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Guitar Gal
March 8th, 2008, 09:16 AM
I have been looking at this for awhile now after reading some good reviews. I also noticed that the fret net's own tremoloman had done a nice review a couple of years ago on a Vintage White SX SST Floyd. I sent him PM to see if he still had the SX and what he thought about it now. He said he still had it and told me to "go for it"!

I got this a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.rondomusic.com/sstftowl.html

Right out of the box, I noticed that the overall fit and finish were excellent. There were no finish runs and the neck had a nice vintage tint to it with no sharp fret ends. It had a nice 3-ply pick guard and the switch and knobs felt sturdy. However, it did need some TLC as the rosewood fretboard was DRY, DRY, DRY, and the frets and strings were tarnished. After some care, adjusting the truss rod, changing the strings, and setting up the floyd....this thing is awesome :rockon:

It sounds great unplugged as the whole body resonates when I play it......I can feel it like an acoustic. Plugged in, the pickups are great. The bridge pup is louder than the singles as expected and it sort of sounds like the bridge pup on the Squire '51 but not quite as bright. I'm sure other pickups would sound better, but the stock ones are fine. You can hear a difference in the sound in each of the 5 positions.

This is my first Floyd, so I have nothing to compare it to. The Floyd that came with it is a "speedloader" type so the ball end of the strings are not cut off, but threaded through a tube at the bridge up to the locking nut and through the tuning pegs. Once I had the right tension between the strings and springs it worked fine. I did have to put some clear finger nail polish on the threads of the trem arm because it kept coming unscrewed. It has been fine since then. Also, the trem arm does have some play in it. It probably would not stand too much abuse. Once the strings stretched out, it stays in tune and the intonation is fine.

The frets are a nice size...not "huge" speed bumps and I was able to get the action to 2/32 on the bass with no fret buzz. It has a flat radius which I like. The neck itself is "chunky", which I knew that about SX necks. It did feel a little different at first, but nothing that I noticed after a few minutes of playing.

Overall, it is definitely worth the $$ :dude:



Now it's time for what you are all really waiting for:

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p77/Yogacat579/floyd.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p77/Yogacat579/floyd2.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p77/Yogacat579/floyd4.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p77/Yogacat579/floyd3.jpg

Kodiak3D
March 8th, 2008, 09:54 AM
That's a really nice guitar! I'm probably going to get an SX before long as well.

BTW - You need to add it to the list in your sig :)

Spudman
March 8th, 2008, 10:16 AM
That's the Owl. I've been wondering about those myself. Every time Rondo has had them in the past they have sold rather quickly and I never see any used ones so they must be a keeper.

marnold
March 8th, 2008, 01:06 PM
This is my first Floyd, so I have nothing to compare it to. The Floyd that came with it is a "speedloader" type so the ball end of the strings are not cut off, but threaded through a tube at the bridge up to the locking nut and through the tuning pegs. Once I had the right tension between the strings and springs it worked fine. I did have to put some clear finger nail polish on the threads of the trem arm because it kept coming unscrewed. It has been fine since then. Also, the trem arm does have some play in it. It probably would not stand too much abuse. Once the strings stretched out, it stays in tune and the intonation is fine.
Thanks for the review! Looks like a lot of axe for the price. One quibble: that isn't a Speedloader. There are no licensed Speedloaders (and that's a licensed Floyd on that guitar). Plus, a Speedloader needs special strings and has no need for machine heads. Looks like this:

http://zurlocker.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/floyd_rose_3.jpg

Mine looks just like that, except that the single coils are now black Dimarzio Area 61s.

Guitar Gal
March 8th, 2008, 01:41 PM
Thanks for the review! Looks like a lot of axe for the price. One quibble: that isn't a Speedloader. There are no licensed Speedloaders (and that's a licensed Floyd on that guitar). Plus, a Speedloader needs special strings and has no need for machine heads. Looks like this:

http://zurlocker.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/floyd_rose_3.jpg

Mine looks just like that, except that the single coils are now black Dimarzio Area 61s.


Thanks for the clarification Marnold. I guess I should have referred to it as a "fastloader" and not a "speedloader". This is what mine looks like:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/flroflotrsy.html

marnold
March 8th, 2008, 03:22 PM
Thanks for the clarification Marnold. I guess I should have referred to it as a "fastloader" and not a "speedloader". This is what mine looks like:
http://store.guitarfetish.com/flroflotrsy.html
No problem. That's some confusing terminology that they are using. It'll be interesting to see how that bridge holds up over the long haul.

street music
March 8th, 2008, 04:22 PM
Oh No not again, BAD GAS.:rockon:

M29
March 8th, 2008, 08:00 PM
That looks like a real fun git there GG:AOK: Have fun putting her I mean him through it's paces. Shoot what does a girl call her guitar? A guy might call it her :D

M29

Adrian30
March 8th, 2008, 08:26 PM
Congrats! That's a beautiful guitar, GG. I sooooo like the stained necks and headstocks on SX guitars! It's such a beautiful warm amber stain they use on maple parts. one of these days, I might go for a tele SX.;)

Guitar Gal
March 9th, 2008, 05:21 PM
That looks like a real fun git there GG:AOK: Have fun putting her I mean him through it's paces. Shoot what does a girl call her guitar? A guy might call it her :D

M29


I'm not sure what the "PC" term is to use either M29....but I call all my guits "her" :D

GG

luvmyshiner
March 9th, 2008, 05:24 PM
WOW! Sweet guit GG!

SuperSwede
March 10th, 2008, 06:55 AM
Nice catch GG!

You really need to invest in a pair of tight spandex pants and a large can of hairspray! :R

Guitar Gal
March 10th, 2008, 06:49 PM
Nice catch GG!

You really need to invest in a pair of tight spandex pants and a large can of hairspray! :R


I've already got the outfit SS....that's why I bought the guitar to complete the look

:rockon:

GG

warren0728
March 10th, 2008, 07:00 PM
I've already got the outfit SS....that's why I bought the guitar to complete the look
ok...it has to be said....this post is meaningless without pictures!! :beer:

ww

gtrwrks
March 10th, 2008, 10:05 PM
ok...it has to be said....this post is meaningless without pictures!! :beer:

ww

Amen.

SuperSwede
March 11th, 2008, 03:26 AM
I've already got the outfit SS....that's why I bought the guitar to complete the look

:rockon:

GG

Rock´N´Roll!

The 80´s will be back anytime now.. :D

t_ross33
March 12th, 2008, 03:02 PM
Nice git GG! I like the color. Let us know how she plays once you've had some time with her.

Trev

oldguy
March 12th, 2008, 07:04 PM
I love that color!:)
Keep us posted as you get to know her/him better. :beer:

Duff
March 13th, 2008, 03:45 PM
I have been thinking of getting one of those tinted white Floyd Rose SX SST's. They look really great. Do you hammer the tremolo?

I was thinking that you could lower the bridge hum bucker if you wanted it to blend in more. I have been lowering the pickups on some of my hot guitars. I lowered the bridge Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge of my Epi Ltd Standard birdseye maple top and it sounds more woody but almost just as strong. Both pickups are about flush with the mounting rings.

I also put new strings on my new '07 Squire standard tele, walnut satin finish and it sings compared to the cheap chineese strings that came on it. I'm also considering an SX tele copy and then put in a set of those GFS tele rail humbuckers for imports in it and see what it results in.

The Fender Super Champ SD is really, really sweet by the way, and every guitar sounds different thru it, quite noticeably different. I put in the highly sensitive ragin cajun speaker and think that the extra sensitivity has a lot to do with it sorting things out and differentiating guitars and note clarity in chords, etc. The amp is really able to reproduce a lot of different amps and their characteristic as well. The combination works really well and SX guitars sound even better thru it, not worse. I think this is a sign of the quality inherent in the SX guitars, at least the ones I have. The GG1 Jr all mahogany one with the two P90's really, really sings.

Keep me posted on how you are liking that Floyd Rose SX. My email is mjbolduc@dejazzd.com if you want to email me there, no problem.

Duffy
Winfield, Pa.

"Time goes by like hurricanes and much faster things" (+/_) Allman Bro's

Happy groovin on the new SX!

Guitar Gal
March 13th, 2008, 06:35 PM
Thanks guys :AOK: I'll be sure to do an update once we've become better acquainted.

Duff.....I did lower the bridge pup and it has helped blend the sound in with the singles. When I change the strings next time, I think I will also connect the bridge pup to the tone control to take away some of the harshness.

:rockon:

GG

pie_man_25
March 14th, 2008, 08:39 AM
Rock´N´Roll!

The 80´s will be back anytime now.. :D

6! 66! The number of the beast! sacrifice, is going on tonight!!(mad solo here) :dude: :rockon: :dude: :master:

tremoloman
May 15th, 2008, 11:58 PM
GG, nice badass axe you got there! :dude:

So how are you liking it since you've had it a few months now?

I've got mine apart and never got around to installing a replacement Floyd as I had planned. I guess I'll put her back together this weekend. I've never had good luck setting up FR bridges from scratch, but what the hell...

ROCK ON!

Guitar Gal
May 18th, 2008, 03:49 PM
Trem,

I am still loving my SST but have not had a lot of time to play recently. Been busy with work and a few home projects that needed to be done. The good news is work slows down in the summer and I plan on getting in some quality playing time soon!

:rockon:

GG

Duff
June 7th, 2008, 12:10 AM
I have a solution for loose whammy bars that screw in: wrap some plumbers teflon tape around the threads and screw it in. This works great for me and the result is really noticable when it comes to slight movments of the bar.

Duffy

tremoloman
June 19th, 2008, 10:23 PM
Duffy,

That sounds like a great idea! Wish I had thought of it before I took my Floyd off. I got a good FLoyd from a friend recently so I plan on getting mine back together soon. My hybrid guitar is ALMOST done and has been consuming most of my free time lately.