise of the more you invest the better you sound. I guess they never heard me play. I don't care how much I spend, I still suck.
Now this is unlike any Stratocaster system I've seen before!
It works really well, and looks super sleek :)
have you seen a Fender Japan with Kahler Top Loader ? hardtail body with no spring cavity or thru router for trem block - quick release thumb lever Lock nut - no tools - innovative and original - I found a Korean Lado with a cheaper Kahler and same "hardtail" body - even the brass roller saddles were a Plus - but yeah the Sophia is a Great Mod for routered Strats
Hi!
Yeah, I saw one in a pawn shop once. It looked pretty cool :)
Can you say again what Stratocaster it is, Fender Stard Stratocaster?
Tom Bardy He’s got a Fender Select Stratocaster.
thanks
I've been looking at these guys and their tremolos for over two years
YES! this is the answer to my question when you installed that FR Rail Tail that could only handle dives. Floating AND double stop stability! YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!
Shine on baby Shine on! 😄
Love how you play so Gilmour-like. He’s my soloist inspiration. I wish I can put one of these trems on my strat. Thanks again for a great vid Darrel!🙏
Thanks for the kind words!
Actually at first I thought of Jeff Beck. Only then came Gilmour. Man your playing has gotten soo nice. Thanks for the sounds and the demo. Cool device.
5 more minutes of that wonderful playing please ! 😁😁😁
the tension adjuster/stabilizer is a MAJOR upgrade from all other floating trems. Looks right at home on that strat.
SkyScraper Guitars has nobody heard of the Ibanez zero point here???
@@tyler_bt3326 Geoff McCabe who designed these Sophia trem helped design that Ibanez trem.
@@curtpozzi5527 point is it's not new.
That song was very Gilmour! :-)
Thanks for presenting this awesome trem! The look and sound of this particular guitar is just stunning!! I'm the kind of cheap-gear-guy, but man, I would trade a kidney for this guitar!
Thanks! Have to remember this trem for future builds.
1:10 That block looks like something Da Vinci would have made if he wanted to make a tremolo lol
Very cool tech. Nice to see a company developing new ideas...
Thanks for reviewing this trem. I still have some questions.
- Was the end on the arm good or distracting?
- How do those pistons prevent bends from affecting other strings? They push against the main springs, so they should actually *help* a bent string affect the other strings.
- How does the master tuner feel? Easy or hard to turn? Smooth or rough? What is the range? Does it actually tune each string equally? I think pull-distance to pitch change is different for thick vs. thin strings.
- When doing flutters, can you feel the pistons engage when crossing the "zero point?" Or do small flutters never actually disengage them? Is the feel of light vibrato any different? Is there any time you could feel the pistons hit the body? Did it affect the smoothness of the pitch sweep?
The review was okay, but really seemed to be more fawning over the features, even before it was out of the box, than really testing or reviewing them. Some key things were not even demonstrated or reviewed.
I see a lot of positive comments, so I guess enough of your viewers were satisfied. I'd prefer to see more testing and evaluating of the proposed improvements.
That seems like a lot of questions that would take a long video to answer.
I was confused when you showed the trem system with the extended fine tuners at first but then installed a completely different model lol
wierd......👍
Did you listen to the words he spoke?
Even listening on my iPad, wow, fantastic tone! Great licks! Thank you!
It's missing one thing: A simple chrome cover that would fit on top to hide the individual arms of the trem. Some of us old guys prefer our setups to look as clean as possible - I still use the "ash tray" on my Telecaster.
Like a MM cutlass?. Yeah, I'd like the option.
i never care about what hardware u r using, what i really enjoy is ur playing , i really couldn't stop watching ur playing, its so wonderful!!!
Thanks! I really appreciate the kind words!
Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,
Rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!
David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Roger Waters
Solar Guitar Studio what about Nick Mason?
Epiphany> Never Realized This Song is About An Externally Forced Reality and The Reaction To It, By The Directives Pre Chosen 'Reactor'🔣🔄'I dont know how it ends? I guess they do _
It's about Sid Barrett and his decent into madness.
Sid Barrett Floyd was rad! Almost as good as Peter Gabriel Genesis. 😁👍
Thursday vid, cool! You show great faith in this new Trem, putting it on your favorite Strat...
😄 True!
So far so good :)
Hi Darrell, thank you so much for showing us this vibrato system! I had seen the other version on some guitars but didn't know about the stabiliser features - they look awesome and really great, useful additions to a floating bridge! Same kind of price range as Hipshot or high end Gotoh which I didn't expect - I thought it would be more. I'll be checking these out. Thanks man and have an amazing day 😊
Very interesting. I'd like to see a follow up video after you've lived with it for 6 months or so.
please
Totally, let us know how it is after ‘the honeymoon ‘ looks great
I would also find this interesting
petemasterplan it’s been a year. I’d like for an update also!
I remember looking at this a loooonnng time ago. Cool!
Bought the identical RG after watching your videos. I love the white knobs and pickups! Makes it pop with the red and black accents.
Congratulations!
It's a sweet guitar 👍
I didn't know that this even existed! Thanks for bringing it too my attention!
Anytime! 😁
The 2.92 floyd rose replacement is also pretty damn cool.
Just bought a Custom Shop Strat and this trem is the first mod I'll be installing. I haven't had a Strat for twenty years it's gonna be fun fun fun.
Nice trem. I can't say I ever heard of these guys before but it is good to have an upgrade path for strat types that doesn't involve all the fuss of a Floyd Rose.
That is a really good trem! Very advanced! I'll look into one.
Would have like to seen you perform the intonation adjustment as well as the global tuning wheel demonstrated.
Yes. Sorely missed. How could that be overlooked!?
What a tone! Beautiful playing, best I've ever heard you play
The camera quality just pops out. Keep it up man. Love your videos
Yep, I hated the floppy trem bar on my Strat too so I took it off and slid on a drill bit stop first (removed the set screw), then a spring and finally a flat rubber washer (all stuff I had in my toolboxes), screwed it back in, and now it's perfect and stays where I want it but rotates out of the way easily. Best part is it didn't cost me a penny. ;-)
I would love to see a comparison video of this and the Floyd Rose rail tail.
Hi!
I'll see what I can do :)
@@DarrellBraunGuitar yes please
Beautiful, simply beautiful Darrell! Thank for sharing.
Anytime!
Regards rfom Buuenos Aires, Arggentina
Glad to have you on the channel!
It looks very nicely made to the point of being eyewateringly expensive. The integrated stabilizer system might be less awkward than the tremsetter/tremol-no type devices and the thumbwheel will undoubtedly be faster than adjusting the claw screws. Personally I prefer fully floating over a stabilised type.
You can spend a lot less money to get a decent floating action though. The Wilkinson two pivot bridges work very well, and paired with decent locking tuners you can really abuse the whammy bar and not lose tuning. The gotoh two points are a bit better, but the price thereabouts doubles. I'm gonna guess that the system in the video is more than double the price of a gotoh, it's complex and very nicely machined.
There is a case for using a stabilised trem live even if you'd normally use a floating trem though, as I've always had a hardtail or blocked trem guitar available for songs where I don't want the trem to flutter or need to play union bends. This usually means I play a hardtail (or blocked/screwed down tight teen) most of the time and reach for the stunt guitar when it's my turn to show off. If you set a stabilised system up in a way that's right for you, it's possible to play a very varied set on just the one guitar. This is particularly useful if you're on a small stage with no room for a rack of guitars, or shoehorned into an orchestra pit for musical theatre.
That has to be the best I've heard you play. You're a damn good player but that took me back to the 70's...Nice Job DB
Wow, that tremolo is more than I paid for my strat.
Functional AND attractive. The trem is pretty nice too!
Finally a little innovation. ... take that Fender...! And great industrial design.
So true!
Fender does not innovate because the broad majority of its customers insist on the old stuff and leave everything else on the side. They'll keep taking fools' money for a long time and why should they not?
@@Leo_ofRedKeep Totally agree. Same with Gibson ...
Take off the pistons assembly, screw them in the cavity...sound familiar?
The wheel idea is similar but not as good as the one from Ken Parker on the original Flys since there is no flat spring.
It's nice, I'll give you that.
Yeah, Fender already solved this with the two point trem...ten years ago.
Seems like the right choice for a higher end instrument. Nice upgrade Man
You know, I've never even heard of these before. Crazy because I'm SUPER into oddball trems, partially because I'm trying to "build a better mousetrap" as it were, but mostly because as a luthier I'm always looking for new hardware tech to get my hands on. The Wilkinson lineup has been my go-to for a modern trem option for quite a few years, followed closely by the PRS patented trem in its current Phase III Private Stock model incarnation and then of course the original MilCom one piece brass trems Paul originally had helped design (The original manufacturer is a personal friend of Paul's and still produces and sells pre-2000 PRS hardware - entirely with Paul's current blessing and involvement- INCLUDING but not limited to the whole trem system itself in its entirety. Heavy, but totally worth it!) That said, this "Sophia" or whatever it's called most definitely had my curiosity at first but now absolutely has my attention. In fact, it uses a few similar elements I've been working to incorporate into my design, albeit executed in final form much differently than I had imagined.
Anyhow, right before I started writing this I went to their website. My brief 20 second gaze-over had me fumbling for my wallet. As soon as I'm done with this comment, I'm ordering one. Literally have my credit card in my mouth right now haha. They're surprisingly inexpensive, all things considered. They run about what genuine, non-licensed Floyd would run you and quite frankly I feel they're getting robbed at that price. It's been a number of years since a piece of guitar hardware or technology has genuinely impressed me to such a degree. I CONSTANTLY bitch about the lack of innovation in the industry, but this gem has restored some hope in me again. Very cool my friend, and I hope yours treats you as well as mine will.
Review???
Bro that trem system looks so nice and very very high quality love it man just love it lol great video
Thanks MW!
Hi- would like to see a comparison- with sound- feel- good and bad- of floyd rose- bigsby- deusenberg-super vee- coherent light and sound- trem king-stetsbar- etc. Good job on the videos, thanks
I really enjoy this kind of videos, thanks Darrell.
Thanks!
Anytime 🙂
I really like this tremolo very well made 💙
That’s just pure cool ! It really makes that guitar pop.
I love my Floyd Rose rail tail it keeps my strat in perfect tune dive bombs all day long and great intonation. Hard to beat it.
Glad to hear that. Thanks.
I have seen people saying it doesn't return to 0 too good. That not been your experience?
@@CarlyonProduction nope. It can dive pretty hard without too much tuning issues. After a few songs I adjust tuning a small amount. It's just hard to get, always seems out of stock. Goth 510 is another good one.
Thanks for that superb Gilmouring! Yup - I'm definitely checking this out for my Shawbucker model. Thanks, DB!
I loved this video but I have never had any issues with my bog standard fender floating trem. Its always in tune and even when im giving it 2 and half whole step brick in the wall bends, it doesn't seem yank on the trem.
jordan harding I don't have any problem with mine either my strat is balanced between the strings and the springs tension there is the Mojo
No problems here either, I seem to have a knack of finding the balancing point. I'm sure this trem is great & all but I was wondering if it's solving problems that don't really exist unless you're too brutal with the whammy.
runlarryrun77 will easy guitar have a nice video about it, the idea is to put a block so the tremolo is parallel with the body tighten the springs as much as it go ,now you can't push the arm down put guitar in tune good time for intonation after it's all good 😊 release the springs tension slowly as soon it will go out of tune re tight a bit remove the block it should be in the mojo, if changes string size or sometime brands need to be done also,
Keep the mojo in the groove
that block is an incredible piece of engineering. the whole thing really!!
How about a comparison between the Sophia, Floyd Rose Rail Tail and the Contour Hipshot.
Hi!
I'll see what I can do :)
@@DarrellBraunGuitar :)
@@DarrellBraunGuitar Add the vegatrem too! It was a cool trem being small yet acting like a floyd
This thing makes me re-think decking the trem on my Strat. I may have to get one of these.
WOW I got to get me one of those, amazing!!
Tuning wheels are nice. Parker Flies have had them for ages. When you put on new strings block the bridge into it's neutral position (Flies have a switch to do this) and tune the guitar. Once tuned remove the block and use the tuning wheel to bring it back into tune. You quickly get tuned to where the bridge floats in the correct position without having to deal with one string pulling the others out of balance.
So you adjust action by the posts and it comes with the radius preset but what about intonation?...
Hi!
That's exactly right.
Each saddle is on a slider and can be tightened in place :)
ahhh
Hi!
No. Adjustable from the top :)
Darrell Braun Guitar so you’ll have to loosen the string to get to the set screw to move the saddle? Then why not just get a Floyd rose or a Wilkinson? The two cushion springs are of dubious benefit. However, the tuning wheel on the train block has some interesting possibilities. Other than that I don’t see that much benefit over trem systems currently available.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you for the excellent review. It was very informative, and adequately illustrated the pro and cons of this item.
Thank you very much For the review. Ordered mine as I was watching the video thank you
Anytime!
Enjoy the trem! 👍
But, it's $225. Ouch!
Whaaaaaaat
... and that's more than I paid for my MIM Strat.
that's the basic one. think this is $325
You'd spend that on OD pedal no problem though right?....
I would like FR replacement.
But version with stabilizer and it is 425 + 75 USD for d tuner.
plus arround 20% more in EU.
I think I will survive without nice trem.
Holy schnikes! I had no idea anyone was doing anything this cool with tremolo bridges.
So how did it hold up? Do you still like it? I've always been more a fan of hardtails, but that is a very interesting bit of machinery. Great video, thanks
Well I made the block measurement and picked the pro up! Very excited to install on my Fender American Professional II !!!
Pretty cool, but it probably costs more than all my guitars together. And I'm a 61 year old beginner. Hopefully I won't suck so bad that black holes run from me.
Nice! I been wanting to get one for one of my Ibanez guitars. I replaced the trem block with a larger brass block years ago on many of my guitars but when I saw an ad for this trem in a magazine, I wanted it immediately. Great review of a great product!
Looks beautiful. It also look super expensive.
Lol! It is!!!
The vega trem is a much better choice if you're into whammy action and looks better imo
It's less than an Original Floyd Rose.
Yeah and we're used to cheap guitar hardware that barely works. Gibson s too. Why make an ABR-1 out of zinc? Why cheap assed tuning machines?
Even more amazing Trem system!! Thanks for the demo!
I think I got physically attracted to that trem during demo. Anyone else
😂😂😂
It looks complicated and mechanical just like a ibanez trem
😍
I want one.
This is wicked awesome. Especially with your smooth playing.
Nice playing by the way. Sounded a little bit like David Gilmour-ish
Thanks Tom!
That's so great that you did this. Geoffrey McCabe is a genius.
So how do you adjust the intonation on this system?
It looks like there might be an adjustment hole at the end of each string on the top-backside of the trem. Maybe a screw driver or hex key adjusts that. He definitely set it cuz each saddle is shifted into a slightly different position.
Yes Darrel..PLEASE fill us in...I am not sure but Im guessing that it is adjusted from the neck side of the saddle..it does not appear that it could be done from the back being to string thimbles are in the way..
James Hill
Ok after watching the closeup video again, it would seem there’s a hex screw hole on the underside of each saddle. I’m 99% that works as a lock. So you loosen that, slide the saddle back or forward and then lock it back down. Weird because I’m guessing you’d need to use the provided hex key and actually access those through the back of the guitar. So the key would be parallel with the trem block and need to be lengthwise. This appears to be the only way. There’s a tiny chance that the backside of each saddle where that opening is might be where the key goes but it doesn’t LOOK like it should.
@@SeemsLikeSomething "Slide??" thats highly unlikely.. There has to be a screw type adjustment somewhere.. Im guessing its on top side facing the pickups. A lil odd looking for my taste but hey..if it works?? Then thats what really matters. I use Babicz and LOVE the saddles. I dont use Babicz base plate and block..just the saddles.. They are Brilliant. Saddle is flat to base plate rather than sitting on 2 lil adjustment screws.. Incredible resonance can be felt in the entire guitar when you pluck a note.. The cam rotating saddle and locking set screws are perfect. Check them out!
James Hill
Whether it slides forward and backward and locks down via screw or moves in that direction along the thread of a screw makes absolutely no difference so long as something is stopping it from doing so on its own.
I thought I was listening to David Gilmour there for a minute! Great video from the trem master - looks like a really cool set up!
I get all of the features and whatnot, but all of the moving parts in the block really bother me :/
Call me crazy, but I'd rather have a weighty piece of solid brass under the trem. You can add a stabilzing system to a heavy block, but you can't add solidity to a multi-piece, self-stabilizing block.
It's a cool idea, just not something I'd ever use, especially at the price.
Ditto. And, perhaps as a result of the split block, the sustain seems lacking.
Hi!
As I mentioned in the video A person can order it with a traditional block if a person were so inclined.
Sounds terrific, beautiful playing.
Thanks Vincent!
My dude, I think you forgot to screw in the screw that's to the right of the trem on the pickguard
I know, I'm a bit anal about this but that loose screw was bothering me... Great piece of hardware though. I'm not that much of a trem guy though.
I was only reading through the comments just to see if someone else was bothered by that, hahaha!
@@saftovooey4569 yeah, it's amazing how much gets overlooked by so many. Important things, too.
LOVED that Gilmour-esque jam!!
Thanks!
I saw my guitar in your video ... :)
Looks and sounds great.
Checks the price... Just as I thought.
Wow, I can hear my inner Jeff Beck coming out, the Gilmour licks were tasty too, this thing is one of the best Trems I've seen that fits in a stock strat. Great video Darrell.
Thanks James!
Darrel you said you had some trouble with the wiggling of the standard tremolo arm, this system is much, and MUCH more advanced but I only want to give a tip : Fender sells a little spring for his wiggle teem. You just throw it in the hole of the arm and this hat spring presses the arm up and gives a more stable sturdier feel on the tremolo. But this product is better for $225,-us that's a fact!!!! ❤️☮️🎸☯️🎼🎶👍
Great video! Cool trem system. You have to love the top load. Thanks...
I like the little pistons. I think the global wheel is mainly used for different string gauges in lue of adjusting the claw.
Finally the Sophia getting some spotlight!
My fender will have one soon, thank you.
Getting Gilmouresque in my old age. Definitely something to look into in the future. Another great vid.
Very cool, and as always, your playing is spectacular!
Cool system, I still love my Super V Bladerunner but I may try this next! Thanks for alerting me to a virtually unknown company! Cheers!
Nice trem, sweet guitar. Great review!
Thanks Jesse!
Nice. You answered my question about double-stop bends, which I do constantly. I also have a Fender Select, but in an SSS pickup configuration, and it's great, but the trem system is a bit underwhelming.
That Strat looks soooooo nice!
Wondering if this would work on a six screw bridge.
Amazing Strat with an amazing tone and Gilmour style solo🤘🤘🤘
203 Bosos who believe the term system affects the natural strat tone and if you put a 2 point them on it wrecked it. A class tools I say. this term rocks! Love your work by the way, keep it up :P
Namm' last year' Your Like The First To Review This Awesome Product! You Rock Sir!, I So Want One Also!🎸🎼
Glad you liked the demo :)
Tremelo looks great and sounds great! however i can´t help but hear the lack of sustain, could you do a full video on comparing sustain of multiple diffrent tremelo systems? I think many people will benefit from a video like that.
Hi!
I'll add it to my list :)
Exceptional sustain ... From world-class Luthier, Gene Baker -- B3/Roscoe Guitars [Senior Master Builder for the Fender Custom Shop '93-'99] on his Charvel equipped CSL Sophia 2:92 Pro with the Global Tuner Pro with Dual Stabilizers:
"Playing performance it feels great, smooth, stays in tune ... Really like the sleek look and no rough or bulky edges to it.... As far as the dual stabilizer goes, it works and helps eliminate palm pressure to maintain pitch and pulls backwards nicely.... easy to feel and hear once the pistons come in contact with the body, there's an added tone transference throughout ..
Love it.....love it....finally.....
The double shock absorbers kinda mimics the ZPS on your ibanez actually. Pretty cool trem and playing.
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