Detonator!

DThomasC

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So I bought a Detonator, not because I need it but because it was cheap and that's my favorite feature in a guitar.

Here's a sellers photo (Dave's Guitar.) It's not as though I'm going to take a better one:

JH000174C.jpg


Anyway, I have a couple of questions. The first is about the truss rod cover, which is missing on my guitar. At first I thought it was just a simple of plastic roughly triangular in shape. But with guitar in hand, I can see that it must have been curved in order to fit with the Fender style zero degree peghead angle. That'll make it harder to reproduce!

What does anyone have to say about the TRC on these?

The other question is one that I expect to get only guesses on, but guesses are welcome. The back of the headstock has two tiny screw holes that had screws in them at one time. The holes are in a place consistent with the clip seen on this other detonator (on Reverb):

aywceo915hmccpan9iyk.jpg


So the question is, what's the clip for? If it's of any interest, the guitar on Reverb is the only one I've found on the web that appears to have a factory installed Floyd Rose like mine. All the others look like Kahlers or Guild branded Kahlers. Is the clip related to the bridge? Maybe a tool with the appropriate size hex heads for the double locking stuff? OK, I think I just answered my own question...
 

GAD

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Congrats! Beautiful guitar. I love those headstocks.

The TRC on that era of electrics is a thin piece of flexible plastic from what I've seen. Like this:

Guild-S284-Blue-Headstock1.jpg


My guess as to the screw holes on the back of the headstock are for an Allen wrench holder like this This is a Jackson, not a Guild):

_B0Z1365_800.jpg
 

walrus

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Wow! I've never seen an Allen wrench holder on a guitar!

walrus
 

GAD

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Wow! I've never seen an Allen wrench holder on a guitar!

walrus


They're VERY common on '80s shredders because you need them to change strings on a double-locking trem.
 

GAD

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Looking at that Blue Detonator pic, I'm not sure what that clip is for. It looks like something huge would clip in there.
 

DThomasC

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I'm thinking there was a tool, maybe a handle with an allen wrench sticking out of each end. Though the wrench holders that Floyd Rose currently sells look very different.

RGAWH30_1024x1024.jpg



Congrats! Beautiful guitar. I love those headstocks.

Thanks. I've never been a shredder, or even wanted to be, but I have wanted a decent strat. The pickups on this one are a hotter than vintage Fender, but they actually sound pretty good, which I can't say about all of the pickups that Guild used during the 80's

The TRC on that era of electrics is a thin piece of flexible plastic from what I've seen. Like this:

So you're saying the TRCs are flat until you screw them down, then they conform to the curved surface of the headstock.

8e3daa70b6fc1aebb68472d6b621ba11.jpg


(Yes, not only is it a phone pic, but it's with a flash at close range. I'm expecting to end up in hell anyway...)
 

AcornHouse

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So glad my Detonator came with locking tuners, and none of the double locking nut nonsense.
 

GAD

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Here is what my Setzer Bluesbird looked like. It was missing the locking nut in this pic, but gives an idea of the TRC on these guitars.

Guild-Setzer-Bluesbird-StringAngle.jpg
 

DThomasC

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Yes. Sperzel locking tuners and that locking nut.

The Floyd Rose is, in my opinion, a monstrosity. I mean that in a purely esthetic sense, and it's coming from a person with an appreciation for eligent mechanisms. But it seems to work. My experience with trems has mainly been limited to Bigsbies,but this thing really does seem to work, as ugly and ridiculous as it looks.
 

GAD

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The Floyd Rose may not be the most elegant piece of machinery ever produced, but it is largely responsible for a decade worth of music, and that's nothing to sneeze at!

Personally, I love the damn things, but then I'm a child of the era.
 

The Guilds of Grot

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My Detonator has the Mueller "Tremolo" with Sperzels. It's a much cleaner look and seems to function quite well. (Well as long as you're not dive bombing more then 2 notes! Although the arm does sit at a weird angle!)

100_6353.jpg


The color is "Heather".
 
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matsickma

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I had a black Super Detonator or Detonator II years ago with EMG HB, EMG SC, EMG HB, Kahler or Floyd Rise ( don't remember), Gold harware with a mounting bracket and tool that matches the mounting bracket on you Detonator. It was a double sided allen wrench tool of different sizes with a large diameter plastic holder that snapped into the mounting bracket.
M
 

DThomasC

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My Detonator has the Mueller "Tremolo" with Sperzels. It's a much cleaner look and seems to function quite well. (Well as long as you're not dive bombing more then 2 notes! Although the arm does sit at a weird angle!)

It does look cleaner, which I prefer. But the Floyd Rose does stay in tune no matter how much you abuse it. The fine tuners have been enough to keep it in tune from day to day. I'll replace the strings soon, so I'll get to see what kind of challenge that will be. I have a feeling it'll be easier than with a Bigsby.

I had a black Super Detonator or Detonator II years ago with EMG HB, EMG SC, EMG HB, Kahler or Floyd Rise ( don't remember), Gold harware with a mounting bracket and tool that matches the mounting bracket on you Detonator. It was a double sided allen wrench tool of different sizes with a large diameter plastic holder that snapped into the mounting bracket.
M

That's pretty much exactly what I was imagining. Tool probably got lost so the clip was removed.
 

F312

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I've got a Kramer Sustainer that I played for several years and loved it, however, I haven't pulled it out in over 20 years.

Ralph
 
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