Yes, I just did *THIS* to my Strat...

[@matumblackmetal]

Why are you using wire cutters to cut your trem springs? That's crazy

[@bcheng2237]

I know, right? They won't get the job done, gotta use at least some bolt cutters, if not a Strat bridge pickup with the treble cranked.

[@frmcf]

Why are you using wi... oh... never mind.

[@ArthurB]

lol I read this at the exact moment he said it on the video that's crazy

[@ssabp8313]

@BIrdman: Lmao

[@michaelgallagher3640]

Needle nose!!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Well, this has got to be one of the craziest trem mods I"ve ever done! Glad to say It sounds great (lots of sustain) and hold tune like a champ!

[@Supperconductor]

Can you please test what gauge strings will fit? 11-46, 13-52, etc. Just curious. Guitar sounds GREAT, BTW!

[@choctawcodger5418]

Sounds awesome! I’m new to your channel and really digging the content.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks! Welcome aboard!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Hi! I think 11s would be pushing it, but I'd send them off an email to confirm :)

[@metalheadblues]

You should do a follow-up review in a few months time.

[@merkaba22]

All the macro-tuners are the same:) Difficultly in getting the tip of the string through and over the witness point can be eased by either adding slight end to the plain end or backing the tuner knob away [locking screw still visible] for a better angle:)

[@blkjakk]

They look like torpedoes. The should call them torpedo tuners.

[@everydaybrian]

I seriously bet they'd sell more with that name.

[@maxelsstellh7687]

@@everydaybrian i agree with you, it sounds cooler and more attractive.

[@ssabp8313]

@blkjakk: I said the same thing about the fine tuners I've seen this video before and I saw a video about the Sophia tremolos by McCabe but I was just in a really bad mood that I looked at it and said oh my God not another God darn tremolo another bulshit from what I came out but yeah it does have something of a rather interesting look if you remember back to the Wonder Bar I mean I would say that this is definitely much cooler looking it does have a rather futuristic look to it but the Wonder Bar was just a great unit but the way it was built it was raised up and it really really just looked very gory but it was an excellent unit l. tllhis unit is also very very good I've seen the other videos about it and haven't looked this one exactly yet but the guitar does resonate very well with these tremolos

[@ssabp8313]

The macro tuners look like the Russian rocket launchers that were used during World War II but still it does have something of an appealing look to it and the fact is that apparently this works very well

[@ssabp8313]

Honestly and really does look very good no bulshit

[@andrewdimartino7426]

LOL I had to pause the video @ 2:40! Do people really accuse you of that?! I feel you pain Darrell, id use the same needle nose pliers for that same job. Yeah they have a cutting portion at the throat, but you'd have to stab those pliers through an inch and a half of wood to get the cutting part of the pliers on the springs, which you obviously didn't do. I literally cant imagine why someone would give you grief about that lol, some people confuse the hell out of me.

[@RobertHohan]

I'm a 0.5/10 in terms of guitar skill, so I watch your videos mainly for entertainment purposes, but I have to say I very much enjoy your "anything goes" approach to modding your gear! Don't let anyone convince you that you're in any way limited in terms of what should or shouldn't be done with guitar X or Y, etc. If you can't do what you want with your stuff, then what's the point of owning it anyway?

[@richardwilliams1310]

Maybe we need to see all these trems on one guitar, inspired by Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, lol. I’m probably a 0.01 out of 10 in guitar skills but as I listen mostly to bands that play their own instruments, mostly metal, I have become obsessed with watching videos about guitar & music gear, basically stuff I can’t afford, lol

[@JasonFiske]

Darrell great video, as always. What you did to that beautiful strat is almost criminal. Have you ever done a “Who am I video?” It would be interesting to know how you got so good at playing and wrenching on guitars. What music you really like to play an so forth. I’m a big fan. Best.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Cool idea! I'll add it to my list :)

[@se7inhand]

The first Floyd Rose looked pretty damn gnarly too. It takes time for change to become accepted. Besides, guitars can be beautiful art, but they're ultimately tools. Like many guitarists.

[@Thirsty_Fox]

I make an exception to my 'Positively No Clickbait' policy for you.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

😄 Hopefully it's worth it!

[@Thirsty_Fox]

@@DarrellBraunGuitar Can confirm, worth it every time. 😎

[@BradColemanisHere]

Yeah, I love the functionality but it's a bit like putting mudding tires on a Mercedes. Independently they're great, but the pretty strat and the giant tube tuners look odd together. Thanks for the video! Either way, it was good to know that bridge exists!

[@ZaktanVR]

Now try to put an evertune bridge on your strat:)

[@blkjakk]

Lol

[@nana-ld4cr]

Don't. The upper frets lose so much sustain with it

[@warnercheng5564]

no point of doing this tho

[@jldev368]

That looks insane... Good job on showing all guitar player's of this upgrade... Keep it going...👍⚡🔥

[@HARwinsOUTagain]

Why are you using wire cutters to cut your trem springs? And then you are installing metal cigarette butts on your bridge? This guy is a madman!!

[@ricardodealmeida4174]

Love the futuristic look of the Strat 🤘🤘 great sustain btw 😎

[@josephetherton]

Is that a new intro Darrell? Its killer for sure ✌👍🎸

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Yeah new intro!! 😎

[@pcbullets8726]

That bridge is quite a beast. Great video Darrell!

[@Lemon_Productions_TV]

Every time you upload a video I have to stop what I’m doing so I can watch it. Great content Darrell!

[@Strattus19]

Still can’t believe you did that to your strat and now even more extreme! Totally worth it!

[@antmax]

I liked the more conservative bridge you originally had on there. The new tuners look like someone stuck pan pipes on the back of the bridge. A bit fugly :)

[@acoffeewithsatan]

Back in the 50s, Mr. Leo Fender designed both the Telecaster and the Stratocaster to have a bridge cover. The bridge and saddle designs were too ugly, was his opinion - little did he know that, not only people took them right off for being so unpractical, many years later those designs (mainly when it comes to Teles, even outdated) are still beloved! My point is, beauty is quite a subjective thing, I can't imagine people first seeing a Floyd Rose bridge thought that big mess of components looked pretty either, but people get used to things as they become common and do their job well. ;)

[@rustyjames2202]

Sound is more important than looks. Unless you are a poser. Food for thought.

[@antmax]

@@rustyjames2202 Not really a poser, but if I don't like how the guitar looks it will go out of reach in a bag or case and not go up on the wall so I probably won't play it as much.

[@rustyjames2202]

@@antmax Ok that makes sense. I don't use the trem when I play but I don't think it looks that bad.

[@YeeThirty]

He clearly stated they are for floyd style bridge replacements.. only problem with floating bridges now is theres 10 different routes for them..

[@johnroberts838]

Hi Darrell, Excellent Video, you boldly went where no Guitarist has been, such Awesome looking Bodies on the Strat as well as the Ibanez. Take care. Melbourne, Australia.

[@russelllucas1043]

Hey ! Fellow Aussie.

[@johnroberts838]

Russell Lucas Hi mate, Love this Channel, Love Guitars🎸🎸🎸👍

[@David__]

Brave & Crazy mod! Thanks for sharing Darrell :)

[@joelopez4237]

That is very unique, awesome sound, thanks for sharing! Your guitar friend Joe.

[@RoloTomasie]

Seems like a great design but it really ruins the aesthetic of one of the best looking strats I've seen. Please change it back and apologize to the strat!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

The Select Strat is a real beauty!! You'd think I would have a better guitar to test parts on, yet here we are! 😂

[@SeattleScotty]

@lilnetty2 I agree, I think it looks pretty cool by itself. I wouldn't go for a locking trem system on my guitars, but this definitely looks like an upgrade from a Floyd.

[@brettshawver2983]

@@DarrellBraunGuitar well send me the Sophia & I'll put her on my ESP MII & try her out...........🤘😁🤘

[@wannaberabbi9302]

RoloTomasie i honestly think it looks awesome lol

[@Ogscottyp]

Tru dat and a great big WORD TO YA MUTHA!

[@rayross997]

OH the Humanity!!! Kent Brokmen said it best,"this is a 1000 times worse than anything I saw in Nam". You got guts Darrell.

[@LabyrinthOfEyes]

Great video as always! You always find something cool and interesting. Keep up the good work my friend!

[@tinktinkputra2316]

No matter what it is, your strat is sound superb!

[@JimmySlacksack]

I've watched ONE of your videos and now all I get in my recommendations are you putting oo's of different trems on your strat!

[@allenrussell1947]

The nice thing about using that style pliers is when they slip off the work and pinch that big fluffy part of your hand there at the base of your thumb. Ah, the memories. Love this channel BTW!!

[@DavidMorisset]

That into lick and tone was awesome

[@artiefischel2579]

5:10 Remedial math for guitarists...

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

😂😂😂👍

[@rodrigobarrios5402]

Ok, I never leave comments in yt videos but this is just awesome, I have always wanted a tremolo system but I like using different tunings, this comes handy, thanks

[@truckercowboyed2638]

Looks great and really radical from the normal system.

[@chemmii]

Amazing!!!! After reading some of the negative comments, I like it even more!! It's the old story of.... If this was the very first trem system ever made or offered everyone would be on board to get it or buy it!! And later would be calling the Floyd or others Frankenstein trems that were to complicated or didn't work as well as this one does!! I only have one trek guitar and it is not a fender or a any other of the big names.. It's a DBZ... And as soon as possible I'm getting this trem and I hope everybody comments negatively on it!!! I love contreversy!! Lol

[@SLAMSTERDAMN]

+Darrell Braun ; I dig your new(?) intro. That Trek UG is AWESOME. It did indeed add a ton of low mids to your plank! Stock humbucking pup, or? Reminds me of the Mo’ Joe pup, plenty hairy. Have a good one. 👍

[@gillesgenete9598]

For sound demo I was waiting for some crazy Woodstock Star Spangled Banner with nuclear dive bomb. You were pretty close 👍

[@YBNegative]

yeah, sure, WE make you do things to your guitars...haha! 'but anyway, since you asked'. I love it! I think about my 1st Floyd Rose locking trem and nut, and how far out of my league that was at the time, and what we have for options now, and I'm glad we have you to do the leg work for us! Thanks again for another informative video on some cool stuff!

[@fransvenrooy4760]

The wheel system is so reliable and sturdy looking.!!!! 👍👍🎸😎

[@suegates5]

You did a awesome job! I Want It, Yes,!! 💕 Love the zebra knobs. Love the wood color+, grain

[@r.llynch4124]

These are so awesome. Using these on my new builds coming up.

[@EvelynRoods]

I’m really digging the new intro.

[@steveg219]

The play on this trem sounds cool, very even and more subtle than I expectedly

[@shirestudios]

That last riff wow! Someone's having a little too much fun...

[@tdtom1376]

was thinking the exact same thing... FUN!

[@martymcmannis9121]

Thanks for the video. This is outstanding,must get one. When doing upgrading, doesn't hurt to give prices.

[@jcoulter43]

Great demo/review of this add on. Very functional and sounds great. But, I like the more traditional look of the standard Sophia saddles. Keep up the great work brother. God bless! 👍🎸😎

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks JC! Blessing to you too!

[@jaket3259]

Nice video man! Enjoyed it!

[@ORION2180]

Very nice, any additional sustain is good sustain! I see some comments welcoming a modern looking Strat. Well, Charvel has come out with some new beastly models, hint....hint....

[@fransvenrooy4760]

A damn fine tremolo bridge!🎸🎶🎶👍👍👍😘

[@progrob27]

Beautiful finish on that guitar

[@mike3963]

Great video once again! I love that you go in depth with everything and you give advice along the way and explain what you’re doing and why. There’s only one gripe about this video and it’s honestly just a small thing: please be more tasteful with the whammy bar. You mentioned the sustain and how this would improve it but then started using the whammy bar. Possibly a demo for sustain and then a demo for with the whammy bar? I’m not trying to bash you in any way, only a suggestion based on my opinion.

[@chrisshaw6451]

You're nuts Darrell, do you always do what strangers tell you?🤔 LOL!🤣 I'm glad you do though, that's why we watch you, always fun, always entertaining, and always educational and interesting. Keep it up my friend, I'm always learning from you, I wouldn't have the nerve, or the knowledge, to do the things i''e done on my guitars without your clear and precise Instructional videos, thank you. 👍❤️

[@edoDT]

Loving this new intro dude!!

[@samchezrocks]

Awesome channel Darrell !! keep it up!!!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks Sam!

[@shirestudios]

YES!!!Sounds killer

[@Osmorales90]

The look of that tremolo is insane, great tone and sustain also... Definitely a very good option to look at as an upgrade for my guitar 🤔🤔

[@casperboo5465]

Yep looks and sounds Great Darrell, Great job, Cheers

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks Casper!

[@ncomeau]

I just love this!!!! Thanks!

[@Darm0k]

It looks like there are rockets on the bridge.

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

I like a modern looking Strat' :-)

[@teddybaker7231]

I love it, regarding the wheel on the back of the bridge, would it detune the whole guitar by a half tone if you wanted it to, ?

[@thomaspartin191]

Wow, theirs more hardware on just that bridge than the front of my truck!

[@entropy1454]

About the trouble you had when loading in the 6th string, Geoffrey McCabe(the guy who runs the company) said that you can load the string in from the front and lock the string in place with the locking screw, a lot like a how a floyd rose string change would be.

[@JohnBarrow1961]

Very cool. Can't say that I like the way it looks, at all, but if it works as intended, that's the bottom line. Thanks, Darrell.

[@anime5h_m1shr4]

The new intro is killing it!!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks man!

[@rajeevdsuza6533]

the intro portion was awesome and the video too...

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks man!

[@randomdude9698]

It looks pretty badass imo

[@darkinertia2]

This really reminds me of my headless hohner on how it works...you should get a headless someday! Theyre fun and are tanks, i love i could play in bed, lay it down, and do anything without having to knock it out of tune

[@brianpetersen3429]

Very cool looking and working!

[@michaelduk4182]

WOW that sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!

[@OwainOwine]

I quite like it. Killer sound too.

[@thomaspick4123]

Sounds great!

[@johnchase8510]

Darrel, It seems as though the new saddles make the ratio of arm movement to tuning change lower than the original saddles. Am I imagining this due to the full float? Happy with the Super Vee for one system, though always on the hunt for trems :-)

[@amitsapir2]

Darrell, If you are going to replace the locking system on your Ibanez, YOu should consider the Gotoh Liscensed Floyd Rose. This is what Shur is using this days. It is about 30% Cheaper and you get the brass block for free!

[@KeganVanSickle]

I like the new intro Darrell!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks man!

[@gatormouth337]

Just to clarify, the wire cutters on those needle nose pliers are near the handle. It is impossible to cut anything that is handled with the tip of the pliers because the wire cutters are at the opposite end of the pliers close to the handle

[@rico387]

It's a cool idea. They have a steam punk look that might be more at home on an 80's style pointy guitar. I think they could develop the aesthetics a bit. Perhaps use square tubing? But, I guess tone and function do come first.

[@mikesoto4675]

Great video as always

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks Mike!

[@blindsagacity]

You should put on a locking but and chop the headstock off 👌

[@aliciafranco5704]

AMAZING! I'M TOTALLY SOLD ON SOPHIA PRODUCTS!!!!! Thx so MUCH ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[@JesusArmasOficial]

Sweet intro Darrel 😎

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks man!

[@Lord_Stinkfoot]

Great video!!

[@benspong2125]

Straight up pink Floyd sound with the first part of solo. Love it

[@chrstopherthomas6952]

Yea man I would like to try that on one of my Floyd rose guitars.

[@Rayuga99]

Love the new intro!!!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Thanks man!

[@Releasethebats123]

I can't believe that I once thought the Mastery bridge and the old clunky vibrato mess on 60s SGs were ugly. This monstrosity just reinstated my opinion.

[@freddietane]

hi Darrell - Another cool demo - the Sophia Trem has wonderful engineering at the bridge on your Strats. A couple questions for you: Could you demo the Sophia system further to show how well an open string holds pitch while other string(s) are being bent? Hopefully, while still retaining the floating capabilities! Can you share any more info about the nut & tuners - are they stock? Is there additional info about how your instruments are setup? Having seen several of your Trem demos (Sophia, Vega) the floating performance on each is great - returning to pitch even without a locking nut system! Thanks very much!

[@begmas]

One of the best tremolos out there, have it on a custom charvel strat! The only competitor imho is bladerunner (have that one also with piezo saddles). So the perfect tremolo might be the combination of those: sophia with all it's features on a bladerunner base with piezo saddles...

[@alvinleedham2873]

Ever the consumption s guitarist excellent video.

[@JamesJohnson-hb1me]

I Like the intro! Why are you using... Great video, thanks!

[@skyscraper7474]

Ritchie Blackmore would be proud of you!😃

[@PJ-ee5mc]

I have looked at numerous videos relating to Sophia and most of the ones I see do not demonstrate it with any finesse. Although Darrell did do a great job as usual in his explanation. I see people pounding on the bar to demonstrate how it comes back in tune, which is certainly a valid exercise, but it would be great to see a player do something with great sensitivity that requires control & accuracy... like Jeff Beck's 'Where Were you' for example. In my mind this is what separates the great trems from the crappy ones. This looks like a brilliant design. I am just holding off until I can see it used in a way that I can personally relate to. Can anyone comment on "softer side" of using the Sophia 2:92, not just dive-bombs or heavy-handed use?

[@john2759]

Awesome and crazy 😜 I love it

[@Freedom89984]

I’ve got tuners at the other end of the strings of my strat. Works great also.

[@icenic_wolf]

If you want to move between e.g. Standard E tuning and drop-D, does the global tuning wheel help expedite that, or is it still a painful process to go back-and-forth?

[@martinlahaie6012]

Hi man! Just new to your channel.. Great job...great editing and visually interesting! Still in love with your Epi Les Paul? Bonjour du Québec!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Welcome aboard! Definitely love my Epiphones 👍

[@8triagrammer]

I ALMOST went with the Sophia but in the end decided on the Super Vee Blade Runner because of the solid contact with the body that it has. I know the Sophia also has the stop block in the cavity that does something similar, but the Blade Runner has more overall contact. I still really like the Sophia though. Very tough choice.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Congratulations! The BladeRunner is a fantastic trem too 👍

[@anthonyjames3074]

One of the things I really appreciate about your videos is that when you play you avoid the "crotch shots". Thanks.

[@heres2ya]

another great video, and a new intro. i was also wondering how they would look installed. hmmm i have mixed emotions about them. but seriously why would you try to cut the springs with them wire cutters ☻

[@gw2934]

Can you pull up 3 tones to play Jeff beck style without the fine tuners hitting the body ? Works and sounds amazing ! Love your playing Darrell

[@5Inept]

Nice intro dude!!

[@soundingraw9259]

Please use the sofia to your ibanez as well.. we want to see it :)