Duesenberg Les Trem II Chrome TM85C

I love this whammy bar! It works really well.
I installed it on my Gibson SG special.
I do not have de-tuning problems, even if I bring it all the way to the body (though if I do it repeatedly it might detune a bit). I am using 10-46 elixir nanoweb guitar strings, but I have also used ernie ball 09 slinky strings, and did not have any problems. I do use some nut lube though.

It also fits easily into my existing gig bag and hardcase.

However, there are some things to consider with this device.
On my Gibson SG special it does not fit entirely, it was off by 0.5mm, I thought I had measured it properly, but apparently not. To make it fit, I used a file to grind the bolt holes slightly larger, until it fit. Next, the pickguard of the SG is in the way of the plate under the spring, so you need to make a modification, either by cutting the pickguard, or by inserting another pickguard underneath the plate. I opted to make a mini-pickguard that matches the shape of the underplate of the les trem.

One last concern is the bridge height on the SG. If the bridge height is too high (and on the SG it often is, since the neck sweeps backwards behind the body), then it is possible for the strings to touch the bridge as they go down towards the les trem. Therefore, raising the les trem may be necessary. For this the pickguard and the washers help.

Despite the issues I had installing it, I did not need to make modifications to the guitar at all, and I love the sound. 5/5 would buy for all guitars with stoptail.

I really wanted to like this but sadly it didn't do it for me and I've since moved it on. I just found it kept making my guitars go out of tune far too fast. I tried it and actually bought it to specifically go on a Gretsch G5222 but I could not get the guitar to saty in tune no matter what I tried including fitting a roller bridge. I watched all the videos checked all the fittings and I had fitted it correctly so in desperation tried it on a Les Paul and still the same issue. It looked the business on both guitars and was a simple fitting process and thankfully dismantling as well thankfully I didn't have to alter the guitar in any way. So I tried it didn't work out for me no worries onwards and upwards to next upgrade. In closing though the product quality was excellent as were Thomann's delivery service to UK (still faster from Germany than many companies from here in the UK).

I have been on the fence about installing one of these for a long time and I finally pulled the trigger. It works as advertised, it installs in minutes and keeps the tuning very well so far. I have a regular TOM bridge and not one with roller saddles and I have no tuning issues whatsoever. I was afraid it would block the access to the volume/tone knobs, which I use a lot when playing. Luckily it has not been been a deal breaker. Obviously it adds an obstacle in the way (the spring assembly part is in the exact line of sight of the neck volume knob) but it's mostly blocking the view of the potentiometer and not so much the access to it. For me personally, it was worth it.
The only criticism I have regards the instructions. Setting it up is a multistep procedure. Once the installation is over you are instructed to insert the arm and tighten it but what they don't say is that you have to tighten it A LOT. If not, what will happen (as it happened to me) is that the arm will rotate inside the hole and leave your tremolo arm with some deep scratches/dents from the screws that hold it in place. I wish they would have said that - now I am left with a tremolo arm that is visibly dented :(

I purchased tremolo with the ABM Roller bridge, to fit on my Tokai SG215. Both fitted with no major surgery, just remove the strings and drop in the tremolo using the washers and screws provided. It only takes a few minutes to fit the tremolo.

After a day of playing the guitar for 3-4 hours total, it seems to stay in tune very well, which is surprising considering its simplicity (btw, I do not dive-bomb). I'm scared of restring my guitar with a Floyd Rose, but not so with the Duesenberg. What a great unit. Highly recommend it to anyone - but make sure your guitar will fit the trem, as I've read some people had to do some surgery.

Also, the package was ordered online on late Thursday, and the units arrived in TOKYO on the following Monday at noon.
Amazing, Thomann!

I ordered this vibrato (don't get confused by the name "Trem") to enhance my Gibson Flying V to do the J Mascis stuff :-)
Beside one minor problem with the (a little bit) interfering pick guard this vibrato is very easy to install and use.
Just remove the old stop tailpiece and replace it with the vibrato. You only need a screw driver to remove the old bolts and put in the new ones. Allen keys are included in the package for adjustment.
In case you have a curved top or countersunken screw collars you really need the supplied washers (explained in the manual).
The vibrato must NOT touch the surface. The only point of contact is the bottom plate below the spring which is eqipped with a piece of felt to not scratch the surface.
There are roughly 2cm between the center of the bolt to the right (if you look at your guitar with the neck pointing up) and the center of the spring (of course also on the right).
So check out if your pickguard is in the way. If yes you have to cut your pickguard or you use a few washer more for each bolt to get the bottom plate and the pickguard to the same level.
The Les Trem II comes with four washers which is not enough for a five layered 3mm pick guard.
I need four washers per bolt, which of course depends on the height of the srew collars.
As an alternative you can get Faber Tone Lock Spacers instead of washers.
You should not use your regular bolts because they don't have a thread on the complete length of the bolt.
The adjustment of the vibrato arm is very straightforward with the supplied Allen keys.
They are for the adjustment of the arm itself and the angle for the up and down movement of the vibrato, yes it's litteraly a very flexible piece of gear!
To be on the safe side you should get a roller bridge to save your strings.

I was an avid user of Floyd Rose equipped guitars, but in the past recent years really got into Jazz and Fusion and eventually changed to playing semi-hollow body guitars, which in my case don't have any tremolo/vibrato system included.

I always found myself interested in the concept of the Bigsby systems, but a)You'd have to modify your existing axe to install it, or b)You'd have to buy a number of accesories for it to install it and to function flawlessly without compromising your guitar.

I just recently found out about the existence of the Les Trem, really did my homework on it (reviews, videos, demos), and thought it would make sense since I always thought I was missing the option of mechanical vibrato in my playing, without hurting my guitar. It took 10 minutes to install it on my ES335 custom, and it works and feels better than any previous vibrato systems I've used (floyds, traditional tremolos, and Bigsby). Really nice package, the instructions are very clear, as it is a very simple procedure to install it.

The key is to properly setup your strings, lube the points of contact, and stretch them really well before any live situation/performance. I am extremely happy and pleased, and I think it gives the guitar a unique look.

If you're wondering on how to upgrade that boring tune-o-matic (TOM) bridge of your Les pauls or SG style guitars, this is a great choice. I've used it on my Viper LTD guitar and the tremolo option really adds new options of tones and noises I can make.

The build quality is really well done and smooth. It's pretty easy to install as well, coming with a manual, allen keys, extra bolts and washers to compensate any roundness of the guitar body or the size of those holes where the TOM was screwed on. The only thing you would need is a good flat head screwdriver

The only other thing I might recommend is getting a roller bridge saddle as well to help with the tuning stability. Once I had that installed, I can go rough with this thing like crazy and it still be in perfect tuning! It's great for a vibrato. As for its tonal range, I'm able to dive around 5 steps down (and pull 1 and a half step up). However, the diving range depends on how you angle your handle to where it dives fully without touching the body.

It's amazing this exists. I can forget about drilling holes for other tremolo systems!