(Question) Installing Tremel-No on CE-24

[LoFi_Lxgend]

I just bought a 2018 CE 24 satin, and took it to my guitar tech to setup and have a new All Parts Tremel-No installed. The large clamp style Tremel-No I bought doesn't fit the guitar. The replacement claw is too wide, and so the holes wouldn't line up to screw it in. My tech told me that in order to install the unit he'D have to plug and re-drill holes for the claw, and I'm genarally against making modifications like this that can't be reverted back to original spec. I'm wondering if i just got the wrong unit. Has anyone installed a tremel-no on a ce-24 that was a direct fit? Or is re-drilling necessary?

 

[JasonE]

I have one of these in my core SAS. I installed it. Mine is the large clamp style as well. Mine went in with no issues at all. I am curious to whether yours may have had a mix up in the parts when they packed it.

 

[LoFi_Lxgend]

Thanks for the response. I talked with someone at All Parts and turns out they only make one claw size. They recommended plugging and re-drilling the holes to make it fit, so I decided that's what I'll do. I've had one installed in an SE and currently have one in an S2 cu24, both were direct fit. It seems the CE 24 claw is just a different size from all other PRS tremolo claws. Interesting manufacturing decision but at least now I know.

 

[JasonE]

Thanks for the response. I talked with someone at All Parts and turns out they only make one claw size. They recommended plugging and re-drilling the holes to make it fit, so I decided that's what I'll do. I've had one installed in an SE and currently have one in an S2 cu24, both were direct fit. It seems the CE 24 claw is just a different size from all other PRS tremolo claws. Interesting manufacturing decision but at least now I know.

That is definitely strange. I wonder if PRS changed the size of the claw in the newer guitars. My SAS is a 2006 and mine was a direct fit.

 

[Birdsofprey]

This question is for both you guy’s ^^ Can I ask why you need/want a Tremel-no with this trem. Long time ago I had an Ibanez RG that had a Floyd and I put one in that guitar but at the time thinking I was improving it. Well a Floyd with especially a locking nut doesn’t need one. Now to PRS and there trems again I used to think tuning stability came from the trem, it’s design (2 post, 6 post etc) however I’ve changed my mind lol. I’m now of the belief that a guitars tuning stability starts and ends with the nut, simple simple. I certainly understand there are more moving parts here just curious why? I’m always open to learn something new/ improved. Good luck seems like you have a cure.

 

[LoFi_Lxgend]

This question is for both you guy’s ^^ Can I ask why you need/want a Tremel-no with this trem. Long time ago I had an Ibanez RG that had a Floyd and I put one in that guitar but at the time thinking I was improving it. Well a Floyd with especially a locking nut doesn’t need one. Now to PRS and there trems again I used to think tuning stability came from the trem, it’s design (2 post, 6 post etc) however I’ve changed my mind lol. I’m now of the belief that a guitars tuning stability starts and ends with the nut, simple simple. I certainly understand there are more moving parts here just curious why? I’m always open to learn something new/ improved. Good luck seems like you have a cure.

There are a few reasons for me. Firstly I'm partial to guitars with fixed bridges, specifically the hipshot/plate style that comes on the Holcomb SE. PRS doesn't make many guitars with that style bridge, I believe the Holcomb and the SE SVN are the only two. Having a Tremol-No gives you the three options to fix the bridge, set to dive only, or let it float normally all with just a small thumb screw adjustment. So you can have a fixed bridge without losing any of your normal tremolo functions. Secondly the hard tail mode deals with that issue all trems have where tuning one string causes all the others to go out of pitch, and having to retune all the strings whenever you do something like go from E standard to drop D. As a matter of fact I'm able to tune the whole guitar up or down in pitch without worrying about changing the position of the bridge, because set to hard tail the change in string tension isn't able to pull the bridge out of place. Lastly it also dampens that audible spring vibration you get with a floating trem. I can stuff foam behind the springs to deal with that too, but if I'm not using the trem it's nice to not have to make the compromise of controlling the extra noise. I've never had tuning stability problems with a properly set trem so I don't think the tremol-no adds more stability or anything. As you said the nut is almost always the culprit there. The tremol-no for me just adds more functions that I'd like to have on trem equipped cu24.

 

[JasonE]

This question is for both you guy’s ^^ Can I ask why you need/want a Tremel-no with this trem. Long time ago I had an Ibanez RG that had a Floyd and I put one in that guitar but at the time thinking I was improving it. Well a Floyd with especially a locking nut doesn’t need one. Now to PRS and there trems again I used to think tuning stability came from the trem, it’s design (2 post, 6 post etc) however I’ve changed my mind lol. I’m now of the belief that a guitars tuning stability starts and ends with the nut, simple simple. I certainly understand there are more moving parts here just curious why? I’m always open to learn something new/ improved. Good luck seems like you have a cure.

My reason for putting the device in my SAS had nothing to do with tuning stability. I put it in because I was playing in a band where I needed to go to a drop D tuning on the fly. That meant either switching guitars, which took too long, or dropping the E string and having the whole guitar a little out of tune. The second method wasn't really detectable in a band context but I wanted the guitar to be in tune. I can lock and unlock the Tremol-No on the fly to be able to have the bridge float, do dive only or be locked in place.

Interesting note: I have had more tuning issues with my SAS with this device in it than I did without it. It took a little while to figure out why. For some reason the trem on this specific guitar needs to float. If I lock it down to dive only, it doesn't come back up in tune all the time. If I leave it floating, it does.

 

[Birdsofprey]

JasonE do you find the PRS system more stable than other brands, I sure do. And yes guy’s the nut is super important especially for tuning issues. I get the drop tuning advantages as back in the early eighties not too many players were doing this. Do either of you use a headstock scrongy ( lol I really don’t know the correct term for them)? So they say supposedly dampens any sympathetic overtones. Interesting might try one for kicks on the high gain stuff which for me is old metal and any of my Custom 24’s.

 

[Birdsofprey]

Also I’ll add I’ve never play a guitar brand with more stable tuning than a PRS, that said an old Ibz RG made in Japan was incredible. I could dive the trem to zero hold the guitar up with just the strings in my hand and it would go right back in tune. I think Floyd’s are very stable as well.

 

[JasonE]

JasonE do you find the PRS system more stable than other brands, I sure do. And yes guy’s the nut is super important especially for tuning issues. I get the drop tuning advantages as back in the early eighties not too many players were doing this. Do either of you use a headstock scrongy ( lol I really don’t know the correct term for them)? So they say supposedly dampens any sympathetic overtones. Interesting might try one for kicks on the high gain stuff which for me is old metal and any of my Custom 24’s.

The PRS trem is very solid. I have worked on quite a few of them. I find the GOTOH 510 to be very solid as well. This is the bridge Suhr uses. The bridge Anderson uses is also very solid. I have been working on guitars for a good number of years and I find that many of the trem bridges can be made to stay in tune well. The issues are, as you have mentioned, usually at the nut.

I used to use a puffy hair tie of my wife's on my guitar just above the nut. The reason for that is to play a Joe Satriani song that I used to play that is done with taps using both hands. I would pull the hair tie down on to the strings to dampen them while I was doing the tapping.

 

[JasonE]

Also I’ll add I’ve never play a guitar brand with more stable tuning than a PRS, that said an old Ibz RG made in Japan was incredible. I could dive the trem to zero hold the guitar up with just the strings in my hand and it would go right back in tune. I think Floyd’s are very stable as well.

PRS trems are definitely a very solid unit. Floyd Rose trems, once setup correctly, are bulletproof. I used to play a lot of FR equipped guitars. I only have one now and may actually sell it.

 

[LoFi_Lxgend]

My reason for putting the device in my SAS had nothing to do with tuning stability. I put it in because I was playing in a band where I needed to go to a drop D tuning on the fly. That meant either switching guitars, which took too long, or dropping the E string and having the whole guitar a little out of tune. The second method wasn't really detectable in a band context but I wanted the guitar to be in tune. I can lock and unlock the Tremol-No on the fly to be able to have the bridge float, do dive only or be locked in place.

Interesting note: I have had more tuning issues with my SAS with this device in it than I did without it. It took a little while to figure out why. For some reason the trem on this specific guitar needs to float. If I lock it down to dive only, it doesn't come back up in tune all the time. If I leave it floating, it does.

I've always taken it as a given that big bends and dives on a non-locking tremolo will always return it slightly out of pitch, and the only way to chase that to perfection is with a FR setup *gross* . A quick upward yank on the bar will set the tuning back on a PRS trem if it's slightly out, but when you're playing live I can see how that doesn't cut it. I don't often use a trem but when I do it's pretty much sparingly.

 

[JasonE]

I've always taken it as a given that big bends and dives on a non-locking tremolo will always return it slightly out of pitch, and the only way to chase that to perfection is with a FR setup *gross* . A quick upward yank on the bar will set the tuning back on a PRS trem if it's slightly out, but when you're playing live I can see how that doesn't cut it. I don't often use a trem but when I do it's pretty much sparingly.

As long as I leave it set to fully floating or locked down it returns in tune just fine. I can actually dive it pretty good and it comes back in tune. As soon as I set it to dive only, it comes back in tune about half the time.