Kevan Posted January 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 Looks interesting. Question though - how can you use a trem setter with this? The solid claw block would get in the way of the trem setter "arm" for want of a better word That's a good point. I've only seen the TremSetter installed where the original claw of the guitar was used, then the TremSetter bolted to the floor of the trem cavity. I'll do some further checking and maybe draw up a TremSetter-compatibable version (if necessary). Thanks for the tip. Regarding the "arrow config" for the springs: Well, as my mom used to tell me, "TOUGH!" No, just kidding. I'm working on an 'angled' design for the claw. We'll see how it tests out. One of the 5 patents is the "quick switch" locking system I designed for it. It's still being milled over by the machine shop guys (pun fully intended) to see how it can be done without costing as much as Shaq gets paid in a week. Don't expect it for a few months, maybe longer. I've spoken with MANY manufactuers about licenses. We'll see who calls first. :-) As Yoda says, "Patience good thing it is". I know you guys want them, and I'm dying to get them to you, but....you and I both have to wait a little while longer for an answer. In the licensing agreements, there are VERY specific requirements regarding what materials can and can not be used. The current 100 that I made were done out of 7075 T-6 Aircraft aluminum (top of the line alum.). Sure, I could have saved a few hundred bucks and went with 6061, but...if I'm gonna do this right, I'm gonna do it REALLY nice. LOL The production ones probably won't be 7075 and 304/316 stainless steel, but they will NOT be crappy pot metal drudged up from the bottom of some river. My name is on this, so it'll be quality over quantity. Funny: The thumbscrews for the Tremol-No are actually fine tuner screws from the Ibanez LoPro trems. I ordered 240 of them, then milled them all down to the size I needed. "You want HOW MANY of them? Jeez...how many guitars do you have?" LOL Lovekraft- Thanks man. I'll give that a try. F-ing Windoze..... Link to comment
Kevan Posted January 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 Darren- Bring 'em on! You've got my IM and email. I haven't gone anywhere. :-) We just can't call it "Block-It". LOL Link to comment
feylya Posted January 22, 2004 Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 Cool. Do I get to test one cos of my suggestion? Anyways, good luck with it!!! Link to comment
EKG Posted January 22, 2004 Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 Need one for my PGM300 Link to comment
Gabe Nickelson Posted January 22, 2004 Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 I just unlocked the nut on the low end of the E and A strings and tuned the low E to a low A and started doing some chuggy things with it. String was a bit limp - I should switch to 10's. All my other strings stayed in tune. Just for shits and grins, I tuned my low E to a B and tuned up my A to a B. Interesting. I might try to unlock all the nuts and tune open E and do some slide guitar. Still loving the tremol-no! Link to comment
GEdwardJones Posted January 22, 2004 Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 GE- You're the inspiration behind the "patience is a virtue" post. :-) Your unit will be at your door within the next two weeks (before NAMM). lalalalalalalalala (Kev's afraid of me ) Link to comment
Kevan Posted January 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 GE- You're the inspiration behind the "patience is a virtue" post. :-) Your unit will be at your door within the next two weeks (before NAMM). lalalalalalalalala (Kev's afraid of me ) Damn...I just don't get a break, do I? :-) I said that *before* I got a revision back from the machine shop (which I then had to revise). The question is: Do you want your unit NOW, or when it's strong enough to take a years worth of beating? I mean, I could fire up the mill right now and half-ass one for ya real quick? :-P Hey- at least I sent you pics of the latest revision. Doesn't that count for anything? LOL Or that you will get your unit a couple of days before Albert Lee gets his? Come on....that's gotta ease the pain... P.S.- The only thing on the planet I'm afraid of is spiders. Link to comment
Kevan Posted February 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2004 Hey folks! Updates: - More quotes up on the site. - Two HUGE companies contacted me about licensing. I'm workin' as hard as I can to get these into your guys' hands, and then on your guitars! I also wanted to share an email I got yesterday. Made me feel all warm and snuggly in side: "Hi Kevan, You probably won't remember me from the [EDIT] forum (I was the guy who sent you a bunch of Vai videos a couple of years ago!) but I am good friends with Darren Hunt who has one of your devices. I just wanted to say I have had a play with it and discussed it quite alot with him and it's a killer gadget! Totally solid, virtually no parts to go wrong, incredibly quick and simple to use and providing it's carefully set up, works an absolute treat. You deserve to have massive success with this and it would revolutionise the way people approach their tremelo equiped guitars - (alternative tunings much more accessible, tuning stability guaranteed etc). I know I'm a nobody in the grand scheme of things, but just wanted to lend my support and send my best wishes for the success of this amazing product. All the best Richard C." Link to comment
Jem7RB UK Posted February 11, 2004 Report Share Posted February 11, 2004 Kevan dude,mucho respect for coming up with the idea,I'll definately purchase one for my RG7 custom i'm really excited for you (seriously) and can't wait for a major company to pick up the license On a side note,I have read on a certain site about your idea,and thought it was kinda slammed before it was even tested by someone i dunno what went on between you guys (i'm sure you know whom i mean) but it's a shame that people get so negative (back on topic) if you need anyone to test a 7 string version gimme a shout,But i am sure there are plenty of people cueing to do that already Keep up the good work dude,and i'll keep my eyes open for them being sold to the masses Regards Rob Link to comment
cerealk Posted February 11, 2004 Report Share Posted February 11, 2004 Hey Kevan Richard is a cool bloke and a Jemfest UK supporter too! I might have a recording artist who would be interested in one as he is just sorting out an ibanez endorsement deal too. Drop em an email and I can tell you all about it! Cheers Simon (Bringing Tremol-no to the Southern hemisphere!!) Link to comment
Hotrock Posted February 11, 2004 Report Share Posted February 11, 2004 Good luck dude. If there is anything you need to get the item up and running in the UK give me a shout, I'll be happy to help out anyway I can. Mucho kudos dude, there's no stopping a man and his project. Link to comment
Kevan Posted February 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2004 Thanks you guys! Simon is indeed the only person south of the Equator with a Tremol-No. :-) Oh, and just so you know Simon- I've spoken with the guitarist you mentioned. We're gonna try to work something out (test units are going FAST now that licenses are up for grabs). Side note- I hope your move is going/went well. Update me when you get a chance. Rob- Last week/weekend, I got about 2 dozen IMs about the thread on 'that other site'. Kudos to Roger and the others for speaking their mind. If I'd invented a pill that makes guys 10" long and at the same time cures cancer, the owner of that site would say "Oh, that sucks." simply because I came up with it. I've gotten used to it. And for the record, Rich Harris has *always* been on the list as a tester (the site owner did NOT inspire me to send Rich one). My theory from the onset was that if Rich put a Tremol-No in one of his Donnies, people would know, 100%, that mods wouldn't have to be made to install a Tremol-No in their own guitars. The only person more **** than Rich about stuff is Jenna Jameson. :-) Let's see....hmmm...7-stringers testing the Tremol-No now... Well, there's me (hack extrordinaire), and...umm....oh- Rusty f-ing Cooley. :-P I guess if you average out Rusty and I, you'd have a pretty decent 7-string player. :-) Oh yeah, there's also Neil Citron and Bob Oakman- two more fantastic 7-string only guys. I think I'm doin' alright for now, but I'll keep you in mind. Link to comment
Jem7RB UK Posted February 11, 2004 Report Share Posted February 11, 2004 No worries dude, If there is anything you think i might be able to help with, Just gimme a shout Hmmm Rusty, Not a bod axe slinger huh Regards,and best of luck Rob Link to comment
Brian Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 I think I would be scared of Rusty testing it, one slip and he could screw up a wrist if he forgot it was locked Warp speed ahead Link to comment
Ilia Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 First of all congrats to Kevan for managing to interest not one but 2 potential companies. I hope it all works out for you as anyone who's managed to think of something usefull and then slaved to make that idea a reality deserves to reap the benefits of it. I have to come clean and say that my posts on that "other" site are probably more negative than Glens' but at the end of the day all I said was that I didn't think a guitar company will ever install these as standart on any guitars. I only sayd that because the schaller sure claw and the tremsetter are not offered as stock on ANY guitar out there and they are just as usefull as this. Anyway what I wanted to ask is since I really like .10s, all my floating trem guitars (4 in total, 2 jems) have 4 springs on and I would have to go for the vintage tremol-no when they are available as the screwholes on the tremolo block are now used to hold 2 of the springs. Also the springs are in a = = configuration but with the tremolo no designed to take the place of the second spring I wonder if the tuning will be stable enough with the springs out of balance regarding the posts - because I'll have to put them in like _ tremolo-no = _ cheers ilia Link to comment
Kevan Posted February 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2004 Ilia- I don't remember your posts on that 'other' thread. I'm guessing that it was under a different "name". Thanks for the props though. This thing has really turned out to be a lot bigger than I thought. :-) I believe that the Tremol-No has POTENTIAL to make it into production guitars, but I don't think that's where it's going to start out. It will most likey start as an accessory that many will add to their guitars, and if demand is great enough, then maybe a manufacturer will start putting them in a model or two (or 10. LOL). What the Tremol-No does is WAY different than what the SureClaw and TremSetter do. It's kinda like comparing a Ferrari to a Lear to a Donzi. They're all cool and have benefits, but they all do different things. The SureClaw allows one-wrench adjustment of your claw back and forth. Cool. The TremSetter brings you back in tune after a string break. Cool. The Tremol-No turns your trem-equipped guitar into a hardtail. Cool. Depending on what the player wants/needs, they'll choose the right product(s) for the job. I'm kinda biased, but I think the advantages of the Tremol-No far out-weigh the advantages of the other two, so I'd first put on a Tremol-No and go from there. Then again, that's just me. :-) Regarding your string size/trem/spring configuration issue: You *can* run 4 springs with the Tremol-No Standard (the one for Ibanez trems). The Tremol-No will work with only one screw attaching the tailpiece to the block. You will have to setup your springs in this configuration though: __ Tremol-No __ __ __ I've gotten a lot of questions about my placement of the shaft and receiver. It was put in the "#4" position for a couple of reasons. 1. Those top two strings can pull a trem flat VERY easily, moreso than the other 4 strings. In order to lock 'firm enough', I wanted it to work on either the Low E or A string- to catch that force first, and stop it...first. 2. I originally did design separate 3-spring and 4-spring versions. The 3-spring was like the current one, only missing a hook for spring #2. The 4-spring version had the shaft in the center postion (spring #3). Why didn't I do 4-spring versions? Well, because this project is EXTREMELY expensive, and with me making only 100 units, I wanted it to be as adaptable as possible to all the people testing it. So, I added a 4th hook to the original design and called it done. There might be different versions available from manufacturers, but for my tester units, this is how they are. :-) 3. Bar placement on tremolo units. The Tremol-No is a trem bar's mortal enemy. LOL I needed the Tremol-No unit to be 'offset' from the trem bar, so they didn't work in the same "line". It provides a more stable lock this way- counteracting the force the "bar line" puts on the trem block. With any good fortune, the Tremol-No will hold better against an accidental bump of the trem arm with the postion it's in now, as opposed to lower down on the claw (spring slots #1, 2 or 3). I don't think you're going to notice a major "feel" difference with moving one spring up a notch. I run 4-springs and a Tremol-No on my RG7-CST and I can't tell that it was different than before. Given- I'm no pro, and I'm sure someone like Jeff Beck could tell the difference immediately, but....it might be something that users have to get used to, and for pros at that level, it shouldn' be any problem. It's NOT going to be a drastic change in feel. Let me know if you have any other questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. Thanks again folks! Link to comment
Ilia Posted February 13, 2004 Report Share Posted February 13, 2004 Kevan, thanx a lot for the answers, I will switch one of my springs from position 4 to 3 to see if I get any major problems. My handle on “the other” site and on vai is dex but I always sign my posts. Couple of weeks ago before Simon moved to OZ we had a little gathering in his place and I played around with the BMC (he’s got the Tremol-no in there) and also talked about it with Darren Hunt (who’s also got one in his 7VWH) and Darren said that it’s a great little thing. He said the trem is not as bouncy or what we would call fluttery as much as without it but otherwise did exactly what it said on the tin. I also met Richard there (the guy that send you the cool email) and he is a mighty cool chap. There was a point where Jamie (Darrens’ brother) handed him a guitar and he said “I’m not really a guitar player” after which he proceded to scare us with some great fast runs that I can’t even dream of doing. Thanx once again and best of luck with everything. I will deffinately buy one when they come out. ilia Link to comment
Hotrock Posted February 13, 2004 Report Share Posted February 13, 2004 Kevan, I've had an idea, doesn't happen often but I have. I think, using your design, it could be converted so that you can still use the trem but should a string break it wouldn't go out of tune. Am I missing the point or would you like me to have a closer look and divulge a bit more information? Or does it already do this? From the above it seems that it will only stay in tune if the unit is locked. I'll have a check over the thread again and see if what I'm on about is possible. Give us a reply if you're interested. Link to comment
Kevan Posted February 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 Dex- I just re-read the thread on "that other site". You weren't exactly jumping up and down about the Tremol-No, but thanks for not being 'not-so-subtly negative' like the site owner was/is. :-) Thanks for at least being realistic about it. I have to say though, if it takes you 15 seconds to lock a Tremol-No into place, I need to re-write the instructions. LOL I'm pretty sure your opinion has changed a bit since getting to mess around with Simon's and with Darren's Tremol-No equipped guitars. It shows in your posts here. I've gotten feedback from testers that go both ways regarding trem flutter with a Tremol-No installed. Some say "It's still there; good as before", and some have said, "It's a little bit less, but still just fine for what I need it to do.". The Tremol-No is a bit touchy when it comes to installing it, but to get it 'absolutely perfect' isn't far away from 'works great'. Like anything in the guitar world, with a little tweaking, you'll be able to get it setup exactly where you want it. When's the last time you plugged into a guitar store amp and it was set 'just right'? :-) I'd like to hear your thoughts on "feel" once you've shifted that spring from slot #4 to #3 (or #5, whichever way you go). Since the angle of the spring pull is NOT changing, the feel of the trem shouldn't change either as no tension is being added or subtracted. Either way, let me, or all of us here, know. Thanks! Hotrock- Sure man! I'd love to hear your idea. I've tried to incorporate a TremSetter-type 'return to zero' function in my upgrades to the Tremol-No, but...I'm very content goin' with the "simple is good" function is has now. Link to comment
Ilia Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Well tonight I sat down to watch The Last Waltz (younger board members - google this and give it a go) and while jamming with it I decided to move a spring to see if anything will happen at all. Here's a few pics for the unimaginative among us and the ones who have never had .10s on a floating trem guitar. As far as I could tell after about 2 hours of jamming there is absolutely no change in feel and the guitar comes back to zero (+/- 2 to 3 cents but its always like that) without any issues at all. I'm still a little bit worried that 3 springs pulling mostly on 1 trem post are going to tilt it over time, especially if wild tremolo antics are performed on regular basis but I'll ask Max (Caprille) about it tomorrow and see what he says. Bottom line - my guitar is ready for a Tremol-No and I'll install one when they become available. Even though I don't really have the necessity to lock and unlock a bridge at all really, it's good to know that I could if I wanted to. ilia Link to comment
cerealk Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 Tremol-no in Australia! Kevan's idea has gone Southern Hemisphere!! and Kevan, I will be on the case to write something for the website Cheers Simon Link to comment
Kevan Posted March 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2004 Let's do some site updates first, then get to the rest of the good news... Thanks to Simon for his quote. I'm glad the Tremol-No is working out for you, and helping you be more creative with your guitar. It's cool that it's the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. :-) Also thanks to Jon Finn for his review. Man, is that guy a monster player or what? Frickin' cool guys. I'm lucky to have such awesome players as testers. I sent a Tremol-No Classic to Jim Donahue, a friend of mine for many years. If you don't know who he is, and are a member of this site, shame on you. :-) JD either created or co-created almost every guitar that came out of Ibanez since 1985. He was #2 at Ibanez for many years, and knows guitars and basses inside and out, up and down. He's also one of the 3 people on the planet I would trust to work on any of my guitars. Anyway, Jim got his test unit a week or so ago, and put it on one of his guitars, trying to kill the Tremol-No. He couldn't. His quote is now up on the site as well. He's super-cool. If you get a chance to deal with him, please do. It'll be worth it. Now for the other good news: Licensing is VERY close to taking place with a company here in the US. International stuff might be a while (intl. patents take more time to clear/get filed, shipping issues, etc), but.....there is a GOOD chance that we can get a Summer NAMM debut. You guys likin' that? :-) Link to comment
Jem7RB UK Posted March 1, 2004 Report Share Posted March 1, 2004 Kevan that's great news, I'll just buy one or two internationally, I know plenty of folks who would ship them for me I hope it's all going/gone smoothly, And as i said before, I think it's a great idea Rob Link to comment
pickleweaseler Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 @Kevan: With the tremol-no can you choose to lock just up bending (no dive bombing), just divebombing (no up bending), or both at the same time (no movement)? Or is it just all the way locked (no movent) or all the way unlocked (movement in both directions)? By the way, I wasn't offended by your Richard Simmons joke. I just don't type LOL. Link to comment
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