Skyway bridges?

[Galo]

Is anybody using the Skyway bridges?

[mudnuts]

I have emailed Skyway for over two months and I have yet to get a reply. Seems like they don't want any business.

So, I am having a Super-Vee installed by a local luthier (also the inventor) as we speak.

http://www.super-vee.com/

- Mud

[muddy]

you'd have to modify the route where the block fits for it to go up, unless you know something i don't know. the point technology trem, on the other hand, is VERY well made & thought out. and there's the one made by that german guitar builder that makes an akkerman sig that features a seperate, counter pivot for allowing all the strings to bend by the same amount. name escapes me.


ml

[Galo]

I have emailed Skyway for over two months and I have yet to get a reply. Seems like they don't want any business.

So, I am having a Super-Vee installed by my luthier (also the inventor) as we speak.

http://www.super-vee.com/

- Mud


Thanks for the link...interesting!!!

[Macaroni]

I recently got my new Strat with a Skyway - very nice. I'm having another guitar made by Roger Giffin and it will have a Skyway as well (& Harmonic Design Z90s). It works really well, sounds like a hard tail bridge, and stays perfectly in tune. Looks super too!

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k257/Macaroni108/RM-Strat-2-s.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k257/Macaroni108/RM-Strat-CU-s.jpg

[Galo]

I recently got my new Strat with a Skyway - very nice. I'm having another guitar made by Roger Giffin and it will have a Skyway as well (& Harmonic Design Z90s). It works really well, sounds like a hard tail bridge, and stays perfectly in tune. Looks super too!



How do you like it so far compare to the regular strat ones???

gracias

[ChazMania]

There is a guy here who recently had a Suhr made with a skyway, i think he posted pics, was it plexibreath? it was a nice black cherry looking guitar.

[muddy]

you are correct, sir! hey-O-O-O!


ml

dutch luthiers, not german:
catalyst guitars

http://www.catalyst.nl/products.htm

dt / spltrcl

[Galo]

yes ive had my skyway equipped chapin for 5 or so years now
very happy with it as ive stated numerous times here on tgp :)
try a search for more info or feel free to email me or ask q's here
i'd be glad to answer.

great innovative bridge!


Thanks pm sent.

[Macaroni]

How do you like it so far compare to the regular strat ones???

So far I like it a lot. But I'm not an experienced tremolo user, so my frame of reference is very limited. I like it much better than any other standard Strat tremolo I've tried, re tuning stability and smooth response/feel. I'm hoping it will inspire me to develop and incorporate tremolo techniques, as I've heard many masterful players do (Splatt, etc).

[Galo]

So far I like it a lot. But I'm not an experienced tremolo user, so my frame of reference is very limited. I like it much better than any other standard Strat tremolo I've tried, re tuning stability and smooth response/feel. I'm hoping it will inspire me to develop and incorporate tremolo techniques, as I've heard many masterful players do (Splatt, etc).

thank you so much for the info Ron.
Adios

[big mike]

Skyway is freaking amazing. Unfortunately it doesn't retrofit anything, but it's awesome.

Best trem ever. And Rick is a great guy.

He is busting his butt...another one man show type deal, but he's got an amazing product.

[Heiko]

Hey Guys,

I rarely post but this thread needs my response as I have known Rick Huff (Mr. Skyway) for a number of years now. Not only is he a standout individual but he has also engineered the best tremolo I have ever played. This thing is the real deal. 1) It enhances one's tone compared to a vintage Strat trem for example (the harmonics are phenomenal) 2) It does not go out of tune no matter how hard you work the trem similar to a Floyd 3) It is easy to set up unlike a Floyd and does NOT sound dead. Basically Rick's trem should get a hell of a lot more attention than it does presently. Also Plexibreath's (John Kelly Brown) Suhr Guitar does feature the Skyway and is one hell of an instrument. The combo of John Suhr's guitar building ability and Rick Huff's mechanical engineering is a feat to hear. So give the guy a call if you are interested...he is more than pleasant to talk to at length as well.

Cheers and Happy New Years to you all,

Heiko Frost

[Macaroni]

It is definitely one of the most beautiful pieces of engineering I've seen in guitar hardware - a true work of functional art. And no rear routing to take away a big chunk of tone wood.

Apparently, Rick will be offering saddles made of different metals, each one providing unique tonal responses. Mine sounds phenomenal.

[Hamertoe]

Originally posted by mudnuts:
I have emailed Skyway for over two months and I have yet to get a reply. Seems like they don't want any business.


Your trem needs are covered but I wanted say that it's possible your emails were never delivered. That may explain no reply. I recently found out a slew of my emails didn't make it to their destination and I didn't receive the usual "failure to deliver" notice. Just a thought. I usually call if I don't get a reply via email. :)

[Saul Koll]

I've made a few guitars with these and have more coming. The Skyway is a pretty amazing piece of equipment. Beautifully machined and engineered. Born in California's silicon valley, as I understand it, the technology behind it is Space/Satellite based. There is no other vibrato that uses the fulcrum-less pivot like these. (Or something like that..:p ) Whatever, the beauty part is that no matter where you are in the travel, all the punch, power and sustain are retained. I make and play a lot of hardtail guitars and like to feel the whole body come alive when you dig in. The Skyway is the closest I have found to that feeling. You get the best of both worlds.
Rick tells me that a new informative website is about to be launched that should answer more questions. You might watch for it.
If you don't get a quick response from Rick try again. He is mostly a one person show and I for one know how messages can sometimes fall off the page..

Here are a couple shots from some that I have used:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Saul-Koll/skywayKollclub.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Saul-Koll/skyway3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Saul-Koll/skywayT.jpg

[Galo]

I've made a few guitars with these and have more coming. The Skyway is a pretty amazing piece of equipment. Beautifully machined and engineered. Born in California's silicon valley, as I understand it, the technology behind it is Space/Satellite based. There is no other vibrato that uses the fulcrum-less pivot like these. (Or something like that..:p ) Whatever, the beauty part is that no matter where you are in the travel, all the punch, power and sustain are retained. I make and play a lot of hardtail guitars and like to feel the whole body come alive when you dig in. The Skyway is the closest I have found to that feeling. You get the best of both worlds.
Rick tells me that a new informative website is about to be launched that should answer more questions. You might watch for it.
If you don't get a quick response from Rick try again. He is mostly a one person show and I for one know how messages can sometimes fall off the page..

Here are a couple shots from some that I have used:




Thanks for the info Saul...great looking guitar man.
Adios

[Glowing Tubes]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Saul-Koll/skyway3.jpg


Hey Saul, that's a beautiful shot,
Interesting pickup on that guitar, is it me or does it get wider on one side?

Oddly enough, I break strings a lot when using trems but have had luck with the older 6-screw traditional type. Wonder how the skyway is with string breakage.

RC

[Saul Koll]

Hey Saul, that's a beautiful shot,
Interesting pickup on that guitar, is it me or does it get wider on one side?

Oddly enough, I break strings a lot when using trems but have had luck with the older 6-screw traditional type. Wonder how the skyway is with string breakage.

RC

thanks!
This is an asymetrical coil. Wider on the treble side, narrow on the bass. The idea was to have the sweeter trebles that a wider coil might give, and the tighter bass that a more narrow coil might have. TVJones makes them for me. He also plays with the magnets, using certain ones for plain strings and others for winds. He calls these pickups Electroflux.
To me it captures my favorite things about a tele bridge, with my favorite things about a P-90. They are all made by hand, one at a time. I am hopeful that he'll tool up to produce these. So far he is too busy doing his Filtertrons, but we'll see what happens this year.

As to string breakage, I can't imagine a problem. I don't own or play a Skyway guitar, but I've made them for others. So far, no one has commented about that. As I picture the string path, I can't imagine where breakage might occur. I don't think you would have any problems in that area.

cheers,

Saul

[mudnuts]

I got my Super-Vee installed. As far as the up-pull, Jeff is develping an add-on that will give it a full step up-pull and include a piston like spring that will help manage a return to the "0" setting to maintain tuning. As it is right now, you can dive bomb the crap out of it and it stays in tune wonderfully.

It's very solid feeling, makes my other strat with the standard Fender bridge feel pretty cheap and flimsy. The fine tuners work great to touch up the tuning due to temperature swings and there is enough travel to go into a "drop D" or "double drop D" with the fine tuners alone

Another great development is the trem bar has a rubber bumper inside at the bottom of the block so when you attach it, and spin it down to the right height, it stays wherever you put it.

I noticed Vintage Guitar showcased this bridge (and two others) in an article this month and they gave it a pretty good review.

Pictures to come.

- Mud

[mudnuts]

that would be a "full-step up-pull" on which string,
using which string-gauges?

Since I'm not the artisan designing this system, I can't say. I was only relaying what was said in our casual conversation.

- Mud

[hawkeyeinexile]

no experience w/or knowledge of Super Vee yet, but as of now, if i had my druthers, there'd be a Skyway on my Chapin Strata-Houla

:cool:

[mudnuts]

Here's a few shots of my Super-Vee:

http://users.adelphia.net/~mudnuts/Bridge1.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~mudnuts/Body.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~mudnuts/Nut2.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~mudnuts/Bridge3.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~mudnuts/Bridge2.jpg

- Mud

[Stevo57]

Heres Hershel Yatovitz wailing on a Koll/Skyway creation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gryLcE5Apng

[Glowing Tubes]

Heres Hershel Yatovitz wailing on a Koll/Skyway creation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gryLcE5Apng

I like the floating people. :p

[HarryJ]

If there is no up pull, how can you even get a smooth symetrical vibrato?
Strange, when I heard Hershel Yatovitz with Chris Isaak a while ago, it was a very smooth vibrato

HJ

[Ben F.]

Apparently, Rick will be offering saddles made of different metals, each one providing unique tonal responses.

What are the bridge bodies made from? They look massive.

-Ben