Can a Trem Claw Improve Your Tone?? - Let's Find Out!
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Today I install the Tone Claw on my Strat and listen for any difference in tone and sustain!
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Could you guys hear the difference between the two? If so, let me know!
Enjoy :)
I could hear just a tad more sustain with the tone claw, but pretty subtle...
Hi ,that it sell in floyd rose page in axlabs too ,very good
Before watching I'm going to say no. I don't think the springs are going to transfer enough energy to the claw for the added mass to factor in.
I would have liked to have tested what happens on a blended note.
May be placebo but the tone claw sounded audibly brighter / chimey-er
The only difference is that it looks cooler.
Who sees it?
Exactly!
@@ricksigurdson2016 but you'll know it isn't there and it might affect the feel :-)
And most of the time you can’t see it because it’s literally hidden in the back of the guitar. Kinda useless!
I made blind comparison and definately youre wrong. Question is if it is more stratty or not. I mean that many people got uset to stratocaster tones made with regulat bent metal claw. I think SRV never thought about swapping it ;)
Sounds nice but I think I'll wait for the active tone claw.
😁😁😁
Isn't that just an Evertune?
@@MrNeosantana LOL no
@@toemasmeems *sigh*
There's always one
Haha! Robot Claw (back off, Agnesi)!😅😅
Even two transients recorded with the same claw will never look exactely the same.
That may be true but doesn't explain the result. Because the pattern is consistent and the same across ALL the examples. So much so you could identify which claw is which purely by viewing the graph. With both claws side by side. But swapping positions.
It is having a effect
@@neilphillips1350 At best it's so subtle no one could tell the difference purely just by sound! I would challenge anyone to do a double blind test and would guarantee there is no discernable difference! The read out proves it! This is more placebo than fact!
Might be the best engineered useless part I’ve ever seen.
spot. on. Had to dig really deep into those wave forms to see any difference. Frankly, if there was a difference, the standard one sounded better? Not to mention picking dynamic variances could easily make up any of these differences. if he was .1 mm closer to the bridge, or .1 mm deeper on the pick against the string. Seems like a stretch to sell this thing....
Now, that's a perfect way of putting it.
@@danherrick2310 And for $60, that's really stretching it.
I completely agree with you🤣👍
That's the best description I've seen
Cheap trem claw looks like one I can build in my garage on a lazy afternoon. Expensive trem claw looks like an engineering masterpiece.
Yet the difference is negligible. What a waste of money.
Yeah, it's like girls. When you strum them with your eyes closed.
For something that is not meant to be seen!!!
I want this for the bling. I don't have a cover on my trem.
@@JungYT And who, exactly, is gonna see your bling, unless you do a Jimi and bite those strings? I'll sell you a back cover for $10, and you can spend the rest on a bracelet with your name on it. LOL
The easiest way to improve your guitar tone is with stickers. Of course vinyl stickers will give you more sustain than paper stickers. And if you want a darker tone, of course you need darker stickers. For a more airy wide open tone, just use hologram stickers, or stickers with butterflies.
I added a foam dinosaur sticker donated by my 3 year old kid. What tonality changes can I expect from that? I put it on the pickguard of my Tele.
You mean I can use the facelift vinyl full cover on my strat and replace my sustainer pedal?
This is basic knowledge.Billie joe Armstrong put this theory into effect through the yrs. it’s also very true with cars
That only works on First Act guitars.
@@caerphoto You can expect the sound quality to scale up quite a bit
Hahahaha... It reminds me of a guy trying to sell a set of 4 neck screws from a 51 Precision bass. The guy was asking for $1000 for the set
0:30 Yeeeeessss!
Next up: How does wearing Chuck Taylor's improve guitar tone through a slightly over driven British amp on a Tuesday?
Definitely less ground hum when wearing Chucks. The old, American made ones. The new ones: Fuhgedaboudit! 😎
The plate that locks the springs in - is that a solution in search of a problem? Do springs pop out spontaneously?
That is the exact same thing I was thinking. I’ve never had a spring come off the back claw.
Double ditto I abuse the living hell out of my Floyd and never even seen one loosen?
@@goldbug1974 I have when I really take the stock setup for a good pull up. I've had to put a foam block in that the back cover holds in place to keep the springs in place
I've had a spring pop off before, but I attribute this to the much higher string tension because of the lower tuning I was in
only ever happened once so I still think its a non-issue
@@caixiuying8901 once when changing springs I damn near sprung my finger off , but that was my fault entirely. oh to be young again 😊
The one who says "there's is a slight difference ..." still believes in Santa.
Or waiting for the Easter Bunny.
Spoilers
You'd be surprised what confirmation bias can achieve. If you bought cause you believe in it, you will hear a difference. Otherwise that would mean your purchase and decision was wrong. Can't have that! That is why only blind tests are kinda reliable.
There's a HUGE difference
@@worhed3722 Yeah, in your wallet! 😉
Personally I like my strats as light as possible. Low 7 lb- 6’s.
I couldn't hear any difference in the tone, but then I didn't expect to. Mechanically the only real purpose I could see for this is to combat string rattle which it obviously does by the fact that Darrell couldn't unhook the springs from the claw with the locking mechanism in position. While it did seem to increase the amount of sustain, it is margin of error amounts. This seems like a product for your 'studio' guitar where you are looking to get the very best out of every single part to make it sound and play as good as possible.
I think this is the best reason why you'd want these upgrades from what I've seen from anyone posting on here. Good points 👍
There was definitely a difference in tone. The new claw was brighter and fuller, in a studio setting the difference would be huge
@@worhed3722 hard to tell with UA-cam compression but I can believe it.
You'd be better off and spend less money spent simply upgrading your springs.
The best idea of this whole replacement is the painters tape idea, keeping the same distance as the stock trem claw.
Excellent observation. Loosing your trem setup is extremely frustrating.
I certainly thought there was a difference, but it's too small to make me want to change mine. It's taken me 6mths to perfect my set up and I'm not messing with it anymore.
6 meths can make you blind. Worse than vodka from Latvia.
The answer is “No”... don’t waste your hard earned money on stuff that don’t matter. Spend it on learning to be a better guitarist!
I absolutely agree, the tone comes from the fingers at 99.9%, Just look at Angus Young, and he was playing with a junior SG 1 puckuo and he had removed the tone and volum pots, any way he was playing all open no pedals, nothing...👍
@@charlesmigneault7918 it doesn't. That's a massive myth that way too many people believe. Tone is 99.999% pickups, amp, speakers and a but of your pick attack. Not tone fingers lol
@@kitten-whisperer Vin makes it sound like your fingers can turn a Strat into an LP lmao
@@caixiuying8901 that's how it works. Want filtertron pickup sound? Just use those damn hands. Do you have big fat humbuckers but want a twangy tele sound? Use those HANDS!!!
To be fair, this claw obviously weighs more. Therefore it's useful in that aspects. Say you wanted to add weight to the body of your guitar for better balance, this would be a fairly simple and subtle way to go about that.
Cool, but $60+ shipping?? 🤷♂️🎸🎶
Ouch!
You always get what you pay for! Darryl please can we see you playing the intro riff for your channel, it's literally the best on the internet!!
I think that is a royalty free stock piece of music as I have heard it on other channels.
Finally a solution to my trem springs randomly popping off the cleat in the middle of playing!
See, someone actually understands that this thing is useful.
Wow, you must really knock that guitar about!
On a side note, if you please
would you mind make a comparison using this wave reading to finally demonstrate the difference between a full maple neck vs maple neck and rosewood fretboard?
I'm pretty sure that's been done already by Warmoth. I think it was them that did video.
The difference is huge, it's crazy
Great video! I could see doing this in concert with other upgrades to the nut, bridge, block etc. the collective change would likely lead to a noticeable difference.
Even if there is no advantage from the tone claw, it shines like jewelry! I'm sold..... lol
the schaller claw is better lol
and shiny too but actually makes setting up the trem a breeze
all u do is turn the 1 screw either left or right and ur sett one thing i hate about the normal claw is having to turn 2 screws one by one in small increments to set a floyd and thats still the case with this one
the normal ones polish up too
There's a new design that makes this all obsolete. The Tonevise Treminator. It's a super well engineered trem stabiliser with it's own claw that locks the springs down, and then it can be rapidly changed from dive only to full floating, and you can also adjust the trem position if things aren't in tune as well, all with thumb wheels, so no tools. And you don't need to drill holes in your guitar.
I was actually wondering that the other day. How were you reading my mind?
Side note, after having two guitars of my own I'm starting to recognize tonal difference. One having much more bite for rock, while the other is more beautiful for cleans.
Because one is a bass guitar and the other a banjo?
Its because you attract certain thoughts based on previous thoughts, and the youtube logarithm is learning to sync with both of those based on previous selections. It is freaky when it gets to this level of sync or as in your case just ahead of you.
That is because The Algorithm is now controlling your thoughts. Never underestimate the power of The Algorithm.
@Brett S I took the tone controls off my guitar, and filled the holes with spliffs. Now how cool is that?
I've got two of these. They're great. A bit expensive. But I have no idea about the tone. They probably do help a tiny bit. But what I like is that they LOCK the spring in. So I can get completely crazy and I cannot pop a spring off the claw. .in the past I've had to use plyers. And a vice to bend each "claw" finger to help Lock the spring to it claw.....but I have next to no tention on my Hybrid 9-46 set of strings. Tuned to C standard.. with all 5 Springs in the back. So I can pull the bar. Dive the bar... and bend any string with no deflection on another string
Hehey Darrell was waiting for the tone claw... Good day man... Love your content... A fan from India
It makes me sad that we can't get this stuff easily here. I called up Bajaao about a Wilkinson trem and they quoted 30k as the minimum.
@@Nooboroshi exactly man... It's real sad... 😢
I couldn't tell the difference at first but eventually I noticed that the cheap one sounded more glassy while the expensive one sounded beefier. I personally like the cheaper one better.
agreed
It looks so cool, and it makes things easy. Never mind the tiny bit of sustain. My main Strat is going for a treat. Thanks a lot, Darrell... from Denmark
The differences are so negligible that I could attribute those to other tiny differences in reassembling the guitar and how Darrell strums the guitar.
Verdict: Snake oil!
I bought this and dig it. It's not a major tone enhancer I didn't expect it to be. It's certainly better looking than the old claw and my strat resonates a bit more with this gorgeous hunk of brass in it and only 60 bucks.
only?
@Angel-fz8dr yeah it's was pricey, but I could afford it at the time. Total impulse buy. No regrets.
The very subtle difference you can hear (if you can hear anything) is easily attributed to variances in performance from take to take.
Looks great, sounds the same! If one has to 'look' at the WAV to 'see' the improvement, then we are missing the point of 'Audio' ..are'nt we? Ok, so the point of the video is that it 'must be better' because the printed WAV shows it clearly is ..well...more print. Looks great and must be marginally different in tone, perhaps not better tone though. I mean, if we were to take this point to the ultimate in mods..brass block, claw, nut, we would eventually end up with total Brass bodied guitar... hmm.. im pretty sure what it would have in sustain it would not have in warmth/desirable tone. Good video Darrell as always :) It s sparks comment and thats a win for you :)
Lmao! I’m starting to question your integrity.
I feel like this is kind of a solution looking for a problem scenario.
2:13 there seems to be a small spelling error lol
I like my tone claw. Can hardly tell a difference on UA-cam. After I bought one for my PRS, just had to get another for my other guitar (MMJP6).
Would of been nice if you actually tested dive bombs with that trem, that's where it might make a difference, looks like it would do a more solid job of returning after a dive and take away any play, that a standard claw may produce during a a dive.
The Tone Claw is a very nice looking piece, however, Leo Fender’s design practice of frugal effectiveness shows up once again as completely up to par at a fraction of the cost.
Surprisingly I learned that this does nothing, I was expecting more.
Would be interesting to see a floating bridge test, Strats pretty much sit in the body anyway, so the test was likely moot
Yeah I can hear the difference. In the tone, volume, and sustain as well. I noticed that whenever anybody does such comparison tests it's very important to have "unbiased" headphones, meaning no "great bass headphones" or other initially tweaked headphones, they need to be as transparent as possible.
While the Tone Claw is an improvement over the stock one, I would think that the trem block material would show the biggest gain on the tone and sustain. Now, a high-mass trem block with the Tone Claw might be a real winner.
Some of us prefer the sound of a.fully floating trem, where the springs are actually part of the response.
@@P_Ezi Correct !!! The tone is the sum of all of the parts !!!
Agreed! I’ve replaced the block in several of my guitars and it always makes a big change in sustain and tone.
Definitely Both. Along with steel saddles. Is a noticable tonal difference...I play Floyd Rose. Thick brass block. This claw. And original series saddles.. and all 5 Springs. Also sends more solid tone throughout
I saw a Waah brand brass claw that was tapered to allow for a balance between the thinner strings and the thicker ones. On Aliexpress. Mr. Carl Verhayen has a UA-cam video on how he adjusts a regular claw on an angle to do this. This claw had the angle built in. I would love to see you do a comprehensive review on both, if it gives more stability to the trem as he claims and how the built in one works out. Thanks.
This will mess with equilibrium at the floating point. That is if that clamp down plate holds the loops of the rings very firm. Because the most stable way of using a Floyd is to get grease on the inside of the claws and the spring loops so there is no stability issues at equilibrium.
Brass beats metal but just buy a normal brass claw and brass screws. Tone and sustain test this pair against the "CLAW!" Very sharp looking though. Thanks Darrell!
My experience was similar. But than I changed the string-saddles into brass, too. That was a dramatic change of the tone. Further on I startet to change Parts into brass - versions on other guitars. Like a webster-saddle and bridge on my 335. Wow! What a difference. In my earts it sounds much better.
In your bedroom maybe, at gig volume, no!
It's nicely machined...... its a pricey upgrade for a less than $300 strat! More suitable for a higher end guitar..... just my thoughts! Thanks Darrel!
I believe a partial experiment just happened. Let's hear with an aftermarket block.and mic'd unplugged from the rear to hear the tonal resonance transferred thru the body.
I use one of those expensive locking claws. Why? Because if its not locked my adhd goes off a deep end with tinkering. I got it against myself lol. It does add sustain, not a giant ammount. It does work as advertised. I like it.
The differences are super subtle and not enough to warrant the price difference in my book. If Mythbusters ever did these tests of alleged guitar improvement products, half of the industry would be shut down.
Nothing like the Schaller Sure Claw. So practical. BTW: You cannot measure overtones by watching at a waveform envelope. You need a spectrogram. To me they were identical.
Thank you for demonstrating how unnecessary this item is... I was going to buy it after seeing your Pacifica video... but now no thanks ;-)
Me too, then I looked at the price. Now the absence of a difference to a stock piece.
I think if you've got to expand the note to look at a millisecond timeline, and if you consider the differences in how you may have picked and strummed, it's likely all within the margin of error or expected deviation. In other words, there's really no audible difference, or justification for the added cost. At least not in my opinion. If someone hears an improvement, by all means, got for it.
I concur with many others here. That is a beautifully engineered and machined part that no one really needs. It sure looks good though.
If you’re not controlling the force of the strum via mechanical means, the results of this experiment are completely meaningless.
Also, you spelled “Installation” wrong.
Have a great day!
I'd be happy to see Schaller SureClaw tested - not because I expect it would affect the sound, but to have one Allen key to set springs' tension (instead of fighting with screwdriver and the both screws) seems to be sooo convenient. Plus the SureClaw looks sturdy as hell. I hate those little crappy claws and screws coming out at most strange angles... :)
I usually set my claw at a slight angle, with greter tension on the Bass side. Right or wrong, it's my preference. Not possible with devices like the SureClaw
It’s impact is like that of a compression pedal. You can barely hear the difference but you know it’s there
No. Couldn’t hear a difference nor did the graphs show anything. I’d say the main difference is the build quality.
!
Bro I soldered my springs with flux and 'nuff solder on the tremclaw and is super tight since that. As a resold: more woodyness in Tone and maybe little more sustain. Lol alles gute o
It almost sounded just a little bit brighter on the tone claw to me, but it could just be placebo. Even if it didn't do anything, it looks awesome!
I would suggest the brass would make the springs vibrate differently, but I always deaden my springs, so I don't see this as valid in that case.
US$59 for this vs.
US$6 for genuine Fender vs.
US$0 for what's in my '93 Std Strat?
I didn't hear a difference in tone nor sustain worth that difference in cost.
But it looks to be well made and my inner gadget geek likes it. Thanks!
If the claw that holds the springs and doesn't even touch the strings alters the tone - then so do the screws holding in the machine heads......
Seems like the difference in waveforms is so slight it could be chalked up to natural variation in performance.
Snake Oil.... and comparing waveforms in this way is disingenuous.
Every little helps. I want my Strat to scream! I'll be getting this, Raw Vintage tremolo springs, and a 1060 steel Halon tremolo. Pickups will be replaced too ! Between all that, my tusq nut, and my stainless steel frets, my guitar is sure to have way more life!
I could hear that tone claw sounds better with headphones. But I think the design needs some more tweaks. The two screws from the claw to the guitar body are not fasten, it seems that everything need to be fasten for better sustain or overall sound quality.
I could definitely hear a difference, although whether you feel those differences are pronounced enough to warrant 60 quid is up to your personal feeling. I heard about 2dB more in the 250Hz area, a slightly longer sustain and a definite sharper attack.
On my crappy cell phone speaker I could hear some slight additional brightness along with what you stated.
First and foremost, as always great video and demonstration. But in my opinion, there is no audible difference and a variable such as how hard or softly you may have unintentionally strummed the notes between each one can change the wave form just slightly enough to make a person believe there is a difference when there probably really isn't.
I have issues detuning to eb on Floyds, spring come off due low tension, definitely I will test this
If anyone can hear the difference I think they are lying 🤥
Sure if you feel like burning 60 bucks go for it. I think it would be interesting to see how much difference that thing makes on a cheep trem block vs a brass or thick steel block.
I couldn't hear a difference and definitely not a $60 difference
I use killer guitar components killer claw , it does make a difference in tone and feel ..give them a look
when you complicate and up charge for a simple part that has worked fine for decades. How about a comparison between the normal claw with normal springs, the normal claw with coated springs, the locking claw with normal springs and the locking claw with coated springs.
The verdict: Cork sniffing at its most ridiculous.
I didn't hear any discernable difference between the two..that a little extra weight would have caused anyway. Not worth $60 to me either way.
Fun video though!
👍
Dumb question from a noob: the trem claw doesn't seem to be tightened up firmly against the wood, so we're losing vibes between trem claw and springs. I've seen locking posts used on ToM and wraparound bridges to eliminate movement between bridge and posts. Wouldn't the same concept (but different execution) help with this? Something to prevent movement between the trem claw and screws? Too much thinking, I'd better go take a nap...
If you´re Eric Johnson?Maybe...
He'd be able to hear if it is a Phillips or a Flathead screw being used. Haha
Everyone obsessing over tone differences or lack thereof are missing the point. Locking your springs securely (at both ends) is beneficial, and should have always part of the design in my opinion. With a floating trem, why would you want those springs able to move even slightly at their anchor points when you're relying on them to put your guitar back in tune? And they can make noises when using the bar too.
It's a piece of mind thing. It also helps players with very light strings and low tunings to avoid having springs come off, and finally it looks nice. Why let the manufacturer spoil an otherwise stunning high end instrument with a crappy piece of stamped sheet metal. Makes no sense unless you're an accountant. We're musicians, not accountants, or scientists for that matter. We are in love with our instruments. Some players want every part of their instrument to be something that was made with care.
Rough stamped sheet metal says bean counters designed this. Unnecessarily polished pieces of CNC machining in places nobody can see says something else entirely.
Who cares, as long as it gives you the warm fuzzies looking at it lol.
I hear the difference. Lows/mids especially.
more solid sound and sustain 💪
Snake oil
Solution looking for a problem.
I bought one simply because I was creating a strat from scratch, glad I did💁🏿♀️
Is the color MATTE?
I would really like a side-by-side comparison of the Tone Claw vs the Sure Claw, personally...
Honestly it seems more “snapier” with the stock claw and a bit more rounded soubd with the upgraded one.
are there any vids on a build that uses all of the positively reviewed products? something like an overkill strat to see how/if they would work together vs individually with the stock setups?
Thanks Darrell, great info as always, a very slight difference, fatter note maybe
A heavy & pretty cunning expensive ways to ground the bridge . The old claws worked great since 1954 🤔
To me it sounded like it reduced sympathetic vibrations but I cant help but feel you could spend less on some noiseless springs for a similar sound. Well I guess I'm gonna go ahead and start mindlessly upgrading.
The tone claw sounds a little brighter or maybe just a little louder or more sustained on the small strings .. just a tiny bit.
To similar to go out and buy a new trem claw. Imo not worth it
I've never really understood why more sustain is "better". How much does one need? I haven't heard many songs that have huge time intervals between notes. Plus wouldn't one's amp hide any sustain issues?
Its more of a feel thing for me, but such modest gains will be tough to notice IMO.
Some of us prefer the sound of a fully floating trem. Even though there are drawbacks to floating, it does have a different sound that I prefer.
@@P_Ezi Of course. My Wolfgang has a D-Tuna, which won't work properly if not decked.
Every little bit helps and a solid claw definitely improves your tone… however If you want to take it to the next level use a Schaller sure claw because of its adjustability with a single screw Especially because you have to adjust your string tension to adjust your bridge and for different thickness strings…. Keep on rocking…
Come on Darrell!..........those wave forms prove exactly what my ears are telling me, there is no discernible difference apart from the slight narrowing in my wallet.
TBH I am surprised that you posted this video.
Why? Myth busted!
If you hear a difference I guess it makes a difference,to you,to me no difference at all ,and definitely not with anything else with anything with it,cosmetic it looks better though
Thanks for this review Darrell... When I saw you use one of these claws in a build I thought of the "Tonal possibilities" (???) After your review and a $60. price point, not a worthwhile investment... I'm sure its a great piece of hardware but not a game changer. Cheers!
Honestly.. the brass claw clips had a more consistent decay too. The standard claw clips lost that acoustic energy more unevenly. If you can't hear a difference that's fine. But there definitely is a tiny difference.
I cannot really tell the difference. Looks awesome though. I would of liked to see the chrome springs on that trem claw. I would like to see some tone comparisons with different bridges and tail pieces on a hard-tail guitar