6 Post vs. 2 Post Bridge. Silver Sky question..

[Fats]

As I consider the Silver Sky, apart from radius it seems that the bridge is the biggest differential between the SE and a Maryland made. Two questions for consideration.. 1. Does the 6 post bridge offer a tangible advantage. 2. If I go down the road of the SE, but upgrade to a 6 post bridge, should I also upgrade the tuners to vintage locking? i.e. does the bridge/tuner combo matter? Appreciate any input. Maybe overthinking this. Should just go play them..

 

[BrianC]

I have both. My Se SS is set to float. I have 5 Core with trems and the feels is VERY similar, almost the same.

 

[Rider1260]

The SE is surprisingly good , just a bit brighter to my ear compared to the USA model.
I for one would not change the bridge from a 2 to a 6 , if you wanted John Mann will likely offer a Brass Block at some point , I think that alone
would warm up the guitar if that's what you need.
The money you would put into an SE ( bridge , Tuners ) would get you close to US money.
Biggest Difference for me The US feels closer to Vintage 60s ( Vintage C heading to a U )
The SE feels more current production Fender not quite Modern C but flatter and less round

 

[andy474x]

I have a Maryland made SS, and have played a few SE's. The SE's are really, really nice guitars. If your trem bar use is less, I agree with @Rider1260 , if you ever want to change something about the bridge, just look for an aftermarket block. Locking tuners are unnecessary for tuning stability on fixed bridge, or unused trem guitars, they just make string changes easier.

The SE SS is the closest I've ever heard an SE come to matching the tone of a core model. It differed more in the feel, with the USA SS being more refined and broken-in feeling. But I think that had more to do with the fretboard edge rolling and fretwork, over time I'd expect the SE to break in some as well. Personally, being a trem non-abuser, I'd not change a thing on the SE if I owned one.

 

[Lewguitar]

I think the two point vibrato on the SE Silver Sky stays in tune better and is much, much easier to set up to float than the old Fender six screw style used on the CORE Silver Sky.

I think the six screw version on the USA Silver Sky might sound deeper. Six points of connection rather than two might be the reason.

The guitar ships with the tremolo flat to the top of the guitar and not floating. That does sound better. Deeper. More solid.

But I prefer floating and I like the two screw version. Jeff Beck, the master of the whammy and guitar in general, used the two screw version as well...although he obviously used Fender's version.

Seems like the players who use the whammy a lot tend to prefer the two screw version over the old 1950's six screw version.

 

[Fats]

The SE is surprisingly good , just a bit brighter to my ear compared to the USA model.
I for one would not change the bridge from a 2 to a 6 , if you wanted John Mann will likely offer a Brass Block at some point , I think that alone
would warm up the guitar if that's what you need.
The money you would put into an SE ( bridge , Tuners ) would get you close to US money.
Biggest Difference for me The US feels closer to Vintage 60s ( Vintage C heading to a U )
The SE feels more current production Fender not quite Modern C but flatter and less round

The SE is surprisingly good , just a bit brighter to my ear compared to the USA model.
I for one would not change the bridge from a 2 to a 6 , if you wanted John Mann will likely offer a Brass Block at some point , I think that alone
would warm up the guitar if that's what you need.
The money you would put into an SE ( bridge , Tuners ) would get you close to US money.
Biggest Difference for me The US feels closer to Vintage 60s ( Vintage C heading to a U )
The SE feels more current production Fender not quite Modern C but flatter and less round

Thank you for your excellent assessment. Whichever I buy will come from John Mann’s shop, where I will play them both, so I’ll get his valued input as well.

 

[Longneck Tenon]

I have a Maryland made SS, and have played a few SE's. The SE's are really, really nice guitars. If your trem bar use is less, I agree with @Rider1260 , if you ever want to change something about the bridge, just look for an aftermarket block. Locking tuners are unnecessary for tuning stability on fixed bridge, or unused trem guitars, they just make string changes easier.

The SE SS is the closest I've ever heard an SE come to matching the tone of a core model. It differed more in the feel, with the USA SS being more refined and broken-in feeling. But I think that had more to do with the fretboard edge rolling and fretwork, over time I'd expect the SE to break in some as well. Personally, being a trem non-abuser, I'd not change a thing on the SE if I owned one.

Haven’t changed a thing on mine except strings. Just finished a play on it with a little compression, delay and reverb. Sounded heavenly.

 

[Lewguitar]

I have a Maryland made SS, and have played a few SE's. The SE's are really, really nice guitars. If your trem bar use is less, I agree with @Rider1260 , if you ever want to change something about the bridge, just look for an aftermarket block. Locking tuners are unnecessary for tuning stability on fixed bridge, or unused trem guitars, they just make string changes easier.

The SE SS is the closest I've ever heard an SE come to matching the tone of a core model. It differed more in the feel, with the USA SS being more refined and broken-in feeling. But I think that had more to do with the fretboard edge rolling and fretwork, over time I'd expect the SE to break in some as well. Personally, being a trem non-abuser, I'd not change a thing on the SE if I owned one.

You don't own one? You should!

 

[Fats]

Haven’t changed a thing on mine except strings. Just finished a play on it with a little compression, delay and reverb. Sounded heavenly.

Sounds like you’re referring to the SE, yes?

 

[Longneck Tenon]

Sounds like you’re referring to the SE, yes?

Correct.