Permanent tuning system for electric guitars

Seems interesting, but my experience is with a properly set up guitar, it will stay in tune for a very long time. Sure, not "forever" but for a whole set isn't out of the question.

I have a properly set up "tremolo" bridge on my Stratocaster and I can play hard, use the whammy bar, and bend all I want and it will still be in tune. That wasn't the case before, when it wasn't set up correctly and had poor quality saddles, plate, and block in there

Quote:

Originally Posted by intoflatlines 

Seems interesting, but my experience is with a properly set up guitar, it will stay in tune for a very long time. Sure, not "forever" but for a whole set isn't out of the question.

 

I have a properly set up "tremolo" bridge on my Stratocaster and I can play hard, use the whammy bar, and bend all I want and it will still be in tune. That wasn't the case before, when it wasn't set up correctly and had poor quality saddles, plate, and block in there

With cheaper guitars (Like my sub $200 Yamaha acoustic and Fender electric) the tuning seems to slip rather easily...  So I'm actually quite interested in this, if I ever get back into playing.

I looked at the video and it does look impressive but it got me to wondering about how you would be able to use vibrato, bends, or any other pitch altering techniques while using that system. I looked at the FAQs and there is a procedure you can follow to make bends actually work, but it seems like it would be a big problem setting up and doesn't give you much freedom. I can assume that you definitely wouldn't be able to use any vibrato or obviously a whammy bar either. But, for people that just strum chords this system could work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hybrys 

With cheaper guitars (Like my sub $200 Yamaha acoustic and Fender electric) the tuning seems to slip rather easily...  So I'm actually quite interested in this, if I ever get back into playing.

Honestly with the money you'd spend buying this and setting up the new system (possibly having to modify the body of the guitar) you'd be better off finding where your weak components are and fixing/upgrading those. Lots of tuning instability is due to binding at the nut, string trees, and saddles. Properly aligned tuners, filed nuts, and even something as simple as a tiny bit of graphite/vaseline on contact points really makes a difference. For my main guitar, the thing that fixed tuning issues the most was getting a stiffer bridge assembly and properly tensioning the springs. Also, lots of people like to really tighten all 6 screws on a vintage style Stratocaster tremolo, but this really hurts tuning stability. The right thing to do is to take off the strings, make sure the bridge is sitting flat with the body, then tightening the two outermost screws so that they touch the baseplate. Then you tighten the inner 4 so that they touch the baseplate, but then back them out 1/4 turn. Turns it into pretty much a 2 point system but without the ugliness associated with it. David Gilmour and many others do this and it really works.

string stretching during the restringing process really is the key to staying in tune as well as a clean bridge and nut. This is a gimmick and a bad one at that if it limits bends and vibrato, just not worth it as they are keys to expressive playing