Which 80's style hard rock and metal super strats should I consider?

I had a Jackson Soloist USA that sold some months ago (still regret it) because I am not into Floyd Rose bridges, but that was an outstanding guitar, by far the best neck I had played. If they made something alike with for example a Gotoh 510 I'd buy it with no questions.
 
DiamondDaveL said:
I'll stick my head out to reiterate this, but I've had at least 20 guitars with FR1000 trems on them pass through my hands. They should not be a point of concern. Unless you're thinking of the Floyd Rose special (stay far far away from that).

Even EVH USAs use FR1000s. I would advise replacing the trem block with a big block (hit up Adam at FU-tone) regardless of a FRO or FR1000 if you're serious about a tone difference (much bigger difference from this than between the FR1000 and FRO...).

Even further than that, I actually prefer GOTOH 1996T bridges over FR1000s and FROs. I've used Pings and Schallers too, still prefer the GOTOH for some reason.

YMMV, but this is just my experience over the past few years with Floyd bridges.
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I would swap out the zinc FR1000 block for a stock OFR brass block over the bigger one unless you have resonance issues though. EVHs original Floyd all had stock blocks (steel at the beginning and then chromed brass.) I would not recommend anything from FU tone. A lot of overpriced parts and quite a few that are totally bogus.
 
Mark-B said:
Somebody mentioned and will second a used Hamer Californian, if you can find one.
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Oh hellz yeah! Unfortunately, it's not the mid to late 90s when you could pick those up for four to six bills a piece all day long. Now even beaters go for serious money.
 
ElectricPhase said:
Oh hellz yeah! Unfortunately, it's not the mid to late 90s when you could pick those up for four to six bills a piece all day long. Now even beaters go for serious money.
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What's great about the Hamer? Just curious because I've seen it mentioned here a few times. Wish I would have bought more guitars back in the 80s but I really didn't know much of what I was doing back then as a pre-teen and teenager.

I'm guessing the Korea made Hamer Calis are not the ones you all are refering too?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hamer-Cali...357701?hash=item3b57197945:g:va8AAOSwnXJgJWlZ
 
Mark-B said:
..I would suggest heading into the city and grabbing a few off the rack at the local music superstore, because in the end, when it comes to shredding, it’s gonna come down to the neck profile, and in my experience, everybody’s hands prefer something different for that.
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Does GC stock all these guitars? I have to drive about an hour to get to Orlando for a GC and the last time I was there they didn't have much at all. It would be nice to find a place that had all these guitars in stock to try.
 
Fizz said:
What's great about the Hamer? Just curious because I've seen it mentioned here a few times. Wish I would have bought more guitars back in the 80s but I really didn't know much of what I was doing back then as a pre-teen and teenager.

I'm guessing the Korea made Hamer Calis are not the ones you all are refering too?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hamer-Cali...357701?hash=item3b57197945:g:va8AAOSwnXJgJWlZ
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No, although the Korean ones from the same time period weren't half bad.

After the hair band slaughter, extremely well built custom USA Hamers, including the Californian, Chapparal, Centaura, Diablo, and Steve Stevens model were a dime a dozen. It was, for years, the absolute best deal in guitars. I have a room full of them.
 
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Fizz said:
Does GC stock all these guitars? I have to drive about an hour to get to Orlando for a GC and the last time I was there they didn't have much at all. It would be nice to find a place that had all these guitars in stock to try.
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A music megastore should have spread-enough of styles and brands to give you an idea of neck profiles you can better rip on. Had dozens of guitars over the years, have dozens now :0) ..but, my Hamer Californian? ..for some reason I can play that guitar faster and a lot more comfortably than any guitar I have ever played..ever. I don’t play it for most anything else, but just for zipping around the fretboard - that is the guitar that I do that best on. So easy to play that guitar fast.

..having said that, When Joe Satriani first released his signature JS line of guitars, I hoofed-it into town to try one out and my fingers just tripped all over themselves on that neck - couldn’t get to grips with it at all, Never have owned one. Which is why, maybe, try a few out?

The problem with the mail-order-model in buying guitars is that it slows-down and limits the amount of guitars you can actually screw around on and reasonably compare to each other before laying your money down for one. Whereas if you head-off to a music store, you can make a nuisance of yourself all ...day ...long. :0)

I have been reading about these “soft trems”. All of the Floyd trems - including the Special, have hardened baseplates. So wear at the pivot-points should be considered a reason to call and get it replaced under warranty. Had a Floyd-type trem arm snap on me once, on a Charvel model 4, I called and they shipped me out a new trem arm. Didn’t have an issue with it after that. But these quality type issues do occur.

I have a Japanese Soloist SL3 and one of its trem knife edges are really worn. Just one of them - low E side. I have the same trem fitted on a first-run DKMG, and I have put HUGE miles on that thing, and the trem shows zero wear at the pivot-points. So, it’s not the trem. That worn pivot point on the SL3 would more be chalked-up to just a fault in the hardening process or metal stock on just that one pivot point ..which would fall under warranty issues. Rare enough. But issues like that do occur.

Have fun finding what you are looking for! :0)
 
Mark-B said:
I have been reading about these “soft trems”.
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For this reason I always think about the Schaller Tremolo (not to be confused with their Lockmeister) as well as the ABM Mueller Katana, both of which have exchangeable knife edges. I've never tried either, but the ABM has always intrigued me. Then again, the Vigier Floyd is a great solution, in which they remove the knife edges and replace them with ball bearings. As Irwin M. Fletcher expounds with riveting depth: "It's all ball bearings these days."
 
Fizz said:
What's great about the Hamer?
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In my experience, they just play awesome. I've had lots of Jacksons (have a soloist right now), played a lot of Charvels and lots of Ibanez and that Hamer neck was special.

My current favorite necks are on ESP/LTDs. I still miss that Hamer though. What people are saying about finding them nowadays is true though, good luck!

There are definitely other guitars that fit the bill for what you're looking for, so don't get hung up on any one brand. IME its all about how it feels to you.
 
As far as more recent guitars, I really like my Ibanez JS2400. Great playing and sounding guitar with a very comfortable neck shape, great tremolo and pickups.
 
State of Epicicity said:
For this reason I always think about the Schaller Tremolo (not to be confused with their Lockmeister) as well as the ABM Mueller Katana, both of which have exchangeable knife edges. I've never tried either, but the ABM has always intrigued me. Then again, the Vigier Floyd is a great solution, in which they remove the knife edges and replace them with ball bearings. As Irwin M. Fletcher expounds with riveting depth: "It's all ball bearings these days."
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I have a Jackson Fusion Standard with a Charvel branded Schaller Trem with those knife-edges.. Man, Schaller makes good stuff! I have had that guitar for thirty years? .. played the hell out of that guitar, rebuilt it three times, re-fretted it recently, and that trem is still showing no real wear. Schaller make great trems!

FYI ..If a blade-switch ever goes out, pay the extra bucks for a Megaswitch.. Those things too, ...typical "Schaller". You won't regret paying the extra money for it. Every time you switch pickups with that cheesily named 'Megaswitch' you'll want to replace all your other switches with them. They're great! :0)

Talking about trems with those knife edges.. The Ibanez Floyds too.. I have a Prestige Saber and an old through-neck RG - both have trems sporting the hardened knife edges.. Great trems, both!

I can't remember ever playing a BB trem.. Might have done briefly at a music store or whatnot.. Never owned one though. I have come close to buying a couple of Ibanez? ..guitars with those attached in the past, but never pulled the trigger.. The BB Trem part, maybe. :0) ..I fear change! :0)
 
@Mark-B Very cool! The Vigier trem is only available on their guitars, which sucks. They make almost exclusively one super Strat, and they’re more commonly available in Europe but much scarcer in the United States.

When I feel okay to inhale other people’s respiratory droplets again I do want to go out and try many of the current whammy super strats myself, until I find one with tone and tuning stability! Several people on this forum have talked about the Edge trem being great, and that has really gotten me interested. Personally I’m going for two of the factors that @Fizz is looking for: easy upper fret access and strong trem stability, but I also want to get something with stainless steel frets. Luckily those frets are no longer hard to find. Good fret work though? Maybe a little harder (no pun intended, since stainless steel is much harder than what’s traditionally used). As for tone, as long as the wood, as well as the basic sustain and frequency balance seem good, I can always rewire to my preferred configuration, which is like a Les Paul with series / split / parallel on each pickup. I’ve looked at that Megaswitch before, but if I had a blade switch route I’d be tempted to go for a 10-way Freeway, to eliminate a mini switch.

@Fizz I completely forgot to recommend that since upper get access is a feature you’re wanting the best thing I’ve seen from the look of it, is a Dean Exile! That thing has a cutaway out of a dream! I currently play a Washburn Parallaxe Trevor Rabin with a fixed bridge, but that also is great for the upper frets.
 
Andy Eagle said:
I would swap out the zinc FR1000 block for a stock OFR brass block over the bigger one unless you have resonance issues though. EVHs original Floyd all had stock blocks (steel at the beginning and then chromed brass.) I would not recommend anything from FU tone. A lot of overpriced parts and quite a few that are totally bogus.
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Apologies if this is too off topic.
I do not think the FR1000 blocks are zinc, but the specials are.
Adam at FU has always taken good care of me and we share a few circles. Most recent example that comes to mind is I purchased a b-stock Wolfgang Special from an online retailer, and showed up without a fine tuner screw for the D-Tuna. Retailer not interested in helping to source a screw or refund the cost of a new D-Tuna. I mentioned it to Adam in passing and he sent a replacement screw, priority post, free of charge. Small thing, but he didn't have to go out of his way for someone who wasn't a customer at the time.

Semi-related, outside of replacing a sustain block, titanium block inserts are my favorite FR (inserts to hold the string in place).
 
It is too bad this thing has ugly paint
https://www.espguitars.com/products/21865-mirage-deluxe-87
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