This day in age guitars have evolved into directions that even astound me. From the classics like Les Pauls to the Telecaster and Stratocaster to V's and customs that push the limits unheard of from even just 20 years ago. The import market use to be the bottom of the barrel and custom guitars was something that only the rich or the biggest rock stars could afford. The import market today has reached new levels and custom guitars are something now anyone can afford if they reach hard enough. Most guitars from most makers are usually quality made but they can lack in some areas from tremolos lacking a bit of tone and sustain springs that slip and are noisy. A company called FU-Tone took the reigns to make great tone available to everyone at a price that anyone can afford. I have used and even compared there products to some cheaper versions of others and seen how it all stacks up. Today we shall talk about the world of FU-Tone and what they can do to give you rock star tone!!!!!!!!
I am first going to talk about my Carvin V220 Classic Reissue V Guitar.
I wanted to take this great guitar and make it legendary gear it up to what would be one of the best stage and studio guitars in my rig for a very long time. I turned to FU-Tone where Adam over there helped me with a Tone Block, Heavy Duty Springs, Brass Claw and a Brass Trem Stopper. These items all helped me take this guitar to a level of amazing proportions. Lets take a moment and break down each part I installed into this guitar.
37mm Brass Tone Block to replace the light pot metal one. This adds volume and mass what equals tone and resonance and sustain. Tear down time is a bit cause you have to loosen or replace the strings and tear the tremolo all the way down and intonate it when done. It is more then worth the time and FU-Tone has great videos to help out along the way.
Brass Trem Stopper helps block your tremolo so it is very stable what helps if you have a heavy hand and if you plan on using a D-Tuna. It also equals back to the mass equals tone. I used a small drill bit and drilled two small wholes and then screwed it in. It took about ten min total including the setting of the tremolo.
Heavy Duty Noiseless Springs that live up to there name in every way shape and form. They are the best springs I have seen and or used on any guitar and really give you that extra grip on the trem to make sure you are in tune 100% of the time.
Brass Spring Claw helps in two ways from the original pot metal one that comes standard on tremolos. They are stronger and go back to the mass equals tone and will help the entire tone and sustain output on your guitar. It took only a few minutes to install and then solder the wire.
When I had all of this installed on the V it is mind blowing what it did for this guitar. It took a great guitar and made it even better. I gained a extremely mind blowing amount of sustain and tone the guitar performed better then I could dream. If you have a mid level or entry level guitar it is a cheap way to step it up into new tonal territories to keep you on a budget and still get rock star tone. You do not need to be a luthier or have years of tool experience to be able to install this stuff between FU-Tone and Youtube there are tons of videos to help walk anyone step to step.
The next question I had was what makes FU-Tone different? There are blocks on Ebay that are a bit cheaper......Trem blocks that are about half the price........Why would I want to pay a few dollars more right????? It is about saving money????
The next quick test I wanted to run was what separates FU-Tone and why did I want to back this company when I can find cheaper parts in other places. I went to one of the more favorite places for musicians to buy parts or upgrades for there guitars the mighty Ebay. I purchased a 37mm brass block and a brass trem stopper for almost half the price just to compare for myself. I notice the block was very bland looking has a very dirty look to it that would not buff out. I weighed them both also and the Ebay block was actually lighter and a bit smaller also. The trem stopper was not machined it was basically a small piece of flat bar that was bent with a threaded whole in it. I noticed a ton of difference in the tone and sustain it almost sounded muffled after having the FU-Tone upgrades installed on the guitar. I am sure it was better then stock but not much better and it was not worth the money I spent. Sometimes you cannot be fooled by smoke and mirrors and cheaper parts made with lower quality brass and components.
When it comes to your tone your sound and your style I personally recommend FU-Tone!!!!
It is also important to let everyone know that I am in no way or shape endorsed with FU-Tone. I am writing about this company cause I believe that they offer the best parts and upgrades for the quality for the money on the market today!!!!!!
Next month we shall take another look at FU-Tone and look at what it did for my VG Guitars V that I call my Phoenix Guitar.
