Guitar Gear Forum

I have the Charvel Henrik Donhage signature guitar and love everything about it but the looks. The heavy relic is just too much for me. What other guitars in that price range ($1000-$1500) have a top mounted Floyd and maple fretboard?

Strip the finish and dye it with wipe-on poly.

But there are several top mounted Floyd guitars being made these days:

You can find used USA Select Charvels for around $1500

https://reverb.com/item/84089836

Older USA and MIJ Charvels

https://reverb.com/item/82894751

The DeMartini signature Charvels

Kramer has several models, The 84, Baretta, Nightswan etc

Any EVH guitar

Jackson has a Soloist with a top mounted Floyd, (SL1X, I think).

For Charvels is there a way to tell from the model it has a top mounted trem?

Yarbicus wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2024 3:18 am For Charvels is there a way to tell from the model it has a top mounted trem?

From the model number? No. You have to look at pictures.

Extend your price range a little bit and buy my Snakeskin Charvel

Kramer has a handful of guitars with top mount floyds. 1984, Baretta Vintage, Nightswan, Jersey Star.

I have worked myself away from Floyd's but never quite understood what the issue is with the top mounts. What are the pro's and con's? Will probably end up with one again at some point so would be interested to know what others think.

eyeball987 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2024 1:30 pm I have worked myself away from Floyd's but never quite understood what the issue is with the top mounts. What are the pro's and con's? Will probably end up with one again at some point so would be interested to know what others think.

No issues, but I prefer the top mounts. Coming from playing Gibsons mostly, which have the Tune-O-Matic bridges sitting on top of the guitar, the top mount Floyd has amore natural height/angle for my right hand.

As for pros and cons, the recessed Floyd has the back route that allows you to pull up on the tremolo, while the top mount are usually sitting flush with the top and can dive only. But that can be adjusted, you can put a trem stopper on a recessed Floyd for dive-only and you can raise the top mount to give it some pull-up room.

So the height/angle is the main difference IMHO..

Pros: sit higher on the body like a Les Paul bridge. Easier to deck/set to dive only. Still can float.

Cons: not as much room for pull ups as a recessed Floyd. Requires the neck to be angled in order to play right (shims can solve this) which may involve a trip to your tech/luthier.

I can play both but I find the top mounted is easier for me especially if I just got done playing a guitar with a tune o matic bridge. Feels more natural going that way. I have 3 Floyd guitars and 1 is top mount. Since I’m not doing Steve Vai style pull ups, I have more than enough room to do what I like for bar pull ups while it’s floating. That guitar also has a German OFR and the others are 1000 series Floyd’s. Not bad trems by any means but the German is better machined.

Got it. Thanks! I am an LP guy so that would explain why the top mounts that I have had felt better to me. I also usually block trems so that they are dive only.