The latest guitar to join the Ade Phazy stable is the PRS SE Dave Navarro, a little post-Christmas present to myself to cheer up those cold, dark January evenings. However, as lovely as it is, I’m already planning on a few modifications. Here’s the easy one – a Tremol-No!
Now, the last time I owned a guitar with a trem was way back in the 80’s, so having a trem is not really part of my sound or what I look for in a guitar.
The PRS Dave (as I shall call it, to save me typing) has a vintage style (rather than a locking Floyd, or similar) tremolo system. It works really well and adds another flavour to the tone but – and it’s a big but – becomes a nightmare/liability when swapping tunings between songs, like I do for some Phazy numbers.
What to do? Easy! Put your hands together for those clever chappies at Tremol-No, designers and manufacturers of a fiendishly elegant device for locking off a trem system.
However, more good news, the fitting of the Tremol-No still allows you to use the trem as usual or in dive-only mode, thanks to easily accessible little thumbscrews (is that the word?) on the device itself. This means that fitting a Tremol-No isn’t going to remove any functionality from your guitar. So, say I want to play some swinging Shadows-style riffs one day (yeah, right…), I can easily unlock the trem with the twist of two little screws, without tools, and hey presto – a working trem.
Next job is to actually fit the little beast which, judging by the videos I’ve found on YouTube, is relatively straightforward and no special tools or luthier skills are required. It’s also a non-destructive mod, so if I don’t like it for some reason, it’s easy to remove and no one would ever know. Helpfully, the Tremol-No is provided with the tools and other bits and pieces needed for the installation. The written instructions are not very clear but the makers have a good “how to” video on YouTube.
I’ll post an update with some photos once it’s fitted. Stay tuned!
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