I've blocked off many a strat trem in my day but I still like the hardtail body and not having to give up all that wood to trem routing. Am I and Robert Cray the only ones? Over the years they bring back hardtails. Not as often as McD's brings back McRibs but whenever they do I usually buy one. I wish it was always an option for new standards and deluxes.

Don't hold your breath......95 out of 100 Strat buyers prefer the trem tailpiece.

Just be thankful that there are a few hardtails around, albeit in very limited numbers. Three of my nine Strats are hardtails.

Arjay

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"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

I was too young to afford a Strat in the 70's but I've gotten my hands on a couple of 70's model hardtails over the years. Those things were really nice. That body is hard as a tank and the resonance it produces is really nice. I'll swear until the day I die that some of the resonance I'm looking to feel when I play gets absorbed by floating trems. I can't stand that.

Fender did American Strats with hardtails in the past, either with three single coils or dual humbuckers.

The Robert Cray model is the only hardtailed Strat currently available.

No it's not!

There are also the Billy Corgan, Jim Root, and Wayne Kramer signature models.

Arjay

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"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

I wish it was on the plain standard. I usually don't buy signature models. They make me feel like a groupie.

+1

I know how you feel......the "name" I really want on a guitar's headstock is Leo's.



Arjay

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"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

Exactly. One of my buddies that we do a group jam with regularly bought a Mayer signature. We still haven't let him live it down. IMO, how the hell did Mayer get a signature model anyway?

Millions of people buy his records......

Tens of thousands pay good money to see him perform......

Hundreds of fans right here on this forum love the boy......

(I am not one of them)



The zit-popper puts me to sleep every time I hear one of his songs.

Arjay

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"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

But you must admit that that interview in Rolling Stone was by far the most entertaining I have read in quite a while......If any one is in need of an Analyst's Couch...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

I would like to have an option for a hardtail bridge on the American Special, American Standard, and Lonestar guitars...but I am probably in the minority on this view. So for now I will just deck my tremolos on my non-Floyd Rose equipped guitars.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Exactly what I have done! I bought my Am. Dlx. used, and it did not come with the trem arm. I never use it anyways, so it's got 5 springs now.

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2000 American Deluxe Stratocaster
2011 Gibson Les Paul Trad Pro 50's
2007 Epi Les Paul Custom
90's ESP Eclipse
JH-1B Jimi Hendrix Crybaby
Analogman KOT
Korg Pitchblack
Boss NS-2 PH-2
Blues Deluxe Reissue
1999 & 2007 Marshall TSL 100 w/1960BV cab

The use of 3 to 5 springs is for equal tension according to string gauge, since today the predominance is light 009 to 010's whereas the norm when Strats were first introduced was more from 012's to 014's .

If you want to maximise resonance then add a block between the body and trem block wedged in, use Oak or even a piece of Ipe or Mahogany...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "