Tremol-No: Drop Tuning Without Giving Up My Tremolo

I installed a Tremol-No in my guitar for two reasons: I wanted to use drop tunings, and I wanted to keep the natural feel of my floating tremolo when I returned to standard tuning.

I still enjoy using the tremolo—particularly subtle vibrato and flutter—so permanently blocking the bridge wasn’t the right solution for me. Tremol-No gives me three operating modes, letting me choose how the bridge behaves for the song I’m playing.

Why I moved on from my ESP stabiliser

About 15 years ago, I installed an ESP tremolo stabiliser. It used counter-tension to help hold the bridge at its resting position, reducing the pitch movement you can get when bending one string while another keeps ringing.

It helped with that problem, but the trade-off was noticeable. Pulling up on the tremolo arm required more force, and I lost the flutter feel I enjoyed. It also didn’t give me the drop-tuning flexibility I was looking for.

My installation required drilling into the guitar, too. That left a permanent modification, which is something I now consider more carefully—particularly if I might sell the guitar later.

Those were my experiences with that setup. For this guitar, I wanted a different approach.

The three Tremol-No modes

Tremol-No lets a compatible floating tremolo operate in three ways:

• Full floating: You can dive and pull up. I use this for normal tremolo playing, including flutter.
• Fully locked: No diving or pulling up. I use this when I want the bridge held still, giving it fixed-bridge behaviour.
• Dive only: You can dive, with upward movement blocked. I use this for drop-tuned songs where I still want some tremolo movement.

The manufacturer confirms these three modes and describes the Deep-C stop as the part that enables dive-only operation. See the Tremol-No FAQ.

Why I use dive-only mode for drop tuning

On a fully floating bridge, string tension and spring tension balance against each other. Lowering the tuning of a string changes that balance, which can move the bridge and affect the tuning of the other strings.

For my drop-tuned songs, I use Tremol-No in dive-only mode. With the bridge correctly set up against the stop, I can lower the tuning while retaining downward tremolo movement. This is also a use described in the manufacturer’s FAQ.

That suits how I play those songs. I still have access to small pitch dips and gentle tremolo vibrato, although the upward half of the movement is blocked.

When I want the full floating response again, I return to my normal tuning and release the system. The appeal is having those options in the same guitar.

Keeping the natural tremolo feel

Preserving the feel of the bridge was just as important to me as drop tuning.

Tremol-No isn’t a spring-loaded counter-tension device. In floating mode, it is designed to let the bridge move freely. Getting that result depends on careful installation: the manufacturer specifically emphasises shaft alignment and eliminating binding in its installation instructions.

That distinction matters. I use floating mode when I want the normal response of my tremolo, and dive-only mode when the song calls for drop tuning. I don’t expect dive-only mode to reproduce the complete movement of a floating bridge.

For compatible installations, Tremol-No also uses the existing claw mounting screws rather than requiring new holes in the guitar body. That reversible approach appealed to me after my earlier drilled installation.

My custom 3D-printed backplate

Accessing the adjustment thumbscrews is another practical consideration. Removing the backplate makes them easy to reach, but I wanted to keep a cover fitted.

My solution was to design and 3D-print a replacement backplate.

I traced the original plate and carefully matched the screw-hole positions. Then I added an opening around the Tremol-No controls, so I could reach the adjustments without removing the cover.

The result fitted well and gave me the access I needed. It also let me keep the original backplate untouched.

In my recent backplate project, I explored surface finishing in Bambu Studio and the trade-offs between PLA and PETG. Those considerations were useful for a thin plate with countersunk screw holes: getting the fit right comes first, followed by the surface finish and material choice.

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Keeping track of the tiny thumbscrews

One small frustration with Tremol-No is how easy it can be to lose a thumbscrew if you back it out too far. Replacement parts are available, but searching for a tiny screw is still annoying.

My own solution was to apply a very small amount of blue Loctite 243 to the thumbscrew threads, to make them less likely to work loose.

This is a personal modification rather than a manufacturer-recommended adjustment. Loctite 243 is a medium-strength threadlocker, so it can increase the effort needed to turn or remove a screw—something to consider with small controls intended for regular finger adjustment. See Henkel’s Loctite 243 product information.

The simplest habit is still to loosen the screws only enough to release the mechanism, rather than continuing until they come out.

Is Tremol-No right for your playing?

For me, Tremol-No solves a specific problem: I want one guitar that can handle drop-tuned songs while still giving me a floating tremolo when I want it.

Dive-only mode covers my drop-tuning use, floating mode gives me normal tremolo movement, and fully locked mode is available when I want the bridge held still. The custom backplate makes switching between those options more convenient.

If you’re considering the same approach, check the fit for your tremolo block and cavity before choosing a model, and take time with the alignment during installation.

You can find the available options on our Tremol-No Tremolo Locking System product page.