Any info on Phase III Locking Saddles?

[John F]

New guitar incoming has locking saddles. I see in a photo there is a screw that pinches the string before it breaks over the saddle. I imagine there is a jaw the screw presses on that holds the string, otherwise a rotating screw pressing on the string would cut it.

I did an extensive search for any info on the locking saddle and found nothing about how to engage it or disengage it for string changes. Seems intuitively obvious, but I expected some mention of it on the PRS website or on a forum.

Anyone have experience with the PRS locking saddle?

Anyone leave the screws out to have one less thing to fool with? I’m wondering if it rattles when not tight.

Thanks in advance,
John

 

[bodia]

I assume you're talking about the Gen III trem? If so, check out this thread for some info.

Anyone have experience with the PRS Locking Saddles?

I know these have mainly been used on Private Stocks or PS-level limited edition guitars, but have any of you folks spent some time with the PRS Locking Saddles? I’m a huge fan of the Floyd Rose, so I was curious how the tuning stability was on the PRS locking saddles for a good deal of...

forums.prsguitars.com

 

[aphantomvaper]

Learned something new. PRSh is a mad genius!

 

[John F]

Thanks Bodia!

 

[Erick_S]

I assume you're talking about the Gen III trem? If so, check out this thread for some info.

Anyone have experience with the PRS Locking Saddles?

I know these have mainly been used on Private Stocks or PS-level limited edition guitars, but have any of you folks spent some time with the PRS Locking Saddles? I’m a huge fan of the Floyd Rose, so I was curious how the tuning stability was on the PRS locking saddles for a good deal of...

forums.prsguitars.com

Not the same. The Gen 3 has conventional saddles. The locking saddles only come on some Private Stocks.

 

[John F]

PRS lists the saddles on the spec sheet coming with the guitar as “PRS tremolo with Gen 3 locking saddles”.

After reading about the difficulty in using the locking saddle, I might change them out after fiddling with them myself. I think I might block the trem too.

 

[Erick_S]

The Gen 3 tremolo is the same, except for the saddles. For the Gen 3, PRS changed the knife edge screws - they made them larger, for added strength. They also changed the top plate - they added tracks/slots for the saddle height screws, to improve alignment. The saddles remained essentially the same from Gen 2 to Gen 3, although they may have changed the saddle height screws from cup-end to oval-end, to better slide in the new top plate slots. The brass block is the same. The locking saddles are their own thing. It is basically an add-on to the Gen 3 trem.

 

[Erick_S]

PRS lists the saddles on the spec sheet coming with the guitar as “PRS tremolo with Gen 3 locking saddles”.

After reading about the difficulty in using the locking saddle, I might change them out after fiddling with them myself. I think I might block the trem too.

My buddy who has them hasn't said anything negative - although he hates the gold/brass - but he hasn't noticed any particular tonal difference between them and his regular PRS saddles. In theory, it looks like a Floyd Rose, with a set screw that locks down the string within the saddle. They will be a proprietary design, so you won't be able to find them anywhere else.