Can someone tell me if the hard tail Strats have a different body routing(cavity), then the standard Strats ? Art

_________________
None of Us are free, if One of Us is chained !

There is no trem cavity on the rear of the body, nor a clearance hole through the top for a trem block. The bridge plate screws directly to the top and the strings pass through six holes to the rear of the body, terminating in steel string ferrules in the back a la the Telecaster.

HTH

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Does anyone know if there is a significant tonal difference between a hard tail and a strat with a blocked trem? I would think that the heavy hardware associated with the trem block would give it a more complex sound than a hard tail.

I blocked my Amer std. and really like it.

I don't notice a huge difference, but that's how I feel about most of these nitpicky details. rosewood v. maple, nitro vs poly, etc.

_________________

me too. I never use the trem...

_________________
Kid: "Hey Smokey! Where did you get your name?"
Smokey the Bear: "Well..."
(former user jimbo612)

Thanks Arjay, never checked one out first-hand. My '89 Am Std has two maple blocks, I shaped for the trem block. It's a plenty solid set-up. Art

_________________
None of Us are free, if One of Us is chained !

My hearing is apparently not perceptive enough to distinguish the nuances in tone between a hardtail and a trem bridge. But I can damn sure tell the difference in sustain and tuning stability. And I seldom have need for a trem.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

The double-blocked system, with all the springs under tension has worked real well for me over the years. The tuning, intonation, sustain, and that Strat ring are all good and solid. Pinched harmonics are more a matter of the preamp gain, for that guitar since it has the Vintage Fralin pups. But yeah, I was just curious about the routing on the hard tail model. Thanks ! Art

_________________
None of Us are free, if One of Us is chained !

a way to tell is go to the store and play a black top strat and tele same pick ups, wood, saddles

My '79 hardtail sounds warmer than my other Strats and doesn't have a strong metal ring to it like the others do which I'm assuming is due to the lack of the block and springs. But it's also possible that it's due to its age...

Here's my hardtail exposed

not that much into naturals, but i love the hew of yours, and love how its aged gracefully.

_________________
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

I blocked the trem on my G&L swamp ash strat with two oak blocks and snugged the trem springs down real good. Don't notice any change in the tone but sure is a lot nicer to play and string bending is a little more precise than with the trem floating.

_________________
OK, I'll hum a little bit, got it now?

Lots of love and years of being played in smoke filled bars will do that!

what pickups do you have in her, i see that either you went from flat magnets to beveled ones on the white pickup covers, or vise versa

_________________
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

She had the original pups all her life (first pic) but I decided to try different pups this month... 57/62 pups are in the 2nd pic, I now have the CS 69 in there and they sound great in that Strat, didn't work out in my other Strat.